I hope the Red Sox finally sign Mike Napoli. My guess is that the two sides settle on a two-year deal with a vesting third year plus language that protects the Red Sox in case the hip injury puts Napoli on the 60-day DL during the first two-years.
Having said that - I do wonder about how well Napoli's physical condition is known in baseball. The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Napoli's hip had as much to him getting traded by the Angels as his conflict with manager Mike Scioscia? Did Toronto do a quick turn-around on Napoli and trade him to the Rangers because they finally got their hands on his full physicals? Did the Rangers not give Napoli a qualifying offer because they didn't think his hip would last the season? The longer this drags out the stranger it becomes.
Chris Lynch's slanted view on sports, politics and entertainment. Please send thoughts or comments to chris.lynch@gmail.com
Showing posts with label Blue Jays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blue Jays. Show all posts
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Pondering the Red Sox
The Red Sox are rolling along and things are very good in Red Sox Nation despite last nights loss to the Orioles. The latest feel-good series was a three game sweep of the reeling Blue Jays and I have no doubt in my mind that the Red Sox will win the next two games against the O's.
Before looking forward to what will be two more Red Sox wins - let's look back at the Blue Jays.
Recently the Blue Jays have been to the Red Sox what the Miami Dolphins are to the Patriots. The one guy who seemed capable of beating the Red Sox all by himself for the Blue Jays was Ted Lilly. The Blue Jays let their Red Sox krytonite leave Toronto via free agency. The one player who scared the bejeesus out of me for the Dolphins last year was Wes Welker. It seemed the Pats would score and Welker would put the Dolphins into scoring position with the ensuing kickoff. Their exits from the Blue Jays and Dolphins were very different however.
Lilly is looking good for the Cubs - posting a 2-2 record with a 2.78 ERA. Lilly was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA last year for the Blue Jays. The Cubs signed Lilly to a 4-year $40 million contract which if given a do-over I think Toronto definitely would have matched. Instead they let him walk without a fight.
Of course the Blue Jays had no way of knowing that they would lose closer BJ Ryan for the season and starters Gustavo Chacin and Roy Halladay for good chunks of the season. The Blue Jay ship is sinking right now and it will probably cost Blue Jays manager John Gibbons his job (a move that is probably overdue). I'd put the over-under for his being fired at May 30th.
You have to wonder if Shea Hillenbrand is taking some delight over Gibbons being on the hot seat. My guess is that Hillenbrand is probably too worried about his own struggles at the plate to engage in and schadenfreude (Hillenbrand is hitting just .25 for the Angels).
Some may say that the Red Sox lost last night because they did not start Alex Cora (the Red Sox are 10-0 in games started by Cora). However, I thought they might lose last night's game because of a number of reasons - namely:
- the Red Sox often fall prey to no-name lefthanders (especially at Fenway)
- there had to be some overconfidence in the Red Sox clubhouse and hubris is always properly rewarded
- they were just due to lose a game (just like the Blue Jays were due to win a game).
One benefit of last night's loss was the fact that the bullpen finally got some work. Three Red Sox relievers allowed just one run in 4 innings of work. The Red Sox starters have been pitching so well that getting the bullpen guys some innings was becoming a problem. Do you hear that New York?
Today Curt Schilling takes on Steve Traschel. The Orioles are trying to win 5 in a row for the first time in over 2 years. Meanwhile the Red Sox are trying to avoid back to back losses. The Vegas money is on the Red Sox (though at a risk $250 to win just $100 its not something I'm high on).
Can you imagine if Tim Wakefield was a free agent after this season? Some team that plays in a dome would throw boatloads of cash at him.
The Red Sox are rolling along and things are very good in Red Sox Nation despite last nights loss to the Orioles. The latest feel-good series was a three game sweep of the reeling Blue Jays and I have no doubt in my mind that the Red Sox will win the next two games against the O's.
Before looking forward to what will be two more Red Sox wins - let's look back at the Blue Jays.
Recently the Blue Jays have been to the Red Sox what the Miami Dolphins are to the Patriots. The one guy who seemed capable of beating the Red Sox all by himself for the Blue Jays was Ted Lilly. The Blue Jays let their Red Sox krytonite leave Toronto via free agency. The one player who scared the bejeesus out of me for the Dolphins last year was Wes Welker. It seemed the Pats would score and Welker would put the Dolphins into scoring position with the ensuing kickoff. Their exits from the Blue Jays and Dolphins were very different however.
Lilly is looking good for the Cubs - posting a 2-2 record with a 2.78 ERA. Lilly was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA last year for the Blue Jays. The Cubs signed Lilly to a 4-year $40 million contract which if given a do-over I think Toronto definitely would have matched. Instead they let him walk without a fight.
Of course the Blue Jays had no way of knowing that they would lose closer BJ Ryan for the season and starters Gustavo Chacin and Roy Halladay for good chunks of the season. The Blue Jay ship is sinking right now and it will probably cost Blue Jays manager John Gibbons his job (a move that is probably overdue). I'd put the over-under for his being fired at May 30th.
You have to wonder if Shea Hillenbrand is taking some delight over Gibbons being on the hot seat. My guess is that Hillenbrand is probably too worried about his own struggles at the plate to engage in and schadenfreude (Hillenbrand is hitting just .25 for the Angels).
Some may say that the Red Sox lost last night because they did not start Alex Cora (the Red Sox are 10-0 in games started by Cora). However, I thought they might lose last night's game because of a number of reasons - namely:
- the Red Sox often fall prey to no-name lefthanders (especially at Fenway)
- there had to be some overconfidence in the Red Sox clubhouse and hubris is always properly rewarded
- they were just due to lose a game (just like the Blue Jays were due to win a game).
One benefit of last night's loss was the fact that the bullpen finally got some work. Three Red Sox relievers allowed just one run in 4 innings of work. The Red Sox starters have been pitching so well that getting the bullpen guys some innings was becoming a problem. Do you hear that New York?
Today Curt Schilling takes on Steve Traschel. The Orioles are trying to win 5 in a row for the first time in over 2 years. Meanwhile the Red Sox are trying to avoid back to back losses. The Vegas money is on the Red Sox (though at a risk $250 to win just $100 its not something I'm high on).
Can you imagine if Tim Wakefield was a free agent after this season? Some team that plays in a dome would throw boatloads of cash at him.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
AL East Comparison
Today I'll be taking a look at the three contenders for the AL East title (Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays) and see how they match up position-wise. On another day - I'll do a comparison of their pitching.
I'm going to give teams a 3 if they have best player at a position, a 2 if they have the second best player and a 1 if they have the third best player. At the end - I'll add up the totals and see which team comes out on top. Note: there will probably be some ties which I'll handle as I see fit.
Catcher: Jorge Posada is coming off a great year (23 HR 93 RBI) and is in his contract year but is going to be 36-years old this season. Jason Varitek is a year younger than Posada but is coming off an awful year and many Red Sox fans are afraid that he's over the hill. Greg Zaun is actually the oldest of the bunch and he's known as a back-up not as a starter. Overall I think Varitek will have a bounceback year but his intangibles behind the plate aren't enough to overtake Posada for the top spot.
Yankees - 3; Red Sox - 2; Blue Jays - 1
1st Base: Toronto has Lyle Overbay who is a solid hitter (.312 BA / 22 HR / 93 RBI). The Red Sox have K-Y - Kevin Youkilis who is also a solid hitter but to a lesser degree than Overbay (Youkilis hit .279 with a .381 OBP in 2006). The Yankees have a three-headed monster going at first with Doug Mientkiewicz, Andy Phillips and Josh Phelps battling for the starting job. The ranking here is pretty clear.
Blue Jays - 3; Red Sox - 2; Yankees - 1
2nd Base: The Red Sox are starting rookie Dustin Pedroia. The Yankees are starting 25-year old future batting champion Robinson Cano at 2nd. The Blue Jays are also starting a 25-year old 2nd baseman in Aaron Hill. The rankings at 2nd are also pretty clear-cut.
Yankees - 3; Blue Jays - 2; Red Sox - 1
Shortstop: Many people thought that Derek Jeter should have been the MVP last year (not me though). Julio Lugo should be a huge addition to the Red Sox but he's not in Jeter's class. Meanwhile it looks like Toronto is serious about starting Royce Clayton. Maybe the easiest rankings yet.
Yankees - 3; Red Sox -2; Blue Jays - 1
3rd Base: Third base is tougher to guage than you may think. Sure Alex Rodriguez is a great player and a future Hall of Famer but Troy Glaus may have more power at 3rd and Mike Lowell may be the better glove at 3rd. I think A-Rod gets the nod as the best 3rd baseman of the bunch but I'm going to call it a tie between Glaus (who is also a very good glove) and Lowell based mostly on Glaus's injury history. If it was guaranteed that Glaus would reach 500 AB this year - then I would gve him the nod for second place.
Yankees - 3; Blue Jays - 1.5; Red Sox - 1.5
Left Field: Manny Ramirez is a Hall of Famer and people don't appreciate how well he defends the Green Monster when at home in Fenway. Hideki Matsui may be a better defender but he's not close to Manny's power with the bat. Reed Johnson will be 31-years old this year and it looks like he'll never hit 20 HR in a season.
Red Sox - 3; Yankees - 2; Blue Jays - 1
Center Field: Vernon Wells is among the elite center fielders in baseball. Yankee Stadium was made for Johnny Damon's lefty swing. Coco Crisp has a lot of questions facing him this season after an injury plagued 2006.
Blue Jays - 3; Yankees - 2; Red Sox - 1
Right Field: For all the hype of Bobby Abreu as a hitter - he still only hit 15 HR last year even though he played his home games in two very lefty friendly hitters parks. Alex Rios also didn't manage 20 HR last year (just 17) for Toronto. JD Drew did hit 20 HR last year even though he played half his games in the cavernous Chavez Ravine. My gut tells me to give the edge to Drew in this category because he may be the best all-around player but instead I'm going to call it a draw and award 2 points to each player.
Red Sox - 2; Yankees - 2; Blue Jays - 2
DH: David Ortiz is the clear leader here but I think Jason Giambi and Frank Thomas are a draw.
Red Sox - 3; Yankees - 1.5; Blue Jays - 1.5
So the totals for the position starters are:
Yankees - 20.5 points
Red Sox - 17.5 points
Blue Jays - 16 points
You can see how closely the talent matches up for these three teams. The position players are so close that it will probably come down to pitching which we will look at shortly.
Today I'll be taking a look at the three contenders for the AL East title (Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays) and see how they match up position-wise. On another day - I'll do a comparison of their pitching.
I'm going to give teams a 3 if they have best player at a position, a 2 if they have the second best player and a 1 if they have the third best player. At the end - I'll add up the totals and see which team comes out on top. Note: there will probably be some ties which I'll handle as I see fit.
Catcher: Jorge Posada is coming off a great year (23 HR 93 RBI) and is in his contract year but is going to be 36-years old this season. Jason Varitek is a year younger than Posada but is coming off an awful year and many Red Sox fans are afraid that he's over the hill. Greg Zaun is actually the oldest of the bunch and he's known as a back-up not as a starter. Overall I think Varitek will have a bounceback year but his intangibles behind the plate aren't enough to overtake Posada for the top spot.
Yankees - 3; Red Sox - 2; Blue Jays - 1
1st Base: Toronto has Lyle Overbay who is a solid hitter (.312 BA / 22 HR / 93 RBI). The Red Sox have K-Y - Kevin Youkilis who is also a solid hitter but to a lesser degree than Overbay (Youkilis hit .279 with a .381 OBP in 2006). The Yankees have a three-headed monster going at first with Doug Mientkiewicz, Andy Phillips and Josh Phelps battling for the starting job. The ranking here is pretty clear.
Blue Jays - 3; Red Sox - 2; Yankees - 1
2nd Base: The Red Sox are starting rookie Dustin Pedroia. The Yankees are starting 25-year old future batting champion Robinson Cano at 2nd. The Blue Jays are also starting a 25-year old 2nd baseman in Aaron Hill. The rankings at 2nd are also pretty clear-cut.
Yankees - 3; Blue Jays - 2; Red Sox - 1
Shortstop: Many people thought that Derek Jeter should have been the MVP last year (not me though). Julio Lugo should be a huge addition to the Red Sox but he's not in Jeter's class. Meanwhile it looks like Toronto is serious about starting Royce Clayton. Maybe the easiest rankings yet.
Yankees - 3; Red Sox -2; Blue Jays - 1
3rd Base: Third base is tougher to guage than you may think. Sure Alex Rodriguez is a great player and a future Hall of Famer but Troy Glaus may have more power at 3rd and Mike Lowell may be the better glove at 3rd. I think A-Rod gets the nod as the best 3rd baseman of the bunch but I'm going to call it a tie between Glaus (who is also a very good glove) and Lowell based mostly on Glaus's injury history. If it was guaranteed that Glaus would reach 500 AB this year - then I would gve him the nod for second place.
Yankees - 3; Blue Jays - 1.5; Red Sox - 1.5
Left Field: Manny Ramirez is a Hall of Famer and people don't appreciate how well he defends the Green Monster when at home in Fenway. Hideki Matsui may be a better defender but he's not close to Manny's power with the bat. Reed Johnson will be 31-years old this year and it looks like he'll never hit 20 HR in a season.
Red Sox - 3; Yankees - 2; Blue Jays - 1
Center Field: Vernon Wells is among the elite center fielders in baseball. Yankee Stadium was made for Johnny Damon's lefty swing. Coco Crisp has a lot of questions facing him this season after an injury plagued 2006.
Blue Jays - 3; Yankees - 2; Red Sox - 1
Right Field: For all the hype of Bobby Abreu as a hitter - he still only hit 15 HR last year even though he played his home games in two very lefty friendly hitters parks. Alex Rios also didn't manage 20 HR last year (just 17) for Toronto. JD Drew did hit 20 HR last year even though he played half his games in the cavernous Chavez Ravine. My gut tells me to give the edge to Drew in this category because he may be the best all-around player but instead I'm going to call it a draw and award 2 points to each player.
Red Sox - 2; Yankees - 2; Blue Jays - 2
DH: David Ortiz is the clear leader here but I think Jason Giambi and Frank Thomas are a draw.
Red Sox - 3; Yankees - 1.5; Blue Jays - 1.5
So the totals for the position starters are:
Yankees - 20.5 points
Red Sox - 17.5 points
Blue Jays - 16 points
You can see how closely the talent matches up for these three teams. The position players are so close that it will probably come down to pitching which we will look at shortly.
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