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He served with Jeb Stuart in the War of Northern Aggression!

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ESPN reporting Scott Kazmir to the Angels

 

Saw that. Huge risk, high reward potential. Giving up 2 very promising minor leaguers, if espn has it right. Big contract for Kazmir, but big talent there... Interesting. I very grudgingly like the Angels, and respect the hell out of them.

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Saw that. Huge risk, high reward potential. Giving up 2 very promising minor leaguers, if espn has it right. Big contract for Kazmir, but big talent there... Interesting. I very grudgingly like the Angels, and respect the hell out of them.

 

 

You shouldn't. Buying a penant is the worst thing in professional sports.

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You shouldn't. Buying a penant is the worst thing in professional sports.

 

So any trade to improve your team is "buying a pennant"?

 

 

I'm not that big a fan of Kazmir. All he does well is strike guys out. He's pretty pedestrian at all other skills. He's good enough, but not the ace he has the reputation for being.

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So any trade to improve your team is "buying a pennant"?

 

 

I'm not that big a fan of Kazmir. All he does well is strike guys out. He's pretty pedestrian at all other skills. He's good enough, but not the ace he has the reputation for being.

 

I won't even bother to respond to the first part of you post. I will respond to your condescention in kind.

 

That being said, I wholeheartedly agree about Kazmir.

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I legitimately do not understand your point. It's potentially a good move for them, as he might not be an ace, but can be a brilliant #3 starter if healthy. I don't see how this could be seen as buying a penant, unless any move where you add salary is an attempt to buy a penant.

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I legitimately do not understand your point. It's potentially a good move for them, as he might not be an ace, but can be a brilliant #3 starter if healthy. I don't see how this could be seen as buying a penant, unless any move where you add salary is an attempt to buy a penant.

 

The Rays, however, are still in contention and probably will be for the next few years. They shouldn't be put into the position where they are trading away a top starter (which are hard to find, wether he's a #1,2 or 3) because a team with more money will take on his salary. The Rays already traded Edwin Jackson and Jason Hamel with a plan of keeping Kazmir as their #2 starter, but they cannot risk the money left on his contract because of his health (and sometimes performance due to health) concerns. True, the Rays received 3 - not 2 - prospects, but they are a contender and contender plays for now. The Angels can afford a risk because if it doesn't work out, they can trade/sign another pitcher to the staff (Just as they did with signing Matthews, then Hunter to play CF.). Therefore, the economic differential in baseball once again forces the smaller market team to risk their chance to return to the post-season this year and maybe next. With Kazmir, the Rays may not make it to October and the Angels may not win the pennant, but salary is a major concern for Tampa and merely a small obstacle for LA. Longterm, this may prove to be a good baseball trade, but the Rays are trying to build on their first post-season run from last year; so this doesn't help from a business standpoint if the Rays can't get past third place for the next couple of years while the established Angels once again play in October.

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For a team as loaded with prospects as the Rays, replacing Kaz's 6 ERA isn't going to kill their post season chances. If anything, it helps. This can be seen as a move for now and a move for tomorrow.

 

 

And hey, payroll limitations are what they are. If they truly thought he was worth it, they'd keep him. But the fact of the matter is you have to get a return on your investment. The Rays have not because Kaz has been absolutely terrible this season. They can't afford for him to be terrible, and they got something for him.

 

Guess what: The playing field isn't level. The Rays can't afford to take huge risks. The only reason they've been competitive the last two years is because they've minimized risk and made good decisions. I see this as a good baseball and a good economic decisions. At least they got something for him, unlike the Jays with Rios, who didn't get anything back, if I'm not mistaken. That would have been a move more deserving of your ire. Hell, Rios is an even better player than Kazmir!

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Guess what: The playing field isn't level. The Rays can't afford to take huge risks. The only reason they've been competitive the last two years is because they've minimized risk and made good decisions. I see this as a good baseball and a good economic decisions. At least they got something for him, unlike the Jays with Rios, who didn't get anything back, if I'm not mistaken. That would have been a move more deserving of your ire. Hell, Rios is an even better player than Kazmir!

 

There is no ire in my post. The playing field has never been level and never will be, no matter the system. I had just been thinking recently that it would have nice to see the Rays make a good hard run at the wild card, seeing how the Sox have been vulnerable all summer. Since the Rays have prospects, it also would have nice to have them been a part of the Halladay pursuit. That, too, would have been a great baseball move: To add to what they have, rather than to be like the Twins & A's of this decade, good teams with good plans yet unable to rise to a championship because they can't add.

 

Rios and Kazmir will both make $12M next year and neither are worth it. The Jays wouldn't have received much of anything back for Rios without having to half-pay for Rios. They wiped a huge chunk off the books as they basically had no better option because Vernon Wells' contract is doing them in economically. As a Philly fan, I'm quite pleased with the Cliff Lee trade, not only in the results but also that the Phils weren't required to sell the farm to get him. However, it is a sadder event that Cleveland was not willing to pay the reigning Cy Young winner $9M next year than it is for Toronto to unload one of their unhealthy contracts.

 

I will be fair here and note that Crow Daddy's Rangers would certainly be trying to buy a pennant if Tom Hicks was not having debt structure issues with the banks and also wasn't try to sell part of his ownership. Hicks' issues are probably setting up the Rangers for a good solid run over the next few years, as he will no longer be over-spending on free agents like A-Rod and Chan Ho Park.

 

Basically, teams in contention should be adding at the deadline, taking calculated risks to try to win a championship. Those opportunities aren't guarenteed for next year. If you have a legit shot, go for it now. Last year, the Brewers chose the right guy (Sabathia) at the right time. It didn't work out, but they correctly evaluated last year that this year's Brewers would not have a good a chance to win a championship. Therefore, they added last year and sat still this year. It would have nice to the Rays add this year, then trade Kazmir to unload his contract in the offseason.

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I will be fair here and note that Crow Daddy's Rangers would certainly be trying to buy a pennant if Tom Hicks was not having debt structure issues with the banks and also wasn't try to sell part of his ownership. Hicks' issues are probably setting up the Rangers for a good solid run over the next few years, as he will no longer be over-spending on free agents like A-Rod and Chan Ho Park.

 

Actually, I think Hicks learned his lesson from those two signings. He and Jon Daniels are both on record as saying that they made a commitment to cultivate the farm system and raise talented players from within. I think this would have been the case regardless of Hicks' money issues.

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I will never understand decisions by managers. You have a pitcher pitching well, throwing a little wild but retiring people and throwing hard. It's 2 outs, the momentum is all the pitchers, and they take him out and put in someone who proceeds to load the bases and give up a grand slam in the 7th. I knew as soon as they took him out that it was a bad move and I don't know dick about baseball. WTF? (rockies/giants game).

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