Odds On ?
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20-team roto champ Cool Papa Bell goes 6-for-6, tying Cobb's and, um, Bell's marks:
I figured the Cardinals to be a real threat since they have to replace Pujols. But their GM was interviewed this week and had this to say:
Can we safely assume you will not be in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes?
“That’s a safe assumption.”
With that things are looking fabulous.
During the season people just assumed that there would be twenty teams throwing crazy offers at Prince and that he was guaranteed to get a deal that was absolutely ridiculous. As I tried to explain, the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Phillies and Dodgers all would be completely uninvolved which meant the M's actually were in a great position to not only land him but get him at a reasonable price.
So far that seems to be exactly the case. There is absolutely not a bidding war going on, instead we just have a handful of teams timidly sniffing around and none of them have given any indication they will go all out for Fielder.
What we have been hearing is that teams don't have the heart to give him a monster deal and Boras' faux-cockiness is giving away the game which is that he doesn't have the type of market he was expecting.
Let's review the six-hit afternoon:
1. The Cardinals were the scary, overlooked team. Agreed. When Dr. D handicapped the field, he thought he'd be overlooking something very simple, and when CPB brought up the Cards, Dr. D's stomach did a slow roll to the left.
NL Central, good geographical location, team with $$$$ earmarked, etc etc.
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2. The Cards bow out. In this case, I would gingerly assume that they mean what they say. No reason for them to gutkick their fans this week if they didn't have to.
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3. With that, things are looking fab. Personally, I can't even grok a single team, other than the Mariners, that could get this job done. The Cubs are almost the only team that we grok to be half in it.
The usual caveats apply. This is a stealth winter. We know, we know.
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4. During the season, fans were overrating the Fielder market. I'm the chief culprit here. People were saying for two months, hey, the Yankees are out, the Red Sox are out, this guy has no where to go.
Dr. D laughed in his glove in LF. There is always somebody, guys. Check the market in December.
Except that Dr. D was absolutely wrong. The yellow-pad checklist really did have all of the suitors crossed off before it began.
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5. Handful of teams timidly sniffing around. Exactly, and if it were not for the Mariners, Fielder might wind up with a "bridge deal" and hit the market in a year or two.
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6. Boras' faux-cockiness. That is exactly what he's showing, and Zduriencik sits up on his perch in the dragon lair with narrow serpent eyes.
It's fun to see Boras' wan smile, and even more fun to see it from Seattle.
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=== Da Bakery, Dept. ===
True, Geoffy has been a bit too wrapped-around-the-axle in philosophical debates the last month or two. True, the pseudo-intellectual crowd has been scoffing louder and louder.
But you will concede that every author has his strengths. Even if you're not a Baker fan -- as I assuredly am -- you will concede that Baker has more access to Mariners' personnel than any blogger in Seattle.
You'll concede that he's an accomplished ex-athlete, in great shape, with a keen feel for the game on-field and off. You'll concede that he's been within hand-grenade range of a boatload of MLB contract business, before and after the contracts.
It's not the gospel truth, but it weighs more heavily than it would from any other single author in Seattle. Some amigo asked Geoff, bottom line, do you think the Mariners get Fielder, and Geoffy says, Gut feeling, I think Fielder comes to Seattle. (Main reason: how badly Zduriencik wants him.)
The main thing I fear, at this point, is Fielder getting angry at the situation, and doing something "irrational," like going back to Milwaukee to spite the market. We heard that Pujols, like, didn't meet with St. Louis execs and pointedly allowed them to get their news secondhand. These athletes can be prima donnas.
SSI has had Seattle 55%, Field 45% for a week or so. I'll warily slide that to 60-40.
Be Afraid,
Dr D