Un-Wise Use of Salary

Dayan Viciedo will have a sense of comfort when he walks into the Chicago White Sox spring training complex this month and finds fellow Cuban exiles Alexei Ramirez and Jose Contreras in the clubhouse.

That and $10 million persuaded him to cast his lot with the White Sox.

The power-hitting third baseman, who signed a four-year deal with Chicago in December, is working on acclimating himself to life in the USA, improving his conditioning and getting ready for a level of baseball he has never experienced.

“It is different, but the main thing is to be dedicated. If you are, things will work out,” says Viciedo, 19, who has gotten tips from Ramirez and Contreras. “It’s a higher quality overall, so you need to stay focused. It’s up to you how you meet the challenge.”

After winning the 2005 World Series with Contreras and countryman Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez on their pitching staff, then getting major contributions from Ramirez last season, the White Sox have once again tapped their Cuban pipeline.

Viciedo burst into the international scene at the 2005 World Junior Championships in Mexico, gaining MVP honors at 15. The next year he became the youngest All-Star ever in Cuba’s top league, the Serie Nacional. He compiled a lifetime average of .287 in four seasons, with 36 home runs, 162 RBI and a .456 slugging percentage in 327 games for Villa Clara.

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he got his picture in the paper and everything

if he ends up on your list, it’s time to get a shorter list.

I really wish some of these folks would stop acting like this kid is 23-24.

You’ve just described every great success story.

I figured Dayan for AA. AAA would be fine if he has a decent spring.

But from a real baseball perspective, I expect him to be a useful player for the Sox. I’m unimpressed by the stat-work in the quote. Small sample size, not all breaking balls shred arms at the same rate, etc. Gavin could have his arm fall off, but I have no way to gauge the likelihood of that.

The question to me is can Gavin keep his ERA under 5 and throw a bunch of innings or will he absolutely implode? An ERA of 4.75 over 180 innings is pretty useful (in the AL, in UCF), especially at Floyd’s salary level. I think he can do it, and I think he’ll be a useful pitcher for the Sox.

“I guess I won’t draft Erstad in the first round.”

Another reason I’m extremely happy he is not part of the WBC. As I look at the red Konerko, Thome and Dye, I long for a man named Swisher.

I expected worse regarding the Twins staff. Sigh. I think this does put me squarely back on the Twins for the main threat/division leader.

The Texas Rangers and Sheets reached an agreement on a two-year contract late last week and only a physical stood in the way of the deal being completed. But everything changed once it was determined that Sheets had a torn flexor tendon that might require surgery.

The Rangers could still pursue Sheets with a deal that would allow him to do his rehabilitation work with them in hopes that he would eventually pitch at a high level again. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

“We’ve maintained contact but I’m not optimistic at this point,” general manager Jon Daniels said Thursday morning.

The Texas Rangers and Sheets reached an agreement on a two-year contract late last week and only a physical stood in the way of the deal being completed. But everything changed once it was determined that Sheets had a torn flexor tendon that might require surgery.

The Rangers could still pursue Sheets with a deal that would allow him to do his rehabilitation work with them in hopes that he would eventually pitch at a high level again. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

“We’ve maintained contact but I’m not optimistic at this point,” general manager Jon Daniels said Thursday morning.

see the post on mlbtraderumors about sheets for an example. and i don’t think it’s actually clear that’s the case. the CBA pretty obviously does not contemplate the scenario of a guy declaring free agency, being a type a or b, being offered and declining arbitration, and then waiting until after the june draft to sign. there is more than enough wiggle room and ambiguity that i could easily argue that the player’s old team still gets their compensation, just in the 2010 draft. and you can bet that this issue would be fought by the teams. there’s no way that teams like the brewers or white sox or arizona are going to let other teams game the system at their expense (who is gaming what depends upon one’s point of view, of course). i’d bet that the clubs would ask mlb to provide clarity on this issue if there are still free agents out there who don’t get signed so it may not come to an actual fight.

shit.

but look

won’t matter if they don’t set the trap off, they’ll be goners. have to keep stan away from them though

so I’ll reset the traps and see if that does the trick

for us to take 2nd with 75 wins. The NASDAQ was almost 3500, on its way to 5000 by March, 2000. And I have only been married once since 1999 – to the present Ms. WU. But larry was laid for the first time by a non-family member in this past decade – a far greater achievement.

The Cleveland Indians | 97-65 (First)

The veteran powerhouse had 15 players that made $1 million or more in 1999. Offense was the name of the game in Cleveland in 1999, with three players slugging 30 or more home runs, including Manny Ramirez (44), Jim Thome (33), and Richie Sexson (31), in his first full season. Roberto Alomar and David Justice also had more than 20. Rookie Einer Diaz took over behind the plate for the aging Sandy Alomar Jr., who was injured. Bartolo Colon, 26, led the club in wins with 18 in just his second full season. Veteran Charles Nagy was next with 17, in what would be his last productive season at the age of 33. Former rookie phenom Jaret Wright, 23, imploded with an 8-10 record and ERA of 6.06. Mike Jackson led the club with 39 saves.

What does he know from keystone?

flew the coup
There is a gapping hole

But he redeems himself here:
nice complement

wtf.

who is that mckamey guy? i’ve never heard of him before. google says he’s an OSU grad, which can’t be good.