Rafael Soriano never had a physical, but John Schuerholz is probably so ecstatic that he doesn't even care. If I had to guess, I'd say that the Braves just went over all of Soriano's information generated by his stay in the hospital a couple months ago, since he would've had a pretty exhaustive examination at the time and nothing would've changed between then and now. So whatever.
I am sad.
0 recs | 81 comments
Not one mention of other players involved...
I think this was a true one-for-one swap and Bavasi is in hiding. Let's see how long it takes before the M's officially announce it. I bet Bavasi will skip a presser.manyoso - December 7, 2006
So....
Do the Braves have pictures of Bavasi in sheep illustrated? Once again....WHY?Dollar97 - December 7, 2006
Dumb,
anotherjeff - December 7, 2006
Hickey announces it is official too...
ye who click heremanyoso - December 7, 2006
"Happy Halloween"
ThundaPC - December 7, 2006
From the trade phone call:
Bavasi: Hey, Theo...so, what do you think of our closer-to-be Rafael Soriano? Any chance you could give us Ramirez in return?Schuerholz: Bill...uh, this is John Schuerholz. I think you meant to call the Red Sox.
Bavasi: You didn't answer my question, Theo. How 'bout a Soriano-Ramirez trade?
Schuerholz: Bill...ummm...[idea dawns] Yeah, Bill, I think a Soriano-Ramirez trade would work really well. You know, we've been looking at unloading Horacio...uhh...I mean Ramirez for a while now. Can I fax you the paperwork?
Bavasi: Sure thing, Theo. Lemme consult with Mike here for a second. [inaudible mumbling] Okay, I think we have a done deal. Mike said he'd play Ramirez as much as he could, even if that means turning him into a DH.
Schuerholz: [snickers]Hey, Bill, looks like we got ourselves a deal. [cackles madly]
Bavasi: Great! I've always loved doing business with the Boston Red Sox. Take down those Yankees, will ya?
Schuerholz: [barely containing his glee]Yeah, um, I'm make sure and do that! Pleasure doing business with you! [hangs up phone] Stupid git.
Phil Hatzenbuehler - December 7, 2006
This sucks
Seattle PI - Mariners GM Bill Bavasi didn't say much about Barry Zito, but he did say that if the club signed the former Cy Young Award winner, they wouldn't be able to make any of the other moves it believes it has to make to be competitive in 2007. "We could be in there," Bavasi said. "But then we'd have to decide to forgo some other things." "If Zito wants to take a while, it would preclude us from doing other things (while waiting)," Bavasi said. "We don't want to miss out on other things we could do, then come back and miss out on Zito, too."So instead you go out and sign #5 starter instead of a #1 or 2? GREAT IDEA
tkballer22 - December 7, 2006
Sounds like somebody lost the magic 8 ball
Dollar97 - December 7, 2006
Well, Bill . . .
Trading one of the best set-up man in the game for Whoracio Ramirez doesn't make the team competitive in 2007 either.JoeyJoJoJuniorShabadoo - December 7, 2006
Do you suppose
Bavasi will go to the next USSM feed?Phil Hatzenbuehler - December 7, 2006
Do you think...
...he'll be invited?PositivePaul - December 7, 2006
Nice
This is the only upside I can come up with in this sequence of event.Jerry - December 7, 2006
I think the next feed
will just be a mass suicide :PGomez - December 7, 2006
Heh, USSM feed ---> USSM hunger strike
Alex B - December 7, 2006
It'll save DMZ the trouble
of having to buy food.Gomez - December 7, 2006
On the Bright Side
With Soriano gone from the pen, and Lowe on the shelf until who knows when, things are setting up perfectly for more high leverage innings for......JULIO MATEO!
MfaninAlaska - December 7, 2006
THANKS
Because I didn't have enough awful thoughts after last night.Gomez - December 7, 2006
ROFL....
I clicked the atlanta link and the first thing I hear is "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!"PLU Tim - December 7, 2006
So....
Not only did the M's just deal one of the best relief pitchers in baseball for Bobby Livingston, they may have opened the door to send LaRoche to LAAoAoAoAoA.This was a total panic move. Even those of us who have given Bavasi the BoD for a long time can't take it anymore.
PLU Tim - December 7, 2006
What a shitastic offseason this has been
Can we have a graph showing our optimism through this all? From Daisuke to Horacio....been pretty rough.Christian - December 7, 2006
Prophetic
SighWritten, Friday, 1 Dec
Note of caution
about this time last year we thought he was having a pretty good offseason then too. Remember, Johjima, trade for Carvajal, release of Franklin, tender of Meche.
Matthew - December 7, 2006
So
Is it all over? No more trades or Free agents?InSpokane - December 7, 2006
The Good News
At least we know Hargrove will be fired by about April 15th when we are 0-11.Geeves72 - December 7, 2006
come on, at least 1-10
Felix will have a good start.basebliman - December 7, 2006
Is it too early to fire up the
community projections on Whore?Christian - December 7, 2006
Come February
USSM and LL are going to do joint Community Projections.So, yeah.
Jeff Sullivan - December 7, 2006
M's official winter meetings roundup:....
Now on the M's official site:"Winter Meetings Mission Accomplished"
Can you believe that bullshit?
That is insulting.
Fuck this team.
Jerry - December 7, 2006
That's assuming
the mission was assuring last place next season.Gomez - December 7, 2006
Heh.
"It's one of the more miserable Winter Meetings I've ever been to. I think it's the lack of activity and the volcanic market." -- Bavasi.No, I don't think that's what it was, Bill.
Jeff Sullivan - December 7, 2006
Suprisingly....
I am way more pissed off about this than I was about Washburn or passing up Andrew Miller.That is amazing.
This is a new low for me. I woke up pissed off this morning, and I am more surly now.
Jerry - December 7, 2006
You're not kidding
Everything in my life is going amazingly apart from baseball, and I'm still so pissed off I'm not fun to talk to.Graham MacAree - December 7, 2006
I actually find this . . .
pretty humorous. I can just imagine Bavasi flown onto an aircraft carrier with a giant "Mission Accomplished" banner in the background, being cheered on by the whole front office as he walks among them pumping his fist in vicory.DCMariner - December 7, 2006
Oh man, that's just asking for this:
Goose - December 7, 2006
Winner!!!!
Needs to be the new LookoutLanding banner.PositivePaul - December 7, 2006
Forgot something
Goose - December 7, 2006
Seriously, Jeff...
You gotta change the LookoutLanding logo, for, like,even 5 minutes. It would help ease the suffering just a little...PositivePaul - December 7, 2006
Close enough.
Heh. Wasn't that artwork just stolen?All the more fitting...
PositivePaul - December 7, 2006
Put an angle's pin on his collar
Make it complete.Peen - December 7, 2006
Heh.
I could mention another type of pin, but I'd be accused, then, of closing the thread by instigating Godwin's Law...PositivePaul - December 7, 2006
Did you see
The pulled the "Mission Accomplished" from the web page.InSpokane - December 7, 2006
And replaced it with the much better:
Mariners' tally: Big bat, starting duoTrent - December 7, 2006
Starting duo?
Man, Tacoma's gonna be stacked...Graham MacAree - December 7, 2006
He's made the whole
rotaion worse. I did not think there was a way to do it, but he did.InSpokane - December 7, 2006
Where's the Bavasi Magic Card?
When played, owner must give one card from hand to opponent and pick random card from opponents discard pile or trashcan.Jed C - December 7, 2006
Overheard conversation last night
JS: So Bill how is everything coming?BB: Well John, I've been told I'll be canned if I don't turn around this team, and on top of that everything I'm touching right now goes to shit.
JS: Did you think about what I told you the other day?
BB: Nah, I can't do that.
JS: Look, there is nothing left, you want Matsuzaka you get told now by your owner. You want Manny, the Red Sox ask for the moon. You want Schmidt or Zito, but won't spend the bucks on Zito and while you were dicking around with the Red Sox on Manny Schmidt signed with the Dodgers. Its pretty obvious you won't have a job next year.
BB: Yeah, its looking that way. Kicks the dirt dejectedly
JS: So I tell you what, you give me Soriano, and I'll give you a job next year.
BB: You know that's not such a bad idea. We need to make it believable, the M's need Starting Pitching, got anyone in AAA?
JS: We'll make it a little more believable I'll give you my scrub number 5 pitcher.
BB: All right!
Replacement Level Poster - December 7, 2006
One more thing...
...so much for Schuerholz' reputation for helping make both teams better in trades.PositivePaul - December 7, 2006
Evidently
The Phillies are considering trading Lieber for bullpen help..... someone shut off Bavasi's phone access or we'll end up sending them Sherrill for Lieber.MfaninAlaska - December 7, 2006
Won't happen
Gillick will just coax the tattered remains of Jeff Nelson out of retirement.Gomez - December 7, 2006
Check this:
Bavasi got played...tait644 - December 7, 2006
LOL
the new poll is awesome!you should of added "I think you mean Thompson:
MFAN - December 7, 2006
2 more things
according to MLB.com Raffy is going to "set-up" Wickman. I doubt that will last very long.and second, now I have to change my sig...this sucks.
MFAN - December 7, 2006
Am I the only one
who doesn't see this move as automatic #1 pick in the draft?Mariner John - December 7, 2006
I'm pretty sure the Royals and the Pirates
still have that locked up.Regardless of how much this sucks, we still aren't even on their level of suck.
And really. I still don't see any reason why the 2007 ballclub won't be a .500 team. It's just not going to compete for anything. It's not like we're gonna go back to losing close to 100 games again just because of this trade.
Goose - December 7, 2006
Exactly
I know it's a god awful deal but the reactions have been like this brings us back to the '80s.Mariner John - December 7, 2006
It's not going to destroy the franchise
but it almost guarantees that we won't contend next year, which means:Attendance will be way down.
Ichiro will leave.
No one else will want to come here.
Bavasi and Hargrove will be gone, and the idiots who hired them will still be around to hire another pair of inept yes-men.
Rollo Tomasi - December 7, 2006
"No one else will want to come here."
Didn't that just happen this offseason?Mariner John - December 7, 2006
Hard to say for sure
but as things stand now, it's going to be getting much worse.Rollo Tomasi - December 7, 2006
It's not the individual trade that's the problem
that's where people like Doc over at DOV are missing the point. It's the larger picture. The Ms just punted their most valuable trade piece. The trade itself doesn't hurt the team but it doesn't help it and they now have no ammo left (besides money) to improve the team.So no, this one trade doesn't effect 2007's expected w-L record, BUT, by preventing the Ms from actually pulling off a trade that helps the team, it DOES negatively effect the good case W-L record.
Matthew - December 7, 2006
Not to mention
the signal that, a year later, the front office still can't evaluate pitchers very well at all.Jeff Sullivan - December 7, 2006
Well I'm fairly well convinced now
that 60% of the time they are always able to correctly identify which arm a pitcher throws withMatthew - December 7, 2006
60% of the time it works every time
Mariner John - December 7, 2006
Kind of stings the nostrils...
marc w - December 9, 2006
More of a bad omen
It is important to put this all in perspective. It is not like Soriano is the key to our success, and that Ramirez will be worthless.The thing that scares the shit out of me is that it pretty clearly demonstrates that Bavasi is a moron. He is not a good GM. This was a horrible trade.
Before, my impression of Bavasi was that he was a mediocre GM. I didn't worry too much about him making a huge mega-error.
Now, my impression of him went way down. He is a geniunely bad GM. He is the type of GM who might, perhaps, sign Barry Zito for 7 years, 125 million or something. Maybe he would even backload it, just to screw his successor.
If he is stupid enough to do that, what's next?
Jerry - December 7, 2006
Analogy
I feel like I just got into a car with someone, and a minute later realized that they were totally wasted.Jerry - December 7, 2006
And when you reach over to try and take the wheel
they pull out a knife and saw off your hands.Jeff Sullivan - December 7, 2006
and then.....
...they pill a cup full of chew spit and bong water in your lap.And, the next morning, they post big, celebratory announcements on their official website about how the whole thing went exactly as they planned.
Jerry - December 7, 2006
So GMs are judged by their worst move?
Mariner John - December 7, 2006
Pretty much, yeah...
In part, definitely.If a GM has several excellent trades and one bad one, that is much different.
But Bavasi has a tendency to make bad moves pretty regularly: Spiezio, Aurillia, the Guillen trade, Everett, Washburn, the Soriano trade....
That is a bad track record. I would add Sexson's contract to that list.
You could also add Beltre, although I loved that deal at the time.
The man is not good at his job.
I really hope that he isn't with the club next offseason. A mid-season firing would be even better. Get someone else in here before the trade deadline. The sooner the better.
Jerry - December 7, 2006
It's not like he had that much to work with though
Mariner John - December 7, 2006
</defense>
Mariner John - December 7, 2006
If that's the case
than it means his margin for error was that much smaller, so he needed to make every trade count. The problem is that Bavasi has failed to do this time and time again. The Soriano trade is just the lastest in a series of trades by the M's in which the return was lower than it really should've been.ningwers - December 8, 2006
Actually
Before the Soriano trade, I was a fan of every Bavasi trade after the Guillen debacle.Actually, that trade was worse in every way. I'm still pissed off about it.
Graham MacAree - December 8, 2006
Uh
wasn't the Guillen already in place when he came in?Scruffy Lefty - December 7, 2006
You are only as strong
as your weakest link.Gomez - December 8, 2006
That's an interesting question.
I don't know if we should really judge GM's by any of their moves. It's the underlying thought process behind all of them that's more telling, and with Bavasi, it's clear that he favors aggressive hitters and has no idea how to properly evaluate a pitcher. That's problematic at the best of times.Jeff Sullivan - December 8, 2006
I'd go even further
and say that around this time of year, GMs are just judged by their last moves :)Deanna - December 8, 2006
Good point, Matthew
Ramirez isn't necessarily going to make the team worse with his play (unless he really is a Pineiro redux). The problem is that this trade's opportunity cost is so much larger than the benefit the M's are going to get out of it.ningwers - December 8, 2006
Its funny
The past day or so, this website has been more like a support group than a blog about baseball.The angry people are trying to talk the people in denial into recognizing the fact that this really happened.
And the depressed people trying desperately to rationalize something that makes zero sense.
I think we all have post traumatic stress syndrome.
Jerry - December 7, 2006
Misery loves company
Man, with how obsessed some of us are with this sport and this team, this site may have very well saved a few lives in the longrun.Lookout Landing-It's cheaper than a shrink!
Goose - December 7, 2006
my mother's calling
I'll put it on speakerMatthew - December 7, 2006
It's so easy Bill Bavasi could do it
Scruffy Lefty - December 7, 2006
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