Adrian Beltre close to a deal with Texas since Oakland dropped out and Angels lowered its interest in him. The deal is expected between a 5-6 year and $90-$96 million range.

If Rangers get Beltre, Young most likely gets traded if he agrees to waive his no trade clause. Neither Rangers nor Young feel he would fit in their DH spot.

Mets sign Chris Capuano and Taylor Buccholz to 1-year contracts.

No idea what they are getting paid but it can't be much. Fine by me, both are low risk, high reward bullpen picks (maybe even starting for Capuano).

Hope they still go after Chris Young though.

Do you think Beltre would DH if it meant keeping Young on the team?

Young might go to 1st base

one thing that can't be argued is Adrian's defensive ability. GG

I don't think Beltre would be a good fit for a DH spot and Rangers have shown no intention to move him there since all the talk has been about Young possibly being moved as a DH.

Like Your Hero has said, Rangers are trying to get him for a defense upgrade more than power or offense upgrade. Rangers might end up just keeping Young but they want to see if there is any real interest for Young that benefits the Rangers enough to trade him.

I could easily see Young going back to Toronto for a catching prospect.

I know, but if the Rangers wanted to keep both of them it could be an option. Putting Young at first would probably be a better plan, though if he doesn't get shipped somewhere else.

Carlos Gonzalez getting close to a 7 year contract to stay here

Tulowitzki and Cargo are gonna get sick of each other by 2020.

Amazing offseason for Colorado's future.

I'm fairly certain Dan O' Dowd is some sort of wizard

Colorado's track record when giving players big money isn't great.

Unless something drastic happens today when Beltre arrives to sign the contract, Rangers get Beltre on a 6-year, $96 million deal with the last year being an option year at $16 million. Since Beltre was a restricted FA, Red Sox get a 1st Round draft pick from the Rangers.

Dan Uggla agrees to 5-year $62 million extension deal with the Braves.

Today all us Puerto Ricans SHOULD get the news that our fellow countryman, Roberto Alomar, has been elected to the Hall of Fame.

I'm guessing Blyleven goes in too.

Yankees looking at Jeremy Bonderman.

Adam LaRoche to the Nationals. 2-years, $15 mil. with an option for a 3rd.

Blue Jays sign Ocavio Dotel. That's his 11th team in 12 seasons.

Also signed Chad Codero to a minor league deal.

Both positive moves for Toronto who just can't ever seem to find a reliable closer.

Reds are looking hard at Scott Podsednik, which is fine with me because I'm assuming Scott Podsednik's wife would come too as part of a package deal.

Just want the Mets to lock up Chris Young and then probably call it an offseason. Maybe get either Scott Podsednik or Fred Lewis, but if that doesn't happen they have enough backup OF options anyway.

Lol someone hacked the BBWAA website last night.

My guess is it was Alan Trammell. Or maybe Dave Parker. Cobra.

Alomar and Blyleven are in the HOF.

Jeff Bagwell was picked on only 41% of ballots, which is ridiculous. Gotta figure he'll get in eventually.

Mark McGwire was picked on 19%, Rafael Palmeiro on 11%. I figured many of the steroid guys would get in eventually but now I have my doubts about the writers ever allowing them in.

Juan Gonzalez - 5.4%

Barry Larkin - 62%

Kevin Brown didn't get enough votes to stay on the ballot at all.

Zero votes (aka why the fuck are they even on the ballot?):
Raul Mondesi
Kirk Rueter
Charles Johnson
Bobby Higginson
Lenny Harris
Carlos Baerga

BJ Surhoff also got 1 pity vote.

The fact that Bagwell, a guy with no steroid implications outside of the fact that he happened to play in the era, only got 41% of the votes - leads me to believe that Mike Piazza is going to be screwed in his first elibible year in 2013.

In fact, the 2013 ballot is going to be fucking crazy - Clemens, Bonds, Sosa, Piazza, Schilling, Biggio. Dare I say only Biggio is a first ballot lock due to the 3,000 hits. Schilling may get in on the first try due to postseason.

Whatever. Fuck the writers.

John Franco - 424 saves. Only on 4.6% of the ballots so he's gone.

Christ. He's more of a Hall of Very Good type guy, but still no reason he should have been one-and-done.

Nah. Piazza was the greatest offensive catcher of all time. While Bagwell got screwed pretty royally here today, he doesn't have any such claim that makes him a first ballot lock.

Blyleven will probably shut up now. Always bitched and moaned each year after they announced who was going in.

Looks like Larkin will make it in next season

I'm actually going to miss that a bit, because at times he came off genuinely crazy and it always made for some great soundbytes.

Roberto Alomar made it, baby...Puerto Rico is in PARTY-MODE! We only have two Hall of Famers, Orlando Cepeda and Roberto Clemente...so now we have a third.

Also, I knew Blyleven would get in.

About Bagwell, voters have to understand it's not their job to make "statements". They're there to look at the statistics, and vote. If they want to make a "statement", then they should call somebody or write an email. It's stupid.

Also, how Fred McGriff doesn't get more support sucks, too.

Absolute dark horse candidate with no real chance of getting in here, but how is it that some Mets fan somewhere hasn't at least come up with a pamphlet trumpeting John Franco's credentials? His closest career comparison is Lee Smith, who always gets people shouting their support for him.

Beltre gets 6 years and 96 million from Texas.


Salaries are out of control. Last contract Beltre got - after a 48 HR year was about 40 millions less.

5 years 80 million - there's a vesting option for a 6th year.

The deal with Seattle was 5 years, 64 million.

Raul Mongedesi

Bagwell isn't a first ballot hall of famer anyway, but he deserves to make it eventually. Blyleven started with only 12% of the vote, so it seems Larkin and Bagwell will get in soon enough. Especially considering next year's class is pretty wekasauce.

Roberto Alamor Starting Lineup gets added to my HOF SLU shelf.

Can't for the life of me see why not:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...agweje01.shtml

If measured by WAR, a very good statistical device in debates such as this, the only more productive offensive player than Bagwell over the course of his career was Barry Bonds. Bagwell doesn't have so much as a single legitimate juicing allegation hanging over his head. Batted nearly .300 for his career. He's got the 40th highest on base percentage in the history of baseball, the 35th highest slugging percentage, the 34th most home runs and the 21st highest OPS, all of which ranks him well ahead of literally dozens of those who have already been enshrined. Also, while it's a bit less important, it's worth noting that no one has yet been enshrined to the HOF as an Astro; this guy clearly deserves to be the first.

I'm just struggling to find any of these reasons that exist amongst the voters as to why he's not a first ballot HOFer. Far worse have gotten in their first time out.

This is just baffling considering Beltre was 26 when he came off that monster season in LA. It shows how the free agent market fluctuates each offseason since he can land an even larger contract when he's probably past the peak of his career.

I think the voters are going to limit 1st time inductees as a way to keep part of the Hall special since the last few votes involved players from the steroid era.

Last year Roberto Alomar was punished from being a first ballot winner due to playing during the era and the excuse of an off-field issue from the 1990s as a reason why.

Its a stupid reason but the last few years when ESPN and other places gets articles on why people voted a certain way, it sort of hinted at the voters believing in that mentality now.

FUN FACT: I share a birthday with Adrian Beltre

Bagwell was never even one of the 5 best players in the league at any point in his career.

I think he is a HOFer, but not a sure 1st ballot player. All of your reasons why he is, are actually just signs of his 2nd tier greatness.

HOLY BALLS! 35th HIGHEST SLUGGING! Thats a stat of someone in the hall, but not someone that must be.

If you aren't a first ballot Hall of Famer you shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. The whole thing doesn't make sense.

Right...it's not like Blyleven picked up any more wins or strikeouts during these 14 years...

...and Alomar certainly didn't hit more Home Runs or get more hits from 2010 to 2011.

It's all these voters making stupid "statements" with their votes and stuff. The voting process is a joke.

Well, except for that one year where he unanimously won the MVP award, the other seasons where he finished top 5, and several other seasons where statistically speaking he clearly should have but was penalized by voters for playing on a bad team.

Other than that, though, never.