April Fools' Day already, is it?

Can't wait to read the spin on this one.

I'm hoping it's a minor league contract. Brandon Moss must have looked like Petagine with the glove if this is necessary...

It's a good move. Casey, is obviously not supplanting Youk, Ortiz or Lowell so as a back 1b/3b/LF/DH he is a good player, especially with Youk and Lowell both being RHH. He fits the needs well.

The Sox just had to answer the Ensberg signing by the Yankees.

As long as he's not starting, what's the problem? Ensberg has more upside, but Casey's supposed to have a decent rep as a fielder, right? Do people think they Red Sox will move Gold Glove winner Kevin Youkilis for Casey?

Casey's a decent hitter for a backup, and by most accounts a good guy. I like it.

It's a zero risk proposition, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how they're going to use Casey. It's injury insurance for Manny, I guess, via Youkilis to left field. Probably has more to do with giving Lowell days off against righties; I'd be shocked if Casey saw more than 30 PAs on the season against lefthanded pitching.

I can see the rationale behind it, though; a veteran with a good clubhouse reputation that hits .300 and will take an occasional walk isn't a bad thing to have on the bench, even if first base is his only position. I expect the Red Sox also have a mind to flip him at the deadline if they can and scoop up a 19 year old pitcher from somebody.

Casey AND Manny in LF? Won't someone think of the sprinklers?

This seems largely unnecessary to me but may signal the team's (reasonable) expectation that Lowell may need to sit every now and then (with Youk covering 3rd, of course). I know it's only 700K, but isn't there someone else out there that can play 1st and actually hit a little?

9: Tony Clark.

Like I said, Casey hits .300 and OBPs .350. No, he doesn't have power, but that's still pretty good for a bench player with no (apparent) aspirations to be a regular. It's not a bad use of $700,000.

9: Tony Clark.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! !! ! !!!!

I imagine Casey would be in the Eric Hinske role. However Hinske could play RF if necessary, and I certainly wouldn't want to see Casey out there.

Yeah, that worked out well last time he was in Boston, lev. I wonder if he (Casey) just wants a ring.

If Casey somehow ends up in the OF, there'd better be a position player on the mound.

Anyway, I can't see how this hurts - as already stated, it's not like he'll actually take PT away from a healthy starter, and while Hinske might've had more defensive "flexibility," the guy's a decent source of OBP. And if he hits a few timely pinch-hit homers while Youk's in a 2-for-38 slump, it'll give the Boston Ministry of Information something to print in their literature. Everybody wins!

This seems largely unnecessary to me but may signal the team's (reasonable) expectation that Lowell may need to sit every now and then (with Youk covering 3rd, of course). I know it's only 700K, but isn't there someone else out there that can play 1st and actually hit a little?

i hate it when teams sign players like this and i feel obligated to defend the signing. the situation you describe won't happen (youk @ 3rd) unless something goes really wrong (like lowell dies or breaks his leg). i can't see casey playing the field, let alone starting, much at all. maybe 5 or 10 times?

I imagine Casey would be in the Eric Hinske role. However Hinske could play RF if necessary, and I certainly wouldn't want to see Casey out there.

"Play" being a word rich with meaning and interpretations in this case.

Wilkerson would've been a better choice (but he probably wanted more playing time that was likely to come in Seattle), and I would've let Moss have a go at it.

ZIPS projects:

Moss (in Boston): .264 .334 .424
Casey (in Detroit): 283 .346 .388

Moss looks like a very slightly better hitter, but Casey is presumably a much better 1B and is far more of a sure thing. Overall, it's a reasonable if uninspired signing.

the situation you describe won't happen (youk @ 3rd) unless something goes really wrong (like lowell dies or breaks his leg). i can't see casey playing the field, let alone starting, much at all. maybe 5 or 10 times?

I'm not sure what you're saying. The situation described was that Lowell will need some days off and on those days, Youkilis will shift to 3B. Are you saying Lowell won't need days off? Are you saying they'll put someone else at 3B on Lowell's days off? Youkilis logged 108 innings at 3B last year in 13 games (I assume therefore almost all starts). Lowell played 154 games. Shazam!

So the question is -- does Lowell need more time off given his age? If so, sitting him 15-20 times against tough righties with Youkilis to 3B and Casey starting is perfectly reasonable. Other than 6 innings from Clayton in 2007 and 50 from Alex Cora in 2006, all the Sox innings at 3B have been Lowell or Youkilis (merely 200 by Youkilis). If Lowell needs 200 innings off this year instead of 100, who do you think gets them?

So the question is -- does Lowell need more time off given his age?

First of all, I think your analysis is spot on. But I also want to say that Lowell might need some time off because he's not going to hit as well this year as last. Right? And I'm okay with that. I'm just not sure Casey should be our guy getting those 5-10 starts. Oh well, at least he's a nice guy; he'll offer a distraction to Shaughnessy and the other a-holes and keep them off of Manny's back.

Moss looks like a very slightly better hitter, but Casey is presumably a much better 1B and is far more of a sure thing. Overall, it's a reasonable if uninspired signing.

Agreed - and they still have Moss as a backup OF (with Ellsbury/Coco, Van Every, and possible the return of Bobby Kilty). And in the doomsday scenario where both Youkilis and Lowell cannot play, Lowrie steps in.

This just goes to Theo's obsession with redundancy, which I think is a pretty healthy obsession to have. Esp. with a team relying on post 32 year old players at the 3-4-5-6 spots.

More moves will have to be made before the 25 man is locked in, as I think they have 14 pitchers without options, and a 15th (Lester) who will likely be in the majors anyway (and a 16th, Buchholz, who is better than most of the rest).

Oh yeah, Casey starts. Let's give Lowell 15 games off, the plan will be Casey will start almost all of those unless it's an interleague game with Ortiz at 1B. Last year Hinske got 276 innings at 1B and there were 20 more non-Youk, non-Ortiz innings there. Those 296 were spread over 47 games so have to approximate how many starts. Youk had 145 games with say 12 starts at 3B and Ortiz appears to have had 6 starts at 1B so that leaves 23 starts for Hinske. Presumably the plan for Ortiz's days off would be Manny to DH and, since he's still on the team, Crisp to LF -- and presumably Ortiz's planned days off would be against lefties and Casey would make no sense anyway.

That looks like about 35 intended starts for Casey. Of course how things actually work out will depend on injuries, Casey's performance (I'm thinking more as in he gets cut than that he plays his way into more time), etc. And by the way, the 2006 number of non-Youk/non-Ortiz 1B starts (35) and the number of non-Lowell 3B starts (14) were both higher, so 35 is probably an underestimate ... though it's also fair to say the Sox have more faith in Youkilis now.

(B-R doesn't have games started for the fielding stats yet if you're wondering why I'm guessing on the 2007 games started).

I can see the rationale behind it, though; a veteran with a good clubhouse reputation that hits .300 and will take an occasional walk isn't a bad thing to have on the bench, even if first base is his only position. I expect the Red Sox also have a mind to flip him at the deadline if they can and scoop up a 19 year old pitcher from somebody.

Don't care about him being a veteran.

Don't care about him having a good clubhouse rep.

Don't care that he "hits .300."

He won't kill them, I guess, in the role that they've signed him for, but he's a really uninspired choice. I'd rather give the 250 PAs to a career minor leaguer with at least the chance that he'll do better than suckitude.

And the career minor leaguer would also be more exciting to watch, IMO.

Casey's SLG has exceeded the league average _once_ in the last six years.

I'd rather give the 250 PAs to a career minor leaguer with at least the chance that he'll do better than suckitude.

And the career minor leaguer would also be more exciting to watch, IMO.

Casey's SLG has exceeded the league average _once_ in the last six years.

And I suppose the 'career minor leaguer' will exceed the league average?

Right.

It's a solid bench signing. I can't believe Sox fans, or anyone else, can be THAT snarky. It's as if a guy isn't a five-tool player, he should hang it up as the bum he really is.

Don't care that he "hits .300."
...
Casey's SLG has exceeded the league average _once_ in the last six years.

And, thanks to that batting average that you don't care about, his OBP has been above league average four of the last six, and never under by more than 11 points. ZiPS projects Casey to have an above average OBP again in 2008. But I guess since it's BA-heavy, it doesn't count.

On a "career minor leaguer" - how about a name? Which free agent, specifically, should the Red Sox have signed. I agree that if they could sign someone obviously better than Casey, that would be good, but that's just a tautology.

On Moss, I don't think it makes sense to put him on the bench when he has pretty clear development needs - he has to start making contact more consistently. While I don't know this in the specific case, it seems much more likely that Moss will be able to work on his game playing everyday in Pawtucket rather than sitting on the bench in Boston. That ZiPS doesn't seem right - I have trouble seeing him OBP'ing 334 in the majors without pretty substantial improvement in his contact skills.

Agreed.

The purpose is to take 150 ABs when Youk/Lowell/Ortiz is hurt, a few PH appearances, and a credible everyday guy if one of the three mentioned above goes down.

Moss can sit and wait another year at little cost, and presumably will be called up if there's an OF injury. He might hit better, but he most likely won't. And it's better to have both (and legit backup at 1B and effectively at 3B) than just Moss anyway.

Suggesting someone like Wilkerson is reasonable, other than that there's no reason to suggest he was interested in this type of situation. Seems like the timing here suggests the Sox preferred him, too, but he took a different (and likely larger) opportunity. Is there a better 1B/OF type out there who is going to take this kind of role? Tony Clark...I'd just as soon have Casey.

On a "career minor leaguer" - how about a name? Which free agent, specifically, should the Red Sox have signed. I agree that if they could sign someone obviously better than Casey, that would be good, but that's just a tautology.

Debatable whether he is better, but Russ Branyan is still an FA.

That ZiPS doesn't seem right - I have trouble seeing him OBP'ing 334 in the majors without pretty substantial improvement in his contact skills.

agreed. if his strikeout rate doesn't improve significantly, he's either going to need to draw alot of walks (doubtful), hit alot of line drives, or find alot of gaps to get to 334 obp.

And, thanks to that batting average that you don't care about, his OBP has been above league average four of the last six, and never under by more than 11 points. ZiPS projects Casey to have an above average OBP again in 2008. But I guess since it's BA-heavy, it doesn't count.

I don't disagree with any of that. I said that he won't kill them (just as you presumably don't think he'll be the greatest bench player ever).

I just think he'll suck. We're picking him up mainly for his bat off the bench, and yet he has EqAs of .254 and .211 the last two years. Pass.

as a back 1b/3b/LF/DH he is a good player

Not that I'm quibbling with this signing, but I thought he ONLY played first.

as a back 1b/3b/LF/DH he is a good player

Not that I'm quibbling with this signing, but I thought he ONLY played first.

He does. I don't know what people are talking about either.

Anyone else notice that Casey has a reverse platoon effect? That is, he's a left handed hitter that has hit better against lefties in each of the last few years? I don't know what it means, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

1b/3b/LF/DH

He does. I don't know what people are talking about either.

He backs up 1B/DH for obvious reasons.

He backs up 3B b/c Casey can go to 1B and Youkilis can slide to 3B.

I don't think he backs up LF, but presumably people think Youkilis can play LF and, therefore, Casey goes to 1B and Youks to LF.

I bet they go with 12 pitchers and see if they can sign a RH bat for the minors, or Van Emery (who can play CF) is their #5/6 OF (with Moss as the left handed version who can't play CF). But, maybe they sign Kielty to a major league deal and go with 11 pitchers. I very much doubt that after their roster is cut from 28 to 25, though.

Anyone else notice that Casey has a reverse platoon effect? That is, he's a left handed hitter that has hit better against lefties in each of the last few years? I don't know what it means, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

That looks to be a sample size issue - I don't think he's getting too many plate appearances against CC Sabathia or Johan Santana.

as a back 1b/3b/LF/DH he is a good player

Not that I'm quibbling with this signing, but I thought he ONLY played first.

This confused me at first, but it seems clear from subsequent discussion that this actually entails Youkilis subbing at 3B and LF, with Casey replacing him at 1B. That way the acquisition of Casey provides a de facto backup 1B, 3B and LF. I'm not sure if that was the original poster's intent, but it sorta works out to the same conclusion.

EDIT: Or what Josh said.

So, if this is the best the Red Sox could do for a lefty bat, would someone care to remind me why they were so dead-set against resigning Hinske?

Hinske doesn't fulfill the Irish quota.

He does. I don't know what people are talking about either.

He plays 1b and DH Youk plays 3b and LF. So by substitution he backs up the other positions.

So, if this is the best the Red Sox could do for a lefty bat, would someone care to remind me why they were so dead-set against resigning Hinske?

Hinske's got a career OPS+ of 99 with an OPS+ of 83 in 2007, for which the Red Sox paid him $5.6 million. Casey has a career OPS+ of 110 with an OPS+ of 96 in 2007, and the Red Sox just signed him for $700,000. How is that not an improvement?

How is this such a bad signing at one-year 700k? ESPECIALLY since it is obvious that no one is counting on him to start. He was a near league average hitter last year and well above average every year from 98 to 05 save one. 2006 was its own little thing, I don't know what to make of that. Great in PIT, crap in DET.

"Casey's SLG has exceeded the league average _once_ in the last six years."

Thats a really deceptive interpretation of his statistics. No one is saying he is a moster masher.
And hell, how many guys could you get on a one-year, 700k contract that are consistantly above-average in slugging?

What about his on-base ability? He has posted some above-average OBPs over that same 6 year span and generally been an above-average hitter.

People...it's one year at damn near minimum MLB wage.
It is a good signing at that price

You know once upon a time people loved to point out that there were some high OBP hitters who were just as valuable as hitters that got on base less but hit many homers and, as a result, had high RBI totals.

Now one of those OBP hitters is being bashed because despite getting on base more, he doesn't hit enough home runs.
I bet if Casey had put up the same quality of performance over his career but it was lower-average and higher-homer there would be half the griping

I wonder if someone has an idea that Casey is a sort of low-K, doubles hitter who might be improved by Fenway more than an average player. It's not impossible to imagine him slapping balls off of the Monster from time to time. I doubt he bats enough to demonstrate this, but it's an idea.

Another possibility is that the team starts him 162 times, batting behind Manny and Ortiz, with the idea that he'll make a run at the single season GIDP record. If he gets it he makes Jim Rice look a little better to the HoF voters.

You know once upon a time people loved to point out that there were some high OBP hitters who were just as valuable as hitters that got on base less but hit many homers and, as a result, had high RBI totals.

Now one of those OBP hitters is being bashed because despite getting on base more, he doesn't hit enough home runs.
I bet if Casey had put up the same quality of performance over his career but it was lower-average and higher-homer there would be half the griping

I think that a lot of people are just guilty of holding onto an early impression of a player. Sean Casey was overrated by the media and overpaid by the Reds for a while and so the shorthand for that sort of becomes - overrated, overpaid first baseman. But, of course, $700,000 isn't an overpay, and the Red Sox aren't counting on him to be more than a backup first baseman who's decent enough that a team could theoretically go to the World Series with him as their starting first baseman (see the 2006 Tigers) in a worst-case scenario for the Red Sox. But old perceptions sometimes die hard - we're all guilty of it from time to time.

BTW, this is almost the perfect kind of guy to bring off the bench as a pinch-hitter. Boom or bust (homer or strikeout) types tend, from what I have seen, to do worse in one at-bat stints and better with regular playing time.
A guy like Casey, with lots of singles and some doubles and walks, seems to have less of a drop-off. Most players, though, do hit worse in PH roles due to the irregularity of at-bats.
Also, I think this kind of guy might be a better fit situationally as a pinch-hitter. Often when you go to the bench you already have runners on and the game close, so you might not need a walk or a homer. You might just need a single to drive a run in, or even a flyball to move 'em up, but a strikeout would be killer.

Furthermore, I would much rather have a veteran as a go-to PH than a rookie. And no not because of some "presence".
First, if you like your rookie enough to be on the 25-man you probably want him getting more at-bats than pinch hitting every other day.
Second, getting at-bats at such a random frequency is something many big leaguers say is very hard to get used to. It does seem like the best PHers in each league are often older guys. A guy like that (Casey) has gotten tons of major league at-bats over the years and doesn't have any "adjusting" left to do vs. major league pitching, but the rookie might.

I can't whip out a study to prove what I have observed about how well suited various types of players are to PH roles, I will admit, but this is what I have observed.

You know once upon a time people loved to point out that there were some high OBP hitters who were just as valuable as hitters that got on base less but hit many homers and, as a result, had high RBI totals.

Now one of those OBP hitters is being bashed because despite getting on base more, he doesn't hit enough home runs.

Casey's not exactly "high OBP."

43,
I agree with that.
But then again, and maybe I'm just me, I think Casey got a bum rap from some as a Red. He was inconsistant, yes, but also had some very strong years there..years similar to what Todd Helton is doing now.

"So, if this is the best the Red Sox could do for a lefty bat, would someone care to remind me why they were so dead-set against resigning Hinske?"

How much money and years did Hinske want?

"Casey's not exactly "high OBP.""

Simple math here buddy. Like you said Casey isn't very often above-average in slugging. Yet only three times in his career has his OPS+ been BELOW average. So what does this mean?
He is often ABOVE average when it comes to getting on base.
.366 for his career with a high of .399

Simple math here buddy. Like you said Casey isn't very often above-average in slugging. Yet only three times in his career has his OPS+ been BELOW average. So what does this mean?
He is often ABOVE average when it comes to getting on base.
.366 for his career with a high of .399

I agree with the complaints that I should have also cited his OBP earlier. However, by the same token, we can't overlook his SLG deficiency.

Anyway, EqAs the last three years:

2007: .254
2006: .211/.273 (Detroit/Pittsburgh)
2005: .280

(Whoops -- in post #29 I cited his EqA in 2006 as .211; I didn't notice that that was only his Detroit EqA, and that it didn't include his Pittsburgh EqA.)

2007: .254
2006: .211/.273 (Detroit/Pittsburgh)
2005: .280

A simple 3/2/1 weighted averaged gives him a 254 expected EqA in 2008, without park adjustments, age, etc. (In other words, a lazy man's line). ZiPS in 2008 has him at roughly the sasme line as 2007 - or about a 254 EqA (similar caveats). In other words, he is John Olerud in 2005 - a perfectly fine bench player.

Giuliani and noose threads were closed?

You guys are a tough crowd!

Casey isn't replacing Youkilis in the everyday starting lineup. He's filling a bench role. So what CAN he do well?

(1) Sit on the bench for low $$$ without complaining about his lack of PT. Judging by Eric Hinske, he will likely see 150-200 AB over the course of the season. Most superior players (e.g. Wilkerson) would want more PT than that. And it is best if the in-system talent (e.g. Chris Carter and Brandon Moss) is allowed to play full time in the hopes of developing their skills. Don't count on Casey getting all of the PT if Lowell or Youkilis goes on the DL.

(2) Hang in against both RHP and LHP, striking out relatively infrequently and hitting more singles than almost anybody who doesn't have a starting job somewhere. Tying run in scoring position, Lugo at the plate. Do you send up Hinske or Casey? There are times when an all-in-one measure of offensive production does more to obscure than to illuminate -- this is especially true of bench players.

(3) Play solid defense at first base, albeit with limited range. He has only six errors over the last three years combined in full-time play. Hinske and Wilkerson may be more versatile defensively, but they aren't as skilled/experienced at that one position. And how useful was Hinske's versatility anyways? He was a crappy defensive outfielder and (because of Youkilis) didn't play a single inning at third base last year. If you want somebody to play first base, find somebody who can play first base WELL, not somebody who can do a half-decent job covering five different positions.

Besides, it's $700k and there isn't anybody else out there I particularly covet. If he bombs, or if there is a need for somebody to step in to cover a long-term injury, the Red Sox can always replace him mid-season.

Hinske 2007 ISO .194
Casey 2007 ISO .097

Hinske 2007 12.84 BB%
Casey 2007 7.86 BB%

Hinske 2008 ZiPS .248/.335/.437
Casey 2008 ZiPS .283/.346/.388

Plus Hinske is capable of (if not particularly good at) backing up all 4 corners. Casey is 1B or bust. Hinske's K rate was higher than you'd like to see, but it can't be easy to make consistent contact when you go from basically an everyday player the previous year to being a guy that's only getting 8 or 9 PA a week. I wouldn't be suprised to see that drop back down to his career rate this year.

Hinske's got a career OPS+ of 99 with an OPS+ of 83 in 2007, for which the Red Sox paid him $5.6 million. Casey has a career OPS+ of 110 with an OPS+ of 96 in 2007, and the Red Sox just signed him for $700,000. How is that not an improvement?

The Red Sox did not pay Casey $5.6M last year. Most of his salary was covered by Toronto. I think the Sox are saving less than $600K.

Also I'm pretty sure the Sox have no intention of putting Youks out in LF ever again. If Manny goes down for any length of time an actual OFer will be called up [/straight man]...

You'll have to forgive Ray. He's very quick to jump to conclusions.



I kid.

What's with the handle change, Joe? I was fond of your "Crazy" handle, since it related to a tongue-lashing I got from JC.

People were calling him crazy in the noose thread because he was writing things that were, well, crazy, and I guess he felt the handle was a bit too true to life :-)

We'll see if his new handle changes the content of his posts.

Yes, Sven. Hinske is likely to hit for a better SLG than Casey. (Hard to be any worse.) Casey is still more useful as a pinch-hitter because he does one thing well instead of doing everything equally poorly. As an occasional starter, the difference between the two is small. Also, is there any evidence to support the theory that contact hitters adapt better to sporadic playing time? Hinske certainly didn't do very well in that role last year.

Hinske didn't play a single inning at third base last year, and given his mediocre range there had BETTER be superior alternatives in the outfield. So his defensive versatility is worth about the same as his bat to the Red Sox. Nothing.

OCD, I believe the Red Sox paid half of Hinske's salary last year. Source Cot's Contracts. So they save over $2.1M on this. That's irrelevant, though, since Hinske isn't going to be making $5.6M this year. He might even sign for less money than Casey, or retire.

The only thing crazy about my participation in the "noose" thread was engaging you for as long as I did. ;-/

RR,here's the deal: Because I was arguing that the noose was a symbol of racism and therefore I support the people who were offended by it, some boob came into the discussion saying that my username offended them, because they had someone in their family who had a mental illness all his life, yada yada, and if I was sincere and compassionate I wouldn't have "Crazy" as part of my name, and that he hoped Szym would ban me. I told him to knock himself out getting satisfaction on that count, at which point Szym came in and said I was a hypocrite. So I changed it.

It was ####### ridiculous, but c'est la guerre.

Edit...if you wanted to check out the "noose" thread, it's too late. They've "disappeared" it.

Nice work, guys. [/golf clap]

Joe, you're crazy! Your screenname is MUCH more offensive than making a noose and leaving it around a worksite. How can you even compare the two?

I know. I am ashamed.

I guess I just prefer backup at 1B that's a little bit better than a singles hitter. To be pefectly honest I would have much prefered Wilkerson. I wouldn't have minded Mike Sweeney either. But I also don't see the need for another lefty bat off the bench when they already have Cora and one of Moss/Ellsbury/Crisp (depending on if someone gets traded and who winds up with the everyday job.)

I would have preferred Wilkerson as well, but I'm sure he prefers $5M and a chance to play every day to $700k and a 150-AB role. Assuming a seven-man bullpen again, we're looking at only four bench jobs: C, MI, CI, and OF. While Mirabelli and Cora stand on opposite sides of the plate, neither one wields much of a bat. As for the other two positions, Youkilis and Lowell are both RHH. Best for the corner infielder to be a lefty. Drew and Ellsbury are both LHH. Best for the fourth outfielder to be a righty.

Not really all that excited about Casey, as he reminds me of JT Snow. Maybe if I compare him to Olerud I'll feel better?

Cora is fine until they use him too much. Then his numbers drop. He can hit enough when they use him sparingly.

Morgan Ensberg (minus the midas touch of Tim Purpura and Phil Garner) or Sean Casey?

OCD, I believe the Red Sox paid half of Hinske's salary last year. Source Cot's Contracts. So they save over $2.1M on this. That's irrelevant, though, since Hinske isn't going to be making $5.6M this year. He might even sign for less money than Casey, or retire.

They were paying him that much!?! I'm outraged! Shocked!

Or I'm transposing the 1 and the 2 (I remembered $1.2M, but wasn't sure).

Anyway around I guess it's hard to (really) get too upset about this; I'd rather the last player on the bench have a bit more flexibility (IF and OF) given how many pitchers the team tends to carry but the 25th guy isn't going to make or break the team.

You say Tim Purpura and I hear Nicola Porpora.

Long story.

Giuliani and noose threads were closed?

Dan and I were duking it out for the heavyweight title, and just as I posted the killing rhetorical riposte, the thread mysteriously closed.

I suspect foul play...

I know I'm slow to the trigger on this, but hell, I'll post it anyway...

But I also don't see the need for another lefty bat off the bench when they already have Cora

Cora counts as a bat?

...and I hear Nicola Porpora.

In what key?

He's not Erik Hinske.

We are the WS Champs, we have a very deep roster and a good farm system. I am fairly smug right now.

The team said they don't want Youks to get so banged-up this year, and are going to rest him far more often to prevent this. Expect to see Casey pretty often if he can still go 290/365/410 or whatever.

The "noose" thread has reappeared.