IBC

Posted: **Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:03 pm**

Bren has been trying to leave Boston to get out of the AL East, and to try out a different division/league and whatever. Anyway, turns out Martin is a Rays fan. Bren contacted Martin and Pat and asked if they'd be interested in a three team switch where Martin would take Tampa, Bren would take San Diego and Pat T. would take Boston.

Obviously everything pends exco approval and whatnot, but I figured I'd at least start to get the ball rolling because we will have a busy offseason on our hands and probably should get cracking with everything, especially as to what we are doing with the Reds.

Posted: **Sat Oct 03, 2009 5:19 pm**

Also he is talking to Nils about swapping as well. Just giving everybody a heads up that he will probably try to get us to approve one of those two routes.

Posted: **Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:16 pm**

The precedent has been set that you are only allowed to move if your favorite team opens up. This isn't that case with Bren, this is Bren pussing out on the AL East. If Martin and Pat wanna switch I have no problem with that. But letting Bren move just because he's tired of coming in 3rd opens a whole can of worms I think we best avoid

Posted: **Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:22 pm**

Cardinals wrote:The precedent has been set that you are only allowed to move if your favorite team opens up. This isn't that case with Bren, this is Bren pussing out on the AL East. If Martin and Pat wanna switch I have no problem with that. But letting Bren move just because he's tired of coming in 3rd opens a whole can of worms I think we best avoid

Yep ...

Posted: **Sat Oct 03, 2009 7:58 pm**

Cardinals wrote:The precedent has been set that you are only allowed to move if your favorite team opens up. This isn't that case with Bren, this is Bren pussing out on the AL East. If Martin and Pat wanna switch I have no problem with that. But letting Bren move just because he's tired of coming in 3rd opens a whole can of worms I think we best avoid

Bingo.

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:24 am**

I asked Bren to go ahead and give me his exact reason/rationale for wanting to switch cities, and this is what he came up with:

1. GM's with their favorite teams. Currently I have my favorite team in Boston while Pat T and martin are both in franchises they don't care about. Personally, I don't care about having Boston anymore. I've had the same team for 8 years. Eight freaking years... I mean, holy shit, I never actually thought when we started this that it would last for eight years. I'm just not that attached to having Boston. I've offered it to JP in the past as well as to Nils. This move means that two GM's who DO care about having their favorite team get to have it.
2. Competitive Balance We have 2 really sick, stacked divisions that have been that way for pretty much the whole history of the league. Another that's above average. Two that are kind of ok, and one other that is just awfful. There are competitive alance issues in the league, giving GM's their favorite team isn't the only valid reason to allow team to move. Forcing GM's to move would be bad, but allowing GM's to move to improve competitive balance isn't a bad thing.
3. Nils and I get to have ourselves a nice little rivalry in the NL West. I'm not heartset on the NL West in particular, but it allows for two younger GM to finally get to have the franchises they're fans of, balances out the league a bit and lets Nils and I duke it out 18-19 times a season.

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:18 pm**

Honestly I don't really see the problem here. A couple guys get their favorite teams, we spread the talent around and maybe we won't have to hear as much from Bren since he can just talk to Nils instead.

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:21 pm**

Yeah I'm with Shawn on this one. Tullar is a Red Sox fan, I'm under the impression Martin is a Rays fan too - Bren asked him for an even swap thinking Martin was a Sox fan, but turns out, he's a Rays fan. I don't really have an issue with it. Two guys getting their teams.

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:31 pm**

I don't have a problem with the Bren-Pat T-Martin version of this, if that's the one Bren's pushing for.

The only thing I would take issue with is that we're spreading talent around. I can believe that Bren will do more with his team than Martin since he has typically done so. But if you line the rosters up, I'm not sure that Martin doesn't have more raw talent/assets. Still, I don't think we're hurting balance, so I don't see it as a negative, just a nonfactor.

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2009 9:28 pm**

So we are looking at Ken to Cincy ... Pat T. to Bean Town ... Martin to to T Bay ... Bren to San Diego ... and Washington is open. 3 guys get there favorite teams and Bren exhausts his permissible move.

I'm on board ...

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2009 10:22 pm**

Alright, so that's four of us on board. I'd like to have either Aaron or Andrew, if not both, on board as well, but if you guys aren't, well, we win out

.

Like Brett, I don't think we are hurting the balance and we are allowing two GM's to have their favorites and one GM to have his permissible move as Jim put it. Works for me.

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2009 10:25 pm**

I'll go along with this

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2009 10:33 pm**

I've gone ahead and PM'ed Martin and Tullar. Pat already got back to me asap saying Boston is where he wants to be. Once I hear back from Martin it's looking like all but a done deal.

Posted: **Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:00 pm**

For the record, I'm also okay with this, following the reasoning that we've hashed out.

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:54 pm**

Martin told me that this is what he wants to go to the Trop- he's a Rays fan and would like to duke it out with JB (Friends), so I guess we create another rivalry too which I always like. So this looks like a done deal to me.

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:24 pm**

I'm hoping that a side benefit of this will be improved participation from Martin. He has a good core still and the knowledge to become competitive if he has the time and puts in the effort.

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:39 pm**

Good point, might not be a bad thing.

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 11:38 pm**

I hate florida. i hate the colors. I hate the crappy park. Before last year, after I found out I was going to the NLE and several teams were open, my pref was 1. Nats 2. Mets 3. Marlins, but I was told someone was a Nats or Mets fan. I went to college in DC, and would prob be happy to stick in Washington for the long haul (since I doubt Boston will ever be open again with me somehow next in line, considering the number of Sox fans here). If Washington's gonna be given to a new GM, I wouldn't mind shifting w/in the division if that's possible.

This from Dan about the Nats. Given its intradivision, I don't see a reason to deny him. Went to school there, preferred being the Nats a few years ago, doesn't skew the balance, and most of all it's harmless. Not moving to another division and it would make somebody happier, so I really don't see why not.

Posted: **Tue Oct 06, 2009 11:49 pm**

I'm fine with moving Dan to DC. As you said, competitive balance is not affected and he likes the place.

Posted: **Wed Oct 07, 2009 7:21 am**

That's fine by me

Posted: **Wed Oct 07, 2009 7:40 am**

I am fine with this also ... I don't understand why Bren announced his move before the whole franchise move phase was complete and agreeed upon.

Posted: **Wed Oct 07, 2009 2:02 pm**

Z wants the Nats too, saying:

I'm a Yankee fan first, but a Nats fan second. I was here when the Nats started in DC, and have followed them vigorously since. I have Nats clothing that I actually own, and bought. Which makes me 1 of about 100 people who have Nats merchandise. Despite a massive amount of work for my job, and getting here in July, I've made it to 12 games this year.

I'm currently residing as the world's biggest Adam Dunn fan (I can feel it coming in the air tonight...hold on...hold on...), and maybe the world's biggest John Lannan fan (I traded Jair Jurrjens for him). As you can see, both reside on my roster. And as JP can probably tell you, I can't stop talking about Dunn.

IBC-wise, I'd be moving to a tougher division standings-wise, while an equally solid team, Cincy, would move to the AL Central to give my old friends a solid new sparring partner. Since I don't see the Yanks opening up unless I shoot JB (which I have thought about), this would be an opportunity to get to a team that I would love to be with, and not move from. To say my love for the Royals is "tepid" would be apt.

Basically, I'll go with the flow here and let whoever you guys want to take DC to take them. I really have no preference. I don't think Z's team is on par with the Reds current roster, Cinci's is better. But, if anybody decides to minidraft that will change.

Posted: **Wed Oct 07, 2009 2:51 pm**

I think Dan gets first dibs on Washington. He expressed interest first, he went to college there, which was before Z moved there. If Dan wants to stay in Florida, Z wants to take Washington and the newbie gets KC that's fine by me

Posted: **Wed Oct 07, 2009 3:38 pm**

Dan has moved fairly recently ... has Z moved at all?

Posted: **Wed Oct 07, 2009 4:49 pm**

WhiteSox wrote:Dan has moved fairly recently ... has Z moved at all?

We're thinking once a lot time ago, in the 2002-04 range, definitely before I joined in 2005.

IBC

Offseason Franchise Moves

Offseason Franchise Moves