2007 MLB Preseason Awards
Long time, no type. Sorry ‘bout that. I’m not going to sit here and lie to ya – I’ve been lazy. Busy, sure. But also lazy. I don’t have the time to devote to a daily blog (although I would like to do exactly that), so most of the time my “everyday” thoughts end up as comments over on Shanoff’s Blog.
Though I must say, I have been working on my annual MLB Preview pretty consistently. Most of it is research at this point, so nothing to really report at this time. I’ve decided to start with the divisions I know the least about and work my way up, so the NL West will get first typing treatment. And, just like last year, the Red Sox will most likely get about five times more written about them than any other team. Hey – it’s what I know.
Anyway, I have my first of four fantasy baseball drafts later this afternoon, so I figured this is as good a time as any to break out a list of Preseason MLB “Awards”. Hey, give me a break. I know it’s gimmicky – I just felt like writing today. I’ll come back later (maybe) and report on how the first draft went – I’m sure you’re all super interested in the fantasy ramblings of a clearly insane man.
The 2007 Mo Vaughn Memorial “It’s not about the money” award:
We’re going to start out with an immediate controversy – this award is a tie, with a third member very close behind. As we all know, whenever an athlete hits free agency, it’s never about the money – it’s always about respect. For us here in
Anyway, this season saw the GM’s of the baseball world reopen their checkbooks in a fashion that hadn’t been seen since the glory days of Mike Hampton getting $120+ Million on the open market.
Our two winners – Gil Meche and J.D. Drew – managed to get teams to pay them a guaranteed $125 Million, both with five year contracts ($70M for Drew, $55 for Meche). That’s a lot of respect.
Special recognition to Curt Schilling, who’s “I’m retiring after ’07 / I’m not retiring after ‘07” flip-flop not only evoked memories of a certain Massachusetts Senator that Schilling was rumored to be running against next year, but also managed to put ol’ 38Pitches himself into the discussion of pitchers who are set to be wildly overpaid in next year’s free agency period.
The 2007 Tom Hicks “Who the hell woke them up?”award:
No controversies or ties here. The Cubbies shelled out a mind-boggling $297,550,000 in guaranteed Major League contracts this offseason. Obviously, the $136M for Alfonso Soriano ($136 Million Dollars. Seriously. I’m not joking with that number. I could hit the Powerball tonight and win just barely as much as that.) was the major contract, but they also managed to give Aramis Ramirez $75M – he somehow seems underpaid - $40M to Ted Lilly (good luck getting any return on that investment) and $21M for Jason Marquis. So they spent $136M on Soriano, and another $136M on the other three guys.
Remember when Kerry Wood was the next Roger Clemens? Yeah, he re-upped with the Cubs for one-year, $1.75M.
The 2007 Brady Anderson “One-Year Wonder” award:
Oh, hell. This is too easy. We could give it to any number of guys who are getting fat off of career year performances (Gary Matthews Jr., Gil Meche, and Barry Zito spring to mind), or we could just pick out a random steroid tainted player and hand him the hardware (Sammy Sosa, and, um, Gary Matthews Jr. see to fit the bill nicely) Let’s face it – there are any number of guys out there who are going to have career years in ’07, then sign their big fat four or five year contracts to be set for life, and coast until the end of this decade. So I’ll reserve judgment on who these guys might be until at least the Mid-Season Awards Show.
The 2007 Manny Ramirez “No way he isn’t traded this year” award:
Obviously, the award’s namesake is at the top of this list. But there are a few more guys who just seem like they will get dealt before July 31st. And if they’re not, you’d better believe that we’re all going to be inundated with rumors about them from now until the deadline. Just a few, off the top of my head:
n A-Rod. Duh.
n Todd Helton. Still owed $90M over the next five years, and he’s on the downslide of an altitude enhanced career. No thanks.
n Brian Giles. Seems like the Padres have been trying to move Giles since about five minutes after they signed him. He’s still got two more guaranteed years at about $10M per – almost seems like a bargain.
n Any member of the Marlins or D-Rays not named Dontrelle. Actually, Dontrelle is the most likely to generated interest and/or a massive package. The Marlins are in Year Three of their six-year march to a World Series – this is just about the right time to hold an auction for their best player and build for 2010.
n Adam Dunn. I can’t believe he hasn’t been dealt yet, considering the Reds’ dependence on the prospects of other teams to stay afloat.
n Ben Sheets. This one is intriguing. He signed a 4-year, $38.5M deal in ’05, which seems ridiculously cheap (especially when you consider his numbers versus those of Barry Zito since 2004… and Zito’s new 7-year, $126M contract) They’re both the same age, but Zito has had the luxury of pitching on playoff-caliber teams for the past six years, and of not truly having to be an ace before last season. Sheets still has two years left on his deal, and if the Brewers fall flat early, they might make him available. His durability is the only question, but he’s sure to command a big payday after ’08 if he hits the open market.
Alright, I’m tired of typing, and I need to go make a fool of myself in a fantasy draft. I’ll check back in later with an update – maybe I’ll even post a complete roster of my first team, with highlights/incoherent ramblings from the draft itself.
Lata.
Labels: 2007, Awards, Gimmicks, I already hate JD Drew, MLB
posted by Big D @ 3:28 PM
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