it was the heat of the moment

July 31, 2009 at 12:02 pm | In Baseball | 9 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Trade deadline live-ish blogging!

4:32: Whoa. Late in the game, Padres pull off biggest deal of the day. Pitchers Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell, and Dexter Carter for Peavy. Peavy’s locked down through 2012, but he’s currently injured, and that’s a lot of talent – mostly Poreda – for such a question mark. If the Padres wanted to shed payroll, they did a nice job doing so with no leverage against Chicago.

4:27: Is this an elaborate joke by a few writers on Twitter (notably Jon Heyman) and MLB Trade Rumors? Apparently, Jake Peavy has been traded to the White Sox, despite being on the DL for the last few months. This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen this late in the game.

4:19: Chase Weems, not Austin Jackson, for Jerry Hairston. Much better for Yankees, alas; Weems would have to be a great defensive catcher for his offensive abilities to portend anything but minor league fodder. Reds also gave up too much for Scott Rolen – Edwin Encarnacion just isn’t that bad, and they gave up two near-ready arms in Josh Roenicke and Zachary Stewart. I don’t see future superstars there, but two solid relievers and Encarnacion looks steep, unless the Blue Jays are paying some of Rolen’s $10 million for 2010. That said, I am also jealous; I was hoping Rolen was Boston-bound if they could flip Lowell.

4:16: I’m a bit frustrated that the Red Sox didn’t go after Nick Johnson instead of Casey Kotchman, but it mighta taken too much time to find another taker for LaRoche. Plus, Kotchman’s defense essentially makes this a lateral move for 2009. Now, I’m just waiting for confirmation that Halladay’s staying in Toronto and that the Padres and Yankees have been stagnant.

4:09: Clarifying my last comment: I meant for Johnson and for the Marlins. Certainly not for the Nationals, as prospect Aaron Thompson is a pretty laughable return for Johnson. 22 and struggling at AA? Ugh.

4:03: Rumors of Nick Johnson to Marlins. I like this on both ends; very glad to see Florida actually going for it and Johnson moving to a possible contender.

3:58: Apparently not Austin Jackson for Hairston, and Rolen’s for Encarnacion plus a minor leaguer. Okay, back to Cincy not having a great day, but not a BAD day, depending on prospects.

3:48: Austin Jackson for Jerry Hairston? Looks like a big overpayment by Yankees; I’ll retract what I implied about Cincy not knowing what it’s doing if this report is accurate.

3:40: Rolen to Reds. Seems odd that they’re trying this “win now” stuff in Cincy while dealing a big piece of their bench (Hairston), and presumably Edwin Encarnacion heading north.

3:28: Adam LaRoche for Casey Kotchman? That’s a downgrade for the 2009 Red Sox, but cheaper in the future. Of course, Sox + cheap = WHY?

3:23: Stuff coming fast and furious now, but with no idea what prospects are involved in any of these deals. Rockies added a nice bullpen arm in Joe Beimel.

3:20: This Gonzalez-to-Dodgers thing has to be made up. How could Padres walk away from that with anything less than Kershaw? Yankees add Jerry Hairston, Jr.; should be a nice piece off the bench, and sadly, no schadenfreude about an Arroyo acquisition yet.

3:12: Bryan Price as third pitcher to Cleveland… college reliever moved back to starting; looks very good in A-ball, but it’s A-ball. Seems like another Knapp for Cleveland – high upside, no guarantees. Meanwhile, Gordon Edes says Adam LaRoche to Braves; I’m hoping this means bullpen help for Red Sox.

2:56: MLB Network reports that Dodgers may have a chance at Adrian Gonzalez. If that happens and if they don’t get completely taken, I’ll be crushed that the Sox didn’t make that deal instead of getting Martinez.

2:40: Reportedly Justin Masterson on top of Hagadone. Still looking like a nice deal for Red Sox, as Masterson’s problems vs. left-handers limit his value quite a bit and Hagadone is still a ways off. Remains to be seen what else is involved or if Boston will target a new long man.

2:35 PM: Matthew Pouliot throws out the name of Nick Hagadone; Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard reportedly not involved. If this is true, sounds hard for Boston to screw it up.

2:02 PM: Still waiting on confirmation and price of Victor. Also increasingly terrified of how much time the Yankees have to counter-punch here.

1:57 PM: Sounds like Red Sox finally about to pull trigger on Victor Martinez. After all the Adrian Gonzalez and Halladay talks, this is a bit anticlimactic, I’m sad to say. Dare I dream this isn’t all?

Yes, I dare. I’m an idiot.

1:30 PM: It comes to my attention that Orlando Cabrera’s glove isn’t even good anymore. Starting to seem that Beane didn’t get something for nothing; he got something for less than nothing.

1:19 PM: Los Angeles Dodgers traded P Claudio Vargas to Milwaukee Brewers for C Vinny Rottino. Nothing but a depth move here; Vargas has been through Milwaukee once before and they know he’s not a great bet to give much. Rottino’s 29 and has seen his bat decline since 2006 and 2007.

1:14 PM: “According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the Twins have acquired Orlando Cabrera from the A’s for 21-year-old shorstop Tyler Ladendorf.” Unless Ladendorf stays at shortstop, don’t see him making the bigs; Cot’s Contracts informs me that the A’s agreed not to offer arbitration if Cabrera is a Type A free agent, so draft picks wouldn’t be an issue; looks like trying to get something instead of nothing, plus save a million bucks or so.

1:01 PM: Rumblings of SS Orlando Cabrera being traded from Oakland A’s to Minnesota Twins. Nice glove, but with his bat (and at his age), I’m just glad the Red Sox are apparently staying out of this.

11:40 AM: Seattle Mariners traded SP Jarrod Washburn to Detroit Tigers for SPs Lucas French and Mauricio Robles.

First reaction: “CRAP! The Yankees didn’t get Washburn!” I was fairly confident he’d be eaten alive in a hitter-friendly ballpark in New York, and believe his low-strikeout, flyball tendencies were in one of the best ballparks for a pitcher of such abilities.

Even so, this is a bit disappointing for Seattle; French might be able to serve as a back-end starter right now, but Robles’ high strikeouts in the low minors are accompanied by some iffy control. With a pretty solid 23-year-old as well as a higher-upside young guy, Seattle didn’t walk away empty-handed, but I again expected there was more of a market for this pitcher and one could have found a bit better of a prospect package.

Now it’s time to hope the Yankees “address” their “problems” with Bronson Arroyo.

Yesterday, Pittsburgh Pirates traded RP John Grabow and SP Tom Gorzelanny to Chicago Cubs for Ps Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio and 2B Josh Harrison.

I don’t have much to say here; Grabow’s 30 and has major walk problems, while Gorzelanny’s low strikeouts would need to be accompanied by vastly superior control for him to have any sort of upside. The latter pitcher went completely off the rails in 2008, but like Ian Snell, has looked good at AAA and could improve. Still, Hart and Ascanio are less of question marks – they could probably help from the bullpen right now – and Harrison, while old for his league, was a college draft pick just last year and could have a nice bat if he can stick at second base. Solid pickup by the Pirates for a free agent to be and a guy about to get more expensive.

bust a move

July 24, 2009 at 8:37 pm | In Baseball | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Because trades are starting to come steadily, I’m abandoning my “Sunday roundup” format for the next week. There’s no real reason I can’t give some succinct transaction reviews during the week, particularly since the trade deadline falls on a Friday and I’ll likely have waning enthusiasm two days later for most of the news.

Pujols is no longer alone: The Cardinals, realizing that their offense is basically Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick, wisely pursued the best outfielder presumed to be on the trade market in Oakland’s Matt Holliday. Holliday’s numbers have slipped noticably since leaving Colorado, but he’ll still bring more to the plate than St. Louis’ alternatives. The question, however, is whether it was worth it – Holliday will be a free agent after the season, and the prospect cost looks rather steep for a few months of a non-elite player.3B Brett Wallace seems overhyped for someone with only a small stint of dominant hitting at AA and not much of a defensive reputation, but he’s not yet 23 and showed a lot of offensive potential in his college career at Arizona State. Starter Clay Mortensen looks like pitching depth at best, but again, youth mitigates things; at 24, further improvement, while not guaranteed, is far from impossible. The rawest talent the A’s received was in 21-year-old outfielder Shane Peterson, who looks like the sort of player the A’s might have drafted with their second compensation pick had they lost Holliday in free agency.

With that, and Wallace’s upside, taken into consideration, it’s a solid haul for Oakland; while Wallace could very conceivably make the Cardinals look back in regret, it’s hard to fault them for giving up the two replaceable minor leaguers with the NL Central title looking very attainable.  Just how great a cost such a victory would come at is a matter of one’s faith in Wallace turning into an impact player.

Red Sox get better for free: Julio Lugo should not have been designated for assignment, but he was; by this week, he had to be considered a sunk cost for the Red Sox, and managing to turn him into anything before he cleared waivers would be a nice move. Theo Epstein did a little better than “anything,” acquiring from the Cardinals 1B/OF Chris Duncan. While Duncan’s defense and health are huge liabilities, he is only 28 and brings a little pop and the ability to take a walk. Perhaps most importantly, he also gave Boston – dealing with an injured Jeff Bailey and underachieving Chris Carter and Paul McAnulty – the organizational depth to finally cut ties with the utterly futile use of a roster spot that is Mark Kotsay.

Kotsay might not have been replaced on the major league roster, however, had the Sox not also acquired 1B Adam LaRoche from the Pirates. LaRoche is a platoon player who should only start against right-handed pitchers, but he allows Kevin Youkilis to shift to third and spell the quickly-aged Mike Lowell. More importantly, he has eliminated Boston’s most glaring weakness (in specifically Kotsay and in general lack of someone to play over Lowell) at a minimal cost: the club is taking on just $3 million in payroll, and gave Pittsburgh nothing more than organizational filler in Argenis Diaz (a no-hit shortstop who was cluttering the 40-man roster) and Hunter Strickland (who, while young, neither strikes guys out nor keeps the ball in the park). While Boston could make themselves the divisional favorite by adding an impact player before next Friday, they have added the only thing they absolutely needed in LaRoche.

Indians save some money: Okay, that was harsh. Rafael Betancourt’s 2010 option for over $5 million wasn’t going to be picked up by a team that has quit pretending to care about spending money on players, and draft compensation for a Type B free agent would hinge upon them actually offering arbitration to Betancourt, which is hardly a given. Considering that, sending Betancourt to the Rockies for Connor Graham isn’t the worst thing Cleveland could have done; Graham has some chance of being a useful major leaguer in his future. That’s about all I can say, though; while he can certainly strike guys out, he’s had control problems in A-ball, and his main asset – home run prevention – looks like more luck than ground ball tendencies. The one thing that could turn things around would be a move to the bullpen, but we’ll have to see how the Indians handle their new prospect.

Padres raise eyebrows: While many comments online are highly critical of San Diego GM Kevin Towers, I liked the move that sent reliever Cla Meredith to Baltimore. Meredith, 26, is a useful middle reliever, but he’s headed to arbitration this winter and the Padres are trying to cut payroll. Their bounty, 31-year-old infielder Oscar Salazar, looks like a late bloomer; he made some noise with a big 2008 at AAA and then continued to be a surprise in the bigs. While he may be nothing more than a backup corner infielder, he has less service time than Meredith and thus is a cheaper option for a team on a budget. The most intriguing part, however, is that his arrival in San Diego could be seen as a precursor to the club finally trading 1B Adrian Gonzalez – reported to be unlikely – or 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff.

Uninteresting player dealt to uninteresting team in uninteresting trade: That’s the best way to describe the snoozefest of a trade that sent 2B Felipe Lopez to Milwaukee, and I’ll understand if readers zone out for the rest of this post. Lopez seems, to me, like he’s been a Brewer before, but he has not; I assume that my mind just saw “middling infielder who isn’t great at anything but isn’t awful, either” and thought of Milwaukee. The Brewers sent Arizona a pair of similarly unremarkable prospects; Roque Mercedes looks like your run-of-the-mill minor-league reliever, while Cole Gillespie’s walk abilities and doubles power don’t make the 25-year-old look like a great bet in left field.

one bourbon, one scotch, one beer

February 18, 2009 at 12:01 am | In Baseball, Rooting Hierarchies | 4 Comments
Tags: ,

16. Milwaukee Brewers (41.89% schedule-weighted support)
Last Ranking: 13
Added: SPs Braden Looper and Nick Green; RPs Trevor Hoffman, Jorge Julio, R.J. Swindle, and Eduardo Morlan; OFs Trot Nixon and Chris Duffy; 1B Scott Thorman
Lost: SPs CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets; 3B Russell Branyan; OF Gabe Kapler; RPs Salomon Torres (retired), Brian Shouse, Guillermo Mota, Derrick Turnbow, and Eric Gagne; 2B Ray Durham; IF Joe Dillon
Strengths: In the words of Estelle Costanza, “GOOD FOR YOU, LLOYD!” LF Ryan Braun is but one of a group of impressive hitters under 30, including 1B Prince Fielder, 2B Rickie Weeks, SS J.J. Hardy (who is coming off a career year), and RF Corey Hart (who slipped in 2008 but has looked impressive in recent years). While all but Braun have noteworthy drawbacks – Weeks’ strikeouts, Prince’s defense, Hart’s resistance to walking, Hardy’s rough 2006 campaign – it’s tough not to love a lineup with so much upside and so little probability of steep decline.

The rotation boasts an impressive standout of its own: 23-year-old SP Yovani Gallardo, whose 2008 knee injury shouldn’t be a point of concern going forward and who has been a great pitcher since coming up in 2007. He could get some help in 2009 from cheap bullpen pickups “The Great R ‘n’ J” Swindle, a lefty whose only weakness seems to be the long ball, and Jorge Julio, a veteran whose walk rate is a concern. Despite their flaws, both should be nice assets at their meager costs.
Weaknesses: Behind Gallardo, the rotation is sadly lacking in front-of-the-rotation arms. Halfway through his four-year contract, Jeff Suppan will make $12.5 million to pitch to a level that will most likely be no greater than a borderline fifth starter, while Looper looks to be no more than an innings-eater but could still be the team’s #2 or 3. If Chris Capuano can come back strong after Tommy John surgery, the rotation might be salvageable, but it is very far from a strength after the team lost Sheets and Sabathia.

Looper’s signing should push Carlos Villanueva and Seth McClung to more certain bullpen roles, but despite the Brewers’ depth in middle relief, there’s considerable uncertainty about the closer. Hoffman is 41, and while I’ve been a big fan, there is legitimate concern about the spike in his home run rate – which was actually worse at pitcher-friendly Petco Park than on the road. While I’ll be rooting for him to continue his Hall of Fame career, he seems a risky investment for a medium-market team at a base salary of $6 million.

No review of the Brewers would be complete without noting what an awful hitter C Jason Kendall is, and while he’s one of the team’s best defenders, they really should have considered going after someone like Gregg Zaun. But another offensive hole must be mentioned: after two years of significant decline, 3B Bill Hall looks incredibly unlikely to repeat his 35-homer 2006. Having moved from SS to CF and now 3B, it seems unlikely that he’d keep his starting job if his bat didn’t rebound somewhat. The former shortstop, however, is the only Brewers infielder to give any above-average value with his glove.
My Stake: With big mistakes like Suppan’s and less costly but still inexplicable attachments like Kendall, there’s little to like about the Brewers from an analytical standpoint. They let go of slugging 3B Russell Branyan and excellent defensive OF Gabe Gross, only to replace them with older, lower-upsided options like Mike Lamb and Gabe Kapler. Yet for all their foibles… they are the Milwaukee Brewers, and it feels good to see them emerge from decades of irrelevance to become solid playoff contenders. Beyond that, I salute their aggressiveness in trading for Sabathia last season; while they rode him hard towards the end of the year and could have regretted it if he was their property in the long term, it was refreshing to see a team on the cusp of success willing to go for it even at the cost of a highly-regarded prospect, rather than play it safe and be content at 87 wins.
‘09 Predictions: There’s a decent chance that the 2009 Brewers fall flat after finally making the postseason last year. But while I’m counting on so little from guys like Hoffman, Capuano, and Hall, they’re not locks to be terrible. Even without them, I like the young offense enough to call this a .500 team. Because of the considerable upside if even one of these players has a great year, and thanks in part to the great disparity between the strong positions and the weak, which makes it easier to see where potential upgrades could be sought, I’m going to give them 83 wins. It won’t be enough to pass the Cubs, and will likely fall short of the wildcard, but it’s a respectable enough number.

‘08 rooting hierarchy iii: everybody knows this is nowhere

March 26, 2008 at 10:36 pm | In Baseball, Rooting Hierarchies | 2 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

I had expected to be too apathetic to write much about the 25-10 teams, and accordingly had more teams per post in this middle range.  I’m starting to think that was a poor decision; while I have stronger feelings about teams at the extreme ends of the list, I feel still the need to write solid summaries of why the irrelevant, uninteresting teams ranked where they did.  With so little pre-existing loyalty (or, more bluntly, interest), this group is prone to shifting a lot even with few transactions.

23. Kansas City Royals 24.14% unweighted; 23.75% weighted (25/22.22/25).
Last year: #16. 69-93, 5th in AL Central.
In 2008: For a while, it looked like the Royals were going to pull themselves out of a cycle of hopelessness and impotence. Such optimism should have been destroyed when Gil Meche was signed to a five-year deal last winter. Yet somehow, there was hope that Dayton Moore’s new leadership would turn the club around.

I give up. The Royals’ best move this winter was giving a responsible contract to Brett Tomko, who should be the their #4 starter. The rest of the offseason was spent overpaying mediocre relievers, both Japanese and American, and finally giving way too much money to Jose Guillen, a low-upside veteran whose contract and defense should negate any midseason trade value. Why do they even get to this spot on my hierarchy, then? The lack of expectations lets me go easy on them, and unlike in larger markets, there’s no risk of a blundering GM gaining the illusion of prescience when the team wins despite, not because of, his work.
Prediction: 69-93; 5th in AL Central

22. Milwaukee Brewers 29.31% unweighted; 33.64% weighted (40/25/28.57).
Last year: #9. 83-79, 2nd in NL Central.
In 2008: Maybe this is harsh; the Brewers did have the wisdom to sign Mike Cameron this winter, and young players like Yovani Gallardo and Ryan Braun are a testament to a capable player development system. Yet it almost feels like GM Doug Melvin is blindly flailing and simply getting lucky when things go right; his free agency signings include overpaying a post-prime Jeff Suppan, and I find a problem in simply being willing to give major league contracts to players like Gabe Kapler, Craig Counsell, and most appallingly Jason Kendall, who will receive over four million dollars in 2008. Milwaukee was so desperate to be rid of Johnny Estrada – an all around better catcher than Kendall – that they took on the salary of reliever Guillermo Mota. This mistake was further compounded Tuesday, when the club released Claudio Vargas, a better pitcher than Mota with a similar salary. In short, the team makes too many bizarre blunders to be redeemed by its young talent; they are no longer lovably futile, but instead competitive despite severe missteps.
Prediction: 86-76; 2nd in NL Central

21. Philadelphia Phillies 29.31% unweighted; 21.55% weighted (0/40.91/28.57).
Last year: #15. 89-73, 1st in NL East, lost NLDS.
In 2008: What can one really say about the Phillies? It’s easy to love their high-powered trio of infielders (Howard, Utley, and Rollins), and the sabermetric community has always wanted Pat Burrell to receive recognition for his consistent offensive production, even as infuriating and frustrating as his strikeouts and defense can be. But on the other side of the ball, the team is beyond lost; the majority of the pitching stuff is comprised of ridiculously old veterans, ridiculously bad veterans, and non-prospects. Instead of finding underpaid arms with good upsides, GM Pat Gillick threw money at unremarkable lefty J.C. Romero, traded Geoff Geary for Brad Lidge, and spent the rest of the winter shoring up the 4th-6th outfield spots.
Prediction: 82-80; 3rd in NL East

20. Minnesota Twins 34.48% unweighted; 36.13% weighted (50/22.22/37.5).
Last year: #12. 79-83, 3rd in AL Central.
In 2008: The Twins have been quietly competent in recent years, but in the first winter under a new GM, Minnesota displayed a damning lack of ambition. When they wanted touted-but-troubled Tampa Bay prospect Delmon Young, they were forced to surrender both 25-year-old starter Matt Garza and defense-oriented shortstop Jason Bartlett. When they finally moved ace Johan Santana, it was not for a major-league ready, unlikely-to-miss young player like the Yankees’ Philip Hughes or the Red Sox’ Jacoby Ellsbury, but for a group of riskier, less established prospects from the Mets. The team is too far from contending for their spare parts (trading for Craig Monroe?  Really?) to matter, so their poor taste in free agents is almost irrelevant. Like other teams in this group, the Twins are too unremarkable for me to have any sense of loyalty based on the accomplishments of a departed GM.
Prediction: 76-86; 3rd in AL Central

19. Baltimore Orioles 37.93% unweighted; 35.13% weighted (25/44.44/37.5).
Last year: #25. 69-93, 4th in AL East.
In 2008: It’s easy to see what’s wrong with the Orioles, and no one can blame fans for staying away from a club whose ownership is so thoroughly unlikable. Yet when compared with some other teams’ offseasons, Baltimore’s recent history is fairly unobjectionable. Joining Nick Markakis (24, free agent in 2012) in the outfield are trade acquisitions Luke Scott (29, ‘13) and Adam Jones (22, ‘13). In the same deal that brought Jones – himself a fine bounty for starter Erik Bedard, given contract situations – the O’s added reliever George Sherrill, who, along with 2B Brian Roberts, should be a valuable trading chip during the season (If Baltimore were closer to contending, I would advocate keeping Sherrill – four seasons from free agency – but at age 30, he’s unlikely to be an asset by the time the Orioles will be concerned with “winning now.”). If- and with Baltimore’s history, any and all optimism must be very guarded – GM Andy MacPhail can keep being smarter than his predecessors, the Orioles may cease to be synonymous with failure.
Prediction: 70-92; 5th in AL East

strike another match, go start anew

May 10, 2007 at 6:54 pm | In Baseball, Rooting Hierarchies | 8 Comments
Tags: , , , ,

I erred when I said my non-PSE love was music lists. It’s still baseball; I simply consider the PSE to be the bastard child of baseball statgeekery and heterosexuality. But now that the father (or mother?) of that bastard child has a new outlet, it’s time to get back to basics. I give you… the revised, Statistical Rooting Hierarchy, May Edition.

This lacks the projected-standings-weighted scientificness of David’s methods, but I also don’t consult the standings as much as he does when deciding who to root for in a median-team matchup. Basically, I determined who I’d root for in each head-to-head matchup, allowing for partial preferences (ex: Boston over Cleveland 60% of the time because New York is a bigger threat, and more depressing, than Detroit/Minnesota in the playoffs). I then weighted the teams’ schedules, assuming 11% of their games are against each of the teams in the same division and 11% are interleague matchups (weighted with no regard for actual 2007 interleague opponents). The results, by percentage of support:

Notes: The Red Sox may currently be underrated; if the Yankees take the division lead, Boston will be rooted for ahead of Cleveland and San Diego 100% of the time, rather than the current 60%… the Padres surprisingly don’t take 100% of my support against Detroit or Minnesota, as the AL Central rivals could also be New York’s wild card competition… The Oakland A’s, while theoretically favored, take a hit because they face Boston and Cleveland more than anyone in the National League… In head-to-head play, the Diamondbacks are a 60% favorite over the Brewers… stuck in a division with the Indians and only holding a 60-40 lead on the Twins, the Tigers took the third-biggest hit in ranking… divisional apathy allowed the Pirates to move up five spots… even as I let go of emotional antipathy for them, the Braves fell from 17th to 19th… the only way I can root for the Yankees would be if they’re out of it and Oakland is in it when New York visits Los Angeles of Anaheim in late August. As it’s highly unlikely, they keep their 0% support for now.

2007 rooting hierarchy v: one step closer to knowing

March 30, 2007 at 11:55 am | In Baseball, Rooting Hierarchies | Leave a Comment
Tags: , , ,

Does this series end tomorrow with the top 5, or drag into Sunday with the top 3 getting their own entry? I honestly have no idea! I just know I should have spreadsheeted spreadshate spreadsheeten the teams’ pros and cons and determined my opinion with math, then been even more irrelevant to my non-readers by talking about statistics. Well, plenty of time for that later!

9. Milwaukee Brewers The Brew Crew has slipped two spots since last time, and honestly, they should probably be even lower on this list. Why? Simply put, Jeff Suppan and his four-year contract. Sup is 32, isn’t even an average major league starter, and his career highlight (for me) remains getting tagged out at third base in the 2004 World Series. Then there were the trades of Carlos Lee and Doug Davis… simply put, the team has totally lost its way. But still, they’re the Brewers, so the silliness is sorta cute, and they’ve got a good core of young talent.
8. Detroit Tigers Another team that’s dropped off a bit since 2006. The Tigers still have a fine organization, and I was thrilled to see them win the pennant. There’s a sentimental likability to them, and there’s also a lot to like from an analytical standpoint. Of course, the pennant team included Magglio Ordonez, Todd Jones, and Sean Casey, none of whom were good ideas. And this winter, the team added Jose Mesa and a contract-extended Gary Sheffield to the mix. The love of questionable veterans could be the organization’s downfall, but for now, they’ve got a chance at another playoff run.
7. Tampa Bay Devil Rays To anyone with passing knowledge of Major League Baseball, calling the Devil Rays anything close to competent might sound odd. But their major league futility is largely the result of insane spending a few years ago, when players like Greg Vaughn got huge contracts and performed badly (as expected). With plummeting attendance in a market that may not be huge on baseball to begin with, and a stadium that feels like a tomb, they suddenly ran out of resources. There are now few options other than rebuilding with youth (and wisely-signed Japanese import 3B Akinori Iwamura) and hoping for the best. There’s not enough there to contend, but it’s impossible for me to dislike an organization with this many great minor leaguers.
6. Florida Marlins As people here have pointed out before, the Marlins may be smarter than I’ve given them credit for. Since 2003, they’ve done everything to retool and stay cheap while putting themselves in position to win again. They may take a step back this season – they’re starting a 23-year-old rookie named Alejandro De Aza in center field, and 2B Dan Uggla is likely to drop off from his 2006 productivity. As far as recent competence goes, their offseason consisted of paying too much for RP Jorge Julio. The real question is, how much can they squeeze from the Yankees in exchange for SP Dontrelle Willis?

Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.