Mack Stuff – Keith Law, Travis d-Arnaud, Grady Sizemore, Scott Hairston

Q - Klaw, do you see TDA continuing at C long term, or do the Mets need to think of him in the outfield or first base (and trading / mivng Ike Davis). If he can stay healthy and at C, the Dickey trade was a no brainer for the Mets, but if not ...

A – Keith Law - d'Arnaud is a catcher. He's not Posey where the bat might play elsewhere and still make him a star.

Q - Do you agree that d'Arnaud is a "scouting" prospect, as some have recently suggested? I've seen his numbers, from the hitters-friendly PCL, compared unfavourably to Gomes and Jeff Mathis.

A – Keith Law - You largely have to discard hitters' park numbers (it's not the PCL specifically, but certain parks, like Vegas and Albuquerque) for top position players and focus instead on performance at other levels and the scouting reports. The main problem is that non-prospects can rake there but top prospects still face a ceiling on their overall stats - a natural .250 hitter might hit .320 in Albuquerque, but a natural .330 hitter won't hit .400. I've seen d'Arnaud, and I believe he can hit and he's coming into some power. He needs to play more than 88 games a year.

Q - I thought the biggest issue in trading d'Arnaud was not necessarily losing him, but being locked into Arencibia behind the plate. Does he still hold value because of his power? Should there be a time share with him and Thole?

A – Klaw - Arencibia shouldn't start for anyone, and I think the Jays are well aware of that.

Word Series Odds -  NYM  75-1

B-Mets – play 58 games in first 60 days of schedule.

SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt says the Mets are “very interested” in OF Grady Sizemore.

                I’m really not that stoked about somebody that won’t be ready to play baseball until after the all-star break. I’m even less excited about someone that hasn’t played since he sucked in 2010 (.224, 10-HR, 32-RBI). This is not the 2005-2008 Sizemore. He’s long gone. Just one too many surgeries. It all went to hell 33 games into the 2010 season and Sizemore had to have microfracture surgery on his left knee. He returned in 2011 but went back on the DL after sliding and hurting his right knee, closely followed by his second hernia surgery. Then in 2012, Sizemore had surgery (have you noticed the key word in this paragraph is ‘surgery’?) on his back and complications cost him the entire season. This is not the solution to the Mets outfield problems.

Andrew Hersh‏ - @SNESmaster - @AmazinAvenue Upon hearing this, Sizemore jumped for joy and tore his groin #injuredgradysizemore

                I did watch Kevin Burkhardt on SNY and found his comments on Scott Hairston similar to my thoughts on the same subject. This isn’t a guy looking for a ten year deal. He loves being a Met and he’s let it known publically that all he wants is a two-year deal. Can’t the Mets get this done? The high end of market value here is the recent 2013-2014 $10mil deal given to OF Jonny Gomes by Boston. The low end would be the $1.1mil he was paid last year by the Mets. This was a part time player last season that hit 20 home runs, with an .803 OPS. This has to be worth 2-yrs, $5mil in this market and don’t you want to put this present under your Christmas tree before you close the office down for the holidays?  Come on Sandy, do it. No one is going to hold this one against you.

                                Q - Cody Ross to the Rangers for 2 yrs/15 million. Good/bad deal for Texas?

A – Keith Law - Extra outfielder. That's about twice the $ I think he's worth

Q - Nieuwenhuis, Valdespin, Cowgill: can any of them post average defense in CF or league average bat?

A – Klaw - None of the above.

Hot Stove: - Grady Sizemore, Magglio Ordoñez, Freddy Garcia, Prince Fielder

The Cleveland Indians re-sign Grady Sizemore- So i guess this is a good deal if he’s healthy. He probably won’t be healthy though. The last time he played a full season was 2008. Even when he returned last year his legs didn’t seem to work as he went 0/2 on SB attempts. Sizemore’s value came from his speed/power balance. With no speed all he has is power. The power is still there though. He did hit 10 HR’s in 71 games. That’s 22 HR or so over a full season. But again, he won’t play a full season. Did I mention he’s always had a below average average? So bad batting average, no speed, and just power. That sounds like a modern day Jason Bay to me. Good thing he didn’t cost nearly as much and his contract is incentive laden. I guess I would take a late chance on Grady in fantasy. I would not invest highly on him. I would also probably prefer most middle-tier options over him.  http://baltimoresportsreport.com/the-fantasy-gods-mlb-hot-stove-report-1124-21468.html

Magglio Ordoñez: 37 years old; 2011: .255/.303/.331 5 HR 32 RBI 2 SB -1.0 WAR   Ordoñez is coming off two seasons that were cut short due to injury and will be 38 years old once the 2012 season starts. Although it was speculated that Ordoñez may end his baseball career, he recently said he would like to play again in 2012. He can no longer be counted on as an everyday corner outfielder and with his health and power in decline he may not receive very much interest this offseason. He must prove he has fully recovered from the ankle injury that kept him out of the 2011 playoffs to earn interest.

New York settled for security in bringing back the innings eater on a one-year pact for a backend rotation spot. The 35-year-old sticks with an ideal offense to buoy his mound time, which is often nail-biting given how hard opponents hit him. For someone who throws plenty of split-finger fastballs, he yields plenty of flies, even if a decent portion of them comes in the infield; his home park aids lofts. The soft-tossing Garcia's bloated 2011 rate of runners stranded (77.1 percent) helped him pitch above his means. If you're looking for bland pitching depth for AL-only leagues and occasional deep mixed use, Freddy's ready, but heed the warning signs and handle him with care ... and plenty of skepticism   http://www.kffl.com/a.php/129133/192/fantasy-baseball/Fantasy-Baseball-Hot-Stove--Freddy-Garcia--Bruce-Chen#ixzz1ekSGrfRe

In all of our forecast scenarios, Prince Fielder maintains an elite level of production only for the next two years.  Thereafter, he is projected to be a 3-win player, at best, with gradual declines pushing him down to a 1-win level in the latter years of the contract.  In the best-case scenario, Fielder’s total value over 8 years is around $120M; in two of the other four scenarios, his value hovers in the $100M range. The Pujols analysis suggested that the ideal suitor would be a team that is built to win right away, and thus ideally positioned to take advantage of the remaining elite years at the front of the contract.  This seems absolutely imperative in Fielder’s case, since this analysis illustrates the potential for a drop-off that is both earlier, and more pronounced. http://www.northsidebaseball.com/articles/nsbb-features/63-feature-articles/7338-what-is-prince-fielder-worth

Hot Stove: - C.J. Wilson, Wade LeBlanc, Grady Sizemore, Ryan Doumit, Chong Tae-Hyon

C.J. Wilson is expected to meet with Marlins officials in Miami soon after Thanksgiving. There are at least 13 teams interested in Wilson at this time and the bidding could easily rise above the Marlins' price range. But they have legitimate preliminary interest and will likely make an offer when the free agent left-hander visits, just as they did with free agent shortstop Jose Reyes and free agent first baseman Albert Pujols. Wilson, 30, posted a stellar 2.94 ERA and 206/74 K/BB ratio in 223 1/3 innings this past year for Texas. He's thought to be seeking a deal worth north of $100 million. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/345676/baseball-headlines?r=1

Marlins acquired LHP Wade LeBlanc from the Padres for C John Baker. LeBlanc, 27, posted a 4.63 ERA and 51/28 K/BB ratio in 79 2/3 innings over 14 starts this season. The Marlins wanted to add a left-handed starter this offseason, so even though he has been mediocre outside of PETCO during his career, he could be a fit at the back-end of the rotation in 2012.  http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/345703/baseball-headlines?r=1

Indians re-signed OF Grady Sizemore to a one-year, $5 million contract. As expected. Sizemore could earn an additional $4 million with incentives, which kicks in if he reaches 450 plate appearances. According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com, the oft-injured 29-year-old could make a $500,000 bonus if he wins the Comeback Player of the Year Award. It's unlikely the Indians would be able to afford to re-sign him if he has a huge bounceback season in 2012, but they could dangle him in trade talks if they fall out of playoff contention.  http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/345723/baseball-headlines?r=1

The Minnesota Twins have signed former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit to a one-year, $3 million deal, the team announced on its website. The deal was announced after Doumit passed a physical, the team said. The 30-year-old Doumit hit .303 with eight homers and 30 RBIs in 77 games for the Pirates last season. He also can play first base and the outfield and should give the Twins some much-needed versatility and offensive pop. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7273392/2011-free-agents-ryan-doumit-signs-minnesota-twins-one-year-3-million

The Baltimore Orioles are close to signing Chong Tae-Hyon- Or as we would say in America Tae-Hyon Chong. He is Korean. I don’t think the Indians call their guy Choo Shin-Soo so I’m pretty sure Chong will be on the back of the jersey. The Orioles have not officially signed this guy yet, but that’s because of Thanksgiving. The physical is being delayed by Thanksgiving and the announcement of his signing should happen this weekend or Monday - http://baltimoresportsreport.com/the-fantasy-gods-mlb-hot-stove-report-1124-21468.html

Hot Stove: - LAA, Loss of A-Status, Grady Sizemore, Yoennis Céspedes,

Offseason agenda: Improving the offense is the clear priority for an 86-win club that didn’t have anyone with a .300 average, 30 homers or 100 runs. How and where the Angels upgrade isn’t obvious because the entire lineup remains under club control, but they must do more than hope for first baseman Kendrys Morales to return healthy and for left fielder Vernon Wells to bounce back. The Angels are unlikely to pursue Pujols or fellow free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder in part because they have Mark Trumbo and Morales to play first. Trumbo finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting because of his 29 homers, but he posted a meager .291 on-base percentage. Morales suffered a broken leg 18 months ago, and his return remains uncertain. Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/feed/2011-10/hot-stove-league/story/hot-stove-report-los-angeles-angels#ixzz1eAJiyA00

A source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Ryan Madson will lose Type A status under the new collective bargaining agreement. All remaining Type A relievers, including Madson, Francisco Rodriguez, and Heath Bell, are not subject to draft-pick compensation this offseason. Teams that sign them and certain other Type A free agents will not forfeit their picks, but teams that lose those players will still receive compensation. Rosenthal also notes that the Phillies will still forfeit their first-round pick for signing Jonathon Papelbon, despite the new requirements under of the current set of rule changes. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/345621/baseball-headlines?r=1

The Cleveland Indians and outfielder Grady Sizemore are on the verge of agreeing on a one-year deal, sources told ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The Indians declined a $9 million option and allowed Sizemore to become a free agent less than three weeks ago. Sizemore, 29, has generated interest from at least eight teams and appeared ready to let the market play out over the coming weeks. But the Indians moved to the front of the line Friday. "The Indians came at us with an aggressive offer,'' agent Joe Urbon told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. "Grady has always maintained that he would be interested in returning to Cleveland.'' http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7252922/cleveland-indians-grady-sizemore-verge-deal

With the Winter Hot Stove starting to fire up, and rumors swirling about different players, and the interest from the New York Yankees​ – Yoennis Céspedes looms in the Dominican Republic as an MLB Free Agent.  Defecting from Cuba this summer, Céspedes comes as an attractive option for all three spots in the outfiled as a 5-tool player. Here is some good info about the player, and his accomplishments.  The question is – if the Yankees were to sign him, where would he fit? Swisher would be the likely candidate to be the odd man out in the OF.  If that is the case, NYY would look to trade Swisher, as the just picked up his option for the 2012 season. http://nyyuniverse.com/news-rumors/yankees-looking-to-sign-yoennis-cespedes

Hot Stove: - B.J. Upton, Grady Sizemore, Prince Fielder, Jimmy Rollins, Yoenis Cespedes

B.J. Upton: Here's the thing about Upton: He's not a free agent, at least not yet. He's still got one more year of arbitration eligibility with the Rays. That said, there has been serious speculation that Tampa Bay might elect not to tender him a contract next month, which would put him on the open market. The question is whether Rizzo is willing to wait it out, perhaps losing one of the other guys in the process. If not, he could always try to trade for Upton, though his disappointing numbers the last three seasons (not to mention the fact his current team is thinking about dropping him altogether) suggest he may not be worth giving up much of consequence. http://www.csnwashington.com/blog/nationals-talk/post/Whom-might-Nats-pursue-in-free-agency?blockID=587468&feedID=6358

I’ll admit it; I am biased when it comes to Grady Sizemore. I still think of him as the player who just a couple of seasons ago was playing as well, if not better, than anyone else in the game. His combination of speed and power along with his defense made him one of the most complete players in the game. Injuries have sidetracked what looked to be a Hall of Fame career. From age 22 through age 25, Sizemore hit .281/.372/.496 with an average of 41 doubles, 8 triples, 27 homeruns, 81 RBI, and 29 stolen bases. He was the game’s brightest young star and a reason to believe that the Cleveland Indians had a special player to lead them for the next decade or so. http://thebaseballscribe.com/2011/11/05/quick-hits-early-hot-stove

With Fielder surely gone, putting together an offer to keep him is not at the top of the list. The priority is improving defensively, particularly on the left side of the infield where third baseman Casey McGehee and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt were among the worst defensive tandems in the game. However, the shortstop market isn’t too deep outside of the stars – Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins – and those guys are likely out of Milwaukee’s price range. So declining Betancourt’s $6 million option and re-signing him to a cheaper deal is probable. And McGehee will have to fight off Jerry Hairston Jr. to keep his starting job. http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/feed/2011-10/hot-stove-league/story/hot-stove-report-milwaukee-brewers#ixzz1cxqkkbNE

So the Phillies may have to bite the bullet and re-sign Jimmy Rollins, who hasn't been a star since 2008, to a deal that has a dangerous back end. They'll want to lay in some help on the corners to insure against Howard's return and Polanco's continued decline -- Wilson Betemit and Kelly Johnson might be interesting in this role. John Mayberry Jr. may be important to next year's team as a fourth outfielder who gets nearly-regular playing time platooning with Brown and spelling Shane Victorino at center and Howard at first. The Phillies' payroll is high enough, and the market thin enough once you get past the positions where the Phillies are strongest, that this may not be a year of big moves. The Phillies have committed to their current roster, so it's about putting players around the core who can do a better job of scoring than the '11 team did. Without Howard, this team is vulnerable. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/joe_sheehan/11/02/nl.east.hot.stove.preview/index.html#ixzz1cxrpYUPf

The Marlins have identified their center fielder of the future. Now all they have to do is sign him when he’s declared a free agent. Yoenis Cespedes, a 26-year-old Cuban who defected last summer, should get the go-ahead to begin negotiating with major league teams later this month. According to an American League source who attended his showcase Friday in the Dominican Republic, the buzz is the Marlins have the inside track. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus both profiled Cespedes, who could command a deal in excess of $30 million, along the lines of what Cuban fireballer Aroldis Chapman secured from the Reds. The Marlins made an unsuccessful run at Chapman when he was declared a free agent. http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_baseball_marlins/2011/11/source-miami-marlins-considered-favorites-to-land-cuban-cf-yeonis-cespedes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+marlinsblog+%28Florida+Marlins+%7C+Sun-Sentinel+Blogs%29

Hot Stove: - Yu Darvish, Grady Sizemore, George Sherrill, Jim Thome, Jonathan Sanchez

 Yu Darvish – Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters - No, I’m not sure what a “ham fighter” is exactly, but he’s been a Fighter his entire career in Japan. While he could have sign straight out of college in an MLB, (the Mets were interested back in 2004) he decided to stay in Japan to pitch. He wowed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and his numbers in the NPB have been equally impressive. In 2007, at age 20, he went 15-5 with a 1.82 ERA in 207.2 IP, 12 complete games, 210 strike outs and 49 walks. And he’s been equally as good, if not better in the three seasons after that. 2010 might have been his best season, going 12-8 with a 1.78 ERA, 202 IP, 10 complete games, 222 strike outs and 47 walks. He just turned 25 in August, and he will reportedly ask the Fighters to post him to the MLB. Now I know people are scared to go after the Japanese pitchers after Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kei Igawa, but this guy looks really legit and there has been talk about him being posted to the MLB almost every off-season. http://mets360.com/?p=8342&mid=51

Grady Sizemore: In many ways, Sizemore fits exactly what the Nationals need. He's a Gold Glove-winning center fielder who sports a career .357 on-base percentage and has hit leadoff for 703 of his 869 career starts. He's only 29 years old, and his return to the organization that first drafted him in 2000 would make up for the Expos' terrible decision to include him in the ill-fated trade that also sent Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips to the Indians for Bartolo Colon. There's just one hang-up: Sizemore is a huge injury risk. He's played in only 104 total games over the last two seasons because of a smorgasbord of ailments, and he recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. It's entirely possible -- maybe even probable -- that he'll never come close to regaining his old form. But if he did ... wow, he would be a perfect addition for the Nationals. http://www.csnwashington.com/blog/nationals-talk/post/Whom-might-Nats-pursue-in-free-agency?blockID=587468&feedID=6358

George Sherrill (35) – After a disastrous 2010, Sherrill bounced back nicely in 36 innings with the Braves. He faced 81 left handed hitters in 2011 and struck out 32 of them, a 39.5 percent strikeout rate. His season ended early due to inflammation in his pitching elbow, but if he can prove to be healthy heading into 2012, there is sure to be a few teams looking to give Sherrill a shot as their go-to LOOGY. http://www.bloguin.com/theoutsidecorner/2011-articles/november/2012-free-agent-primer-top-10-left-handed-relievers.html

Jim Thome signified a rebirth of baseball in Philadelphia with his arrival in 2003.  He's coming back for possibly his final shot at a World Series championship. Sources said Friday evening that the Phillies and Thome have agreed on a one-year contract, pending Thome passing a physical. Terms of the deal were unknown, although it seems likely to be a low-risk signing.  http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111104&content_id=25915372&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&partnerId=aw-4965051331268096288-996

In an effort to free up money so they can pursue offensive upgrades, the Giants are willing to trade starter Jonathan Sanchez, according to major-league sources. The Giants have one of the best (and most expensive) starting rotations in baseball. One rival executive projected that, including salary arbitration awards, the team’s six returning starters – Sanchez, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong, Madison Bumgarner, and Barry Zito – could combine to earn as much as $60 million in 2012. That is roughly half of the team’s payroll. http://mlbbuzz.yardbarker.com/blog/mlbbuzz/sources_giants_willing_to_deal_jonathan_sanchez/7885915