Merry Belated Christmas For the Red Sox

It’s been awhile since my last post but whether you think it or not, this is a HUGE deal and I can’t, not post about it. So the Red Sox acquire Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney for Josh Reddick, Miles Head, and Raul Alcantra. This is a great deal for the Red Sox who are going through major changes this offseason, trying to revamp the team to reach the playoffs and beyond in 2012. In my mind they got Bailey cheap due to a flooded relief arms market. Bailey is, when healthy, a top closer in the league and I would expect this to continue in Boston through 2014 at least, as he is under Sox control until then. The Sox recently acquired Mark Melancon from the Astros for Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland. Melancon will now likely be the setup man for Bailey. The combination of deals fills Papelbon’s spot and Bard’s spot in the pen. (Pap left for the Phillies and Bard is likely moving to the starting rotation.) This will give the Red Sox a very inexpensive bullpen, yet a fairly decent one at this point in the offseason. Now they may have the money to go get a top starting pitcher, or a quality one or two, and also possibly get another right fielder, although less likely. Sweeney and Ryan Kalish will likely be competing for right field time in the Sox lineup, Sweeney is probably not as good as Josh Reddick, but he is serviceable. Reddick was a top prospect for a while and did alright at the major league level, but his stock was hurt by most people’s thoughts that he couldn’t be a consistent player. He ripped things up when he started playing in 2011 but then proceeded to cool off. Alcantra and Head are both high upside, high risk single-A prospects from the Sox fairly deep farm system.  Weiland was a solid, not great pitching prospect near ready for the big leagues and Lowrie is a high upside, injury prone, infielder who could be a steal in the Melancon deal. Overall I think this is a huge win for the Sox. People are now speculating they could go hard after Cubs ace Matt Garza since they didn’t give up any top prospects and are owed compensation from Theo Epstein leaving still. Either way I like the deals, all solid players involved for both sides in both trades. Athletics seem to be loading up on prospects after the Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, and now Andrew Bailey deals.  My thoughts on the Cahill and Gonzalez deals in short: good for the Diamondbacks who received Cahill, and Nationals who received Gonzalez. I think that the A’s got good prospects in return and will have a bright future, but the Diamondbacks and Nationals got very good pitchers who make them much better now and in the future as both starters are still young. Trevor Cahill is going to help Arizona win the NL west I’ll say that now. Bailey will help the Sox compete in a still loaded AL East, and Gonzalez will help the Nationals stay in contention in a tough NL East. The A’s could have just helped 3 teams win divisions in 2012, unlikely, but definitely a possibility now.

Darvish

I feel obligated to talk about the recent news that the Texas Rangers have won the right to negotiate with Yu Darvish. Darvish a standout 25 year old pitcher from Japan is now in all likelihood going to be a part of the Rangers opening day roster for 2012 and has a real shot at being the starter for that first game. The Rangers submitted a $51.7 million bid just to negotiate with him. The last big name pitcher to come over from Japan, Daisuke Matsuzaka, had mixed results with the Boston Red Sox, definitely some success, but overall was inconsistent and had his struggles staying healthy (he’s on the shelf recovering from Tommy John surgery at the moment). I find Darvish to be similar in some ways, but definitely different in others. Both Matsuzaka and Darvish have a vast repitour of pitches, and both were super successful in Japan. I think that Darvish will be better than Matsuzaka in regards to pure “stuff,” but the thing that will make or break him is how he handles the new environment. MLB hitters are the best in the world and Darvish will no doubt have less success than he did in Japan. I only question Darvish’s mental makeup because I really don’t know a lot about it. Matsuzaka didn’t seem to have the killer instinct to win and consistently be dominant. He seemed to get rattled easily, so he would be dominant, but when things didn’t go his way, things unraveled quickly. I think both guys are #2 starters on a good team, not ace quality but could be close. I like Darvish to be more successful than Matsuzaka, but I don’t expect him to be the answer for the Rangers to win the World Series. I would have liked their chances better with Wilson staying, but I think this definitely helps replacing their ace. The market is thinning so other than Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt there really isn’t a top of the rotation guy to sign. Gio Gonzalez was an option through trade, and possibly may be still, although now a LOT less likely. They had some options and chose the Darvish route; I think it may prove to be the best option they have at this very moment. The negotiations should prove to be interesting and take up a lot of baseball news until it’s done.

Latos Is Seeing Red

So recently I wrote an article on my top 15 MLB starting pitchers under 25. Mat Latos was #5 on that list. Not to say I’m 100% accurate on that, but he is very good no doubt. He was just acquired from the Padres by the Reds. You would think getting a young pitcher who has already had success in the big leagues would be a good thing, but a lot of people aren’t seeing it that way. Maybe that’s because of San Diego’s monster haul in the deal. Not only did they acquire proven starting pitcher and former all-star Edison Volquez, but they also acquired 1^st baseman Yonder Alonso, catcher Yasmani Granal, and pitching prospect Brad Boxberger. This package of players is no joke, most people know Volquez is an immediate help to the starting rotation (a replacement of sorts for Latos), yet should have plenty of years ahead of him to contribute as well. Yasmani Grandal is a top switch hitting catching prospect who in a lot of opinion is going to be a very good major league catcher at the least, he can really hit. Yonder Alonso also is a very good hitter and seemed to have nowhere to go being that the Reds have perennial MVP contender Joey Votto, although he also was a top prospect and should be a very good major league player at some point. This also bears asking the question of what happens to Anthony Rizzo as he is a 1^st baseman who was acquired by the Padres in the deal for Adrian Gonzalez, this may put him on the trade block, or maybe send him to the minors, or maybe they give Alonso a change of scenery and put him in left field possibly. Finally Brad Boxberger is a solid pitching prospect likely slated for bullpen duty in San Diego. This trade fills many spots for the Padres and in my opinion they are huge winners, all these guys are fairly close if not ready for the majors. People argue Latos’ potential, some saying he’s a future #1 some saying he’s a #2. Either way, getting Volquez who’s probably a strong #3 plus a good bullpen arm would help, but what makes this deal great is they also got a future catcher and 1^st baseman. The Padres may be contenders soon and this trade may do it. I think the Reds were crazy to give up that much for Latos, I’d say they’d be crazy to give up that much for just about any one player, but if Latos can be their ace for years to come, and the prospects they shipped off don’t pan out, then I will say I was wrong. I just don’t know what the Reds were thinking.

Twins!

So the Twins supposedly offered Michael Cuddyer a 3 year $25 million deal to stay with the club but Cuddyer took a 3 year deal for $31.5 million from the Rockies. I don’t think you can blame a player for taking the best offer on the table, but I am somewhat surprised Cuddyer left for the Rockies over $5 million. The Twins however, have seemed to replace Cuddyer quite adequately by signing Josh Willingham to a 3 year $21 million deal. Comparing the two I say defensively I’d rather have Cuddyer as he is more solid and versatile, he can play all over the diamond really. Offensively it’s fairly clear over their careers that Willingham is a bigger power threat, and over his career has also been better at getting on base. Cuddyer would seem to be a little faster and strike out less, but overall I think they are very close in who would be the better player. The Twins made an offer that wasn’t accepted and I believe were smart to go out and get a very good player of very similar ability for $3.5 million a year less than they guy they let walk signed for. If there are two free agents that I think are very nearly on the same level it would be Cuddyer and Willingham, so I think the Twins made a good decision to save some money and not pay more than they felt a player was worth. I am a little surprised that these two didn’t get a little more money though, as they signed 3 year deals at 32 years of age, you would assume they will be solid for the duration of the contract. I guess JD Drew ruined teams on giving players like this more money. (I’m only joking, sort of) The free agent market is slimming, but there are still many moves to go before spring training no question about that. Let ‘em keep on coming.

Top 15 Starting Pitchers Under 25

I have ranked (IN MY OPINION) the top 15 starting pitchers in the MLB UNDER the age of 25, at this moment. They are listed below. Feel free to argue, and the stats I’ve given aren’t necessarily to prove my point, just stats I feel are useful when looking at starting pitching. The stats are all from the 2011 season. I don’t think there are too many surprises, but essentially I think this, in order, is who I’d want starting games for my team if I had to choose somebody under 25. Yes King Felix is now too old for this list, and I’ve taken into account stats, their physical abilities and makeups, and what I predict for them. A few explanations: I added two spots at the end for Strasburg and Moore because they really haven’t had enough experience in the majors to say much about them. Plus Strasburg already having had Tommy John, I didn’t want to put someone on the list that hadn’t even pitched close to a full season and was this unproven, but what they have shown is ridiculous, so they are bonus spots. All these pitchers are under 25 as of 12-11-2011. Tell me if I missed someone or if you don’t think someone deserves to be on here. I probably won’t agree but do it anyway.

(Stats-ERA/KperBB/QualityStarts)

1.       Clayton Kershaw 2.28/4.59/25

2.       Trevor Cahill 4.16/1.75/21

3.       Brett Anderson 4.00/2.44/7**

4.       Daniel Hudson 3.49/3.38/21

5.       Mat Latos 3.47/2.98/20

6.       Michael Pineda 3.74/3.15/19

7.       Jeremy Hellickson 2.95/1.63/20

8.       Madison Bumgardner 3.21/4.15/23

9.       Jhoulys Chacin 3.62/1.72/18

10.   Neftali Feliz 2.74/1.80/0*

11.   Mike Leake 3.86/3.11/18

12.   Aroldis Chapman 3.60/1.73/0*

13.   Ivan Nova 3.70/1.72/16

14.   Rick Porcello 4.75/2.26/19

15.   Zach Britton 4.61/1.56/13

Bonus: Stephen Strasburg 1.50/12.00/2**

Bonus: Matt Moore 2.89/5.00/1***

*Was not a starter but expected to be one in 2012

**Season drastically shortened by injury

***Late season call up, very limited action

Pujols Who?

Cardinals have re-signed shortstop Rafael Furcal a key piece to them winning the 2011 World Series. Pujols may have left, but the Cardinals are not doomed without him. In all likelihood Lance Berkman will move to 1^st base and Allen Craig will take Berkman’s spot in Right. Craig is no Pujols but he is a solid up and coming player. The signing of Furcal though, gives them back their leadoff hitter who has speed and the ability to get on base like you look for in any leadoff hitter, but he also has quite a good glove and arm in the field. He really was the most under the radar move during the season last year as he was a waiver wire transaction from the Dodgers that boosted the Cardinals defense and offense. Furcal always brings a high level of competition to the field with seemingly unlimited energy. The only worry with Furcal is he’s had some back injuries. If he stays healthy he still has some baseball left in him and could help the Cardinals take the NL Central this year with it getting weaker by the moment. The Astros and Cubs don’t seem to be a threat at the moment, The Pirates showed some progress by putting together a good 1^st half last year but then returned to the “Pirates” way of ball for the 2^nd half, and the Reds seem to be firmly behind the Cardinals in my mind. Now the Brewers are the question, but with the probable loss of Fielder, and the fact that they didn’t get a big name free agent seems to hinder their team greatly, along with the pending 50 game suspension of Ryan Braun. The Brewers still have an alright team, but unless they make some moves I think that the Cardinals are the front runners to win the division. Furcal for 2 years and $14 million is a great deal. By the end of next season the St. Louis fans could be saying Pujols who?

Synthetic Braun

It’s a sad day in baseball, as a lot of people are finding out 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. He had to give a urine sample for the playoffs and it tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. The sad part is that it was not all produced naturally, some was synthetic meaning he juiced, he had taken steroids. Another sad thing, other than Braun actually doing the drug and cheating the game of baseball as it is a banned substance, but Braun knew of this in late October, yet accepted his MVP award like he nothing happened. How much was due to steroid use? I say they probably didn’t help his career too much as he has been a great player even back in his college days and Miami U, but it certainly could have given him the edge to beat out Matt Kemp in the MVP race. I believe and have believed that Kemp should have won, yet I was happy for Braun, until I learned of this revelation. I’m not saying everyone is clean, but it not only hurts Braun’s reputation, it hurts the game of baseball. One of its brightest young stars who just signed a deal for over $100 million last offseason is now facing a 50 game suspension to start next season, and people will continue to speculate how clean the game really is. Steroid talk has seemed to die down a bit since the scandals of Barry Bonds, Mark Mcgwire, Roger Clemens, and other big names had been discovered users. Ironic how Manny Ramirez, whom retired after his 2^nd positive test last year is being reinstated to play this upcoming season after serving a 50 game suspension and signing with a team. Clean the game up men, you get paid to play a beautiful game for a living, don’t stain the game, if you can’t hack it then get out of the game. What ever happened to plain old hard work? This is sad, I hope it’s an isolated incident and everyone else is representing the game well. I’m a big Brewers fan, so this definitely leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Note I am not saying 100% that Braun is guilty, but in all I hear it seems like that is the case.

Rays Heat Up The Hot Stove

So starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays Matt Moore signs a new deal with the rays. This makes his contract 5 years and $14 million, with options that could make the deal 8 years and $39.75 million. Now the Rays had control over this guy as he is still under his first deal and as you they generally don’t pay much of anything (as far as baseball goes). With this new contract though Moore, who impressed in his very brief major league work at the end of 2011, will be making more money, but he will also be locked up longer. He’s just 22 so the Rays could keep him under their watch until he’s 30 which would give him probably one big deal after this one ends. Definitely a good deal by the Rays, who are a team with a low payroll surviving off young players to get them wins. They made a similar move with Longoria signing him to a deal pretty much as soon as he got to the big leagues which would lock him up, but offer him a little more money immediately. It really is a smart move for the Rays as Moore has pitched well in his 4 minor league seasons and looks to have ace quality stuff. He isn’t too different from David Price being brought up young and having immediate success with the Rays. They could be a good duo to go along with Shields and Hellickson as well as Davis and Niemann. As far as Moore is concerned, making a little bit of extra money now and being with an organization that he seems to like is probably great in his mind. With six viable options in the Rays rotation we’ll see what happens, my guess is someone goes to the pen as I don’t see them trading one or sending one to the minors. Who the odd man out is, I have no idea. This deal seems kind of like a win-win to me. Especially a win for the Rays as this is what they do, draft well, develop, and lock them up quick. Congrats to Mr. Moore and good luck, he seems like a good man with a bright future in baseball.

2011 Rule 5 Draft

The MLB’s rule 5 draft went down today. Basically the rule 5 draft is when anyone not on the 40 man roster of a team by Novermeber 18^th I believe is the date, is eligible to get selected, as long as they’ve been in the minor leagues for 4 or 5 seasons (The number depends on the age of the player). There have been some big names that came out of this draft in the past such as Johan Santana, Josh Hamilton, Jose Bautista, Dan Uggla, Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino. To further complicate things any player selected must stay on the MLB roster for the entire season or they must be offered back to the team in which they came from. Other points of note, a team can trade a player they select, and a team must have less than 40 men on their roster to select a player, but let’s get on to this year’s draft. Not a ton of big names but I’ll throw out one that I think was a really good selection. Cesar Cabral formerly of the Red Sox was selected by the Royals and then traded to the Yankees. Cabral is a hard throwing lefty who put together a good season in A/AA ball last season. I think he has a good chance of staying with the Yankees and being a good player out of their bullpen. He’s just 22 years of age and already has 5 years of minor league experience so I think he could be ready to pitch in the big leagues out of the pen this year. Now for the minor league portion of the draft, I will spare you the details to this part, but one guy to keep an eye on is Andy Loomis. I like this pickup by the Baltimore Orioles as they have a pretty barren farm system for the most part and Loomis is a young up and comer who will probably give you help out of the bullpen soon. He had a great season in high A in 2011, similar to Cabral mentioned earlier. Other players I like that were drafted include Robert Fish, Ryan Flaherty, Marwin Gonzalez, and Ricky Alvarez to name a few. One guy I would have drafted that went unselected, Daniel Nava OF for the Red Sox AAA team. Clearly proved in an injury decimated season for the Sox in 2010 that he can play (he had a .351 OBP which in my books is pretty good). Then again as a Sox fan I’m glad he didn’t get selected. We’ll see who emerges as steals of this year’s rule 5 draft. The rule 5 draft, you gotta find those diamonds in the rough.

Angels Out Of Left field

I don’t really want to write an article right now but I must. The Angels have signed Albert Pujols to a 10 year $250 million deal and CJ Wilson to a 5 year $75 million deal. I think they would now be the favorites from the AL mainly because of their pitching staff. They now have Weaver, Haren,Santana, and Wilson as a pretty strong top 4. Their lineup doesn’t look too bad now either after adding Pujols. I think they have the best pitching in the AL, and I think with the upgrades at 1^st with Pujols and Catcher with Iannetta, the Angels will be able to produce enough runs to win a lot of ballgames. I think the Mike Trout, easily a top 5 prospect in all of baseball, will step up and contribute a lot to the team this year too, so they have a lot of help coming their way to add to last year’s squad which was 10 games back of the division winners the Texas Rangers. They were 3^rd in the wild card race and with 2 teams getting in the wild card it even betters their chances of making the playoffs which I think is where they will shine due to their pitching staff. The Rangers are no doubt still a strong team, but they LOST their ace CJ Wilson to the Angels so that is a big swing in the Angels favor. I think the worst case for this Angels club now is a wild card spot, but I think this puts them ahead of the Rangers as of now. I wasn’t expecting them to land Pujols, Wilson yes, but not Pujols so I am a little shocked still. This has been a crazy offseason already. A few more quick things, K-Rod now expected to sign arbitration deal, and Octavio Dotel close to a 1 year deal with the Tigers. Oh and LaTroy Hawkings signs a 1 year $3 million deal with the Angels so they are on a bit of a shopping spree, and there goes 3 relievers on a pretty deep relieving market.

More Marlins Talk, Plus Some Other Stuff

So Mark Buehrle signs a 4 year $58 million deal with the Marlins. I think he is deserving of every penny as he has been a consistent ace. This definitely adds a sense of security to a rotation that can be very erratic with its play, the Josh Johnson injuries don’t help. I personally like this move better than signing CJ Wilson, who I think is very good, but I think Buehrle is a better fit, and he comes with less risk in my opinion. It now seems the offer the Marlins have reportedly offered Wilson will be off the table and they will focus on Pujols, and if that doesn’t work Fielder. More news out of Miami, Hanley Ramirez apparently wants a raise, even after a down season in ’11, so the Marlins may be looking to trade him. This would hurt the team as Ramirez is a phenomenal player to say the least, but could definitely bring in a lot in return through a trade, as well as give them even MORE money to spend possibly. That’s all I got on Miami right now so let’s move on for the moment. Houston Street was rumored to be traded to the Padres earlier today for a prospect, with the Rockies eating $8 million on his contract. That is apparently false, although the deal may still happen at some point. The padres were also looking into signing K-Rod which seems like it won’t happen at this point. The Padres are aggressively trying to fill the closer roll Heath Bell left open when moving to Miami, but it isn’t quite certain who will fill the void yet. I also hear that the Yankees have won the right to negotiate with shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima and this time it appears to be true (I think). As for free agent CJ Wilson, it looks like he may be going to the Angels, nothing done yet, but that’s where I’d be putting my money if I was a betting man. Nate McLouth and Erik Bedard appear to have been signed by the Pirates. The Pirates had a little more success that usual last year; let’s see if these additions can help things get even a little better for these notorious bottom dwellers. Finally it appears David Ortiz will accept arbitration with the Red Sox and not sign a multi-year deal. That’s all I got for now.

The Mets Doing Business

The Mets traded Angel Pagan to the Giants for Ramon Ramirez and Andres Torres. They also signed Frank Francisco to a 2 year $12 million deal, and Jon Rauch to a 1 year $3.5 million deal. The signing of Rauch and Francisco are great moves, helping their horrendous bullpen greatly, without long term commitments or overspending on a flooded relief pitching market. This will certainly help their bullpen greatly along with Ramon Ramirez acquired in the trade with the Giants. This is a good sign for the Mets as they are making quality moves, and with their organization in shambles that is a nice thing to see. Getting Andres Torres is certainly a downgrade over Angel Pagan in my mind, but a worthy downgrade with the addition of Ramirez to the deal, so the Mets may not be getting big named players like they tried to do in the recent past, but they are building a team that might not lose every single game next season. They likely don’t have much more money to spend this offseason though as they’ve said they had $20-25 million and they are at like $20 million, but it’s been money well spent. Unrelated to the Mets (I’m assuming they aren’t in on one) there are rumored to be some blockbusters in the work. Whether they get done or not is uncertain, but the Indians seem they might be involved in one so watch out for that. Also Andrew Bailey might be on his way to Boston in a package with Josh Reddick and some prospects. This would mean the Sox are relying on Darnell McDonald, and or Ryan Kalish in right field, unless they go out and get someone. I suggest they get someone else if they lose Reddick. Also Gio Gonzalez could be leaving Oakland as Bailey might, but it would take 3-4 very good prospects, but Gonzalez is the kind of pitcher you expect to give up top prospects for, although 4 would be a lot. Stay tuned, I think the next day or two will have some good action. If you want to hear about it, come here because I give you what you need to hear.

Rumor Mill: Winter Meetings 2011 Edition

Winter meetings for baseball, if nothing else, equals a pleather of rumors. True, false, or something in between, but how can you tell? You can’t! Early stages of rumors are generally the least reliable and I don’t put too much into anything until I hear multiple sources that are generally good, say they are so. A lot have been spreading and I’m here to spread them some more, although at this point I feel I actually have a pretty good grasp on what is going on (said optimistically). The big one so far, is that the Marlins have reportedly offered Albert Pujols a 10 year deal most likely with an annual salary exceeding $20mil. Pujols decided not to sign a deal with the Cardinals last year because he wanted more than the $22mil per year they were offering for 9 years. So assuming this deal is greater in per year salary, and taking into consideration the money the Marlins have already spent, the Marlins will have spent more money this offseason than their entire payroll in the last 9 seasons combined if they sign him. Now Pujols wants a no trade clause and the Marlins “don’t do those” so that’s another obstacle, there is no guarantee this deal will get done, but it’s looking more and more likely. Two trades to report, Twins send Kevin Slowey to the Rockies for a player to be named, this should help the Rockies pitching staff add depth, Slowey definitely a quality pitcher, although last year was tough on him with a 6.67ERA in a small 14 game showing. White Sox sent Sergio Santos to the Blue Jays for Nestor Molina. Santos is a solid arm for the Jays pen as he had 92 punchouts in just under 64 innings last season, he will be immediate help for them. Molina will be in the minors almost certainly next season but he will add to a barren farm system in the south side Chicago organization (not that the north side is any better in that department). Molina split time between A/AA and compiled 148k’s/16BB’s in 130.1 innings. I like the deal a lot for Chicago. A few names that are also on the trade block are Kyle Loshe of the Cardinals, John Danks of the White Sox, and Andrew Bailey of the Athlestics, among others. I heard that the Red Sox won the bidding war on shortstop Nakajima, but then heard this was FALSE, Cherington (Sox GM) says they didn’t even put in a bid! Crazy rumors. While there definitely some moves at the winter meetings, don’t expect a ton. A lot of times the meetings are just a spring board for deals to come later. A lot depends on arbitration cases, which are generally very much up in the air at this point, and it can be hard to get deals done in such a short span when there are so many deals to be made. Some other things I’m hearing, Fielder likely done in Milwaukee. The Red Sox offered David Ortiz 2 year deal worth $18 million, but Ortiz wants $25 million, so they are still working on it, the Sox would most likely like to get something done since Ortiz will make a killing in arbitration, which in my opinion they shouldn’t have offered him. I don’t find him to be worth arbitration, and feel the Sox were in the driver’s seat because Ortiz’s market seems bleak. Follow me on twitter @ryandana1 to stay posted on the latest news, or keep checking my blog as I will update with news as much as I can. Gotta love them winter meetings!

Marlins Hook Reyes

Like I said, Heath Bell just the first big name to land in Miami this offseason. Second, Jose Reyes, who just inked a 6 year $106 million deal. Also I apologize for not mentioning the Marlins also landed Ozzie Guillen, who should be recognized as a big name acquisition, however he is a manager so I’m just talking about players in this case. Jose Reyes who has had durability issues in the past, played 126 games this past season which isn’t that bad so hopefully he can play at least that many in Miami for years to come. He was the NL batting champ this past season, 5^th in the NL in runs and 6^th in stolen bases. He was probably the most coveted free agent outside of Pujols and Fielder this offseason. The Marlins now have filled a void at 3^rd base as it’s assumed Hanley Ramirez will move their while Reyes takes shortstop, also this will give them a stud leadoff hitter in Reyes. It’s being said that the Marlins are now focusing their attentions on Pujols, which to me is very unlikely of actually happening, but if it did that would certainly shift the dynamics of the NL East. They are also continuing to pursue CJ Wilson and Mark Buherle. The winter meetings are now upon us so we may see them land someone else big soon. This proves the Marlins are definitely committed to spending money and competing this offseason. With Reyes gone from the Mets, as well as virtually everyone else besides David Wright and Johan Santana, look for the Mets to listen to offers for the two remaining vets. Replacing Reyes at short for the Mets will most likely be Ruben Tejada, the young shortstop prospect. The Mets are clearly in a rebuilding phase, and the Marlins are clearly in a reloading phase. Reyes seems to be a risk due mostly to durability, not production concerns, so only time will tell if this is truly a good signing. I guess the Marlins decided they’d rather go big than go home this year.

Get Ready Cali

Magic Johnson said to be in the running for buying the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now this is far from being over, but you have to like his chances with the group speculated to be in on the purchase with him. Stan Kasten, former president of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals seems to head this group as far as bringing them together. Mark Walter, CEO of Guggenheim Partners seems to be the main source of finances to this operation, and Magic a good guy to brand a team. Magic is one of, if not the biggest sports stars in L.A. history, playing for the Lakers of the NBA. This group seems to have a real shot with the money, the brains, and the brand they are trying to put together for this endeavor. It will very much come down to money and who can put forth the most, but you have to like the groups chances as long as they can compete in that sense, which it seems they can as of now. They will definitely bring a lot to the table that owner Frank McCourt hasn’t in recent years for the Dodgers. They should be able to restore this team to prominence in the NL West and they have some building blocks if they succeed with this buy. Kemp, Kershaw, Either, Loney, those are some good players and with Magic in town I’m sure some more could be persuaded to join them. Another consideration to the purchase of the Dodgers is Mark Cuban. He has the wealth and the presence to come in and buy the team as well, and I believe would also be a good fit as owner if the Magic, Walter, Kasten group doesn’t get it. It has been said that Cuban will make a bid. Cuban won it all with the Dallas Mavericks as their owner, and the NBA has a salary cap, so maybe the “Cubes” could take the Dodgers to the top. I am for either of these two getting the team; I think it would be good for the Dodgers and baseball. Get ready for the bidding war because this will be a big deal. (See what I did there)

The First Domino To Fall?

Heath Bell signs a 3 year $27 million, with the Miami Marlins. Does this trigger more players to join Bell in Miami? The Marlins are a few moves away from being serious contenders even though Bell is the first real move they’ve made this offseason. The have young star on the rise Mike Stanton in right field, Hanley Ramirez at Short (or possibly third), and some pretty decent players in Gaby Sanchez and Omar Infante on the right side of the infield. Logan Morrison a good young prospect in his own right patrolling left field (just had surgery on his right knee, should be ready for start of spring training), starting pitchers Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, and Anibel Sanchez are a solid group. They have the makings of a good team, they really could use a center fielder and someone to play the left side of the infield with Ramirez, and then bolster their pitching staff. Jose Reyes and CJ Wilson are said to be the Marlins primary targets in free agency and if they acquired them which isn’t out of the question at all, they would certainly compete for the NL East. It’s been said the Marlins are looking to add 2 more starting pitchers, most likely sign one and trade for another. Assuming they add two solid guys, and a bat or two, they should be a team to watch, even in a division with the Phillies and Braves. Bell is a very good closer, we might have just witnessed his prime, but no doubt he’s a good edition for the bullpen. Maybe slightly overpaid for, but I think this means the Marlins are serious. So who’s next to take their talents to south beach?

Some Acquisitions To Catch Up On

I haven’t made to many posts lately so here’s one to catch up on some player acquisitions of late. One story that will have implications beyond the players involved in the swap is Chris Iannetta being dealt from the Rockies to the Angels for Tyler Chatwood. This will help the Rockies add to their young pitching options, and make a spot available for Ramon Hernandez. Colorado is rumored to be a favorite destination for Hernandez to land, in order for the veteran to handle the young pitching staff with prospect Wilin Rosario. This also gives the Angels a guy who will most likely see at least a solid share of the catching duties in 2012. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have made their first big move with the cubs (still waiting on that compensation issue to be dealt with…anyways) signing David DeJesus to play right field for them on a 2 year $9 million deal with an option for a 3^rd year. DeJesus had a down year with Oakland in 2011 but was a solid player for Kansas City from 2003-2010. He’ll look to bounce back as the cubs look to actually win some games this season. Now to a player who I’ve been saying is under the radar, Jonathan Broxton signs a 1 year deal with Kansas City for $4 million with $1 million more in incentives. The former Dodger closer will be KC’s setup man while trying to rebound from elbow surgery. Broxton is still young and if he pitches like he is capable of, it will be quite the bargain, we’ll see how he holds up along with their closer Soria, as he has had his share of shoulder problems. Broxton a good arm out of the pen, and insurance policy for Soria. Some good action in the offseason so far and the winter meetings just around the corner, the hot stove is going to heat up, prepare yourselves.

Valentine's Day Comes Early In Boston

Bobby Valentine has been named the new manager of the Boston Red Sox. I really don’t care to discuss whether or not I think this is a good move or a bad move because it really doesn’t make a difference in my mind. I will however say that the longer the managerial search went on for Boston, the more I suspected there would be a big name landing in the city. The more it went on the more Valentine was mentioned, and the more he was mentioned the more certain I was that it was inevitable for better or for worse that he would become the new Sox skipper. As a lot of people seem to think, I too am under the impression that Valentine is a short term fix for the position, as he has a two year contract with two more team options, this certainly favors that logic. Valentine definitely has some decent credentials, making stops in Texas, New York (Mets) and in Japan. He hasn’t managed in the big leagues in nearly a decade but he will do fine, not to say any of the candidates wouldn’t have been able to handle the job, but Bobby V is probably the safest choice right now. On that note, a lot of people like to think of Valentine as having a big ego and being very outspoken. Isn’t it interesting though, that whenever anyone is on camera, or at any sort of press conference/interview in sports, they always seem to say the right things. It appears if you are looking for Valentine to make any controversial headlines, you will not get them, at least not for now. It’s almost disgusting to me how everyone acts in front of the media. Where are the Ozzie Guillens of the world when you need them. Someone with something interesting and honest to say. I thought maybe Valentine would give a little something to talk about but all he says is he is “humbled” and nonsense like that. I understand the media is a game in and of itself, but I like to think you can be honest, maybe he and all the other boring interviews are honest, but you know there are a bunch of fakes out there too. Valentine will do well in Boston I’m sure, and I’m sure there will be some controversy with something he says eventually, I’ll wait. At least he doesn’t go Bill Belichick on us and be as vague as possible, although I find that amusing. It will be interesting to see how the players react (I’m sure they will say all the right things) now that Valentine has been hired, as it had been reported some players were not in favor of this hiring.