Ultimate Roster Project (PC,Xbox,PS2)

[sfgiantsflgators]

NYM:

Mets designated second baseman Ruben Gotay for assignment.

Now both Gotay and Jeff Keppinger have been dropped from 40-man rosters since being swapped for one another last July. This wouldn't have been necessary if not for the decision to give David Newhan a major league contract, but Gotay wasn't at all in the Mets' plans anyway. If the 24-year-old clears waivers, he'll have to report to camp as a non-roster player.

STL:

Pitching coach Dave Duncan indicated Wednesday that Jason Isringhausen could make his spring debut right around March 15.

Isringhausen, who has been throwing off a mound as he continues his recovery from hip surgery, may mix in curves for the first time on Thursday.

MIL:

Brewers manager Ned Yost confirmed that he plans to use Bill Hall in center field and Corey Hart in right field at the beginning of the season.

Geoff Jenkins and Kevin Mench are set to platoon in left field. Nothing Yost said was a surprise at all, but it's nice to have the added confirmation. The Milwaukee outfield still could change if Hall struggles defensively or a trade opens up some at-bats, but it's not looking good for Mench, Gabe Gross or Brady Clark right now.

[tejdog1]

As per Rotoworld: Mets claim Marcos Carvajal

Carvajal is a bigger loss for the Rays than either of the two prospects the team actually traded for Jae-Kuk Ryu. The 22-year-old had a 3.86 ERA and a 69/39 K/BB ratio in 72 1/3 IP for Double-A Montgomery last season and a 2.19 ERA in 37 innings in Venezuela over the winter. While he hasn't made as much progress as hoped since spending 2005 in the majors with the Rockies as a Rule 5 pick, he still could be a fine short reliever in time. The Mets will have him begin the year in Double- or Triple-A.

[cybernetic]

Phillies agreed to terms with LHP Cole Hamels, LHP Fabio Castro, RHP Clay Condrey, RHP Alfredo Simon, INF Greg Dobbs and OF Chris Roberson on one-year contracts.

Brewers agreed to terms with RHP Ben Hendrickson, C Mike Rivera, C-INF-OF Vinny Rottino and RHP Marino Salas on one-year contracts.

Athletics agreed to terms with 1B Dan Johnson, C Jeremy Brown, LHP Ron Flores, OF Ryan Goleski, OF Javier Herrera, INF Donnie Murphy, RHP Shane Komine and RHP Dan Shafer on one-year contracts.

Tigers sent RHP Preston Larrison outright to Triple-A Toledo.

[pujols]

As of right now, here is the Cardinals Rotation

1. C. Carpenter

2. K. Wells

3. A. Reyes

4. A. Wainwright

5. B. Looper

And the bullpen

J. Isringhausen (CL)

R. Rincon

R. Flores

J. Hancock

B. Thompson

R. Springer

J. Kinney

R. Franklin

T. Johnson

[Kccitystar]

Zito's changed his pitching motion. Not sure what it is but it's described this way:

Completely different style.

The left-hander started the session measuring the distance from the rubber to a line he drew in the dirt, then with feet about shoulder-width apart, bouncing slightly he took a large step backward to gain momentum, pushed off hard using his now-stronger legs and finished off with a much longer stride.

Please explain, Mr. Zito, as this caught even pitching coach Dave Righetti by surprise in what he termed a "going from one extreme to the other" alteration.

"I'm just trying to measure my stride to get out there a little farther," said Zito, who also duly videotaped the stint as he's done for the past 10 years. "With the bounce, I'm trying to take my weight down the mound and use my legs more."

[sfgiantsflgators]

Zito's changed his pitching motion. Not sure what it is but it's described this way:

zito's such a crazy son of a...

but that's why he's one of my favorites.

(i.e., he said he wore his giants hat around L.A. this offseason to get used to the heckling [paraphrased])...how can you not respect that :D

[TwentySeven]

zito's such a crazy son of a...

but that's why he's one of my favorites.

(i.e., he said he wore his giants hat around L.A. this offseason to get used to the heckling [paraphrased])...how can you not respect that

It's all well and good right now, but if he's accidentally screwed up his mechanics with the new delivery, that kind of screws the Giants.

[sfgiantsflgators]

It's all well and good right now, but if he's accidentally screwed up his mechanics with the new delivery, that kind of screws the Giants.

well if he has, i'm going to drive to AT&T park and punch him in his $126 mil head.

but i'm fairly confident that he knows what he's doing.

[sfgiantsflgators]

Totte:

in game, Russell Martin (LAD) is black. here's a shot of him so you can pick a better color

[Totte]

Totte, all done!

Beautiful! Thanks :hail:

[Totte]

Well it would be his number, jut mentioned Spring Training because it will be the first time he wears it, he was listed as # 80 on the Yankees' website until the announcement of 65.

I see

Thanks dude. I'll talk to MarkB about it

[Totte]

Thanks for the news about Zito KC :wtg:

[Totte]

Totte:

in game, Russell Martin (LAD) is black. here's a shot of him so you can pick a better color

I know he's white/latin but why in the world would he show up black? Is that in the 07 mod cuz I know that in big shmooz's models.big this issue was discussed and corrected. Or are we talking about the standard version?

[Totte]

As of right now, here is the Cardinals Rotation

1. C. Carpenter

2. K. Wells

3. A. Reyes

4. A. Wainwright

5. B. Looper

And the bullpen

J. Isringhausen (CL)

R. Rincon

R. Flores

J. Hancock

B. Thompson

R. Springer

J. Kinney

R. Franklin

T. Johnson

I'm doubting that Looper will start but I understand that the above is what the rotation/bullpen looks like right now.

I consider former Red Sox prospect Chris Narveson an outsider of making the rotation :)

[Totte]

As per Rotoworld: Mets claim Marcos Carvajal

Carvajal is a bigger loss for the Rays than either of the two prospects the team actually traded for Jae-Kuk Ryu. The 22-year-old had a 3.86 ERA and a 69/39 K/BB ratio in 72 1/3 IP for Double-A Montgomery last season and a 2.19 ERA in 37 innings in Venezuela over the winter. While he hasn't made as much progress as hoped since spending 2005 in the majors with the Rockies as a Rule 5 pick, he still could be a fine short reliever in time. The Mets will have him begin the year in Double- or Triple-A.

Good call by Minaya :wtg:

Thanks tej

[Totte]

Do I need to run that plusmaker thing??? The only patches I need is Patch 5 right? I am using a different datafile and the grasschanger mod with MVP07. Which Models.big do I use? Would the one included in this work? ---- http://www.mvpmods.com/Downloads/details/id=2181.html

After installing the mod, you should only copy and paste the specified files into your data/database folder. Does the rosters crash with the "default" rosters from the 07 mod too?

[Totte]

Athletics designated outfielder Hiram Bocachica for assignment.

Athletics sent outfielder Charles Thomas outright to Triple-A Sacramento.

Athletics claimed LHP Lenny DiNardo off waivers from the Red Sox.

Nationals signed outfielder Dmitri Young to a minor league contract.

Nationals signed third baseman Tony Batista to a minor league contract.

Indians signed RHP Cliff Politte to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Reds signed RHP Kerry Ligtenberg to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Rangers signed infielder Desi Relaford to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Nice

It's cool to see the rosters shaping up. Thanks

[Totte]

The Rangers have signed utility infielder Desi Relaford, righthander Jose Vargas, and lefthander Randy Williams to minor league contracts, inviting the first two to big league spring training. Minor league righthanders Cain Byrd and Adam Schaecher have retired.

Coolio! Thanks

[southside_hitmen]

Totte, done through the Indians. I'll try and finish the rest tomorrow (tonight for you)!

[Totte]

Totte, done through the Indians. I'll try and finish the rest tomorrow (tonight for you)!

Terrific! Go get some sleep :)

[southside_hitmen]

One more thing. i want to make the case for Jon Garland of the White Sox to have a sinker. It's his best pitch, but curiously absent in the rosters. I would suggest taking out the 2-seamer, as he uses a curve, slider, and change-up. Here's the evidence to support my case

Garland trade talks cool off

Story Tools:

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Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com

Posted: 88 days ago

Trade talks between the White Sox and Rangers involving right-hander Jon Garland have cooled, FOXSports.com has learned, though it is possible the deal could be revived later.

The White Sox were close to trading Garland on Saturday, according to a rival executive, and the Rangers were the destination, major league sources said.

The Rangers pursued Garland at the general managers' meetings in Naples, Fla., and White Sox G.M. Ken Williams is intrigued by several of the Rangers' pitching prospects.

Minor-league left-hander John Danks likely would be part of any Rangers package for Garland, a sinker-baller whose style would adapt well to Texas' hitter-friendly Ameriquest Field.

Both sides, however, apparently had second thoughts about the trade.

The Orioles and other clubs also have engaged the White Sox in talks about Garland. The White Sox have been seeking young pitching for one of their veteran starters.

A deal between the White Sox and Rangers also could be expanded to include White Sox center fielder Brian Anderson. The Rangers could lose center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. to free agency.

Garland, 27, is signed for $10 million in 2007 and $12 million in '08. He has worked 211 or more innings in each of the past three seasons and won 18 games in each of the past two. However, his ERA rose from a career-best 3.50 in 2005 to 4.51 last season.

White Sox Interested In Blalock?

In today's Chicago Tribune, Phil Rogers lays out some options for the White Sox to further bolster their club. According to Rogers:

"The most transparent scenarios are a starter and Joe Crede to Texas for a package fronted by left-handed-hitting third baseman Hank Blalock (signed for a highly reasonable $13.7 million for the next three years with a $6.2 million option in 2009); a starter and Juan Uribe to Baltimore for Miguel Tejada—not that likely—or a starter to Baltimore for a package of young talent in a deal that makes Tejada happier about staying put.

When Williams trades one of his starters, then judge how the return stacks up against Young, not the starter traded.

Young for Blalock?

Williams' cell phone ought to be shipped to Cooperstown if he can pull that one off."

While Garland has more of a future ahead of him, Contreras may be easier to trade. The Cuban is 34 years old, a number in which I don't have full confidence. His contract demands won't be as prohibitive as Garland's. Garland is a more verified 26 years of age, so he'll want a deal twice as long as Contreras's. Garland is a year younger than Barry Zito, and may be a comparable pitcher despite Zito's track record and reputation. If a 28 year-old injury prone A.J. Burnett is worth five years and $55MM, doesn't that make Zito and Garland worth even more?

I imagine Zito and Garland could each land six-year deals through free agency. Their agents will probably start the negotiations at seven years. Garland could get 6/66 and Zito 6/72. Any team trading for one of these starters will probably want some sort of contract agreement in place before doing so. After all, the purpose of acquiring Garland or Zito is mainly to gain an exclusive chance to negotiate before the pitcher hits free agency.

Phil Rogers's Texas Rangers scenario is a good one, given that GM Jon Daniels at least entertained offering Burnett a huge contract. The Rangers sorely lack starting pitching depth, and Hank Blalock is very expendable. Would Jon Garland and his sinker be a good fit pitching the next six years in Texas? Not really. Despite a big reduction in his overall home run rate this year, he was still right at league average in that department. His rate was higher at home, of course, and it would remain high at Ameriquest.

The average groundball to flyball ratio in the American League was 1.59 in 2005. Garland's 1.82 mark isn't anything special despite his sinker. Garland's main asset is that he's durable, making at least 32 starts in each of the last four seasons. He's never had the pressure of being anything close to the ace of a staff, and he's had exactly one above average season. For Daniels to swap his best trading chip in Blalock for essentially six expensive years of Garland is certainly a risky proposition.

I can't agree with Phil Rogers when he says Kenny Williams's cell phone should go to Cooperstown for a Garland-Blalock trade. While Blalock is young and powerful, he's obviously been greatly aided by playing in Ameriquest. He'd have that same crutch in U.S. Cellular, but is that an improvement over Joe Crede? Crede was worth one more win than Blalock in 2005, something I hope Kenny Williams is aware of.

A better swap for the Sox might be Jose Contreras for Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell. Burrell is 29 and probably has a few good seasons left in him. He knows how to draw walks, and could hit 40 HR with U.S. Cellular as a home park. Scott Podsednik would look a lot better coming off the bench than starting at a power position. Burrell has $36.5MM left on his contract over the next three years, so the Phils might have to send over $10MM to make the deal work. A swap involving Garland and Carl Crawford could also make sense, if the D-Rays think they can compete in 2007.

Thrill of the hunt: Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland have the White Sox's sights on a world championship

Sporting News, The, August 19, 2005 by Sean Deveney

Two years ago, White Sox ace Mark Buehrle broke character. He spent a bit of money--OK, a lot of money--on a 1,200-acre piece of land in rural Missouri, a home complete with four-wheelers and hunting stands for deer and wild turkeys. Buehrle usually is not a big spender. He's more Jack in the Box and Bud than Chez Robert and Bordeaux. He enjoys the property, he says, because he considers it an accomplishment, something he can give back to his family in suburban St. Louis.

But Buehrle has not been able to accomplish one of his goals when it comes to his wilderness expanse: getting fellow pitcher Jon Garland, Buehrle's closest friend on the team, to suit up in oversize camouflage and join him for some deer hunting. Although Buehrle is a full-blooded Midwesterner with admitted redneck leanings, Garland is all Southern California. He has fired a gun but, he says, "never at anything that was alive. I don't think I have the stomach for that."

"You know what he's afraid of?" Buehrle says. "Shooting his foot off. That's what he says: 'I'm going to shoot my foot off.' I am trying to tell him, 'Look, you only pick up the gun when you see something you are going to shoot. And you don't point it at yourself.'"

For now, Buehrle and Garland will put off stalking big game in Missouri and deal with big games on Chicago's South Side, where the White Sox have ridden their pitching-and-defense philosophy to the top of the majors. The defense has been outstanding, with the Sox tied for the American League lead in fielding percentage and ranked fourth in double plays. The pitching staff tops the A.L. in ERA. Despite a mild post-All-Star Game slump, the Sox hold a comfortable 13-game lead in the Central Division. "Look at where we are right now and what we have been built on," says outfielder Jermaine Dye. "We're in position to do some special things."

At the forefront of those special things are Buehrle (13-4) and Garland (career-best 15-5), an odd couple of baseball buddies whose lockers at U.S. Cellular Field are side by side and who, says White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper, "are always together, always talking." (Buehrle says, "Of course we're talking. We're starting pitchers. When you're not pitching, there's nothing else to do but talk.") On the surface, they have much in common. Both were All-Stars this season. Both turn 26 this year (Buehrle did in March; Garland will in September). Both arrived in Chicago five seasons ago with heavy expectations after brief minor league stints, and because neither of them knew how to act upon arriving in the majors, they bonded.

But the two took very different paths to this point. Garland was a 6-5 high school star, going 27-4 with a 1.22 ERA in three prep seasons. The righthander was USA Today's California player of the year as a senior, and he had a scholarship offer to powerhouse Southern California. He was drafted 10th overall in 1997 by the Cubs and signed for $1.325 million. Buehrle was a pint-sized lefthander who barely broke 80 mph in high school and was cut from the team as a freshman and sophomore. He had a growth spurt, though--he's 6-2 now--and his high school coach suggested he play for Jefferson College in Missouri. After going 16-4 in two seasons there, he was chosen by the White Sox in the 38th round in 1998. His signing bonus: $167,000.

Garland came to the big leagues with chosen one credentials--he was the youngest pitcher in the majors when he was called up in 2000--but it has taken him a while to live up to the expectations for him. He flashed a powerful sinker but was prone to mental mistakes. He entered this season with a disappointing 46-51 career record and had been dropped to the No. 5 starter's slot. General manager Ken Williams says he was not considering trading Garland, but the organization's patience was wearing thin.

"It's not like I wasn't trying in other years," Garland says. "It has just taken awhile for everything to come together. Coming into this year, I definitely had a sense of needing to make it happen now."

Buehrle, meanwhile, became the team's opening day starter and its ace in 2001, his first full season. He has great control of his cut fastball and changeup and has been one of the game's most consistent pitchers the past five years. Garland says he never was jealous of Buehrle but instead was more concerned about getting himself to Buehrle's level. "I have completely enjoyed watching Mark come in and have as much success as he has had," Garland says. "He's the ace, and he deserves to be. I always thought I was doing OK, but it's just that I knew I could do better."

He has done better--much better--and the White Sox are in position to make their first trip to the postseason since 2000. Led by Buehrle and Garland, Chicago has the best starting pitching in the A.L., with playoff-tested veterans Freddy Garcia (11-5) and Orlando Hernandez (8-4) also in the rotation.

Win is ugly, but Garland just brilliant

Casts his own shadow on eve of showdown vs. Twins ace Santana

By Mak Gonzalez

Tribune staff reporter

August 19, 2006, 10:26 PM CDT

MINNEAPOLIS -- With the shadow of Johan Santana lurking over the White Sox, Jon Garland pitched with a firm presence Saturday night.

Garland limited Minnesota to five hits over 72/3 innings to earn his 14th victory as the Sox won 4-1 at the Metrodome.

The victory gave the Sox some needed momentum heading into Sunday's showdown against Santana while cutting Detroit's lead in the American League Central to 51/2 games and expanding their wild-card lead over the Twins to two games.

"It's a big win," said Rob Mackowiak, who launched a 417-foot, upper-deck home run off Brad Radke in the fourth. "Anytime against Radke, and knowing Santana is pitching Sunday isn't going to be an easy battle.

"Garland threw a heck of a game for us, and we scrapped a few runs on some errors. It was an ugly game, but it paid off."

Garland (14-4) continued his comeback after what he had described as a dead-arm period early in the season, when he had no command of his sinker or changeup. He has allowed one earned run over his last 142/3 innings and has won 10 of his last 12 decisions in lowering his ERA from 6.19 to 4.73.

"We needed this one, for the momentum of the team," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "If we lose two in a row and [again Sunday], all of a sudden you don't feel the same way."

Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi's throwing error in the third set up the Twins' only run. After Nick Punto's RBI single, Garland retired 14 consecutive batters until Jason Tyner singled with one out in the eighth.

Garland was pulled after Luis Castillo's two-out single, but Matt Thornton quieted the rally by inducing Punto to pop out.

"I felt really good with the sinker at that point," Garland said. "As long as I keep that pitch down, even when I give up hits, I'm not going to be hurt too bad. I've got to tip my cap to the defense for making plays."

The Sox scored their first two runs on errors. Then they snapped the Minnesota bullpen's scoreless streak at 141/3 innings in the eighth when A.J. Pierzynski managed to escape a rundown, during which Jim Thome scored.

The Sox might need similar breaks Sunday. Santana (14-5) has the best home record (8-0) of any major-league pitcher this season. He hasn't lost at the Metrodome since Aug. 6, 2005, and is 12-0 in his last 19 home starts.

Santana's success isn't limited to home games. The Twins are 21-5 in his starts this season, and he's 18-1 with a 1.80 ERA with 174 strikeouts in 21 August starts since 2002.

Against the Sox, Santana has won six of his last seven decisions, with the lone loss April 21. The Sox won 7-1, but Santana's only blemish in seven innings was a two-run home run to Thome.

"We've tried a lot of different things," hitting coach Greg Walker said. "Swinging at strikes, that's easier said than done. His changeup has so much deception. He throws hard enough that you have to honor it.

"There's no easy way to beat him. You've just got to hope he's not quite as sharp, and he's had stretches this year where he hasn't been at his best. And even when he's not at his best, he's [often] better than anyone else."

Walker said the best way to beat a pitcher of Santana's caliber is to blank the Twins.

That assignment falls to Javier Vazquez (11-7), who is 1-3 lifetime against Minnesota.

"When you face a guy like Santana, you can't give up much," Vazquez said. "Your concentration has to be a little better than usual."

mgonzales@tribune.com

[Totte]

I get your point :wink:

I'll add the sinker :)

[sfgiantsflgators]

I know he's white/latin but why in the world would he show up black? Is that in the 07 mod cuz I know that in big shmooz's models.big this issue was discussed and corrected. Or are we talking about the standard version?

i guess it's the 07 mod then - because i'm using the version that installs automatically with it.

[sfgiantsflgators]

COL:

Rockies signed RHP Jorge DePaula to a minor league contract.

DePaula, a long-time Yankees prospect, had a 4.63 ERA in 105 innings for Triple-A Columbus last year. The 28-year-old never did bounce all the way back from Tommy John surgery, though he still shows the kind of changeup that could allow him to contribute in middle relief.

There are also rumors floating around that Keith Foulke is going to announce his retirement today...

http://wtam.com/pages/indians.html

[Totte]

COL:

There are also rumors floating around that Keith Foulke is going to announce his retirement today...

http://wtam.com/pages/indians.html

Man I'm glad the Red Sox didn't re-sign Foulke :)