Boston Bring in a Big Bat
Yeah they upgraded their pitching (Lackey) and defense (Beltre and Cameron) but the defending champion Yankees added pitching and of their own (not to mention Curtis Granderson). Boston has a deep and versatile lineup but if the season started tomorrow would anyone in Beantown really be comfortable with Shrek (David Ortiz), J.D. Drew, or Victor Martinez hitting fourth? The Sox still lack the dominant middle of the order bat that is needed to usurp the Yankees as AL champs. Not only are the Yankees as rich as ever but it looks like they are starting to make very sound baseball decisions to go with their money. If Boston wants to keep up with the Steinbrenners Miguel Cabrera or Adrian Gonzalez may be worth a handful of prospects.
Really Detroit? Johnny Damon?
Only months after trading the most popular man in Michigan due to payroll issues, the Tigers are thinking of signing Johnny Damon. Damon is still a productive player and could provide to be a steal if he comes at the right price, but if I was a Tigers fan I would not take kindly to seeing Granderson and his affordable contract being shipped to the Yankees only to see him replaced with an older and comparably priced outfielder (and Jose Valverde).
Wang, Dye, Blalock Go West!
While Seattle has been deemed one of this offseason’s winners, the team still appears to be lacking power and starting pitching depth. If the team took a flyer on Chien-Ming Wang, Jermaine Dye or Hank Blalock (either seems like a better fit than Eric Byrnes) it would solidify the team as a playoff contender. Bringing back Jarrod Washburn wouldn’t hurt either.
Toronto: Bring Big Hot Carl(os)
This might be a tough year for the Jays so what better way to distract fans than bringing back and aging icon? Hey it worked in Seattle. Carlos could provide us with a link to the “glory days” (those 75-85 win teams of the 2000s) and make us forget what the Jays are doing on the field in 2010. Plus he is still probably a better hitter than many of the Jays regulars…if only he could play on the left side of the infield.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Alex Anthopoulos Interm Report Card
As Alex Anthopoulos nears the end of his first hundred days on the job as Blue Jays GM, things have run a little smoother in the front office than Blue Jays fans are used to. He hasn’t called out Adam Dunn or sent anyone to the minor leagues for calling him a pimp. He has also made some significant moves that will shape the roster for years to come. The biggest of these moves was Anthopoulos’ signing of outfielder Jeremy Reed to a minor league contract. Anthopoulos also traded Roy Halladay.
Anthopoulos’ three way trade with the Phillies and Mariners was the biggest of the winter, and left the Jays with Kyle Drabek, Travis D’Arnaud and Brett Wallace (who was acquired for Michael Taylor, the third player Toronto received). While losing Roy may have been tough to swallow for Blue Jays fans, it replenished a farm system that was left barren by J.P. Riccardi. Drabek and Wallace are now Toronto’s #1 and #2 prospects according to Baseball America (which leaves me to wonder who J.P. has been drafting for the last three years). On top of Drabek and Wallace, Travis D’Arnaud gives us hope that we won’t have to reacquire Gregg Zaun next winter. Given that Roy was leaving after 2010 and he was closer to free agency than at the July trade deadline, I have to give Alex credit for making the best of a bad situation and landing some prospects with more upside than anyone else in the Blue Jays farm system.
Anthopoulos’ other significant moves this winter were to sign Alex Gonzalez, John Buck and trade for Seattle’s Brandon Morrow. John Buck and Brendan Morrow both filled holes (although the Jays definitely need more than one starting pitcher) and Anthopoulos was smart not to overspend when the Jays still seem a couple years away from contention. The Alex Gonzalez signing now gives Toronto two defensively skilled, light hitting shortstops which led me to wonder why the move was made. Last year’s offensive spike aside, Alex Gonzalez is a pretty comparable offensive player to John McDonald and everyone in Toronto would love to see Johnny Mac get a chance at a starting job. That being said, the Gonzalez signing is relatively low cost and shouldn’t hinder the Jays moving forward.
Anthopoulos’ first hundred days as GM involved all the moves made by a rebuilding of a team, while that may be depressing news for Jays fans, it appears as though at least we’ve found someone who is going about it the right way.
Anthopoulos’ three way trade with the Phillies and Mariners was the biggest of the winter, and left the Jays with Kyle Drabek, Travis D’Arnaud and Brett Wallace (who was acquired for Michael Taylor, the third player Toronto received). While losing Roy may have been tough to swallow for Blue Jays fans, it replenished a farm system that was left barren by J.P. Riccardi. Drabek and Wallace are now Toronto’s #1 and #2 prospects according to Baseball America (which leaves me to wonder who J.P. has been drafting for the last three years). On top of Drabek and Wallace, Travis D’Arnaud gives us hope that we won’t have to reacquire Gregg Zaun next winter. Given that Roy was leaving after 2010 and he was closer to free agency than at the July trade deadline, I have to give Alex credit for making the best of a bad situation and landing some prospects with more upside than anyone else in the Blue Jays farm system.
Anthopoulos’ other significant moves this winter were to sign Alex Gonzalez, John Buck and trade for Seattle’s Brandon Morrow. John Buck and Brendan Morrow both filled holes (although the Jays definitely need more than one starting pitcher) and Anthopoulos was smart not to overspend when the Jays still seem a couple years away from contention. The Alex Gonzalez signing now gives Toronto two defensively skilled, light hitting shortstops which led me to wonder why the move was made. Last year’s offensive spike aside, Alex Gonzalez is a pretty comparable offensive player to John McDonald and everyone in Toronto would love to see Johnny Mac get a chance at a starting job. That being said, the Gonzalez signing is relatively low cost and shouldn’t hinder the Jays moving forward.
Anthopoulos’ first hundred days as GM involved all the moves made by a rebuilding of a team, while that may be depressing news for Jays fans, it appears as though at least we’ve found someone who is going about it the right way.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
One Team to Watch in 2010
One of the noisiest teams this off season has been the Seattle Mariners. Second year GM Jack Zduriencik has made several big deals that have lead many to suggest that Seattle is one of the teams to watch in 2010. Moneyballers have also been singing the praises of “Big Z”, calling him one of the best general managers in the game and many are picking Seattle as this year’s AL West favorites. Now there is NO ONE that wants to see Junior make it to the big dance in what is probably his last season more than I do, but I am a little more cautious about the 2010 Mariners.
Make no mistake about it, Jack Zduriencik is trying to build the Mariners around speed, pitching and defense, and this year’s major offseason acquisitions (Chone Figgins, Cliff Lee and Casey Kotchman) highlight this. Given that Safeco Field is bigger than Jay Leno’s chin (I’m with Coco) you can’t fault Z for building his team this way, but the fact is that even teams built on pitching and D need power threats, something that Seattle doesn’t appear to have. Last season’s two biggest power threats Russell Branyan and Adrian Beltre are gone, inheriting the middle of the line-up is Jose Lopez, Franklin Gutierrez and Milton Bradley - not exactly a murderer’s row. Gutierrez and Lopez are good hitters with power, but are they really number 3 or 4 hitters on a playoff team? We also need to remember that if someone sneezes in Bradley’s vicinity he may take it as a personal attack against him (or an act of racism) and become totally useless to the team. Even someone as likable as Ken Griffey may not be able to keep Mad Milton happy for 8 months. Assuming that Big Griff doesn’t put up his 1993 numbers, this leaves the M’s lacking a bona fide power threat in the middle of their order
The Mariners have other concerns as well. While Seattle’s pitching is appeared to be much improved with the addition of Cliff Lee, the Mariners will be without Jarred Washburn and Brendan Morrow, big contributors to last year’s staff. While Lee improves the staff, the loss of these two pitchers needs to be considered, which makes the staff only marginally better at best. Also troubling is last year’s run differential of -52 which suggests that the 85 wins the team accumulated are not entirely reflective of the team’s performance – the M’s may have enjoyed more than their fair share of lucky bounces. Catching is another major issue. Can anyone name a catcher on their 40 man roster?
Yes, the Angels are significantly worse than they were last year and Oakland is still at least a couple years away, but this Mariners team may not be as good as advertised. The 2007 M’s were a team built on pitching and defence on the cusp of a breakthrough. That off season they made the acquisitions necessary (Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva) to put them over the top. On top of their 100 loss season the next year, Seattle fans get to see Adam Jones rake in Baltimore as a reminder of their misplaced optimism. For Junior’s sake let’s hope that 2010 isn’t a little piece of history repeating.
Make no mistake about it, Jack Zduriencik is trying to build the Mariners around speed, pitching and defense, and this year’s major offseason acquisitions (Chone Figgins, Cliff Lee and Casey Kotchman) highlight this. Given that Safeco Field is bigger than Jay Leno’s chin (I’m with Coco) you can’t fault Z for building his team this way, but the fact is that even teams built on pitching and D need power threats, something that Seattle doesn’t appear to have. Last season’s two biggest power threats Russell Branyan and Adrian Beltre are gone, inheriting the middle of the line-up is Jose Lopez, Franklin Gutierrez and Milton Bradley - not exactly a murderer’s row. Gutierrez and Lopez are good hitters with power, but are they really number 3 or 4 hitters on a playoff team? We also need to remember that if someone sneezes in Bradley’s vicinity he may take it as a personal attack against him (or an act of racism) and become totally useless to the team. Even someone as likable as Ken Griffey may not be able to keep Mad Milton happy for 8 months. Assuming that Big Griff doesn’t put up his 1993 numbers, this leaves the M’s lacking a bona fide power threat in the middle of their order
The Mariners have other concerns as well. While Seattle’s pitching is appeared to be much improved with the addition of Cliff Lee, the Mariners will be without Jarred Washburn and Brendan Morrow, big contributors to last year’s staff. While Lee improves the staff, the loss of these two pitchers needs to be considered, which makes the staff only marginally better at best. Also troubling is last year’s run differential of -52 which suggests that the 85 wins the team accumulated are not entirely reflective of the team’s performance – the M’s may have enjoyed more than their fair share of lucky bounces. Catching is another major issue. Can anyone name a catcher on their 40 man roster?
Yes, the Angels are significantly worse than they were last year and Oakland is still at least a couple years away, but this Mariners team may not be as good as advertised. The 2007 M’s were a team built on pitching and defence on the cusp of a breakthrough. That off season they made the acquisitions necessary (Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva) to put them over the top. On top of their 100 loss season the next year, Seattle fans get to see Adam Jones rake in Baltimore as a reminder of their misplaced optimism. For Junior’s sake let’s hope that 2010 isn’t a little piece of history repeating.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Halladay Trade Talks
It’s that special time of year where the amount of gossip in baseball could rival any high school cafeteria, which leaves anyone with an opinion on baseball with plenty to write about. These days most of this baseball gossip is centered on the only starting pitcher on the Blue Jays that didn’t pitch in AAA ball last year; Roy Halladay. New Jay’s GM Alex Anthopoulos has once again made Roy available and unlike JP Riccardi in July, he is not asking for every player that his trading partner signed in the 2007 draft. Depending on which MLB tabloid you read, either the Yankees, Phillies, or Angels are the frontrunners to land Roy, with the Red Sox, Mets and Rays also kicking the tires on a potential trade. People are also split on whether or not Roy would require a contract extension before a trade could be negotiated or if he would veto a trade to any west coast teams or non-contenders.
While the Yankees dealt away Austin Jackson to land Curtis Granderson, they still have the players to make a deal (pitchers Camberlin and Hughes, as well as catching prospect Jesus Montero). The Angels have also potentially offered Erick Aybar, Joe Saunders and a prospect, and the Phillies have offered a package centered on JA Happ. While some are suggesting the Yankees have the best chance at landing Doc, if I were the Jays I would be cautious of Yankee trade proposals. One reason I am skeptical is that the Yankees were unwilling to move either Chamberlin or Hughes in a trade for Johan Santana two years ago and are now willing to part with them. Did the Yankee hype machine turn both pitchers into franchise prospects, when now they look more like merely solid major league pitchers? (Admittedly, the verdict is still out). On top of this, the Yankees only seem willing to give up either Joba Chamberlin or Phil Hughes and not both. Let’s also not forget that party animal Joba Chamberlin could become entirely useless once he gets a taste for Canadian beer. There are also holes in the game of another potential trade centerpiece, catching prospect Jesus Montero. While he has the potential to be a great hitter, he has many scouts believing that he won’t be able to stick as a catcher in the major leagues, which greatly diminishes his value. Assuming that a contract extension does not need to be negotiated and that Halladay would not veto any potential trades, from the Jays perspective it appears as though the Angels would be the best trading partner. The players LA is offering are young, affordable, major league proven and still under club control. Why roll the dice on Yankee prospects, when you can get proven players from LA? There is also talk that the Jays could then even flip Joe Saunders for more prospects if they so desired.
This also keeps Doc out of the AL East.
Like July, one thing that has me confounded is why Boston isn’t making a stronger push for Doc. Josh Beckett is a year away from free agency, Tim Wakefield is a year away from being 50, and there are questions about how Dice-K will pitch this year. On top of this Roy is a certified Yankee killer, and would change the complexion of the AL East race. And I’m sure what’s most pressing to Red Sox fans is that if Boston doesn’t go after Roy and he ends up with New York, their rotation would be scary good. If I’m the Bosox, Doc is definitely worth giving up Clay Bucholtz. Wherever and whenever Roy gets dealt, let’s hope by that time that Scott Boras has generated enough smack talk to keep the rest of the winter interesting.
While the Yankees dealt away Austin Jackson to land Curtis Granderson, they still have the players to make a deal (pitchers Camberlin and Hughes, as well as catching prospect Jesus Montero). The Angels have also potentially offered Erick Aybar, Joe Saunders and a prospect, and the Phillies have offered a package centered on JA Happ. While some are suggesting the Yankees have the best chance at landing Doc, if I were the Jays I would be cautious of Yankee trade proposals. One reason I am skeptical is that the Yankees were unwilling to move either Chamberlin or Hughes in a trade for Johan Santana two years ago and are now willing to part with them. Did the Yankee hype machine turn both pitchers into franchise prospects, when now they look more like merely solid major league pitchers? (Admittedly, the verdict is still out). On top of this, the Yankees only seem willing to give up either Joba Chamberlin or Phil Hughes and not both. Let’s also not forget that party animal Joba Chamberlin could become entirely useless once he gets a taste for Canadian beer. There are also holes in the game of another potential trade centerpiece, catching prospect Jesus Montero. While he has the potential to be a great hitter, he has many scouts believing that he won’t be able to stick as a catcher in the major leagues, which greatly diminishes his value. Assuming that a contract extension does not need to be negotiated and that Halladay would not veto any potential trades, from the Jays perspective it appears as though the Angels would be the best trading partner. The players LA is offering are young, affordable, major league proven and still under club control. Why roll the dice on Yankee prospects, when you can get proven players from LA? There is also talk that the Jays could then even flip Joe Saunders for more prospects if they so desired.
This also keeps Doc out of the AL East.
Like July, one thing that has me confounded is why Boston isn’t making a stronger push for Doc. Josh Beckett is a year away from free agency, Tim Wakefield is a year away from being 50, and there are questions about how Dice-K will pitch this year. On top of this Roy is a certified Yankee killer, and would change the complexion of the AL East race. And I’m sure what’s most pressing to Red Sox fans is that if Boston doesn’t go after Roy and he ends up with New York, their rotation would be scary good. If I’m the Bosox, Doc is definitely worth giving up Clay Bucholtz. Wherever and whenever Roy gets dealt, let’s hope by that time that Scott Boras has generated enough smack talk to keep the rest of the winter interesting.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
World Series Wrap Up – A Biased Review from a Yankee Hater
First World Series victory since 2000? Don’t care. A-Rod finally overcoming his postseason demons? Don’t care. Good for baseball to have Yanks in World Series? Don’t care. Whatever positives come with the Yankees winning the World Series are moot points, to me they should never ever win anything. Here is why they shouldn’t have won this year.
Starting pitching – since when can a team with three starters win the World Series? No other team has even advanced to the World Series using three starters since the 1992 Atlanta Braves. It’s been said before and I will say it again – If you can’t buy four starters for 200 million dollars you shouldn’t win the World Series (and its not like their relief depth was the team’s saving grace either). The Yankees should be sending one of their nicest bottles of wine to whoever schedules the playoffs, because if CC Sabathia isn’t pitching every third game, I think this year’s parade might not go through Manhattan. Secondly, Yankee baseball was particularly frustrating, namely their frequent mound visits and time taken in between pitches. If you want to grind out at bats and take pitches, all the power to you, but for God’s sake stop making a game that is already as slow as erosion even slower. This year’s Yankees were especially bad at over frequently visiting the mound. During game 4 there was one middle inning where Jorge Posada wasn’t even giving out signs, just walking out after every pitch to talk over what the next pitch would be.
Lastly, what irks me the most about the Yankees winning this year was how beatable they looked at certain points. The Angels were a better overall team, but played themselves out of the playoffs with mental errors and their own nervousness. The Phillies took game 1, dominated A.J. Burnett in game 5 and if Brad Lidge doesn’t walk Johnny Damon (I haven’t seen anyone steal two bases on one pitch since I played mosquito) in the ninth inning of game 4, this could be an entirely different series. Throughout the playoffs, the Yankees didn’t hit the way they are capable of. Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeria and Melky Cabrerra all failed to contribute and the Yankees suspect bullpen (and back of the rotation) was not exploited to its full extent. So despite my hatred for the Yankees and my belief that they shouldn’t of taken it all this year, no team stepped up and beat them and that is something I can’t argue with, even if that leaves me grumbling to myself all winter.
Starting pitching – since when can a team with three starters win the World Series? No other team has even advanced to the World Series using three starters since the 1992 Atlanta Braves. It’s been said before and I will say it again – If you can’t buy four starters for 200 million dollars you shouldn’t win the World Series (and its not like their relief depth was the team’s saving grace either). The Yankees should be sending one of their nicest bottles of wine to whoever schedules the playoffs, because if CC Sabathia isn’t pitching every third game, I think this year’s parade might not go through Manhattan. Secondly, Yankee baseball was particularly frustrating, namely their frequent mound visits and time taken in between pitches. If you want to grind out at bats and take pitches, all the power to you, but for God’s sake stop making a game that is already as slow as erosion even slower. This year’s Yankees were especially bad at over frequently visiting the mound. During game 4 there was one middle inning where Jorge Posada wasn’t even giving out signs, just walking out after every pitch to talk over what the next pitch would be.
Lastly, what irks me the most about the Yankees winning this year was how beatable they looked at certain points. The Angels were a better overall team, but played themselves out of the playoffs with mental errors and their own nervousness. The Phillies took game 1, dominated A.J. Burnett in game 5 and if Brad Lidge doesn’t walk Johnny Damon (I haven’t seen anyone steal two bases on one pitch since I played mosquito) in the ninth inning of game 4, this could be an entirely different series. Throughout the playoffs, the Yankees didn’t hit the way they are capable of. Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeria and Melky Cabrerra all failed to contribute and the Yankees suspect bullpen (and back of the rotation) was not exploited to its full extent. So despite my hatred for the Yankees and my belief that they shouldn’t of taken it all this year, no team stepped up and beat them and that is something I can’t argue with, even if that leaves me grumbling to myself all winter.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
ALCS Preview
The Yankees have been the odds on favorite to win the World Series since before the playoffs began, and to solidify their status as favorites, they made quick and easy work of the Minnesota Twins during the first round. While the Angels were historically unable to handle the Red Sox in the playoffs, this year they exercised their demons by sweeping the Bosox with a dramatic come from behind victory at Fenway Park. There are good reasons to believe that the Yankees are still the odds on favorite to win. Their lineup is one of the most prolific lineups in recent memory and by far the most dangerous lineup in the playoffs. On top of this, much is being made of Alex Rodriguez’s recent post season awakening. There is no letting up with the Yankees offence – they had at least 8 players hit over 20 home runs this year in the regular season. On the mound, this years edition of the Yankees is also the best that it has been in the last few years – CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett are a formidable one two punch at the top of the rotation, and the bullpen is significantly deeper than it has been in the past with Joba Chamberlin and Phil Hughes bridging the gap to Rivera in the ninth. While this Yankee team is good, the Angels are a far better team than Minnesota and a potential upset is not out of the question. While Sabathia and Burnett (depending on which Burnett shows up to pitch) are possibly the two best starters in the series, I believe the Angels starters one through four are better than the Yankees starters. The Angels number 3 and 4 starters (Scott Kazmir and Joe Saunders) possess a decided advantage over the Yankees Andy Pettite and Chad Gaudin. While this lack of depth wasn’t a problem for New York in a short five game series, in a best of seven LCS format, this may play a significant factor. Accompanying the Angels starting pitching depth is an offence that more potent and well rounded than Angels teams of the past. In the past the Angels offence relied to heavily on Vladimir Gurrero, but with the additions of Bobby Abreau and Tori Hunter, combined with the emergence of Kendry Morales, all Vlad has to worry about now is trying not to swing at pitches that are going to hit him in the face. The Angels also have excellent team speed thanks to Chone Figgins, Reggie Wilits and Erick Aybar. With George Posada behind the plate, the Yankees inability to contain the running game has been a problem all year long. Another bad sign for the Yankees is that in their first round match up with Boston, the Angels hitters looked very comfortable against the power arms of the Red Sox bullpen, tagging Jonathan Paplebon for four runs in the final game. The Angels offence may not be as good as the Yankees, but they are much more dangerous than the Twins team that New York contained for three games. One area where the Yankees do possess a particularly clear advantage over the Angels is in the bullpen – Brian Fuentes has not been the dominant closer Los Angeles had hoped for when they signed him and with Chamberlin, Hughes and Rivera in the Yankee pen, they can shorten a game to seven innings when they are leading. Here is my prediction for the series: Kate Hudson dumps A-Rod, AJ Burnett and George Posada get in a fight, Scott Boras demands that Mark Tiexeria be traded mid series, Joba Chamberlin gets another DUI, Andy Pettite starts doing steroids again, no matter who is winning Erick Aybar smiles the whole time and the Angels win in seven.
Monday, October 5, 2009
The End of the Riccardi Era
Over the weekend, Paul Beeston did what many Blue Jays fans wanted done a long time ago. J.P Riccardi’s record as an executive was a spotty one at best. Many have noted his lackluster draft record, his knack for signing players to bloated contracts that ended up biting the Jays in the ass and his inability to build a team that got passed the Yankees and Red Sox (even though the Rays did). But lets not give him shit because he passed on Troy Tulowtizski, traded away Michael Young, or gave long term contracts to Frank Thomas, Cory Koskie, BJ Ryan and Alex Rios. Let’s give him shit because he never knew how to handle being the front office voice for a major league team. It started when he traded Shannon Stewart to the Minnesota Twins the year Riccardi arrived in Toronto. Stewart complained that Riccardi handled the situation with little class, and since that day it seems that the most captivating stories around the Blue Jays (coincidentally because Riccardi hasn’t been able to build a team that can captivate us with their performance) have been J.P.’s blunders and mishaps. Remember when he sent Orlando Hudson to the minors for calling him a smooth pimp? Or when he publicly criticized Adam Dunn (and then lied about apologizing)? When Carlos Tosca was fired, many players were apparently forbidden from saying goodbye to him. What the hell J.P.? This summers handling of the Roy Halladay trade solidified the fact that J.P just couldn’t get it right when it came to handling the media pressures associated with being a general manager. But the one thing that chapped my ass most of all through the Riccardi years was J.P’s constant complaining about how hard it was to compete in the AL East with the Yankees and Red Sox. For eight years, he told Jays fans that they didn’t have a chance, always pointing to next year (and that was if things fell the right way). He essentially told us not to bother watching the team he put together. As badly as I want to be a major league general manager, sadly I am not. This means that I can look past Riccardi’s failings in terms of player development, free agent singings and the lack of on field results – I would probably do a worse job than him. But what I can’t look past is all the times he made Jays fans feel shitty about being Jays fans, by saying things that made the franchise look bad and by telling us we didn’t have a chance in hell. Here’s to hoping he handles his words with more care at his next job.
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