Hello everyone and welcome to my last blog of the year. 2010 was the first full year of Pat's Baseball Blog, and I think it's been a good one. Also, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, whatever you celebrate, and that you continue to have good fortune into 2011. There are certainly some MLB teams that will see some good fortune come their way. Some teams will hit their way to the top, while others will pitch themselves to the playoffs. Who has the best rotation in the game though? Well that is something we are going to discuss right this very minute.
First it should be mentioned that there has been a definite draw of talent away from the American League and into the National League. In the past decade the NL has lured away the likes of Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay, Barry Zito, Johan Santana, and Cliff Lee, twice. There are a few contributing factors to this. One huge point is that the National League does not have a DH or designated hitter. It means a National League pitcher has to face one less potent bat each time through the lineup, reducing potentially inflated statistical numbers. But it's not all about the stats. Some pitchers honestly prefer to hit as well, and only the NL allows them to do that. And an argument could be made that the NL is slowly taking over as the more dominant league in baseball, but that is a much larger argument for another time. The main point being though, is that most of the rotations we are about to discuss are not in the AL.
But lest we forget about the American League entirely, let's begin our discussion of rotations by focusing on perhaps the best one, the Boston Red Sox. Beantown is littered with talented pitchers at the moment. They have Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and John Lackey as a consistent starting four. I fear mentioning Daisuke Matsuzaka only because he's been hurt quite often over the past few years. Beckett too, has seen some injury time and if both should fall this year, then maybe this rotation won't be playoff bound, as it was doomed to miss out on October baseball this past year. However, if all cylinders are clicking, then this squad is extremely dangerous.
Lester is perhaps the best young lefty in the game, and at age 26, still has tons of time to improve and develop pitches. That's a scary thought, because his 2010 campaign saw him win a career-high 19 games while posting a 3.25 ERA and striking out 225 guys, exactly the same amount he struck out in 2009. Clay Buchholz may have even one-upped Lester by winning 17, but pitching a infinitesimally small 2.33. Clay is not the K-tallier that Lester is, but these two young studs(Clay is only 25) are the future of this organization. If Beckett stays healthy, and if Lackey bounces back from a somewhat Lack-luster (get it?!) year, then this rotation might just be the best in the game.
In addition, the Sox certainly have the offensive prowess to give any guy pitching a mental boost. And while this conversation is reserved mostly for rotations, it must be mentioned that Boston has accumulated one of the best bullpens around as well, making wins even easier to hold on to. But when all is said and done, the bullpen and the offense are going to help Boston win just as much, if not more than the rotation. So can they really be called dominant, and/or the best in the game? As of this moment, I don't think so.
Let's head over to the National League, where great rotations are falling off of trees. In St. Louis, the Cardinals have two legitimate aces in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Carpenter has bounced back from missing almost two full years ('07, '08) and regained his ace form. He won 17 games last year, with a 2.24 ERA and finished 2nd to Tim Lincecum in Cy Young voting. This year he added another 16 wins to his resume, and he isn't even the best pitcher on the team. That honor would probably have to go to Wainwright, who is tremendously overlooked in this game. 2009 looked like this for Adam; 19-8, 2.63 ERA, 233 IP, 212 K. 2010 was even better; 20-11, 2.42 ERA, 230 IP, 213 K, and he lowered his hits allowed, homeruns allowed, and walks. Wainwright is merely 28 as well, and has a very bright career ahead of him.
To add to this dynamic duo, the Cards also have Jaime Garcia, who at age 23 posted a fantastic rookie season, going 13-8 with a 2.70 ERA. Although he isn't a strikeout guy, and walked 3.5 batter per 9 innings, Garcia was able to stay away from the long ball that hurts many pitchers. He only gave up 9 homers all season. If Garcia can improve on his walks, and if he can prove he can handle the wear and tear of full MLB seasons, then he should had a crucial element to the Cardinals rotation for 2011 and going forward. Do Garcia, Wainwright and Carpenter make up the best rotation in baseball though? I can't say yes to that, as much as I would like to, for two reasons. Carpenter will be 36 next year and as he did miss two full years, has some injury risk involved. Meanwhile, Garcia is still slightly unproven as last year could have been a fluke, and he hasn't pitched 32 starts back to back yet. However, this team definitely has the potential to win and even dominate the National League Central.
Suddenly there is another competitive rotation in the NL Central, though. The Milwaukee Brewers, not a team known for pitching, has thrown their hat into the mix by picking up Shaun Marcum and Zach Greinke this off-season. They will help Yovani Gallardo transform the Brew Crew from a bash first team, to one that might pitch its way into October. Marcum has been touted for the past several years in Toronto, but has never fulled lived up to the hype. 2010 was sort of a break out year as he started over 30 games for the first time in his career, while putting up a 13-8 record, a 3.64 ERA and a great 3.84 K/BB ratio. Playing in Toronto didn't help his 24 homeruns allowed or his win total, so perhaps a change of scenery will make this work in progress a fully fledged star. Greinke, on the other hand, was obtained from the Kansas City Royals via trade on December 19th and gives the Brewers a second ace pitcher. He won the Cy Young in 2009, but struggled to repeat that performance in 2010 and ended up with a losing record and an ERA over four.
Greinke wants to win now though, and Kansas City is still a ways off from that, so as with Marcum, this change of scenery might be the best thing for Greinke, who can dominate batters with both his fastball and breaking pitches. His noted anxiety issues are in the past, but must remain in the back of any owner's mind, and Greinke needs to prove that 2009 was no accident. A new league should help that. Throw both Marcum and Greinke in back of Gallardo, who not only can control a game with his pitching, but can contribute with his bat, and this rotation is looking strong. Milwaukee's rotation has potentially the most swing room out of any team. They could all click together, and be outstanding, or they could stumble and force the offense to carry the team again. The good news is that this rotation isn't costly, so in the event that the Brewers lose power-hitting Prince Fielder after 2011, they can use the money they would have spent on him to add another guy or two to the rotation. If they don't win now, watch out for the Brewers in the very near future.
Then there are the mighty Philadelphia Phillies. By adding Cliff Lee, the Phillies have a rotation of four absolute aces, which will cost roughly $57 million in 2011. But the Phils should get their moneys worth. Lee is a pinpoint strike thrower, Roy Halladay, the defending NL Cy Young winner, never throws a straight ball for a batter to hit, Oswalt still has dominate stuff, and Hamels has a handcuffing changeup. When you add to this that the Phils have potentially the best offense in baseball behind these guys, it's hard to imagine any of these guys not winning at least 13-15 games. And in all actuality, we could see this squad have multiple 20-game winners on it. It's pretty much redundant for me to continue to mention the accolades of this rotation, because I've done in it in past blogs already, and it's been covered in the news ad nauseam.
The crucial aspect to consider for this discussion though; Is this the best rotation in baseball? As I have mentioned before, there is risk involved here because of age. Oswalt, Lee and Halladay are all 33 or over, and many position players are starting to age as well. This team, while most likely heading for another playoff journey, could trip up. The rotation itself, though, has a strong advantage over the other rotations mentioned simply in magnitude and in quality. So they rightfully are most people's pick for the best rotation in baseball. But there is one last rotation to consider, and you might know who they are.
The 2010 World Series Champions did not win with pitching alone, but had the pitching not held up as well as it did, then the Giants probably weren't even going to make the playoffs, let alone go as far as they did. That is due in large part to the expert play of Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez. Lincecum, well, what else can I say about the guy. He's probably my favorite pitcher in the game right now, and he backs up his wacky attitude with good ol' fashioned ace stuff. He's won two Cy Young awards already, and was absolutely fantastic in the playoffs. He personifies 'ace'. Matt Cain is no second-banana though, as he is one of the more consistent pitchers in the league. He can strike guys out, and has improved his BB/9 ratio for five years straight. Cain hasn't had a breakout year statistically yet, but he's due. Sanchez is a bit of a loose cannon with his volatile personality, but he delivers on the mound. He won 13 games and had the lowest ERA of the three this past year. He strikes out hitters with almost the same regularity as Lincecum and many analysts say Sanchez has the best stuff on the team. He tends to walk guys, which keeps his numbers high sometimes, but he is definitely a stud.
Madison Bumgarner is the wild card however. He started 2010 in the rotation and faltered, so he spent some time in the minors before coming back up late. Over 18 starts, he posted a 3.00 ERA and ran a 3.31 K/BB ratio. These numbers are pretty good, but are too small of a sample to generate what he will do over a full year. But at a mere 20, the sky is the limit for this hard-throwing young man. And many reports say that he could become the best pitcher on this staff, which is saying something pretty remarkable. If Bumgarner, and the other three all have good seasons, then this may be the best rotation in baseball.
At a fraction of the price of the Phantastic Phour, the Giants appear to be a much better value right now. But in the end, this discussion must factor in opinion. Arguments can be made for or against all of these rotations being the best. The Phils and Giants are probably my favorites, but you may say otherwise. If you want to share what you think about my analysis, or wish to add some of your own, please feel free.
This post about pitching wouldn't be complete without mentioning the passing of a Hall of Fame legend. Bob Feller was a great pitcher from 1936 until 1956, winning 20-games or more 6 times and was elected to the All-Star team 8 times. A humble and kind-hearted mid-westerner, the career Cleveland Indian began his career at the tender age of 17 with hype that puts Stephen Strasburg-mania to shame. And the young man delivered. But of all his statistical feats over his illustrious career, there is one thing that stands above all else. At 22 and during the prime of his career, Bob Feller volunteered for military service on December 8th, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the first of many baseball players to give up an easy life of fame and money to serve a greater cause. He proved himself not a hero in the sports sense, but a real hero whose sacrifices proved his mettle. Rest in peace Mr. Feller. You certainly deserve to.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Does anybody remember that Cosby Show episode where Claire and her friend sing 'Mr. Lee' by The Bobbettes? It was a great episode, as the Cosby Show often did cool, theatrical stuff like that. But we are not here to discuss music history, or even television history. We are here to talk about baseball, and that's what I intend to do. So without further ado, let's broach the topic of the famous Cliff Lee.
It seemed like the entire off-season became one big Cliff Lee update reel. Every day or two, sports blog around the country were saying that the New York Yankees were the favorites to sign the lefty, or that the Texas Rangers still had a legitimate shot at wrangling in their prized mid-season acquisition. Only occasionally did one here talk of a mystery team popping into the picture. There were rumors of the Angels, or the Nationals, but not once did I hear anything about the Philadelphia Phillies showing interest in the star that they traded away. So it was to my surprise that on Tuesday, December 14th, I heard that the Phillies had not only entered discussions, but had actually signed Mr. Lee.
Whhaaaaaa?! Are these the same Phillies that traded Clifford away just one year ago? The same team that could have had both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the same rotation but chose not to? Surely you can't be serious? I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. Yeah, the Philadelphia Phillies apparently felt they made an egregious error in letting Mr. Lee slip away last year, and felt they had to correct the situation. I mean they still had Halladay, and Hamels, not to mention they picked up a pretty good starter in Roy Oswalt mid-season. But the team managed to miss out on a third-straight World Series visit. I guess the Philly front-office believes Cliff Lee is the missing piece.
An expensive missing piece he is, too. Cliff Lee signed a 5-year, $120 million deal, meaning Cliff will make an estimated $24 million dollars per season, which makes him the most well paid pitcher ever. But Lee actually passed on more overall money from both the Yankees who offered $148 million over seven years, and Texas who offered $161 million over the same span. So then why did Lee chose Philly instead? There are several rumored reasons. One is that he loved Philly while he was there for a brief stint in 2009, and never wanted to be traded away in the first place. And another is that during the 2010 ALCS, Yankees fans actually booed, spit and poured beer on Cliff's wife while she was in the stands. Whether that is true is still debatable, but it may have been enough to make Lee turn his nose to the Evil Empire. As for the Rangers, I guess Lee just didn't think they had as good of a shot to repeat as the Phillies.
So now the Phils have a rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton, although Blanton is likely to be traded soon. From name recognition alone, this is a formidable group, and they have already been called the Phatastic Phour, and the Phearsome Phoursome around the internet. While this group certainly have the ability to get the Phils back to the World Series, they are definitely a pricey lot. The Phillies will have in 2011, three players making $20 million or more in Halladay, Lee and Ryan Howard. Throw in Oswalt's $16 million, Chase Utley's $15.3 million and three other contracts worth a combined $34.7 million, plus everyone else on the team, and this squad is right up there with Boston and the Yankees in terms of spending.
But there is also risk involved here as 3/5 of the starting rotation will be 33 or older, and every starting day position player will be 30 or over except in right-field which will probably be played by young stud Dominic Brown. So this team has incredible incentive to win and win now. If they don't, and things go downhill over the next two years due to lack of ability or injuries or whatever, then the Phils will be stuck with some seriously debilitating contracts. If all goes well though, this could be one of the most dominate teams ever assembled.
Enough about Mr. Lee and his millions upon millions of dollars. Another Phillie made news recently, former General Manager Pat Gillick. The former Blue Jays (1978-1994), Orioles (1996-1998), Mariners (2000-2003), and Phillies (2006-2008) GM was elected to the Hall of Fame recently. As Baseball-Reference.com puts it, "He is considered by many to be the chief architect who transformed the club from an expansion franchise to a team that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993." While his other stints were much shorter, they all proved successful, and most recently he helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series by bringing in such talent as Brad Lidge and the ageless Jamie Moyer. Congratulations to Mr. Gillick.
And finally, a bit of sad news as long-time Chicago Cubs icon, Ron Santo passed away on December 2nd. Mr. Santo was well before my time, but he was a dominate third-baseman in the 1960s. His run-producing power helped transform the position from one of pure defense to one of offense as well. He did all this while playing with diabetes, which eventually took its toll in the amputation of both of his legs below the knees. He remained active in the Chicago community, helping to fight juvenile diabetes, and called the Cubs' radio broadcast since 1990. In his impressive career, "He was a nine-time All-Star,... a five-time Gold Glove winner...finished in the top five in the MVP voting twice, led the league in walks four times, led the league in on-base percentage twice, and was in the top ten in slugging five times." (Baseball-reference.com) It seems as though everybody who knew him loved him, and the fans of Chicago baseball, and indeed baseball everywhere will miss him.
That's all for now, but stay tuned as there are still some very talented free-agents left on the board, and there is lots and lots of baseball debating to do. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday season!
It seemed like the entire off-season became one big Cliff Lee update reel. Every day or two, sports blog around the country were saying that the New York Yankees were the favorites to sign the lefty, or that the Texas Rangers still had a legitimate shot at wrangling in their prized mid-season acquisition. Only occasionally did one here talk of a mystery team popping into the picture. There were rumors of the Angels, or the Nationals, but not once did I hear anything about the Philadelphia Phillies showing interest in the star that they traded away. So it was to my surprise that on Tuesday, December 14th, I heard that the Phillies had not only entered discussions, but had actually signed Mr. Lee.
Whhaaaaaa?! Are these the same Phillies that traded Clifford away just one year ago? The same team that could have had both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the same rotation but chose not to? Surely you can't be serious? I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. Yeah, the Philadelphia Phillies apparently felt they made an egregious error in letting Mr. Lee slip away last year, and felt they had to correct the situation. I mean they still had Halladay, and Hamels, not to mention they picked up a pretty good starter in Roy Oswalt mid-season. But the team managed to miss out on a third-straight World Series visit. I guess the Philly front-office believes Cliff Lee is the missing piece.
An expensive missing piece he is, too. Cliff Lee signed a 5-year, $120 million deal, meaning Cliff will make an estimated $24 million dollars per season, which makes him the most well paid pitcher ever. But Lee actually passed on more overall money from both the Yankees who offered $148 million over seven years, and Texas who offered $161 million over the same span. So then why did Lee chose Philly instead? There are several rumored reasons. One is that he loved Philly while he was there for a brief stint in 2009, and never wanted to be traded away in the first place. And another is that during the 2010 ALCS, Yankees fans actually booed, spit and poured beer on Cliff's wife while she was in the stands. Whether that is true is still debatable, but it may have been enough to make Lee turn his nose to the Evil Empire. As for the Rangers, I guess Lee just didn't think they had as good of a shot to repeat as the Phillies.
So now the Phils have a rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton, although Blanton is likely to be traded soon. From name recognition alone, this is a formidable group, and they have already been called the Phatastic Phour, and the Phearsome Phoursome around the internet. While this group certainly have the ability to get the Phils back to the World Series, they are definitely a pricey lot. The Phillies will have in 2011, three players making $20 million or more in Halladay, Lee and Ryan Howard. Throw in Oswalt's $16 million, Chase Utley's $15.3 million and three other contracts worth a combined $34.7 million, plus everyone else on the team, and this squad is right up there with Boston and the Yankees in terms of spending.
But there is also risk involved here as 3/5 of the starting rotation will be 33 or older, and every starting day position player will be 30 or over except in right-field which will probably be played by young stud Dominic Brown. So this team has incredible incentive to win and win now. If they don't, and things go downhill over the next two years due to lack of ability or injuries or whatever, then the Phils will be stuck with some seriously debilitating contracts. If all goes well though, this could be one of the most dominate teams ever assembled.
Enough about Mr. Lee and his millions upon millions of dollars. Another Phillie made news recently, former General Manager Pat Gillick. The former Blue Jays (1978-1994), Orioles (1996-1998), Mariners (2000-2003), and Phillies (2006-2008) GM was elected to the Hall of Fame recently. As Baseball-Reference.com puts it, "He is considered by many to be the chief architect who transformed the club from an expansion franchise to a team that won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993." While his other stints were much shorter, they all proved successful, and most recently he helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series by bringing in such talent as Brad Lidge and the ageless Jamie Moyer. Congratulations to Mr. Gillick.
And finally, a bit of sad news as long-time Chicago Cubs icon, Ron Santo passed away on December 2nd. Mr. Santo was well before my time, but he was a dominate third-baseman in the 1960s. His run-producing power helped transform the position from one of pure defense to one of offense as well. He did all this while playing with diabetes, which eventually took its toll in the amputation of both of his legs below the knees. He remained active in the Chicago community, helping to fight juvenile diabetes, and called the Cubs' radio broadcast since 1990. In his impressive career, "He was a nine-time All-Star,... a five-time Gold Glove winner...finished in the top five in the MVP voting twice, led the league in walks four times, led the league in on-base percentage twice, and was in the top ten in slugging five times." (Baseball-reference.com) It seems as though everybody who knew him loved him, and the fans of Chicago baseball, and indeed baseball everywhere will miss him.
That's all for now, but stay tuned as there are still some very talented free-agents left on the board, and there is lots and lots of baseball debating to do. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday season!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Bust a Move
Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings have come and gone, and lots of free-agents now have new homes. Some even returned to old ones. And while Cliff Lee, possibly the biggest free-agent of the off-season is still without a team, other major players have been rerouted to new uniforms in new colors. While we won't be able to cover every transaction of the past two months, I will certainly try and take care of the impact moves. Some were great, while others were...shall we say, busts?
First off, let's take a second to congratulate some new members of the coaching persuasion. John Farrell became the skipper of the Toronto Blue Jays, Clint Hurdle took over with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Terry Collins is now heading things up in New York for the Metropolitans. The first two new-hires went off without much begrudging, but Collins became a talking-point, mainly due to his past issues with player management. However, while leading up to his hiring he seemed like ever analysts' favorite for the job. Once he actually got the nod though, things seemed to change and everyone questioned whether he was the right guy, which just goes to show how fickle and scrutinizing the New York press can be.
The off-season started off quick with the Florida Marlins making some moves, which we have discussed already. The deal to send Dan Uggla to the division rival Braves may still be one of the worst moves thus far in my opinion. Then the Los Angeles Dodgers got into the act by resigning Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, then adding Jon Garland and World Series Champion utility player Juan Uribe. Things started to get really interesting as the first 'big name' free agent came off the board; catcher Victor Martinez. He was courted by several teams including his most recent one, the Boston Red Sox, but in the end, the Detroit Tigers were able to lure him away due to the massive amount of money that had coming off the books this year. So now Martinez will be making at least $12 million for the next four years while catching, playing a little 1B and maybe even DHing from time to time.
Shortly thereafter, all hell broke loose. The Colorado Rockies, a small market team that rarely throws money around, signed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to a seven-year extension, on top of his current deal that keeps him with the team until 2014. The deal is worth $119 million dollars and will keep with the team for the next ten years. These kinds of deals don't usually happen with players who are already under contract, but I suppose the Rockies wanted to lock up the stud player early, before the open market had a chance to take him away. But it comes at a huge cost. Tulo is a stellar player, but one serious injury and his career could be severely hampered, if not over. However, that is a risk when considering any long-term contract. And long-term contracts are becoming plentiful.
Simply ask Jayson Werth, who received from the Washington Nationals a massive 7-year deal of his own worth an estimated $126 million, and was for about a week the third-largest contract ever for an outfielder. Is Jayson Werth even one of the three best outfielders in the game? Most people I know would say no, and while he has proven himself a very adept all-around baseball player, he will turn 32 early next season, and he collected a vast amount of his homeruns in Philadelphia's Citizen Bank Park, which is small to say the least. None of this bodes well for Jayson living up to this contract. He is a tremendous compliment player and if the Nats help build around him and Ryan Zimmerman with young talent coming through their farm teams, then this eventually might not be so bad. But this contract now handcuffs the Nats to help the team build in other crucial areas, such as starting and relief pitching. This looks to be a critical signing for years to come. Seven at least.
Former National Adam Dunn also got a new deal, but from an American League team, the Chicago White Sox. But before Adam could get his first-baseman's glove ready, the Pale Hose re-upped on long-time 1B Paul Konerko. They also resigned catcher A.J. Pierzinski while they were at it. So now it looks like Dunn will be doing the one thing he didn't want to do, and that's DHing. Meanwhile, on the North Side of Chicago, the Cubs signed Carlos Pena to play first for $10 million a year. Seeing as how he hit under .200 last year, I'd say this was yet another unwise signing by the Cubbies, who have been signing bad deal after bad deal for the past couple of years. However, Pena does bring a power bat and some great defensive work with him, so maybe he won't work out as badly as Milton Bradley.
In other news, the Yankees resigned both closer Mariano Rivera and shortstop Derek Jeter. Neither move was really a shock. The Rivera deal went almost unnoticed as the drama swiveled around Jeter's closely-cropped head. During the press conference following his new contract, Jeter was visibly and audibly annoyed by the things that had been said about him in the press. To be fair, I even questioned Jeter's motivations during the whole episode, but that is what professional athletes put themselves through when their demands are high. The Yankees probably came out looking worse when all was said and done, as the Yankee captain was definitely upset by the free-agent process. Maybe they will have to go through this all again in about three or four years. But we'll deal with that when the time comes.
In St. Louis I was a bit surprised to see the Cardinals sign Lance Berkman. Aaron Harang, the man who holds the record for starts on Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds will now be throwing from the mound in San Diego. The Giants signed Miguel Tejada instead of reinvesting in the aforementioned Uribe or luring World Series MVP Edgar Renteria away from potential retirement. And homer-mashing, strikeout king, the Wizard of Wiff, Mark Reynolds traded in his Diamondback boots for some Oriole wings. Other, smaller moves were and still are happening just about every day, but these are most often complimentary players that don't make or break teams. Adrian Gonzalez, on the other hand, is a star.
That star will be rising over Boston next year and for years to come most likely. The San Diego All-Star 1B had been rumored for a move to Beantown for at least three years now. When San Diego came one game away from making the playoffs last year though, it looked like the Padres were going to seriously consider keeping Gonzalez on the books. But apparently the Friars couldn't say no to a deal from Boston that sent zero major league players back, in exchange for the dynamic, two-time Gold Glover. The Padres got some potential talent in the trade, especially highly touted pitcher Casey Kelley, but for the kind of player Adrian is, the Padres should have been able to get more. They instead sold themselves short, and will most likely pay the price in both on-field performance, and in attendance revenue, as Gonzalez was a beloved home-grown hero, and will be sorely missed by the fanbase.
The Red Sox weren't done mixing things up though. Just when everyone calmed down from saying how great it was for Boston to get Gonzalez, G.M. Theo Epstein dropped another bombshell and swooped in front of the Los Angeles Angels and signed outfielder Carl Crawford at 7-years, $142 million. Boston now has the two largest outfielder contracts of all-time. (The other was Manny Ramirez signing for 8-years, $160 million in 2001.) Crawford adds a huge element of speed, average, and athleticism to the already good lineup that was in Boston last year. With the addition of Adrian Gonzalez, who with the help of the short porch in right-field, could hit 40+ homers, and the speed of Carl Crawford at the top of the lineup, the Red Sox stand an excellent chance of making it back to the playoffs. Hell, they will probably be the best team in baseball!
The off-season is funny. Crawford probably never would have been offered such a monstrous deal had Jayson Werth not been given his. You see, in the baseball world there are many, many tiers of players. Crawford was widely regarded as a better outfielder than Werth, so whatever Werth signed to, Crawford could ask for more. That's why the top-ranked free agents usually sign first, to set the market for other players in the league. But this year it got screwed up, thus causing market rates to jump. And unfortunately it will cause prices to rise even higher for next year and the year after. This is due mainly to high-end agents like Scott Boras, and unless baseball comes up with something better than a luxury tax to curb salaries, then next year we might be talking about Albert Pujols getting $25-30 million a year.
To call any of the moves thus far a bust is a little too critical. Troy Tulowitzki's deal irritated a lot of people, but he's a fantastic young player and if consistently healthy, could make his extension look reasonable in later years. Werth's deal looks a little worse considering his age and the team who signed him, but maybe he'll play his heart out and become a beloved icon in Washington the way he started to in Philly. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez could mark the start of another dynasty-type run for Boston. Or maybe a deal that was too small to mention at the time, could end up determining the future of a franchise. That's the beauty of baseball. Everything matters. Even the little things. And especially the busts.
First off, let's take a second to congratulate some new members of the coaching persuasion. John Farrell became the skipper of the Toronto Blue Jays, Clint Hurdle took over with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Terry Collins is now heading things up in New York for the Metropolitans. The first two new-hires went off without much begrudging, but Collins became a talking-point, mainly due to his past issues with player management. However, while leading up to his hiring he seemed like ever analysts' favorite for the job. Once he actually got the nod though, things seemed to change and everyone questioned whether he was the right guy, which just goes to show how fickle and scrutinizing the New York press can be.
The off-season started off quick with the Florida Marlins making some moves, which we have discussed already. The deal to send Dan Uggla to the division rival Braves may still be one of the worst moves thus far in my opinion. Then the Los Angeles Dodgers got into the act by resigning Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, then adding Jon Garland and World Series Champion utility player Juan Uribe. Things started to get really interesting as the first 'big name' free agent came off the board; catcher Victor Martinez. He was courted by several teams including his most recent one, the Boston Red Sox, but in the end, the Detroit Tigers were able to lure him away due to the massive amount of money that had coming off the books this year. So now Martinez will be making at least $12 million for the next four years while catching, playing a little 1B and maybe even DHing from time to time.
Shortly thereafter, all hell broke loose. The Colorado Rockies, a small market team that rarely throws money around, signed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to a seven-year extension, on top of his current deal that keeps him with the team until 2014. The deal is worth $119 million dollars and will keep with the team for the next ten years. These kinds of deals don't usually happen with players who are already under contract, but I suppose the Rockies wanted to lock up the stud player early, before the open market had a chance to take him away. But it comes at a huge cost. Tulo is a stellar player, but one serious injury and his career could be severely hampered, if not over. However, that is a risk when considering any long-term contract. And long-term contracts are becoming plentiful.
Simply ask Jayson Werth, who received from the Washington Nationals a massive 7-year deal of his own worth an estimated $126 million, and was for about a week the third-largest contract ever for an outfielder. Is Jayson Werth even one of the three best outfielders in the game? Most people I know would say no, and while he has proven himself a very adept all-around baseball player, he will turn 32 early next season, and he collected a vast amount of his homeruns in Philadelphia's Citizen Bank Park, which is small to say the least. None of this bodes well for Jayson living up to this contract. He is a tremendous compliment player and if the Nats help build around him and Ryan Zimmerman with young talent coming through their farm teams, then this eventually might not be so bad. But this contract now handcuffs the Nats to help the team build in other crucial areas, such as starting and relief pitching. This looks to be a critical signing for years to come. Seven at least.
Former National Adam Dunn also got a new deal, but from an American League team, the Chicago White Sox. But before Adam could get his first-baseman's glove ready, the Pale Hose re-upped on long-time 1B Paul Konerko. They also resigned catcher A.J. Pierzinski while they were at it. So now it looks like Dunn will be doing the one thing he didn't want to do, and that's DHing. Meanwhile, on the North Side of Chicago, the Cubs signed Carlos Pena to play first for $10 million a year. Seeing as how he hit under .200 last year, I'd say this was yet another unwise signing by the Cubbies, who have been signing bad deal after bad deal for the past couple of years. However, Pena does bring a power bat and some great defensive work with him, so maybe he won't work out as badly as Milton Bradley.
In other news, the Yankees resigned both closer Mariano Rivera and shortstop Derek Jeter. Neither move was really a shock. The Rivera deal went almost unnoticed as the drama swiveled around Jeter's closely-cropped head. During the press conference following his new contract, Jeter was visibly and audibly annoyed by the things that had been said about him in the press. To be fair, I even questioned Jeter's motivations during the whole episode, but that is what professional athletes put themselves through when their demands are high. The Yankees probably came out looking worse when all was said and done, as the Yankee captain was definitely upset by the free-agent process. Maybe they will have to go through this all again in about three or four years. But we'll deal with that when the time comes.
In St. Louis I was a bit surprised to see the Cardinals sign Lance Berkman. Aaron Harang, the man who holds the record for starts on Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds will now be throwing from the mound in San Diego. The Giants signed Miguel Tejada instead of reinvesting in the aforementioned Uribe or luring World Series MVP Edgar Renteria away from potential retirement. And homer-mashing, strikeout king, the Wizard of Wiff, Mark Reynolds traded in his Diamondback boots for some Oriole wings. Other, smaller moves were and still are happening just about every day, but these are most often complimentary players that don't make or break teams. Adrian Gonzalez, on the other hand, is a star.
That star will be rising over Boston next year and for years to come most likely. The San Diego All-Star 1B had been rumored for a move to Beantown for at least three years now. When San Diego came one game away from making the playoffs last year though, it looked like the Padres were going to seriously consider keeping Gonzalez on the books. But apparently the Friars couldn't say no to a deal from Boston that sent zero major league players back, in exchange for the dynamic, two-time Gold Glover. The Padres got some potential talent in the trade, especially highly touted pitcher Casey Kelley, but for the kind of player Adrian is, the Padres should have been able to get more. They instead sold themselves short, and will most likely pay the price in both on-field performance, and in attendance revenue, as Gonzalez was a beloved home-grown hero, and will be sorely missed by the fanbase.
The Red Sox weren't done mixing things up though. Just when everyone calmed down from saying how great it was for Boston to get Gonzalez, G.M. Theo Epstein dropped another bombshell and swooped in front of the Los Angeles Angels and signed outfielder Carl Crawford at 7-years, $142 million. Boston now has the two largest outfielder contracts of all-time. (The other was Manny Ramirez signing for 8-years, $160 million in 2001.) Crawford adds a huge element of speed, average, and athleticism to the already good lineup that was in Boston last year. With the addition of Adrian Gonzalez, who with the help of the short porch in right-field, could hit 40+ homers, and the speed of Carl Crawford at the top of the lineup, the Red Sox stand an excellent chance of making it back to the playoffs. Hell, they will probably be the best team in baseball!
The off-season is funny. Crawford probably never would have been offered such a monstrous deal had Jayson Werth not been given his. You see, in the baseball world there are many, many tiers of players. Crawford was widely regarded as a better outfielder than Werth, so whatever Werth signed to, Crawford could ask for more. That's why the top-ranked free agents usually sign first, to set the market for other players in the league. But this year it got screwed up, thus causing market rates to jump. And unfortunately it will cause prices to rise even higher for next year and the year after. This is due mainly to high-end agents like Scott Boras, and unless baseball comes up with something better than a luxury tax to curb salaries, then next year we might be talking about Albert Pujols getting $25-30 million a year.
To call any of the moves thus far a bust is a little too critical. Troy Tulowitzki's deal irritated a lot of people, but he's a fantastic young player and if consistently healthy, could make his extension look reasonable in later years. Werth's deal looks a little worse considering his age and the team who signed him, but maybe he'll play his heart out and become a beloved icon in Washington the way he started to in Philly. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez could mark the start of another dynasty-type run for Boston. Or maybe a deal that was too small to mention at the time, could end up determining the future of a franchise. That's the beauty of baseball. Everything matters. Even the little things. And especially the busts.
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