Terms of the agreement:  $4 million signing bonus; 2009- $8 million; 2010- $12.5 million; 2011- $13.5 million; 2012- option for $14 million

In the last week and a half, I’ve heard rumors bandied about of such a deal mostly in the context of “…in my opinion, Demp isn’t a 4-year, $50 mil kind of pitcher.” 

You didn’t hear that from me, though.  Like I said, Dempster was responsible more than any other pitcher on the Cubs for getting them as far they got.  I admit I was a little dubious when I heard he was being transformed from a starter during the last off-season.  But from the beginning, he took to it like Tony Oliva to Wii Baseball. 

For the year, he was 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA.  He initially had trouble winning on the road and ended up with a 3-3 record away from Wrigley despite a 3.13 ERA. 

Dempster says he has a desire to get the Cubs to the World Series and that played into his decision of staying with the team.  I’m sure the $52 mil didn’t hurt either. 

Money well spent in my opinion.  Now let’s see if there’s any money in the coffers for a leadoff hitter.

Those bus rides won’t quite be the same now.

Yoshida says that Tim Wakefield is her hero.  She is a sidearm knuckleball pitcher and eventually wishes to play in a higher league. 

I’m holding off on making a judgement (publicly) not because I don’t have an opinion but because others (not me) had similar opinions about Jim Edmonds earlier this year and I thought he fit in just fine. 

Let me mull it over.

It looks like Gramps still has it.  The look on his grandson says it all when Tony O hits a double and a homer back to back. 

just like the old days…

(via Home Run Derby)

In typical Texas Ranger fashion, the author seems to focus on hitting (particularly power) for his baseline and doesn’t consider context when making his choices. 

Seven of his ten choices (he had five honorable mentions) were middle infielders and in most cases (1944 Marty Marion, 1959 Nellie Fox, 1995 Barry Larkin) were excellent with the glove. 

Some while not exhibiting great stats by today’s measures, were playing in hitting-depressed eras (again Fox and Marion).  Others yet displayed leadership beyond the statistics (1931 Frankie Frisch, 1925 Roger Peckinpaugh) or played a good part in leading their team to championships (Fox once more, Frisch). 

Would I have made those same MVP choices given the chance?  I’m not sure.  But “Worst MVPs” seems a bit harsh.

I couldn’t let that one go.

It was about a year ago that the Pittsburgh Pirates’ newly hired  smartypants GM Neal Huntington was talking sabermetric smack at a press conference.  One would have thought that have meant they were approaching the game in a different fashion.  So different that they finished… last again.

Must have been in the implementation. 

The Mariners meanwhile, are creating a whole department devoted to the topic.

The department will fall under the auspices of Tony Blengino, a longtime baseball stats analyst and a special assistant to new Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik. Details of the department’s mandate and size are still to be worked out, but the move could vault the Mariners from their perceived Stone Age approach to stats to one in which they’re seen as one of the game’s more progressive franchises.

hehe, Stone Age. Good one.

The Mariners plan to take all the statistical data they accumulate and combine it with their scouting info.

Angels, too?

Things got just a little more complicated for the Cubs if they still want him.  At this point, that’s a big if. 

Now word comes out that Atlanta has gone as high as they can/will:

“We felt that we offered a strong package of players, and if we couldn’t get a deal done with the players offered we would move on to pursue other players,” the Braves general manager said Friday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

That means we get ‘im, right?

Not so fast.

Apparently, the Cubs original offer doesn’t wow Pads GM Kevin Towers.  IF Peavy gets traded, the Cubs are still in the mix but right now, Ryan Dempster is probably a higher priority. 

Seeing that there’s no deadline set on any potential deal, this might be something that gets put on the backburner. 

According to Paul Sullivan from the Tribune, the Cubs are probably good for just one “big-ticket item” this off-season.   Ok, I’m not a GM but if I were Hendry, I’d sign Dempster for what he’s worth and spend that big-ticket money on a leadoff hitter.  Preferably one that hits from the left side.

Breaking up is hard to do

Speaking of Hendry and such, it sounds like Kerry Wood never really wanted to leave the Cubs after all.  At least, that’s the press’ take on what Wood had to say:

“It’s bittersweet. Obviously this is my first choice. I wanted to stay here and the best choice for me and my family. … But that’s part of baseball right now,” Wood said in a conference call Friday.

These just may be polite words, there may be an element of truth to it, or quite possibly, he really means it.

I was excited when the Sox landed Buckeye Nick. He seemed to be just what the doctor ordered, a switch-hitter, with a good eye, good power, and a batting average that would go up coming to hitter friendly US Cellular Field. The plan was for Swisher to play LF with speedy Jerry Owens patrolling centerfield. An injury to Owens changed those plans, moving Nick to CF, opening a LF opportunity for Carlos Quentin. Quentin tore it up! Ozzie Guillen tried high onbase Swisher as the club’s leadoff batter. So he was trying two things he’d never done before, a leadoff hitting centerfielder. Things didn’t workout too well on either front. Pitchers threw strikes to Swisher, putting him in a hole, and while he did an adequate in the field, alot of balls fell in.

After Swisher was moved out of the leadoff spot in favor of Orlando Cabrera, he seemed to find his bat. But then late in the year Nick succumbed once again to his early season bat woes, often times taking pitches right down the pipe, while swinging at pitches in the dirt, arguing with umpires about called strikes. Late in the year he was benched in favor of Dewayne Wise & Brian Anderson, so I guess the writing was on the wall.

It’s kind of weird Swisher & Cabrera were brought in last year to wipe out the losing of 2007. Things worked out well with the team winning the AL Central Division, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Rays of Tampa. Now both are gone.

So how does it all shake out? Last year we dealt corner outfielder Ryan Sweeney (batted .286 in 115 games for Oakland), lefthanded starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (1-4, 7.68 ERA, in 34 innings for the A’s), and Fautino De Los Santos (2-2, 5.87 ERA, 23 IP, for Stockton high A). The numbers don’t tell the whole story as Gonzalez was the key to the deal and should be a successful starting pitcher for years to come.

Now let’s look at this year’s trade sending Swisher out of town. Relief pitcher Kanekoa Texeira (0.93 ERA, 38″ IP, high A & 2.01 ERA, 22′ IP, AA) was also traded to New York. The White Sox received switch hitting infielder Wilson Betemit (.260 lifetime average, 42 homers in 1098 at bats), starting pitcher Jeff Marquez (43-40, 3.60 ERA, 560″ IP, minor league totals), & recently converted reliever Jhonny Nunez (1.50 ERA, 27′ IP, AA).

The Swisher trades comes down to this, Sweeney, Gonzalez, De Los Santos, & Texeira for Betemit, Marquez & Nunez. Wilson Betemit should see some action for the White Sox at thirdbase for the White Sox in 2009, with possibly Dayan Viciedo waiting in the wings, then Betemit would become a quality bat off the bench and utility infielder.

There’s a little bit more to Nick Swisher in Chicago. I manage the Chicago Champions of the Illowa APBA League a diceball APBA League, where I traded outfielder Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Rising Bammbeanos for Swisher, after Nick was traded to the Southside. Bammbeanos skipper John Brandeberry has been a Dodgers fan since the Brooklyn days of yesteryear (more on this trade from an APBA standpoint can be found on APBABLOG.COM). Also if anybody’s interested in a pre-worn Nick Swisher White Sox teeshirt, lemme know.

As of now, the 2009 class includes

Christian Cummins of Harrisburg, Ill., Davis Hendrickson, of Macomb, Ill., Brandon Hohl, of Mokena, Ill., Kevin Johnson, of Midlothian, Ill., Matt Milroy, of Batavia, Ill., and Seth Schwindenhammer of Bartonville, Ill.

Schwindenhammer, that’s a name that’s made for baseball. 

Complete bios on the CSTV web site.