All Entries in the "Hot Stove Baseball" Category
Pedroia Might Play SS in 2010
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The Sox second half SS, Alex Gonzalez recently signed with the rival Toronto Blue Jays. Also, the organization is uncertain about the ability of Jed Lowrie to play everyday in 2010 after his injury woes.…
Top 5 Low/High Risk 2009/2010 Free Agent Starters
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The market for starting pitchers is perhaps the most interesting, and arguably the most important market heading into any offseason. While casual baseball fans were given a crash course on Type A and B free agents last year, as…
Top 8 Free Agent Relief Pitchers This Hot Stove Season
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For many teams, especially teams that are successful in the postseason, success is predicated on a solid bullpen. However, while stalwarts like Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman grab headlines and notoriety, as a whole, bullpen arms are significantly more volatile than the…
Can Giant’s GM Brian Sabean Become an Iron Chef?
Brian Sabean’s off-season shopping list:
First baseman (with power)
Short-stop (who’s name is not an anagram for aged-rental)
Left fielder
Right fielder
Catcher
Oh, and pick up some milk, bread and maybe some of those frosted holiday cookies. And, one more thing. Could
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Phillies 2009 Year in Review And a Sneak Peak at 2010
The Philadelphia Phillies accomplished quite a bit in 2009, despite falling just short of the coveted World Series Championship repeat. In fact, just getting back to the Fall Classic showed quite a bit of determination, and, to make it more impressive, they did it with a team that was inferior to their 2009 Championship squad. In 2008, the stars aligned for the club, as Brad Lidge
Playing Good Idea/Bad Idea with the Cubs Offseason
It’s really hard for me in the midst of a brutal Chicago Bears season to take a step back and relive a brutal Cubs season. What a disappointment 2009 was for the Chicago Cubs. So much anticipation, so few results.
I posted my thoughts on Derek Lee and his contributions to the Cubs season in my last post…
Top 10 Free Agent Outfielders
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Outfielders, as in many years, offer the most diverse market. The reason outfielders tend to end up as free agents more often, is that typically it is hard to find a combination of average to above-average offense…
2009/2010 Free Agents at SS
It’s been quite some time since the the first wave of Cal Ripken deciples made up a trio of the league’s elite shortstops. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter now play together, with Rodriguez moving to third base (though a swap would probably improve the Yankees left side). Nomar Garciaparra has battled wrist injuries and become a designated-hitter option as a free agent this year. But Miguel Tejada also…
Tigers Considering Major Changes
They are not calling it a fire sale. Let’s get that out of the way first. Dave Dombrowski has conducted fire sales before, most notably following the 1997 championship season with the Florida Marlins. This, he says, is not a fire sale.
The GM meetings don’t usually bring much noise, and there were no major moves made by the Tigers during this round of meetings…
The Unceremonious End of the J.J Hardy Era
Friday was an interesting day for Brewers fans as they traded J.J Hardy to the Twins for Carlos Gomez.
As a Brewer fan, a J.J Hardy trade was something that I saw coming from a couple time zones away. Still, it isn’t something I’m too thrilled about. On a personal note, J.J Hardy was one of my favorite Brewers and happens to be the…
Hot Stove Baseball Free Agent Tracker: 3B
Third basemen make up another fruitful class of free agents, perhaps the most fruitful of the entire 2009 class. The trade market for third baseman is also pretty bare, which should add intrigue, as most of the trade candidates have at least one serious flaw: Mike Lowell (injury-prone), Kevin Kouzmanoff (has gotten worse at…
Hot Stove Baseball Free Agent Tracker: 1B
There aren’t many top first basemen available this year. Last year’s free agent class was led by Mark Teixeira, who was the top free agent according to the Elias rankings that determine pick compensation allocation for teams which sign multiple Type A free agents. Teixeira’s new team, the Yankees, signed three: Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.
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Free Agent Tracker: 2B
The market for second baseman in the offseason is one of the few that have significantly more supply than demand. Last season, players like Orlando Hudson entered the offseason expecting a major pay raise, and didn’t get it because the economy caused several free agents to remain unsigned for most of the offseason.
For the Reds, the Off Season Will Flow Out of LF
The biggest decision facing the Reds to begin the offseason is the choice of a left fielder. It is unlikely the Reds will spend money to go after a free agent like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay: instead, the choice is between which incumbent will get a commitment. The candidates: Jonny Gomes,…
2009/2010 Free Agent Tracker: Catchers
Like last year, this year’s most fruitful market for catchers is the trade market, rather than the free agent market. The Texas Rangers, who traded Gerald Laird to the Tigers last season still have two worthy trade candidates in Jarrod Saltalamacchia and …
Ahhh, the Astros
Coming off a year in which almost the entire team was overhauled and still were one big hurricane away from carrying a playoff chase into the final days of the season, the Astros were the first team this off-season to plead economic downturn, and it showed. GM Ed Wade, under orders from legendarily hands-on owner Drayton McLane, trimmed a projected 2009 payroll…
Reflections on the Rockies Past, Present & Future
Looking at the 2009 Rockies is a lot like looking at the 2008 Rockies. Only with a bit more urgency attached.
Urgency in that if these Rockies don’t get off to a solid start, Clint Hurdle may not be in charge for long.
This is Hurdle’s eighth season, and…
NY Mets: A Look Back at 2008 & What to Expect in 2009
Coming off yet another regular season collapse in 2008 the New York Mets are looking to bounce back in 2009. Trying to shake the monkey that is Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard off their backs and finally live…
Who Will Be The Tigers’ 5th Starter?
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Is Rick Porcello ready to be in a major league rotation? That is the big question right now at the Tigers’ spring headquarters in Lakeland, Fla., bigger than worries about the health of Jeremy Bonderman…
Tribe Signs Graffanino to Minor League Deal
With a busy, yet slow off season still yet to end, even though pitchers and catchers have already reported to spring training, the Indians decided that they didn’t have enough veteran talent with minor league contracts and major league invites to spring training, so they signed Tony Graffanino to one.
Graffanino was originally drafted in…
