An original thought, but I agree hard to imagine we would be selling, despite the past two games.  We have our clubs back in Matty and Dre.  When Matty went down in particular, I thought we were doomed, but we are still in the thick of it in a relaively weak division.  Hard to imagine management throwing in the towel and really not clear that we could get much for what you are offering, even for the longer term.

Seems a bit harsh.  He didn’t have Matty, Dre, M. Ellis and, for that matter, Uribe for extended periods, so he couldn’t have done the line-up above even if he had wanted to.

You’re criticizing Mattingly for starting Abreu and Rivera, but you instead want to start Loney and Uribe?  Do I understand you correctly?

 I’m guessing Ely but not with 100% confidence.

Incidentally, Bills’s last start was July 7 (same as Ely).  I assume they would put him on the 15-day DL to clear the 25-man spot for whoever (e.g. Ely).  If they put Bills on the 15-day DL retroactively, he would be able to return July 22 or 23.  Because of the off day this Thursday, it’s possible that tomorrow is the only start Bills would miss.

Already purchased a pair of tickets

 Maybe he ate a Mounds.

Yahoo says, “LHP Ted Lilly (left shoulder inflammation) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 24, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on July 2. An MRI showed no damage, so he won’t need surgery. He played catch for the first time June 22. He threw off a mound on July 8. No timetable has been set for a rehab assignment.”

>> Tony Gwynn Jr. and his .286 OBP have no business being in the lineup at any time. He is baseball nothingness. Superior defense in LF does not make up the difference between a .364 OBP and a .286 OBP.

I think he has value as a late-inning defensive replacement.  If you’re up by a run or two in the late innings, your primary concern is defense.

He also has value when you want to rest someone for a day.  You can’t play the best/better player every single day.  Especially when they’re 38 years old.

>> As far as Rivera vs. Loney at 1st is concerned, it’s basically Garbage vs Garbage. Defense at 1st base is normally not a difference maker, but considering the swill we are running out to Shorstop and 3rd every day, perhaps the superior glove at 1st isn’t a bad idea. Play Loney.

Until we find someone better, I like platooning them, with Loney against righties, Rivera against southpaws.  Their OPS is almost identical against same-handed and opposite-handed pitchers:

Loney 2012 OPS vs RHP: .663
Loney 2012 OPS vs LHP: .589
Rivera 2012 OPS vs RHP: .601
Rivera 2012 OPS vs LHP: .676

So a platoon is a little less garbagey than letting one of them play every day.  Still not great, but…

Someone is going to greatly overpay Hamels. It doesn’t really matter how great he has pitched or will continue to pitch. A starting pitcher…any starting pitcher…will simply not bring as much value as a similarly talented every day player. And they carry a far higher injury risk. When you sign a Hamels, it’s almost axiomatic that at some point you’ll be saying “ok, this is sunk cost”. That’s not to say I WOULDN’T sign Hamels if I were the Dodgers. Actually, I believe I might. It’s just that you go in knowing that his price will be articially high due to the fevered market…and it’s not really the pay for one player that counts, it’s the total return you get on your TOTAL payroll that counts.

We don’t know how many years that figure represents.

Santana got 6 years, $23MM/year.  That’s the same ballpark Tim Dierkes predicts (“I’m guessing Hamels would have his eye on a contract worth $23-25MM annually over six-plus years, if he reaches free agency.”).

If Hamels wants to stay in Philadelphia, I would expect him to sign for a little less than elsewhere.  $120 million for six years sounds like a reasonable offer for an extension, and for five years sounds generous in dollars, not so much in length (and sounds like the Cliff Lee extension).  If he doesn’t care where he plays and he’s only looking at money, then he should become a free agent, in which case I think Dierkes is accurate.  I think someone out there would probably be willing to give him eight years at that $23-25MM level, just to land him.  Maybe even 9-10 years.  Remember, in a long-term contract like that, he probably won’t be worth the big bucks in the last few years of the contract, but that’s part of the expense of getting him to sign.  Think of the Pujols and Fielder contracts. And that’s how players maximize their income, by guaranteeing themselves high salaries including later years when they probably won’t be worth it.

As suggested (joked about) by TBLA blogger earlier today, Lee was just doing his part to make sure he stays in the organization.

It’s also a tad early to think a couple of bad starts in AA after his promotion = Lee is doomed. Lots of subsequently good ML pitchers had some rough times after being moved up a level, at first.  I will say his drop in FB velocity (at times) is a little bit of concern with him but one of his selling points has been less his power and more that he has a mature mix of pitches given his age. 

 Uribe-free!

July 7.