Transaction Oracle: Angels - Sign Pujols

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim sign 1B Albert Pujols to a 10 year/ $254 million contract. Other details are not yet available, though there is some form of a no trade clause.

OK, everybody has heard of the guy. I’m going to assume that his official age is his true age—all bets are off if he is in fact older. I think it’s doubtful but not absolutely impossible that he is in fact a few years older.

The real key to this signing is how he’ll age. The awkward thing in terms of figuring this out is ...

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Hall of Merit: 2012 Hall of Merit Ballot

Sorry about not getting this posted Monday. I was having issues with the thread-creation website.

The election will end December

21

28. We’ve extend the deadline in hopes of landing a few extra ballots. Don’t count on this next year :-) Apologies to those who rushed to meet the deadline.

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Joe posted this last year, but it won’t hurt to include it here again:

This was an issue last year, so I’ll repeat it now for clarification . . . the posting of the ballot to the discussion thread ...

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Transaction Oracle: Blue Jays - Acquire Santos

Toronto Blue Jays acquire DSA Sergio Santos from the Chicago White Sox for RHP prospect Nestor Molina.

I’d hate to think the logic behind this deal is on the order of—We had 25 blown saves and only 33 saves last year. With a Proven Veteran Closer we might have made the playoffs. Santos was 30 of 36 last year, Problem solved.

In the first place 83% is an unremarkable save conversion rate for a closer. (he had 2 holds in 2 opportunities as well. Count those and it’s 84%. Doesn’t change the ...

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Transaction Oracle: 2012 ZiPS Projections - Minnesota Twins

Not a lot of good news for the Twins in 2011.  ZiPS had them slipping significantly from 2010 and while they did just that, they more than exceeded the projected dropoff.  A lot to do with

it is Mauer and Morneau being injured, ineffective, or frequently both, a plot twist so bad that M. Night Shyamalan would disavow it.  For video game nerds out there (there’s a lot of

crossover), it’s almost Final Fantasy VIII plot twist-bad.

The Twins may not fully realize it, but they’re a team that’s ...

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Transaction Oracle: Marlins - Sign Reyes

Miami Marlins sign SS Jose Reyes to a 6 year/ $111 million contract (6 years/ $106 with an option of a 7th year at $22 million or a $5 million buyout) I see several contradictory factors here. First of all, because the Marlins already have Hanley Ramirez under contract one of them loses some of their value. Sure Ramirez could be shifted to center field (the Marlins weakest position last year) or third base ( Dobbs and Bonifacio weren't bad, but Bonifacio was probably over his head and Dobbs ...Read More...

Transaction Oracle: Angels - Acquire Brad Mills

Los Angeles Angels: Acquired LHP Brad Mills from Toronto for C Jeff Mathis. Well. It's the only way I can think of to keep Mike Scioscia from playing Mathis more than his talents objectively merit. Unless of course the move means that Scioscia (who -- fair or not -- is often viewed as the de facto GM of the Angels) has reconsidered Mathis' actual value. Mathis won't play much in Toronto. He's arbitration eligible and I doubt the Blue Jays fear going to arbitration with him. The only problem ...Read More...

Transaction Oracle: Royal - Sign Broxton

Kansas City Royals sign reliever Jonathan Broxton to a 1 year/$4 million contract (with $1 million in bonuses based on appearances -- sorry no details) It's an interesting signing for a couple of reasons. Not that he had a great deal of choice as to the general nature of the contract, but it's a sensible choice for Broxton. If he's back to something approaching the form of 2006-2009 (always possible though I'd bet against it. The history of pure power pitchers in their early 30s coming off ...Read More...

Transaction Oracle: 2012 ZiPS Projections - San Francisco Giants

While the inclusion of Carlos Beltran and to a lesser extent, Cody Ross, makes the offense look better than it is, it's not really quite as bad as finishing last in the NL would have you believe. There's solid front-line talent, mostly under 30 (practically a toddler by Sabean years) and the biggest problem was getting that talent to stay on the field. Thanks to injuries to the team's two best players, one serious (Posey) and one annoying (Sandoval) and the Ghost of Outfielders Past ...Read More...

Hall of Merit: Most Meritorious Player: 1967 ballot

Here are the specific rules for this election: Candidate Eligibility: Any North American professional baseball player is eligible for the Most Meritorious Player (MMP) award including players in the top Negro Leagues or independent teams. Voters should consider the player’s on-field contribution to Major League Baseball (MLB) team(s) in that season only. If part of the season was spent outside MLB, that value may be considered as well. However, the player’s on-field contribution should be ...Read More...

Sox Therapy: New Manager Likes to Do Stuff

Bobby Valentine is going to be the new Red Sox manager, pending agreement on a contract. I’m generally happy about this. It’s not just that Valentine has a good record as a manager, but more that he’s got upside. A manager like Valentine could win you a handful of games – and he’s going to try to win those games. Most statistically-inclined clubs have opted for managers who will carry out competently the directives of the front office. This option limits outcomes on both the ...Read More...