Post MLB Trade Deadline Thoughts

Posted on August 1, 2012 by TheBaseballPage.com

The Pirates have had a busy day, just not as impact full as some wanted but it has been busy. The Pirates were able to get Wandy Rodriguez as we all know. Now they add Former All -Star 1st baseman from the Miami Marlins Gaby Sanchez for Gorkys Hernandez. They picked up Travis Snider from Toronto for Brad Lincoln. This was the deal that has most people frustrated. Then the Pirates traded Casey McGehee to the Yankees for pitcher Chad Qualls.

The McGehee deal is harmless, he was fine as a defensive first baseman, but has done nothing with the bat in weeks. Gaby Sanchez was a nice pickup, though he has struggled this season. The Previous few seasons have been good, and they have him for multiple seasons. This gives the Bucs depth on the bench and at first to help out Jones. Wandy was a great deal but that was before today so lets move on.

The Big one. Travis Snider is the Pedro Alvarez of Toronto. A guy with huge upside, he’s only 24, and lastly..they Pirates have him for 4 or 5 more seasons. It’s a guy the Pirates have been pursuing all season long from all reports I have seen and heard. The frustration with Pirate fans is the fact that this guy has Potential, but he’s not a crazy good bat right now. The problem I have is the fact that some people have stated and reported that the Pirates missed out on Shane Victorino because they would not give up Lincoln. As if it was a straight up deal Lincoln for Victorino. As you will hear later and for days to come, that was not the case.

Some of the local writers and talk show hosts are really beating up the Pirates for not getting Shane Victorino. He was good and still is pretty good. But Victorino is not one of the greatest lead off men of all time. And They would have only been able to keep him 2 months. And contrary to what some have heard, the Pirates were going to have to give up not only Lincoln, but also one of their minor league gems. In that case, it was just not worth it. My opinion obviously.

And Another thought that I was reading on Twitter this afternoon. The fact that some think this will be a one done opportunity for the Bucs. Like this will be one of the only seasons they can compete. This is not the only season this team will compete. No one in the Central got that much better during the dead line, and in most cases, they all got worse. The Cubs are not going to compete for a championship next season or for a little while. And the Cardinals have some older players that are considered key’s to their team. The Brewers gave away their best pitcher and the Reds picked up a rental, so essentially next season, they will be the same. So this window that the Pirates have is not shrinking. They have an opportunity going forward to compete more often and that still includes this season. Did they get Hunter Pence, Victorino, or Chase Headley? No But that has more to do with the asking prices. I read a quote from the Dodgers ownership group today. It read something along the lines of, the hell with money, make the team better. That would be nice, but not even close to realistic for the Pirates.

This team will continue to compete and at a high level. Will they win a World Series, probably not. Will they compete for a playoff spot? Absolutely. This team made a 15 game upgrade from 2 years ago to last season. This season, they are 15 games over .500. If the season stopped now, a 30 game improvement from last year. It would be great to go out and spend like crazy, but at what cost. The Pirates would have to not only give up future top of rotation players, because, lets face it, that is all they have to trade along with take on huge amounts of salary. So…let’s just all back away from the edge of the Clemente Bridge, take a deep breath, and enjoy the rest of the season. In the Immortal words of Kevin Bacon, “Remain calm…All is well”

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Cole Hamels and His New Deal

Posted on July 25, 2012 by wcornblatt

I remember when Matt Cain signed his mega-contract, I couldn’t believe it! I thought in cumulative terms, and laughed that we’d gotten to the point in the business end of sports that Matt Cain was receiving the largest contract for a right-handed pitcher in baseball history. It just felt like a stretch for a Cain, who seemed solid but not revelatory. That kind of money should mean Cy Young contention every year. In the end, it seems to have worked out. Not only did Cain pitch a perfect game, but he’s 10-3 with a 2.74 ERA, and more importantly his consistency has kept the Giants pitching dangerous despite Tim Lincecum’s dreadful year.

So when Cole Hamels signed a deal that was the second biggest for a pitcher in history, the feelings I had about Cain’s deal resurfaced. As good as Hamels has been, he’s only had one season with an ERA under 3. Even during this season, where he’s been a lone bright spot for the struggling Phillies, he still has a 3.23 ERA. Maybe Cain should’ve taught me a lesson, maybe I’m wrong in thinking that pitching is so cerebral, so fragile, that giving somebody $160 million dollars and expecting six years of dominance is a risky investment.

The Phillies are loaded up with huge contracts for Hamels, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard and Jonathan Papelbon. They’re counting on production and development for years to come. Is that unrealistic in a league where pitchers find serenity and balance one year, only to lose it the next? Maybe or maybe not. Matt Cain proved that developing pitchers can deserve the absurd paydays they’re now receiving, but Tim Lincecum demonstrated that sometimes, the slightest mental and physical lapses can change a career and leave a pitcher lost. The Phillies are betting $160 million that Hamels will follow the former.

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The Red Sox, Injuries and Pitching

Posted on July 19, 2012 by wcornblatt

For a fan, nothing is more frustrating than you team’s fate being decided by injuries. Regardless of the outcome, it’s impossible to settle with your team’s record if all of the pieces aren’t there. It’s like those dreams where you try to run but move in slow motion, pure frustration.

So for Red Sox fans, it was an enormously annoying first half of the baseball season. Our starting closer was out every game along with Carl Crawford. Jacoby Ellsbury spent most of the year sidelined with injury as well. These injuries, plus a couple more, have doomed the Red Sox to the impossibly close wild card race.

Seven teams are within 1.5 games of each other, but it’s more than battling other teams. For the Sox, it comes down to battling their inner pitching demons. Josh Beckett is 5-7 with a 4.44 ERA, and Jon Lester is 5-7 with a 4.17 ERA. If those two can’t get their act together, Boston won’t be seeing the playoffs. If they can, they’re as dangerous a team as you find in baseball.

For all the injuries and all the bad luck this year’s Sox have encountered, they find themselves in a position to make the playoffs. The irony is that all the injuries aren’t what is going to prevent them from making a postseason run, it’s the dreadful pitching that will. Sure, the return of Andrew Bailey would mean a consistent closer that the Sox so desperately need, but that closer isn’t going to mean much if their aces can’t get it together and manage to produce winning records.

After all of the offseason changes, this Red Sox team seems to be facing the same problems they did last year. Their starting pitching is embarrassing, as is their bullpen, and unfortunately for us fans, there’s no way to blame it on injuries.

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Moving Cole Hamels Could Save the Phillies Next Season

Posted on July 13, 2012 by TheBaseballPage.com

The end is here. If we the Phillies fans want to admit it or not, the chances of our beloved team getting into the playoffs would take a miracle. After 87 games the Phillies are 14 games back and 16 in the loss column to Washington. For any shot at a wildcard, the Fightin’s will need to finish the season 55-20. Take these numbers and then take a hard look at the players we have, then attempt to answer, “is it a likely ending?”

We have been blessed with a great run of baseball in Philadelphia, and for that I am truly thankful. Being a lifelong Phillies fan and also one who endured some of the worst in Phillies baseball, I think it’s time to make some deals. Keeping Hamels for the remainder of this season and re-signing him, is not a good team baseball decision. I say this with another Phillie great in mind. Steve Carlton in 1972 posted 27 wins on a Phillies team that only won 59 games. Carlton, who was most definitely one of the biggest pieces of the Phillies’ later success in the late 70?s and 1980 championship team, was the lone bright spot in ’72. What could have the Phillies been if they moved Carlton in 1972 or after the season ended? Is it possible that we could have avoided the next four seasons of non-playoff baseball? Well, we will never know but it does make you wonder what could have been.

Cole Hamels today is the Steve Carlton of 1972, one of the best on a terrible team. Yes, we have Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, excellent pitchers that have not been this year what we need them to be. Both are under contract and both un-tradeable, not that I would. Moving Hamels, is what needs to be done like it or not. With glaring holes in the bullpen, third base, left field and possibly center field next season, Amaro has no choice.

As a Phillies fan who was endured some of the worst Phillies teams that were ever assembled, make the move after the break and get some young talent. Filling some of our glaring needs through a Hamels trade might get us back to the top of the standings next year. Signing Hamels to a long-term deal, will not fix what is broken.

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Let the Big Donkey in the Home Run Derby!

Posted on July 4, 2012 by FanSpeak.com

The Home Run Derby and the Dunk Contest are two All-Star game events that seem to keep going through revisions to try to drum up interest. Frankly, I find it annoying. You know what would get people to watch these event? Pick the right people! I find it despicable that LeBron James has never done the dunk contest. Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan have beyond classic performances in the contest. If you put exciting people in it, rather than people I have to look up on Google, then people will watch. The same goes for the Home Run Derby. Recently a “captain” system was set up with Robinson Cano representing the AL and Matt Kemp representing the NL. It’s a system where guys pick their friends and don’t involve the fans at all. Here is what this year’s rosters look like:

American League: Mark Trumbo, Jose Bautista, and Prince Fielder.
National League: Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Gonzalez.

Fielder, Stanton, and Bautista are definitely guys I want to see. But Trumbo? Beltran? CarGo? Come on! And then there is the tidbit that Kemp was going to select Andre Ethier before he got injured. Seriously Andre Ethier? That will have people flocking to see the derby. Two names left off should be in Kansas City competing and that’s Bryce Harper and Adam Dunn. Fans would love to see the rookie go at it, but what about the Big Donkey!?!? Adam Dunn is the definition of a power hitter and there’s not a fan out there that wouldn’t like to see him let loose and just hit the ball as far as he possibly can. I get Beltran and Gonzalez have great power numbers this year, but I still would rather see the big boys go at it.

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Post MLB Trade Deadline Thoughts

Cole Hamels and His New Deal

The Red Sox, Injuries and Pitching

Moving Cole Hamels Could Save the Phillies Next Season

Let the Big Donkey in the Home Run Derby!