I would think that the Dodgers will have Mattingly on a very short leash after all these investments. I would think if they do not at least make an appearance in the WS he will be gone.
The Tigers were busy at the end of the trade deadline sending their #4 starter Rick Porcello to Boston for Yoenis Cespedes. The move certainly improves their outfield defense and adds power to the lineup but with Max Scherzer most likely leaving through free agency, the starting pitching needs to be revamped. The Tigers have picked up Shane Greene from the Yankees and got Alfredo Simon from the Reds. They are going to need good years from Verlander, Price and Sanchez in order to remain on top of their division. The Achilles Heel of last year remains exposed. The bullpen which so miserably failed in the playoffs last year remains highly questionable. While run production may be better with the addition of Cespedes and a fully healthy Cabrera, the leaky bullpen will be their undoing even if they get to the playoffs.
Jim, Thanks for that explanation. It made me realize what a baseball junkie I am, because it made me wish we were sitting somewhere with me being all ears as you and Corey talked on and on about everything baseball. Terry, thanks for asking the question.
It looks like the Yankees may be thinking about taking a few years off from competitive baseball. Nothing out of them noteworthy. They let Shane Greene, McCarthy and Robertson leave without even making them offers. They have no third baseman at the moment, a replacement for Jeter that hits .240 with no power, a mystery second baseman and an overweight A-Rod coming back after almost two years away. They even have opening for two coaches unfilled.
8) re: Mattingly Mattingly was on a short leash last year. Now he's in the catbird's seat. All his tormentors have been shipped out, kicked out, or promoted to the moon where they can't touch anything. George is correct that he must produce now, but when you look at his new roster, it's a much better situation for him. He has the best starting pitching in either league; a vastly improved bullpen; too many good outfielders; improved catching; a utility player (Turner) who batted .340 last year; and an infield that just added Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick. The high minor leagues are stacked to the max as well. He had better win... re: Tigers Verlander, Price and Sanchez are not dog doo-doo. On their best days, Verlander and Price are virtually unhittable. That's a nice starting point for rebuilding a pitching staff, although I do agree with Gipper, that the Big Broom needs to descend on that bullpen and clear it out. Those guys are an arson squad... A bigger concern for me when I look at the Tigers is their acquisition of Cespedes. That guy is now on his third team in the last six months. The rumors say that he refuses to even listen to coaches. He just stands up and walks away when the try to talk to him. He's the Tigers Puig: Superman with a kryptonite brain. Good luck with that one... re: Yankees Teams like the Yankees or Dodgers have enough resources to blow things up and restart very quickly. One smart thing that new Dodger owners have been doing is rebuilding their minor leagues. They now have young talent on the way as well as trade bait to help right now. THAT is the one thing the Yanks are failing to do. They should begin with that... re: Sid I was thinking of you when I wrote some of those comments. I started to write an explanation of "up the ladder" when I remembered that you don't need any such explanations! So I just left the tone conversational, because I realized that you and many others here have played this game.
Well A-Rod will be back with the Yankee's as a DH. They tried to get rid of him probably hoped that MLB would do it for them. But he's sort of like herpes, once you got him you can't get rid of him.
JO'Co your concerns about Cespedes mirror those of many Tiger fans. What is it about Cuban ballplayers? While he apparently doesn't relate to coaches, it's hoped that the other Latin players like Cabrara and Martinez can get him to up his game. Laying off bad pitches is a good start.
:idea: re: Cubans They're treated like Gods in baseball-crazy Cuba from the time they're very young. Since baseball is the only thing on the island that actually works, the players have a very high opinion of themselves. They don't appear to realize that modern MLB in America consists of the greatest players on planet earth and Cuba is only one small part of that...
Jim, your assessment is consistent with something I've been told by a good friend of mine who is acquainted with a number of former MLB players through his past ministry to professional ball players. One of those acquaintances is the batting coach for the AAA affiliate of a major league club. The coach told him that you can't put together a championship team of predominantly Latin players. The reason is how they grew up, a) being idolized in their countries, and b) trying so hard to boost their individual stats in order to make it to the U.S. that most of them didn't learn the value of "team" as young players. The coach said you need to work hard on their mindset in order to bring them around to being good contributors to their teams. Most come around, but some don't. That's one man's opinion, but it's an educated one.
Re the Dodgers: Interesting. A bold move by a major league franchise to show the players 'who is the boss.' That answer is resoundingly, Donnie Baseball. You don't see a lot of that these days. Latin Players: Inflated sense of self, no discipline and the god damned Dominicans sleep 5 to a room no matter how much money you give them for R and B in the minors...but they can play.
My Cardinals are looking pretty good with pitching this year, one of the best groups in the NL. Lance Lynn has climbed into the upper echelon of pitchers, and that is a difference-maker in these rankings because of the elite depth he provides in the Cardinals' rotation. Last year, Lynn allowed just 13 homers and had a better ERA (2.74) than Alex Cobb, Madison Bumgarner or Jeff Samardzija, and Lynn, perennial Cy Young candidate Adam Wainwright and John Lackey provide a strong core amid some questions about the other spots in the rotation, such as whether Michael Wacha will be able to come back from his shoulder trouble, and if Carlos Martinez can build enough of a three-pitch repertoire to win a spot. Marco Gonzales is another starting option. Here's the big question about the Cardinals' rotation: Is Wainwright going to be OK? Elbow trouble affected him at the end of last season, and while he was able to take the ball, he was diminished in the playoffs against the Dodgers. If we've learned one thing about pitching injuries in recent years, it's that those who suffer problems one year are at a heightened risk for a setback the following season. The Cardinals aren't going to telegraph their concerns, but if they pursue either Shields or Scherzer in the days ahead, this would be the surest sign that they have doubts about the fragility of this group. Either way, the St. Louis starters figure to be among the best. The Astro's...we'll let's just leave it at the Astro's will have the lowest payroll in baseball...again. Sometimes you get what you pay for. :roll:
:idea: The strength of the Cardinals is their front office. History has shown that they will do what they have to do.
OMG...The Astro's made a move!!! Traded 3 minor league prospects for the Braves Evan Gattis...could it be that we'll sneak out of last place in the team salary rankings?
The Cardinals and Lance Lynn have agreed to a 3-year $22 million contract, a small increase from his 2014 salary of $500,000+. :lol:
Rizzo declares the Cubs will win the NLC and go on to the WS!! I'm sure the Cards look forward to the Cubs series as usual! What next Jif declaring the Sox to the WS? :roll:
:roll: Now there's some wabbit-out-of-the-hat predicting! The Cubs last World Series appearance was in 1945. Their last World Series title was in 1908... In 1908, my father's family still lived in Ireland and my mother's family had just moved to California from Colorado... http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/history/postseason_results.jsp
Jeff Samarzdja just signed a 9.8 1 year deal with the White Sox and will be a free agent at the end of the 2015 season. Can you say Contract Year?
I see the new commissioner wants to speed up the game. Two of his ideas are to put the pitcher on the clock and the other is to eliminate the defensive shifts. I'll bet neither one of those idea's gets any support.
It looks like, so far, common sense is not prevailing under the new administration. There are subtle ways to speed up the game without using technology and without disrupting the time-proven success of the game. Of course, there always are going to be people who complain that the game drags on, but those folks are not real fans. Cutting 15-20 minutes off the elapsed time of the game will not bring those people to the ball park. Why can't the folks in charge see this?