FR Baseball thread: How's your team doing, and what's your take on the World Baseball Classic?

one man's opinion....

[ken5050]

Good morning, fellow FReeper baseball FANatics...It's been a while since we've all caught up..( and there were a few things going on...college bowl games, the NFL payoffs, and a SCOTUS nominee hearting..Getting close to "pitchers and catchers" reporting...( February 16th) So I thought I'd run a thread to get your take on how your particular team's done in the off season, and also to find out what you think of the upcoming World BaseBall Classic..

[mainepatsfan]

Aaarggh. The Red Sox almost hold as many press conferences as Chuck Schumer does.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I believe the Reds hold the most INEPT general manager in baseball

Well, he needs to be more inept, because the Red Sox still haven't gotten Casey or Dunn from you guys.

[GraniteStateConservative]

We'll take Jhonny Peralta to be our SS, too, and the ChiSox can not have to deal with him, either.

[GraniteStateConservative]

"will not"

[MikefromOhio]

did you see what Koskie did for them last year?

He didn't want to go to Toronto and it showed. It's better to have a slightly worse player that WANTS to be there, instead of a better player that doesn't want to be there.

If you want further proof, look at Jamal Lewis from the Ravens this year.....

[misterrob]

The Red Sox have upgraded their pitching staff by trading for Beckett. (Of course if he gets hurt then all bets are off but that's true of anyone). They upgraded the pen with the trades and signings of three guys who can throw 95 or better which also takes pressure off of Delcarmen and Hansen who should probably start the year in the minors to continue their progression. Their biggest problem last year was pitching so if you can carry some depth at both ends you have improved.

Millar--Addition by subtraction
Lowell--One bad year last year. Papa Jack is a great hitting coach and he's a Gold Glover. Also came as part of the Beckett package.
Youk--Time to see what he can do. He has the potential to replace Millar/Mueller's offense.
Loretta--Padres GM Towers said he would have kept him if he could afford him. One bad year due to injury and he's a bum? Hardly
Rentereria: Tony G. could cover the position as well as he could for $6 million a year less.
Center Field is hard to fill. Trade Wells for Roberts and be done with it already.

Toronto improved more than anyone. Yanks got older with no real improvements over last year. Sox' pitching looks a lot better. Offensively they will not be quite as good but still good for over 800 runs easy.

Beware Chicago though!

[misterrob]

We don't match up well against their pitching. Lilly and Chacin do well against us and Halliday makes everyone his bitch.

We did okay against them down the stretch though. They are a good hitting team with a decent pen.

[Enterprise1788]

Well, he needs to be more inept, because the Red Sox still haven't gotten Casey or Dunn from you guys.

Nope, but the Reds did trade Casey (a fan favorite in Cincinnati) away to the Pirates for Dave Williams, a guy who barely made Pittsburg's rotation last year. I'm sure Reds fans the world over are breathlessly awaiting Dave Williams's Reds debut.

[misterrob]

The Blue Jays have to beat out the Red Sox, Indians and Angels/Oakland A's in order to make the wild Card.

I don't see it. The three AL East is too balanced for someone to have a monster year in 2006. Three teams will have close to 90 or more wins and Tampa Bay is a royal pain the ass to play against.

[MikefromOhio]

Tampa Bay is a royal pain the ass to play against.

They won't be after July 31st when they trade away Lugo and Baldelli....

[misterrob]

But they will only continue to get better. Some day soon they will field a team of guys who all make an average of $6-700K a year at the starting positions who are all going to be All Stars for someone else some day. They won't win the division but they will drive your pitchers nuts by stealing bases and they will create a lot of errors in the outfield and on relays because of their speed.

[newgeezer]

Perhaps you speak from ignorance.

[dakine]

Yep, Hall of Famer, greatest 3rd baseman ever, Mr. Rolen, has a nice ring to it...

[MikefromOhio]

it's not going to be this year though.

And Baltimore still sucks.

sure the top 3 are going to beat the crap out of each other, but if I had to rank those 3 right now it would go like this:

Yankees
Blue Jays
Red Sox

Simply because I think the Blue Jays improved the most, but given that the Yankees and Red Sox were a step above them last year, they still don't eclipse the better of those two teams this year (yet).

No one is going to run away and hide with the AL East, but unlike last year, there will be a clearly better team in the end at the top.

Oakland isn't going to win more than 86 games next year. Anaheim will run away and hide with that division but look for Anaheim to acquire another bat for the lineup.

Chicago improved, but if Cleveland can get off to a better start this year than last, they would have won the AL Central and the White Sox probably wouldn't have won the WS. I think things will go for Cleveland this year and the White Sox will miss out on the playoffs altogether.

[MikefromOhio]

Scott Rolen (possibly the best third baseman ever to play the game)

If Ripken had played 3rd base his entire career instead of shortstop, there wouldn't be any argument as to who was the better 3rd baseman.

[dakine]

Ever hear of that guy up the road in Philly?

How soon we forget....

[Allegra]

It just felt right last season.

October was great fun, wasn't it? I was just delighted last season that we finally got there.

I expect more from them this year. Like a big parade downtown. I swear I'll take emergency leave without pay for that. :-)

[ElTianti]

The Sox pitching staff has definitely improved, as long as the offense doesn’t collapse, they should be ok.

Beware Chicago though!

I wonder about the White Sox, just about everybody on that pitching staff had career years and they didn't have much in the way of offence (except in the post season). Will their pitching be as good this year?

[smith288]

I'm sure Reds fans the world over are breathlessly awaiting Dave Williams's Reds debut.

I have my tomatos ready to be thrown...at O'Brien. Trading Casey was a good idea, his contract was huge...but for Dave Williams? A type of guy who gets a minor league contract and makes teams through spring training? UGH.

[misterrob]

White Sox miss out????

Put the pipe down, man. They improved their pitching, and they still have McCarthy. Thome is an on base machine and while losing Rowan to the NL (Tim Wakefield thanks Philly for that deal) they have no real holes in that team.

I pick them to repeat. Ozzie will get in anyone's face who lets up and Cleveland simply didn't improve themselves over last year's team.

The A's are going to have their guys a year older and Beane now has some money to spend.