MLB Thread - 2010

[Turd Ferguson]

My thought on the Lackey signing is that although he hasn't made 32 starts in the last 2 seasons, but 175 innings of Lackey is still pretty damn good. He will probably decline a bit near the end of the deal, but as long as we get like 3 years of a good Lackey and he doesn't completely fall off a cliff by the end the deal will benefit the team.

I also like the fact that the Red Sox have protection against a pre-existing injury written in the contract, it's the exact same deal Burnett got, which is fine because Lackey and Burnett are pretty much the same, with Lackey being slightly better, and if the Red Sox are going to commit a lot of money, and had to decide between Bay and Lackey, I'd rather it be Lackey. Lackey boosts the rotation and is a safe bet to have a low-ish ERA and always do enough to ensure that his team wins.

I'm not sure if I liked Bay for the long haul here. He slumped big time over the Summer, and his defense was pretty bad to begin with. Chances are that he was going to fall back to Earth. That being said, I don't like the Mike Cameron signing at all. $8 million for a platoon player is pretty steep, and if Theo's plan was to platoon Hermida, there was probably a better cost-effective option out there. I'm really bummed out that the door is closed on Matt Holliday more than anything else when this team needs a bat and Adrian Beltre is surely not that bat.

I don't think Adrian Gonzalez is coming here, X. Hoyer knows how Theo views each prospect in the system and he isn't going to get away with offering guys who are highly regarded in baseball he can pitch to other teams that he may be down on. I'm not sure if I like a Miguel Cabrera deal either. He's got a lot of personal issues, and he may not be able to handle somewhere like Boston where he's going to be scrutinized as the big bat the team has.

 

[CH David]

So the White Sox have made a few deals the past few days, improving the bullpen and getting a consistent leadoff hitter.

J.J. Putz was signed to a one year deal, and it is a pretty good signing. This deal by Kenny is a low-risk, not necessarily high reward, but if he pans out, he will be a very good set-up man for Bobby Jenks. Last year he didn't do so hot with the Mets, and missed most of the season after having microscopic surgery on his elbow to remove a bone spur. But he did a very good job out in Seattle while he was the closer there. Don Cooper is magic with pitchers, and it won't surprise me if Putz has a rebounding year.

And now, Kenny Williams pulled a great deal, by trading for Juan Pierre. Ozzie finally has his consistently healthy leadoff hitter, and Kenny literally got him for a steal. Trading two minor league prospects and some cash, in return for Juan Pierre, and the Dodgers paying parts of his remaining salary? Total win. He is 32, and still has good use in his legs. Last year he got lost in the shuffle after Manny came back from his suspension, so it will be good for him to get back out on the field everyday. Great move by Kenny.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Seriously, fuck the Yankees. They just got Javier Vazquez, who was pretty much the third best starter in the National League last year, for Melky Cabrera, a LHP who is garbage, and a prospect who was born in the 90s.

I basically am speechless right now at how stupid the Braves are. They traded four of their top prospects last year to get Vazquez, and now they spin him off for a guy whose upside is at best, a fourth outfielder. The Yankees just got the third best starter in the NL last year to be their third or fourth starter. It's absolutely ridiculous. Might as well give the Yankees another World Series now... especially when now they have a vacancy in left field and I have a feeling a bombshell is about to be unleashed there where they sign either Bay or Holliday.

There's no way anyone is going to keep up with the Yankees. Not even the Red Sox could at this point.

 

[the troop]

So it appears free agent relieve pitcher Matt Capps is going to sign with either the Nationals or the Cubbies. If he were to go to the Nats, he would become the closer, if he were to go to the Cubs, he would become a setup man.

Me being a Cubs fan, I would like to see him come to Chicago. Because Kevin Gregg is gone and Marmol is moved up to closer, they could always use a solid, righty arm in the pen to fill the spot. Also, With the relatively young bullpen the Cubs have, Capps' experience can also be beneficial.

 

[Stormtrooper]

Seriously, fuck the Yankees. They just got Javier Vazquez, who was pretty much the third best starter in the National League last year, for Melky Cabrera, a LHP who is garbage, and a prospect who was born in the 90s.

I basically am speechless right now at how stupid the Braves are. They traded four of their top prospects last year to get Vazquez, and now they spin him off for a guy whose upside is at best, a fourth outfielder. The Yankees just got the third best starter in the NL last year to be their third or fourth starter. It's absolutely ridiculous. Might as well give the Yankees another World Series now... especially when now they have a vacancy in left field and I have a feeling a bombshell is about to be unleashed there where they sign either Bay or Holliday.

The "Garbage LHP" you speak of is Mike Dunn. Mike Dunn was expected to be the 2nd LHP out of the pen for the Yankees. He has a high 90's fastball and a 9.4 K/9 ratio in the Minors (albeit a 4.0 BB/9 ratio). If he can get his control better (not easy), he has potential to be an OK late inning guy.

I don't think Melky Cabrera ever recovered from being brought up RIDICULOUSLY too early. Cabrera made his debut in 2005 (when the Yankees tried repeatedly to remove Bernie Williams from Center) at the age of 20. He was so over-matched it was embarrassing. He has been sub-par his entire career as a Yankee, and never should have been more then a 4th outfielder. A move to the NL may help him, but leaving the friendly confines of New Yankee Stadium is going to kill his limited power numbers. Somebody in the Baves organization must love the Melk Man, but as a Yankee fan, I'm glad to see him go. Thank you Braves for giving us something much better then Melky.

The other pitcher (Arodys Viscaino) is one of the upper prospects in the Yankee system, but he is so young (only in A-ball), so who knows what he will end up as.

At the end of the day, this trade is a STEAL for the Yanks. they gave up nothing of note for the guy who finished 4th for the NL Cy Young, and who pitched 200+ innings every year this decade (ironically except 2004 with the Yanks, where he had "only" 198 innings because of an injury). Also, Vasquez is in a contract year, and if he goes elsewhere, he will definitely be a Type B (or even a Type A) free agent, so they can replenish the farm system that way. And lets not forget Boone Logan, who is going to become the Yanks 2nd Lefty out of the pen.

Trades like this are the reason why Brian Cashman is a great GM. I saw this question posed somewhere, and will ask it here for input. When was the last time Brian Cashman made a trade and you said "That was a great trade by [other then the Yankees]."I honestly cannot recall. Sure, the Yankees spend a crapload of money (more then every other team), but they also make good trades, and get quality lower-tier players.

----------------------------------------

As it pertains to the Left field gap, I think I have as good a chance at playing Left Field for the Yankees then Holliday or Bay.......

“I do have a number that we’re working under. We will be at that number and it will be less than last year… I will continue to look at any remaining piece (for the outfield), but it won’t be a big piece.”

I know that he has to say that, but there is a number, and nobody in this Free Agent class is worth going over said number.

The Yankees have 2 options for Left Field. They can either platoon Brett Gardner and Rule-5 Pick Jamie Hoffman, or dip into the Free Agent pool. If they elect to go Free Agent (likely, considering Gardner is less of a player then Melky, and Hoffman is a Rule 5 guy), they will not go after a superstar, but instead go after a guy like Mark DeRosa, Rick Ankiel, or even Johnny Damon. The Yankees aren't locking themselves into another superstar player for big money, especially since they need to spend money next season, since both Derek Jeter's and Mariano Rivera's contracts are expiring.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

It's been kind of slow since the Vazquez trade, but I wanted to bring this up because fuck Mike Lowell and I hope he gets outright released.

He's a moron.

I feel like there were close to 20 games I felt I should have been in the last two months of the season, which would have given me about three more homers and would have put me at 20 [homers] and 90 [RBI], which is about what I am.

First of all, this is ridiculous. At this point, the Sox had V-Mart, Youkilis, Ortiz and Varitek in the lineup. Varitek's "play-calling" was still valued by the Red Sox, and at the very least, he could field. Lowell was no longer able to adequately field at third base, and he was too hurt. But yeah, it's the team's fault that they didn't feel comfortable playing you so you could get your stats up, because the only two criteria GMs use to value players are home runs and RBIs.

Lowell's reputation since coming here has been as a great clubhouse guy who is very selfless, and just wants to win, but here he is, saying that the Red Sox should have sat the other guys who were producing and not banged up, so he could go ahead and drive up his stats for three more home runs.

Seriously, fuck him, and I can see him being a problem if he sticks around.

 

[X]

Mets Reach Agreement With Jason Bay
By Tim Dierkes [December 29, 2009 at 1:42pm CST]

1:42pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that Bay has a four-year, $66MM agreement with an easy fifth-year vesting option. The 2014 vesting option appears to be worth more than $14MM, as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes that Bay's deal could be worth "slightly more than $80MM over five years." WEEI's Alex Speier notes that the fifth-year vesting option was part of the Mets' original proposal.

Sherman cautions that Bay's physical "might not be a formality."

1:20pm: SI's Jon Heyman confirms that the Mets have an agreement with Bay. MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone expects a four-year deal for about $66MM. If that's accurate, Bay left Boston for an additional $6MM. As compensation, the Red Sox will receive the Mets' second-round pick (currently #50) as well as a supplemental pick.

1:13pm: WFAN's Mike Francesa says the Mets will announce a Jason Bay signing early next week, if his physical checks out. Francesa's report also included previously-known info about Bengie Molina seeking three years and the Mets offering one plus a vesting option.

It's a strange way for news of a major agreement to break, though Francesa did not use the word "agreement." It's also strange that Francesa would sit on this news for a full day and make the announcement with no enthusiasm.

So, it appears that Jason Bay has inked a four year deal with the New York Mets, pending a physical. Can't say this surprises me in the least bit, it was obvious that he wasn't coming back to Boston after about a week into the offseason. Unless the Sox are planning on grabbing Holliday, I really don't know what the fuck Theo is thinking right now. An outfield consisting of Ellsbury, Drew, and a platoon of Mike Cameron and Jeremy Hermida doesn't exactly sound like something that will have the Yankees shaking in their boots. I don't know, hopefully there's still a big deal coming along because I really don't like our odds this year if we're already done in the free agent market.

 

[the troop]

The Cubs made a key acquisition the other day.

CHICAGO -- For the second straight offseason, the Cubs have signed an outfielder from the Texas Rangers, but this should be a better fit.


On Thursday, the Cubs inked free agent Marlon Byrd to a three-year, $15 million contract to fill their gap in center field. The deal is backloaded so Byrd will be paid $3 million in 2010, $5.5 million in 2011 and $6.5 million in 2012.

Like this article says, let's hope this former Rangers outfielder will have a much better season than another former rangers outfielder that the Cubs recently traded away.

He will be reunited with former Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, who the Cubs recently acquired. Jaramillo was the one who in fact pushed for the Cubs to sign Byrd and had only good things to say about him. Byrd had personal bests in homers and RBIs and had a solid batting average of .283 last year.

I think Byrd is a good signing for the Cubs. Hitting wise, He will most likely be 5th or 6th in the batting order. He seems to be a hitter that can be a solid follow up to Lee and Ramirez and get a job done, whatever it is. Fielding wise, he will jump into center with Fukudome moving back to right. He was trained by 5-time gold glover Gary Pettis so we should be expecting a clutch, smart outfielder. A decent outfielder is always welcome considering some of the players that have been out there for the cubbies (i.e Soriano, Bradley).

 

[Mr. TM]

Couple big signings in Baseball today. Canadian Jason Bay went to the Mets, which is a decent acquisition for the team, that always likes a homer guy. If it was a year earlier, he would be a Blue Jay, I am sure on it with a new Rogers Cable deal to cover the 14 and a half. $66 for four is about right for him, a guy who can hit when needed, but best served batting 4th to 5th.

Randy Johnson officially retired. Sad day, always been a favourite player to watch.

The big deal was of course Holliday going to the Cards. Monster $120 contract will keep him there, and keep the Cards at the top of the division for 7 years. Not much to say, but to say the Cards mean business.

 

[Thriller Ant]

I'm so glad the Cards finally signed Holliday. I'm wary about the money, but he is a big bat to protect Albert and can field well, despite what people who only saw him against the Dodgers may think. Now that we have him locked up, third base is the only worry position we have left, and we are currently in talks with Felipe Lopez to come back.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

I'm not even going to speak on the Adrian Beltre signing and trading Casey Kotchman for BILL HALL.

Both moves really frustrate me to no end, and I'm thinking that Theo is losing his mind. I mean, it's great that the Sox are thinking defense, but we're going to need to score runs as well.

A lineup of:
LF Ellsbury
2B Pedroia
DH Ortiz
1B Youkilis
C Martinez
3B Beltre
RF Drew
CF Cameron
SS Scutaro

and a bench of:
C Varitek
UT Hall
IF Lowrie/Hulett
OF Hermida

Is not going to scare a lot of teams... especially if Ortiz starts off slow again. Beltre does not really inspire me either, and I hope he only sticks around for one year. I'm not going to talk about the last two Sox moves any further. I really think that we need another bat, and I think Theo absolutely needs to focus on getting Adrian Gonzalez still, even if it means getting rid of Ellsbury. Don't forget that the Sox won the World Series in 2007 with Pedroia as the leadoff hitter. Ellsbury's speed is nice, but I still think he's overrated defensively and his negative UZR is indicative of that.

But what I really want to talk about is how stupid the Hall of Fame Committee is. It's time to start revoking the voting rights of some of these writers. Was Andre Dawson a good baseball player? Sure. Was he Hall of Fame worthy? I'd say it's borderline. His numbers don't jump out at you, however, he nearly hit 500 home runs, and that was without any type of performance enhancer... which is going to start weighing in a lot more heavily in the minds of the voters.

What I really have a problem with is how ONLY Dawson got in, and Bert Blyleven missed it by 5 votes. I think it's ridiculous that the writers don't vote certain people in because of personal issues. Because certain players aren't popular with the media, they don't get in. It's not right.

Blyleven was one of the most qualified players to be elected into the Hall of Fame. Blyleven has won 287 games, ranks fifth all-time in strikeouts and compiled a 3.31 ERA over 22 seasons, pitching for a lot of bad teams. Still, he continues to get the shaft, and it's not right. He'll probably get in next year, because 5 votes are easy to get turned around, but the fact that it's going to take him 14 years is disgusting.

Roberto Alomar, who could very well be the greatest second baseman of the last 25 years, didn't make it in, only missing getting inducted by 8 votes. A lot of the writers don't like voting players in their first year, and it's to prove some sort of stupid fucking point. I don't understand why the writers do this, and I think the 75% threshold is stupid. I know the Baseball Hall of Fame is prestigious, because it's so hard to get in, but for only one person to make it... it's ridiculous, especially when guys like Blyleven and Alomar are going to get in anyway either next year or the year after. Why can't they make it where the top two or three vote-getters get in no matter what? That way, it eliminates the writers who vote for proving a point (Hello Dan Shaugnessy, Jay Mariotti, and the legions of ******s who are baseball writers).

It's disgusting that because he was primarily a DH, Edgar Martinez is going to struggle to get in, he was a very good hitter, and easily HOF-worthy. Barry Larkin got 51% of votes for his first year of eligibility, which is good, all things considered.

The writers who voted for Ellis Burks, Erik Karros (2 votes), Kevin Appier, Pat Hentgen, and David Segui (1 vote) should have their right to vote revoked immediately. None of those guys are remotely HOF worthy.

Here are the new entrants for the 2011 ballot:

2011: Jeff Bagwell, Rafael Palmeiro, John Olerud, Kevin Brown, Larry Walker, Juan Gonzalez, Tino Martinez, B.J. Surhoff, Marquis Grissom, John Franco, Bret Boone, Al Leiter, Benito Santiago, Carlos Baerga, Raul Mondesi, Bobby Higginson, Wilson Alvarez, Rey Sanchez, Charles Johnson, Jose Offerman, Ugueth Urbina, Ismael Valdez, Dan Wilson, Paul Quantrill, Cal Eldred, Kirk Rueter, Steve Reed

I think we should start a grassroots campaign for Ugueth Urbina. He was a true fireballer who cut down his opposition with no remorse. He was also amongst the best pitchers at stopping attempted thefts.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

SS - Jeter .318/18/74
DH - Johnson .265/21/85
1B - Teixeira .296/34/108
3B - Rodriguez .309/38/122
CF - Granderson .280/30/97
C - Posada .278/20/101
2B - Cano .332/14/73
Swisher .255/26/92
Gardner .269/11/59

SP - Sabathia 21-5 .333
SP - Burnett 17-10 .397
SP - Pettitte 16-8 .402
SP - Vazquez 18-14 .385
SP - Chamberlin 12-10 .455

RP - Hughes 6-2 .288
CP - Rivera 2-1 .196

Those are my (admittedly) early stat predictions for the New York Yankees starters and important relief pitchers, assuming the Yankees don't make another splash this offseason. Just there, you're looking at 90-40 among the pitchers, leaving 32 games to be decided by other relievers/spot starters/injury replacements and a little over 815 runs scored. I think I'm under-rating the offense slightly, but looking at my numbers, they'll be the best offense in baseball even so. I predicted a slight decline for Jeter and Posada, a monster year for Cano and A-Rod. Book it. Sabathia would win the Cy with those numbers, and we'd have a very good rotation. Mariano, I think, will be his same ole' self and Hughes will be a dominant set-up guy. I think we have an outstanding team, stronger than before with the addition of Vazquez, Granderson, and Johnson. I think Damon is going to break down this year, and Matsui/Johnson may as well be a wash. (Both prone to injury. Matsui - more power/Johnson - OBP)

The Yankees are loaded again. The Red Sox have definitely underwhelmed everyone in the post-season thus far. Go get your bat, BoSox, otherwise you will be in a dogfight with Texas, Anaheim, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, and Tampa for the Wild Card.

Oh, and Edgar should be in the Hall. Career .312 hitter, 309 homers, 5 years with +1.000 OPS, 1200 RBI's.. Yes he was a DH.. But, he was also one of the most dangerous and feared hitters in the game.

 

[Mr. TM]

Johnny Damon is still walking around in no man's land, that being if the WWE does not sign him first. He has been in talk with the Toronto Blue Jays, but I don't see it panning out. He is still a worthwhile player to have on any team, being one of the best hitters in all of baseball last decade, he can draw people in to a stadium. Blue Jays lack that, and I will have a hard time watching as all my favourite players are now departed off the team. Maybe I would watch Damon, after seeing him for years in our division when he was a Red Sox and a Yankee.

 

[simpsons_fanatic742]

The Toronto Blue Jays were also rumoured to be interested in bringing back Carlos Delgado, but those rumours have been shot down. I would love to see Delgado back in a Blue Jays uniform and his return would definitely bring in some fans. They were interested in Damon, but that ship has also sailed. If the Jays brought any one of those guys in it would help attendance, but also it could have given them a veteran player in a young locker room. That's going to be a big problem this year for the Jays, getting fans to come to the games. They traded their best player and fan favourite Roy Halladay and haven't signed any big names in free agency. It's clear they are rebuilding and management hasn't hidden that fact so we just have to be patient. Of course, winning always brings fans in so maybe this team can spark some interest into the future.

 

[Mr. TM]

Carlos Delgado would be a dream come true. He is by far my favourite Baseball player ever, and he might be my favourite player ever. But you are correct, the rebuilding is going to happen. And it hurts, as they don't have a face anymore.

They could be a flukey team, that works hard together, and wins, but are we really that lucky? Tampa was, and how many dozens of fans do they have? Toronto needs a guy to go into the lockey room, who doesn't have a massive ego, who can help the players, while gonig out on the field, not sucking, and getting the fans interested.

Blue JAys have had some great players come up, but then they seem to drop off (Rios...). Hopefully this is Aaron Hill's year to shine, and be made the face of the company, and not Vernon Wells.

 

[CH David]

Jeez, my original sporting stomping ground. Let's get cracking shall we?

So the White Sox decided to pull their offer from Johnny Damon a few days ago, and it has been reported that the Tigers have signed the 36 year old lefty to a one year deal, pending a physical. I'd say it is a meh non-move made by the Sox. Damon has a wealth of experience, and can still go, would be a nice addition for the base paths. But it is what it is, and maybe he can help Detroit (not that I want him to, but he is a good player so he probably will). Anyway, so that could have gone either way. Would have been a welcomed addition, but I'm not pissed they took the deal off the table.

As far as the team goes themselves, if they can stay healthy, which is the case with every team, then I see no reason why they can't be one of the top teams in the Central Division. The starting five is a damn good five. Peavy, Buehrle, Floyd, Danks, and Garcia, all can pitch exceptionally well. Peavy showed he could come back last year, pitching well in all his starts. Floyd still has some of the best pure stuff in the game, Danks continually pitches well, but gets snubbed due to lack of runs. Buehrle is looking to bounce back from the struggles he had after his Perfect Game, and Freddy is a solid number 5 at his age.

In the pen is also a solid staff, with Jenks being healthy again, Matt Thornton being his smooth throwing self, and Linebrink presumably healthy and ready to have last year behind him. Now, there is a new addition, with J.J. Putz being inserted either in the 7th or 8th inning role. He is looking to revert back to his 2007 form, when he was a very good closer in Seattle. After elbow surgery last year, he can hopefully contribute something well in the pen. And there is a new long reliever/spot starter, Daniel Hudson. He came out a little bit last year, and looked pretty good. Could be one of the surprises of the team this season.

But even with the pitchers possibly having awesome seasons, it could matter not if the offense can't be efficient. This is what happened for the most part last year. The pitching was solid a good part of the year, but the offense just went into too many slumps, and they couldn't score the key runs when they needed to. It is what it is. If the offense can produce this season, I see them definitely in the running for the division. Juan Pierre is going to be a godsend at the top of the lineup. A true leadoff hitter who can bunt. Andruw Jones, who is said to be in the best shape in quite a few years, can hopefully come off the bench and hit, or play his solid defense. Omar Vizquel will make the occasional start, but will guide young Beckham and Ramirez up the middle. And lastly of the key additions, Mark Teahen. This is a kid with immense talent, but hasn't been able to put it together. I'm skeptical on his defense at the hot corner, but we shall see.

The team just needs to stay healthy, go about their normal business, and I see no good reason that they can't compete for the division crown this season.

 

[Mr. TM]

Well I feel I have been getting older. One of my favourites as a youngster has retired. He became one of my favourites despite playing against my team a dozen times a year. Nomar Garciaparra, I have seen him play baseball for a long time, one of my favourite names in baseball has hung them up. He did it where he first raised to fame, in Boston Red Sox rouge.

I wonder if he will make the Hall of Fame, he has great numbers, but there are better numbers for players out there, so it will be interesting to see if he makes it. He was a gel of that Boston team from his great rookie year up until he left the East Coast. I think many would want him in, but its only a 75% chance he makes it, knowing how fickle that BAseball Hall of Fame can be.

 

[BooCocky]

Being a Pirate fan has been nothing but hell for the last 17 years or so. But we do have a few bright spots. Pedro Alvarez is a freaking animal, and McCutchen is already a very good major league baseball player. They are performing exceptionally well this spring training. Alvarez is batting over .300 and McCutchen is batting .267. But they both have a good on base percentage, both are .350 or higher. Our pitching isn't all that great but Daniel McCutchen has looked solid and Tascners also looked pretty good. The Buccos made as couple pf off season moves, Bobby Crosby is a Jack Wilson but a tad bit better when healthy and Ryan Church is a very good bench player. I think we can have a solid year. Our division isn't that good. So that always helps.

 

[Mr. TM]

23 Million a year.

He sure deserves it. Joe Mauer could have gotten that much money anywhere now a days. He is the best catcher in baseball. He is one fo the best players in the Major Leagues.

I bet the team is happy to have him, the Twins locked him up, instead of having him depart for New York, where Posada is likely nearing the end of his career. Instead, the Twins have a huge draw to their team for the next eight years, and he will be making double what he used to make. Hopefully this plays out well for him, Mauer is one of my favourite players, and the Twins are one of my favourite teams.

 

[Theo Mays]

Great move by the Twinkies. Mauer is easily one of the best players in all of baseball and he is Minnesota. Home town kid and I think it would look weird with him in another teams uni. This will definitely help the Twins in revenue, as they have the hometown hero and they keep one of the best in baseball around for a long time.

 

[simpsons_fanatic742]

With the Baseball season less than two weeks away the Blue Jays have named Shawn Marcum the opening day starter. It's the first time in 8 seasons that Halladay won't be the starter. Marcum has had a solid spring so he has earned the opening start. I thought that Romero may get it, but Marcum showed up in great form. McGowan hasn't fully come back after his injury so he may be out a bit longer. Right now it looks like Marcum and Romero will be the 1-2 for the Blue Jays and if they play up to their potential, that's not a bad 1-2 punch, obviously not as strong as other team, but still effective.

 

[Mr. TM]

I am ecstatic to see Marcum coming back. He was having such a great year in 2008, and for that injury to take him down was such a hard thing to see as a Blue Jay fan.

It is a new era for the Blue Jays with no Halladay on the hill at the beginning of April. But if Marcum can come back and have an era in the mid 2s like he was having in 2008, it might be him in 8 years who is breaking our hearts as we trade him away.

Romero does look decent, he was great last year before his injury. So injuries are the biggest problem for the Jays, if all their pitchers can stay healthy, they will do alright. Not great, but alright, and they will build to a great year down the line.

 

[INDYjon22]

I was watching a Spring training game yesterday and realized that the Braves look really fucking good this season. Now I am not going to get ahead of myself and say they will win a World Series but they are definitely a team to keep an eye on this season. From seeing their dominance yesterday they are my odds on favorite to win their division, they still have a long way to go to be able to hang with the Yankees or Red Sox yet but it should be a very solid season barring injuries.

 

[Theo Mays]

I think the Braves are gonna have a good team, but I still don't think they are as good as the Phillies. I still think the Phillies are the best team in the NL and the Cards would probably be 2nd on that list. I do see the Braves making a strong push for the wild card and I believe that they will win it, as they have a strong rotation and a solid group of hitters.

 

[INDYjon22]

I think the Braves are gonna have a good team, but I still don't think they are as good as the Phillies. I still think the Phillies are the best team in the NL and the Cards would probably be 2nd on that list. I do see the Braves making a strong push for the wild card and I believe that they will win it, as they have a strong rotation and a solid group of hitters.

Shit, I got my divisions mixed up. Thanks for that round about way of bringing that to my attention Theo, lol. I still stand by what I said though now I have to reassess if they can win their division. At the very least they should make a good run at the wild card and are a very tough team. I think they could be a real ball breaker come playoff time depending on their match up and if they do indeed make it in.