The Game of Baseball: December 2006

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Pitchers Making Some Moves on Monday

Couple of teams making moves on Monday, and a franchise favorite with the Twins is looking to move on.

First the biggest news on Monday was Tigers pitcher Jeremy Bonderman getting a $38 million dollar extension that will keep him growling for the next four seasons. Bonderman was set to be a free agent after the 2008 season, and for the Tigers this deal was a no-brainer, as he is one of the best pitchers in the AL and a front-line type of pitcher they need if they want to repeat as the Champions of the American League. Last season he was 14-8 with a 4.08 ERA. At 25 years old, those numbers will likely get better in the years to come as he reaches his prime. He was tied for the league lead with 34 starts and was second in strikeouts with 202.

Twins pitcher Brad Radke is going to announce his retirement today at the press conference in Minnesota. The 34-year-old had stated more than once in the 2006 season that it would be his last, and this move does not surprise anyone. Radke is a lifetime 148-139 in 12 seasons, all with the Twins. Last year with Minnesota he was 12-9 with a 4.32 ERA, and over his career has been a very solid pitcher for an organization that mostly saw him get overlooked. His best season was the 1997 year when he went 20-10 with four complete games and an ERA of 3.87. He is a class act and has always been a team player for the Twins.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:51 AM | Permalink | Comments

Monday, December 18, 2006

Jays Get Their Man With Mega-Deal with Wells

The Toronto Blue Jays have not made much noise in the American League East for sometime, but Friday night took a large step forward to making noise again with the contract extension that was given to outfielder Vernon Wells. The deal will make Wells and his great-grandchildren wealthy for sometime, as its a 7 year deal worth $126 million. It makes him the 6th highest player in the game.

Wells is a player that not many know about unless you play fantasy baseball or follow the Jays closely, but he is a young talent that is only getting better. Last season he hit 32 homers and his .303 with 106 RBI. A first-round pick in 1997 with the Jays, Wells is a lifetime .288 hitter with 141 career homers and 501 RBI. Since 2002 he has hit 23, 33, 23, 28 and then 32 homers a season ago.

The Jays finished the 2006 season in second place in the AL East at 87-75. While they never really were contenders for the division title, trailing the Yankees by 10 games at seasons end, just finishing ahead of the Red Sox was a big deal to this franchise. With just about all of their core players coming back in 2007, this is going to be once again a team that the East and the rest of baseball is going to have to deal with. Friday's deal with Wells is just a sign of good things to come for the Jays.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Gamble Had Better Pay Off for Red Sox

It's the gamble that many Red Sox fans think will change the landscape of the franchise. A 26-year old fireball pitcher from Japan that will come to the states with more fanfare than possibly any other international athlete has in history. With the media coverage that Daisuke Matsuzaka will get, is there any chance that he will succeed? If, and I stress only if, he comes out and becomes one of baseballs best pitchers in 2007. Pressure is a word that is going to become a big part of Matsuzaka's vocabulary over the next few seasons. If he is able to handle that pressure and live up to the hype, than the Red Sox could find themselves right back on top of the baseball world. If not, than he will become one of the biggest, most over-hyped busts in the history of this great sport.

The 17-game winner and MVP of the World Baseball Classic will be called upon to be one of the main cogs in a rotation that will include Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett and Johathan Papelbon. If he can win 12-15 games, he will prove his $52 million dollar worth. If not, than the backlash will be something to behold. Never has a player gotten this much attention not only here in America, but abroad as well. Players like Ichiro, Hideki Matsui and Hideo Nomo have come over from Japan and shined, but those players will not have the spotlight on them as much as this young man.

Many baseball insiders are calling the signing of Matsuzaka a home run for the Red Sox. It comes them a younger version of Barry Zito, and means that the team will not have to make a run at Zito or retreads like Roger Clemans. He is a much more better version of those two anyway, and any team in baseball would love to have that type of arm available to their team. For now, the Sox have their man, and it on the surface looks like a good deal. It's now up to the 26-year old to deliver, and if he does not, the entire world will know it.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Rangers & Astros Making Moves to Improve

Tuesday was a day of grabbing pitchers in the state of Texas as both the Astros and Rangers got some arms. In Houston, the team was set for a deal with Chicago for Jon Garland, but instead that got nixed and Tuesday the team pulled off a five-player deal with the big names coming to the Astros being Jason Jennings and reliever Miguel Asencio. Jennings will provide the Astros with a solid arm to take the place of Andy Pettitte, who bolted back to the Yankees over the weekend. Jennings was 9-13 with the Rockies in that thin air in Colorado a season ago, and lifetime is 58-56. He should be much better with the Astros this season, and can win 10-12 games.

Asencio will do nothing more than be an arm in the Astros pen, but really this deal was all about getting Jennings. Over in Ranger land, the team was able to snag former all-star closer Eric Gagne and sign him to a one-year deal worth six mil. Gagne is damaged goods, but can be a diamond in the rough for the Rangers, and can add some depth to their pen as well. Gagne has only pitched in 16 games the last two years, which is why only two teams - the Indians and Rangers, were really in the running for his services.

Just three years ago, before the injuries hit, he was a top closer in baseball, saving 45 games for the Dodgers. He lifetime has 161 saves, and if he can even regain some of that form he can be a force for the Rangers at a bargin price. If the injuries to his elbow and back are not going to allow him to pitch much, than the Rangers have just thrown six mil away. Texas also is making moves on the offensive side, signing outfielder Kenny Lofton to a deal. Lofton hit .301 last season with the Dodgers, and his 39-year-old body can still run, as last season he stole 32 bases for LA. He is a gamer that can add some hits and steals to a Texas lineup that was not all that fast a season ago. Overall a sunny day in Texas for both the Rangers and Astros, who are looking to get better for 2007.

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:27 AM | Permalink | Comments

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Backing Bonds a Bad Move For Giants

You have to wonder why the San Francisco Giants are taking the necessary steps to resign Barry Bonds after all last season the team made serious overtures that 2006 would be his last season with the Giants. The media circus that was in San Fran last season played a part in why the Giants were unable to take that next step to winning the NL West, and now instead of ridding themselves of the player that caused it, they are bringing him back.

Bonds is reportedly set to sign a one-year deal worth $16 mil. He still needs to pass a physical, but once that happens, it looks like once again he'll be hitting homers out into the Bay. The Giants must be banking that Bonds will have a big year, and that the .270 with 26 homers and 77 RBI that he had last season was enough to make them believe that he will have even better numbers in 2007. If he gets hurt and ends up like 2005 when he played just 14 games, then the Giants are going to look like fools, knowing that he will sit for the slightest injury.

Sure he's only 22 homers away from tying Hank Aaron for the all-time mark, but for the Giants, 2007 was about trying to get back to basics, refocusing on winning a division title, not standing by and just watching every Bonds at-bat to see if he could hit one out. New Giants manager Bruce Bochy said this of Bonds - "We needed a cleanup hitter. It's hard to find a better cleanup hitter than Barry Bonds," Bochy said. "Everybody would like to have a go-to guy and it looks like we're going to have one. ... I've known Barry over the years. One thing about Barry is he wants to win, and that's all you can ask from a player."

Hmmm....he and the Giants had better hope that this risky move pays off in a big way. If not, it could signal a long season upcoming on the Bay with more attention being paid to a player that is NOT playing, than those that are.

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments

Monday, December 11, 2006

Yanks Get One Up On Rival Red Sox

While the Red Sox and pitcher Diasuke Matsuzaka are looking as if the two will be unable to come to a deal, the Yankees did what they always do - get better. New York went out and grabbed a blast from the past, grabbing pitcher Andy Pettitte on Friday. The deal is for one year and is worth 16 mil, and right away gives the Yankees the upper hand in the always competitive race with the rival Red Sox.

In Boston, agent Scott Boras is being the one blamed for the deal with Matsuzaka breaking down, and with Pettitte now with the Yankees, it is more important than ever that the Sox grab their man. They have Thursday to come to a deal with the pitcher, and if they don't, he is free to go back to Japan to continue his career there, and while the Red Sox get their money back from the team that allowed him to talk to the Red Sox in the first place.

Things with the Yankees will really get interesting if Pettitte's friend and former teammate with the Astros Roger Clemans jumps on board. You can bet that the Red Sox, while trying to right their own ship, will do whatever it takes to make that not happen. If it does, look out, as the pain that Red Sox Nation felt last year after missing the playoffs could easily stretch into 2007.

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments