Baseball Prospectus - Chat with Will Carroll

Chat: Will Carroll

Welcome to Baseball Prospectus' Friday October 17, 2008 1:00 PM ET chat session with Will Carroll.

Health issues are affecting the remaining postseason teams. Will has all the details

Will Carroll: Ok, let's talk some playoff baseball. If you want to sneak in some football questions, feel free. I'm brewing coffee so we'll go an hour or so.

PSIllini (Champaign, IL): I was one of those people who thought that Maddon's rotation choice was dumb. I'm still not sure it was the right call at the time, but at this moment it sure looks like a good decision. If you're the Rays, you have to feel better knowing Shields is on the mound, right? If the Sox have any "momentum" Shields is the guy who can take it right back.

Will Carroll: Exactly -- the Sox have to face Shields and Garza at home, where they have a great record. Kazmir starting worked out well, but the team didn't win. Has nothing to do with Kazmir or the decision and keeps the Rays in a good position. If the Sox get three wins in the Trop, they deserve to win.

Yu-Hsing Chen (Taiwan): The Yankees need to pray that Jorge Posada's shoulder would hold up next year, what's the outlook? who's a bigger injury risk, CC or Peavy?

Will Carroll: Posada should be fine, but there's questions about his age and long term ability to stay at the position. All of the talk about Teixeira has been ignoring the possibility that Posada has to move there or DH. Signing Teixeira limits the flexibility. They will need better backups. Not sure what they have in the system.

CC or Peavy? Pretty equivalent.

Evan Longoria (Boston): Will I be better than A-Rod when all is said and done?

Will Carroll: No, but that's like saying I won't be Peter Gammons.

JayhawkBill (Farmville, VA): Will, a three-part question, please. Josh Beckett looks injured to me. What do you know, what do you think, and what do you feel about Beckett's situation?

Will Carroll: Well since it's acknowledged that he's injured, this isn't much of a question. Oblique strain, affecting his mechanics and I don't "feel" anything about it.

spf (illinois): seriously, only two new articles today on BP? after that game??

Will Carroll: 1) The day isn't done.
2) Do you think these articles just pop out of nowhere? Really? I guess someone could throw together some Steve Phillips level BS in ten minutes or so, but I hope you expect more from us. Quality counts, people.

Meddler (Brooklyn, NY): This isn't about the playoffs, but I'm curious, how much should Mike Pelfrey's size/build factor into concerns about the "Verducci Effect"? Should I be less concerned about Pelfrey than I would be about a guy who was 6'1" 190 who also made a large innings jump at a young age?

Will Carroll: Size doesn't matter to pitching. It's mechanics, stamina, and genetics.

Playwright22 (Baltimore): Is Wieters-Markakis-Jones a potential championship core?

Will Carroll: Are any of them pitchers?

Kingpin (Grinnell, IA): Pujols nerve surgery - is this just a precursor to TJ? It seems to me that they just fixed one of the symptoms, but didn't fix the problem.

Will Carroll: No. The ligament was visualized and was sound. Ulnar neuritis is discreet and is occasionally a complication of swollen or torn UCL, but in this case, there was no need for replacement. Hopefully, this will clear up the pain and Pujols can live up to his potential.

Dusty Baker (Cincinnati): I told Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez to throw 300 sliders a day during the offseason. It builds arm strength.

Will Carroll: Better them than nine year olds. What?

Jay (Undisclosed): RumorMillExpert, Are the Phils interested in signing Hamels long term? InjuryExpert, Should they be?

Will Carroll: I'm out of the rumors game. Should they sign Hamels long term? I'd wait to see how he comes back from this innings increase and try to sign him to something that looks like Scott Kazmir's deal.

Joe (Tewksbury, MA): Did you see any markers from Jon Lester that indicate excessive fatigue/injury or was it just one of those games where good hitters beat a good pitcher?

Will Carroll: Looked a bit tired, wasn't as sharp, just couldn't establish himself. I don't think the Sox - a team that can quantify strength and fatigue in addition to having a solid pitching coach - would send him out there with excessive anything.

leez34 (Madison, WI): I'm doing a report on performance enhancing drugs for my Law, Science, and Biotechnology class, and picked up a copy of Legal Muscle, since it was cited in The Juice and I thought it could be a good resource. It sure does have a lot of information, but man is it terribly written! I guess my question is, does Rick Collins come off as much of a douchebag in person as he comes off on the page?

Will Carroll: No, I really like Rick. He's more a lawyer than a writer, but you're right. Legal Muscle is packed with info and I'd recommend it to anyone. There's actually some really good books out right now on PEDs, including the new one from Anthony Roberts.

abernethyj (Chapel Hill, NC): Will Romo start this Sunday? Is it a smart move if he does?

Will Carroll: Gametime decision. I don't think he should, mostly bc it's the Rams, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does.

Kenny Williams (California): How do I improve my offense in the off season?

Will Carroll: Was there anything really wrong with it? It was predicated on the home run and I'd like to see more focus on some on-base guys, but I could say that about 20 teams. A healthy Carlos Quentin, a more experienced Alexei Ramirez, and hope that they can get similar performances from Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye is their big hope. That's going to be a really tough division next year and I think the Sox have more room to improve than most of the other teams there.

bo9anderson (Amterdam, the Netherlands): Dear Mr. Carroll: Is it OK if I sneak in an early keeper question involving four pitchers with various kinds of (health) concerns? I can keep two out of these four aces: John Lackey, Francisco Liriano, Ervin Santana and Ben Sheets. Who would you keep and why?

Will Carroll: I'd keep Lackey (pitching for a contract, few health problems) and Liriano (healthy, good team). Liriano's not a clear choice over Santana. Sheets -- arm trouble plus I dont know where he'll play. Him signing in Texas or Houston would knock him way down.

philliesopher1 (Amsterdam): where does Cole Hamels fall on the "pitched enough innings now to have lowered the expectations of pulling up lame in the near future" scale? On the other hand, he surpassed the verducci line this year.

Will Carroll: The latter. He's still young.

Tim (Portland, OR): Isn't B.J. Upton supposed to be hurt? Does he still need the surgery?

Will Carroll: He is and he does. Minor thing. Hanley Ramirez played pretty well before and after that surgery. Upton and Ramirez were both supposedly "bored" in the minor leagues and the way they step up at big times kind of reinforces that intangible.

Dave (Fishers IN): Will - not playoff related, but what can we make of Hafner's shoulder surgery yesterday? Not much in the Cleveland media on what was found.

Will Carroll: There wasn't much found. Andrews did a clean up and he'll start rehab this week, so there's not any ligament issue or repair they have to let "calm." It's a good result surgically but has to raise the question -- if his shoulder wasn't that bad, maybe it was just him?

Lincoln (Dallas): Which of these SS's do you think would have the most value in a trade around the league: Jhonny Peralta, JJ Hardy, or Mike Young?

Will Carroll: Peralta has a better deal and more upside. I think we know who Hardy and Young are. Young's in decline and while I think he has value, that contract's going to look bad in a year or so. Now, put him on the right team where he's the hard-charging veteran or shift him to second and I think it improves. He'd work well on the Cubs.

Lincoln (Dallas): Thoughts on MLBPA's findings that teams worked in concert against Barry Bonds? http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gy-fHFugSvgRab54rUSQMVaHKYogD93RUEU01

Will Carroll: I don't disagree, but it will be hard to prove I think.

Silv ((NY, NY)): Olney claiming Dodgers may swoop on Peavy with some combo of Kershaw/McDonald/Kemp - stupidest concept ever or STUPIDEST CONCEPT EVER. I'm not sure I'd do any of the three for Peavy at this stage, much less a combination plate.

Will Carroll: While I think Olney is dead wrong here, I'm not sure I hate that deal. It's cheap, it's additive, and some of the risk is off Kershaw now. I fully expect the Yankees to do something crazy here in reaction to not doing Santana last year. They'll end up with two regrets.

mattymatty (Philly): Will, Tom Boswell of the Washington Post said that not bringing in a left-handed reliever to face Ortiz was a bigger mistake than Grady Little leaving Pedro in. I'm not even sure I think it was a mistake, let alone the biggest mistake made by a manager in the last 10 years.

Will Carroll: If that's the moment that turns the series, then yes, the reactionary media will try to crucify Joe Maddon on that move. There's still two games left and the Rays only need to win one of them.

shamah (NYC): And Justin is supposed to be BETTER than BJ. How good can these guys really be? BJ is scary good.

Will Carroll: Good genetics.

Seriously, this might end up the next frontier. I've been talking with a company called 23andme about genetics in baseball and beyond the PED issue, there's a massive scouting issue here as well.

tercet (Toronto): Why is Maddon so afraid of using David Price? Maybe I'm crazy but he could arguably be their best pitcher already.

Will Carroll: Great question. The first factor is that he's never relieved (maybe a Sunday in college -- KG?) and doesn't warm up quickly or have a known recovery. There's a confidence factor, which I think is probably overblown, in that if Price gives up a big shot, it could hurt his psyche. Mostly I think there's a bias to known quantity in most managers.

paulbellows (Calgary): Has there ever been a healthy Canadian pitcher? I'm looking at Harden, Gagne, Dempster, Bedard, Jeff Zimmerman, Loewen, Shawn Hill, Scott Mathieson. About the only counterpoint would be Paul Quantrill. Maybe the Mariners should be dealing Aumont before it's too late.

Will Carroll: There's something here and I'd question a lot of northern pitchers as well. If a pitcher does not throw enough when the growth plates are open, he won't get the proper humeral retroversion. Without it, he can't pitch at a major league level. My guess is that it's harder to get enough throwing done when it's cold, but there's a lot of research being done on this now.

JasonC23 (Huntley, IL): Wait, you're not in the rumors game anymore? Temporarily or forever? And why?

Will Carroll: I'm saying forever, but I'll probably slip. Look 25% of what we say is "right" at best. While I enjoy doing it and chasing rumors and beating the big guys who have, you know budgets and payoff envelopes, I don't feel like I'm adding to the conversation in most cases. There's enough out there with Ken Rosenthal leading the pack.

Chris (Harrisonburg, VA): Noah Lowry supposedly had successful surgery to clean up his elbow. After missing all of 2008 with injuries, would you take the over on him making 8 starts next year for the Giants? What exactly is a bone spur anyways?

Will Carroll: A spur is kind of like a blister, except bone instead of skin. If it breaks off, it's a bone chip. If it causes swelling or irritation, it affects things, so you remove them. It's really simple and tends to be clean. Yeah, I'd take the over.

JayhawkBill (Farmville, VA): (No need to post this: just FYI) Will, here's why I asked what I did. Josh Beckett has stated clearly that he's not injured. Terry Francona had supported him, saying that the oblique strain was better. Tom Verducci of SI wrote that it was a tear, not a strain. Now Terry Francona says that Beckett is suffering from a strain, contradicting his earlier position supporting Beckett. Pardon that this "isn't much of a question," but I'm getting three different stories from three different sources. I'm happy to hear that you support Terry Francona's latest position--that's important information from this fan's perspective.

Will Carroll: Well, a tear IS a strain, so I'm guessing Tom is really trying to say "It's a Grade I, not a II or III" in simpler terms. When players say they're "not injured" I seldom believe them. This is analagous to Tony Romo -- if he can play, is he injured? Sure, the hand is broken, but he can play so ... semantics.

Tim (Sonoma, CA): Refresh my memory. The Evan Longoria injury was on the ulna, correct? Was it a ligament tear in David Ortiz's hand? Given that, is a second surgery in Ortiz's future and is it really going to affect Ortiz in the near future?

Will Carroll: I think ulna ... could have been radius. I forget, but it was arm, not anatomical wrist. (I remember writing distal ulna ... I think.)

Ortiz's was a tendon sheath in the wrist. No need for surgery unless there's more damage.

Adam (Denver): "proper humeral retroversion"...just how I would phrase it!! Could the lack of pitching growing up be a contributing cause to a guy like Casey Weathers getting hurt who was a position player and switched to relief work relatively late?

Will Carroll: Good question. Tim Kremchek pointed out to me the high incidence of TJ in converted pitchers, so yeah, that could be part of it. So, Jose Arredondo, I'm looking at you.

Bill (Boston): Tom Brady had a 2nd procedure on his knee to help fight infection? Serious? Run of the mill? Slight setback?

Will Carroll: Serious, but not a long term problem. MRSA and other infections are frighteningly more common these days.

** Quick note -- if you repeat your question over and over, I guarantee you I will not answer it. **

Chris (Harrisonburg, VA): Will, when will you start publishing your team health reports? I look forward to them every year. Out of Giants starting pitchers: Zito, Lincecum, Cain, and Sanchez, any "red" risks in that bunch?

Will Carroll: Those come out starting in February of each year. I'm pulling this out of thin air rather than putting it through the system, but I'd guess that it would go Green, Red, Red, Yellow. That's not to say I agree with the red on Lincecum, but it won't realize he's a freak.

wrightfan5 (New York, New York Big City of Dreams): If you're Omar Minaya, would you give K-Rod a five year deal? Mets obviously need a closer, but I wonder whether his torqued delivery (not to mention pushing for the saves record this year) doesn't make him a huge risk.

Will Carroll: I can't think of any pitcher I'd give a four year deal to, let alone a closer.

Lincoln (Dallas): Better odds: John McCain winning the presidency (Nate has it as 5.3%) or Ben Sheets pitching 150+ innings next year?

Will Carroll: Sheets doesn't have Diebold to fall back on.

Brian Cashman (NY): What should I do this offseason?

Will Carroll: Stick to your plan. It was injuries that did the team in, not the plan. That said, I'm not as high on Phil Hughes as most, only bc he hasn't demonstrated any ability to stay healthy. I think with young pitchers, you have to either have a shotgun approach (four arms for two slots) or just suffer like the Rays did while they figured out who their real starters were.

bahays (Work - bosses GONE): For next year - Cliff Lee or Edinson Volquez?

Will Carroll: Lee ... good lord, the choice is a Cy Young winner or a future TJ patient?

Tony (Albuquerque): Can we start calling matt stairs, Matt the Hitter?

Will Carroll: Matt Stairs, Professional Hitter.

Kevin Towers (San Diego, CA): What kind of package can make me look great for trading Peavy?

Will Carroll: Something better than the package for Santana, but less than for Colon. I'd call Texas and try to get four really good prospects. Not really Texas, though it works -- I'd just look at the rankings of Top Farm Systems and call down the list. The Padres seem committed to sucking next year, so I wouldn't worry about the major league return so much if I'm Towers.

Brent (Raleigh): The team that trades for Jake Peavy -- what are they getting? What is his injury risk at this point?

Will Carroll: Working on an article on this now, so consider it teased.

AJ (Pasadena): Do you know anything about Carson Palmer's elbow that we don't know?

Will Carroll: I blame cornhole.

Wow, that sounds so much dirtier than it really is.

Reed (Des Moines): What kind of jobs are available at the Winter Meetings?

Will Carroll: The Mariners should have their GM slot filled by then. Honestly, it's a lot of lower level positions but if you get in the door, you're in the door. There's a web site linked over at MiLB.com about the job fair.

Owen (NJ): If the Padres are committed to sucking, why the heck are they interested in bringing Hoffman back?

Will Carroll: Why not? He's popular, a lifelong Padre, and you can transition over to Heath Bell. You've got to have someone to have a Bobblehead night.

Chris (Harrisonburg, VA): As the best SS on the FA market, what kind of injury risk is Furcal?

Will Carroll: Can we say he's "back" from the back injury? Sure looked good in limited action. He's more risky on the legs than the bat, so I'd discount the steals when calculating his value.

Brian (brooklyn): When I went on Facebook last night I noticed your status update. Were you not in front of a TV watching the game?

Will Carroll: I was not. Missed the first five innings, watching the hilarious touring production of Avenue Q. Had it on Tivo and had MLB At Bat in my pocket.

buffum (Austin TX): HIPAA probably prevents any level of detail, but did you find the "uncomfortable" rumors about Kellen Winslow II's hospital stay to have credence?

Will Carroll: He had swollen testicles. Not sure why, but looks like the rumors of testicular cancer were thankfully incorrect.

Mark Anderson (TigsTown.com): Will, the Tigers just named Rick Knapp their new pitching coach....thoughts?

Will Carroll: He's certainly done a good job for the Twins and must have impressed a very smart front office. The Rochester guy -- blanking on his name -- is often credited for a lot of the success in the Twins system, but I think he's more a refiner.

Brent (Raleigh): What should the Rays do this offseason? Stay the course? Build on their momentum with a free agent splash or "freaking-A" trade?

Will Carroll: I think Andrew Friedman has proven he doesn't need my suggestions. I'd look to trade a pitcher and get some position players in the mid-level minors, just to sort of re-seed things rather than have a big log-jam. I also think they'll have to trade one of Upton or Crawford at some point just due to finances. I dont see any reason to do that until they absolutely have to.

Chris (Harrisonburg, VA): Is Brad Pitt being pitched role of Billy Beane in a 'Moneyball' movie the worst idea since Beverly Hills Chihuahua?

Will Carroll: How much did Chihuahua make on it's opening? Pitt's an underrated actor, but to me a bit too manic for the part. I see it more as Clooney with Pitt as Michael Lewis.

Ryan (NY): Are the Jets becoming the NY Titans again?

Will Carroll: I like those blue Jerseys better, but doubt Bud Adams would allow that.

Pause for radio. Back in five.

Tony (Albuquerque): How absurd is the coverage and rumors around peavy going to get this winter? Brian Roberts absurd? Johan absurd?

Will Carroll: Very absurd. Thing is, it's starting early, so maybe they want to get something done quickly to avoid this.

Craig Elsten just dropped a great line, saying he expects Josh Beckett to be warming up and start having blood seep from his oblique into his jersey. That's just brilliant.

wrightfan5 (New York, New York, Big City of Dreams): Quick follow-up: do you think Fuentes would be less of a risk, even though he's about several years older than K-Rod, because he'll likely want a shorter-term deal (i.e., four years or under)?

Will Carroll: Does anyone really think Brian Fuentes is worth $10m a year, even for one year? Really?

Wendy (Madrid): Last year Jorge Posada had a great year, and Russell Martin was the hot name while Joe Mauer suffered from a hernia and his batting average dropped 60 points, although he had a tremendous defensive season. Has he now regained the reputation as the game's best catcher?

Will Carroll: Forget reputation, he is the best all-around catcher and should be considered for MVP. Mauer's a guy who I would have on the very short list of "guys to build a franchise around."

Brian (brooklyn): Have you been able to speak with anyone in the Rays front office about the general atmosphere around the franchsie after last night? I know i adds nothing to the discussion going forward, just curious how a front office reacts to that

Will Carroll: If the Rays win Game Six or even Seven, does Game Five mean any more or less than Game One?

TOny (New Mexico): Will, I was flipping back and forth between The Office and the game last night. I was shocked to see Pap's pitching the 7th. Any chance managers across the country might have seen this and realized, "Oh My God. So if I don't have my 'closer' not available in the ninth inning and STILL win a game? Crazy!!"

Will Carroll: Someone from Boston texted me: "Paps in 7? Illegal! Man Law!"

Owen (NJ): (1) Beckett or Lester in Game 6? (2) Based on what you know of the injury, should Beckett be out there at all?

Will Carroll: If you go Lester in 6, what are you getting in seven? Beckett with an extra day's rest, backed with a full house pen?

2) The Sox wouldn't let him go if they didnt think he could.

blaseta (Calgary): Kind of an odd ball question, but I thought you might have some interesting perspective of it. My wife recently theorized that, in general, playing sports makes someone a better driver. Makes sense to me as there would certainly be a relationship between the types of quick decisions based on spatial reasoning when playing sports and the decisions made when driving. Also, good athletes would have the advantage of good hand-eye coordination as well as well-tuned quick twitch muscles. What do you think?

Will Carroll: Makes sense. Not to the level of race car driver, who are just insane off the scale for that.

Brian (brooklyn): So would you say that last night's loss most resembles game 5 NLCS 2005 when Pujols took Lidge deep? IIRC everyone thought the Cards would win the series after that and, well, they didnt...

Will Carroll: I'm stealing from Craig Elston again ... Game 6 of the 75 World Series. Maybe not quite so dramatic.

Razz (New York, NY): Here's the problem with the argument that you take flyers on kids and "guys" in the bullpen: the Mets did precisely that this year (besides Wagner), and it cost them a playoff berth. I understand not overpaying for the next Kyle Farnsworth, but all the Flushing Faithful will not miss Luis Ayala's corpse.

Will Carroll: Who made that argument? I just said I wouldn't waste money on guys like Farnsworth or Fuentes, nor would I overpay for Rodriguez. Look at the Rays pen. The Phillies. Heck, outside of Papelbon, it's not exactly a distinguished crew in Boston. The closer doesn't matter if you can't get to him.

Frank (Vegas): Follow-up on your comment on BoSox good medical staff: which other teams are considered to have "good medical staffs"?. And which teams bad ones?

Will Carroll: Read last year's team health reports, which were ordered by their three year results. To me, it's about results, not qualifications or work ethic.

Tony (Albuquerque): How's that short list of "guys to build a franchise around" look: -longoria -h. ramirez -wright -lincecum -Hamilton -Pujols ?????

Will Carroll: Yeah, those would all make it. Gallardo, Braun, Darvish, Upton x 2, Mauer, and Jeter, just off top of my head.

Dan (NY): Why do games start at 8:07 instead of 8:00? If anyone knows the answer to this question, it's you Will.

Will Carroll: Jeannie F'n Zelasko.

Jake (Seattle): What would you give up for Randy Moss at this point?

Will Carroll: Bacon.

phils fan (NYC): How many years/dollars do you think Pat Burrell will sign for? And will he re-sign with the Phillies?

Will Carroll: Really good question. He's not Torii Hunter, but could you make a 5/90 argument for him? I think he's the kind of player that might end up in Cincy.

dude (seriously?): jeter to start your franchise? Look at who he is right now. You're smarter than that.

Will Carroll: I know ... here's why:

Let's say you grant me the franchise in Vegas. Or even Charlotte. I'm going to suck for a couple years and I need a "face". That's Jeter. Yes, he's in decline, but he's going to sell jerseys, bring fans, and will likely be a good influence on younger players. So yeah, he makes the list. Jeter = Ripken.

lemppi (Ankeny, IA): With the pitching on the way in Tampa, do you think they could look to move Kazmir? He had his arm issue in the spring and he had his issues making it thru 6 IPs. Still he could probably fetch a good bat to play in RF and perhaps a bullpen arm. The Rays were rumored to have shopped him lightly last off-season already...

Will Carroll: Yeah, I think they could. I dont think you get nearly as much for Sonnanstine or Jackson and you need at least one slot for Price. My question is whether you could get more by dealing some prospects. Such is the trade economy now. Kazmir would really fit well in Texas, but I can't put together a good deal there.

Playwright22 (Baltimore): Okay. Is Wieters-Markakis-Jones-Matusz-Tillman a championship core?

Will Carroll: It's not a bad start. I am always doubtful of building on young pitching until it's proven itself a bit more. I do love Markakis though.

Brian (brooklyn): Its long overdue but I just wanted to give you my compliments on the essay you wrote for PFP 2008 on painkillers in the league where they play for pay. I read it on Sunday morning before the week 1 games and I couldnt get the idea of guys half stoned on the field out of my head. Great job

Will Carroll: Thank you. I'm really proud of that one.

jamin67038 (Wichita, KS): Your Jeter argument makes sense. Any other veterans that could work in that role? Ortiz? Chipper?

Will Carroll: Umm, not if there's a Hooters in my town.

Mrs. Upton (Canada): Do you think Justin will be better than his big brother?

Will Carroll: Scouts insist yes, but I am not a scout.

abernethyj (Chapel Hill, NC): Jeter? In his 35+ seasons? Reyes, Santana, Rodriguez, Cabrera, Chamberlain, Kazmir, Peavy, Liriano?

Will Carroll: None of those -- never a pitcher with health problems and I'd be reluctant to take Rodriguez bc he's the anti-Jeter. I dont mean that as an insult, but if Jeter is seen with a starlet, everyone says "oh cool" but if it's A-Rod, the reaction is "what a tool, he's got a game tomorrow."

dude (seriously?): While your logic is sound, when people ask "who would you want to start a franchise with?" they typically are looking at on-the-field criteria. Jose Canseco might sell a lot of tickets too.

Will Carroll: Canseco? Only if we're doing the whole lions eating people thing, which I would buy.

Ryan (NY): Sheets also doesn't have Joe the $250,000 back tax owing plumber either to fall back on.

Will Carroll: Hey, hey - this is not FiveThirtyEight. Take your lefty politics over there.

rawagman (Toronto): Will - love your work - it adds a lot to the understanding of what happens over the course of the long season. Any chance of an article (or series of articles) recapping some of the bigger injury stories of the season and maybe some what if scenarios, or lessons learned elements to the mix? Thanks

Will Carroll: Second time someone's asked for that (or maybe you just repeated it.) I can see doing some recaps, but what ifs are very very speculative and seldom add to the conversation.

MS (BrewTown): Do you have any information about how Orlando Hudson's wrist is healing up? Any thoughts on how much it might affect him into next year?

Will Carroll: Last I heard things were going well and he would be ready for Spring Training. I'm sure teams will be checking in before free agency heats up, so I'll be listening.

Will Carroll: That's it for me today. Thanks for all the questions and remember you can always email.