CC? Seriously? While a nice SP is great to pick up in the off season, a guy who plays one every five games can’t really be considered the biggest impact player of the class, can he? K-Rod be a more legit pick here, as he can appear in 90 games if he had to. Imagine the impact he could have had on the Cardinals this year with their 25 or so blown saves. They would have ran away with the central if the had a pitcher with 1/2 his talent.
Personally though, I vote for Texieria. You’re getting a .300+ switch-hitter who’ll give you Manny type HRs and RBIs all while playing world-class gold-glove 1B.

Pitching, pitching, pitching! While one wouldn’t think one starting pitcher would make much of an impact, the ace sets up the rest of your staff. The starting rotation & the bullpen are greatly affected by the presence of an ace or lack of one, just ask the Cardinals.

I agree, for the same reasons but also consider this: Sabathia has been absolutely awful in the past two years’ playoffs. Consider also the huge amount of innings & times pitching on three days’ rest late in the season & you start to question whether the signing team will be glad they signed him at all! He also got off to a slow start last season, didn’t he? And it’s hard to imagine having quite as hot a start as he had when traded to the National League, anyway. A few months isn’t a very good indicator of performance. Manny will indeed be Manny, wherever he goes, & he’ll be very good this year–maybe nto two, three years down the road, but the biggest impact player of ‘09.

Sabathia, apparently, is staying in the National League. That is certainly where his impact would be the biggest…

The question is who will have the biggest “impact” on they’re team. I think clearly manny has had more of an impact(negative and positive) than any other player in recent memory. The NL pitchers should hope he signs back with an AL team for the sake of all their era’s.

Everybody research Jack Z.’s picks. None of them are surprises. When you consistently pick in the top 10 every season for 15 seasons in a row, you will get good players. He hasn’t made a “genius” pick yet. I think his best pick was a 4th rounder. Start showing me you can choose a ML contributor in the 8th-18th rounds and I’ll start to drink the Kool-Aid. This is like saying the Rays scouting director is a genius for choosing Evan Longoria or David Price. Those picks are made FOR them, see Ryan Braun, Fielder, LaPorta, etc.

While it is a valid point, I ask … Where then is Drew Stubbs (taken by Cincinnati two spots ahead of Tim Lincecum)? Or Ricardo Romero? He was the lefty taken between Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki. Where is that Matt Bush?

Manny is 36 years old. He can’t hit 30+ homers, and drive in 100 runs every season much longer. Eventually his production will start to decline. He was wanting A-Rod type money, but the Dodgers weren’t willing to match the years Manny wanted with his contract, correct?

In some ways it is tough to see why Manny would be given a multiyear contract.

For 2009 the player with the most “impact” will be Manny. However, who ever signs Manny will most likely be stuck with him well past his prime and will have to pay him a lot of money after he stops producing runs like he has his whole career.

DG, do the Brewers have any shot at bringing back C.C.? It certainly wouldn’t appear so based on how they used him for his time as a Brewer in 2008. He threw 130.7 innings in his time with the Brewers in 17 starts. That averages out to about eight innings per start. I just got the sense that it was all or nothing with C.C. in his short stint in a Brewer uniform…

Sabathia is dominating this poll like it’s from the National League West. Sheesh. Milwaukee ownership recently told the media up there that they would make a run at Sabathia, and there is some indication that his time there will help them in their bid. It will be interesting to watch the pressure that develops in Milwaukee.

Was getting to the playoffs in 2008 good enough? Will the fanbase accept another down cycle before building up for another run in two, three years?

What other is getting all of these votes? Sheets? Furcal? Milton Bradley?

Jeremy Affeldt?

Sure, C.C. may have been happy in his time as a Brewer, and sure he may have liked playing with his teamates. But, what this is going to come down to is who can give C.C. the most money, and the Brewers can’t match the big market teams that will be trying to sign C.C.

I don’t think that just because C.C. enjoyed playing in Milwaukee will keep him there for 2009 and beyond. The Brewers can’t give C.C. what the Red Sox or Yankees can…

Milwaukee can offer him something neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox can.

The National League.

(There is a reason, after all, Peavy doesn’t want to leave the land where pitchers hit and Pirates play.)

I think the biggest impact player will the player that fills a team’s biggest need. If CC goes to someone like the Red Sox, is it going to make that much difference? If the Cards were to land Furcal, that could be your impact player. He would completely change the lineup with speed at the top, and drastically improve the defense on the left side. With him at short, the Cards can get away with someone like Duncan in left.

Peavy. He would be a lock for 20+ wins if he were on a team that scored runs. Padres are costing him coin.

Padres already gave him considerable coin — a $22 million option is hanging out there at the end of his contract. Also, agents and GMs are an enlightened bunch, contrary to some comments I’ve heard recently, and they rely on more than wins and ERA and batting average and homers to determine salary …

Other. Oliver Perez. He’s a Cy Young waiting to happen. Needs a pitching coach and a quality catcher. Durable. Lefty. Sometimes frustrating (see BBs), but they come clustered. Only 27. When he’s on it’s a treat to watch. Might be time for him to show that consistency.