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The major move of the Cardinal offseason was, of course, the signing of Matt Holliday to a long-term deal.  With Holliday in the fold hitting behind Albert Pujols, it was thought that the offense would be well on its way to becoming a juggernaut.  Up and down the lineup, there were very few holes and not many times when a player would step to the plate in a RBI situation and you didn’t feel confident that the player could come through (Not that he would, that he could).  In 2009, when players like Joe Thurston, Chris Duncan, Rick Ankiel and others received many at-bats, that feeling was noticably absent.

When you look at the 2010 Cardinal lineup, however, it starts off good and gets stronger.  David Freese is the eighth place hitter, and he’s generally expected to be able to smash 15-20 home runs.  Skip Schumaker and Brendan Ryan at the top of the lineup give some speed (in the most general sense) and hopefully runners for Albert Pujols to drive in.

So, how did the offense look against the Reds in the opening series?

For the first two games, everything was exactly as expected.  In the opener, Albert Pujols showed that the spring training back trouble he’d had was completely gone and that the elbow surgery he had after last season wasn’t affecting him in the slightest.  Pujols took the second pitch he saw out of the yard, hit another home run later in the game, and wound up four for five with ten total bases.

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The rest of the lineup helped as well.  Colby Rasmus, who was a consensus pick before the season started to have a breakout year, started off right with a home run among his two hits.  Yadier Molina, whose oblique strain near the end of spring training once looked like it might land him on the disabled list, instead played on Opening Day and smacked a grand slam in the ninth to help put the game away.  Matt Holliday chipped in a hit and the Cards scored 11.

The Cardinals had another balanced attack in the second game, scoring six runs on Freese’s two hits, Holliday’s double, and Rasmus’s four times on base.  The team ran into a buzzsaw that was Bronson Arroyo for the third game, but their offensive numbers for the series were still good.  The team has smacked five home runs, drawn 12 walks, and has a team OPS of .751, which dropped from .882 after facing Arroyo.

The offense has performed in the early going as many expected.  What about the starting rotation?

Even though they had rough springs, Cardinal fans still trusted in the two-headed ace that is Chram Carpwright.  Neither of them did anything this week to destroy that trust.  Chris Carpenter threw six innings, allowing a couple of home runs but otherwise dominating a solid Reds lineup.  Adam Wainwright did him one better, allowing only two runs (on an Orlando Cabrera home run off a tough inside pitch) in seven innings.  The status quo was being maintained.

What Cardinal Nation really was curious about was the biggest offseason acquisition on the pitching side of things.  Brad Penny came in on a one-year deal as a dream of Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan, who have apparently been watching Penny since he broke into the big leagues.  Penny spent last year recovering from injury and his Boston numbers showed it, though he was much stronger when he was traded to San Francisco.  So which Penny was St. Louis getting?

If his first start is any indication, the good Penny made it to the Gateway City, providing a chance for some stellar pitching runs this year.  Penny allowed just one run in seven innings, pounding the ball to get 13 groundouts but still keeping enough oomph to record four strikeouts.  Penny worked quickly and looked very sharp on the mound.  While Penny won’t be that good every time out, if he can continue to put above-average starts in behind Carpenter and Wainwright, there won’t be many losing streaks for the Cards this season.

Two of the other questions for this rotation have still yet to be addressed at the time of this writing, as Kyle Lohse and Jaime Garcia went in the Milwaukee series starting Friday.  Lohse had a strong 2008, leading the club to extend his contract before he reached free agency.  Last year, however, everything went wrong for him, as it seemed every start something strange happened, whether it was being hit by a comebacker or hurting himself on the bases.  The coup de grace was being hit in the forearm while batting against the Kansas City Royals.  That caused his arm to be dead, sent him to the DL after a while, and he never seemed to really get over that.  If Lohse can even split the difference between the last two seasons, he’ll be a very strong fourth starter.

There was quite a competition for the fifth starter slot in the spring, and the result was a surprise to most everyone in the organization.  Kyle McClellan, the reliever who for the second year made a run at being a starter, and Rich Hill, the former Cub that was signed to a minor league deal during the offseason, were expected to spend the spring battling to see who got the job.  Hill showed flashes of his old form, but was still too inconsistent with his command.  McClellan pitched well and normally would be starting this weekend in Milwaukee.

Normally, but not this year.  That’s because Garcia came into spring on a mission.  Garcia, a top prospect in the organization, had surgery late in ‘08 and came back around August of last year, pitching very well for Memphis down the stretch and into the AAA playoffs.  Many that followed the Cardinals (including yours truly) expected Garcia to take the last spot in the rotation, but the team was worried that he still wasn’t completely recovered from the surgery.  Garcia then came into camp and posted a sub-2 ERA.  Between that, the fact that he’d be the only left-hander in the rotation, and the bullpen needed some shoring up (more on that later), the decision was made to keep Garcia, send Hill down, and move McClellan back to the pen.  How that chain reaction will play out remains to be seen, starting Saturday on Fox.

Lineup, rotation, that means it’s time to start talking about the bullpen.  Many thought that, if this team was going to be brought down, there’s a good chance this would be where it would happen.  So far, that’s right on the money as well.

Obviously, in the first couple of games, the bullpen couldn’t do a whole lot.  Chris Carpenter left with a 6-2 lead Opening Day, which should have been very comfortable.  However, the Reds had chopped it to 6-4 before a five-run ninth for the ‘Birds.  Even after that, Ryan Franklin came into the game and gave up two runs.  Runs that didn’t matter, of course, and it wasn’t a save situation, but it didn’t leave a great taste in anyone’s mouth.

Game two was closer, with Wainwright leaving after seven, up 6-2 as well.  McClellan came in and promptly allowed a run in the eighth before Dennys Reyes got the final out. Franklin came on in the ninth and, in the box score, had a scoreless inning with just one hit.  However, the last two batters were robbed by strong catches from Ryan Ludwick.  If either of those drops, that inning has a whole different complexion.

The most egregious fault, though, came in the third game.  Penny went seven, leaving a 1-1 tie for the bullpenners.  Mitchell Boggs walked the tightrope with a hit and a walk, but pitched a scoreless eighth.  Trever Miller got his lefty out in the ninth, then Tony La Russa waved in Jason Motte.

Many have thought that Motte would be a great closer type, but what holds him back is that he apparently just has one pitch.  It’s a blazing fastball, but it’s one pitch.  Motte threw six such pitches to Jorge Cantu.  The sixth one was a souvenir, winning the game for the Reds and unleashing a torrent of criticism toward Motte.

The Cardinals have a chance to be very, very good this year.  The lineup is solid and established, with little tinkering needing to be done in regards to shifting lineups, platooning players, etc.  The rotation could be dominant, headed up by two Cy candidates.  How far the Cardinals go will likely depend on those guys that get the last outs, and the focus of the season should be on the pen for a long time to come.

Related posts:

1. How Did We (St. Louis Cardinals) Get Here?
2. Cardinals Are Not Dormant During Winter
3. The Cardinals Flip Flop in May

5. Who will bat leadoff?

Since Nate McLouth has single handedly been trying to turn the Braves into the Pittsburg Pirates, one would wonder if he’s going to permanently be hidden in the 8 hole be given time to work on his swing.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of McLouth, and he seems to make the offense better when he plays.  He has won Bobby’s loyalty and gives 115% every day, so I look for him to be a big part of the team.  I think that Bobby will continue to tinker with the lineup into May as he normally does, but look for Melky to take that lead-off spot when he’s in left field.

4. How will Jason Heyward perform?

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We all know that the savior has come to Turner Field, wrapped in swaddling cloth and heralded by the ESPN wise men.  Will he live up to the hype?  Everything seems to point to yes.  Not only is he an outstanding athlete, but he has a good head on his shoulders.  Guess that comes from his Ivy League parents.  His development in season should be a priority for the Braves.  If he thinks that he has to carry the team should Chipper struggle and the rest of the league catches on and walks McCann every time, then he could press too hard.  The last thing we need in right field is another Failcoeur.  Shudder.

3. How will the reclamation bargain bin veteran free agents do?

Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, and Troy Glaus. Enough said.

2. Was trading Vasquez a prudent move?

In this day and age, it’s hard to fathom sending your best pitcher away for spare parts and a prospect.  Ugh, and to the Yankees.  Anyway, the Braves have one of the best rotations in the National League outside of Philly with or without Vasquez.  I have this feeling that Vasquez was playing above his level last year – his WHIP and ERA were both strikingly low last year.  Who knows which version of Vasquez will show up this year.  Melky Cabrera, who was part of the trade for Vasquez, looks to be fitting in nicely so far and could provide a leadoff hitter if McLouth continues to think he’s still a Pirate.

1. How will Chipper hold up?

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Chipper is aging, but he is still the core of the Braves’ offense.  The Braves need him to hit well to succeed – McCann, Prado, and Escobar will be solid, but they cannot carry a team the way Chipper can.  He will be playing hard, given that it’s Bobby’s last year.  Hopefully he will not play too hard and press the issue.  Chipper needs to play 140 games and drive in 100 runs.

Related posts:

1. The Braves’ Improbable Comeback
2. 2010 Mets: So much for ‘Prevention & Recovery’
3. Braves Run Scored, Run Scored Against Analysis

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At least Reyes is expected to be back fairly soon. Reyes appears to have recovered from his hamstring woes, but had a new problem this spring when he was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid. Rest brought his thyroid levels down, but now he must get back in baseball shape. The hope is to have Reyes back before the middle of April.

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Beltan is still recovering from his January knee surgery. Once he is cleared to resume baseball activities, he will need at least four weeks to be ready to play. Beltran is expected back somewhere between the middle of May and the beginning of June.

Murphy sprained a knee in the last week of spring training and will be out at least until the middle of April and perhaps until early May. Mike Jacobs will platoon with Fernando Tatis while Murphy is out. Even in Jacobs’ poor 2009 season with the Royals, the lefty batter hit 18 homers in 333 AB against right-handed pitching. Murphy led the power-starved 2009 Mets with just 12 homers. If Jacobs gets off to a good start, Murphy, also a lefty, could have trouble getting his job back.

Top prospect Ike Davis had a great spring, but will begin the season in the minors. But Davis is expected to take over first base in 2011, and if both Murphy and Jacobs struggle, Davis could be up at some point this season.

While Reyes is out, the Mets have gone with Alex Cora at short, with 20-year-old Ruben Tejada backing him up. Tejada, considered a better fielder than hitter, could also see some time at second base in place of Luis Castillo.

Angel Pagan and Gary Matthews Jr. will share center field while Beltran is out.

As for the healthy part of the lineup, David Wright had a good spring, hitting five homers, half his entire 2009 total. Jason Bay should give the Mets some much-needed power in left, while Jeff Francoeur hopes to build on his successful second half of 2009. Castillo managed to stay healthy almost all of 2009, but can he do the same this year? Rod Barajas is the catcher, with Henry Blanco his backup.

Moving to the rotation, the good news is that all five starters are healthy. The bad news is that the rotation is filled with question marks after ace Johan Santana, and even Santana is a bit of a question mark after a so-so spring following his return from having bone chips removed from his elbow.

But the rest of the rotation is in such a state of flux that Jon Niese, who was only recently named the No. 5 starter, will open the season at No. 3. John Maine will pitch the second game of the season, Mike Pelfrey will be the No. 4 and ever-frustrating Oliver Perez is now the fifth starter. Unfortunately, the Mets failed to bring in any new starters during the offseason who can become alternatives to these struggling pitchers.

The Mets hoped that Kelvim Escobar would be the setup man behind Francisco Rodriguez, but prevention & recovery has not panned out so far for Escobar, who starts the season on the DL after missing almost all of the last two seasons. Going into the season, the setup job is still unsettled. Ryota Igarashi was signed from Japan to compete for  the role, but has disappointed so far. Bobby Parnell will start the season in the minors. Pedro Feliciano wants to be the setup man and has a shot, though the Mets would prefer that he remain the lefty specialist.

The best arm in the Mets’ farm system, 20-year-old Jenrry Mejia, made the team as a reliever and could be the setup man before too long.

*

Even if Reyes and Beltran make it back soon and are able to recapture their pre-injury form, the Mets will be in trouble this season with that rotation.

But with Mejia, Niese (who is technically still a rookie despite being in the rotation part of 2009) and Tejada, the Mets have three rookies on their roster at the start of the season. Both Mejia and Niese could end up being important parts of the team. Davis could be up before too long. Last year’s top prospect, Fernando Martinez, had a great spring and could also play a role later this season, though perhaps as trade bait.

So while the present does not look promising for the Mets to compete for a playoff spot, the much-criticized organization has come up with several prospects who offer hope for the future.

Related posts:

1. Mets at the Break: Back in Contention
2. Mets Hot Stove Roundup: The Pilot Light Is Out
3. Mets’ Hot Stove 2009 – Many Holes to Fill

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Last year’s Arizona Diamondbacks began the season unable to generate any
offense whatsoever despite playing in one of the best hitter’s parks in all of
baseball.  They hit .231/.308/.394 as a team during the month of April,
resulting in the dismissal of the coaching staff and wholesale changes to the composition to the roster.  New manager A.J. Hinch, who had no prior managerial experience, didn’t find acceptance from his players or success until late in the summer.

But the D-backs did have success, going 29-26 in the months of July and August before tailing off again in September.  The difference in those months was the team’s offense: a .776 July OPS and a .791 August OPS for a team that could not manage an OPS of .740 in any other month.  The Snakes certainly had problems on the mound all year with the absence of Brandon Webb causing a chain reaction to the entire staff, but when the offense was clicking, the D-backs were still a winning team.

This is very good news, because even though Arizona’s pitching staff isn’t going to be any better than it was last year, they have an offense built to score runs consistently throughout the season.

Part of the reason the offense clicked beginning in late June was that Miguel Montero became the starting catcher around that time.  From June 27 onwards, Montero posted a .912 OPS, making him one of the elite offensive catchers in all of baseball.  His defense also took a big step forward, as only two catchers saved more runs than he did defensively last year, according to John Dewan’s Runs Saved system.

The trouble is that Chris Snyder joined Eric Byrnes, Chad Tracy, and Chris Young as players that general manager Josh Byrnes signed to long-term contract extensions despite their having shown only brief success.  While some large market teams wouldn’t be crippled by having a defensive catcher of Snyder’s caliber as a backup at $11.25 million over the next two seasons, the small-market D-backs are desperate to deal him, particularly with minor league catchers John Hester, Sean Coughlin, and Konrad Schmidt each looking like
capable big league backups at the very least.  To that end, Chris Snyder is going to take a lot of at-bats away from Montero in the early going in order to showcase his health and make him tradable.

Recent long-term extensions were also given to Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds, although these moves do not figure to backfire.  Just 22-years old, Upton was the best overall right fielder in the game last year and has a Hall of Fame career ahead of him.  Reynolds, 26, is more of a risk with his
inconsistent defense and tendency to set the all-time strikeout record every year.  Nevertheless, Reynolds possesses some of the best raw power in all of baseball and can draw walks and steal bases to boot.

Add to Montero, Upton, and Reynolds a first baseman in Adam LaRoche who has averaged 66 extra base hits a year over the past four seasons, and you have an offense that is in business.  LaRoche could even wind up having a career year at the age of 30, as he is playing in a hitter’s park now and is coming off consecutive 25-homer campaigns.  At the very least, he is an immeasurable upgrade over the first basemen Arizona used last year that combined to bat just
.229.

After that fearsome foursome, the D-backs plan to start four position players who were disappointments in 2009, but who are each still young enough to have bounce-back seasons to regain their former glory.

Stephen Drew wasn’t actually bad last year, but after he finished the 2008 season so very strong, the D-backs were expecting nothing less than an All-Star season and received nothing more than a solid contribution instead.  At age 27, Drew should be one of the better offensive shortstops in the league once again this season, although it appears that he may never be the superstar he was
billed as.

Left Fielder Conor Jackson has had an excellent spring, which is an encouraging sign from someone who missed most of 2009 due to illness.  He turns 28 in May, and if he can repeat the .376 on-base percentage he managed at age 26, this team is going to score a ton of runs.  Hinch plans to rotate Jackson and Drew in the 1-2 spots in the batting order.  That duo won’t steal many bases, but they shouldn’t need to with the guys slated to hit behind them.

Second baseman Kelly Johnson has declined since his excellent 2007 season, culminating in a disastrous .224 batting average last year.  Like fellow former Atlanta Brave Adam LaRoche, Johnson should benefit from hitting in the
desert.  The 28-year-old second-sacker might also do better hitting at the bottom of the order, as his career splits suggest.

At 26, Chris Young is the youngest of these four comeback candidates, but he has also had the least prior success.  In over 1900 major league plate appearances, Young is a .235 career hitter with a .307 OBP.  He’ll hit some homers whenever a pitcher is foolish enough to throw him a fastball and steal some bases on the rare occasions that he reaches base safely, but this isn’t someone from whom you should expect much production.  Fortunately, all the D-backs expect from him at this point is that he covers Chase Field’s spacious centerfield with his excellent speed.

If even two of those four players have renaissance seasons, the D-backs should have one of the top five offenses in the National League. If a couple of those fours continue their downward offensive spiral, it won’t be a complete disaster, as the D-backs have a lot more depth than they did a year ago. So much so that super-utilityman Ryan Roberts will begin the season in the
minors after leading the D-backs with a .367 on-base percentage last year. Rusty Ryal grabbed the super utility role from Roberts by slugging .600 this spring to show that his 20 homers, 8 triples, and 39 doubles combined between Reno and Arizona last year were no fluke.  Fourth outfielder Gerrardo Parra hit .290 last season and won’t turn 23 until May.  Middle infielder Tony
Abreu hit .345 this spring and finished second on the club with 14 RBI.

With Roberts, Hester, and big first base prospect Brandon Allen also waiting at Triple-A Reno, this is a Diamondbacks team that can sustain quite a bit of unexpected injury or ineffectiveness among their position players and still have a productive lineup.

Unfortunately, that position player depth is not matched on the pitching staff.  The Diamondbacks dealt away young phenom Max Scherzer, citing him as an injury risk.  Oddly enough, they dealt him (along with top bullpen prospect Daniel Schlereth) for two even bigger injury risks in Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy.  Not only do those two pitchers combine for only four successful major league months between them, but Jackson was one of the most overworked pitchers in baseball last year and Kennedy already has an injury history at the age of 25.

Jackson and Kennedy would be nice pitchers to have at the bottom of your rotation, but because the organization failed to replace workhorses Jon Garland and Doug Davis and because Webb’s surgically repaired shoulder is healing behind
schedule, those are the team’s number two and number three starters to begin the season.  Granted, the rotation is going to look a lot better once Webb has rejoined the fold, but by that time, there is a good chance that either Kennedy or Jackson has fallen prey to an injury themselves.

To be honest, the D-backs’ postseason chances died the minute that Rodrigo Lopez was named the team’s fourth starter.  At this stage in his career, the 34-year old Lopez should be a Triple-A starter that gets called up only if disaster strikes the big league rotation and he has proven himself over the span of a few months.  Instead, based on five solid spring starts, the D-backs will turn to Lopez every four games until a fifth starter is added to the rotation on April 17.  And let me tell you, the selections available to fill that role – Billy Buckner, Kris Benson, Kevin Mulvey, and Bryan Augenstein – don’t exactly inspire much confidence at this point in their respective
careers.

Dan Haren has established himself as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, but even more so than last year, he will be the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal rotation.

The D-backs think they improved their bullpen by acquiring veterans Bob Howry and Aaron Heilman, but those two will be hard-pressed to improve upon the production of Jon Rauch and Tony Pena, both of whom got dealt late last year. Much like the Ryan Roberts head-scratcher, southpaw Clay Zavada will begin the year in Triple-A after being one of Arizona’s best bullpen arms last year. Instead of the mustache man, the D-backs will turn to Jordan Norberto as the
only left-hander on their pitching staff.  Norberto throws hard, but he has pitched only 23.2 innings above A-ball in his life and he allowed 29 hits, 18 walks, and 23 runs (21 earned) in that time.  Maybe the Diamondbacks can just intentionally walk any dangerous left-handed batter whom they face in the late innings.

Closer Chad Qualls had a terrific season last year before suffering a gruesome injury to his knee.  Juan Gutierrez came on very strong at the end of last season, but doesn’t have the track record to be counted on as the second-best pitcher in your bullpen.  All in all, the Diamondbacks bullpen
figures to be about as good as it was last year, when it was overworked and inconsistent.

Final Word

The Diamondbacks are the most improved team in the NL West because of their offense and the possible return of Brandon Webb, but with only 70 wins last year, they didn’t improve enough to compete for a playoff spot.  They obviously are unable or unwilling to acquire the extra starting pitcher that would be required to make this a postseason team.  The plan may be to find one after they trade Chris Snyder, but the D-backs are going to need to include money with any Snyder deal at this point, so they don’t figure to net enough dough to get a pitcher of much consequence.

The good news for D-backs fans is that there are a lot of star players in place for the next few years here.  With Chase Field set to host the 2011 All-Star Game and deferred debt from a decade ago finally disappearing, the D-backs should soon have enough green to fill out a complete pitching staff. Furthermore, the D-backs took a terrific haul in last year’s draft, making it possible for this to be the Team of the Teens even if the 2010 season is nothing to write home about.

Related posts:

1. Diamondbacks Reflections: Fantasy Angle 2010
2. Diamondbacks Fire Manager Bob Melvin
3. Arizona Wants Ex-Diamondbacks Back

As is the case with all other teams, health is the first key to success. The close second, though, would be the effectiveness of the starting rotation. The Twins lack a clear ace, although they have no fewer than three very capable No. 2 or No. 3 starters along with a plethora of No. 5 options.

Scott Baker has been named the Opening Day starter, with Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn, Carl Pavano, and most probably Francisco Liriano rounding up the rotation. Brian Duensing and Anthony Swarzak will both be waiting in the wings, however, should anyone struggle.

Minnesota shouldn’t have a problem scoring runs, but the key to a successful season will be the starting rotation.

Which player will drop off the most from 2009?

I haven’t done any real projections lately, but I would say the Twins will have a final record of 90-72 and finish first in the AL Central. They will defeat their ALDS opponent in five games, but fall in the ALCS in five games.

Related posts:

1. 2010 Projections: Can Twins’ Delmon Young Live Up to His 25-30 HR Potential?
2. Arizona Diamondbacks Preview
3. Tigers Drop Finale, Division to Twins

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In January, the Mets signed Jason Bay for $66 million over four years, with an option for a fifth. Some criticized the Mets for giving a player with some injury risks such a big deal. Bay appeared to take a long time to agree to join the Mets, leading to speculation that he hoped to play somewhere else. Peter Gammons claimed that Bay “would rather play in Beirut than Queens.”

But the Mets desperately needed another power bat in their lineup, particularly in left field, where injury-prone Angel Pagan seems more suited to be the fourth outfielder. So signing Bay meant the Mets addressed at least one major need. The signing became even more important when Carlos Beltran underwent knee surgery in January, meaning that the Mets would start the season without one of their few power bats and that Pagan would be needed in center field.

Matt Holliday is generally considered to be a better player than Bay, but the Scott Boras client ended up getting a seven-year, $120 million contract, so the Mets were able to get one of the of the two very good leftfielders available at a much lower price.

The third top free agent available, John Lackey, would have filled the Mets’ pressing need for a No. 2 starter. Many Met fans, including this one, would have preferred Lackey to Bay. But if the Mets passed on Bay and Holliday, there were a few other good free agent or trade options available for left field.

While Lackey was far and away the top pitcher available, there were several other pitchers in the free agent market who could have upgraded the Mets’ rotation. There was said to be mutual interest between Joel Pineiro and the Mets and native Staten Islander Jason Marquis said he wanted to go to the Mets.

But the Mets ended up making no upgrade to their starting pitching, meaning they will go into spring training with many question marks behind Johan Santana. Oliver Perez looked good in minicamp and John Maine looks healthy, but it remains to be seen whether those two and Mike Pelfrey can pitch up to their potential.

As of now, the leading candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation are Jon Niese, coming off a serious hamstring injury, and Fernando Nieve, hoping to prove that he was more than a flash in the pan last year.

Of the six starters mentioned above, five spent time on the disabled list last year. Yet the Mets failed to bring in another established MLB starter, settling instead for the likes of Josh Fogg and Hisanori Takahashi.

The other big whiff in the offseason was at catcher. The Mets were linked to Bengie Molina for weeks, but he ended up returning to the Giants. Another free agent, Yorvit Torrealba, was always less of an option because he has filed a grievance against the Mets over their decision to back out of a deal after the 2007 season because they were unhappy with the results of his physical. Rod Barajas currently remains a free agent option.

The Mets did pick up three catchers – Henry Blanco, Chris Coste and Shawn Riggans, but the latter two appear ticketed to the minors. Blanco could stick as a backup, but he is 38 years old. However, the Mets’ two main catchers, Omir Santos and Josh Thole, also appear better suited to be backups. Thole might well get another year of season in the minors. The catching situation is so bad that when the Mets signed first baseman Mike Jacobs, some pointed out that he had caught in the minors.

At second base, the Mets once again tried to trade Luis Castillo so they could sign Orlando Hudson. Once again, nobody wanted to pick up Castillo’s contract, which has two more years to run at $6 million/year, so he remains the Mets’ second basemen. Ironically, the Twins, the team that traded Castillo to the Mets in 2007, just filled their second-base spot with Hudson.

After last season’s J.J. Putz debacle, the Mets tried again to find a setup man. They signed Kelvim Escobar, who was injured almost all of the last two years, and Japanese pitcher Ryota Igarashi. Bobby Parnell returns from last year’s squad, but he struggled when given a shot at the setup role.

As the Mets struggled to fill their many holes, a new one opened up when Beltran went under the knife. Beltran will probably miss at least the first month of the season.

As bad as the Beltran injury news was – the aftermath might have been worse. The Mets accused Beltran of having the surgery without their approval. After last year’s medical snafus, the Mets had vowed to improve communication between the team, the medical staff and the public. Instead, they potentially antagonized a key player and added to speculation that they downplay injuries internally and to the public.

Putz recently claimed that the Mets told him to hide his elbow woes from the media. Eventually, Putz had to undergo surgery in the middle of the season.

To replace Beltran, the Mets will probably turn to Angel Pagan, but they also traded for Gary Matthews. Jr. The Angels were so eager to get rid of Matthews that they were willing to eat $21 million of his salary.

Along with bringing back ex-Met Jacobs, the Mets re-signed Alex Cora and Fernando Tatis. Once again, the bench looks like it will consist mostly of aging veterans with very little upside.

Related posts:

1. Mets at the Break: Back in Contention
2. 2010 Mets: So much for ‘Prevention & Recovery’
3. Mets’ Hot Stove 2009 – Many Holes to Fill

First Base:

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Yovani Gallardo

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1. The 1% Factor: How The Brewers Can Defy The Odds And Make A Run
2. Some Thoughts on the Brewers’ April
3. A last look at the Brewers ‘09: A first look at what’s next

While for a lot of teams, the offseason is a quiet time, a time for

It would have been hard to believe after the final out of the NLDS that anything would overshadow the pursuit of Matt Holliday during the winter. After all, St. Louis had mortgaged their future, to some extent, to bring him into the fold. Holliday promised to be one of the top free agents on the market and one that would draw a lot of attention from around baseball.

However, the Holliday pursuit was moved to the back burner with the November announcement that Mark McGwire would be returning to baseball as the Cardinals’ hitting coach. McGwire, who had been out of baseball since the end of the 2001 season and had kept a low profile since his disastrous 2005 testimony before Congress, was not present at the announcement of his hiring, but the team promised he would be available to the press at some time.

That time was January, as McGwire met the media and admitted what had long been suspected, that he used steroids during his playing career, including his record-setting 1998 campaign. McGwire made the rounds with his apology and admittance, but his stance that steroids didn’t help him hit home runs undercut any good will that had been generated by his coming forth.  An incomprehensible press conference at the team’s Winter Warm-Up, where the press was herded into a crowded hallway and only allowed a few minutes with McGwire, didn’t help in the war of public relations either.

The Holliday situation came to a head before McGwire’s admission.  Just as reports had the Cards setting a firm deadline and preparing to walk away, the two sides came together and hammered out a seven-year, $120 million contract.  While the total numbers weren’t exactly in the range where Scott Boras expected them to be, it still is the most expensive contract ever handed out by St. Louis.

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That distinction is expected to last until the Cardinals come to terms with first baseman Albert Pujols.  This offseason, there was a lot of talk about extending Pujols’s deal, which expires (after a team option) at the end of the ’11 season.  Pujols has said that he won’t have negotiations during the season, leaving the team a short window to do anything before the ’10 season kicks off.

While the team has expressed strong interest in getting the job done, Pujols’s comments have been at least interpreted in various ways.  While he has said that he’s prepared to become a free agent, he’s also said that he’d consider a discount to stay.  He’s indicated there is no rush to get him signed, preferring the team focus on their pursuit of Holliday.  Now that he’s in the fold, that focus has changed.

The contract status of Pujols will be one of the major topics during the coming season.  He may not want to discuss it, but the rest of us will.

The Cardinals also worked on their pitching staff during the winter, signing Brad Penny to a one-year deal and bringing in former Cub Rich Hill as a non-roster invitee to spring training. As it stands now, this is the look of the Cardinals going into the spring (at least from this writer’s viewpoint).

2B Skip Schumaker
SS Brendan Ryan
1B Albert Pujols
LF Matt Holliday
RF Ryan Ludwick
CF Colby Rasmus
C Yadier Molina
3B David Freese

Bench: C Jason LaRue, INF Julio Lugo, rest TBD

SP Chris Carpenter
SP Adam Wainwright
SP Kyle Lohse
SP Brad Penny
SP Rich Hill/Jaime Garcia/Mitchell Boggs

RP Kyle McClellan
RP Blake Hawksworth
RP Ben Jakish (Rule V from Reds)
RP Jason Motte
RP Dennys Reyes
RP Trever Miller

CP Ryan Franklin

The bench will likely be a focus of GM John Mozeliak’s in the days leading up to and even into spring training.  However, the Cardinals have a strong core for 2010.

Related posts:

1. Reflecting On The Cardinals Off Season
2. The Holliday Season
3. The Cardinals 2009 Postseason And Some Notes on 2010

Chad Tracy to the Cubs to a minor league deal that can be worth up to $900K if he gets 450 plate appearances

Ben Sheets to the A’s for 1-year at $10M plus incentive bonuses

Jim Thome to the Twins for 1-year and $1.5M with up to $750K in incentives

Jon Garland to the Padres for 1-year and $5.3M

Xavier Nady to the Cubs for 1-year

Miguel Tejeda back to the Orioles as a third baseman for 1-year at $6M

Brad Ausmus and Ronnie Belliard have both signed with the Dodgers

Matt Stairs to the Padres to a 1-year minor league deal

Rich Hill to the Cardinals to a 1-year minor league deal

Rick Ankiel to the Royals to a 1-year deal for $3.25M

Doug Davis to the Brewers to a 1-year deal for $5.25M

Joel Pineiro to the Angels to a 2-year deal for $16M

Benjie Molina re-signed with the Giants to a 1-year deal for $4.5M

Khalil Greene to the Rangers to a 1-year deal for $750K

Octavio Dotel to the Pirates to a 1-year deal for $3.25M

Vicente Padilla resigned with the Dodgers to a 1-year deal for $5.025M

Related posts:

1. 2009 MLB Free Agent Update
2. Top 5 Low/High Risk 2009/2010 Free Agent Starters
3. Top 10 Free Agent Outfielders

Greetings from the frozen north, and man is it frozen this winter.  Anyway

There is the odd thing he’s done that I’m not thrilled with, he is keeping manager Cito Gaston for the season, with the understanding that after the season he will be retiring from managing. I’m not sure that Cito is the right man for this team, we will have a very young team this year and Cito prefers veteran players. Cito is also, how best to put this, pretty inert as a manager. You won’t see lots of moves during a game. There won’t be a lot of pinch hitting, hit and runs, bunts or, you know, other things a manager can do to affect the game.

Keeping Cito also cost us pitching coach Brad Arnsberg. Cito and Arnsberg apparently didn’t get along.  Arnsberg has been the pitching coach for the Jays since the 2005 season and has kept the Jay’s team ERA near the top of the league ever since.  Former bullpen coach Bruce Walton will take over as pitching coach while Rick Langford is moving up from Triple-A Las Vegas to become bullpen coach. Hopefully they can do as good a job with our young pitching staff. Also leaving the pitching staff is batting coach Gene Tenace.

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Anthopoulos has also made a couple of trades. One I’m sure you haven’t heard about, it was kept pretty quiet. I’m not sure if any newspapers or web sites picked up on it. The Jays traded Roy Halladay (and $6 million) to the Phillies for three prospects: pitcher Kyle Drabek, catcher Travis D’Arnaud and outfielder Michael Taylor.  Taylor was quickly shipped to the A’s for third baseman Brett Wallace.

I think Anthopoulos made as good a trade as we could have hoped for, Halladay had a no trade clause in his contract and there were only a few teams he would have accepted a trade to. The Yankees and the Red Sox didn’t offer much but he was able to talk the Phillies into a deal they weren’t willing to make at the trade deadline. I don’t know how he did it.

In Drabek, we have a potential number one starter who should be ready for the majors by the 2011 season at worst.  He throws a mid 90’s fastball and a very impressive curve.  Travis D’Arnaud is a little further back, he’s just 20 but projects to an above average catcher, who should have some power. It is likely we won’t see him in the majors until 2012.

The swap of Taylor for Wallace is interesting to us Jay fans. We have a hole in RF at the moment and Taylor looked like the guy that could fill it. I was really looking forward to seeing him play. But Anthopoulos figures Wallace is the better prospect. Wallace played third in the minors last year but the Jays think he would be better as a first baseman. We do have other first base prospects but I guess Anthopoulos didn’t think any of them will pan out. It is a very tough trade for a GM, going straight prospect for prospect. If Anthopoulos had kept Taylor and he didn’t turn out to be great, no one would have blamed him. Now if Taylor turns into a better player than Wallace, people will be ragging on him. But you can’t be a General Manager if you don’t have guts.

Anthopoulos has made some other moves. He made a trade with the Mariners getting Brandon Morrow for Brandon League and minor league outfielder Johermyn Chavez. I was a big fan of League’s but getting a starting pitcher for a reliever and a prospect is not bad. Morrow is still just 25, throws hard and has a lot of potential. Of course, Morrow hasn’t yet proven he can start in the major leagues, but we are hopeful.

Anthopoulos has also made a couple of free agent signings.  He picked up catcher John Buck to a one year deal. He also signed short stop Alex Gonzalez to a one year $2.75 million contract with a club option for a second year. He also resigned John McDonald to a 2 year contract. I’m not sure what the point of signing two guys that are good glove, no bat types to play short but they are ok to fill the short stop spot until we find someone that can be a more long term solution.

We have also allowed free agents Marco Scutaro, Rod Barajas and Kevin Millar to leave. I liked Scutaro but we will get two draft picks back from the Red Sox for him. Barajas had decent power for a catcher but then a .258 on base percentage isn’t something you want to see from any position. Kevin Millar should never have been signed in the first place.

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All in all, things seem to be looking up in the long term for the Jays. In the short term? I think this season might be a rough one. We really could use a right fielder. I wouldn’t mind them putting Travis Snider in RF and Adam Lind in LF, but Cito seems to be totally against the idea. It might not be the best defensive outfield but I think it would be the best use of the players we have.

Unfortunately it seems like we are going to have the great fun of having Jose Bautista playing right and leading off. Jose did have a good finish to last season, but he has a career .227/.316/.366 batting line against right handed pitchers. He does hit lefties well, but he’s not the type of player I’d want in RF or lead off.

We have about a dozen possible starting pitchers this year, but none of them have much for experience. Right now the starting rotation could include Ricky Romero, Brett Cecil, Brandon Morrow, Shaun Marcum, Brad Mills, David Prucey and Robert Ray. All guys with potential but lacking on experience. Jesse Litsch and Dustin McGowan could join into the list of possible starters as they come back from injury. And then prospects Zach Stewart and Kyle Drabek could force their way into consideration as the season goes on.

About a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training and there is time for more to happen, but it looks to be we’ll have an interesting season. Maybe not a good season, but it will be interesting to watch.

Related posts:

1. For The Toronto Blue Jays, The Future is Looking Good
2. Blue Jays Reflections: Playing for Next Year?
3. June Reflections on the Blue Jays