Major League Baseball: 2010

[QUOTE=Lionsfan780;225103]Adrian Gonzalez deserves a huge contract he is a stud. He will put up monster numbers now that he doesnt have to play half his game in San Diego's ball park. The Red Sox got alot better by getting him.[/QUOTE] If he was playing in Fenway last year instead of Petco, he'd have [URL="http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/baseball_beat/002647-print.html"]added 14 round trippers[/URL] to his total, not to mention [URL="http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/adrian-gonzalez-to-boston/"]raising his batting average by 25 points.[/URL] And you can't even count the intangibles, like the fact that he will see more at bats in the AL (DH) and the Red Sox (good hitting team that keeps innings alive) will also show him more at bats than he would see in San Diego. And there is that wall and all those doubles... I guess when he took a tour of Fenway and saw the wall, a giant smile erupted across his face and he was said to be "smitten." I know these are just projections, but I'm honestly in love. :D

[INDENT][url=http://vevmo.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=8404][img]http://vevmo.com/imagehosting/14cfd43c00c42f.jpg[/img][/url][/INDENT] Lester Lee Buchholz Beckett Lackey Wouldn't be the [I]worst[/I] five man rotation in the majors. :wink2:

[QUOTE=jbo29j;225288]Adian Gonalzez is giong to have a hrad time replacing both beltre's and Martinez's production[/QUOTE] He doesn't have to replace them. He is playing 1st base with eyes on .310/40/110 w/ 1.000 OPS and with a healthy Youkilis, Pedroia and Ellsbury we are looking at the hardest hitting Red Sox lineup in history. It is murderers row as it stands (with Ortiz and Drew playing rear anchor) and I don't think Theo is done tweaking the lineup... Can you imagine the pitches Pedrioa (2008 AL MVP) is going to see in front of Gonzalez and Youk? Hahaha... Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester are not even in their prime at this point. They should both be sub 3.00 ERA 20 game winners next year. Not to mention Lackey and Beckett had off years which I am sure they will rebound from. They were both #1 guys and should be at or just past their peak, with plenty to offer. Honestly, the Sox would have been a playoff team (even with half the team on the DL) last year if the pen would not have blown all those games. That is really where we need moves made this winter and I am sure it will be addressed. Bard will be the closer in October. [QUOTE]probably Josh williangham. [/QUOTE] I'm still thinking Crawford, Ordonez or Beltran (in that order.) I'm not sold on the Yankees getting both Lee and Crawford. For one thing, they can't pay either of them more than the guys they have, or riots will ensue which means if the Sox are willing to find that number, the game is afoot (and the Sox have about $30 million left to spend to hit last years payroll.)

[url=http://vevmo.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=8426][img]http://vevmo.com/imagehosting/14cfeeb328d483.jpg[/img][/url]

That out of the way... I bet after Agon, both Crawford and Lee go to the Yankees and their payroll is $100 million higher than the next team this season... (I just feel I need to whine to stay in character.)

[QUOTE=MF41590;225406]Cubs signed Carlos Pena to a 1 year deal. Finally we get a left handed bat with power! Unfortunately though, they are still the Cubs, and no matter who they sign, it will still be another depressing season for us cub fans.[/QUOTE] His batting average is concerning, but he still gets on base 1 in 3 times and has lots of power. Not only that, he has 23 career dingers against the Sox and it seems his favorite pitcher (the guy who should toss him balls in the home run derby) is Lester, so I give a heartfelt goodbye from the AL and wish him much luck with the Cubs. ;)

[quote=mf41590;225867]wow, earlier today it seemed as if the angels were the front runners to snag crawford. I'm sure a few people here are happy about this though.[/quote] Gooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll!

If healthy the Sox present a 1-5 .300 BA lineup that can hit and steal for the record books. I literally have tears in my eyes.

[QUOTE]"Adrian already heard about Carl," Gonzalez's agent, John Boggs, e-mailed Wednesday night. "He's very happy."[/QUOTE] So are we, so are we Adrian.

[url=http://vevmo.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=8504][img]http://vevmo.com/imagehosting/14d0774eb6b173.jpg[/img][/url] This title sums it up. Glad to see him go to the NL.

For some strange reason the Phillies just traded Joe Blanton to the Red Sox (presumably the Phillies will pick up a good portion of his salary.) Theo is probably up to something as I can't see him taking on $17 million in payroll for another starting pitcher (when we have a set rotation.) Let's hope he flips Blanton and Dick-K for Greinke - just because I love it when New York let's out a giant collective sigh. :D [B]Edit:[/B] That was presumably bad reporting. [URL="http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/12/phillies-red-sox-discussed-joe-blanton.html"]Now they are walking it back.[/URL]

[QUOTE=Bacchus;226700] Let's hope he flips Blanton and Dick-K for Greinke - just because I love it when New York let's out a giant collective sigh. [/QUOTE] Best Rumor yet: The Red Sox are denying the deal as they are not done with the flip to Seattle (with Dice-K) for one of their pitchers. ;) I love the smell of MLB trade rumors in the morning, I just do! Who cares if they are true or not, lol. [QUOTE]Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, and Hamels? Good god. Can we just go ahead and give them the NL now? [/QUOTE] They are going to be really hard to beat in the NL, although I can say having both Rollins and Utley on my fantasy team last year (they both only played about half the season with diminished power) that their hitting is aging and losing Werth along with the injury risks to their infield does leave them in some what of a dangerous position.

[url=http://vevmo.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=8523][img]http://vevmo.com/imagehosting/14d083def4c1ad.jpg[/img][/url] What was interesting to me was the vote about who was the World Series favorite. In New England, of course it was the Sox - but the majority everywhere else thought it was the Phillies. Now I agree, they have the best pitching in baseball. Who was the best pitcher in the AL last year? King Felix. He went 13-12 with a league leading 2.27 ERA. If your team can't hit, you as the best pitcher in the AL become a 1 game over .500 offering. The good news for the Phillies is they are not dealing with the Red Sox or Yankees lineup day in and day out. Still, they are getting old and they need to win in the next 2 years before they go to rebuilding. The Sox? Young core. Wicked young. I am going to take the Sox off season day in and day out. Would you trade Crawford and Gonzalez for Lee? He went 12-9 last year. I highly doubt it... So, will Utley play 162 games? Maybe 100. Will Rollins play 162 games? Maybe 62. How does Ibanez look? Who is playing right? The Phillies are going to have trouble winning their division when this is all over. Cliff Lee might have been made out to be God, but in the end he is a pitcher who can get raked and even if he only gives up a few runs, can the now weaker and aging Phillies hitting get him the runs? I'll vote no. Call me the outlier...

Here something to chew on RMD... These are considered the best pitching rotations in the last 50 years. Know what they all have in common? None of them won the World Series. :D [QUOTE]The 1998 Braves. Maddux (18-9, 2.27 ERA), Glavine (20-6, 2.47), Smoltz (17-3, 2.90), Neagle (16-11, 3.55), and Millwood (17-8, 4.08) combined for 88 victories, an astounding total in that age of overused bullpens. The first three are probable Hall of Famers. Pitching carried Atlanta to 106 victories and an 18-game margin over runner-up New York. They beat the Cubs in the NLDS but couldn't get past San Diego in a six-game NLCS. The 1993 Braves. Basically the same as the '98 rotation but with Avery and Pete Smith instead of Neagle and Millwood. That year Maddux went 20-10, 2.36; Glavine, 22-6, 3.20; Smoltz, 15-11, 3.62; Avery, 18-6, 2.94; and Smith, 4-8, 4.37. Atlanta won 104 games, edged out the Giants in the NL West but lost to the Phils in a six-game NLCS. The 1971 Orioles. We'll likely never again see four 20-game winners on the same staff. McNally won 21 and the other three 20 each. They threw 70 complete games and 12 shutouts. But in the Series they were outpitched by an unheralded Pirates staff that included Steve Blass, Nelson Briles, and Bruce Kison, and Baltimore fell in seven games. The 1954 Indians. Wynn (23-11, 2.73), Garcia (19-8, 2.64), Lemon (23-7, 2.72), and Feller (13-3, 3.09) combined for 78 of their record 111 victories. But the Giants (remember Willie Mays' catch and Dusty Rhodes' homer?) swept them in four straight in the World Series. The 1966 Dodgers. Not many opponents enjoyed playing the Dodgers, whose success, with an anemic lineup, was as much a by-product of their pitching as any club in history. Koufax (27-9, 1.73) threw 100 m.p.h. Drysdale (13-16, 3.42) threw at you. Osteen (17-14, 2.85) threw as well as any NL lefty, and Sutton (12-12, 2.96) threw whatever he thought he could get away with. Heavily favored against the inexperienced Orioles in the Series, they somehow were swept in what would be Koufax's final season.[/QUOTE]

It is never too early for [URL="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/joe_lemire/12/16/offseason.power.rankings/index.html"]Power Rankings![/URL]