Apparently, the pitcher they creve is sorryass Brian Moelher from Detroit. So Drayton says he wants to win and money is not an issue and then signs Jeff Kent to make us believe him, only to return to his same ole bargin basement ways and sell DWard for some prospects. How bout we trade Drayton for a real owner who really wants to win.
I really hope we dont go after Paul Wilson like I have read in a few reports...that would be a joke. Plus, we have Paul Wilson...his name is Dave Mliki
That would be quite a trick to get Moehler from the Tigers considering he was traded to the Reds last year. You're ragging on McLane for something the Astros might do? I doubt the Reds would want Ward.
I am ragging on him cuz he doesnt want to go after a real pitcher, which they have the chance to do with either Colon or Vasquez being available. Instead, we here this lame excuse that if they land Colon, they would trade him for a pitcher they really crave. And so far, reports suggest that they crave Moelher and Paul Wilson!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I question his desire of wanting to win it all. We have a good young pitching staff, but we desperatley need an experienced ace and Colon fits that description.
Am I the only person troubled by this quote in the posted article? Since the Expos are owned by the MLB, in essence each individual owner of a ballclub has a part ownership in the Expos and can dictate policy for Montreal. So they can tell them how much payroll to deduct, hence making players they covet available to their own team? Sounds like a slick form of collusion if you ask me.
The actual report speculates that if the Astros were to acquire Colon they would move him for prospects. Note that this is the reporter's speculation and not the Astros. Where have you read that the Astros were interested in Wilson and/or Moehler? By the way, who was the experienced ace the Astros desperately needed in 2001 that led them to the playoffs?
Last year the Yanquis had twice the payroll of the 'stros. Next year the differential will be even greater. Atlanta, the Metsies, Dodgers all so far eclipse the locals' payroll that it matters so little what Drayton/Gerry do. The Astros will not be the last ones standing.
Looks like Colon isn't making a pit stop in Houston... http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0108/1489477.html I'd still take Vasquez or Armas Jr.
The make-up of that squad is so very different than the Astros. I didn't think it required mentioning. Oakland and Minny, too, are warts on the big spenders' logs, but -- this Houston team is old where it hurts (Bigg and Bags, in the pocketbooks) and the elements are not harmonically converged in our little corner of the world.
UGH, Why not jettison Hidalgo? Ummm, to who? There aren't a lot of teams out there in a market for $10MM/yr terrible players.
I suspect they would, but teams are scared off by the $22 million owed over the next 2 years, plus the fact he is recovering from being shot.
LOL, when I read the original quote, I was confused too. Getting back on topic, Vasquez or Colon would be great for this team. I really feel that if we have one more solid starter, we will be an absolute force in the league. Hunsicker was on 740 last night and he was saying that the team payroll is about 70 million and that he needs to shed it to around the mid 60's before the season starts. That sucks.
Epstein paints Red Sox as longshot in Colon talks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com news services BOSTON -- The same day Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said it was unlikely Boston would obtain Bartolo Colon after monthlong trade talks with Montreal, the Expos reportedly are close to moving the coveted right-hander to the Florida Marlins. A big league executive familiar with Montreal's workings told the Boston Herald in a story published Thursday that the Expos believe they will trade 20-game winner Colon to the Marlins for a package built around right-hander Brad Penny. It is possible that the deal might include the Reds as part of a three-way trade, according to the Herald's report. Montreal, owned by Major League Baseball and ordered to cut its payroll to $40 million, has been shopping Colon for a while. Expos GM Omar Minaya has been talking with the Red Sox since the winter meetings in Nashville in mid-December, talks that later branched off into trying to find another team that would make a Boston-Montreal deal work. "We're really no closer to a deal than we were in Nashville," Epstein said Wednesday. "There's been no progress. Actually, I don't expect there to be. I'm actually as pessimistic about our chances of matching up with Montreal as I have been in a long time." Penny, 24, went 8-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 24 starts while battling several injuries last season, but his potential, talent and low salary could make him a respectable replacement for Colon (20-8, 2.93 ERA last season with Cleveland and Montreal) in the Expos' eyes. Penny was eyed by the Red Sox in discussions that centered around outfielder Trot Nixon this offseason, but Florida was unwilling to part with the right-hander at the time. It's the second major setback in his efforts to improve Boston's rotation. The Red Sox lost out to the Yankees in the bidding for Cuban free agent Jose Contreras, who got a $32 million, four-year deal from New York. Epstein spoke in a conference call Wednesday after talking with Minaya. But Epstein, reluctant to part with young players, hadn't given up and said he would keep pursuing Colon. Third baseman Shea Hillenbrand's name came up in trade talks, but that wasn't enough to obtain Colon. Without Colon, Epstein said the Red Sox still have a strong rotation. But it lacks the big names of Boston's chief rival, the Yankees. The acquisition of Contreras and re-signing of free agent Roger Clemens gives the Yankees eight starters, including Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, David Wells, Orlando Hernandez, Jeff Weaver and Sterling Hitchcock. The Red Sox have Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield, Casey Fossum and John Burkett. "We have five that we like and five that are healthy," Epstein said. "Then we've got (Frank) Castillo, (Ryan) Rupe and (Ramiro) Mendoza, who have all started. "We want to win now and we're going to win. We won 93 games last year. Our club is better on paper. We're going to have an outstanding club next year. We already have an outstanding starting rotation." Epstein wouldn't discuss what players were mentioned in trade talks or what issues caused them to hit a snag. One could be the contract status of Colon, who is signed only through the 2003 season. The Red Sox also don't want to trade Fossum, a 25-year-old left-hander who drew interest from the Expos. "If you give up all your young players," Epstein said, "it's going to be very difficult to maintain any sort of sustained success, and that's our goal." He's not interested in obtaining Colon at too high a cost just to make a splash and convince fans the Red Sox are serious about winning this year. "Our goal is not to convince anyone of anything," Epstein said. "Our goal, collectively, is to win." He also said the team hasn't finalized a $4.5 million, two-year deal with free agent third baseman Bill Mueller, although "we'll probably have an announcement on a position player within the next two to three days. It's just a matter of finalizing procedural matters." Mueller, who hit .286 in seven seasons with San Francisco and the Chicago Cubs, could help the Red Sox's first-base problem. Hillenbrand, who hit .293 last season, could play first against lefties. Lefty hitter Jeremy Giambi could face righties.
Reds part of deal but want medical info on Penny -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com The Expos and Marlins have a trade in the works that would send 20-game winner Bartolo Colon to Florida for right-hander Brad Penny and three others, ESPN's Peter Gammons reports. But there's a hang-up. The package also involves Cincinnati, which would obtain Penny from Montreal for a minor-league pitcher and send another minor-league pitcher to Florida. But the Reds are refusing to sign off on the deal because they have concerns about Penny's arm and the Marlins have refused to release his medical information, Gammons has learned. The Expos also would obtain from Florida left-hander Blaine Neal, minor-league first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and minor-league right-hander Don Levinsky, Gammons reports. Several teams interested in Penny this offseason also have had concerns about his arm. He has had two stints on the disabled list in the last three years; he was disabled for a six-week stretch last season because of inflammation in his right bicep. And Penny's 13.49 ERA in the recent MLB All-Star series against Japan in November did nothing to set potential suitors' minds at ease either. Montreal, owned by Major League Baseball and ordered to cut its payroll to $40 million, has been shopping Colon for months. General manager Omar Minaya had been talking with the Red Sox since the winter meetings in Nashville in mid-December, talks that later branched off into trying to find another team to make a Boston-Montreal deal work. But Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said Wednesday that there was no progress toward a deal and he didn't expect a Boston trade for Colon to be made. "I'm actually as pessimistic about our chances of matching up with Montreal as I have been in a long time," Epstein said. Penny, 24, went 8-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 24 starts while battling several injuries last season, but his potential, talent and low salary could make him a respectable replacement for Colon, who was 20-8 with a 2.93 ERA last season with Cleveland and Montreal. Penny was eyed by the Red Sox in discussions that centered around outfielder Trot Nixon this offseason, but Florida was unwilling to part with the right-hander at the time. Information from The Associated Press and ESPN.com news services was used in this report.
