Nelson Cruz ?

[Il BuonO]

He'll turn 34 halfway through the season and we've yet to see how he'll perform without his..."vitamins." I wouldn't sign Cruz for 3/$30 even if there was no draft pick compensation attached to him.

Ah, thank you, sir. Not exactly the fountain of youth. Josh Hamilton is a pup.

[Il BuonO]

Doesn't PIT need a shortstop? They have a ton of pitching prospects.

Or Seattle. BIG need. They need a partner for Robbie. I'll take Paxton off their hands.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

Ah, thank you, sir. Not exactly the fountain of youth. Josh Hamilton is a pup.

Yeah. If he gets anything close to what he's asking, some poor sap GM may lose his job over it by the time it's all said and done. Like, it really ACTUALLY has the potential to be that bad of a deal.

[Il BuonO]

Yeah. If he gets anything close to what he's asking, some poor sap GM may lose his job over it by the time it's all said and done. Like, it really ACTUALLY has the potential to be that bad of a deal.

Seems DiPoto is done acting a fool and Amaro is actually trying to unload salary. Dan, don't be that guy.

[wildbillhiccup]

No, what I want to argue is that it's a bad idea to give multi-year contracts to players over the age of 32. Let's see, Cruz will be, ah yes 33 next season. I'm sure he wants more than a one year deal. Yes, I'm certain of it.

No deal.

I never endorsed the idea of signing him. But the idea that Lough is a better player is pretty ridiculous.

[Ommaculate]

Or Seattle. BIG need. They need a partner for Robbie. I'll take Paxton off their hands.

Hopefully Manny is ready and he takes short, and Flaherty takes 3rd, and Weeks takes 2nd. Could be a disaster though.

[Il BuonO]

Hopefully Manny is ready and he takes short, and Flaherty takes 3rd, and Weeks takes 2nd. Could be a disaster though.

I like Schoop at 3B, Manny at SS, and Flash at 2B for the future. Many scouts think Schoop profiles better there. Stotle agrees but thinks his bat plays better at 2B.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

I never endorsed the idea of signing him. But the idea that Lough is a better player is pretty ridiculous.

Remember when Jay Gibbons started playing clean after he got busted? Because him and Cruz carried pretty similar skillsets when they were playing dirty. Gibbons was also younger.

I wouldn't be shocked if Clean-Cruz is out of baseball in 2 or 3 years.

[Il BuonO]

Remember when Jay Gibbons started playing clean after he got busted? Because him and Cruz carried pretty similar skillsets when they were playing dirty. Gibbons was also younger.

I wouldn't be shocked if Clean-Cruz is out of baseball in 2 or 3 years.

Right and even though Lough's value is in his defense it's likely he's worth more going forward than Cruz.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

Right and even though Lough's value is in his defense it's likely he's worth more going forward than Cruz.

If Lough can carry a .720ish OPS over a whole season while playing the kind of defense he did last year, he might be worth more in 2014 than Cruz is for the rest of his career. I'm not really sold on his offense but he certainly looked good in the first half last year; hopefully that's the guy that shows up in black and orange in March.

[Ommaculate]

I like Schoop at 3B, Manny at SS, and Flash at 2B for the future. Many scouts think Schoop profiles better there. Stotle agrees but thinks his bat plays better at 2B.

Schoop did look good when he got the cup of coffee recently.

[Why Not?]

Right and even though Lough's value is in his defense it's likely he's worth more going forward than Cruz.

Similarly, Cruz's value is further dragged down by the draft pick the team would lose. There is no way an aging, steroid-free Cruz is worth his cost.

The ONLY benefit would be to assuage an impatient fan base by doing something. That's a really bad way to run a ballclub.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/a-frightening-list-of-nelson-cruz-comparisons/

[Il BuonO]

Schoop did look good when he got the cup of coffee recently.

When he added some weight in the off season last year the assumption was he was bulking up to make the move to 3B knowing the scouts had said he needed to drive the ball if he was going to play there. Most scouts who saw him play in the AFL in 2012 said he has soft hands and as strong an arm as Manny and agreed he profiles better there than at SS or 2B where they don't think he has the necessary quickness.

This may have changed however.

[Il BuonO]

Similarly, Cruz's value is further dragged down by the draft pick the team would lose. There is no way an aging, steroid-free Cruz is worth his cost.

The ONLY benefit would be to assuage an impatient fan base by doing something. That's a really bad way to run a ballclub.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/a-frightening-list-of-nelson-cruz-comparisons/

That's it right there in a nutshell.

[El Gordo]

Cruz career ave. numbers per 162 G: 268 .327 .495 .823 32 HR, 99RBI. He's a plus 3 Rtot /yr in LF. How is that not an upgrade over what we got last year. We have a window of 2 Years to compete before we turn again into the PA pumpkin we've been for the last 14 years. I think we can get two of those years from Cruz. But he'll go to Seattle, and we'll sign Morales. :rolleyestf: