The Game of Baseball

Lot's of things happening in baseball in a short amount of time, so here are some tidbits as the GM's wake up for another day of meetings today.

* MLB is talking at the meetings about instant replay. I don't like this idea, as already in football even with the tool, refs seem to mess it up more than not. Let's face it, umps are never going to be perfect, but I personally think that in MLB the umps get way more close calls correct than in the NFL or NBA. If they brought the tool into use in baseball, I think it would just slow down the game even more, and we all know that we don't need that with games stretching sometimes well over three hours.

* It looks like slugger Frank Thomas is headed north of the border to Toronto. Word is he will sign a two-year deal Thursday that will but him in Jays blue and white. The A's really should have given Thomas the bank, as he was a huge part of the reason they made it to the ALCS last season. He hit 39 homers and hit .270 after signing a $500,000 one-year deal. With Thomas and likely Barry Zito gone, the A's look like a team heading in the wrong direction for 2007.

* It is being said that Twins pitcher Johan Santana will win the AL Cy Young today, a bittersweet award considering that he will not be pitching in 2007 according to reports. Santana deserves the award, he started 06 at 0-3, then rebounded to go 19-3 the rest of the season with an ERA of 2.54. The Twins will for sure miss him as he takes a year off to recover from surgery that he reportedly had on Wednesday.

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments

The rebuilding of the Chicago Cubs took a big step forward over the weekend as they resigned free agent to be thirdbasemen Aramis Ramirez. The deal was a $73 million dollar deal over five years, and with it comes the presence in the lineup that the Cubs will need if they want to reverse their awful record from a season ago.

The interesting thing about the deal is that Ramirez opted out of his final two years of a previous deal with the Cubs, and it seemed certain that he was going to hit the open market with teams looking to fill that hole at third base. The deal he got over the weekend that keeps him a Cub is worth $4.1 million more per season, and there is also a mutual option for 2012.

Last year Ramirez hit 38 homers, 119 RBI and hit .291. He hit 22 homers after the All-Star break after a bit of a slow start. He has 120 homers since coming to the Cubs from the Pirates three seasons ago. The Cubs are looking for a new image after last seasons 66-win year, and getting Ramirez back in the fold is just the start. There are rumors that the team is looking at free agent Alfonso Soriano, and will likely look to resign CF Juan Pierre and backup catcher Henry Blanco.

No matter how you look at it, the move to get Ramirez back in the fold was a good one for the Cubs, and with new manager Lou Pinella pleased at the dollars spent to get him back, it looks as if the Cubs are quickly looking to rebuild to make a statement that they are going to be a force to contend with in the NL Central this next season.

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:59 AM | Permalink | Comments

With free agency opening Sunday, here is a quick look at the top five free agents on the market, and a little prediction on where the player will end up:

1. Daisuke Matsuzaka (Starting pitcher) - Word is the super pitcher from Japan will get a deal worth about $50 for five years, and this after the team that gets that deal has to pay his old team in Japan $30 just to talk to him. With starting pitching not so hot this free agency period, the obvious team that will spend the $$$ to get a shot at Matsuzaka is the Yankees. This is the type of player that George always seems to get, so why would that change now? 2007 Team: New York Yankees

2. Barry Zito (Starting Pitcher) - A five-year deal worth between $80-$90 million awaits Zito, who has 102 victories to his name at the ripe age of 28. This sharp lefty will be courted by many teams, and why not? He's already won a Cy Young, and appears to be able to pitch at a high level for at least the next 5-7 years. He will listen to all offers before making a decision. 2007 Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

3. Alfonso Soriano (Outfielder) - Soriano is the biggest stick out there this year, and his numbers will likely get him a deal between $15-$17 mil a season. A righty that can add to any lineup, the only thing scaring some teams is his attitude, but he played the good soldier most of the second half of last season with the Nationals. 2007 Team: Philadelphia Phillies

4. Jason Schmidt (Starting Pitcher) - Schmidt is the best righty on the market, and with 11 years in the big, teams basically know what they are getting with this 33-year old - 12-15 wins, with an ERA of about 3.20-4.00. Those numbers will get him a deal on the market worth between $55-$65 million for five years. Look for a quick deal with the Mariners to try and rebuild their pitching staff around him. 2007 Team: Seattle Mariners

5. Aramis Ramirez (Third Basemen) - Not many 3B on the market, and with the second half numbers of Ramirez he is looking to cash in to the tune of $75 million over five years. The jury is out if he is going to get that much, but you can believe that some team is going to overpay for him, and his power numbers over the last three years (36, 31, & 38 homers) will make him a very rich player. 2007 Team: Los Angeles Angels

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:34 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Cleveland Indians have sat back the last two seasons and watched as the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers, two rival teams in their division, have represented the American League in the World Series. They realize that with a fan base that is growing impatient, this is a critical offseason, and that they need to make quick moves in order to again compete for a division title. Wednesday the team began those moves with the trade that brought second basemen Josh Barfield to the team for two top minor league prospects.

The Tribe spent last year with Ronnie Belliard at second base for a good portion of the season, but once it became obvious that the season was over, the team traded Belliard to the eventual World Series Champion Cardinals for Hector Luna. Belliard was rumored to be on the Indians radar screen again this offseason, but now with Barfield, they will not need to spend the money to have to bring the sometimes inconsistent Belliard back at a high price.

Barfield is the type of player that the Tribe sorely needs. He can hit for average (.280) with some power (13 homers) and was second among rookies last season with 21 steals. He can hit anywhere from 2nd to 9th in the order, which will be up to Indians manager Eric Wedge. Sure the Indians had to give up solid prospects Kevin Kouzmanoff and pitcher Andrew Brown, but in order to rebuild without having to overspend, this is the way to do it.

The team will still make some hefty moves this offseason to add bats as well as arms to the bullpen, but adding a player like Barfield, who's father is former Blue Jays slugger Jesse Barfield, can only be a good thing. It's a move that might be a bit under the radar screen now, but watch out if Barfield can become the player that the Padres had him scouted as, and that the Indians hope that he can be.

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:39 AM | Permalink | Comments

Bad news for the Mets as an offseason that is sure to have some shakeups may have the biggest shakeup of all - no more Pedro. That's right - Pedro Martinez is talking retirement, that is if he can't get back to 100 percent off the rotator cuff injury that he had surgery on October 5th. Martinez missed the playoffs, and while the Mets were able to get through the Dodgers with ease, they could not hold off the Cardinals and eventually lost in seven games.

The word is Martinez is already looking at not being able to throw off the mound until at least June, and with that you are already looking at missing the first two plus months of the season. Yes he would be a huge lift for the Mets if the team can either be in first or close to it and then get him in there in the second half, but knowing he will not be around till at least June is a major concern for the organization.

Martinez at least is talking about the possibility of not coming back to pitch - ever. "To go back I have to recover. I have to be healthy. But if God doesn't want that, then I would have to think about giving it all up." In 2006 he was 9-8 with a 4.48 ERA. The Mets pitching was a downfall in the NLCS, and they are going to have to make some moves to make sure that their NL East division title win in 2005 was not a fluke. Either way, things are going to be tough for Martinez to reach near the form that the three-time Cy Young Award has had in years past.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments

The San Diego Padres are coming off a trip to the playoffs after winning the NL West, but are now missing one key piece to the puzzle for the 2007 season - a manager. Waiting in the wings in San Diego is Dusty Baker, who will talk to the Padres on Monday about the position. Baker's contract was not renewed by the Cubs after another awful season in which Chicago's loveable losers went 66-96, the worst record in the National League.

Despite that, the move that would bring Baker to the Padres would be a good one in my opinion. He is a solid manager that has plenty of experience, and also has that fiery attitude that former coach Bruce Bochy seemed to lack at times that hopefully will take San Diego to the next level. The Padres have plenty of talent, including Adrian Gonzalez, Dave Roberts, Josh Barfield, Mike Cameron, and others that can lead the team to again be a force in the division.

Some of the other possible names being thrown around for the job with San Diego include Bud Black, Angels pitching coach, Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo, Giants coach Ron Wotus, and former Dodgers hitting coach Tim Wallach. No offense to those names, but they are mostly guys looking to break in, and the Padres should be looking for a manager that has been there before. That is why Baker would be the perfect fit for this club.

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments