To the powers that be....

This morning, my Grandpa passed away at the age of 78. He had a huge heart and loving soul, but he passed away this morning after complications from heart surgery. My Grandpa was quite a character and his love for the Mets was truly outstanding. Even during his last few weeks, my Grandpa still complained about the leaky Mets, bullpen and questioned whether the team could actually "do it this season." As I joked to my father earlier, the Mets bullpen is probably the worst thing for a man with a bad heart to see. But, I tell you, he loved baseball. The power of baseball made us closer and talking baseball with my Grandpa will remain engraved in my head forever. And that's what is so special about baseball, it brings people together and engraves memories into our heads. Now, I'm not to big on super natural powers, but if the powers at be could somehow give my family a Mets victory tonight, it would mean the world to me. RIP Grandpa.

Go Mets.

Free Agent at the End of the Season: Manny Ramirez

For the past 12 or 13 years, Manny Ramirez has established himself into one of the game's best sluggers as he consistently puts up tremendous numbers year in and year out. Manny won two World Series championships with the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007, but "Manny being Manny" finally wore out the Red Sox this year when the Sox traded him to the Dodgers. Any GM will have to evaluate the risk vs. reward factor when throwing millions of dollars at Manny. If I get Manny Ramirez, will he be a cancer in the locker room? And if so, will he hit enough to not totally harm the team? It's a tricky balance because the guy is a remarkable player, but his act has run thin with many in baseball circles.

The Case for Manny
-He can hit, alot.

-He hits homeruns (at least 20 in the past 14 seasons)

-He has a lifetime .406 OBP. As Barry Bonds will point out, OBP can help any team despite the distractions.

-He's clutch in both the regular season and in the post season. Manny won the 2004 World Series MVP and has hit 24 postseason HRs. Manny also is a lifetime .328 hitter with runners in scoring position. That's an amazing statistic.

-The fans love him. For all of this Manny being Manny nonsense that he made the Sox deal with, fans have really taken to Ramirez as shown by his arrival in LA. In a normally calm atmosphere, Manny provided some juice to the franchise and to the fans that hasn't been seen since the days of Todd Hollandsworth.

The Case Against Manny
-He's a clubhouse cancer. Reportedly, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein asked several veterans if he should trade Manny and they all responded with yes. Again, reportedly, the Red Sox took a vote on whether Manny should stay or go and everyone, but David Ortiz, said it was his time to go. Manny bashed the Red Sox and ownership by saying "the Red Sox don't deserve a player like me." And finally, in 2003, the Sox put Manny on irrevocable waivers in an attempt to get rid of him for nothing, but his entire salary. No one put in a claim.

-He cant play defense. As evidence by some of his Red Sox bloopers (cutting off Damon's throw, tripping over a ball in left field), this guy should be a DH and not sniff the outfield again.

Competition
-Don't get me wrong, there are some interesting names out there: Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn, Raul Ibanez, but none of them strike fear into a lineup like Manny. They are all getting up there in age, but only Manny has the "cancer factor" working against him. Dunn and Burrell should be DHs as well, hence giving Manny some more competition with AL teams.

Prediction
3 years/ $54 million
I think that Scott Boras needs to look at the yearly salary of several players before evaluating what Manny should get.

Vernon Wells: $18 million/per year
Alfonso Soriano: 17 million/per year
Miguel Cabrera: 19 million/per year
Andruw Jones: 18 million/per year

Now obviously, Manny shouldn't get a long term deal from any team because of his age (35), but 3 years shouldn't be out of the question. I think Manny could also try for four years. 3/55 works because Manny would still be in line with the other highest paid outfielders ($18 million), but the team who signs him would absorb less of a risk than any of the three I mentioned above because they would have Manny for only 3 seasons. A contract like Andruw Jones's should not be out of line, but I'm sure Boras will be going after the most amount of money he can get his hands on. Expect the Yankees, Dodgers, Angels, Mets, and maybe the Orioles to be in on the Manny sweepstakes.

Jorge Says No! will continue to look at the 2009 Free Agent class with Brewers starter Ben Sheets.

My Struggling Organization: Washington Nationals

Remember back in 2005 when people were excited for baseball to come back to Washington DC? How about all the excitement in 2008 when the Nationals finally left the dump known as RFK Stadium and moved into their own world class ballpark? Yeah, all that good will is pretty much gone now. Or at least I hope it is. Because, to be honest, the Nats suck. They really do. And even though we have seen teams suck in the past (Devil Rays, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Orioles), I just don't feel any excitement for their future. The Rays last year were horrible, but everyone knew that they had an amazing farm system and would be good a few years down the road. But the Nationals don't really have much talent at all in the organization. Today, Jorge says No! will profile why the Nationals have struggled and make our bold prediction as to when their struggles will finally end!

As we all know, the Nationals were originally the Montreal Expos (aka the other Canadian team) until 2004 and were actually owned by Major League Baseball for a few years because Jeffrey Loria wanted no part of Canada. Back when they were the Expos, the team had tons of talent, but could never sign of them and often resorted to either trading them (Javier Vazquez, Orlando Cabrera, Milton Bradley, Randy Johnson) or simply letting them walk (Larry Walker, Vlad Guerrero). So right off the bat the team was not built to succeed.

However, the move that really set the franchise back was the ill advised trade for Bartolo Colon in 2002. In an attempt to make the post season, GM Omar Minaya traded away three future all stars (Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Brandon Phillips) for Colon. The Expos did not make the playoffs, traded Colon a few months later, and the franchise was royally screwed for about 10 more years. Sizemore is a franchise player who will be the Indians center fielder for the next 10 years, Lee started the all star game this year, and Brandon Phillips has developed into a power hitting second baseman for the Reds. It's not often a trade kills a franchise, but this one did.

And to top things off, the current regime has not done any better. Not only do they refuse to spend money, but the money they do spend is ill advised and incomprehensible.
Cristian Guzman (4/16 mil) followed by (2/16 mil) AWFUL
Dmitri Young (2/10 mil) after a few good months AWFUL
Paul Lo Duca (1/5 mil) cant really figure out why AWFUL
Austin Kearns (3/17 mil) after a few sub par years AWFUL
And to top it all off, the one building block they do have, Ryan Zimmerman, is not close to signing an extension with the team.

I should point out right here that the Nats do have some guys with some long term potential. Lastings Milledge, Jesus Flores (who was picked up in the rule V from my Mets...why???), Zimmerman, and Lannan are all young guys who the Nats have control of for awhile. Those 4 have talent, but none (besides Zimmerman) could/should be a franchise player. Milledge has tons of talent, but I'm skeptical if he can get on base enough to retain heavy value, while Flores looks to be the real deal behind the plate. Again, I ask, why did you let him go Omar??????

Most of the guys the Nationals sign are either C/D level free agents or players signed to minor league deals. Basically, lets throw these guys up against the wall and see who sticks. Every once in awhile one does (Tim Redding), but more often than not, they don't and have very little chance for long term success. Again, this is not conducive for a winning baseball atmosphere.

The Nationals have stunk up the join the last few years, but they have not sucked enough to land a pick in the top 3 of the MLB draft. Their farm system has some talent to it (Ballester, Burgess, Chris Marrero, Detwiler), but the overall talent level is either far away from the bigs, or does not have real impact talent that can change the fortunes of an organization.

And finally, we have the deal that really set me off about the Nats. In July, the Nationals traded closer Jon Rauch to the the Diamondbacks for Emilio Bonifacio, the number 6 D-Backs prospect according to BA. The reason why this upset me was that the Nationals settled. There is not doubt they did. Bonifacio is a solid 2B who has speed and can slap the ball around a bit, but as far as long term potential (there is that word again), he doesn't project high at all. And I definitely think they could have gotten more for Rauch, who is a quality reliever at a time when there aren't many around and because he comes cheap. 2 years for 3.2 million AND a club option for 2010! C'mon Nats, that's 3 years of cheap, quality service time that you traded away for a slap happy second baseman!!! It don't make no sense!!!!!

Bold Prediction: The Nats struggle for the next 3 seasons before finally righting the ship in 2012. Playoff berths arrive by 2013 and 2014.
Creepy Teddy. Never Wins. Kinda like the Nats....

Today's Young Pitchers

The Yankees recently put SP Joba Chamberlain on the DL with "rotator cuff tendinitis." This comes after the Yankees tried so hard to limit his innings last year by having him come out of the bullpen and then tried to limit his innings again this year by having Joba start the year in the bullpen and then proceeding to making him a starter in June. So what gives? Why is Joba hurt?

Well, for one thing, all of the jerking around might have hurt Joba. When Joba was in the minors, he was a starter. When he was called up to the Yanks, he became a reliever. This season, Joba trained to be a reliever and then midway through the season the Yankees moved him into the rotation. I understand that they Yankees were trying to find a balance between their future ace (Joba) and having Joba help them win this season. Unfortunately, it is very hard to have it both ways.

We have seen in the past what happens when you push a young pitcher to much early on (cough...Dusty Baker...). With Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, the Cubs had two of the best young arms in baseball in 2002 and 2003. However, because of Dusty's ability to have a starter throw way to many innings early on, Prior is hurt (career could be over) and Wood has been converted to a closer (albeit a very good one).

So is there a lesson here? We all know that young teams take heavy precaution with their valuable young arms, but maybe its not the right type of precaution.The Yankees tried to be too fine with Joba because they needed him for the stretch run and were depending on him in the first half of this year to be a reliever. Well how about this, since we all know the goal was for Joba to eventually start, why not have him start the year as a starter, but not expect the world of him (i.e dont be afraid to have a sixth starter, feel free to skip over his turn). Obviously, this still might not work in terms of limiting his innings effectively enough, but by not counting on him as heavily for the season, you are able to focus on both his long term ability and getting some use out of him this year.

No one wants to see a Francisco Liriano type injury where a stud is lost in the middle of the season after being called up. Some injuries are uncontrollable, but managers need to have the where-with-all to never put a young pitcher at risk in terms of pitchers thrown and more importantly, stressful pitches thrown (runners on base, long at bats). At the same time, the front office must set the target number of pitches based on the type of delivery the pitcher has, his age, number of innings previously thrown, and any past arm troubles. That combination will help to ensure that young pitchers stay in the game, while the communication between dugout and front office stays strong. Young pitchers will continue to be babied because they are that valuable to the overall health of a franchise.

Bottom line, avoid the three dreaded words: Dr James Andrews.

And we leave you with a frightening image of Joba, even scarier than his 99 MPH fastball.
(New York Post)


Oh boy.

Free Agent at the End of the Season: CC Sabathia

Over the past 7 seasons, CC Sabathia has established himself as one of the premier left handed pitchers in major league baseball. He has won at least 10 games in every season he has pitched in the bigs, won a CY Young award in 2007, and is a three times all star. Sabathia is a formerly with the Cleveland Indians before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for stud prospect Matt Laporta and several other prospects. CC is one of my favorite players to watch because he looks looks like he having fun, is ultra competitive, and he is a big boy. Probably about 275 pounds of big boy. We're talking Garces-like body over here folks. So anyway, I would love to see CC get a fat contract (hopefully as far away from the National League as possible), which he should have no problem doing.

The Case for Sabathia:
-He is only 28, entering the prime of his career

-He is a stud pitcher, his ERA and WHIP are at optimal levels and are well below league average.

-He wins alot (19 last year and has never had a losing season)

-He gives you lots of quality innings. Basically we'll call him a much much much better version of Livan Hernandez. CC pitched 6 complete games last year (already has 6 this year) and has pitched at least 170 innings in each of his 7 seasons

-He is actually good hitter, especially for a pitcher. In about 60 ABs, he has a lifetime .260 BA with 3 HRs. Now, an NL team could look at this very small detail and at least find it interesting to note that even though he's big, CC is a great athlete, even at the dish.

-He is a lefty! Everybody knows that left handed pitching commands a premium (i.e Johan Santana and Barry Zito)

-His K rate continues to improve. This season, CC has struck out almost a batter an inning, while striking out over 200 last season.

-He is a very personable and likeable guy, which means he's very marketable.

-He's been successful in both the AL (with the Indians) and very successful so far in the National League) with the Brewers.

The Case against CC
-He's fat. Or just very big. He's a big guy and often times appears out of shape.

-Barry Zito. Teams don't want to be bogged down to pitchers if they decline, especially if they are in a smaller market.

-He's thrown alot of innings. As much as this can benefit CC, it also has a downside. CC has proven to be a durable pitcher, but usually pitchers who throw alot of innings decline quicker (i.e Livan Hernandez)

Competition
-Also working against CC abit is the face that fellow teammate and stud starting pitcher Ben Sheets is a free agent as well. I'm sure they will both get their loot, but life's always easier when theres less competition. Besides Sheets through, the starting pitchers on this year's market are pretty weak. Derek Lowe and John Garland are really the best of the bunch so far besides Sheets and CC, so it is really not much to write home about.

My Prediction
(7 years/$147 million)
If I was the agent for CC Sabathia, I would start out the negotiations with two things- Barry Zito's contract with Giants (7 year/$126 mil) and Johan Santana's (8/$137.5 mil) contract with the Mets. All three are lefty and Santana and Zito were around Sabathia's age when they got their huge deals. With his age and current performance level, I see no way that he gets less than Zito and he has a tremendous shot to out due Santana's deal.

Zito's deal probably has scared off some teams to making long term deals, but I think that a team will bite (cough...Yankees). CC's agent has to remind teams that CC is getting better and more durable and has shown no instances of decline like Zito had. The Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers (I have heard that he prefers the West coast) should all be in the mix for CC as he is likely to price himself out of many team's ranges. The Bombers have about $80 million in salaries coming off the books so they are due for a big name. Hello big apple.

Jorge says No! will continue our look into the free agent class with former Red Sox great Manny Ramirez.

Opinion: Fans and Team Performance

I have been a Met fan my entire life and I hate the way we act as a whole (warning: I am about to generalize). Met fans are cynical, anxious, and boo their team if they do not perform up to par. And you know how I know this? Because I am one of them. I am the first to pull my hair out if Scott Schoenweis enters a tie game, the first to pace uncontrollably across the room when Aaron Heilman (who looks eerily like my brother) enters the middle of an inning, and I am definitely the first to say "oh no" when Billy Wagner gives up a leadoff hit in a one run game. True story: when I was younger I would throw my shirts down the stairs if the Mets lost a big game (thank you Octavio Dotel and Turk Wendell).

So how the hell did we wind up like this? The answer is obvious. Countless disappointments+repeated failure+gruesome losses=one cyncical Met fan. All I have to do is look to the crosstown Yankees to see how winning fans act (warning: more generalizing). They are passionate like us, but they actually believe in their team and players. Success has bred the mindset that "the Yankees will always win." Met fans severely lack that winning attitude and I have seen enough players get gobbled up by the booing and negativity and never succeed in New York because of it.

And I have come to the conclusion that even though Met fans are an extremely passionate fan base, I think we do more harm than good. I mean, for God sakes, if a pitcher blows a lead (especially Schoenweis) fans boo and holler like crazy while fans at home find the nearest remote to throw at the TV. And our damn slogan is "Ya Gotta Believe." Yeah, Met fans believe that our team is gonna blow it and most importantly, they will blow it in the most painful, horrid way possible. Maybe that's why when the Mets win it's so sweet, but c'mon, eventually the fan base has to grow up. These guys are human and all of the booing and negativity is no place to breed success.

My Mets are now in third place, only 2 games back. I am confident in my guys, but I am also fearful of our horrible bullpen. There is no doubt more booing on the way, but I have taken the approach not to boo. These are my guys and they deserve my support, through the good and bad.

So maybe the fans have nothing to do with winning and losing. I have heard that players have an ability to block out the booing and all of the noise while remaining "in the zone." I think that as fans it is our job to first of all have fun and then secondly provide a positive atmosphere so that our guys can succeed on the field. And Mets fans, for as long as I can remeber, have failed.

Can a brother spare me a dime? Florida Marlins edition

Actually if your the Florida Marlins, you don't need a dime. Or any money for that matter. Because the Marlins, and their $21 million dollar payroll are actually in 2nd place in the NL East, only .5 games out of first. The Mets have a $140 million dollar payroll and sit 1.5 games back of Florida and the Braves have a $102 million dollar payroll and are in fourth place. And to top it all off, they play in a football stadium and have less fans than Milli Vanilli. Seriously, if they get 15,000 a night, its alot.
So how in the world did they do this? The answer is actually not so simple.

Draft
-Most small market teams have to build a competitive product through the draft so it is no surprise that the Marlins have had success drafting players. Jeremy Hermida, Chris Volstad, Scott Olsen, Josh Willingham, and Josh Johnson were all drafted by the Fish. That's obviously quite impressive, but when you consider that Hermida is only hitting .260, Willingham missed 2 months with a back issue, and Johnson is just coming back from Tommy John; it is obvious that while the draft aided the Marlins progress it is not the principle reason for their success.

Free Agency
-Now, I bet most of you are thinking, "the Marlins only have a $15 million dollar payroll, how could free agency aid in their success? Well, in this era of ballplayers earning much more than they are worth, the Marlins have excelled at giving low level free agents with talent chances to succeed. Two obvious examples are closer Kevin Gregg and third baseman Jorge Cantu.

Gregg was merely a middle reliever for the Angels in 2006 when the Marlins signed him to be their closer. Ever since then, Gregg has not looked back. He has a 2.84 ERA this season 24 saves and has only given up 1 HR while providing a steadiness to the Marlins pen. Cantu has been successful before in the big leagues. Back in 2005,

Cantu was seen as one of the rising stars of baseball when he hit 28 HR and 117 RBI for the Devil Rays. In the two seasons since his breakout campaign, Cantu has fallen off the map. But the Marlins took a flier on him this off season and he promptly beat out Dallas McPherson for the starting job and is now hitting third in the lineup. He has never been much of an OBP guy, but has a respectable .340 OBP this season to go along with his 19 HR. The Fish have even been able to get value out of guys like Joe Nelson, Luis Gonzalez, Alfredo Amezega, Cody Ross (brought from the Reds), Mark Hendrickson (eh...), and Wes Helms. Now that's impressive.

Trades
Ah, now this is where the Marlins have really excelled. It all began with the trade of Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Red Sox for Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez (one of those rare deals where both sides got great value). Ramirez has been amazing for the Marlins (25 HR, 26 SB's this season) and is a real threat to go 40/40. Probably the best shortstop in baseball right now.

The Marlins also traded away Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers in a deal for 6 minor leaguers (including Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller) that was criticized heavily at the time. Willis and Cabrera were two of the Marlins best players and most marketable players and trading them in the same deal seemed crazy at the time. The deal looks amazing right now. Cabrera has put up some big numbers, but is a liability in the field and will probably have weight issues for the rest of his career, while Willis is stuck at Class A Lakeland trying to regain his control.

The Fish have also acquired stud starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco and valuable relief pitcher Reynel Pinto from the Cubs for the slappy, speedy, singles hitter (yay alliteration!) Juan Pierre. First baseman Mike Jacobs was acquired for the aging Carlos Delgado. And even fireballer Matt Linndstrom was acquired (with Henry Owens) from my beloved Mets for the artist formally known as Jason Vargas and whatever's left of Adam Bostick. Needless to say, the Marlins got the better of that one.

Luck
Dan Uggla. Rule 5 Draft. He has established himself as one of the premier hitting second basemen in the league. His defense stinks, but boy can he hit (25+ HR in first three seasons). How did no one else take a flier on this guy?

Oh and by the way, Alfredo Amezega likes to celebrate. Alot.
Wow.

Would you want Livan?

As I am sure many of you have heard, SP Livan Hernandez has been released by the Twins and is now on waivers. Hernandez has a reputation as a big time pitcher (1997 World Series, 2002 World Series) and an innings eater (albeit, not all of the innings are quality). Only a few years ago, Hernandez was a quality pitcher delivering tons of quality innings for the really bad Expos/Nationals franchise. But it seems as though both his age and heavy workload have finally taken a toll on him. He has a ERA of about 5.50 this season and has given up 199 hits in only 139 innings. A team could simply put in a waiver claim and hope he falls to them (for $2 million) or pray that he isnt picked up and then sign him for the minimum. Should a GM take a flier on Livan and hope to the baseball Gods that he finds his form?

So the question is simple, if you are a contending team, do you want Livan?

American League

Red Sox: Pretty set at rotation with Lester, Dice-K, Beckett, Wake, and Buchholz
Devil Rays: Starting pitching has held up surprisingly well during the stretch run, no need for him here
Yankees: Very good match here. With Joba Chamberlain potentially going down, Livan could step right in here (ala Sidney Ponson). Livan is definitly a better option that Darrell Rasner, and I would take him over Dan Giese because of his track record.
White Sox: Like the Devil Rays, starting pitching has held up well and remains a strength
Tigers: Until Zach Miner or Armando Galarraga fall of the map, no need for him here
Angels: Hell no

National League

Mets: Could be a fit here. With pitching injuries (Wagner and Maine) and the disappointing year from Pedro Martinez, Livan might actually have a spot in the rotation. The Mets have had a difficult time all season getting length out of their starters, which is another plus for Livan
Phillies: They need starters, but I don't like Livan in the small ballpark
Marlins: Could you imagine Livan back with the Fish 11 years after winning the World Series there? Neither can I, remains a pipe dream. Too much starting pitching depth
Cubs: Hell no.
Cardinals: Not with Carpenter back
Brewers: Not after getting CC
Diamondbacks: I would like to see him here. He could add another vet to that rotation, while giving them some innings
Dodgers: Not after getting Penny back
Rockies: The favorite for Livan. Lemme just say this on the record. Livan has given up 18 HR already and I think he is a HORRIBLE fit here. If he goes there, it could get ugly.

Me personally, I want Livan on my team. At least to give him a shot. When you see how close these races are, a quality starting pitcher could be the difference maker (sorta like Jeff Weaver in 2006). I think Colorado will put a claim in for him and eventually pick him up.

What's in a name?

I'm sure some of you are wondering: how the hell did he come up with Jorge Says No? Well, it's actually quite simple/complicated. My girlfriend (Erica) is obsessed with Jorge Posada. Thats the easy part. The complicated part is when she uses her love for Jorge Posada to speak for him in the third person (very Rickey Henderson-ish).

here is a typical conversation:

Me: Hey, do you want to go to the movies?

Erica: No.

Me: Why not?

Erica: Because, Jorge says no.

So there you have it. The dramatic birth of Jorge Says No!

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Free Agent at the End of the Season: Mark Teixeira

There is no doubt that Teixeira will be the most coveted hitter of this free agent class. I would assume that Teixeira is looking for a deal in the 8-10 year range worth about $160-$200 million dollars. To most, this would seem to be an absurd amount of money, but could Teixeira actually be worth it?

His agent Scott Boras, has a strong case to make for Tex.

-He is only 28 years old switch hitter and has hit 30+ HR 100+ RBI in each of his first five seasons.

-He plays gold glove defense (he won gold gloves in both 2005 and 2006)

-He is durable (played in 162 games in both 2005 and 2006)

-He gets on base ALOT (OBP around .400 every season)

-There are no other great Free Agents at 1B (sure Delgado and Giambi can hit and get on base, but they are both well past their max contract years. And really, do you want Sean Casey or Richie Sexson at 1B? Do you trust that either Hinske or Millar will be able to maintain their numbers from this season?)

-Simply put, Teixeira is the total package. Power hitter, great defense, and young enough to build around for the next 7-10 years. During contract negotiations, I assume that Boras will throw out the names:

-Carlos Beltran (similar age to Tex) and his 7 year/ $119 million dollar deal

-Manny Ramirez (similar stats to Tex) and his 8 year/ $160 million dollar deal

-Miguel Cabrera (similar stats to Tex/same time period) and his 8 year/ 152 million dollar deal

My prediction: 9 years/$162 million with a option for 10th year at $22 million (total package 10 year/$184 million dollars)

Remember everyone, Tex is a Boras client, which basically means he will seek out the most amount of money. And while I believe the Cabrera deal could be a good place to start negotiations, I think this deal will be bigger for a few reasons.

1. Both NY teams can be involved

2. He is by far the most coveted free agent on the market for hitters based on his age, performance, and durability

3. LA Angels should be involved in these discussions, which could drive up the pricetag because owner Arte Moreno does not want to lose the big hitter he coveted for so long.

4. Tex should be a very marketable player

5. Don't count out the Orioles-Tex is from

6. Boras has a way of achieving maximum value for his guy. Don't doubt him.

If Tex comes close to my projection, then I think he will certainly have a tough time living up to it (as do most free agents). However, if you put him in the middle of your lineup, a GM will be safe to assume that Tex will produce 30/100 every season. He has yet to show any sign of decline as of yet.

We will continue to evaluate the incoming free agent class with stud pitcher CC Sabathia

Free Agency and the 2009 Free Agent Class

One of the crucial periods that obviously determines how successful a franchise could be is during free agency. We have seen teams (i.e Yankees) attempt to build their team through free agency, we have seen other teams use free agency to add missing pieces (i.e Red Sox/Keith Foulke) and others use free agency to single handedly destroy their franchises and their flexibility (see Mike Hampton, Kevin Brown, Mo Vaughn, Barry Zito, Carl Pavano, Andruw Jones, Richie Sexson, Jason Schmidt, etc.). Over the pat ten years, Major League Baseball has become flush with cash because of unprecedented growth and prosperity in the sport. Obviously there are many benefits to having baseball prosper like it has, but the obvious negative is that players are receiving contracts that they don't deserve. General Managers throw around millions of dollars like its candy expecting that a certain level of performance will be maintained. This is rarely the case.

With that said, free agency is one of the most exciting times of the season because so many players change places as fans and teams optimistically look forward to the next season. Obviously we are still months away from the season ending and even further away from free agents hitting the market, but that doesn't mean that we can't speculate about the potential deals these free agents will command. When trying to determine a player's contract, we will look at a variety of factors. Past contracts, age, performance, agent, comparable free agents, quality free agents that play the same position (for example: If there are no good FA first basemen besides Teixeira, then the odds increase that teams could enter a bidding war for his services).

Jorge Says No! will start with it's first player contract evaluation with new Angels first baseman Mark Teixeira, who will undoubtably command a huge contract.

Welcome to the Great Abyss of Organized Baseball

A few years back, my father brought my brother and I to a Newark Bears baseball game for the sole purpose of seeing future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson. What I didn't know that night was that I had uncovered a land mine filled with ex big leaguers who I thought had fallen off the face of the Earth. Can anyone guess the starting pitcher we saw for the opposing Long Island Ducks that night? If you said Bill Pulsipher, you are 100% correct. And yes, it was that Bill Pusipher. You know, the one from Generation K, who was so mishandled by beloved Mets that he suffered arm injuries and his career never got on track. Pulsipher fared no better in the game that I went too, lasting less than an inning and never really looking comfortable on the mound (he did however ask my brother and I for our peanuts, which we happily threw down to him...true story).

Anyway, what struck me about the game was that by the end of the night I found myself almost depressed. These were the flame outs and washed up players who were playing baseball either because they wanted a shot to play or because sadly, they had nothing else to do. Think about it, for a guy like Pulsipher who had so much potential and opportunity, pitching for the Long Island Ducks is not exactly mind blowing. Most of these guys know nothing else besides baseball and winding up playing independent league ball has got to be upsetting.
However, with all of that said, one of my favorite pastimes since my first meeting with Independent league ball has been every year to scour each team's website to discover which players had entered the abyss of organized baseball. And every year, there are a few guys who I thought had simply fallen off the face of the Earth, but had actually wound up in the Atlantic League.
So without further ado, Jorge Says No! proudly presents:

Oh My God! He's still around! Stars of the Atlantic League

Randall Simon, 1B, Newark Bears: Randall Simon! Ok, seriously, who here remembers anything this guy did besides hitting a sausage mascot over the head with a baseball bat and getting arrested for it? No one. Good.


Edgardo Alfonzo, 3B, Long Island Ducks: This one is especially hard for me as Fonzie will always have a place in my heart for being the stalwart on the 1999 and 2000 Mets. If you wanted a big hit, Fonzie was the guy you wanted up. They always say that baseball is a game that humbles you, and if you had me that Fonzie would be playing for the Ducks ten years from now in 1999, I would have said your nuts. He fell very very far.

Carl Everett, OF, Long Island Ducks: Wow. Wasn't it just 3 years ago that Everett won a World Series ring with the White Sox? Everett had a very successful career, but he will long be remembered by me for exploding at umpires, denying the existence of dinosaurs, and telling Maxim magazine that, "Gays being gay is wrong." Nuff said.

Richardo Hidalgo, OF, Long Island Ducks: Parlayed a big season in 2000 into a 4 year $32 million dollar deal (44 HR, 122 RBI, .391 OBP). Never came close to the success of that one season. He could always hit for power, but declining average and OBP proved to be his downfall.

Nook Logan, OF, Long Island Ducks: Nook was bad last season (.265 BA, 0 HR, .304 OBP), but he should have received a big league offer. Anywhere. Looks as though his name being mentioned in the Mitchell Report has blacklisted him from baseball. Oh, and by the way, his name is Nook. How cool is that?

Bobby Hill, 2B, Newark Bears: Involved in the Aramis Ramirez to the Cubs trade in 2003. Out of MLB two years later. Nice job, Mr. Littlefield.

Jose Lima, P, Camden Riversharks: LIMA TIME!!!!! Gives me a reason to post this. Classic.

Matt LeCroy, C-1B, Lancaster Barnstormers: Anyone who is a Twins fan will remember this notoriously slow, but very lovable catcher. But again, does anyone really remember anything about him other than making manager Frank Robinson cry? Seven steals and two errors? Yikes. I would have yanked you in the middle of an inning as well.

Rich Garces, RP, Nashua Pride: Ex Red Sox great. EL GUAPO!!! He famously planted tomatoes in the back of the Red Sox bullpen and is even more famous for being fat. Really fat. He must've been like 275+. No joke.
Shea Hillenbrand, 1B/3B, York Revolution: Another ex Red Sox great and clubhouse cancer. Famously wrote on Blue Jays board "this is a sinking ship" and ripping off his Canada patch off his hat. Classy move. Also mouthed off about being traded away from the Sox. "They don't know what they have with me. If they get rid of me, they'll know what they have. You've heard of Jeff Bagwell?"

Red Sox 1 Hillenbrand 0

Other Notables: Former closer Dave Veras, Former Met great Alay Soler, Former Met Juan Padilla, Former Reds 3B prospect Brandon Larson, OF Curtis Pride

So as you can see, if Rickey can do it, then so can they.

In the words of Eagles:
"You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave!"

The Pittsburgh Pirates....

Just in case those of you living undera rock haven't heard, the Pittsburgh Pirates were involved in two huge trades this past week by trading two of their star players- Xavier Nady and Jason Bay.

To make matters worse for me, Nady and Bay were traded to the Yankees and Red Sox respectively. :(

What kills me is when I hear that Pittsburgh GM Neal Huntington is getting slammed in the media in Pittsburgh. Now is that really fair? It is true that Bay and Nady were two of the best players on the Pirates and no fan wants to see good players traded away (unless they are potential Free Agents at the end of the year of course), but Huntigton needed to think about the future of his team. The Pirates are years away from even competing and in all likelyhood, they would not have been able to retain both Nady and Bay (or even one of them for that matter). It is also important to note that it feels as though the Pirates have been rebuilding forever. From the trade of Jason Schmidt (hello Ryan Vogelsong and Armando Rios) to the absolute debacle that was the trade of Aramis Ramirez to the Cubs (Jose Hernandez and Bobby Hill...YES!), it is clear the previous Pirates regime lead by GM Dave Littlefield failed miserably several times at rebuilding.

So why do I feel like Pirates made the right move in trading Bay and Nady now? It's simple economics.

-Both Bay and Nady have a year left on their current deals and they are both having solid (exceptional for Nady) years. Bay is batting .285 with 23 HRs and most importantly, a .380 OBP, while Nady is batting a ridiculous .334 with 17 HRs and a tremendous .390 OBP. For Nady, his OBP is about 40 points better than any other.

-By having a year left on each of their deals, both players become more valuable to the teams who can acquire them because they know that they will have the player for a year and a half and not solely be a rental for two months (see Teixeira, Mark).

-So by trading each player when they are performing at, or around, peak value, you can safely assume that the Pirates will get peak value for both players.

And who are we kidding, the Pirates have not won anything with either player (which is mainly because of horrid pitching), so by getting rid of them, the Pirates will still lose this season, but they will have their 3B for the next 5-10 years (Andy LaRoche), a potential star (Tabata), a potential closer (Hansen), a 4th outfielder/potential starter (Moss), a backend starter (Karstens), as well as good arms in McCutchen, Ohlendorf and Morris.

When you have been as bad and inept as the Pirates organization has been in the past, potential for success is key. And perhaps most importantly, the Pirates received 8 players in return that will greatly aid in advancing their organizational depth.

But hey, who knows? These are the Pirates were talking about. These two packages might not have been the best out there. There will always be second guessers. All I know is that these two deals are a step up from the glory days of Vogelsong and Hill...

Welcome!

Welcome to Jorge Says No!
This is my first attempt in the wide world of blogging and I hope that you all will enjoy it. My name is Josh Levitt and I am a sophomore at American University. I should prefice this by saying that I am NOT an english major and my english is far from perfect. Feel free to notify me of an error in spelling or grammar. And most importantly, I am a huge Met fan/baseball fan. But dont you worry, my content will not solely revolve around my beloved Metropolitans, but don't be surprised if there is a distinct New Yrok theme (at times). Now, I guess the first thing I should explain is what I will be blogging about. My blog will consist of the brutally honest evaluations in all aspects of baseball (trades, free agency, and the actual games). Oh and don't worry, I will be the first to point out and laugh when someone says or does something stupid. If Willie Randolph has taught me anything, it's that if you say something stupid, the media will destroy you. I don't aim to destroy, I merely aim for honesty. I call 'em as I see 'em.

thanks again and hope everyone enjoys the read.
-Josh Levitt