Boston and Twins close to a deal

[MaineDolFan]

Kyle Lohse to Boston for players to be named later.  Great.

Kyle fucking Lohse.  Why don't they just sign me?  I still throw a straight 88MPH fastball, too.

So happy they traded Arroyo.  What a GREAT DEAL.

[Denver_Bronco]

LMAO...enjoy him. I know i'll enjoy seeing that 88mph meatball heading belt high to Jason Giambi.

[Sunstroke]

Kyle Lohse to Boston for players to be named later. Great.

Kyle fucking Lohse. Why don't they just sign me? I still throw a straight 88MPH fastball, too.

So happy they traded Arroyo. What a GREAT DEAL.

Yeah, I can throw a breaking ball...might not throw it for a strike...ever... but if you're paying big bucks for Lohse, maybe there is a spot in the bullpen for me?

[Pats2006]

So happy they traded Arroyo.  What a GREAT DEAL.

I am still pissed about that. Look how good he is pitching this year, that deal came back to bite the Sox in the ass.  With Wells and Clement where they are right now!

[EDGECRUSHER]

I still say there is no way Arroyo pitches as well as he ha sif he stayed in Boston. It's just a lighter hitting league and they don't have hitting catchers in the NL either. All the real boppers are in the AL, although since he was playing oin the same team as Varitek you subtract that one.

Wily Mo has been very good for Boston, he just caught a bad break and got hurt. Pitchers will probably figure him out soon enough, but he can do some damage until that happens.

Arroyo stays in Boston and he is 5-4 with an ERA just under 5.

[Brian Fein]

he just caught a bad break and got hurt.

He must catch alot of bad breaks, then.  He was hurt almost all of last season.  He's the Fred Taylor of MLB, except with less talent

[Sunstroke]

they don't have hitting catchers in the NL either. All the real boppers are in the AL, although since he was playing oin the same team as Varitek you subtract that one.

No hitting catchers in the NL? Come on now, Edge... If you'd just said "the AL has the better hitting catchers," I'd have left it alone, but "no hitting catchers in the NL?" that's a sweeping generalization that I've just gotta pounce on<g>. Brian McCann for the Braves is hitting .347. Johnny Estrada in AZ is hitting .308 with good pop in his bat. The best hitting catcher in the history of the game is the Padres' Mike Piazza, who has more HRs this season than any catcher in baseball except Ramon Hernandez, who Piazza replaced in SD this year. The NL has plenty of good hitting catchers...

I love the numbers on the catchers in the AL though...no doubt about it. As a fantasy stat-hound, I live for that stuff. Victor Martinez, Joe Mauer, Posada, Pudge, Varitek...quality hitting backstops, every one of them. However, I think a lot more of the surface disparity between the AL & NL's catchers' numbers might have as much to do with the "pitching" in the NL as it does the caliber of the hitters playing the catcher position in the NL. Also factor in the DH versus the pitcher aspect and its effect on run-scoring opportunities at the bottom of the batting order.

I know, I know...there are lots of AL Elitists on this board who will argue that the AL's pitching is strong, but as someone who tries to watch as much of both leagues as humanly possible, I still see the overall pitching edge going to the NL. That said...as vocal as I've been this year about the monstrous upsides of young AL pitchers like Justin Verlander, Francisco Liriano, Jeremy Sowers, Jered Weaver, etc..., I'd have to be a hypocrite if I didn't say that I think the AL is gaining on the NL in the pitching department.

[EDGECRUSHER]

I saw the NL has better pitchers because they have easier lineups. There are exceptions of course and Brandon Webb would destroy if he played in the AL as well. I just see too many pitchers from the AL go to the NL and find great success. Then, NL guys go to the AL and get crushed. Pretty much everyone on the Marlins.

Burnett doesn't count because he only pitched one game.
Pavano was shitty before he got his vagina bruise.
Beckett definitely isn't bad, but his ERA is about a run higher in the AL.

Weaver comes back to the AL and is about to get his rotation spot taken away. Jaret Wright has a 3.28 ERA in Atlanta and is now crap in NY. Matt Clement is another. Randy Johnson goes from a low 2's ERA into one ujst under 4. Kevin Brown had a 2.39 ERA and it goes PAST 4. Javier Vasquez.

Shit, lot of Yankees.

Meanwhile, Clemens goes over to the NL and has the best 2 years of his life. Pettitte was hurt the first year, then was healthy the 2nd and had the best year of his life by far. Pedro's numbers slipped in 2004 but he had an amazing 2004 and 2005(BTW, he still should've won Cy Young over Zito in 2003).

Chris Carpenter should go without saying. Now, there are exceptions. It seems that Hudson and Mulder were actually better in Oakland, but that could also be the league finally figuring them out. I mean, aside from Zito I never thought the "Big 3" had amazing stuff.

In general, the AL is just the bigger hitter's league because of the DH and I think they have smaller parks too. Doesn't mean it's better to have a hitting team than a pitching team though. I think the Interleague numbers are pretty even.

[MaineDolFan]

Edge - here is the thing about Arroyo (or things):

One - he has a rubber arm.

Two - he's better than Matt Clement

Three - he's able to do it all:  long relief, closer, starter

Four - he eats innings

Arroyo would have given Boston 12-15 wins this year with a 4.50ish ERA.  I would take that every day of the week and twice on Sundays.  I LOVE Willy Mo, he's our RF of the future and he's a future 30/130 guy - but they should have been smarter about who they sent away for him.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Well, that is true, the thing is though they couldn't have given up Clement. Not that he should be kept, just that nobody wanted him. Maybe Seattle did considering they wanted Pavano, but they wouldn't have given up much.

Wily MO is a potential monster, but he has injury problems like Nick Johnson did. Platoon those guys for half a year and it's scary. At the time of the trade didn't they have like 6 or 7 starters? Relying on Wells to stay healthy may not have been the wisest decision, but they made it and now they have to correct it.

Zito is doing great so his price may be too high for a 3 month rental. That and he sucks at Fenway and is owned by the Yankees. He's pitched decently against Toronto though, nothing special though.

Should be a fun deadline this year with so many contenders having so many needs.