The RAB Radio Show – January 22, 2009, Episode 10
ByI apologize in advance for some audio issues about 2/3 of the way into the show. We’re working to get these issues resolved, but a big part of it is Time Warner. Bear with us, and we’ll certainly improve on that aspect.
Arbitration is the big story. Like Ben, we lament Melky Cabrera’s settlement. How could his agent have thought he was worth $1.7 million? I don’t see the argument here. The Yankees caved, though, and that’s all that matters. Here’s to hoping for bigger things from the Melk Man in 2009.
The subject quickly changes to free agency, as we note that there are many free agents remaining for just a few teams. Where are guys like Orlando Hudson and Adam Dunn going to land? Mike and I run down the Type As and bigger-name Type Bs remaining. We have a few guesses for most, but one has us stumped.
Then it’s onto reader Q & A. We got some good ones this week. Hopefully next week we’ll be able to take some live callers.
Onto the podcast. It is available in a number of formats. You can download it here by right clicking on that link and selecting Save As. If you want to play it in your browser, just left click the link. You can also subscribe to the podcast feed, which will send it to you every Thursday. You can also subscribe in iTunes. Finally, we have the embedded audio player below.
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We appreciate any feedback. You can leave it in the comments or email either of us.
Let me guess, was it Manny?
sheets
Varitek.
O-Cab
I wish we would sign one more type A……Mr. Ben Sheets.
I’m sensing a theme or a motif to your blog.
hey now
Nice link !
Welp, there goes the rest of my afternoon.
Now that’s funny.
I clicked the link and was immediately informed that the page I attempted to access violates the terms of my firm’s internet usage policy. lol. Fabulous.
“The page you have attempted to access violates the terms of the firm’s internet usage policy” = “There’s some awesome, awesome stuff on here that you’re not going to be able to see. Better jot down the URL so you can go home and be as nasty as you wanna be in the privacy of your own firewall-free pleasure pit.”
I’m sure the IT department appreciates me tipping them off to a fun new website. Hopefully they’ll put in a good word when they turn me in to the man.
I have a random question: Sometimes I’ll be watching the Simpsons or Daily show and I’ll hear some sort of variation of “mmmm that’s good _______!” What is this in reference to? Johnny Carson, Jackie Gleason? I have no idea.
You guys ever think of using Ventrilo instead of Skype? May help with your lag/breaking up issues.
Hm. I will look into it. I still think Time Warner and the lack of quality vocal mics are bigger issues.
Just fyi, the radio shows sound fine to me, I don’t have the problems that people tend to complain about. Perhaps I just don’t have as discriminating an ear as the other listeners.
Sounds good to me as well. Its usually Mike who breaks up for me every now and then but still clear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLsDvGlIDh0
I take it back… Mike turned into Gozer the Gozerian sometime around the 45 minute mark.
Full Moon came out.
Possibly. Mic levels and other sound levels are adjustable on it so you might only have to worry about Time Warner. But usually there no break up, its just a lag if anything. But there should be test servers to try (a server is not free unlike Skype) however I have one should you want to test it out.
What a nice, genuine offer.
Listening to the first 5 minutes or so and the discussion of Melky’s 2009 salary (and what he may have gotten in arbitration)… Trying to think of good comps for Melky at this stage in his career. It’s really tough, I suppose because we tend to remember the standout performances more than the pedestrian (or poor) performances. Maybe Doug Glanville, minus the SBs? The problem with Melky is the guys I think of as comps, for the most part, stole more bases than Melky steals. For what it’s worth, Glanville got about $2 million when he was arbitration-eligible in 2000. Man. It’s not much compared to what the stars are paid, but damn. That’s a ton of money for these guys.
And 2M in 2000 is what, 3M or 3.5M today?
Well maybe a few weeks ago that was true, but today the Brewers can’t afford shoelaces for Ryan Braun’s cleats. Tough times.
Good point. I heard the A’s are considering digging up Connie Mack and reinstalling him as Manager to save one more salary line on the expenditure sheet.
According to B-Ref, similar batters through age 23: #8 – Johnny Damon, FWIW.
FWIW
This is going to come off much more antagonistic than I mean it to… But that’s really not worth anything. Not to mention that it’s irrelevant in a conversation about Melky’s salary.
You’re a stupid jerkface.
I mean that in the nicest possible sense.
lol dude it wasn’t a personal attack, I’m within the RAB commenting guidelines
You, however, have hurt my feelings and violated the commenting guidelines. So, poo on you.
FWIW, Raul Mondesi is fat.
Irrelevant. Another violation.
Yes, but I said FWIW.
So I’m good.
It doesn’t seem antagonistic to me, because I just referenced what B-Ref said (and added a FWIW).
In your comment, you posited Trying to think of good comps for Melky at this stage in his career..
B-Ref says that Melky and Damon were somewhat similar statistically at age 23.
Agree with ya there.
Ok. I assumed the reason you brought up Damon in particular, even though he’s number 8 on the list and there are 7 guys ahead of him, is because Damon has had a good career and you were trying to defend Melky or something (even though I didn’t really attack him above). I actually still think that’s why you brought up Damnon, because I don’t know why you’d pick out his name and not the 7 guys B-Ref says are better comps for Melky. But Damon’s irrelevant as a comp no matter the motivation for throwing his name into the discussion.
The point is to look at comps in the first year of arbitration eligibility. So this age 23 thing doesn’t mean anything. In 1998, at age 24, the year before Damon first hit arbitration, he put up a .277/.339/. 439 with 18 HR, 26 SB, 84/58 K/BB, and a 100 OPS+. That is MILES ahead of what Melky did last year (not to mention the fact that Damon was a MUCH more highly-regarded prospect than Melky ever was). So… I still say it’s irrelevant.
Okay fartface.
The main reason I reference Damon was because the 7 players listed above him are from prior generations. It was in no way an attempt to defend Melky.
Although I’m not as down on Melky as RAB, I must admit that his trend line doesn’t look good. Another year like ‘08 and I’ll jump on the anti-Melky bandwagon.
Endy Chavez.
Melky was not overpaid in the context of first year arbitration eligible CFers.
argue that the system is broken, that’s fine, but the Yankees were NOT getting away with paying Melky much less than the $1.2M they offered him.
I would move Nady for Dukes in a heartbeat guys, that’s the only thing I disagree with you on. Obviously I would want another player or two for the farm who have potential but I make that trade. An hour…damn lol. I listened to it all though, your right there is no way to keeep baseball chatter short. Dukes has all those years left for team control, he lowers payroll, and he has a chance to be sooo good. It is a risk worth taking in my opinion. If Dukes plays a whole season, he could be better than Nady and he would probably hit close to 30 HR’s.
If Dukes plays a whole season, he could be better than Nady and he would probably hit close to 30 HR’s.
Not a snowball’s chance in hell the Yanks acquire Dukes. If you haven’t noticed, they prefer the corporate types (Jeter, Tino, O’Neill, Bernie, Mo, Tex etc) as opposed to the loose cannons.
Sure, they’ll occasionally take a flier on a head case (Raul Mondesi, Ruben Sierra – this 1st time), but that is the exception, not the rule. And Dukes almost makes those guys look like stand-up citizens.
That’s not to say you’re wrong about him hitting 30 HRs. He might. Just not for the Yanks.
“Not a snowball’s chance in hell the Yanks acquire Dukes… Sure, they’ll occasionally take a flier on a head case (Raul Mondesi…”
Besmirching the good names of Raul Mondesi and Elijah Dukes in one comment!?
You dead, dawg.
I guess “good names” is relative, huh?
I mean, he’s not exactly Rae Carruthers, but…
Carruthers?
http://books.google.com/books?.....;ct=result
Heh.
I loved Michael Oriard’s books about Jake Peavey and Andy Pettit.
Okay then.
I tend to consider “character” issues to be pretty silly in most cases, but, I don’t know, Dukes seems like he might be a special case. I mean, the guy really has some problems. So… It’s tough for me to say this because I think Dukes can be a very successful player and I hate the character stuff… But Dukes is really that one special case where I’d probably pass on the guy because of his personal issues. I’ll regret this comment when Dukes gets his shit together and puts together a nice little career for himself.
I just consider Sweet Dick Willie a fartface for what he replied to me. Ya dumb fartface, everyone spread the news!
But in my statement, I never said I thought the Yanks would acquire him. I just said I disagreed with Mike and Ben on it and I would surely trade Nady for Elijah+2 others to help the farm. Elijah in CF would be great for us. I just said it was a risk worth taking.
Eh… Honestly (as opposed to my other comments, in which I usually lie, for fun), I don’t think SDW’s response was any sort of attack on your comment, he just disagreed. You think it’s a risk worth taking, he does not think it’s a riskl worth taking and does not think the Yankees would take that risk. I think you’re overreacting a bit, fartface.
Don’t turn the fartface on me. You can’t do a thing like that. You think I’m overreacting, I think I am having a conversation.
Calm down. We’re all adults here, isn’t that right, Mr. Poopypants?
Okay Farty McSweatstains.
come on, you’re trying to explain this to a Cowboy’s fan.
JUST KIDDING DUDE.
HEY, leave Romo and Big D out of this.
Dukes = PacMan
but considering what happened to Plax, it’s hard for me to bust you too much.
but that’s basically the argument. Dukes is the baseball version of PacMan. that’s why the Yankees probably won’t trade for him.
Did Dukes really get into trouble after he got his “second chance” with the Nats? I thought the last time he did was before the 08 season. They hired a “guard” for him right. Maybe he can change is all I’m saying. And all in all I do think Pacman is an ass but hasn’t he screwed up more than Elijah?
Granted, the spotlight would be on Dukes alot more in NY and he would have more of an oppurtunity to get in alot of trouble. I would take the risk though. The kid is crazy talented. Wash would never deal him for Nady though so this is all a moot point.
Very doubtful the yanks wouldn’t take someone bc they don’t fit the corporate image. Our previous jack daniels chugging gold thong wearing 1b wouldnt exactly fit in at a board meeting. If anything having jeets mo and po around might help straighten the kid out.
Jason likes to drink alcohol to excess and wear gold man-thongs. (who doesn’t?)
Elijah Dukes allegedly threatened to kill his wife and allegedly impregnated a 17 year old foster kid living with a relative of his. That’s a bit more than “not fitting the corporate image”.
Although, in comparison, Ty Cobb stabbed a guy.
I thought he shot the fucker!
Rectum? Damn near killed ‘im…
Black Sheep?
I have a fear in the back of my mind that Dunn ends up going to the Red Sox.
Eh they have even less room for him than we do. Unless they push drew to center which would be pretty humorous.
pretty humorously awesome, for us…
Where’s he gonna play? Bay, Drew & Dunn is a significantly defensively challenged outfield.
I don’t think Theo would do it, unless he feels that Ortiz has NOTHING left.
Ya but I would never rule the “Einstein” out of anything.
Yeah, but it’s also a signficantly offensively AWESOME outfield, isn’t it? I’m not saying I’d be excited about it if I were a Sox fan, but it’s not like it’s out of the realm of things you’d consider. We’d consider Swisher in CF because of the offensive upgrade over the alternatives, right? (I know it’s not the same as Swish in CF, especially since neither of our corner OFs in that case would be as bad defensively as Dunn, but it’s not that different conceptually.)
It is. A Bay-Drew-Dunn outfield would mash the cover off the ball for two solid months, until Drew and Dunn both land on the DL for a double-headbutt massive concussion-inducing hit, a la Beltran and Cameron.
On a ball hit to LF.