It's almost hard to believe that, after a crazy season that we just finished, that the following offseason hasn't captured the same flair as the months preceding. So, we'll get to what's happened so far, little as it is.
The Florida Marlins seem to be one of the few teams that realize that it's time to wheel and deal now that there are no games to play. They shipped Cameron Maybin and Dan Uggla out to San Diego and Atlanta respectively, and signed ex-Jays catcher John Buck to a 3-year deal. Signing Buck was a big plus for Florida, seeing as they had nothing this season that resembled a reliable starting catcher. Now, John Buck is no Joe Mauer, but after finally having a breakout season last year (his 6th season as a major leaguer), his trade stock rose considerably and the Marlins snatched him up before anyone else could. As far as Maybin goes, he should help the Padres' outfield with his youth (he's 23, going to a team where the average age of an outfielder is 30), but after a moderately disappointing tenure with the Marlins, he's going to have to improve quite a bit to make a splash. I can't see how the Fish benefit at all from losing Uggla; he's 26, never been on the DL, and is the first second baseman in history to reach 4 consecutive 30+ home run seasons. He'll definitely add a lot of depth and power to a Braves lineup that could certainly use it. On the flip side, gaining Omar Infante is not something I would necessarily call positive, but seeing as he's a strong utility player on a team where consistency is not something normally associated with many of the players not named Hanley Ramirez, he may be able to have a bigger effect on Florida's playoff hopes than he did for Atlanta's.
I read on ESPNNewYork.com that Derek Jeter's personal trainer has completely lost touch with reality, in that he believes Jeter could be a viable, worthwhile player for the Yanks until 2017, coincidentally the same year fan favorite Alex Rodriguez's deal expires. Now, as even the casual reader of this blog will know, it's true that 2010 was Jeet's worst statistical year of his career. However, 2009 was one of his best, something not usually said of a 35-year-old shortstop playing every day in a game full of kids half his age. The trainer claims that his client will bounce back and have a remarkable season in 2011, and hopefully beyond. Of course, this is mainly contingent on Jeter and Yanks GM Brian Cashman ever agreeing on his future and what he's worth, but only The Almighty Himself knows when that deal will come to pass.
2 of the big 3 awards have been presented in the time since I last posted: Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young. No surprises in 3 out of 4...Buster Posey won the NL award for rookies, and Neftali Feliz won it in the AL...Roy Halladay won the NL Cy Young, becoming just the 5th pitcher in history to win the award in both leagues...and then, something miraculous happened. Felix Hernandez, a starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners who went just 13-12 the entire regular season, beat out CC Sabathia, the only pitcher in the AL with 20 or more wins this season, for the AL Cy Young. Apparently, this comes as a shock only to me. Every analyst I've watched or read predicted this would happen. And it makes sense: King Felix led in ERA (2.27) and innings pitched (249.2), and came second in strikeouts (232), trailing the Angels' Jered Weaver by only 1 K. However, it's always been my understanding that all those unimportant stats are thrown out the window come voting time, and that it's all about what you have to show for your efforts: those precious wins. It seems this is no longer the case, and rightfully so. If a pitcher's stats are great, but his win-loss record is not far from south of .500, it reflects more on his team's inability to provide sweet run support to boost him up and away. This is a problem Zack Greinke is far too familiar with. It'd certainly be nice to see both hurlers on teams where they can have a bigger effect in the coming years.
Boy, I wish more trades and signings would happen...is that too much to ask?
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Money Makes The World Go 'Round.
I was reading a blog for the St. Louis Cardinals, and they were taking a poll: is Albert Pujols worth $20-25 million per year?
Now, the only answers you could put were "yes" or "no"; however, there should have been a third option, "That depends, how badly do you want a shot at a championship?"
Questions like this are becoming more and more apropos of this offseason. It's all about the money. And it's not just my boys in New York that are looking to spend more money than the movie Avatar grossed on some choice free agents; Texas is prepared to spend their entire budget to keep Cliff Lee, Boston hopes to sign Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford for extravagant prices, and Kansas City is looking to unload Zack Greinke for any team willing to "make it rain". This year, it seems like team loyalties and the like mean much less than the number on the paycheck. Call it greediness, chalk it up to a bad economy, or wish ill on the agents for playing into all this so heavily that it's better than following a soap opera. The fact of the matter is that large amounts of money could change the game heavily in the upcoming months (surprisingly enough).
As I like to tell anyone that argues with me on how the Yanks spend more money than they can make on players, money buys just that: the physical human being to play for them. It does not buy, guarantee or even determine talent. Here's some examples: Randy Johnson was one of the greatest pitchers of all time, that's non-negotiable. But the time he spent on the Yankees was quite possibly the worst time of his career. Barry Zito made more money this year than everyone reading this will make in their entire lives combined, and he had a 9-14 record with a 4.15 ERA and was left off the Giants' postseason roster completely (maybe that's why they won?). And how much money do you think the Rays spent on Carlos Pena this season, when he hit for .196 and was injured for 2 weeks down the stretch? The answer is over $10 million. MONEY DOESN'T BUY CHAMPIONSHIPS. It buys players. And the players do what they will from there, it's all in their hands once the contract is signed.
However, as disgusting as the lucrative side of baseball is, any fan knows teams have to spend money to get said good players. Would Ichiro have stayed long enough in Seattle, a town he's given so much to and they haven't even given him a playoff berth in return, if it weren't for the millions of dollars they throw his way to make sure that as he's reaching hitting milestones and earning his 10th consecutive Gold Glove in a Mariners uniform? Would Chipper Jones have spent his entire career in Atlanta instead of going elsewhere to a city with a team that doesn't immediately gag when they play in October, if it weren't for the millions of fans willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to watch him fumble around like a true veteran? Hell, I'm able to admit that, without the ungodly contracts they're signed to, half of the Yankees' lineup and rotation would still be playing in Cleveland, Texas, and Detroit. So let's remove the stigma from spending a lot of money to buy players. Every team does it in some capacity, no one's exempt.
Boy howdy, I wish more stuff had happened already regarding offseason signings and free-agency...there's nothing to talk about right now.
Now, the only answers you could put were "yes" or "no"; however, there should have been a third option, "That depends, how badly do you want a shot at a championship?"
Questions like this are becoming more and more apropos of this offseason. It's all about the money. And it's not just my boys in New York that are looking to spend more money than the movie Avatar grossed on some choice free agents; Texas is prepared to spend their entire budget to keep Cliff Lee, Boston hopes to sign Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford for extravagant prices, and Kansas City is looking to unload Zack Greinke for any team willing to "make it rain". This year, it seems like team loyalties and the like mean much less than the number on the paycheck. Call it greediness, chalk it up to a bad economy, or wish ill on the agents for playing into all this so heavily that it's better than following a soap opera. The fact of the matter is that large amounts of money could change the game heavily in the upcoming months (surprisingly enough).
As I like to tell anyone that argues with me on how the Yanks spend more money than they can make on players, money buys just that: the physical human being to play for them. It does not buy, guarantee or even determine talent. Here's some examples: Randy Johnson was one of the greatest pitchers of all time, that's non-negotiable. But the time he spent on the Yankees was quite possibly the worst time of his career. Barry Zito made more money this year than everyone reading this will make in their entire lives combined, and he had a 9-14 record with a 4.15 ERA and was left off the Giants' postseason roster completely (maybe that's why they won?). And how much money do you think the Rays spent on Carlos Pena this season, when he hit for .196 and was injured for 2 weeks down the stretch? The answer is over $10 million. MONEY DOESN'T BUY CHAMPIONSHIPS. It buys players. And the players do what they will from there, it's all in their hands once the contract is signed.
However, as disgusting as the lucrative side of baseball is, any fan knows teams have to spend money to get said good players. Would Ichiro have stayed long enough in Seattle, a town he's given so much to and they haven't even given him a playoff berth in return, if it weren't for the millions of dollars they throw his way to make sure that as he's reaching hitting milestones and earning his 10th consecutive Gold Glove in a Mariners uniform? Would Chipper Jones have spent his entire career in Atlanta instead of going elsewhere to a city with a team that doesn't immediately gag when they play in October, if it weren't for the millions of fans willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to watch him fumble around like a true veteran? Hell, I'm able to admit that, without the ungodly contracts they're signed to, half of the Yankees' lineup and rotation would still be playing in Cleveland, Texas, and Detroit. So let's remove the stigma from spending a lot of money to buy players. Every team does it in some capacity, no one's exempt.
Boy howdy, I wish more stuff had happened already regarding offseason signings and free-agency...there's nothing to talk about right now.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Now, The Real Fun Begins.
Sure, the 6 months of playing, fighting, winning and losing is fun, but if it weren't for the multitude of trading, signing and dealing during the deceptively-named "offseason", we'd probably have nothing to talk about. Thankfully, free agency is a gift that just keeps on giving, all year round. And we here at The Baseball Freak will gladly receive this joyous present all the way through the end of spring training, at which point, we suppose we'll begin to talk about games and all that again.
I'm going to talk about the Yankees trying to sign Cliff Lee, only because no one else is talking about it and I think it deserves at least a little exposure (note: if you're not a hardcore fan or don't follow the offseason closely, I'll let you in on the secret that this sentence might be the most sarcastic thing I've ever written). Apparently, the Yankees brass contacted Lee's agent today, simply to tell him that they will be contacting him again soon. Boy, they're already playing hard to get, huh? What's the point of that? There isn't a baseball fan on earth that DOESN'T know he's their biggest priority in the upcoming months, and that they'll spend an amount of money roughly equal to the GDP of several third-world countries to lock him up for the rest of his supposed "good years". Of course, Texas is going to try their best to keep him where he is, considering that he was a big part of them making their first World Series in franchise history, and despite a spectacularly poor showing in 2 games agains the Giants, they still understand in Arlington that he's far and away one of the best hurlers in the game today. And there's the paltry matter of any of the other 28 teams in the sport possibly making a bid for him, though little has been said about any of the rest showing more than an interest once they realize New York is after him. Assuming he does end up in pinstripes in 2011 (purely hypothetical, of course), he'll bring his 102-61 record, along with a 3.85 career ERA (remember, he DID play with the Cleveland Indians for 7 years, and the Seattle Mariners the first part of this past season) and 1,085 strikeouts to his name. The most important thing, though, is that he'll be playing for the team that he consistently beats: I believe he's 6-1 against them in the past 3 years with an ERA that would make Steinbrenner roll over in his grave. And with Sabathia and Lee atop the rotation, together again in a town where they can actually win, the Bronx boys become that much more threatening to anyone's postseason hopes.
Believe it or not, there ARE other free agents out there this year. For instance, Carl Crawford, the number 2 focus of any team based in the Northeast or Southwest. He's still somewhat young, fast on the basepath, a pretty heavy hitter, and available: what more do I really need to say? Speculation is that whoever misses out on the Yanks/Lee extravaganza will be awarded Crawford as a consolation prize; there is more legitimate talk that he'll be in a Red Sox uniform, though. Think about it...who's the most recognizable name in the Boston outfield? J.D. Drew? Ryan Kalish? Give me a break, the only reason we pay attention to the Green Monster is to see poeple hit balls over it. Jacoby Ellsbury is the only saving grace there, and he's injured more often than not. Throw Crawford in there, especially in a lineup that possesses a David Ortiz that just won't quit (who wins the Home Run Derby in their 13th season? Shouldn't he be close to retirement instead?) and Pedroia and Youkilis (again, when healthy) as backup, and the BoSox finally become a threat again. There's also whispers that he'll be traded to the Los Angeles Angels; should that come to pass instead, Crawford would either see a lot of time on the bench, or designated/pinch hitting, or knocking Bobby Abreu out of a starting job. This only lends more credence to the theory that he'll be a Red Sox by spring training, but only time (and money) will tell.
Another player in the same vein as Crawdaddy is Jayson Werth, who apparently just got the memo about the "Caveman" look Johnny Damon so famously wore during Boston's historic World Series run in '04. Although he's 31 and a 8-year veteran (mainly riding the bench with the Blue Jays and Dodgers before bursting onto the scene with the Phils in '07), he's highly valued for his inexplicable ability to somehow make the right hit or play in most any situation for Philadelphia. I'm sure they'd love to resign him, but there is a lot of talk that he'll be looking elsewhere. Of course, New York and Boston have been mentioned...surprisingly, so have places like Atlanta and Detroit. To be honest, he's not a terribly showy player, which is what makes him enticing to many teams: he quietly gives the run support and defensive capabilities any team would desire. However, his career stats are somewhat less than impressive, and they say numbers don't lie, so he may not be as much of a hot topic as the aforementioned two.
I suppose that's all for now. I'll write again when there's been more action. Keep it here, all.
I'm going to talk about the Yankees trying to sign Cliff Lee, only because no one else is talking about it and I think it deserves at least a little exposure (note: if you're not a hardcore fan or don't follow the offseason closely, I'll let you in on the secret that this sentence might be the most sarcastic thing I've ever written). Apparently, the Yankees brass contacted Lee's agent today, simply to tell him that they will be contacting him again soon. Boy, they're already playing hard to get, huh? What's the point of that? There isn't a baseball fan on earth that DOESN'T know he's their biggest priority in the upcoming months, and that they'll spend an amount of money roughly equal to the GDP of several third-world countries to lock him up for the rest of his supposed "good years". Of course, Texas is going to try their best to keep him where he is, considering that he was a big part of them making their first World Series in franchise history, and despite a spectacularly poor showing in 2 games agains the Giants, they still understand in Arlington that he's far and away one of the best hurlers in the game today. And there's the paltry matter of any of the other 28 teams in the sport possibly making a bid for him, though little has been said about any of the rest showing more than an interest once they realize New York is after him. Assuming he does end up in pinstripes in 2011 (purely hypothetical, of course), he'll bring his 102-61 record, along with a 3.85 career ERA (remember, he DID play with the Cleveland Indians for 7 years, and the Seattle Mariners the first part of this past season) and 1,085 strikeouts to his name. The most important thing, though, is that he'll be playing for the team that he consistently beats: I believe he's 6-1 against them in the past 3 years with an ERA that would make Steinbrenner roll over in his grave. And with Sabathia and Lee atop the rotation, together again in a town where they can actually win, the Bronx boys become that much more threatening to anyone's postseason hopes.
Believe it or not, there ARE other free agents out there this year. For instance, Carl Crawford, the number 2 focus of any team based in the Northeast or Southwest. He's still somewhat young, fast on the basepath, a pretty heavy hitter, and available: what more do I really need to say? Speculation is that whoever misses out on the Yanks/Lee extravaganza will be awarded Crawford as a consolation prize; there is more legitimate talk that he'll be in a Red Sox uniform, though. Think about it...who's the most recognizable name in the Boston outfield? J.D. Drew? Ryan Kalish? Give me a break, the only reason we pay attention to the Green Monster is to see poeple hit balls over it. Jacoby Ellsbury is the only saving grace there, and he's injured more often than not. Throw Crawford in there, especially in a lineup that possesses a David Ortiz that just won't quit (who wins the Home Run Derby in their 13th season? Shouldn't he be close to retirement instead?) and Pedroia and Youkilis (again, when healthy) as backup, and the BoSox finally become a threat again. There's also whispers that he'll be traded to the Los Angeles Angels; should that come to pass instead, Crawford would either see a lot of time on the bench, or designated/pinch hitting, or knocking Bobby Abreu out of a starting job. This only lends more credence to the theory that he'll be a Red Sox by spring training, but only time (and money) will tell.
Another player in the same vein as Crawdaddy is Jayson Werth, who apparently just got the memo about the "Caveman" look Johnny Damon so famously wore during Boston's historic World Series run in '04. Although he's 31 and a 8-year veteran (mainly riding the bench with the Blue Jays and Dodgers before bursting onto the scene with the Phils in '07), he's highly valued for his inexplicable ability to somehow make the right hit or play in most any situation for Philadelphia. I'm sure they'd love to resign him, but there is a lot of talk that he'll be looking elsewhere. Of course, New York and Boston have been mentioned...surprisingly, so have places like Atlanta and Detroit. To be honest, he's not a terribly showy player, which is what makes him enticing to many teams: he quietly gives the run support and defensive capabilities any team would desire. However, his career stats are somewhat less than impressive, and they say numbers don't lie, so he may not be as much of a hot topic as the aforementioned two.
I suppose that's all for now. I'll write again when there's been more action. Keep it here, all.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sometimes, Goliath Beats David.
I'll be damned. The San Francisco Giants have done something they haven't done since they were based in New York...they won the World Series. Not only that, they won it in truly fantastic fashion.
Beating Cliff Lee isn't simple. Beating Cliff Lee in the postseason is even more difficult. And yet, these Giants did it with such ease that it begs the question: why couldn't the Yankees or Rays do it before them? What made this National League team light their bats up against a pitcher that's supposedly one of the most dominant in the game right now? How is it that Edgar Renteria, who only hit 3 home runs the entire regular season, hit 2 just in this World Series? How is it that Josh Hamilton, the ALCS MVP and one of the best hitters on the Rangers, went 2-20 against San Fran? Should we all truly fear Brian Wilson's beard, or his 6 saves out of 7 opportunities with an ERA consisting solely of goose eggs? Why won't Tim Lincecum get a haircut? Does his long hair and striking resemblance to Alanis Morrisette throw batters off? Does Bruce Bochy know something about molding players into champions that Ronnie Washington just can't recreate? DID THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS REALLY JUST WIN THE WORLD SERIES BY BEATING THE TEXAS RANGERS IN 5 GAMES IN 2010?!
It's hard to process. But, as I've said, this is a good way to end such an unpredictable season. Seriously, who on earth would have guessed either of these teams would make it to the Show? Hell, even when they did, I guessed Rangers in 6. I didn't anticipate Giants in 5. No one anticipated Giants in 5. Even the Giants didn't start off anticipating Giants in 5. And no one is anticipating Giants in 5 in 2011. The best thing for either of these teams (yes, even Texas benefits from this) is that it shows that they've finally become teams that are legitimate contenders. This shows us that my beloved Yankees and the Phillies aren't the only boys that can win in October. This shows us that nothing in this game is predictable, that anything is still possible. In a game full of performance-enhancing drugs, millionaires arguing with billionaires, dumb policies that shouldn't be in place (and some that should be), this series has shown us that nothing is a given. It's entirely possible that my joking prediction of a Twins/Padres showdown in late October may not be as silly as it sounds. Anything is possible.
The Giants' pitching accounted for most of the dominance, but if Renteria, Cody Ross, Juan Uribe and Aubrey Huff hadn't had some timely blasts, things may have turned out a little differently (not much: they had 29 hits, compared to San Fran's 42). However, due to Cliff Lee completely melting down, and the starters following him pretty much following suite (and an absolutely spectacular failure of the Texas bullpen), it may have been best if team president Nolan Ryan jogged back onto the mound. Hey, the way his pitchers threw, it certainly couldn't have hurt. The fact of the matter is this: the Rangers, although favored by many to win (including myself), simply emulated the defending champs of both leagues last year...they played in a manner that they didn't deserve to win. As much as I would have loved to see Ian Kinsler be the first Jew to have a World Series win since Sandy Koufax, and I think it would have been a better story for the Rangers to take it all, they didn't play like they wanted it, and they damn sure didn't get it.
And so, as we move into what is sure to be an eventful offseason, we here at The Baseball Freak would like to salute the San Francisco Giants for completely defying all my predictions (remember, I didn't even think they'd make the playoffs) and winning the 106th Fall Classic. You certainly earned it. And as a final thought before we move towards 2011...GO YANKEES.
Beating Cliff Lee isn't simple. Beating Cliff Lee in the postseason is even more difficult. And yet, these Giants did it with such ease that it begs the question: why couldn't the Yankees or Rays do it before them? What made this National League team light their bats up against a pitcher that's supposedly one of the most dominant in the game right now? How is it that Edgar Renteria, who only hit 3 home runs the entire regular season, hit 2 just in this World Series? How is it that Josh Hamilton, the ALCS MVP and one of the best hitters on the Rangers, went 2-20 against San Fran? Should we all truly fear Brian Wilson's beard, or his 6 saves out of 7 opportunities with an ERA consisting solely of goose eggs? Why won't Tim Lincecum get a haircut? Does his long hair and striking resemblance to Alanis Morrisette throw batters off? Does Bruce Bochy know something about molding players into champions that Ronnie Washington just can't recreate? DID THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS REALLY JUST WIN THE WORLD SERIES BY BEATING THE TEXAS RANGERS IN 5 GAMES IN 2010?!
It's hard to process. But, as I've said, this is a good way to end such an unpredictable season. Seriously, who on earth would have guessed either of these teams would make it to the Show? Hell, even when they did, I guessed Rangers in 6. I didn't anticipate Giants in 5. No one anticipated Giants in 5. Even the Giants didn't start off anticipating Giants in 5. And no one is anticipating Giants in 5 in 2011. The best thing for either of these teams (yes, even Texas benefits from this) is that it shows that they've finally become teams that are legitimate contenders. This shows us that my beloved Yankees and the Phillies aren't the only boys that can win in October. This shows us that nothing in this game is predictable, that anything is still possible. In a game full of performance-enhancing drugs, millionaires arguing with billionaires, dumb policies that shouldn't be in place (and some that should be), this series has shown us that nothing is a given. It's entirely possible that my joking prediction of a Twins/Padres showdown in late October may not be as silly as it sounds. Anything is possible.
The Giants' pitching accounted for most of the dominance, but if Renteria, Cody Ross, Juan Uribe and Aubrey Huff hadn't had some timely blasts, things may have turned out a little differently (not much: they had 29 hits, compared to San Fran's 42). However, due to Cliff Lee completely melting down, and the starters following him pretty much following suite (and an absolutely spectacular failure of the Texas bullpen), it may have been best if team president Nolan Ryan jogged back onto the mound. Hey, the way his pitchers threw, it certainly couldn't have hurt. The fact of the matter is this: the Rangers, although favored by many to win (including myself), simply emulated the defending champs of both leagues last year...they played in a manner that they didn't deserve to win. As much as I would have loved to see Ian Kinsler be the first Jew to have a World Series win since Sandy Koufax, and I think it would have been a better story for the Rangers to take it all, they didn't play like they wanted it, and they damn sure didn't get it.
And so, as we move into what is sure to be an eventful offseason, we here at The Baseball Freak would like to salute the San Francisco Giants for completely defying all my predictions (remember, I didn't even think they'd make the playoffs) and winning the 106th Fall Classic. You certainly earned it. And as a final thought before we move towards 2011...GO YANKEES.
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