Baseball Musings: Nomar Goes Home

December 18, 2005

Nomar Goes Home

The Boston Herald is reporting that Nomar Garciaparra is going to sign with the Dodgers.

Last night, the former Red Sox shortstop agreed in principle to a one-year deal with the Dodgers worth $6 million in base salary. The 32-year-old will play first base.

Looks like someone will get a sweet deal on Hee-Seop Choi. I wonder who might be interested?

Garciaparra’s decision to play in Los Angeles, where he has a home and will be reunited with former Red Sox manager Grady Little and third baseman Bill Mueller, is a blow to the Yankees. New York believed he was a good fit to its lineup since the Yankees would have played him at first base and moved Jason Giambi to DH.

Choi's a lefty and he's patient at the plate. He's also a lot cheaper than Nomar. If the Yankees let him play everyday and encourage his selectivity at the plate, maybe New York can absorb the blow.

Posted by David Pinto at 07:48 AM | Free Agents | TrackBack (0)

Comments

As a Yankee fan, this sucks. It's not just losing Nomar, but also knowing that, since we lost Nomar, that we're going to sign Cairo, who sucks really bad. That's a big, big swing. Choi wouldn't be bad, but we needed Nomar for his versitility - to give all the other players rests, not just to play 1B.

Posted by: sabernar at December 18, 2005 09:29 AM

I actually wouldn't mind if the Red Sox stepped in and got Choi. You could set up a neat little platoon there with Youkilis.

Posted by: David Dean at December 18, 2005 10:35 AM

I think Choi could be an interesting pickup for the Yankees. A reasonable 1B backup with at least as much to offer on offense as Tino gave them (over a full season), and a lefty DH and an extra bat off the bench with power, neither of which they have right now.

But if it doesn't happen I won't lose any sleep over it.

Posted by: xbhoff at December 18, 2005 11:15 AM

I've always liked Choi, and was sad to see him get jerked around so badly last year. When you're losing at bats at first base to Jason Phillips, you know you're not valued in an organization.

Posted by: David Dean at December 18, 2005 11:27 AM

Choi at 1B for the Dodgers was a better option than Garciaparra, and would be a better option at 1B than moving Kent to 1B when Izturis comes back from injury.

I think he needs to go to a team that will put him in the lineup everyday and let him develop. He's never had that option. Someone like KC or Pittsburgh would have had a steal if they had dealt for him than signing Mienketwicz or Casey. The Yanks would do the same to him that the Dodgers did last year - in and out of the lineup with no consistency to develop.

Posted by: Freddy Toliver at December 18, 2005 11:58 AM

Cairo did fine with the Yanks and offers a very important ability - the one that allows him to do well in NY and not wither like so many seem to do.

Choi is going to be a steal for some team. Too bad the McCourts are not smart enough to know that.

Posted by: Rotomusings at December 18, 2005 12:36 PM

Does that special New York ability allow him to only play well in the Bronx but not Queens?

2004 w/Yankees: .292/.346/.417 in 408 PA
2005 w/Mets: .251/.296/.324 in 367 PA

That 2005 is downright Womackian

Posted by: David Dean at December 18, 2005 01:09 PM

choi is TERRIBLE, hes an average defensive firstbaseman and he has zero bat speed, i watched almost all of his at bats last year. the man cant catch up with a fastball.

Posted by: Mike at December 18, 2005 01:55 PM

This wasn't a surprise--the Yankees in recent days said
they weren't the frontrunner. The article even said Nomar didn't want to have to deal with the NY media. He
didn't like the media in Boston, & usually refused to
speak to them. With all the controversy around him,
NY is the last place he'd want to be. Now, where are all
the retractions from writers who said, "well, if the Yankees are involved, everyone else should forget it,
they'll outbid everyone." Maybe these guys should get
up to date.

Posted by: susan mullen at December 18, 2005 02:37 PM

Personally, I would hardly call that a blow to Yankee fans. Does this team really need to spend ~$7 million on an aging fielder who's NEVER played first base, hasn't made it past 354 plate appearances since 2003, and can't play well under the scrutiny of an intense media. I'd rather have Hee Seop Choi to tell you the truth. At least there, you know what you're getting and it's not an overpriced moody player.

Posted by: Benjamin Kabak at December 18, 2005 02:47 PM

you would rather have hee seop choi over a guy who has won 2 batting titles and is still capable of putting up big time numbers, choi is capable of .247, 11 HR, 38 RBI. doesnt sound like a yankee to me. This is a great move for the dodgers, there is no risk with a one year deal. the juice is definetly worth the squeeze.

Posted by: Mike at December 18, 2005 03:38 PM

Choi has as much power as anyone in baseball, if he could learn to work the count and wait for his pitch, forget it...

Posted by: Mike A. at December 18, 2005 07:22 PM

Choi couldn't hit a curveball with a paddle this last year. The Dodgers tried to bat him behind Izturis in the 2 hole in hopes that he would see more fastballs, but he had limited success. He's one of those guys who looks good in the batting cage, but flops in games.

Posted by: PhillyBuster at December 18, 2005 11:58 PM

The Dodgers took another step toward becoming the 2003 Boston Red Sox , aquiring Mr. Mia Hamm. Nomar Garciaparra is definitely a risk and isn't nearly the player he once was, the signing actually makes sense for a number of reasons. First of all, the Dodgers need a bat. Second, the Dodgers need to assemble a group of guys who can actually get along. And third, Dodger fans need to feel a little love—need to feel like the team is actually making an attempt to be competitive. It's icing on the cake that the New York Yankees were one of the teams that lost out on Nomar. The Yankees, in fact, have lost out on just about everybody they've gone after this offseason. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have actually succeeded in luring guys away from other teams. Rafael Furcal left the Braves and almost signed with the Cubs before choosing the Dodgers (granted, for a lot more money). Bill Mueller turned down a 3-year deal with Pittsburgh and an offer from the Giants to sign a 2-year deal with the Dodgers. And now Garciaparra, offered deals by the Yankees, Astros, and Indians, has chose the Dodgers, a team in complete disarray just a few weeks ago. While I don't see the point of Sandy Alomar Jr. and im not exactly keen on the idea of the Kenny Lofton (should he accept the Dodgers' offer), Ned Colletti has done a pretty decent job of turning a heap of shit into a somewhat respectable team—without sacrificing the future.

Posted by: John at December 19, 2005 01:50 AM

nomah is moving to lf after kent takes 1st and izturis on 2nd bill mueller on 3b. and error machine furcal on ss. who is on first? hahaha

dodgers will be interesting to watch, a team will be on the dl much of this year and next.

too bad they traded milton bradley he is good for a blowup every now and then

padres in 06'.

Posted by: colin at December 19, 2005 11:20 PM

Colletti may be paying a lot of money, but this may be the team's best starting lineup in years. Sandy Alomar, though? Really, as the starter? At least he didn't go with Sandy Sr.

Posted by: Adam Villani at December 20, 2005 04:55 AM

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