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MLB Hot Stove 2012/13
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Mariano plans to return to Yankees next season
This is great news. Especially after a season which ended without both DJ and Mariano on the field.
This is great news. Especially after a season which ended without both DJ and Mariano on the field.
SF Giants
I have heard two names come up a lot with pitcher Affeldt and 1st baseman Huff being tossed around as ones who may not be with us. If reliever Brian Wilson (the beard) gets healthy next season, will we keep him or go with current reliever Sergio Romo who was just as instrumental in 2012 as Wilson was in 2010? Both the 2010 WS team and 2012 WS team looked quite different so there's no telling where things can go in 2013.
People are talking dynasty as if we are the Yankees or the '90s pitching heavy Braves, but there is so much more left to prove. In between WS titles in 2011 we failed to make playoffs. It could be argued that the Giants did it with two different teams and there was no core like the Yankees or Braves.
Whoever we end up with we have to retain at least some core and not just one consistent player, being catcher Buster Posey, being basically the same player in same role. If we could keep at least two of the same good hitters for next five years, too, and at least one good reliever and two good rotation pitchers (Cain and Lincecum) for the same amount of time, we should be in good hands. I don't expect older guys like Barry Zito to repeat great years from this point out no more than I expected Edgar Renteria (2010 WS MVP) to continue producing.
I have heard two names come up a lot with pitcher Affeldt and 1st baseman Huff being tossed around as ones who may not be with us. If reliever Brian Wilson (the beard) gets healthy next season, will we keep him or go with current reliever Sergio Romo who was just as instrumental in 2012 as Wilson was in 2010? Both the 2010 WS team and 2012 WS team looked quite different so there's no telling where things can go in 2013.
People are talking dynasty as if we are the Yankees or the '90s pitching heavy Braves, but there is so much more left to prove. In between WS titles in 2011 we failed to make playoffs. It could be argued that the Giants did it with two different teams and there was no core like the Yankees or Braves.
Whoever we end up with we have to retain at least some core and not just one consistent player, being catcher Buster Posey, being basically the same player in same role. If we could keep at least two of the same good hitters for next five years, too, and at least one good reliever and two good rotation pitchers (Cain and Lincecum) for the same amount of time, we should be in good hands. I don't expect older guys like Barry Zito to repeat great years from this point out no more than I expected Edgar Renteria (2010 WS MVP) to continue producing.
I don't see dynasties happening in the MLB or NFL anymore. There is too much parody and the cowboys and yankees have proven again and again that you can't buy championships. The NBA might still have them because it's such a ball hog league full of individual accomplishments. I don't really consider NBA basketball a professional sport though
I'd like to see you guys drop Affeldt so the Cards can pick him up.
. We need a lefty in the bullpen and scrabble just isn't it. SF Giants have a good shot of being considered a dynasty, but the Yanks barely edge out ahead in terms of measurable winning stats and the Giants are pretty matched with the Cards. I think the Cards edge out in terms of number of post season and world series appearances, but the Giants are 3 for 3 in NLCS wins/appearances (coincidentally tying the Cards number of wins, but we have a few losses to add). With tight competition like this, Einmusiker is right, I think the days of Dynasties are gone. A fan can dream though!
Break break.
The Tigers are a favorite to win the 2013 world series. Bookies are already starting to release odds.
Anyone going to any spring training games ? I went a few years ago to Phoenix and caught a dodgers/a's game. Great environment for a fan of any team and especially baseball. I might try and make a road trip to Jupiter this year to see some of my RedBirds prospects.
In Terms of post season moves for Cards, here is where I rank where we need focus:
1. 2nd Baseman. Would be fantastic if Carpenter could pick it up. He was a much needed bat to replace descalso but didn't have the defensive knowledge to really be placed anywhere of value.
2. SS. Would be nice if Furcal came back 100%, but baseball is a young mans sport and in his mid thirties age, he is showing wear and tear.
3. Shore up the bullpen. First who knows if Chris Carpenter will have his stuff back. Jaime is a head case and has a tendency to get hurt. Lastly we have all of these young guys that are untested as starters for a full year in the majors. We need a guy that can fill in for 5th starter for all these reasons. Oh and toss a lefty into there.
That should strengthen the Cards for 2013.
2014 is going to look ugly as all of our young guys are coming up for Arbitration.
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It appears that the Giants are not picking up Huff's 10M option. Thanks for 2010, Huff. Enjoy your retirement.
Hopefully, Wilson will be back on the mound in 2013 at 100%. It will be very interesting with both Romo and Wilson. Bochy will have a few different options, if he chooses, with regard to a closer.
I trust that that Affeldt, Pagan, and Scutaro will all be back on board.
I hope that Timmy finds his starting arm/mentality during the winter. After the 2012 All Star break, I felt that he should have been placed in the Bull Pen.
For myself, the 2013 season will be another entertaining and exciting year, as the past 43 years have been.
T-plush opts for FA
No qualifying offers for Marcum or Krod
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Not surprising about krod but a little surprised about Marcum. He started off so well and just overplayed and the injury bug bit.
I will always remember Tplush for the big hit in the 2011 NLDS. Fun to watch hope he finds another club to fit in
No qualifying offers for Marcum or Krod
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Not surprising about krod but a little surprised about Marcum. He started off so well and just overplayed and the injury bug bit.
I will always remember Tplush for the big hit in the 2011 NLDS. Fun to watch hope he finds another club to fit in
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They are a safe bet all things considered. They could be on the way to several really good years. They didn't have a strong showing in the WS, but their blanking of the Yankees means they can have it going when all things work well. Another AL team I believe will still be a postseason threat are the Rangers with three years in a row to postseason and two in WS. Yankees will always be a contender and they just won't go away.
I don't know the state of your team, the Cardinals. Are they an older lot or do you still have enough of the core guys still with many years left in them? It's always good to have strong players and a real plus if enough of them are young to build a team around for the long haul. Too many fans don't know just how much this is a young man's sport. This overemphasis on "young" has been a SF Giants thing for such a long time even though it has left a few sentimental fans reeling. Our local pro football team had a real strong emphasis on young talent for 20 years and took home five Super Bowls and the biggest secret was letting a great go while they were still a great. We didn't let anybody go into decline and always looked forward. This is also the thinking of the SF Giants right now and I hope it works. Yes, there are outliers who played into their 50s, but it's not a way to build a team. Though my Giants did well with a few key older guys in 2010 as they were the best portion of the team, none of them showed up in 2012. I hope you are OK at SS for your team.
The other factor that makes things interesting is just who you end up with the next year. For so many years we hated LA and everything about them, but when former Dodger all star and WS player rebuilt the Giants into a real team again, we were thankful. As for LA, I would like to steal Kershaw one day.
Brewers make moves to free up roster space
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I expect axford, estrada, narveson and gomez to stay. Not sure about Parra we need pitching but he has been extremely inconsistent
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I expect axford, estrada, narveson and gomez to stay. Not sure about Parra we need pitching but he has been extremely inconsistent
We're a good mix of Cards and MLB vets and guys we've brought up through the Farm.
Kyle Lohse departure stings a bit, but he deserves a big payday and we have too many young arms to justify that.
The core of the vets next year is Chris Carp, Waino, and Yadi. Beltran will be a good clubhouse leader as well. All of the young guys seem to gravitate towards them. We'll be healthy next year as long as we can shore up SS and 2nd base, and as long as Garcia/Carpenter have their stuff.
Seeing McGuire leave stings a bit too, but seeing how streaky our bats have been, maybe change is good. I love having Cardinal vets stay on to contribute... And if Carpenter doesn't get another MLB contract, I'd love to see him on the pitching staff.
*Fun Note* Since David Freese and Pujols were the only Cardinals to call STL home year round, David's partner during off season training was Pujols.
. Imagine Dave, a young guy growing up a Cardinal fan getting to train with one of the Cards greatest players on the regular. I hope all teams find that sort of chemistry and I hope Sr Octubre has found that in Anaheim.
David Ortiz Wonders If Bobby Valentine Has Mental Issues
LOL. I love this man. And I needed this today. Mental issues indeed.
And today was his extension announcement:
"David Ortiz, an iconic figure in Boston for a decade, signed a two-year, $26 million contract on Monday that will help him toward his goal of retiring with the Red Sox." - MLB.com
LOL. I love this man. And I needed this today. Mental issues indeed.
And today was his extension announcement:
"David Ortiz, an iconic figure in Boston for a decade, signed a two-year, $26 million contract on Monday that will help him toward his goal of retiring with the Red Sox." - MLB.com
So....The Florida Marlins just traded their entire team to the Blue Jays
The poor soul who the Marlins are keeping, Giancarlo Stanton seems to voice the thoughts of everyone not in Canada..."Alright, I'm pissed off!!! Plain & Simple,"
I'm not sure why the Marlins are allowed to continuously do this (especially after building a new stadium funded by the tax payers) - they've never been able to keep a fan base, they've never been able to support the ridiculous contracts they hand out, and they've never been able to keep a core of players together for a sustained amount of time. It's just not good for baseball.
That said - we'll take you Giancarlo!!
The poor soul who the Marlins are keeping, Giancarlo Stanton seems to voice the thoughts of everyone not in Canada..."Alright, I'm pissed off!!! Plain & Simple,"
I'm not sure why the Marlins are allowed to continuously do this (especially after building a new stadium funded by the tax payers) - they've never been able to keep a fan base, they've never been able to support the ridiculous contracts they hand out, and they've never been able to keep a core of players together for a sustained amount of time. It's just not good for baseball.
That said - we'll take you Giancarlo!!
Couldn't agree more. Teams like the Yankees and Red Sox get criticized for "buying" wins, but at least they are offering their fans a quality (well, they try
) product every year.I also believe that the teams receiving funds (luxury taxes) from the higher salaried teams should be forced to take that money and put it on the field. For years, the Royals took money from the Yankees (and others) and used that money to ensure they finished in the "black". It's inexcusable.
There should be a salary ceiling and floor for he purposes of parody. Make it really interesting and insert a sliding scale based on record. Previous years worst team gets a salary ceiling 10 million more than the series winner. It would add a whole extra level of strategy to the game
I can see where you're going - but that wouldn't necessarily mean they would spend 10 million more - just like they haven't been using the luxury tax $$. Some of the teams that finish at the bottom every year do so because they seem to have an aversion to spending money.
This really is all on MLB, they never should have allowed a team in the Miami area. I don't see how anyone there will ever support a baseball team. And with an owner who doesn't give a crap MLB should step in. You should not be allowed to sell off the whole team.
2 years, $26 million.
As a Tigers fan, I think they over-paid... but at least it's only 2 years. Definitely an upgrade over Delmon Young.