What do the Phillies, Red Sox, Angels and Tigers all have in common? If the season ended today then none of them would make the playoffs and they rank 2-5 in payroll behind only the Yankees. If you look at their payroll and roster everyone of these teams should make the playoffs and at the beginning of the year all of them were projected by most people to make the playoffs. All year we have heard that the Tigers team was so much better than the White Sox that soon they would just blow by them and win the division easily and you know what that hasn't happened. The same goes for the Angels, who many have said are better than anyone else in their division, but as of August they sit behind both the Oakland A's and the Texas Rangers despite what is supposedly a superior roster featuring Jerad Weaver, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. The Phillies were supposed to win the NL East despite the injuries because their pitching staff was just too good, but they sit 11 games under .500 and have been trying to move some of their bloated contracts. The Red Sox are in the same boat as everyone said their problems from last September wouldn't carry over and yet they have struggled all year and have been under .500 this season more often than not.Fans of everyone of these teams will cry foul and say injuries have hurt their season, but every team deals with injuries, the Yankees have lost Mariano Rivera, Michael Pineda, Andy Petitte, CC Sabathia, Brett Gardner and ARod and have still manged to have the best record in the AL.
My point in this is not to rip these teams as much as it is to point out that at a certain point you cannot keep saying this team will do better because of the talent on their roster or another team will slide and acknowledge that after 110 games these teams probably are what they appear to be. It is certainly possible that the Pirates or the Orioles could self destruct or the Tigers/Angels could go on an epic tear but that does not seem to be likely. The most likely scenario is that these teams keep it close toward the end of the season and we have a hard fought wild card race and some tight division races as well.
Showing posts with label Philadelphia Phillies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia Phillies. Show all posts
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Best Moves for the NL East!
The NL East is considered by many to be the powerhouse of the National league and they currently have two great National League teams, two emerging NL teams and the New York Mets. All of the teams have interesting off season stories attached to them and will be very involved in the free agent class as well as trade rumors.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves were the NL version of the Red Sox with an epic collapse in September that kept them from the playoffs. The Braves have been at the center of a lot of trade rumors as they have been shopping Martin Prado and Jair Jurrjens as they seek to take advantage of their swath of young talented pitchers. The Braves will be looking for Jason Heyward to bounce back big time and for Chipper Jones to have one more good season before he finally retires. I don't think the braves will be looking to sign any big time free agents as the real reason for their collapse was that they overworked their bullpen so everybody was spent by the end of the season. The Braves want a lot for Jurrjens and that was why their deal with the Royals fell through, but if they do move him that means that untested pitchers will have to take on two rotation spots as the Braves have already traded Derrek Lowe. Perhaps the Braves could bring back Javy Vazquez if he chooses to keep playing but I do not think they will be able to get the players they want for Jurrjens. This team will likely be in the thick of the playoff hunt and will have a lot of rookies and second year players on the team but they did make it work last year with a similar situation.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals came very close to finishing above .500 for the first time since the move from Quebec and finished the year 80-81. The Nationals have a strong crop of talented players that are almost ready for the big leauges and strong crop of young players already with the team. Some people think the Nationals will make a run at Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols but despite likely being active on the free agent market I doubt they will pursue these first baseman. Jose Reyes and C.J Wilson are possibilities but I think that the Nationals will likely end up trading for a starter or signing Edwin Jackson as this will be the first time they do not have a protected draft pick. If they do not sign a pitcher then their crop of young players could mean that they trade for a starter and a good fit would likely be Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros. The biggest need for the Nationals however is Center field and their were rumors during the season about them targeting B.J Upton or Denard Span and I think its very likely they will target B.J Upton again this winter. Adam LaRoche will also be coming back from his shoulder surgery last season and if he can play to near his career norms then he will could prove to be a very important trade piece as the Nationals will look to move Morse to first to clear the way for Bryce Harper in the outfield. If things go well for the Nationals then they could be looking at a playoff spot either in 2012 or 2013.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies were nearly universally picked to win the world series this season but ever since they won the world series in 2008 they have bolstered their rotation and still fallen short each time. In 2009 they added Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, in 2010 they added Roy Halliday and Roy Oswalt. Then in 2011 they added Cliff Lee and had Vance Worley emerge and yet they have gotten progressively farther away from the world series each year. The Phillies won 104 games last year and even with Ryan Howard missing the beginning of the season they should be favored to win the division. Their deal with Ryan Maddson appears to have fallen through and while they still may work out a deal the Phillies could also target Papelbon. The Phillies will look to again march their team to the postseason on their rotation and will likely retain Jimmy Rollins despite a need for them to go younger.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins are moving in to a new stadium in 2012 and will officially switch over to the Miami Marlins name. The Marlins are looking to spend and become a consistent contender and they do have some talented young players as well. The Marlins have been talking to several top free agents and could be the strongest suitors for Prince Fielder or Jose Reyes. They also will be in the market for a starter and I think that if the Rangers don't view Wilson in their future plans then the Marlins could be the best suitors. If the Marlins make the right moves then they could wind up being a contender not just this season but in the future. The real reasons behind these moves however is to repair the teams image after years of isolating the South Florida fan base despite two world series since 1997. This off season is probably more important to the Marlins than any team in the NL and possibly all of baseball, but the Marlins will have to pony up the cash and they will need to be the right moves as the wrong ones could leave the team with a lot of big contracts that they can not afford.
New York Mets
The Mets are a total mess and there is almost no chance for them to retain Jose Reyes and David Wright has been coming up in trade rumors. The financial situation was supposed to be solved before the season was even finished but its still a mess and the biggest move for them this offseason will likely be that they have moved the fences in at Citi Field. In the end I think the Mets will keep Wright for at least the beginning of the season and will look to add some low level players to the rotation like Jason Marquis or Rich Harden to add to a rotation headlined by a hopefully healthy Johan Santanna and R.A Dickey. The Mets have no chance of competing in 2012 unless the ownership financial situation is solved very shortly and are looking like they are several yeas away from being able to field a competitive team. The Mets also have to hope that Ike Davis come back healthy after playing in only 36 games last season.
Unlike last seaon the field appears to be more wide open for whom will win the division and Miami, Atlant, Washington and Philly are all going to be active this winter to try and get an edge in the playoff hunt. On an interesting note since 1993 the Phillies or Braves have won every NL East title except in 2006 when the Mets won, however during that time the Marlins have won two world series while the Braves and Phillies have each won one.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves were the NL version of the Red Sox with an epic collapse in September that kept them from the playoffs. The Braves have been at the center of a lot of trade rumors as they have been shopping Martin Prado and Jair Jurrjens as they seek to take advantage of their swath of young talented pitchers. The Braves will be looking for Jason Heyward to bounce back big time and for Chipper Jones to have one more good season before he finally retires. I don't think the braves will be looking to sign any big time free agents as the real reason for their collapse was that they overworked their bullpen so everybody was spent by the end of the season. The Braves want a lot for Jurrjens and that was why their deal with the Royals fell through, but if they do move him that means that untested pitchers will have to take on two rotation spots as the Braves have already traded Derrek Lowe. Perhaps the Braves could bring back Javy Vazquez if he chooses to keep playing but I do not think they will be able to get the players they want for Jurrjens. This team will likely be in the thick of the playoff hunt and will have a lot of rookies and second year players on the team but they did make it work last year with a similar situation.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals came very close to finishing above .500 for the first time since the move from Quebec and finished the year 80-81. The Nationals have a strong crop of talented players that are almost ready for the big leauges and strong crop of young players already with the team. Some people think the Nationals will make a run at Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols but despite likely being active on the free agent market I doubt they will pursue these first baseman. Jose Reyes and C.J Wilson are possibilities but I think that the Nationals will likely end up trading for a starter or signing Edwin Jackson as this will be the first time they do not have a protected draft pick. If they do not sign a pitcher then their crop of young players could mean that they trade for a starter and a good fit would likely be Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros. The biggest need for the Nationals however is Center field and their were rumors during the season about them targeting B.J Upton or Denard Span and I think its very likely they will target B.J Upton again this winter. Adam LaRoche will also be coming back from his shoulder surgery last season and if he can play to near his career norms then he will could prove to be a very important trade piece as the Nationals will look to move Morse to first to clear the way for Bryce Harper in the outfield. If things go well for the Nationals then they could be looking at a playoff spot either in 2012 or 2013.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies were nearly universally picked to win the world series this season but ever since they won the world series in 2008 they have bolstered their rotation and still fallen short each time. In 2009 they added Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, in 2010 they added Roy Halliday and Roy Oswalt. Then in 2011 they added Cliff Lee and had Vance Worley emerge and yet they have gotten progressively farther away from the world series each year. The Phillies won 104 games last year and even with Ryan Howard missing the beginning of the season they should be favored to win the division. Their deal with Ryan Maddson appears to have fallen through and while they still may work out a deal the Phillies could also target Papelbon. The Phillies will look to again march their team to the postseason on their rotation and will likely retain Jimmy Rollins despite a need for them to go younger.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins are moving in to a new stadium in 2012 and will officially switch over to the Miami Marlins name. The Marlins are looking to spend and become a consistent contender and they do have some talented young players as well. The Marlins have been talking to several top free agents and could be the strongest suitors for Prince Fielder or Jose Reyes. They also will be in the market for a starter and I think that if the Rangers don't view Wilson in their future plans then the Marlins could be the best suitors. If the Marlins make the right moves then they could wind up being a contender not just this season but in the future. The real reasons behind these moves however is to repair the teams image after years of isolating the South Florida fan base despite two world series since 1997. This off season is probably more important to the Marlins than any team in the NL and possibly all of baseball, but the Marlins will have to pony up the cash and they will need to be the right moves as the wrong ones could leave the team with a lot of big contracts that they can not afford.
New York Mets
The Mets are a total mess and there is almost no chance for them to retain Jose Reyes and David Wright has been coming up in trade rumors. The financial situation was supposed to be solved before the season was even finished but its still a mess and the biggest move for them this offseason will likely be that they have moved the fences in at Citi Field. In the end I think the Mets will keep Wright for at least the beginning of the season and will look to add some low level players to the rotation like Jason Marquis or Rich Harden to add to a rotation headlined by a hopefully healthy Johan Santanna and R.A Dickey. The Mets have no chance of competing in 2012 unless the ownership financial situation is solved very shortly and are looking like they are several yeas away from being able to field a competitive team. The Mets also have to hope that Ike Davis come back healthy after playing in only 36 games last season.
Unlike last seaon the field appears to be more wide open for whom will win the division and Miami, Atlant, Washington and Philly are all going to be active this winter to try and get an edge in the playoff hunt. On an interesting note since 1993 the Phillies or Braves have won every NL East title except in 2006 when the Mets won, however during that time the Marlins have won two world series while the Braves and Phillies have each won one.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
2011 Prediction
I decided that the day before the Season began was the best time to do a prediction of the Division Winners and wild card team for each league.
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are going to suffer from injuries all year long and like last year the healthy parts of the lineup will struggle to try and provide all the offense for the team just as they did last year. However in the end the teams pitching staff will allow them to win the NL East despite a valiant attempt by the Atlanta Braves. Even if Chase Utley misses the whole year the Phillies rotationis good enough that they will still be able to win the NL East. The only move i can see the Phillie making is if Brad lidge continues to struggle or remain healthy then you could see the Phillies try and trade for someone who can fill in, much like the Twins did with Matt Capps last year.
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
Most people seem to be thinking the Reds right now but Prince Fielder is in a contract year and the Brewers have their first legitimate rotation since Sabathia was one all by himself in 2008. I know that Greinke and Hart will start the season on the DL but if the Brewers can wait for these guys to get healthy then they could take advantage of a weakened NL Centrall and take the division away from the Reds. Plus this is an all or nothing year for the Brewers as Fielder will walk after this year and they have emptied their farm system to try and win now.
NL West: San Francisco Giants
This one is actually pretty hard as the Rockies will give the Giants a run for their money, but the Giants Rotation is arguably the the best in baseball . That being said their offense needs to step up and the Giants are probably going to have to look for a better solution at Shortstop than Miguel Tejada. If the Giants offense struggles then the Pitching staff can carry them, but only for so long and Buster Posey can't do it all.
NL Wild-card: Atlanta Braves
If it were not for the Phillies reacquisition of Cliff Lee then I think the Braves would be able to dethrone the Phillies and claim the NL East for themselves. The Braves took their already strong offense and added Dan Uggla for a utility infielder and a reliever because Jeff Loria (owner of the Marlins) is trying to see if he can completely destroy any chance of their being a fan base for the Marlins. The Braves rotation led by Derek Lowe is formidable, but not to the same level as the the Phillies and because of that they will fall short of the Division title, but they will capture the wild-card.
AL East: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were already a formidable team that contends every year, but then they went out and traded for Adrian Gonzalez who if healthy will be an absolute beast in Fenway park. The Red Sox, being the scrappy small market team that they are, were able to scrounge up some change and pay free agent Carl Crawford $142 million over 7 years. Last year the Boston bullpen struggled so the Sox acquired Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks to bolster their pen and possibly take over for Pappelbon if he proves to be unreliable. The Red sox have a great rotation, but after Lester every one of them has question marks as Beckett and Dice-K have had recent injury problems, Lacky suffered from being mediocre and over hyped and Buchholz stats suggest he will regress this year.Even if the Rotation has problems the Red Sox have good rotation depth and their offense should be able to overcome any pitching problems and win them games.
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
The White Sox will finally be able to beat the twins and capture the Central division title. The White Sox upgraded their offense considerably by adding Adam Dunn to their lineup who will crush the ball in U.S cellular park. The White Sox also have probably the best rotation in the AL central and I believe that the race will end up being between them and the Twins as the Tigers lack the necessary starting pitching depth to compete and will fade early. The biggest concern for the White Sox is their bullpen as the Sox were unable to bolster their bullpen and they will need to either hope it gets better on its own or they bolster it through trade if they want to be sure to get the division this year.
AL West: Texas Rangers
This is probably my most uncertain pick as i was trying to decide between the Rangers with their offense and almost no starting pitching versus the A's with their starting pitching and almost no offense. I was starting to lean toward the A's who went from no offense to almost no offense this off-season with their acquisition of Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham and a great group of young pitchers. However I was swayed by Rangers owner Nolan Ryan who stated that the Rangers will upgrade their starting pitching and will not be afraid to make a trade like last years for Cliff Lee. The Ryan ownership group wants to win, while the Athletics want to move, the Mariners stink and the Angels are just trying to confuse people. The Rangers also improved an already potent offense by adding Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli and the Rangers lineup should be able to produce enough runs to keep themselves in games and the acquisition of a top of the rotation starter will enable them win the AL west again in 2011.
Al Wild-card: New York Yankees
The Yankees will look to stay in contention until they are able to acquire another starting pitcher to bolster their rotation and their offense and bullpen should be able to keep them close to the Sox and ahead of the Rays. The Yankees will have to fight off the Rays, the Jays and the Fighting Showalter to keep themselves in second, but I have a feeling that the Yankees offense is going to keep pace with the Red Sox and their ability to score runs will hold off the non-Sox teams in the division.There is also the fact that besides the Rays I don't see any other team in the American League that could possibly beat the Yankees the wild-card and not win their own division. When the Yankees acquire a starting pitcher they will likely give the Sox a run for the Division but I doubt that they will be able to capture the Division.
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are going to suffer from injuries all year long and like last year the healthy parts of the lineup will struggle to try and provide all the offense for the team just as they did last year. However in the end the teams pitching staff will allow them to win the NL East despite a valiant attempt by the Atlanta Braves. Even if Chase Utley misses the whole year the Phillies rotationis good enough that they will still be able to win the NL East. The only move i can see the Phillie making is if Brad lidge continues to struggle or remain healthy then you could see the Phillies try and trade for someone who can fill in, much like the Twins did with Matt Capps last year.
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
Most people seem to be thinking the Reds right now but Prince Fielder is in a contract year and the Brewers have their first legitimate rotation since Sabathia was one all by himself in 2008. I know that Greinke and Hart will start the season on the DL but if the Brewers can wait for these guys to get healthy then they could take advantage of a weakened NL Centrall and take the division away from the Reds. Plus this is an all or nothing year for the Brewers as Fielder will walk after this year and they have emptied their farm system to try and win now.
NL West: San Francisco Giants
This one is actually pretty hard as the Rockies will give the Giants a run for their money, but the Giants Rotation is arguably the the best in baseball . That being said their offense needs to step up and the Giants are probably going to have to look for a better solution at Shortstop than Miguel Tejada. If the Giants offense struggles then the Pitching staff can carry them, but only for so long and Buster Posey can't do it all.
NL Wild-card: Atlanta Braves
If it were not for the Phillies reacquisition of Cliff Lee then I think the Braves would be able to dethrone the Phillies and claim the NL East for themselves. The Braves took their already strong offense and added Dan Uggla for a utility infielder and a reliever because Jeff Loria (owner of the Marlins) is trying to see if he can completely destroy any chance of their being a fan base for the Marlins. The Braves rotation led by Derek Lowe is formidable, but not to the same level as the the Phillies and because of that they will fall short of the Division title, but they will capture the wild-card.
AL East: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were already a formidable team that contends every year, but then they went out and traded for Adrian Gonzalez who if healthy will be an absolute beast in Fenway park. The Red Sox, being the scrappy small market team that they are, were able to scrounge up some change and pay free agent Carl Crawford $142 million over 7 years. Last year the Boston bullpen struggled so the Sox acquired Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks to bolster their pen and possibly take over for Pappelbon if he proves to be unreliable. The Red sox have a great rotation, but after Lester every one of them has question marks as Beckett and Dice-K have had recent injury problems, Lacky suffered from being mediocre and over hyped and Buchholz stats suggest he will regress this year.Even if the Rotation has problems the Red Sox have good rotation depth and their offense should be able to overcome any pitching problems and win them games.
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
The White Sox will finally be able to beat the twins and capture the Central division title. The White Sox upgraded their offense considerably by adding Adam Dunn to their lineup who will crush the ball in U.S cellular park. The White Sox also have probably the best rotation in the AL central and I believe that the race will end up being between them and the Twins as the Tigers lack the necessary starting pitching depth to compete and will fade early. The biggest concern for the White Sox is their bullpen as the Sox were unable to bolster their bullpen and they will need to either hope it gets better on its own or they bolster it through trade if they want to be sure to get the division this year.
AL West: Texas Rangers
This is probably my most uncertain pick as i was trying to decide between the Rangers with their offense and almost no starting pitching versus the A's with their starting pitching and almost no offense. I was starting to lean toward the A's who went from no offense to almost no offense this off-season with their acquisition of Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham and a great group of young pitchers. However I was swayed by Rangers owner Nolan Ryan who stated that the Rangers will upgrade their starting pitching and will not be afraid to make a trade like last years for Cliff Lee. The Ryan ownership group wants to win, while the Athletics want to move, the Mariners stink and the Angels are just trying to confuse people. The Rangers also improved an already potent offense by adding Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli and the Rangers lineup should be able to produce enough runs to keep themselves in games and the acquisition of a top of the rotation starter will enable them win the AL west again in 2011.
Al Wild-card: New York Yankees
The Yankees will look to stay in contention until they are able to acquire another starting pitcher to bolster their rotation and their offense and bullpen should be able to keep them close to the Sox and ahead of the Rays. The Yankees will have to fight off the Rays, the Jays and the Fighting Showalter to keep themselves in second, but I have a feeling that the Yankees offense is going to keep pace with the Red Sox and their ability to score runs will hold off the non-Sox teams in the division.There is also the fact that besides the Rays I don't see any other team in the American League that could possibly beat the Yankees the wild-card and not win their own division. When the Yankees acquire a starting pitcher they will likely give the Sox a run for the Division but I doubt that they will be able to capture the Division.
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