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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – August 28, 2014
Dan Otero is piling up wins at an alarming rate. So much so that I wonder out loud again if anyone could ever catch Jack Chesbro’s 41 win season if they did so as a middle reliever.
That and why teams should be nervous to deal with Tampa Bay in this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sam Fuld, Clayton Kershaw, Drew Smyly, Buster Posey, Dernard Span, Phil Hughes, Zack Wheeler and Chris Carter all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?
Oakland A’s Payroll In 2014 + Contracts Going FWD: Updated For Trade Deadline Deals

Part of the lure in acquiring Samardzija was that he had 1 year left of Arbitration. He will likely cost in the $12 – 15 MIL range for 2015. He tops the list of several A’s players that will be ARB eligible in 2015 like Moss, Donaldson, Cook, Parker, Jaso, Reddick and Gentry. While the club is going for it in 2014, there unloading of Cespdes’s $10.5 MIL 2015 salary will be used to pay these guys raises. Some of the club will be traded or released. The A’s should still have about $25 MIL to spend on 7 or 8 guys next year. Their $95 MIL projected payroll in 2014 is their highest ever recorded for any one year.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Wow. What a roster that has been assembled by Billy Beane in the last 30 days or so.
Make no bones about it, the reason the Money Ball GM was able to this was one from depth strength – coupled with being the master of financial flexibility.
We all know that the A’s have shied away from giving long term pitching contracts, or heck, from lucrative long contracts to positional players.
Ever since the team offered Jermaine Dye a big deal at the time, only to see his production fall off, then to be resurrected in other uniforms, did the management learn to ply their craft.
The team also doled out megabucks for Eric Chavez after that, then to watch him suffer through countless injuries.
Players like Nick Swisher, Miguel Tejada, Johnny Damon, Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Mark Mulder have left the nest to make fortunes in other locations.
Beane made off like a bandit dealing Rich Harden before he eventually broke down. Oh yeah, the GM received Josh Donaldson for that trade.
It has been a brass that sees about 50 roster transactions every year. The key is to always sell high, and mix in the right amount of Free Agent veterans.
All of that ‘baseball rounding’ afforded the “Moneyball” GM to go for it this year. Read the rest of this entry
The A’s Should Trade Jim Johnson To Tampa Bay For Grant Balfour

Billy Beane made some great trades to bolster his Relief Core – and rotation for the 2014 year last winter. Unfortunately 1 move may haunt in more ways than 1 in Jim Johnson.
Billy Beane just hasn’t been on the bad end of many deals in his recent days. Trading for Jim Johnson may turn out to be his worst move ever.
Originally it looked like another genius move, trading away an MiLB player in Jemile Weeks – for a guy who has back to back 50 Save seasons on his resume, but it has been a colossal nightmare for the AL Bay Area franchise.
Johnson was given a 1 YR deal worth $10 MIL. This represents about 12% of the team total payroll of just over $80 MIL for the 2014 campaign.
The dollars doled out hurts the team more than anything else. Had this man just been inept, without carrying a heavy price tag, it would have been a 4th and 40 situation (think what you do in football in that scenario.
What is too bad is that Beane actually looks smart in not giving Grant Balfour his cash for the kind of deal he wanted either. Read the rest of this entry
The Rest Of The Best Free Agents Are Now Up For Auction: Some Deals Already Done

Grant Balfour has recently been throwing verbal jabs to the Orioles on XM Radio concerning the club bowing out of his 2 YRs/$15 MIL deal – and justifiably so. The Orioles lost credibility around the league for this bow out maneuver. Now Balfour will look to administer some payback to the O’s 19 times a year for the 2014 and 2015 campaings. The Aussie just signed a 2 Year Deal – to return to the Rays for $12 MIL.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
It was a tough time being an MLB fan the last 3 or 4 weeks – waiting for the Masahiro Tanaka deal to get done.
As of today, we are about 18 days away from Pitchers and Catchers to report.
With the logjam now being freed up with the Japanese superstar being inked to a deal with New York, a bevy of transactions have already occurred.
Grant Balfour is all set to sign a 2 YR deal worth $12 MIL, and will be ready to stick it to the Baltimore Orioles 19 times a year for the next 2 campaigns. Read the rest of this entry
Who Owns October? (WOO) Tally Updated for October 7, 2013
Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOO.
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOO to a worthy player on the losing team.
For a full explanation, click HERE.
From today’s games:
Receiving 1 WOO
Alex Cobb was not on top of his game but he kept the Red Sox from breaking open the game in his 5 innings of work and helped set up Tampa’s 5-4 come from behind win.
Matt Holliday provided all the offense the Cardinals with need with his 2 run homer that sparked St. Louis’ 2-1 win over the Pirates.
Clayton Kershaw pitched on short rest and threw 6 innings with 2 unearned runs, 6 strikeouts and 1 walk. He would not get the decision but the Dodgers would prevail, 5-4.
Evan Longoria saved the series with one swing of his bat by launching a 2 out 3 run homer in the 5th that woke the Rays up. Tampa would go on to win 5-4.
Dan Otero worked out of trouble in two scoreless innings from the bullpen and prevented the Tigers from staging a comeback as the A’s won 6-3.
Seth Smith got two hits including a 2 run homer that gave the A’s insurance in their 6-3 win in Detroit.
Juan Uribe launched a 2 run 8th inning go ahead come from behind homer that gave the Dodgers the clinching lead over the Braves that they would not relinquish, 5-4.
Michael Wacha threw a no hitter into the 8th inning and kept the Cardinals alive, defeating the Pirates in Pittsburgh, letting up just 1 run and 1 hit for a final of 2-1.
Receiving 1/2 WOO:
Jose Alvarez stopped the bleeding in Detroit with 3 innings of no hit shutout ball out of the bullpen. It would not be enough as the Tigers could not score or mount a comeback, losing 6-3.
Pedro Alvarez broke up the no hitter with a towering home run that brought the Pirates to within one run. It would be practically all of the Pirates offense in their 2-1 loss.
Jacoby Ellsbury got three hits, two of them doubles, and a stolen base and scored 2 of the Red Sox 4 runs in their 5-4 loss to the Rays.
Freddy Garcia stunned the Dodger Stadium crowd with a wonderful 6 inning performance where his lone blemishes came on a pair of solo homers. He struck out 6 and let up only 2 runs and would have received the win if the bullpen did not melt down in the 8th.
Charlie Morton let only 2 Cardinals score and allowed only 3 hits while pitching into the 6th in the Pirates 2-1 loss.
Jhonny Peralta drove in 1/3 of the Tigers entire run total for the series with his game tying 2 run single in the 4th. The Tigers would lose 6-3.
Ric Flair endorsing the new “SullyMetric” – WOO!!
To view the Playoff Leaders for ‘Who Owned October Standings’ – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON
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