The Yankees have turned Joba Chamberlain into the the Cowardly Lion

What the hell have the Yankees done to Joba Chamberlain?
In my rotisserie draft this year a big argument ensued because one participant claimed he yelled $21 before the gavel hit and the auctioneer claimed he had not. The other teams were split on the issue and everyone started taking sides. Half the league felt the bidding was still open with $21 as the price and the other half felt that Joba had been had for $20.

The guys in my league have been together for 16 years with no change in ownership and we are a tight bunch. At least we were. We’ve had squabbles before, but never anything like this. The year is almost over and there are still hard feelings over that issue. I would swear on a bible that another owner didn’t make a trade with me this year because of the way I claimed the issue unfolded, and not because it wasn’t good for the longer term outlook of his franchise.

At the time it was thought that this issue might determine the outcome of the league this year. The team that we all thought clearly had the best staff in our league going into the season (Tim Lincecum, Roy Halladay, Zack Greinke, Johan Santana, Chris Carpenter) was about to add Joba to the mix and that was going to be it, he was going to place a lock on virtually all the pitching categories.

Joba was a can’t miss. He was unhittable. The feeling was that Greinke or Carpenter would be on his reserve list awaiting an opportunity if there was an injury. Boy did we all have that wrong.

If you had Grienke and Carpenter on your roster chances are that you did quite well for yourself in the pitching categories this year……. Unless you had Joba too bringing you down.

 - 156 1/3 innings pitched
 - 4.78 ERA (The last place team in our league has an ERA of 4.67!)
 - 167 Hits and 76 Walks for a WHIP of 1.55 (The last place team in our league has WHIP of 1.44!)
 - 9 Wins (woop-de-friggin`-do)
 - 132 K’s (52 MLB pitchers had more strikeouts then he did!)

The Yankees have taken an absolute guaranteed force and ruined his confidence, his effectiveness, and maybe his future.

I have been of the believe all along that if they wanted to limit his innings (but wanted him to be a starter over the long haul) they should have let him start warming up in the 4th inning and brought him in the game at the start of the 5th inning letting him throw lights out for the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. By having him throw just 3 or 4 innings at the beginning of the game has not only messed him up, it messed up the bull pen. He’s out there counting him pitched in the 1st inning as he throws them knowing he’s got to come out when he gets into the 70’s (usually 3rd inning for him)! And that left the bull pen scrambling around trying to figure out how to mix and match its way for 5-6 innings.

I don’t know who is ultimately responsible for his usage, but they have done both Joba and the Yankees a disservice. He just turned 24, not 18. He should as much have the stamina and power that he will ever have as a pitcher at this point.

The Yankees are so worried about him getting hurt. Would the Yankees really rather have Joba end up with an 18 year journeyman career, or a 12 year career like Sandy Koufax………. They have turned this kid into the Cowardly Lion!

LET THE GUY THROW THE BALL TILL HIS ARM FALLS OFF! If I were his agent I would be pissed. Keith A. Baker

Keith A. Baker is a sports agent in Stamford, Connecticut. His goal is to offer a unique insight to the world of sports and Major League Baseball in particular. Comments in his columns are for entertainment purposes only and do not reflect the views and opinions of his firm or his clients.

Have a Fantasy Football or Baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

Roy Halladay has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays

At least announce that!

Look J.P., either trade the guy or don’t trade the guy, it’s up to you. But to be honest, at this point it seems to be more about you than anyone else.

I’m starting to think that you had no intentions of trading the guy at all. You started this circus by saying that you would trade him if you got the right deal. I don’t exactly know what deal that is, but apparently no one is willing to give it to you.

Memo to J.P. Ricciardi – No one is interested in you, your stupid radio show, or anything you have to say really. The GM isn’t the celebrity that a MLB baseball All-Star player is. He never was and he never will be. So stop trying to gain all this attention because it’s getting old.

If you let the deadline come and go without announcing that either Roy Halladay has been traded to a team or announce that you will not be trading him you, risk the consequence of being the “GM who Cried Trade" and we will never listen to you again.

If you were starving for attention before – wait and see what happens if you continue pulling this crap. Jerk. – Peter Costa

Pete is a serious Rotisserie participant playing the same league with the same guys for 17 years. Not only has Peter never finished in the money; he’s finished last 13 times and no higher than 10th (in a league with 14 guys). Join us in following Peter’s trials, tribulations and frustrations, as he attempts to navigate his way out of the basement in 2009.

Cliff Lee has been traded to the Phillies

Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco are headed to the Phillies for four prospects, if all the players involved pass their physicals.

The deal, according to one American League executive, could become official "within 10 to 24 hours."

Lee is expected to make his next start Friday for Philadelphia. The Indians will receive right-handed pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp, catcher Lou Marson and infielder Jason Donald.

The player the Indians didn't get was right-hander Kyle Drabek, the Phillies' top pitching prospect. The Phillies' refusal to give up Drabek for Toronto's Roy Halladay led the Phillies to pursue Lee.

"If Drabek isn't going to go for Roy Halladay, he's not going for Cliff Lee," said one source.

Knapp, reportedly the key to the trade, is still on the disabled list. Donald just came off the disabled list following knee surgery.

The is the second year in a row the Indians have traded a Cy Young winner. CC Sabathia went in 2008 and Lee is headed out today.

Knapp, 6-5, 230, has been clocked throwing his fastball at 99 mph and is consistently clocked around 95 mph.

Lee is making $5.75 million this year. The Indians held a $9 million club option on him for 2010. He will be a free agent after 2010.

It was clear the Indians weren't going to be able to sign Lee to a multiyear deal when they turned down his request for an extension in spring training.

Francisco is making $421,400. Francisco is hot right now. He's hitting .329 (23-for-70) with five homers and 10 RBI in July.

The NY Mets sign Michael Vick to a MLB Contract

That headline is just as likley to happen as the Mets signing Roy Halladay.

So if the listeners of 660 WFAN radio in NY would please stop calling in and explaining how Roy Halladay would fit great on the Mets team I would greatly appreciate it. It's silly.

It would seem to me that he would be a good fit for any team, don't you think? Exactly what would they give the Blue Jays, F-Mart and money? Please...

Halladay will be a Philly, a Dodger, a Ranger or a Ray and that's that. So if your not a fan for one of those teams, wish for something else for a mid-summer gift and stop the nonsense. - Mike Gross

Michael Gross, in conjunction with a prominent sports agency runs a strength, conditioning and agility program that many agents send their “to-be-drafted” athletes, prior to being drafted. Many pro athletes have also used the facilities for rehabilitation after injury. Over 90 professional athletes including current MLB ball players have attended his institution during the past 3 years.

P.S. For those of you who feel that my headline was a shameless way to improve the ratings of my posts, I agree :)

The most expensive B.J. ever....

On June 21st David Fry spoke about the Blue Jays closer situation in his Welcome to the game of “Spin the Closer!” piece.

And who can forget the June 5th, post on B.J. Ryan from Peter Costa? That might possibly be the funniest post on the internet this year? I still laugh when I read the piece.

Now, with the return of closer Scott Downs, former Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan finds himself out of a job. Yesterday B.J. Ryan was given his unconditional release as the Blue Jay have decided to eat the $15,000,000 remaining on his contract.

Ryan was part of a big off-season for the Blue Jays following the 2005 season. He signed a five year, $47 million contract, giving the Jays the lockdown closer they had been missing. Ryan was coming off a 36 save season as the closer of the Orioles, and it was at the time, the largest contract ever given to a relief pitcher.

Ryan rewarded the Jays in 2006 with an all-star appearance, 38 saves and a microscopic 1.37 ERA. However, injuries derailed him the next season as he pitched only 4.1 innings, and his WHIP was almost double his previous seasons ERA. He rebounded in 2008 with a 2.95 ERA and 32 saves, but was far from the Blue Jays most effective reliever. This year, the lights-out Downs, seized the closer role after Ryan struggled with more injuries and inconsistency. Limited to mop-up duty and unhappy with his role, Ryan now finds himself without a job.

Ryan is only one of several failed big free-agent deals of the last couple of years. Jeff Suppan, signed a four year, $42 million deal with the Brewers following his 2006 World Series season with St. Louis. He has gone 27-28 over two and a half seasons for the Brew Crew, and has yet to post a better than league average ERA. I could go on and on with the likes of Andruw Jones, Jason Schmidt, Jose Guillen, Matt Morris, and Barry Zito, but you get the picture.

These crippling contracts are a big reason for a dynamic shift in the way baseball teams are doing business. Most teams are realizing that free agents should simply be compliments to a young, inexpensive core, not franchise saviors. Teams are putting a vice grip on their top prospects as they understand that the bank for the buck they will get from these players is much greater than what they would find on the open market. This really became seen by the public when both the Red Sox and Yankees refused to part with their top prospects in order to obtain Johan Santana prior to the 2008 season.

It also has cooled the free agent market, as teams have realized that many Type A free agents are not worth the high draft picks that they would be giving up. This led to solid players like Orlando Cabrera and Juan Cruz searching for jobs for the majority of this past off-season. Five years ago, these guys would have been lavished with multi-year contracts.

This topic is particularly interesting as Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi has made it known that he will be listening to offers for Roy Halladay, who is signed through 2010 at a very reasonable $15.75 million. It will be interesting to see what type of prospects the Blue Jays will be offered in return for the perennial Cy Young candidate. It is my opinion that the Blue Jays will get an excellent package from a GM in win-now mode, but I do not think the offers will be as numerous or bountiful as in years past. As stated by Paul Leume on Tuesday, I too think that the Texas Rangers have the best prospects, ones that can get a deal done. - Mike Gross

Michael Gross, in conjunction with a prominent sports agency runs a strength, conditioning and agility program that many agents send their “to-be-drafted” athletes, prior to being drafted. Many pro athletes have also used the facilities for rehabilitation after injury. Over 90 professional athletes including current MLB ball players have attended his institution during the past 3 years.

Roy Halladay to the Texas Rangers?

Ok, it’s out there. The single biggest possible difference-maker in terms of acquiring in a trade is now out there and in play. Let the Roy Halladay sweepstakes begin.

Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi - "We have to see what's out there. I'm not saying we're going to shop him. But if something makes sense, we at least have to listen. We're (leaning) more toward listening than we've ever been."

Ricciardi says the Jays will not trade Halladay if they do not receive the right offer, knowing that the team's best chance of competing next season is with the pitcher at the top of the rotation.

I agree with Ken Rosenthal of FOX sports, once this process starts, it's almost impossible to stop. The Jays are assembling prospect lists and preparing to assign their scouts to investigate rival farm systems. Halladay will not be a Blue Jay down the stretch. It's now just a matter of when and where.

I don’t know exactly how they do this because of the financial troubles of owner Tom Hicks, but the Texas Rangers clearly have the best farm system in baseball and the pieces to get this done. They have the offense and the legitimate potential to really make a run at this thing if they had Doc Halladay throwing every 5 days. Despite the Rangers financial woes, I think they find a way to get this done. They have the young talent that Toronto is going to want. - Paul Leume

Paul Leume is a MLB columnist from Montreal, Canada. Paul, a one-time beat writer covering the Montreal Expos for the Montreal Gazette is a proud grandfather of 3 girls and now spends his time offering his thoughts and prospective on Major League Baseball on a variety of blogs and websites throughout Al Gore’s internet.