The Anaheim Angels (no, I don't care that that's not their name anymore) signed good-hit, no-field outfielder Bobby Abreu for one year, $5 M plus incentives up to $8 M-ish total.
The Washington Nationals signed good-hit, no-field outfielder Adam Dunn (though they'll probably play him at first) for two years, $20 M.
The Tampa Bay Rays signed good-hit, no-field outfielder Pat Burrell (though they'll mostly DH him) for two years, $16 M.
The Philadelphia Phillies signed good-hit, no-field Raul Ibanez (the worst and oldest of these four players and the only one for whom the signing team had to give up a draft-pick) for three years, $30 M. And they can't DH him.
Which of these things is not like the others?
Read more ...
Showing posts with label Adam Dunn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adam Dunn. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Friday, June 20, 2008
Well That's Uncalled For
Toronto's General Manager, JP Ricciardi, did a call-in radio show where he was asked about the possibility of trading for Adam Dunn (227 / 395 / 514, 18 HR, 134 OPS+):
“Do you know the guy doesn’t really like baseball that much?” Ricciardi said to the caller. “Do you know the guy doesn’t have a passion to play the game that much? How much do you know about the player?
“There’s a reason why you’re attracted to some players and there’s a reason why you’re not attracted to some players. I don’t think you’d be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here …
“We’ve done our homework on guys like Adam Dunn and there’s a reason why we don’t want Adam Dunn. I don’t want to get into specifics.”
...“He’s a lifetime .230, .240 hitter that strikes out a ton and hits home runs,” Ricciardi said.
“Yes, he hits home runs, which none of the Toronto Blue Jays are doing,” the caller replied.
That retort triggered Ricciardi’s shot at Dunn as a player who “doesn’t really like baseball that much.”
While it's true that Dunn isn't really a big fan of the game, Ricciardi’s actions are pretty inexcusable. The Blue Jays are in last place in the East, and could use a guy who can get on base and hit for power (like, say, Frank Thomas - maybe they can work out a deal for him with Oakland). I don't think JP will have to worry about tampering (which is basically what this was - he's depressing Dunn's value as a player) much longer - I doubt he keeps his job past the end of the season. Read more ...
“Do you know the guy doesn’t really like baseball that much?” Ricciardi said to the caller. “Do you know the guy doesn’t have a passion to play the game that much? How much do you know about the player?
“There’s a reason why you’re attracted to some players and there’s a reason why you’re not attracted to some players. I don’t think you’d be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here …
“We’ve done our homework on guys like Adam Dunn and there’s a reason why we don’t want Adam Dunn. I don’t want to get into specifics.”
...“He’s a lifetime .230, .240 hitter that strikes out a ton and hits home runs,” Ricciardi said.
“Yes, he hits home runs, which none of the Toronto Blue Jays are doing,” the caller replied.
That retort triggered Ricciardi’s shot at Dunn as a player who “doesn’t really like baseball that much.”
While it's true that Dunn isn't really a big fan of the game, Ricciardi’s actions are pretty inexcusable. The Blue Jays are in last place in the East, and could use a guy who can get on base and hit for power (like, say, Frank Thomas - maybe they can work out a deal for him with Oakland). I don't think JP will have to worry about tampering (which is basically what this was - he's depressing Dunn's value as a player) much longer - I doubt he keeps his job past the end of the season. Read more ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
