On this date last year, the Diamondbacks inked Mark Reynolds to a three-year contract worth $14.5MM, buying out his first three years of arbitration-eligibility plus a club option for his fourth (Reynolds qualified as a Super Two). The 27-year-old hit .260/.349/.543 with 44 homers in 2009 but slumped down to .198/.320/.433 with 28 homers last season. He also struck out 200+ times for the third straight year. New GM Kevin Towers traded Reynolds to the Orioles for a pair of relievers in December, just nine months into his new deal.
These links are the best the blogosphere had to offer over the last seven days, so enjoy…
- Bless You Boys interviewed Tigers' radio announcer Dan Dickerson (part one, part two).
- Beyond The Box Score ranks the 30 best now-defunct MLB logos.
- MotionData created an interactive chart showing MLB team payrolls from 1991 through 2010.
- Baseball Time In Arlington muses about Chuck Greenberg's departure from the Rangers.
- Sports Perspective also checks in on Greenberg's departure.
- Bay City Ball comes up with some comparisons for Pablo Sandoval.
- Paapfly, meanwhile, isn't certain that a lighter Sandoval equals a better Sandoval.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness wants to know how many problems Tony Gwynn Jr. can solve.
- U.S.S. Mariner says that Michael Pineda isn't ready for the big leagues.
- Royals Review wonders if Mike Aviles will ever earn $1MM in a season.
- Camden Crazies looks at the Orioles' lineup with platoon splits.
- The Shea Faithful asks if the Mets should be worried about Jason Bay.
- Blue Jays Rant speculates about whether or not the Blue Jays will exercise Aaron Hill's options after 2011.
- Twins Territory Talk muses about a Kevin Slowey for Joba Chamberlain trade.
- MiLB News provides an update on some top prospects fighting for jobs this spring.
- Wahoo Blues came up with a better way to measure a player's power.
- Dock of the Rays applies Sean Rodriguez's minor league platoon splits to his 2011 projections.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Donskoy
It was great looking back on all the awesome baseball logos of the past, thanks for that. On a more speculative note, the Joba for Slowey trade proposal is an interesting idea. I think the Yankees would think that Joba is worth more but, at the same time, I don’t think any other team looks at Joba and sees the value he had a few years ago.
User 4245925809
Find it quite humorous that some Twins writer thinks Kevin Slowey is worth Chamberlain, a down the line replacement for Mariano Rivera in a couple of years. This is the #4-5 Kevin Slowey on a team like the Yankees would normally like to have in the rotation, or not at all.
Power setup guy like Chamberlain, who might be able to get his FB back up to 98mph or so this year like it was back in 2008 if the Yankees will leave him in the BP is worth far more than a down the line kevin Millwood/Paul Byrd innings eater starter like Slowey, though as Red Sox fan this move would be liked greatly.
PostMoBills
I feel like you are overvaluing Chamberlain. He’s not the same pitcher he used to be. Slowey has been more valuable recently in terms of WAR, and I would argue that a starter is more valuable than a reliever, but to each his own. It seems the Yanks and Twins are each more fond of their own guy in this situation, and I highly doubt this trade will happen.
Lunchbox45
While I personally wouldn’t trade Chamberlain for Slowey for the simple fact that I think Joba can produce similar stats as a starter I don’t agree with any of your reasoning.. .
baseball33
No thank you for Kevin Slowey.
JA L.
No thank you for Joba.
baseball33
Good now we are both content