2012 World Series Champions

The San Francisco Giants finished off the Detroit Tigers last night at Comerica Park on their way to a 4-0 series sweep and have captured their second title in three seasons.

Want to buy Nats World Series Tickets?

That's right Nats fans you too can purchase World Series tickets. The pre-sale begins this Monday at 10am. There is that one, albeit slight, problem ... your team lost last night in the 5th and deciding game of the NLDS.

Read the full article here.

Oops. 

If that's not a dagger in your heart Nats fans then I don't know what would be.

Indians Fire Manager Manny Acta

When you go 21-50 in the second half and fall into a tie for the worst record in the American League your job security gets awful shaky. Indians manager Manny Acta found that out today when the team informed him he was being relieved of his duties for the final six games of the season. Bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. is set to take over and is a strong candidate to replace Acta as the full-time manager come 2013.

After putting up a decent 44-41 record before the All-Star break the Indians absolutely collapsed in the second half and while the manager doesn't play the games he's always going to be the one to take the blame.

Acta was in his third season with the Indians. He was previously the Washington Nationals manager from 2007-2009. He was also fired in his third season with that club.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

September 26th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

Well the PP's aren't really premature anymore. Teams have seven or eight games left and four of five playoff spots have been decided in the NL. The AL doesn't have a clincher yet but things look to be pretty stagnant, aside from the Central.

American League

The only change this week is the Orioles are now into the ALDS after defeating the A's in the one gamer. The O's have just been playing better baseball right now. The change subsequently bumps the Tigers into a series with the Yankees. I considered putting the Tigers through but for this week I'll leave the Yankees there. Next week (the final week) I may change my mind.

National League

As mentioned the NL Playoff Bracket is 80% filled. We know the Nationals and Braves have locked up playoff spots in the East (the Braves could mathematically still chase down the Nats for the division). The Reds are the Champs in the Central. The Giants are the Champs of the West. The only thing left to be decided is the new Wild Card Spot where the Cardinals currently hold a 4.5 game edge. Seems pretty reasonable to assume they'll end up winning that spot. The biggest remaining question is who will be the NL's best? The Nats and Reds have an identical record (93-61).

World Series

Again, no changes. Five straight weeks I've taken the Reds over Rangers in 7.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

September 18th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

American League

The AL is losing some of the intrigue it had a few weeks back. It's looking more and more like the A's and Orioles will end up in the Wild Card spots battling for a place in the ALDS. It continues to amaze me that both of these teams are surviving September. There's still time but I'm now a believer in both of them. I haven't been for five and a half months but with a mere 15 and 16 games left it's time to give these teams their due.

The A's are the only change this week in the AL. They push out the Rays who have dropped 6 of 7 to fall 5 games back with 15 to play. The A's will also win the one gamer against the Orioles which pushes the Tigers into the series with the Rangers. The A's have, so far, survived a brutal September and if they hold on into next week I may give them the nod over the Yankees in the ALDS. I can't do it yet, but I may.

Despite the Tigers sitting 3 games back of the White Sox I continue to give them the nod in the Central. My reasoning is simple: the Tigers are the better team. No what the records indicate the Tigers are better. Believe it. However easing my decision is the schedule for both teams. The Tigers do battle the A's this week which will be tough. After those three games though the Tigers finish with six against the Twins and seven against the Royals. The White Sox still need to make a trip out west to play the Angels and still have a series against the Rays. Both teams are fighting for their lives which could make a challenging few games for the Sox.

National League

There a lot of teams suddenly in the race in the NL Wild Card prompting many to complain about the second Wild Card rewarding mediocrity (I voiced my opinion on that here). However nothing has changed for the second straight week in my NL bracket.

The Braves are locked into the first WC 7.5 up on the Cardinals who hold the second spot. Throwing their names into contention are the Dodgers (-1.0), Pirates (-2.5), Brewers (-2.5), Phillies (-3.5), Diamondbacks (-4.5) and even the Padres have made a run (-6).

Despite all the new teams who have a realistic shot I still think it's down to two teams: Cardinals and Dodgers. For the Dodgers sake they better win the WC after their addition of $250 million + in salary from the Red Sox a few weeks ago. I don't think they will though.

The Dodgers have a tough schedule to close out. They have a series against each of the NL Divisional leaders (Nationals, Reds and Giants). They also play the Padres who, as mentioned, are suddenly in "contention" themselves. The easiest series they have remaining is against the Rockies.

The Cardinals however nine games remaining against AL Central cellar dwellers in the Astros and Cubs. They do play the Nats and Reds as well to be fair. However those nine "easy" games give the defending champs the leg up.

World Series

My prediction remains unchanged, yet again. I know boring.

Reds over Rangers in 7.

NL Wildcard; Surprising Teams Making a Push

Two teams that made the Playoffs in 2011 are making a surprising surge for the second Wild Card spot. 

Don't look now but the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers are both sitting at 72-71 and find themselves 3 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for that, new, second Wild Card spot. The Phillies have won 7 straight and 8 of 10 while the Brewers have won 3 straight and 7 of 10.

Both teams appeared to be an afterthought this season after they both won their respective divisions in 2011 (they both lost to the eventual World Champion Cardinals). On August 1st the Brewers were 11 games back of the Wild Card while the Phillies were 12 games back.

Now here we are on September 13th and both teams enter play with a realistic shot to advance to the one game playoff for the right to enter the NLDS. But can they do it?

Never mind that. Here's the real interesting story.

Bud Selig has accomplished exactly what he set out to do and that's create more playoff excitement in more cities for a longer period of time. If there was only the one Wild Card spot available the Atlanta Braves would hold it and have an 8.5 game lead over both teams with 19 games to play. It seems as though that lead would be a little bit more difficult to overcome at this point. So give Bud some credit there. Fans in Milwaukee and Philadelphia are getting a little September magic and even if their teams fall short of the Wild Card it's certainly more interesting to watch when there's something on the line (never mind the fact that both teams have been under .500 for the majority of the season and are still just .500 clubs now).

Here's my quarrel with the whole situation - and has always been my worry ever since the second Wild Card was announced - suppose the Phillies or Brewers do win that second spot and end up beating the Braves in the one gamer. Then what have we learned? Aside from the fact that MLB has created an artificially dramatic one game playoff in an effort to recapture the magical end to the 2011 season it is rewarding mediocrity. A one game playoff is an absolute crapshoot. The Braves who have been the far superior team all season long now have to face an added, inferior, obstacle in order to advance to the playoffs. Yet it is entirely possible that they could lose.

It seems to me that this system is in theory a great idea but in practice is problematic.

If you look at the AL it is working like a dream. Two games separate the Orioles/Yankees and leading A's. Out of those teams it's likely one will win the AL East and the other two will take the Wild Card spots. Fantastic. Both teams deserve to there they've had great seasons. In the old system one would obviously miss the playoffs in an heartbreaking end to their season. At least now they'll have one final shot to really make the playoffs. That's the good.

On the NL side you could potentially have a 90 win team (the Braves) facing off against a team that's floating around the .500 mark. The Braves clearly deserve to be in the playoffs. The team floating around the .500 mark, um, not so much. Yet here we are with the realistic possibility that the Braves could find themselves on the outside looking in at a team that should never even come close to making the playoffs but did because of the added Wild Card. To me, that's the bad.

I want the best teams in the playoffs. I want a team that's grinded out the best record over the 162 game schedule (or at least the second best record if we're talking Wild Card). Otherwise what's the point of the season? I don't want the team that had a great run in the final two weeks and just pushed their record above .500. Despite that they're still a mediocre team at best.

If we just want a dramatic finish let's just forget the whole season and just pit every team against each other in an NCAA March Madness style playoff.

The 162 game schedule is in place to weed out the pretenders from the true contenders, is it not? I guess not anymore.

In theory the added Wild Card is a fantastic way to allow more franchises an opportunity to compete and offers fans exciting, meaningful and quality baseball until the very end. In practice it rewards the undeserving and does little more than provide additional revenue.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

September 10th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

American League

How about the American League. There are four teams (A's, Orioles, Rays and Angels) all within two and a half games of the two Wild Card spots. It's conceivable that there could be a three, or even four, way tie for the Wild Card. That would definitely add some excitement to the already artificially created excitement of the one game playoff.

Currently the A's hold the top spot (1.5 up on the Orioles) and were a part of last week's bracket. Unfortunately for them, despite their current lead, they've been dropped in this week's bracket in favor of the Rays. The reason is simple, the A's have a very tough schedule the rest of the way. Their remaining games come against the Angels (4), Rangers (7), Orioles (3), Tigers (3), Yankees (3) and Mariners (3). The weakest team on that list is the Mariners ... and even they've been playing pretty good baseball since the All-Star Break. The other three teams in the Wild Card battle have much easier schedules. The Rays have nine games against the Blue Jays and Red Sox while the Orioles have 10 games against those same teams. The Angels have a similar schedule to the A's but they get a bit of a break in playing the Royals for three.

The Rays enter the bracket as the second WC and win the one gamer against division rival Orioles. Because the Rays are the new team into the ALDS the Rays face off against the top team in the AL (Rangers) and bump the Tigers down to face the Yankees.

My justification for continuing to leave the Tigers in as the division winners in the Central is their easier schedule down the stretch. They have 16 games against the Indians, Twins and Royals. They also play four against the team they are chasing, the White Sox, and also battle the A's. The White Sox meanwhile play the Angels and Rays in addition to the Tigers. 

National League

The NL is much more boring in comparison. The only change is the Nationals retaking 1st place in the NL back from the Reds.

World Series

The World Series also remains the same, Reds over Rangers in 7.

It's Official, Nationals Shut Down Ace

SP Stephen Strasburg has been shut down for the remainder of the season

In a move that has long been rumored, discussed, confirmed and debated far and wide across Major League Baseball by fans and analysts alike the Nationals announced Saturday that Stephen Strasburg is done for the season. It's a move the Nationals have maintained they would make all along to protect their young ace returned from Tommy John surgery.

Many people acted as though the decision would be incredulous if and when the Nationals made it. That time has arrived.

Sitting pretty in first place in the NL East, a position they've held for the majority of the season, the Nationals will now have to survive the remainder of the season and the entire playoffs without their best pitcher. The Nationals have a prime opportunity to compete for a World Series Championship and they are willingly taking, arguably, their best player off the roster.

Currently they Nationals own the best record in baseball (85-53) and own a 6.5 game lead over the Braves. So suffice it to say their is talent elsewhere on the roster and an extended playoff run isn't impossible, or even improbable. However without Straburg it's going to become a little more difficult.

The Nationals need only look at last years Champion St. Louis Cardinals for inspiration. Last season they lost their best pitcher, Adam Wainwright, to Tommy John in Spring Training. We all know how their season turned out.

Could The Impossible Happen?

Yankees find themselves battling for Playoff Lives

On July 18th everything was great in Yankee land. The Bombers held a 10.0 game lead over all of their AL East rivals. Even sweeter was the fact that arch rival Boston was beginning to crumble from every inch of the organization. The Red Sox had already traded fan favorite Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox. Rumors of Bobby Valentine's (eventual) dismissal were beginning to surface. About a week later the Red Sox players held a coup - in New York during a series with the Yankees no less - to get Valentine fired. Mostly notable of those players, depending on which reports you read, was Adrian Gonzalez. At the end of August Gonzalez along with Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett (and Nick Punto to be exact but no one cares about him) were sent packing to Los Angeles.

The biggest threat to the Yankees, back on July 18th, was the Baltimore Orioles who happened to be the team that was 10 back. At the time Yankee fans were probably celebrating what they thought to be an inevitable division championship. I mean it was the Orioles and they were 10 back. No hope, done deal. Might as well give them the banner now, right?

Wrong.

The Orioles have done the remarkable. Entering play on Wednesday September 5th the Yankees find themselves in a tie for first in the AL East with those pesky birds.

Yes the season still has three weeks to play and the Yankees could once again reclaim a lead in the East. At the same time they may not.

I can't imagine many people expected the Orioles to be in this position. Even the most devout O's fan must have looked at that 10 game deficit in July and thought, "hey at least we're having a good season and maybe we'll snag a Wild Card". At that time the Orioles were 47-44 and a half game out of the second Wild Card. They'd gone 3-7 in the last ten games and appeared to be fading. It was the Orioles so of course they had to fade. They had to come back down to Earth. There was no way the Orioles could legitimately be in the playoff race, could they?

Well here we are, it's September and yes they are very much alive. The team that shouldn't be tied with the mighty Bronx Bombers somehow is.

But the Orioles can't be the Yankees only concern right now. The Tampa Bay Rays are also knocking on the door, sitting a game and a half back in the East. Not to mention the whole slew of teams that are positioning themselves in other divisional races and are likely going to be in on the battle for those Wild Card spots. We could be looking at as many as 8 teams fighting for the 5 playoff spots. The Yankees, Orioles and Rays in the East, the White Sox and Tigers in the Central and the Rangers, A's and Angels in the West. Someone is going to have to give.

But could that be the Yankees? Is it possible that a team that appeared to have secured a playoff spot in mid-July is somehow going to be on the outside looking in?

At the time the Yankees 10 game lead was almost double that of the next closest division leaders lead (Texas had 5.5 on the Angels). The 5 other division leaders at the time were Chicago White Sox, Texas, Washington, Cincinnati and San Fransisco. Now go look at today's standings (go on, I'll wait) ...

Do you notice what I noticed. Yes, that's right all five of those teams are still in the lead of their respective divisions (sole possession I might add).

Almost two months ago it seemed inconceivable that the Yankees wouldn't win the division. Now it becomes a reasonable suggestion.

Fortunately for New York the remaining schedule is quite tame. Aside from an upcoming, 4 game, weekend battle with the O's the Yankees face off against the likes of Toronto, Boston and Minnesota.

If the Yankees lose the division (and maybe even miss the playoffs) they'll only have themselves to blame.

It's hard to believe but the Baltimore Orioles could be AL East Champions for the first time in 15 years. Even harder to believe is the fact that the Yankees could miss the playoffs entirely. A notion that just might ease some of the pain in Boston.

Pirates Jersey Gaffe

Pirates 2B Brock Holt sporting a jersey with the number on the wrong side

Steve Berthiaume was the first to notice the error and posted the above picture on Twitter. The number two should be on the opposite side of the jersey (the left hand side for the player, right hand side for those viewing it, see picture below). The Pirates are hosting the Astros this afternoon.

Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen with his number in the correct place

It's quite amazing how many players have been sent onto the field recently with jersey errors. I can think of at least four off the top of my head in the last few seasons. It's hard to believe so many mistakes are not only being made but missed.

Can you recall an NFL, NHL or NBA player suffering from this same problem? I certainly don't recall it. I mean I could be wrong but it seems to be a problem that MLB has been faced with a lot lately.

Majestic better get it together or they might find themselves no longer the official provider of MLB jerseys.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

September 2nd - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

American League

CHANGES! CHANGES GLORE!

That's right folks there's a whole slew of new teams in the PP's! It's September and we are inching ever closer to October Baseball and it is getting harder and harder to deny certain teams (cough, Orioles) a spot in the bracket. So I've caved and the Orioles are making their first appearance on the PP's. You know this can only mean one thing ... they'll now collapse.

Also around the American League the A's have jumped into the second Wild Card spot. They've been out for three weeks but have returned. Their play never really dropped off and they were never that far out. I just figured other teams were capable of chasing them down (I'm looking at you, Angels). But once again, just like the O's, their presence can no longer be ignored.

Another change in the bracket has seen the Tigers move out of a Wild Card spot and into the AL Central Division winners spot. The Tigers have been in the bracket five of seven weeks but this is the first time since July 28th they've been in as the division winner.

As such the White Sox had to be bumped. They've been in the bracket as the AL Central winners for five straight weeks. Also bumped were the Tampa Bay Rays. They've cooled off recently and find themselves 1.5 back in the WC.

No changes in the winners of the ALDS as the Yankees and Rangers are still the toast of the AL.

National League

CHANGES!

Not quite as many as the AL but there has been some notable movement in the NL as well.

First off I have to apologize to the Cincinnati Reds. I've had them in the World Series six of seven weeks but have always had them second in the NL to the Nationals. That changes this week for the first time. It's something I may have overlooked or it may have been something I did deliberately. Either way looking at it I couldn't believe that I had never put the Reds on top of the NL. That has been corrected and the Nationals have lost their top spot for the first time. Now on to the rest of the PP's.

Welcome back to the San Fransisco Giants. Their two week absence was in large part because of the Melky Cabrera suspension and the Dodgers massive trade. However they currently find themselves 4.5 games up on those same Dodgers and as such make their return.

The rest of the NL Bracket remains the same save for the Nationals once again pushing through to the NLCS. I'm sorry I got a little excited last week with the Dodgers trade and in that excitement I pushed them in the NLCS instead of the Nationals ... my apologies.

World Series

NO CHANGES!

I guess that's not nearly as exciting as changes.

Reds over Rangers in 7, still.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

August 26th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

American League

Alright so it's a pretty boring week for the PP's as for the first time there are no new teams into the playoff bracket, on either side. Additionally in the AL there wasn't even any change within who would win each series. I did consider putting the Rays over the Rangers in the ALDS but I held off ... for now. I also considered giving the Baltimore Orioles a nod over the Tigers but once again I couldn't do it. I just cannot accept the fact that the Orioles are going to enter September that close to a playoff spot. They've had a great season and I continue to deny them (and likely will deny them in the future). It's the Orioles though, come on! They can't be making the playoffs, can they?

National League

The NL bracket harbored the only change this week. The Dodgers (an their massive trade) has propelled them over the Nationals in the NLDS. If Strasburg were to pitch in that series (which he won't) I would pick the Nats. The Pirates are breaking my and have fallen 2.0 games behind the Cards. It's a shame and I hope they recover but I certainly cannot predict that they will.

World Series

For the first time in the PP's I will predict the World Series.

The Rangers get back for a 3rd straight season and they have to win one eventually, right? Wrong. The Cincinnati Reds are your 2012 World Series Champions.

The Reds are the more complete team and presuming they stay healthy the rest of the way have a great chance to win their first World Series since 1990.

If the Rangers had better pitching they'd have the edge in the series. The problem is Yu Darvish appears to be wearing down. He hasn't pitched well in the second half. Ryan Dempster has been pretty terrible in Texas. Roy Oswalt has done nothing. Scott Feldman and Derek Holland both have ERAs approaching 5. The only good starter right now is Matt Harrison.

The Reds don't have a Nationals-esque rotation behind Johnny Cueto but it is still better than the Rangers.

The Rangers would hold the edge on offense and that could pose a threat to the Reds pitching staff and World Series aspirations.

All in all another heartbreaking 7 game series loss for the Rangers.

AL East: Can the Rays Catch the Yankees?

There's an interesting scenario brewing in the AL East as the Tampa Bay Rays are returning to form. The Rays are winners of their last 5 and 8 of their last 10. They've cut the Yankees lead down to 4.0 games in the AL East.

The New York Yankees have been in control of the East for most of the summer (they've owned sole possession since June 12th). The four game lead they currently own going into play on Tuesday is the smallest lead they've held since June 29th.

It begs the question, can the Rays chase down the Yankees and make a race out of the AL East?

Well first of all if I've learned anything about baseball, and more specifically the Rays, it's that you can never count them out. Never mind the 9 game deficit they overcame in September 2011 to win the Wild Card on the final day of the season, what about this season? Almost one month ago (July 18th) the Rays looked dead to rights in the East sitting 10.5 games back of the Yankees. They've closed 6.5 games in just over a months time so of course they could make a race of the East and of course they could win ... but will they?

The Yankees appear to have the easier schedule the rest of the way. Both teams do play the exact same amount of games (40 apiece) with 6 against each other. The Yankees however have 22 games against teams that are out of contention. They have the Indians (3 times), Jays (10), Red Sox (6) and Twins (3).

The Rays meanwhile only have 16 games against teams out of contention, the Royals (3), Jays (7) and Red Sox (6).

In the six games difference (between the Yankees 22 games vs the Rays 16 games against teams out of contention) the Rays face off against AL West leading Texas.

So the schedule favors the Bronx Bombers. They have a four game lead and an easier schedule the rest of the way.

Will it be the difference in the East? Maybe, but don't count out those Rays.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

August 19th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

American League

Once again, for the second straight week, there's a change in the American League. The Tigers have won a spot over the Oakland A's in the Wild Card Playoff game. The A's haven't been playing as well of late and while they are only 0.5 games out of a WC spot the Tigers sit a half game behind them. The Tigers are just a much more dangerous team and because of it they get the nod this week. However I still have them losing to the Rays in the WC Playoff. For the A's it's the first time they find themselves off the bracket since July 28th while the Tigers find themselves on for the first time since that same date. There aren't any other changes in the AL. However I will mention that this is the 3rd straight week the Rangers have been given the nod as AL Champs, the longest such stretch since the PP's started five weeks ago.

Once again I cannot find it possible to put the Orioles into a WC spot. I just can't do it. They continue to stick around though and maybe, just maybe, they'll be there eventually. 

National League

The NL has seen the some of the biggest changes since the PPs started. There's movement all over the bracket.

First the Pirates have been bumped from the bracket for the first time. They had been one of the WC teams in each of the previous four weeks. The Dodgers are making their first appearance in the bracket as the winners of the NL West. They get the nod because of their play lately but also because of Melky Cabrera's suspension. The defending World Series Champion Cardinals are making their first appearance on the bracket as well. They are suddenly one game out of a WC spot and at this point it's hard to deny them a place, no matter how much I want the Pirates to make the playoffs for the 1st time in 20 years. However the Cards will still lose to the Braves in the WC Playoff. The Nationals one week reign as NL Champs is over. The Reds struggled a little bit last week which caused the change. Also the Nats continued stance on Stephen Strasburg hurts their chances come October. The Reds are therefore representing the NL for the 4th time in 5 brackets.

Starting in September I will also include predictions for who will win the World Series as that is something that has been absent in the PPs.

Melky Cabrera in More Hot Water

If things weren't bad enough for Giants OF Melky Cabrera after being suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone the NY Daily News has uncovered some interesting "facts". It just adds fuel to the already burning fire.

Allegedly Cabrera had a consultant who works with his agents set up a fake website for a product to somehow support his claim that he inadvertently took the substance which lead to his suspension.

MLB quickly realized what was happening and didn't fall for the fake site. Allegedly this took place in July during the fact-finding stage of the case.

Federal investigators now seem to be interested in the case.

Uh oh Melky. That big fat free agent check just keeps shrinking, don't it?

Ozzie Guillen Has Harsh Words (Surprise, Surprise) For Ramirez

The Miami Marlins might have been an utter disappoint in the NL East this season but their manager Ozzie Guillen continues to entertain.

His latest target, former Marlin, the Dodgers Hanley Ramirez. Guillen had this to say about his former 3B, "That's Hanley. (If) Hanley hit a home run down by 30 runs, he would pimp it. That's the way he is."

It doesn't surprise me Hanley's former manager feels this way. Ramirez is regarded around MLB as a toxic personality and influence in the clubhouse. When the Marlins were still "Florida" they disciplined Ramirez for repeatedly not hustling to first base.

Astros Can Their Manager; Hardly Seems Fair

Late Saturday night/early Sunday morning the Houston Astros announced yet another move and no this time they hadn't traded someone. Instead they fired Manager Brad Mills and two of his coaches.

It hardly seems as though Mills was at fault for the poor performance of the Astros. Their current record sits at 39-82.

Yes, that's an awful record and in most other circumstances a manager would get fired for a record that looked like that. However after the team was gutted before the trade deadline there was little talent left on the major league roster. Most fans probably mistake the 'stros for a AAA team. Only one player on their 25 man roster (Ben Francisco) is making more than $750,000. Their two highest paid players are both on the DL (Francisco Cordero and Jed Lowrie). The total payroll is a mere $21.3 million.

The fact that Cordero and Lowrie are there two highest paid players should tell you all you need to know about the state of the Astros right now.

Along with Mills hitting coach Mike Barnett and first base coach Bobby Meacham were fired.

Mills was in his third season with the team having gone 76-86 in 2010 and a franchise worst 56-106 last season.

Tough luck for Mills. When he was hired I'm sure he didn't expect the higher ups would complete gut his roster and give him no hope to succeed and subsequently fire him when he didn't work miracles.

Tis the way of the big leagues though. 

King Felix is now Perfect

The Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners have been involved in awful lot of no-hitters and perfect games the last few seasons. Now a Perfect Game has been thrown in a game contested by the two teams. That's right the third perfect game of the season was thrown today by Mariners Pitcher Felix Hernandez.

Hernandez needed to be perfect as the Mariners offense provided little support in a 1-0 victory.

It's the third game this season the Mariners have been involved in that resulted in a no-hitter or a perfect game. On April 21st Philip Humber of the White Sox tossed the first perfect game of the 2012 season at Safeco Field. On June 8th six Mariners pitchers combined for a no-hitter. Starter Kevin Millwood left the game because of injury. Before this season the Mariners hadn't been involved in a no-hitter or perfect game in 16 years.

For the Rays it is the 5th no-hitter or perfect game they've been involved in since 2009.

It started on a Perfect Game thrown by Mark Buehrle of the White Sox on July 23rd 2009. Then the very next Perfect Game in MLB History came on May 9 2010 when Dallas Braden of the A's threw one against the Rays. Later that season, on June 25th, former Rays pitcher Edwin Jackson (at the time with Arizona) threw a no-hitter against the Rays. Nearly one month later on July 26th Matt Garza threw a no-hitter for the Rays against the Tigers. In 2011 the Rays avoided being no-hit.

It seems awfully strange to see two teams be so involved in such rare feats over the course of a few months and seasons.

Anyway, congratulations to Hernandez. 

Melky Cabrera Suspended 50 Games

San Francisco Giants OF Melky Cabrera has been suspended by MLB for violating the leagues Performance Enhancing Drug Policy.

Cabrera has this to say, "my positive test was the result of my use of a substance I should not have used. I am deeply sorry for my mistake."

As the Giants have 45 games remaining in the regular season Cabrera will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season. He'll also miss the beginning of the playoffs, assuming the Giants make the postseason.

The suspension comes as a significant blow to a Giants offense that had struggled for most of the season (although since the All-Star Break they do lead the NL in runs per game).

The Giants are currently tied for the NL West lead with the L.A. Dodgers. 

Melky has a career .752 OPS so his .902 line this season could certainly have raised some suspicions around the league.

Note: At the time of his suspension Cabrera was leading the NL in Hits (159) and was second in average (.346). His .906 OPS was good enough for 8th in the NL.

Red Sox Players Lead Coup Against Bobby-V

According to a report by Jeff Passan on Yahoo! Sports there was a secret meeting held between Red Sox ownership and some players, including Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia, on July 26 to discuss disdain for their manager.

It's the latest in a series of bad relations between troops and leader in a clubhouse that is crumbling from within.

The report also suggests that their is not only a unified dislike of Bobby Valentine among the players but also grudges being held between players. The situation is a mess.

GM Ben Cherington confirmed the meeting although gave a very non specific answer about details.

"The intent of the meeting was to provide a forum for people to express whatever frustration needed to be expressed at a time during the season when things were not going exactly the way we wanted to on the field in hopes that we could put whatever issues were there aside and focus on playing games the rest of the season. That was the intent of the meeting. That was the focus of ownership. It was a productive meeting."

It's hard to believe the Red Sox are in worse shape in 2012 than they were at the end of last season when they completed their historic collapse but here we are. The team isn't performing. They clearly don't like or trust their manager. Changes once again will have to be made (both to the roster and to the coaching staff).

Bobby Valentine was the anti-Francona when he was hired by Boston ownership. It seemed like the right move at the time. It seemed as though it was exactly what was needed in the Red Sox clubhouse to fix any lingering issues.

It clearly has not worked.

Valentine appears to be the manager through the end of the 2012 season ... appears to be.

That will change come the off-season. The Red Sox will fire him and try to wipe their hands clean of an awful 2012 campaign. While it's the right move and it will need to be made is Bobby Valentine really the bad guy here?

Certainly he's part of the problem but what about the players, what role do they have in this matter?

Clearly the players think they run the show and own the clubhouse. Making Valentine a scapegoat only covers up deeper rooted issues. The next manager, whomever it will be, is going to have the same problems that Valentine has faced this season and that Terry Francona faced before him. The so-called star players who do not care about their job and under perform.

The Red Sox would be lying if they said they were not aware of these players who are causing problems. Ben Cherington practically begged other teams to take Josh Beckett off his hands at the deadline (apparently offering to eat a ton of salary to get rid of him) but to no avail.

DL'd SP John Lackey created another media storm last week upon being spotted in the clubhouse double fisting after a loss last week. In two seasons in Boston Lackey has been down right awful and like Beckett doesn't appear to care.

The two of them anchored the collapse in 2011.

So fire Bobby V, he deserves it. There's far bigger problems in Boston though.

Blue Jays RP Ks 4 in an Inning

On Monday night Toronto Blue Jays RP Steve Delabar accomplished a feat that no other pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball has done ... struck out four batters in an extra inning.

Top of the 10th Inning

There's how the inning went.

Delabar also became the first Blue Jays pitcher to ever strike out four in a single inning.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

August 12th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

American League

Some change, albeit only one new team, but it causes a change in the bracket. The Tampa Bay Rays are making their first appearance on the PP's this season. They've been playing well of late and have surged into a tie for the WC lead. They're a team that was expected to compete for a playoff spot prior to the beginning of the season and now in mid-August they appear to be there. The victims of the Rays being promoted are the Angels. Two weeks ago I had the Angels in the World Series and now I don't even have them playing in the 1-game WC Playoff. Things change quick.

Just like last week I still have the Rangers representing the AL. Despite the fact they have a new opponent (the Rays as opposed to the White Sox) in the first round I still think they are the team to beat in the AL. The Yankees manage to get past the White Sox.

The A's still cling to a spot in the bracket but I fear that could change in the coming weeks.

National League

Or should I say the "Nationals League" ... haha (blank stare). Yes bad joke but that's how things are shaping up. For the first time since I created the PP's a mere 3 weeks ago the Cincinnati Reds are not the NL representative in the World Series. The Nationals strong play as of late necessitated the change.

Nothing else changed in the NL bracket however I should mention I did seriously consider swapping the Pirates and the defending Champ Cardinals. For this week I'll leave the Pirates in the second WC but I'm predicting that spot could change quite a bit over the final seven weeks of the season.

MLB Power Rankings

Once again there's a new team atop the Rankings as the Nationals have surged past last week's #1 the Reds.

Aside from the top spot being in constant movement the last few weeks there is an ongoing shift throughout the rest of the Top 15 teams. With the added Wild Card and teams having hot and col stretches teams are flying up and down the rankings. The bottom half is actually much more stable than the top half.

The biggest reason is the glut of teams in the 8 through 15 spots. All 8 teams are in playoff contention and have almost identical records. From week to week they make pushes forward while some cool off a drop back.

The Angels are a prime example having fallen out of the Top 10 going from 7 to 13 this week. The Cardinals on the other hand make their first appearance in the Top 10 this season having swapped spots with the Angels, moving from 13 into the 7th spot. The Braves moved one spot up and make their first appearance in the Top 5 this season.

Let's get on with the rest of the rankings.

1. Washington Nationals (70-43) Last week: 2 - Stephen Strasburg is now at 133.1 IP for the season. Can the Nationals really afford to shut him down at 160 or 180 (whatever the number is now)?

2. Cincinnati Reds (67-46) Last week: 1 - Had lost 4 in a row before beating the Cubs on Friday. Fortunately their next 10 games are against the Cubs and Mets.

3. New York Yankees (66-46) Last week: 3 - The lead in the East is down to 5.5 games (over the Orioles). On July 18th that lead was almost double (10 games).

4. Texas Rangers (65-46) Last week: 4 - Are 6-3 since the trade deadline and have extended their lead in the West back up to a healthy 5.5 games.

5. Atlanta Braves (65-47) Last week: 6 - How amazing has closer Craig Kimbrel been this season? He's sporting a 1.26 ERA with 31 saves. He's struck out 75 batters and only walked 11 in 43 IP.

Chicken and Beer Scandal Returns to Red Sox

According to a report on Boston.com at least one half of the Chicken and Beer scandal has made a return to the Red Sox clubhouse.

After a 5-3 loss to the Indians last night SP John Lackey, who is out for the season, was seen walking aroung the clubhouse "double-fisting".

Lackey has been on the DL since undergoing Tommy John surgery in February but has traveled with the team for the majority of the season. He was one of the three pitchers who took the majority of the blame for the Chicken and Beer episode last September when the Red Sox collapsed and missed the playoffs. In March new manager Bobby Valentine banned all alcohol from the clubhouse as a result of the previous season.

The Red Sox signed Lackey to a 5-year/$82.5 million dollar deal as a free agent in December of 2009. In his first two seasons with Boston he started 61 games, posted a 26-23 record with an awful, awful 5.26 ERA. In his previous 8 seasons with the Angels his ERA was 3.81 in 234 appearances.

Lackey has two more seasons remaining on his deal and is owed $30.5 million.

It's hard to imagine a guy who's not even on the active roster is causing problems for a team who is a walking soap opera.

It's just one more issue to add to the on-going drama that is the Boston Red Sox the last two seasons.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

August 4th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

American League

I've been losing faith in the Angels for the last few weeks but continued to give them the benefit of the doubt. No more. My World Series representative in the AL is now going to be bounced from the playoffs in the ALDS by the Yankees. I still think the Angels will end up winning one of the two Wild Card spots and manage to secure a victory in that matchup.

It was hard for me to choose who to take in the AL after bumping the Angels. I don't think the Yankees are strong enough to make the World Series but I also fear how difficult it might be for the Rangers to make their third straight.

I left the Tigers in last week despite falling out of the lead in the AL Central. They still haven't climbed back into the lead and as such I had to bring back the White Sox as the division winners there.

National League

The National League hasn't seen any changes this week. I'm convinced the Giants and Dodgers are going to battle it out for the remainder of the season in the West. For now I will give the Giants the nod but I feel like the Dodgers will be in that spot sooner rather than later. The NL is suddenly looking like the stronger league with the likes of the Reds, Nationals and Braves all in playoff contention. Even the Pirates look like they could make noise this season.

MLB Power Rankings

Having seen the July 31st Trade Deadline come and go a number of teams have positioned themselves for a run at October. Of course that also means a number of teams appear to have accepted their fate - a season without playoff baseball.

We have a new #1 atop the rankings in the form of the Cincinnati Reds. They've been surging lately and hold the best record in the Majors.

The biggest fall belongs to the Detroit Tigers who appeared as they'd returned to form. They've since dropped back in the standings and subsequently these rankings. They fell seven spots from 5 to 12.

1. Cincinnati Reds (62-41) Last week: 4 - A 19-7 month of July has seen the Reds rocket to the top of the standings in the NL. As of the moment they appear to be the team to beat in the NL.

2. Washington Nationals (61-41) Last week: 3 - Stuck behind the Yankees and Rangers in the Rankings for a month the Nats have finally surged into 2nd as they have a better record than both AL foes.

3. New York Yankees (60-43) Last week: 1 - Since Ichiro joined the Bombers they've gone 3-5 and ichiro has only scored 3 runs. Not exactly what they were hoping for.

4. Texas Rangers (59-43) Last week: 2 - The Rangers were easily the most active at the deadline rumored to be involved in talks for Cliff Lee and Josh Beckett. They didn't get either but won the Dempster sweepstakes.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates (59-44) Last week: 6 - OF Travis Snider needed a fresh start after being up and down from the minors with Toronto. Now the Pirates OF is packed with young talent.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

July 28th - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

There hasn't been a whole lot of change in the Prognostications this week, except for the addition of the Oakland A's and the subtraction of the Chicago White Sox.

American League

The A's get in on the strength of their play lately (11-2 since the All-Star Break) and take over from the Pirates as the uber-sexy pick of the week.

The Tigers on the other hand move from one of the Wild Card spots last week and into the AL Central Divsion winners spot. They swept the White Sox last weekend to reclaim the division lead (a lead they've since let slip away). However the acquisition of Anibal Sanchez from the Marlins should provide a welcome boost to the starting rotation. In the long run they're just a better team than the White Sox.

I'd love to pick the A's to advance past the Angels in the 1 gamer but I can't. The Angels were a better team before acquiring Greinke on Friday night, now they're even tougher. Both of those teams in the West are putting serious pressure on the Rangers up top. The Rangers lead has shrunk to 4 games.

National League

On the senior circuit the bracket looks the exact same. Kudos to the Reds for playing such great baseball without Joey Votto (and kudos to me for putting them into the World Series last week). The Reds have won 8 straight games and are suddenly tied with the Nationals for the best record in the NL (and only one game back of the Yankees for best record in baseball).

The Dodgers, although they didn't make the list this week could soon find themselves changing places with the Giants. It really depends on how well the Hanley Ramirez trade works out. The Dodgers would be in an even greater position to leapfrog the Giants if they got Ryan Dempster in the coming days. For now though the Giants remain the winners of the West.

Zack Greinke, Serial Killer

I'm not judging, well actually I am, but this gem was floating around twitter last night.

Zack Greinke getting a send off from some Brewers teammates. Not the most flattering picture. Could they not have retaken it before posting it for the world to see? Greinke looks deranged ... but maybe he's just happy to be leaving the Brewers.

Greinke off to the AL West

According to ESPN.com the Milwaukee Brewers are set to trade SP Zack Greinke to the Los Angeles Angels. Greinke has been the source of many trade rumors leading up to the July 31st Trade Deadline but the Brewers made an effort to re-sign him in recent days. Clearly those talks went nowhere and the Brewers felt the best move would be to trade Greinke.

Greinke returns to the AL after spending the last year and a half in the NL. Prior to his time with the Brewers Greinke spent 7 seasons pitching for the Kansas City Royals including the 2009 season when he was the AL Cy Young winner.

The Angels are in need of rotation help as Ervin Santana is struggling mightily this season. Through 19 starts and 111 IP Santana has an ERA of exactly 6.

MLB Power Rankings

It's that time of week again. With so many trades occurring in the last few days there has been some shake up in the Rankings and we'll likely see further change in the coming weeks as teams position themselves for a run at October or a run at a higher draft pick.

This weeks big gainers were, of course, the Oakland A's. They've won 6 straight games, including a 4 game sweep of the Yankees on the weekend, and have joined even with the Angels for 2nd in the West (and for the lead in the Wild Card race). They moved up 6 spots from 16th.

Conversely the Angels fell from grace a little bit this week and dropped 3 spots, out of the Top 5, and into 8th. They're still a good team but after a 3-4 week and so many other teams playing better than them at the moment a drop was necessary.

The other big gainers of the week were the Detroit Tigers (who also jumped 6 spots) and are now tied with the White Sox for 1st in the Central. The Orioles also regained some of the ground they lost last week and moved back up 4 spots. Injuries haven't hurt that team as much as they should have as they posted a 5-2 week.

The other big losers of the week were the White Sox (-7) and the Mets (-5). They turned in 2-5 and 1-6 week's respectively and have each fallen out of the Top 10 in recent weeks. The White Sox biggest problem was the sweep they suffered at the hands of their division rival Tigers over the weekend. It showed many baseball fans what we've been expected all season, a team that will dominate the Central. The White Sox did pull back into a tie for the lead though so such a drastic drop was also forced by teams in the Top 10 playing better baseball than the White Sox and likely having more staying power in the rankings.

Let's get on with them.

1. New York Yankees (58-39) Last week: 1 - They acquired Ichiro from the Mariners to replace Brett Gardner who is lost for the season but they just lost A-Rod to a broken hand. How long can they stay on top?

2. Texas Rangers (57-39) Last week: 2 - Josh Hamilton has knocked in only 24 runs in his last 42 games. He's still managed to hold onto the MLB lead (now tied with Miguel Cabrera at 81).

3. Washington Nationals (57-39) Last week: 3 - Just lost team HR leader, SS Ian Desmond, to a left oblique injury. It's bad timing for an offense that's already struggling.

4. Cincinnati Reds (57-40) Last week: 6 - Despite being without MVP Candidate Joey Votto the Reds have won six straight and opened up a 2.5 game lead over the Pirates in the Central.

5. Detroit Tigers (52-45) Last week: 11 - It took almost 4 months but it appears that the team everyone expected in Spring Training has finally arrived. A weekend sweep of the White Sox has vaulted them into 1st.

Marlins trade 3B Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers

In the off-season the Miami Marlins stole all the headlines. They dropped Florida and became Miami. Construction was completed on a new, expensive, retractable roof stadium. They unveiled a new look, debuting four new uni's, in this brilliant new stadium. Then came the spending. The Marlins lavished millions upon millions on free agents, attracting some of the biggest names available to South Beach. They signed Heath Bell, Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes, among others. The latter forced the move of Hanley Ramirez to 3B, something he made very public he was not interested in. It was supposed to be a grand coming out party for the newly dubbed Miami Marlins. Instead things have gone terribly wrong.

Early Tuesday morning Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with reliever Randy Chaote for SP Nathan Eovaldi and a minor leaguer.

It's a shocking move, even amidst rumors teams were lining up to acquire the SS turned 3B.

The Dodgers made their own headlines early in the season when an ownership group, lead by Magic Johnson, purchased the team from Frank McCourt. The winning big was reported to be over $2 billion.

Surprisingly the Dodgers have had a good season, much of it in first place in the NL West. They've struggled recently falling 2.5 games back of rival their, state and division, rival San Francisco Giants.

The offense has been the Dodgers achilles heel all season ranking at or near the bottom is virtually every major offensive category.

The addition of Ramirez should help, although it didn't do the Marlins much good for the first 4 months of the season. The Marlins were among the worst offenses in baseball along with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers new ownership made it clear they were willing to spend money from the very beginning and now they've dropped a ton more cash. Ramirez is due $15.5 million in 2013 and $16 million in 2014. The Dodgers are assuming the entire contract with no financial remuneration from the Marlins.

It's a surprising turn of events involving two of the franchises who made some of the biggest splashes in the off-season. Many would have expected their records to be reversed and the Marlins the buyers and Dodgers the sellers at the deadline.

It's funny how the best laid plans often change once the games are played. Ramirez and Reyes on the left side of the Marlins infield looked as though it was a sure thing. Anything is far from sure in MLB. That much is definite.

Pirates Acquire Wandy Rodriguez from Astros

It seems as though every day the Houston Astros are trading another piece off their Major League roster. The Majors worst team is at it once again this time trading Wandy Rodriguez to their division rival Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rodriguez was signed to a 3-year deal before the 2011 season and has a player option for the 2014 season. As a part of the deal the Pirates could recoup as much as $17.7 million from the Astros. Houston will pay half of the $3.4 million Rodriguez is owed this season and $8.5 of the $13 million he's owed in 2013. Should Rodriguez exercise his $14 million player option in 2014, something that seems highly likely at this point, the Astros would pay $7.5 million of it.

It seems like an awful lot of money to hand to the Pirates over a pitcher they could have likely dealt to another team without having to throw in so much money.

It's a very similar move to the one the Pirates made in March to acquire A.J. Burnett from the Yankees. At the time Burnett has two years remaining on his deal and was owed $33 million. The Yankees agreed to ship Burnett to the Pirates along with $20 million to help pay for his New York exit.

It seems teams are really interested in paying the Pirates to take players off their hands. The Pirates couldn't be happier. They're getting talented players at well below market value. It's helping them push the Reds in the NL Central and a host of other teams in the Wild Card as the Pirates look to make the playoffs for the first time since 1992.

In return the Astros will receive minor league pitchers Rudy Owen and Colton Cain, as well as outfielder Robbie Grossman.

It's likely the Astros were willing to send so much cash to the Pirates because of these prospects. All three rank among the Top 20 Prospects in the Pirates system, however none of them rank among the Top 100 Prospects in Baseball.

It's a good move for the Pirates simply because they did not have to part with Top Prospects Jameson Taillon or Geritt Cole. Trade rumors suggested that the Pirates would need to part with one of them in order to acquire pitching at this years deadline.

Wandy Rodriguez doesn't possess the best arm of the available pitchers however acquiring him didn't force the Pirates to mortgage their future as well. A solid move all around for both the Pirates and Astros.

Yankees Acquire Ichiro from Mariners

Ichiro is now a Yankee. That's old news already, even though it was reported less than half an hour ago.

Since Brett Gardner went down for the season the Yankees had a need for a (semi) speedy corner outfielder. Unfortunately Ichiro isn't the same player he once was. The now 38-year RF is certainly in the twilight of his career, accepting a trade to the Yankees to facilitate a chance at a World Series ring. A wise move for Ichiro and an honorable move by the Mariners to allow their star the opportunity to leave in search of that ring. The Mariners aren't going to win a World Series in the next two seasons (the likely amount of time Ichiro has left).

So what does the future hold for Ichiro?

Here's an early prediction for you. Ichiro plays out the year with the Yankees. If all goes right by the time he becomes a free agent in November he can add World Series Champion to his long list of accomplishments. Once he hits the free agent market he signs back with the Mariners and finishes his career in the only city he's known (until today).

That's the fairy tale ending.

The only thing stopping it from coming true is the Yankees performance come October.

Boston Red Sox: Time for Tough Decisions

The MLB Trade Deadline is quickly approaching and the Boston Red Sox find themselves consistently flirting with the .500 mark. After Sunday's loss the Red Sox found themselves swept away - at home no less - by the division rival Blue Jays. The Jays came into Fenway having been swept be the East leading Yankees and looked primed to take a pounding. Instead it was the Red Sox pitching staff who took the beating.

GM Ben Cherington has nine days left to figure out what to do with this team. Does he try to add to the roster and make a run at one of the Wild Card spots? The Red Sox are within striking distance afterall finding themselves 3.5 back. On the flip side of that there are 8 teams all within that same distance of the two Wild Card spots. The Red Sox have, as one would expect, almost a .500 record against those teams (25-26). This team, which is largely the same in 2012, blew a massive lead in the Wild Card in 2011. The result was wholesale changes on the management side of things. It could be time to look at the players themselves and make wholesale changes on the field.

If Cherington decides to add to the team, what are moves are likely? Adding pitching help seems the most likely. The likes of Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels are going to command top level prospects - something the Red Sox don't have a lot of - and are going to have a number of contenders bidding for their services. It then begs the question who gets bumped from the rotation should the Sox acquire one of these starters? Franklin Morales has already been bumped back to the bullpen despite being one of the Red Sox stronger options the last month or so. The likely candidates become Aaron Cook or Felix Doubront. It would seem unwise to drop one of those two guys from the rotation as they both possess earned run averages lower than the other Red Sox starters, Beckett, Lester and Buchholz, who are supposed to be the ace. Doubront has a 4.24 ERA, Cook has a 3.50 ERA. While they're not spectacular numbers they're better than the 4.53, 5.46 and 5.19 ERAs put up by Beckett, Lester and Buchholz respectively. It seems highly unlikely that, despite their awful performances this season, that either of those three would be bumped to the bullpen.

No, adding pitching doesn't really help the team unless those three start pitching better.

The solution then becomes a clear one, even if it is not simple. Blowup this roster and start again.

The Yankees are running away with the division and although they have an aging roster they have a number of talented young pitchers that will anchor their rotation (injured Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova) into the future. They'll always have the money to acquire offense if their current stars begin to falter.

The Orioles have had a wonderful season and continue to stay alive in the playoff chase despite injuries and and ranking in the bottom third in offensive and pitching categories. While they may not pose a legitimate threat this season they're certainly an up and coming squad.

The Rays have a ton of young starting pitchers and could leverage any of them and turn them into the offense they've been desperately lacking this season. Or they could just wait it out and see what happens when 3B Evan Longoria returns (he's been out since May 1st with a hamstring injury). They're a team that has made the playoffs in 3 of the last 4 seasons and were considered to be a threat to win the division this season.

Just like the Red Sox the Blue Jays have floated around .500 for most of the season. However they are a much younger team and have suffered injuries three of their five starters, two of which are season ending. Their offense is young and consistently improving. While they might not make the playoffs this season they're a team that's going to contend very, very soon.

Where does that leave the Red Sox? They have a number of large contracts with aging stars. Aside from 3B Will Middlebrooks (23) and SP Felix Doubront (24) there isn't much youth on the Major League roster. Their "stars" are all approaching 30 or older. In August Crawford will turn 31, Pedroia will turn 29 and Buchholz will turn 28. In September Ellsbury will turn 29. Gonzalez and Beckett are both 30+. Lester is 28. They do not have a single prospect in MLB's Top 100. C Ryan Lavarnway is pretty much Major League ready, one of their few prospects that is, and he's going to be 25. There's a lot of money tied up in aging stars and not a lot of youth to infuse into the roster.

Realistically the Red Sox do not appear talented enough to make a long run into October. They certainly possess the ability to sneak into one of the Wild Cards and maybe they win the one game playoff. Assuming they could do that they'd likely find themselves up against the two-time defending AL Champion Texas Rangers, a far superior club (the Sox open a three game series in Texas on Monday).

It'd be a tough sell to the players, fans and media but it certainly seems as though this Red Sox team needs a revamp.

Josh Beckett and Jon Lester have been downright awful this season. Over the weekend both pitched against the Blue Jays and both lost. Beckett allowed 4 ER (5 total runs) over 6 innings on Friday night. He took the loss as the Red Sox fell 6-1. On Sunday Lester took to the mound have owned the Jays in his career. He allowed a career high 11 ER in 4 innings including 4 home-runs. Neither will have the kind of trade value they should possess because of their rough seasons. With some many teams in contention this season though it's possible Cherington could unload both of them for teams desperate for pitching. However unlike other options available through trade both Beckett and Lester are signed through 2014. If a team is wary to acquire a Dempster, Garza, Greinke or Hamels because of pending free agency Beckett and/or Lester could be an intriguing option.

DH David Ortiz is having a great season. His contract runs out at the end of the 2012 season. Any team looking for middle of the order power would sure love to get their hands on Ortiz. He's had a wonderful run in Boston but at 36 (37 in the off-season) he simply does not fit into the Red Sox long-term plans. He definitely should be shopped around.

The tougher decisions come with the likes of Ellsbury, Crawford and Gonzalez.

Can the Red Sox afford to sign Ellsbury to a long-term deal. More importantly, do they want to? His 2011 season was the best of his career but otherwise he's been injured. He's a great talent and could bring a lot in return if he can continue to hit before the deadline.

Crawford and Gonzalez are both signed to long-term contracts through 2017 and 2018, respectively. Their were rumors swirling around last week that the Red Sox were in talks with the Marlins about a trade involving Crawford and Hanley Ramirez. Ben Cherington shot those rumors down insisting that Crawford is and would continue to be the Red Sox LF. Gonzalez on the other hand has seemingly lost his power since joining the Red Sox last season. In the spacious Petco Park in San Diego Gonzalez had four straight seasons of 30+ HRs. Fans salivated over the prospect of what he'd accomplish in a much smaller Fenway. The results haven't been good. Between two seasons, totaling 252 games, with the Red Sox Gonzalez has only managed to knock out 36 HRs total. They wouldn't be easy contracts to move and neither players hold the value that was expected of them when they signed these massive deals.

There are other pieces that could easily be moved but wouldn't bring a whole lot back in return. Pieces in the bullpen could be had, guys like Matt Albers, Andrew Miller, Vincente Padilla and Alfredo Aceves are expendable. OF Cody Ross has had a strong season but is only signed for 2012. Despite missing time on the DL Ross has hit 16 HR. A team looking for a corner outfielder with some pop would like send a decent prospect in return. Guys like Ryan Sweeney, Mike Aviles, Nick Punto, Kelly Shoppach and even Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Aaron Cook aren't likely to figure in any long-term plans or success. For the right price they could be available too.

It's not a simple choice but it is a necessary one. This team has proven time and time again that they are not a true contender. They are far too inconsistent and likely to be passed by all four teams in their division.

Blowing up the roster and spending a few years in the basement of the AL East may not be a popular decision but ultimately it is what is best for the club.

Astros Continue Fire Sale, Myers to White Sox

The fire sale continues in Houston as the Astros have completed their second trade in as many days. After sending three players to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday the Astros traded closer Brett Myers to the White Sox on Saturday.

In return the Astros will receive two minor league players and a player to be named later.

This season Myers has pitched exclusively out of the pen after starting 33 each of the last two seasons. He has converted 19 or 23 save opportunities with a 3.52 ERA. He's struck out 20 batters while walking 6 in 30.2 IP.

It was a move the makes a lot of sense for the White Sox. Before acquiring Myers the Sox only had one veteran (Matt Thornton) in their pen. The rest of the pen consisted of extremely green rookies (all with less than 50 career IP).  As a group they rank 11th in the AL in bullpen ERA.

The White Sox currently lead the AL Central by a half game over the surging Detroit Tigers.

Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

July 21st - Premature Prognostications: October Baseball

Each week leading up to the MLB Playoffs we'll predict who will advance just to see how much things change over the course of the season. There is no method to the madness just sheer, extremely early, predictions.

American League

The best two teams right now are the Yankees and the Rangers. I don't see that changing much throughout the rest of the season. I think both of those teams will finish 1-2 in the American League. However I worry they'll slip up once there. The Yankees are an old team and the rigors of a 162 game schedule will begin to wear upon them. The Rangers however are still strong enough to advance to the ALCS. Making three straight World Series' though, seems nearly impossible in this day and age. The White Sox will hold off the Tigers in the Central, although that could change very soon. The Tigers will take one of the two Wildcards but lose the one game playoff to the Angels. I like the Angels very much this season. With some additions at the deadline I think they could be the teams to beat this season in the AL. Hence I have them advancing to the World Series.

I would have loved to include both the Red Sox and A's but I just couldn't bring myself to putting either of them in over the likes of the Angels and Tigers. 

National League

The Nationals better figure out something with Stephen Strasburg. Cutting him off at 160 IP will mean his season will be over at the beginning of September (ish). I understand you don't want to risk long-term injury to their ace but imagine making the playoffs and telling him he can't pitch? It's going to be tough. They do have enough pitching to win the division though and should secure the top spot in the NL. I think the Giants and Reds will survive battles within their respective divisions. The Braves are starting to play really well and look like they could provide the Nationals a serious threat in the East. I like the Pirates too much to not pick them to make the playoffs. However it will be as one of the Wildcards and they'll lose to the stronger Braves. I don't really see a strong team in the NL like I do in the AL. The Nationals would be my World Series pick if Strasburg was available. I think it becomes a real toss up. For now I'll take the Reds to advance to the World Series, but they could definitely use some pitching help.

The Dodgers are just not good enough to beat the Giants. Tim Lincecum has started to turn things around and that makes the Giants even more formidable. I don't think many other teams have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

Blue Jays, Astros Open Trading Season with 10 Player Deal

On Friday the Toronto Blue Jays acquired J.A. Happ, Brandon Lyon and David Carpenter. In return the Astros received Francisco Cordero, Ben Fransisco, 4 Minor Leaguers (3 pitchers and a catcher), and a player to be named later.

While it's nice to see teams making moves this particular trade, although large in the number of players, lacks any big names or star power.

Many expected the Astros to clean house as they own the worst record in the Majors and are looking to rebuild.

On the other side of the trade the Jays have been forced to endure numerous injuries to their pitching staff, both in the rotation and in the bullpen.

The interest piece of the deal is J.A. Happ. The Blue Jays originally inquired about his services when they were trying to trade Roy Halladay to the Phillies when former GM J.P. Riccardi was in charge. At the time the Phillies did not want to include Happ. I believe that was back in 2009 when Happ had a 2.93 ERA over 166 IP. Happ was subsequently traded in 2010 in the Roy Oswalt deal.

In parts of three seasons with the Astros Happ has made 59 starts, pitched 332.2 innings and holds a 4.84 ERA.

It's probably a good thing the Blue Jays acquired him now and not as a part of the Halladay deal.

Cubbies, Dodgers Talking Dempster Deal

As is the case this time of year players names and teams are thrown around, linked and rumored to be talking. A lot of it never leads anywhere, a lot of it is just that, talking.

But sometimes the talks progress into something real. It seems as though there is some truth to the rumors that the Cubs and Dodgers have had preliminary (and positive) talks regarding one of the most sought after pitchers this trade deadline: Ryan Dempster.

Dempster will be a free agent at the end of the season and has the ability to block any deal. He has said that he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause in order to go to a contender.

The Dodgers desperately need help as theirr fall down the NL West standings (currently 2.5 back of the Giants) continues.

The offense is the major problem ranking near the bottom of the NL in most offensive categories. It is an area of concern that will surely need addressing if the Dodgers hope to make October. Pitching has been the strength of this team and it seems rather curious they would engage in talks for Dempster. The staff has the second best ERA (3.28) behind only the Nationals. However Chad Billingsley was recently DL'd with elbow inflammation. Another starter, Ted Lilly, is on the 60-day DL. Because of the injuries the Dodgers have been forced to turn to rookies Stephen Fife (who just made his first career start) and Nathan Eovaldi (who has less than 100 career IP). An added veteran presence, the likes Dempster, would surely help the Dodgers.

However without any offensive upgrades this team will continue to struggle.

Also it is still very early in the discussion. The Cubs aren't likely to make a deal 11 days before the deadline unless they are blown away. They know full well there's a whole host of clubs lining up to battle for Dempster and his 1.86 ERA.

Try as you might, Dodgers. You need all the help you can right now.

Five Players Who Should Be Traded ...

... But (likely) won't be.

With 13 days before the 2012 Trade Deadline here are five guys that could/should/would benefit from being traded by their current clubs. That or they should be traded for the sheer fact that they no longer fit on their current roster. In no particular order.

Mariners RF Ichiro

The Mariners are not going to be contending for a World Series any time soon. Ichiro isn't the same dynamic player he once was. A trade to a contender in hopes of a World Series ring is a chance that Ichiro deserves. He's done a lot for the game since arriving in Seattle in 2001 and even though seeing him don another uniform would be weird at first it'd feel oh so right if it got him a ring.

Rays SP James Shields

Trading James Shields makes sense for the Rays for two reasons: first he's under conrol until 2014 (unlike many other SP available) and second he could bring a lot in return to a team that needs offense. Shields is a proven competitor that's been pitching in the tough AL East for years now. He's due $9 million with a $1.5 million buyout in 2013 and $12 mil ($1 mil buyout) for 2014. For those teams that aren't willing to trade top prospects for a half season rental player he's an attractive option. The Rays also have Wade Davis sitting the in pen. Davis made 29 starts in each of 2010 and 2011 before being forced to the pen this season. He could slot right into the rotation to replace Shields.

Rockies 1B Todd Helton

 Just like Ichiro before him Helton deserves another shot at a World Series Ring. He hasn't been the same player he once was since 2005 and has been declining ever since. He's going to be 40 next season and his career is winding down. Surely some contender would be interested in his services, potentially as a DH. He is currently on the DL but that doesn't stop him from being traded. What does is Helton's willingness to leave the only organization he's played for.

Phillies SP Roy Halladay

Halladay just returned from the DL on Tuesday and pitched 5 innings in a win over the Dodgers. The Phillies should try to trade Halladay and not trade Cole Hamels. The money freed up from Halladay being trade could be used to re-sign Hamels. Halladay won't bring as much back in return because of his age (35) but he does have two more years (at $20 mil a season) left on his deal. The Phillies are an old team that need to reload. Trading Hamels and keeping Halladay doesn't make much sense to me unless they're sure they can't re-sign Hamels.

Red Sox SP Josh Beckett

Beckett needs to go. Boston needs an ace and Beckett just isn't that guy. He's not a particularly consistent pitcher. He does make a lot of trips to the DL and he's owed a lot of money ($31.5 million through 2014). However with so many teams in contention for the playoffs there's someone out there willing to trade for a guy with two World Series rings. The Red Sox are looking for pitching help themselves so it seems counter intuitive to trade Beckett but a change of scenery could be good for both parties. At 32 Beckett is a younger option than Roy Halladay and comes slightly cheaper.


I'd be a little surprised if any of these five guys were actually traded by their respective teams. But if they do get traded it'll make a lot of sense.