And After The Holiday Weekend...

I don't think the muscle was preventing him from loading up his swing.

Maybe he'll show a little more range in CF now? I'm not psyched about the possible impact on his offense, though.

"Imagine a hitter so musclebound that he can't swing a bat."

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/k...

Garza has been in the league 4+ years. Kershaw 3+. Next year Kershaw will be making $15m+.

Kershaw is in his first arbitration eligible season. Garza is in his third. Typically your first year arbitration rate is lower, then goes up from there. Obviously there's a wide range of what you can get in your first year of arbitration. I think Lincecum asked for 10M, then got a two year 21M extension. Now he's arb eligible again and asking for 21 for just next year - or something like that

When the Cubs do make a roster move, it might go like this:

Let's say the Cubs decide to try and outright Marcos Mateo (because he is out of minor league options).

If so, Mateo might have been placed on Outright Waivers last Friday (if the Cubs knew Wood had signed prior to 2 PM EST), or else they had to wait until Tuesday 1/17 (Monday 1/16 was a holiday). You don't want to DFA him, though, because then you are committed to making a move involving him, and you might not want to do that.

If Mateo was placed on waivers last Friday (1/13), he would clear waivers at 1 PM EST on Wedneday 1/18, and if he were placed on waivers on Tuesday 1/17, he would clear waivers at 1 PM EST on Thursday 1/19.

If he is claimed, he's gone (as happened with Jeff Bianchi a couple of weeks ago). If he is not claimed, the waivers are good for seven days (but the Cubs do NOT necessarily have to outright him to the minors).

As long as Mateo has already signed his 2012 contract, he can be outrighted as soon as he clears waivers. But if he has not signed his 2012 contract, the Cubs would have seven days to try and sign him. If they can't sign him, they can't outright him to the minors. They could trade him or release him, but they can't outright him (the same situation that would have occurred if Jeff Bianchi had not been claimed off waivers).

That's because a player who is eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent (so called "six-year minor league free-agent") cannot be outrighted after 5 PM on the 5th day following the conclusion of the World Series unless and until he signs a major league contract for the following season.

So if Mateo is not claimed off waivers, and if he has not yet signed his 2012 contract (the one that was tendered on 12/12), and if the Cubs can't convince him to sign before the waivers expire (seven days), and if they don't want to release him or can't trade him, then they can just let Mateo's waivers expire, and place a different player on Outright Waivers, somebody who is not eligible to be a Rule 55 minor league FA. (That's why you don't DFA Mateo).

So if not Mateo, then who?

Probably Alberto Cabrera.

If Cabrera is claimed off waivers, he's gone. But because he is not eligible to be a Rule 55 minor league FA, he can be outrighted to the minors even if he has not yet signed his 2012 contract.

BTW, all of this could happen much faster than seven days. Perhaps Mateo has signed his 2012 contract (auto-renewal contract signings are usually announced in a batch release in February or March), and the Cubs already know that Mateo can be outrighted if he is not claimed.

Or the Cubs might already know that Mateo has not signed and that he will not sign until Spring Training, just so he can't be outrighted right now. (Mateo's agent might have told him to hold-off signing just for this reason).

In that case, the second choice could be made very quickly.

Or instead of messing with Mateo and trying to convince him to sign his contract, and then trying to outright Cabrera instead, a signed player with less than five years MLB Service Time could get outrighted (if not claimed off waivers).

For example, Manny Corpas, Andy Sonnanstine, or Blake DeWitt could get outrighted.

Because each has accrued at least three years of MLB Service Time, the player would have the right to refuse the outright assignment, but if he does, he forfeits his 2012 contract & receives no termination pay. (Most players don't do this unless they think they can get a comparable contract and a better opportunity elsewhere).

One other thing to keep in mind is that a player selected in the Rule 5 Draft and any Draft-Excluded Player (a player eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft who was added to the 40-man roster after August 15th) cannot be outrighted until 20 days prior to MLB Opening Day. So as of right now, Rule 5 pick Lendy Castillo can be traded, but can't be outrighted or released, and the Draft-Excluded Players (Bryan LaHair, Jeff Beliveau, Steve Clevenger, Junior Lake, Josh Vitters, and Matt Szczur) can be traded or released, but can't be outrighted.

Naturally,

Jesus ain't no help with the Curve ball.

I really don't think anyone gives a shit about it.

crunch does.

If no one gave a shit, it would be done already. Clearly Boston is still being fucktarded about it. Oh, no Castro, fine how about Garza?

*And by 'clearly' I mean, I'm totally making that up.

I thought Gruden got traded to the Bucs. Maybe it's just a matter of phrasing, but that's how I remember it.