Baseball's moving season - to date
You’d think I would know better by now. Seriously. For the last three weeks, I’ve diligently watched Monday Night Football until either (A) The game was “out of reach” or (B) The clock struck midnight and I passed out. And then there’s the ever popular (C) All of the above. Last night was one of those, a typical (C)-type Monday Night Football game.
Oops.
I turned off the TV and fell asleep late in the 4th quarter with the Patriots up 28-17 and about four minutes on the clock. (I actually had a dream that they lost by a point, which is pretty eerie to me. I know I’m in tune with the sports world, but that’s a bit creepy.)
Two weeks ago, I did the same thing in a very unentertaining, ho-hum Dallas/Seattle game. That turned out to be one of the best comebacks in MNF history. Last week, for KC/Tennessee, I decided that the game wasn’t all that important, and since it was tied, I’d just find out who won in the morning. Then the two teams combined for 31 4th quarter points and I missed every one of them.
This week, I did my best to watch the whole thing. I didn’t even look at my bed until the Patriots had a comfortable lead late in the game. I stayed clear of my bedroom, choosing to watch the game in the living room just so I could stay awake. When it finally looked like it was over, I went to bed.
I’m never going to sleep again.
Bah. Let’s just move into today’s topic. Yesterday, I mentioned that I thought that Billy Beane was either a complete idiot or a complete genius. The same can be said about many GM’s who have made moves so far this year (although only Arte Moreno – Anaheim - and Jeff Moorad – Arizona - have made as many headlines).
I’ve already commented on a few of the teams involved in baseball’s moving season to date, so let’s focus on a couple of teams that didn’t get mentioned before. I might touch on the Angels again, only because they keep making moves to get better.
Atlanta: Wow, is there anyone out there who really doubts that John Schuerholz is the best GM is baseball anymore? I’ve been saying it for years, and no one ever listens to me. But after adding an All-Star closer and an All-Star starter, not to mention moving a former All-Star starter out of the bullpen and back into the rotation, he’s got to start getting the credit he deserves. I don’t care if you’re a Braves fan or not, but 13 straight division titles (and the odds-on favorite to make it 14) with ever-decreasing payrolls speak for themselves. The guy just knows baseball.
St. Louis: I like the Mulder trade. I don’t like what they gave up for him, but if his second-half collapse last season isn’t indicative of a chronic problem then they probably got him as cheaply as they could have hoped for. Right now, I’ve got Hudson, Mulder and Pedro in my top three for NL Cy Young in 2005 – every one of them had a good year in the AL, and now they’re moving to the pitcher friendly NL. Once Randy Johnson goes to the Yankees and Roger Clemens retires and Ben Sheets gets traded mid-season, there won’t be any competition. Maybe Roy Oswalt.
Milwaukee: Yes, you read that right: MILWAUKEE. They’re doing a very nice job overhauling their team up there in beer country. Small market teams that hope for 70 wins in a season don’t need All-Star closers. They traded Danny Kolb and got back some great prospects. They traded Scott Podsednik for a big right-handed bat in Carlos Lee. This is a great example of a team making moves to deal players when their value was the highest. Nice work. If they hold on to Ben Sheets and somehow sign him long term (which I can’t imagine will happen), they could be very competitive in the near future.
Oakland: I’ll admit, on the face of it, it appears as though Billy Beane is giving up on 2005 and looking ahead to ’06 and ’07 when all of those Braves and Cardinals prospects will be ready. But then you look at the top of the A’s rotation – Barry Zito (Cy Young lefty), Rich Harden (fireballer with 4 great pitches), Joe Blanton (prospect with a seemingly endless ceiling), and you think, “Maybe this guy knows what he’s doing…” Sure, there will be stretches when the younger players have to find themselves. And the back end of the rotation is nothing spectacular (but really, whose is?). But overall, the moves he made seem to make sense, both short and long term. And Beane doesn’t make moves unless they make sense for his team.
Los Angeles: I’ve got no idea what they’re doing. I guess getting rid of Shawn Green and getting New York to pay for most of Javier Vasquez will give them the financial freedom to get JD Drew, but if that’s what they needed, then why not spend on Adrian Beltre and Steve Finley? Beltre and Drew are both young but injury prone. Finley didn’t do much for you last year except push your team over the top and into the NL West title. Dunno – doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Maybe Paul DePodesta’s got a bigger picture in mind…
Anaheim: Told ya. They are now the prohibitive favorites to win the AL West again. So far they’ve signed Kendry Morales from Cuba, Steve Finley, and now Orlando Cabrera (though $8M a year is a bit much). Morales and Finley give them flexibility at first, third and the outfield. Cabrera provides them with a huge upgrade over David Eckstein, who unfortunately just isn’t the prototypical MLB shortstop. I see him ending up as a second baseman somewhere (Yankees?) – speed, great glove, average arm, hits for average - not power. That’s a prototypical second baseman in today’s MLB.
Boston: Didn’t think I could talk baseball without at least mentioning my boys, did you? They granted Dave Roberts his wish yesterday, trading him to a team where he can play everyday. They even traded him to his hometown team, making a great deal for everyone involved. The Padres get a speedy, talented, NL-oriented centerfielder and leadoff hitter, Roberts gets to go home, and the Sox got Jay Payton as a right-handed hitter off the bench, along with a backup shortstop, pitching prospect and $2.7M in cash. Not bad.
Speaking of the Red Sox… So I told you that I spent Friday night in Boston hanging out with friends for a birthday. We started the night in Vox Populi on Boylston Street, halfway between Copley and Hynes. After hanging around for about an hour and a half upstairs, a relatively large surge of people began moving around behind us. Then one of my friends (I forget who) looked up and said “Holy Shit – That’s Kevin Millar!”
Yep. Millar walked right behind us into a separate seating area to have a couple drinks and talk ball. So did Bronson Arroyo (and his newly styled “blond ‘fro”). And Mark Bellhorn. And I have no doubt that had we stayed longer, half of the team would have shown up.
They attracted quite a crown of onlookers. No, I did not drool into my pint of Guinness. And no, I did not walk over to be “that guy” who pays far too much attention to celebrities.
It was pretty cool, nonetheless. Had I been quicker-thinking (and less inebriated), I probably would have bought them each a shot of Jack Daniels, with a smile, and then walked away. But oh well. Opportunity missed.
So that’s that. I’ll have picks here by Thursday because of the games Friday. And if you don’t read my Thursday article, then have a happy and safe holiday.
posted by Big D @ 9:28 AM
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