Playing Cards with Orlando Hudson

Hey Orlando.  Good to see you.  Glad you could make it to poker night.  What's that?  You've got your own deck?  Complete with race cards I see....

I'm sure we've all seen the Orlando Hudson story by now.  According to Hudson, Jermaine Dye remains a free agent more than one week into the 2010 season because he's black.  That's some claim.  And I'm not going to completely rip Hudson for coming out and saying it...his perception is driving his comments.  Perception equals opinion, and opinion can't be wrong, can it?  People get paid all over this great nation to share their opinions on sports, politics, finance, etc.  Doesn't mean it's fact...but some opinions do carry weight - and any time there is even a hint of racism (perceived or otherwise) I suppose there is call for alarm.

Now if it seems I'm taking this lightly, I apologize.  I am not a racist, nor do I condone racism in any way.  And this topic is such a slippery slope, I really don't like commenting on it...but in this case, I feel like I should.  Let's get started.

Using the Jermaine Dye situation (if it can really be called a "situation") as his example, he calls baseball out for not signing African-American ballplayers.  Last season, with the White Sox, Dye made $11 million dollars.  His production dropped.  He got a year older (as people tend to do).  So...how much is a 36 year old outfielder - one who hit .250 (a 42 point drop from 2008) with well below average range in the OF worth?  Last season, in addition to the negative factors I just mentioned, Dye's SLG dropped nearly 100 points.  His home run total, RBI total, and number of runs scored all decreased (granted, RBI and runs are kind of arbitrary stats, dependent on other batters as well, but they're still numbers players/agents use as negotiating tools).  He hit 41 doubles in 2008.  In 2009?  19.  So far, of all the factors I've mentioned, the only increase has been in age (which is generally a negative).

On the positive side, he did draw 20 more walks in 71 less plate appearances.  He's a good guy.  He's a veteran presence...a leader in the clubhouse.  He still managed to hit 27 homers, so he's got some pop left in his bat.  He'd probably be a great DH, or a guy who could play RF once or twice a week in a pinch.  But his skill set is declining.  It happens.  And when that happens?  You guessed it...decrease in value.

Let's be clear about one thing.  It's not that teams aren't offering Dye any money at all.  The offers have come in - but for less money.  In fact, in a quote from Rotowire found on his player page at Fangraphs.com (where I'm looking up all these stats I'm throwing at you), Dye says:

"There have been offers, just nothing worth it."

He has allegedly turned down offers from the Angels, Cubs, and Blue Jays.  He has drawn interest from other teams as well...but nothing has materialized.  The Nationals are interested, but how much will they offer?  Enough to get Dye to sign on the dotted line?  Point is...teams are offering him jobs.

What it seems to boil down to for me - and again, I'm not criticizing anyone for any comments or perceptions of racism - is there isn't much of a market for a 36 year old outfielder with declining skills at the plate and in the field.  White, African-American, Latin-American, or otherwise.  Dye's contract expired and the White Sox let him walk.  He's refused to sign for his market value.  He has every right to decline offers and hold out for the best deal possible, but the market will dictate what offers come his way, not the color of his skin.  Markets shift all the time...and right now, teams seem like they're trying to get younger more often than not by building through the draft and promoting home grown talent. 

And to be fair, there are white players who have taken pay cuts, or are without contracts, too.  Jim Edmonds currently plays for $850,000.  Jarrod Washburn is out of work.  Jim Thome signed for $1.5 million. 

It seems to me that if Dye is a victim of anything, it's less racism and more drop in productionism.

Teahen Trade - It's official!

Still no official word from either team on this deal. Apparently nobody will confirm this, and Teahen tweeted last night that he still hasn't heard a yes or no...

Will keep an eye on this deal and post something as soon as I hear something a little more official.

EDIT (2:35 PM) - checked my email a little while ago and received one from kcroyals.com stating the trade is official. Looks like KC also sent cash to the Sox in this deal - how much, we don't know. Either way, we turned Teahen into a couple of guys with upside - and Teahen seems to be all out of upside. Not a bad deal at all.

Pitching is the name of the game

Opening day has come and gone.  I was at work, following the game online.  I went into a meeting and the Royals were up 2-1.  I came out of the meeting, and the game was over.  4-2 Sox.  What the hell went wrong?  

As the name of this post says - Pitching is the name of the game - for better and for worse.  Gil Meche was locked in yesterday, plowing through the White Sox lineup, having only been in one jam that I can remember (bases loaded) and working his way out of that with only one run scoring.  I thought the game was ours.  Meche got us through seven innings, now it would be Juan Cruz for an inning before turning the ball over to Mr. Automatic for the save.  But that's not what happened at all.  Kyle Farnsworth came in to bridge the gap to Soria, and all hell broke loose.

My question:  What the hell was Hillman thinking?  I mean, I can understand going with Farnsworth to a degree (although I think Cruz should clearly be our "A" option in late innings), but in a jam against Jim Thome.  No thanks.  Get me Ron Mahay, Cruz...anyone else.  Anyone other than Farnsworth, who gave up home runs at a horrible rate in 2008.  And against Jim Thome, who absolutely torches righties.

This has been quite the topic of debate in Kansas City today.  Is Trey Hillman a horrible manager for making this decision?  Didn't he learn anything last season?  Is this a sign of things to come?  And the flipside of the argument - the Hillman apologists:  It's only one game.  Right?

I think both sides have points.  Hillman should clearly have statistics at his disposal that tell him Farnsworth is not the guy to face Thome.  Hindsight is 20/20 and all that jazz...but come on.  Even I knew that was a matchup made in heaven - for the White Sox.  On the other hand...if we were 50 games into the season, would this situation have been as magnified?  I have to think not.  Opening day is the one time of year where EVERYONE is paying attention.

All things aside, my opinion is this:  Cruz has proven himself to be a more consistently good setup man than Farnsworth, although Farnsworth does have value coming out of the pen as a gritty hurler who isn't afraid to come inside and take ownership of the plate.  My opinion - Farnsworth is a solid guy for innings six and/or seven, while Cruz should be the guy who shuts opponents down in inning eight (and maybe seven as well).  And don't forget - we also have another solid guy out of the pen for these late innings named Ron Mahay.  

In summary, yes, Hillman screwed up.  But, it's only one game.  And we won game two behind six great innings from Greinke, two great innings from Cruz, and the usual from Soria.  Looks like Hillman learned his lesson (or so I hope).

Opening Day is here - get optimistic

After a snow out on Monday, the Royals are set to kick off the 2009 season today in Chicago, versus the White Sox. While I’m looking forward to the season, I do have a couple of complaints regarding the final 25 man roster.

First and foremost, I just don’t understand the decision to option Luke Hochevar to Omaha. Dayton Moore seems set on having a lefty starter – even if that starter is Horacio Ramirez, who hasn’t looked good in that role for a few years now. Also breaking camp on the roster is Sidney Ponson. I just don’t see where either of these guys outpitched Luke this spring. He posted an ERA around 3.8, and without looking up the exact numbers, I’d say Ramirez and Ponson both had ERAs that came close to doubling that number. I heard Moore on the radio the other day, and he said the other guys outpitched Hochevar, and he didn’t grab the open rotation slot. I wish I had been conducting that interview. I would have loved to ask Moore how he was judging these three pitchers. I love what Moore has done to change the culture here in KC, and respect him a great deal, but come on….

Gripe number two: I think Mitch Maier deserved a shot. Brayan Pena was given the last spot on the roster, and I guess I’m okay with that. My initial thought was, “Why do we need three catchers?” But he’s fairly versatile and can play corner infield and outfield positions as well, plus hits from both sides of the plate, making him a decent pinch hitting option (if he can hit). But Maier is a guy we drafted, a homegrown product who has been patiently waiting for his chance. He played very well this spring, and I thought this might be the year. Unfortunately, he’s back in Omaha – but I’m assuming he’s only an injury or a little roster shuffle away from suiting up with the big leauge club.

As for opening day, I’m not sure what to expect. I think Meche gives us a chance to win every time he’s on the mound, so I expect a decent game. I’m hopeful that we get off to a good start this year (I’m getting tired of starting off every season with a horrible April). This division really does seem to be wide open, and anyone – yes…even the Royals – has a shot. Sure, the Royals need more things to go their way than a couple of other teams, but it COULD happen. We’ve got three strong starting pitchers, a solid bullpen, and a very good batting order which has the chance to be exceptional if a couple of guys break out this season. I’m looking at you Alex Gordon and Billy Butler.

It’s the time of year for fans to be optimistic again – so count me in. I say we play .500 ball this season with a chance to contend. Maybe we’ll actually get some meaningful baseball in August and September this year in Kansas City.