DMIT - Final (and consolation game)

by Scott McKinney on Jan 16, 2011 4:01 PM EST

Weeks of pointless work and arguing finally comes down to this. The final we have all been waiting for. The semi-finals featured one blowout and one nail biter

Guillen signing 80

Farnsworth signing 11

Yuni trade 49

Kendall signing 45

And now we're down to two #1 seeds battling it out in the final. I think we saw this coming. An irresistable force (Yuni's suckitude) meets an immovable object (Guillen's fat butt). How can you only vote for one?

And let's not forget the third place game. Farnsy vs. Kendall. Also a tough call. But in the end, we're going to have the bottom four Dayton Moore transactions ranked in proper order. @I can't wait.@

Final:

#1 Jose Guillen signs a three-year contract vs. #1 Dan Cortes and Derrick Saito traded for Yuniesky Betancourt

Consolation game:

#1 Jason Kendall signs a two-year contract vs. #2 Kyle Farnsworth signs a two-year contract

Tweet Comment 57 comments | 3 recs |

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Comments

#1 Jose Guillen signs a three-year contract vs. #1 Dan Cortes and Derrick Saito traded for Yuniesky Betancourt [REC TO VOTE FOR GUILLEN]

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Jan 16, 2011 4:06 PM EST reply actions 32 recs

#1 Jose Guillen signs a three-year contract vs. #1 Dan Cortes and Derrick Saito traded for Yuniesky Betancourt [REC TO VOTE FOR YUNI TRADE]

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Jan 16, 2011 4:06 PM EST reply actions 24 recs

#1 Jason Kendall signs a two-year contract vs. #2 Kyle Farnsworth signs a two-year contract [REC TO VOTE FOR KENDALL]

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Jan 16, 2011 4:07 PM EST reply actions 46 recs

#1 Jason Kendall signs a two-year contract vs. #2 Kyle Farnsworth signs a two-year contract [REC TO VOTE FOR FARNSWORTH]

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Jan 16, 2011 4:07 PM EST reply actions 7 recs

I'm going to need to sleep on these

the pressure is finally getting to me

Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Jan 16, 2011 4:10 PM EST reply actions

I knew you weren't clutch

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Jan 16, 2011 4:32 PM EST up reply actions

This Guy Is

I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.

by philofthenorth on Jan 17, 2011 1:11 AM EST up reply actions

Guillen and Kendall.

Yuni’s #2, Farnsy #4.

by AxDxMx on Jan 16, 2011 4:35 PM EST reply actions

+1. Same deduction.

by Steve Hovley on Jan 16, 2011 9:22 PM EST up reply actions

Kendall vs. Farnsy

battle of the nasty arm tats

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jan 16, 2011 5:23 PM EST reply actions

Whoa...it suddenly got hard to decide. After much contemplation, I went with Betancourt & Kendall.

Actually, the Kendall one didn’t take much thought. The Farnsworth signing was silly, but one sucky overpaid relief pitcher just doesn’t seem like as big of an impact as one sucky, over-the-hill, EVERYFREAKINGDAY and BATTING#2 catcher who hadn’t been the same player since he’d broken his ankle a decade ago. Farnsworth personally blew a bunch of games, but he had his moments and frankly most of the rest of our bullpen would have been just as likely to blow those games, too. Perhaps just not as dramatically.

I went back and forth on Guillen vs. Betancourt and finally went with Betancourt. Even if he was better than what we had, it wasn’t by much, he was about to be given away and yet me paid for him with prospects and we just needed someone to hold down the fort until Aviles recovered. I know we’re supposed to be looking at this in isolation, but I can’t separate the overvaluing of Betancourt from the undervaluing and dicking around of Aviles.

Guillen was a pain and was overpaid, but it seemed like it was worth a risk, just not a 3 year/$12M risk. But I understood the thinking behind why they signed him even if I don’t agree with it and didn’t like the contract. But the whole Betancourt thing is a big “WTF are you addled?” from beginning to end.

by Gross(est) on Jan 16, 2011 5:54 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

recommended, even though

I disagreed and voted for Guillen. This was a train wreck coming that virtually everyone saw coming and yet GMDM still insisted in driving his car over the train tracks, only to get inevitably stuck. There probably isn’t a “right” answer to this vote.

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jan 17, 2011 11:46 AM EST up reply actions

Very tough...

The #3 vs #4 match-up was definitely the easier… I already knew I hated the Kendall signing way worse before we actually got value back in the Farnsworth trade. It was just so infuriating watching Kendall every…single… day.

Guillen vs Betancourt. So much awfulness. I bounced back and forth. It was essentially a coin flip in the end.

MAJOR LEAGUE (The Royals)
Rachel Phelps (Royals Management): I think he'll fit right in with our team concept.
Charlie Donovan (Royals Fans): That reminds me, I was going to ask you. What exactly *is* our team concept?

by Royals Medic on Jan 16, 2011 6:04 PM EST reply actions

Mark my words

You’ll take back everything you said about Betancourt when you realize that Escobar cannot hit!

by jbrocato on Jan 16, 2011 6:56 PM EST reply actions

they're marked.

Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.

People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball...Rock Chalk Talk

by Warden11 on Jan 16, 2011 7:06 PM EST up reply actions

if he can range to his left, he is already better than Yuni

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jan 17, 2011 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

Good lord

I hope your entire posting history is just some piece of bizarre performance art. If so, then kudos.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Jan 16, 2011 7:19 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs

are we getting joaquin phoenixed?

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Jan 16, 2011 7:46 PM EST up reply actions

Great career move Joaquin!

by AxDxMx on Jan 16, 2011 8:25 PM EST up reply actions

its apparent he doesnt give a shit

i thought it was thoroughly entertaining…and my favorite part was when people complained about the hookers and blow they claimed it was staged….riiiiiiiight

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Jan 16, 2011 10:50 PM EST up reply actions

Is Escobar the new Buck?

Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Jan 16, 2011 8:41 PM EST up reply actions

And that would make Yuni the new Benito Santiago. I appreciate the bizarre persona, be he needs a new narrative.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Jan 16, 2011 9:09 PM EST up reply actions

Try actually going to Royals games.

Trust me if you went to Royals games, you would know that Guillen and Betancourt were good players.

by jbrocato on Jan 17, 2011 9:35 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

what?

by Gross(est) on Jan 17, 2011 9:51 PM EST up reply actions

being drunk in the upperdeck gives you a better view of the game

then sitting on your couch with no distractions watching every play from a bunch of different angles?

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Jan 17, 2011 11:51 PM EST up reply actions

ROFLCOPTER

BRINGIN THE LOLS TONIGHT!

LMAO!

by kcbottom9th on Jan 18, 2011 12:33 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs

Just needed a great gif and this comment would have been even better.

Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.

People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball...Rock Chalk Talk

by Warden11 on Jan 18, 2011 11:54 AM EST up reply actions

I love this guy

Because he really believes this stuff.

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Jan 18, 2011 7:39 AM EST up reply actions

Right up there with Luke Scott

okay, maybe not that awesome, but still…

Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Jan 18, 2011 8:12 AM EST up reply actions

why isn't this green?

Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Jan 18, 2011 8:12 AM EST up reply actions

If you start typing that shit use an @ to start and finish these bizarre statements.

like this

The prophecy has been fulfilled.

by mitchfreakingmaier! on Jan 18, 2011 9:10 AM EST up reply actions

I've been there, including the game where Guillen wanted to go in the stands and murder somebody

He was terrible. So was Yuni.

by AxDxMx on Jan 18, 2011 11:48 AM EST up reply actions

nuh uh

nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh

The whole problem with the world is that fools & fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. ~ Bertrand Russell

by SagehenMacGyver47 on Jan 18, 2011 2:37 PM EST up reply actions

The numbers don't lie

2010 performance:
Betancourt .259/16/78 (588 ABs)
Escobar .235/4/41 (552 ABs)

Betancourt is clearly superior in the three most important statistical categories.

by jbrocato on Jan 17, 2011 9:34 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

There is that one half of the game where the players stand around in the field and do nothing called defense to take into account.

Betancourt’s not so hot at that.

by AxDxMx on Jan 18, 2011 11:53 AM EST up reply actions

You left some digits off the OBP and SLG.

by kcemigre on Jan 18, 2011 11:58 AM EST up reply actions

Marked.

I look forward to rubbing your nose in this comment six years later, just like I do with my maltese. BIOTCH!!!!!!!!!!!

Killing time until time kills me

by EspeciallyK on Jan 17, 2011 2:01 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

You people have got to be kidding me.

Yuni barely beats Kendall, and now you are voting for Yuni over Guillen (7 to 6 as of now)?

It’s not even close. In the Final 4 thread I calculated that Yuni cost the Royals just under $10M in that trade and crappy performance. Guillen cost the Royals -$41.3M with his terrible performance and his salary. Guillen is over 4x worse. There’s just no way Yuni can beat Guillen.

Was Yuni a dumb move? Sure it was. Signing Guillen to 3/36 with no other team pursuing him? Much worse.

by AxDxMx on Jan 16, 2011 8:31 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

I think

There is just something that sticks in the mind about trading legit talent for THE WORST EVERYDAY PLAYER IN BASEBALL, even if, as you rightly say, it’s total impact was less than Guillen’s.

by kcbottom9th on Jan 16, 2011 8:34 PM EST up reply actions

Guillen was right there with Yuni

Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Jan 16, 2011 8:41 PM EST up reply actions

As Royals

Guillen 2008-10: -1.3 WAR, $36 million

Betancourt 2009-10: -0.7 WAR, $4 million (net) + Cortes

The topper on the Guillen signing was that at the time, no other team reportedly was expressing any interest in Guillen (much less interest on a multi-year deal). Guillen had made only $5 million in 2007, and Seattle thought so much of him that it not only turned down the $9 million club option (at the cost of a $500K buyout), but declined to offer him arbitration even though he would have brought back a draft pick. If Moore really wanted him, he could have traded for him by merely assuming the potential $500K buyout obligation and exercising the $9 million option instead.

by Gopherballs on Jan 17, 2011 1:12 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

I think a lot of people are forgetting the circumstances of Guillen's signing.

by AxDxMx on Jan 17, 2011 2:58 PM EST up reply actions

Money burning a hole in DM’s pocket after Hunter spurned him?

That’s like getting getting blown off by a cute chick and taking the local whore to the Four Seasons before getting down to business.

by BlueEyes_Austin on Jan 18, 2011 12:37 PM EST up reply actions

Except DM paid the whore like a high class call girl.

by AxDxMx on Jan 18, 2011 1:49 PM EST up reply actions

And gave her a diamond necklace

The immoderate moderator

by Scott McKinney on Jan 18, 2011 1:53 PM EST up reply actions

That's the point I was trying to make

by BlueEyes_Austin on Jan 18, 2011 2:00 PM EST up reply actions

I guess if you look at it on a per year basis, they are a lot closer.

And I admit, I was more angry about the Yuni trade than the Guillen signing, though Yuni was more of a last straw kind of thing. But there’s no doubt to me that the move that hurt the franchise the most was the signing of Jose Guillen at $12M per year and the opportunity costs foregone in the ensuing 3 years.

by AxDxMx on Jan 17, 2011 12:43 AM EST up reply actions