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Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Mon Feb 9, 2009 11:40 pm
by Bleeding Green
Blue Jays could probably wreck most of the NL and the Orioles could probably win either of the other AL two divisions as well as the NL West I bet. AL East probably has the three best teams in baseball and the top four could be among the top-6 or so. Kinda sucks for the third place team. Looking at it, how many NL teams are legit better than the Blue Jays? Cubs and Mets? Maybe the Braves or Phillies?
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:12 am
by GYBE
Bleeding Green wrote:and the Orioles could probably win either of the other AL two divisions as well as the NL West I bet.
You smoke rocks?
The O's have the worst pitching staff in baseball outside of Texas. I mean, PECOTA is depending on Rich Hill to be their second best starter this season. You think they're better than the Diamondbacks?
On a quick glance, I'd say PECOTA is overrating the Jays. It's giving Dustin McGowan 150 IP, which simply isn't going to happen.
I think the Tigers are going to easily outperform their expectations. I'm a big Edwin Jackson fan. PECOTA's VORP for him (4.0?) is way too low.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:17 am
by Schad
Bleeding Green wrote:Blue Jays could probably wreck most of the NL and the Orioles could probably win either of the other AL two divisions as well as the NL West I bet. AL East probably has the three best teams in baseball and the top four could be among the top-6 or so. Kinda sucks for the third place team. Looking at it, how many NL teams are legit better than the Blue Jays? Cubs and Mets? Maybe the Braves or Phillies?
Last year, absolutely...the Jays were only one game back of the Rays in Pyth W/L, and would have cruised to a division title in the AL Central, NL East or NL West. Unfortunately, they are down nearly 500 IP pitched at an ERA+ of 110, and the likelihood that the bullpen achieves anything similar to last year's absurd success is pretty remote. I worry about Halladay's arm coming off 246 innings at 107 pitches/start, and doubt very much that the offense improves unless Lind and Snider blow up. Unfortunately, 2008 was probably the high-water mark of the team as currently constituted.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:42 pm
by Bleeding Green
OK, maybe I went overboard, but the Orioles would be extremely competitive in the NL West. They have a horrible pitching staff partly because they have to pitch to the Red Sox, Rays and Yankees in over 1/3 of their games. Put them in the NL West where they get to pitch to cupcakes like the Padres, Giants and Dodgers and it's a big difference. I don't see why the Orioles wouldn't save 75 runs over the course of the season if they pitched in the NL West.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:54 pm
by craig01
There is "some" truth in that.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 7:14 pm
by Chach
Plus they have taken steps to improve their defense, they are having what PECOTA projects to be the best offensive catcher in baseball making his debut, and they have added some interested arms recently. I don't know if I'd say they would win NL divisions but their run prevention will definitely take a step in the right direction and their offense core should continue to grow as well. If Jones and Pie mature offensively, they are going to be the 2009 Blue Jays and with their good young starting pitching, are going to be a force in about two years. It's great to be a Red Sox fan because even if this team completely bombs and finishes in last place, we are going to see 70 games of the best baseball in the world. mahalo
~Chach~
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:07 pm
by Celtics_Champs
Angels sign Abreu.
-SI
Nationals agree to deal with Adam Dunn.
-ESPN's bottom line has it.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:19 pm
by HCYanks
Tony Reagins realized his outfield glut was slipping away with the departure of Garret Anderson, so he went and made a move to fix it. A+.
Although Abreu is their 3rd best hitter now. And their second best hitter gets hurt a lot.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:03 pm
by meatball sub
Glad to see Dunn finally signed somewhere. I know the guy strikes out a lot, but he's almost a lock for 40 hrs and 100 RBI every season. Plus, even though his batting average sucks, he's still one of the top 20 or 30 players in baseball in terms of OBP.
I'm shocked an AL team didn't sign Dunn and make him their permanent DH for the rest of his career.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:29 pm
by GYBE
Josh Willingham, Wily Mo Pena, Lastings Milledge, Austin Kearns, Willie Harris, Elijah Dukes...and now Adam Dunn. That's a lot of outfielders, not even counting the possible Corey Patterson experience.
Willingham or Dunn could play 1st, but that's the only position Nick Johnson can play and they need his bat in the lineup. Until he gets hurt at least.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:21 pm
by Bleeding Green
I don't see a glut, I just see a potential for this:
C: Willingham
CF: Milledge
RF: Dukes
LF: Dunn
1B: Pena
2B: Harris
DL: Kearns
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 11:10 pm
by HCYanks
Dunn is gonna play first, supposedly.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:20 am
by craig01
I am surprised Dunn didn't have more suitors./
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:30 am
by GYBE
The Nats aren't smart enough to realize the virtues of playing Willingham behind the plate. Flores will catch almost every game.
Nick Johnson may have Rocco Baldelli disease, but he's a BB machine. He needs to play if he can and his only position is 1st. I still think he'll start their until his next injury.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 4:21 am
by Celtics_Champs
GYBE wrote:The Nats aren't smart enough to realize the virtues of playing Willingham behind the plate. Flores will catch almost every game.
Nick Johnson may have Rocco Baldelli disease, but he's a BB machine. He needs to play if he can and his only position is 1st. I still think he'll start their until his next injury.
That ain't right. Rocco suffers from mitochondria abnormalities, while Nick Johnson is just a fragile SOB. Sorry, I really have a dislike for nick johnson ever since his yankee days.
Dunn's deal is 2 for 20 million. per wiretap.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:00 pm
by Flash3
GYBE wrote:The Nats aren't smart enough to realize the virtues of playing Willingham behind the plate. Flores will catch almost every game.
Nick Johnson may have Rocco Baldelli disease, but he's a BB machine. He needs to play if he can and his only position is 1st. I still think he'll start their until his next injury.
He's hardly, at all played C while in the MLs, IISC. He was always an OF (lf or rf) with the marlins.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 7:46 pm
by HMFFL
Mariners close to signing GriffeyMLB.com reports that the Mariners "are nearing agreement on a one-year contract" with Ken Griffey Jr.
Griffey left Seattle as an MVP-caliber center fielder, but returns nearly a decade later as a 39-year-old shell of his former self who's probably best suited to be a part-time designated hitter. He's still a capable bat against right-handed pitching and might fill a few more seats at Safeco Field, making him a better choice than the Mariners' other rumored target, Garret Anderson.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... &fext=.jsp
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:10 am
by Bleeding Green
I guess that's cool. Mariners are the worst team in the AL West, so who cares that Griffey is a horrible, horrible DH. Put Pujols at DH and they're not winning 81 games. Griffey gets to retire with the team he'll always be associated with so that's cool.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:18 am
by GYBE
Flash3 wrote:GYBE wrote:The Nats aren't smart enough to realize the virtues of playing Willingham behind the plate. Flores will catch almost every game.
Nick Johnson may have Rocco Baldelli disease, but he's a BB machine. He needs to play if he can and his only position is 1st. I still think he'll start their until his next injury.
He's hardly, at all played C while in the MLs, IISC. He was always an OF (lf or rf) with the marlins.
Oh I know. I'd still put him back there once in awhile. On days where they rest Flores, the huge gap between a generic backup catcher and Willingham offensively is enough to deal with his defeciencies behind the plate.
Re: The Offseason Thread
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 12:31 am
by Bleeding Green
But he's probably so unbelievably bad back there and his offense would suffer if you put him back there as well. Maybe worth trying if you're a total joke of a team like the Nationals, though. I really don't know why these teams with no shot at anything don't experiment more. You've nothing to play for this season. Experiment.