Now that the Red Sox have officially ended the 2007 season, it's time to start looking at 2008 and doing what any good fan does, play Armchair GM through the winter. Already there are two things of note for Padres fans that I would like to weigh in on.
1. Joe Torre to the Dodgers? In their usual way, LA is going for the big move in hopes that it will fix its dysfunction and get the team to the playoffs. I've got nothing against Torre as a manager, but I just don't see him as the difference maker the Dodgers need.
Now this is not to bag on a guy with 4 World Series rings, but I think the bigger concern LA has is getting rid of a ton of oft-injured, aging and under achieving talent - something very few if any managers can make work. Luckily for Padres fans, the longer the Dodgers neglect their real issues, the better the shot SD has at staying towards the top of the NL West.
2. I'm sure most of you have heard - and read the subsequent comments - about Mike Cameron's 25 game suspension. Granted Cameron is not on the '08 roster but there are a couple of interesting opinions being bantered about.
Jbox over at Gaslamp Ball feels that even though he didn't want Cameron back before, this situation may present a discount opportunity.
Obviously the CF situation is one to be followed closely throughout the winter but here is my first take on the situation - while I think Cameron did a good job defensively in CF the past couple seasons, and had some good offensive hot streaks, I want to see what someone else can bring to the table.
The big names being thrown around are Andruw Jones and Torii Hunter but they both hinge upon price. I think Hunter is the more intriguing option here as both his offense and defense would not only be upgrades, but his defense would provide a constant spotlight as it will be regularly featured on highlight reels. For a club always worried about return investments, the extra national media exposure could only help right? Again, this is something to be watching all offseason and as more players file for free agency, it will be fun to see who the Padres add to punch things up.
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2 comments:
Over the past three seasons Cameron and Hunter are very closely matched as hitters, although Cameron shows a declining trend, as opposed to Hunters slight upward trend. When you consider that Cameron grounds into about half as many double plays, and steals a few more bases at a higher percentage, they're about even offensively.
Additionally, Cameron is a better defender. Hunter's rep is built primarily upon frequent Web Gems that are no longer representative of his declining defensive ability.
Finally, consider that moving Hunter to the West Coast (and 10:00 PM Eastern game times) will prevent most of his acrobatic plays from making Baseball Tonight, thus eliminating the marketing value you identified (but which probably never existed, anyway).
Cameron can likely be had for less years, and less dollars per year. Whoever gives Hunter 4-6 years at $15-mil per year is going to be very, very sorry.
Just sayin'.
-Lance Richardson
Hunter may go to the highest bidder and be overpriced in the process but his power numbers are actually a little better than Cameron's considering he has played two less seasons (Cameron is .251/216/786 in 13 seasons, Hunter is .271/192/711 in 11 seasons, two of which he played a combined total of seven games). And depending on how much stock you put in the Gold Glove awards, Hunter has twice as many as Cameron and is two years younger.
However, all numbers aside, the two are very similar in a lot of aspects but one will be priced way too high and the other may be undervalued now given his recent suspension, making him a bargain for the next year or two. I personally would still love to see what Hunter would bring to the Pads but that's my opinion.
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