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So, Mike Napoli huh?
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Updated: February 1, 2011, 2:15 AM ET
Source: Yanks, Freddy Garcia agree
By Jerry Crasnick
ESPN.com
The New York Yankees have reached an agreement on a minor league contract with pitcher Freddy Garcia, a baseball source told ESPN.com.
Garcia will receive a $1.5 million base salary if he makes the big league club. He can earn $3.6 million in possible incentives, topping out at 30 starts, according to a source. It also lets Garcia opt out by March 29, according to a report.
Garcia, 35, has a career 133-87 record with a 4.13 ERA in 12 big league seasons. He went 12-6 in 28 starts with the Chicago White Sox last season.
Garcia is expected to compete for a spot at the back end of the rotation for the Yankees, who have CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes in the first three spots and still are waiting to hear whether Andy Pettitte will return to pitch in 2011. Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre are among the other candidates in the mix for spots in manager Joe Girardi's rotation. Garcia, Nova and Mitre will have to fight off challenges from recently acquired right-hander Bartolo Colon and several prospects the Yankees believe are nearly big league ready.
Garcia bounced back from three injury-interrupted seasons to pitch well for the White Sox last season. The Yankees got a close-up look at him when he threw seven impressive innings to beat them in Chicago on Aug. 27. Garcia also lost at Yankee Stadium in late April.
Garcia enjoyed successful, durable years early in his career with Seattle. He went 17-8 as a rookie in 1999 and was 18-6 with an American League-leading 3.05 ERA and 238 2/3 innings in 2001. He was an All-Star for Seattle in 2001 and 2002.
Jerry Crasnick is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: Yanks, Freddy Garcia agree
By Jerry Crasnick
ESPN.com
The New York Yankees have reached an agreement on a minor league contract with pitcher Freddy Garcia, a baseball source told ESPN.com.
Garcia will receive a $1.5 million base salary if he makes the big league club. He can earn $3.6 million in possible incentives, topping out at 30 starts, according to a source. It also lets Garcia opt out by March 29, according to a report.
Garcia, 35, has a career 133-87 record with a 4.13 ERA in 12 big league seasons. He went 12-6 in 28 starts with the Chicago White Sox last season.
Garcia is expected to compete for a spot at the back end of the rotation for the Yankees, who have CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes in the first three spots and still are waiting to hear whether Andy Pettitte will return to pitch in 2011. Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre are among the other candidates in the mix for spots in manager Joe Girardi's rotation. Garcia, Nova and Mitre will have to fight off challenges from recently acquired right-hander Bartolo Colon and several prospects the Yankees believe are nearly big league ready.
Garcia bounced back from three injury-interrupted seasons to pitch well for the White Sox last season. The Yankees got a close-up look at him when he threw seven impressive innings to beat them in Chicago on Aug. 27. Garcia also lost at Yankee Stadium in late April.
Garcia enjoyed successful, durable years early in his career with Seattle. He went 17-8 as a rookie in 1999 and was 18-6 with an American League-leading 3.05 ERA and 238 2/3 innings in 2001. He was an All-Star for Seattle in 2001 and 2002.
Jerry Crasnick is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Pujols Talks Not Going Well
By Zach Links [February 5 at 6:29pm CST]
6:29pm: Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch heard that the two sides are "nowhere close" according to someone in Pujols' camp. He says the Cardinals remain reluctant to counter the ten-year, $300MM structure Pujols' side presented last year and are "leery of setting Pujols' market for fear their proposal could be rejected and eventually shopped should he reach free agency."
1:06pm: Contract talks between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols are headed in the wrong direction, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The clock is ticking as there are less than two weeks until the first baseman’s self-imposed deadline for an agreement. The Cards' position players report to Spring Training on February 18th.
Even though talks between the two sides are fluid, the Cardinals are balking at the 31-year-old’s asking price. The slugger is seeking a contract that will reflect his status as the game's top player, meaning that he's likely looking to top Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM deal.
If Pujols does hit the open market after the 2011 season, Rosenthal writes that the Cubs, Rangers, and Angels are among the teams that could pursue Pujols. The Mets and Dodgers also could jump into the fray provided that their financial situations improve. The Yankees and Red Sox are obviously set long term at the first base position but Rosenthal posits that either team could get creative in an attempt to land Pujols.
By Zach Links [February 5 at 6:29pm CST]
6:29pm: Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch heard that the two sides are "nowhere close" according to someone in Pujols' camp. He says the Cardinals remain reluctant to counter the ten-year, $300MM structure Pujols' side presented last year and are "leery of setting Pujols' market for fear their proposal could be rejected and eventually shopped should he reach free agency."
1:06pm: Contract talks between the Cardinals and Albert Pujols are headed in the wrong direction, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The clock is ticking as there are less than two weeks until the first baseman’s self-imposed deadline for an agreement. The Cards' position players report to Spring Training on February 18th.
Even though talks between the two sides are fluid, the Cardinals are balking at the 31-year-old’s asking price. The slugger is seeking a contract that will reflect his status as the game's top player, meaning that he's likely looking to top Alex Rodriguez's ten-year, $275MM deal.
If Pujols does hit the open market after the 2011 season, Rosenthal writes that the Cubs, Rangers, and Angels are among the teams that could pursue Pujols. The Mets and Dodgers also could jump into the fray provided that their financial situations improve. The Yankees and Red Sox are obviously set long term at the first base position but Rosenthal posits that either team could get creative in an attempt to land Pujols.
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Decent pick up. He won't do much in the long haul, but he can still get hot in chunks.
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Time to look back and spring ahead
A complete guide to what happened this offseason and what's ahead as camps open
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
No more huddling by the space heaters. No more treks to the hardware store to see if the new shipment of ice-chopping implements has finally hit the shelves.
No more loading up the entire thermos arsenal with hot chocolate. No more gathering around the fireside to watch the Weather Channel for 14 consecutive hours.
That's what winter was like where I reside, in a Pennsylvania town that apparently was secretly annexed by Iceland when we weren't looking. But all that frostbitten wind-chill garbage is about to become officially irrelevant, thanks to the greatest invention since the iPad. And by that, of course, I can only be referring to …
Spring training.
So as pitchers, catchers and sleet-riddled Northerners get ready to stampede through the gates of exotic Joker Marchant Stadium and HoHoKam Park, it's time to look ahead to the people and storylines you'll be monitoring this spring, with the help of two dozen baseball sages who took part in our annual spring-preview survey:
Most Intriguing Spring Stories (AL)
1. YANKEE PANKY: The Yankees will play 162 games this season. I guarantee some pitcher or other will start all 162 of them. But once we get past CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes, the mystery of who starts all those other games is one of those sagas that makes spring training media-expense accounts worth computing. Can A.J. Burnett be salvaged? Can Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia be hypnotized into believing it's still 2005? Can Cameron Diaz command a slider anywhere near as well as she commanded a piece of popcorn on Super Bowl Sunday? Can't wait to find out.
2. FOREVER YOUNG? When last we saw those Texas Rangers, they were still playing baseball in November, Cliff Lee was on the mound and Michael Young was Mr. Ranger. Amazing how much can change in a few months, huh? While the Rangers remain poised to contend, we know they'll be doing it without Lee, who bolted for Philly. But will they be able to find a taker for Young -- their disgruntled shortstop-turned-second baseman-turned-third baseman-turned-super-utility DH -- in the next week? And if not, can they all make peace this spring, find this guy 600 at-bats and get back aboard the World Series Express? Bigggg questions.
3. WHO KIDNAPPED THE RAYS? Speaking of how much can change in a few months, who are these mystery men about to slip on those Tampa Bay Rays uniforms this spring? We knew Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena wouldn't be working here anymore come spring. We just didn't get the memo that the Rays would also be trying to replace Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and pretty much everyone who ever hung out in their bullpen -- or that we'd find the Johnny Damon/Manny Ramirez Idiots Reunion tour passing through Port Charlotte, either. But here's the best-kept secret that folks might very well discover by the end of this spring: Incognito as they may be, these Rays are not about to go all Wayne Huizenga-ish on you and win like 59 games. They're way too talented for that. But how high is their upside? We'll start finding out under the palm trees.
4. ALL A'S: Looking for a dark-horse pick to be this year's Giants? How 'bout those Oakland A's? Bet you didn't know they led the whole darned sport in quality starts last year. (They threw 103 of them -- seven more than the next-closest rotation.) Then Billy Beane and his brain trust spent the winter stocking up on bats (Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham, David DeJesus) and bullpen depth (Brian Fuentes, Grant Balfour, Rich Harden). And if all those pieces fit together this spring, look out. The next Bay Area World Series might be coming right up -- but not on the shores of McCovey Cove.
5. "O" HAPPY DAY: How 'bout this for a concept: actual hope in Baltimore. And it doesn't even involve Joe Flacco. I'm not sure about the last time an Orioles spring training was a source of this much positivity, but I'm fairly certain Earl Weaver was still smoking cigars in the manager's office, whenever it was. Well, just goes to show you what a couple of big-name free agents (Vlad Guerrero and Derrek Lee), two intriguing trades (for J.J. Hardy and Mark Reynolds), a major bullpen pickup (Kevin Gregg) and an injection of genuine managerial know-how (from the great Buck Showalter) can do for a team. The Orioles haven't had a winning season since Jeffrey Maier hit puberty. But this just might be the year. And if it is, that crazy AL East is about to get even more nuts.
Most Intriguing Spring Stories (NL)
1. CUT THE CARDS: Albert Pujols says he doesn't want to be a distraction. OK, great. So let's say he DOESN'T sign an extension with the Cardinals before he buttons his jersey and cuts off negotiations next week. Can't imagine anybody would want to talk about that over the next seven weeks or months. Heck, no. We'd much rather focus on the maturation of John Jay, or ask profound questions like "Is there life after Blake Hawksworth?" Who'd want to get distracted by a subject as trivial as the impending free agency of One of the Greatest Players of All Time? No sane person would let that happen. But on the off chance that most of the hemisphere can't get Sir Albert's contract status out of its head, the Cardinals had better get this deal done. Or it's tough to like their chances of spending another serene spring in Jupiter.
2. ACES HIGH: Whatever happened to the theory that no big-time pitchers would ever want to pitch in Citizens Bank Park, huh? The Phillies are turning that one into a bigger myth than Charlie Sheen's "laugh-induced abdominal pain." This spring, the Phillies will assemble a rotation that has combined for three Cy Youngs, 10 other top-five Cy Young finishes, a World Series MVP award, two LCS MVP awards, 18 Opening Day starts (by four different pitchers), six 20-win seasons and 13 trips to the All-Star Game. So can they all make it through spring training without Tommy John surgery? If so, this team should be departing scenic Clearwater, Fla., as your official NL favorite.
3. LAND OF THE GIANTS: The good news for the team that won the World Series is that it became the first juggernaut in history to ride four starting pitchers 27 and younger to the parade floats. But the bad news for the Giants is that those four young starters had to work an extra 99 high-octane postseason innings to carry all those waiver-wire all-stars around them into the winner's circle. Those innings rarely come without a price. So since this team added virtually no offense over the winter, the Year After bounceability of its rotation will be a, well, "Giant" story to eyeball this spring.
4. WHO'S THE BOSS? There's nothing more impossible in life than following a legend. And you don't even have to consult Aaron Rodgers about that. You can spend all spring asking Don Mattingly and Fredi Gonzalez. All they have to do is walk in the tracks of two managers who won nearly 5,000 games between them: Joe Torre and Bobby Cox. Is Mattingly ready to do what the Yankees weren't so sure he was up to doing -- running the show of one of baseball's most storied franchises (in this case, the Dodgers)? And is Gonzalez -- hand-anointed by Cox himself as The Successor in Atlanta -- really the perfect, easy, no-worries choice to carry on the legacy of one of the only five men in history to manage the same team for 20 consecutive seasons? Spring training won't answer those questions definitively. But it will sure give both these guys a chance to rehearse their follow-the-legend lines.
5. OWNING UP: We don't normally spend a lot of time dissecting owners in spring training. But this spring, we might have to make an exception. Will the Mets' legal bills be higher than their payroll by Opening Day? Is there an astrologer someplace who can extricate the Dodgers from the McCourt family civil war? And when will one of those Texas oil zillionaires finally step up to convince Drayton McLane he wants the Astros to be a champion, too, gul-darnit? We're talking three once-premier NL franchises, all of which have played in an NLCS over the past six Octobers, now virtually frozen in ownership limbo. Isn't this spring fun at its very finest?
Most Improved Teams (AL)
1. Red Sox
2. A's
3. Orioles
The blueprint for this defining offseason was one the Red Sox had sketched on their chalkboards for a long, long time. So when the first pitch was thrown, they were ready. Yeah, we'd all been speculating for like two years that they'd trade for Adrian Gonzalez someday. But they actually made it happen -- and then essentially hammered out the parameters of an extension that was both fair and Pujols-proof. Then, in the same December week, they zeroed in on Carl Crawford and lured him away from what seemed like an inevitable rendezvous with the Angels. Add in a couple of good-fit bullpen imports (Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler) and a little upbeat news on the health front (Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury). And this shapes up as the best team out there on anybody's spreadsheet. Of course, it helps to have a few hundred million dollars sitting around to plow into the renovations. But the Red Sox continue to remind us they can splice together brains and bucks as purposefully as any franchise in the sport.
FUN POLL FACT: While the Red Sox (18), A's (9) and Orioles (6) monopolized the most-improved votes, the surprise entry was the Blue Jays, who parlayed the stunning Vernon Wells deal into mentions from three voters who were mega-bullish on their long-term future now that they don't have Wells' $86 million cluttering up their debt sheet.
Most Improved Teams (NL)
1. Brewers
2. Phillies
3. Dodgers
As I mentioned in a blog post this week, nobody will ever confuse Brewers history with Packers history. The Packers now have won 13 NFL titles in their history -- while the Brewers haven't even won 13 postseason GAMES in theirs. But this is The Year cheeseheads have been waiting for since Harvey's Wallbangers boarded up the old trot shop nearly 30 years ago. GM Doug Melvin's marching orders were to go all-in to win. And the GM apparently knew what that meant. He sure wasn't going to win with a rotation that had a worse ERA than any team in his league not known as "The Pirates." So Melvin did what he had to do, wiping out his top-prospects list to deal for Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum. And the folks who responded to this poll clearly liked the GM's work, since the Brewers got more most-improved votes (15) than the next three NL teams (Phillies, Dodgers, Marlins) put together (12). But here's the bad news: This had better be The Year, because it looks as if Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks will both bolt through the free-agent emergency exit next winter. All this reminds one scout of the year when the Brewers traded for CC Sabathia (in 2008): "They have a hell of a team this year," he said. "But they can't keep their team together next year. So they'd better get off to a good start."
FUN POLL FACT: Eight different NL teams got at least one most-improved vote (including the Pirates). But the only team besides the Brewers to get more than three votes was the Phillies (seven).
Most Unimproved Teams (AL)
1. Angels
2. Yankees
3. Mariners
For eight years (2002-09), the Angels dominated the AL West by such a ridiculous margin, there was only one team within 100 wins of them. And that was Oakland, which was 46 wins back. But all of a sudden, things ain't going so hot in Orange County. After his team staggered to a sub-.500 finish for the first time in seven years, owner Arte Moreno plunged into the offseason vowing to do and spend what it took to get the mother ship back on course. So how'd that work out? Hoo boy. One of our poll participants used the word "disaster" to describe the Angels' train wreck of a winter. And that was one of the gentler descriptions. They took such a hard line on the two free agents who fit their needs most -- Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre -- that they lost both of them. Then they reacted, in the words of one AL exec, with a "total panic move," by trading for Vernon Wells without even getting the Blue Jays to eat a major chunk of his money. When you consider that the Angels got almost twice as many most-unimproved votes (10) as two teams that did just about zilch this winter -- Cleveland and Seattle -- it tells you exactly how many people in this sport have spent the past few weeks asking: "What the heck were they thinking?"
FUN POLL FACTS: A sure sign of how good a winter the A's had was that the other three AL West teams got a combined 18 most-unimproved votes -- while Oakland was piling up nine most-improved votes.
Most Unimproved teams (NL)
1. Mets
2. Astros
3. Pirates
Before he took the Mets job, Sandy Alderson probably thought a Ponzi scheme was something that went down in a "Happy Days" episode he once saw on Nick At Nite. But this is one GM who has been getting an education this winter in all kinds of stuff that doesn't involve trolling for somebody who might hit more than six home runs a year in Citi Field. It sure isn't the new GM's fault that he had no money to spend and no hope of moving the Oliver Perezes and Luis Castillos who are cluttering up his roster. But the bottom line is that the Mets had a laugh track of an offseason. A two-year contract to D.J. Carrasco, after he got non-tendered? A major league deal for Ronny Paulino while he was still serving a PED suspension? A bargain bin full of Boof Bonsers and Willie Harrises and Taylor Tankersleys? A hunt for inning-eating starters that led to the signings of Chris Capuano and Chris Young, two guys who have spent a combined 720 days on the disabled list over the past three seasons? Someday, when the Madoff Mess gets sorted out and the bloated contracts disappear off the payroll, the sharp minds the Mets brought in to salvage this operation will be able to make an impact. But they had no shot this winter.
FUN POLL FACT: Although the Mets blew away the field, quite a field it was. Nine of the 16 teams in the NL got at least one most-unimproved vote -- the three above, plus the Cardinals, Padres, Dodgers, Reds, Braves and your defending World Series champs, the Giants.
Least Recognizable Team
1. Pirates
2. Astros
3. Royals
I might as well retire this category. What's the point? The Pirates seem to win it every year, anyway. Here's how I know exactly how faceless this team is: I cover baseball for a living. I kept a daily log book on every team's transactions all winter. And even I couldn't correctly identify the Pirates' entire prospective Opening Day lineup this week. So there's no telling how much money you could win if you walked into any tavern not located in the 412 area code and challenged your buddies to do it -- even if you gave them Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez free of charge. It's not a good sign when more Americans can name the lineup of the 1979 Pirates than the 2011 Pirates. But I'm betting that if I commissioned a Gallup poll, that's exactly how it would turn out.
FUN POLL FACT: You know it was an action-packed offseason when eight teams get more than one vote in this competition -- our top three, plus the Indians, Padres, Mariners, A's and Rays.
Checkbook Champs
1. RED SOX: The Red Sox really made life tricky for us checkbook-champ judges. Technically, they laid out "only" $161.63 million for Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks and their surrounding free-agent cast this winter. (Don't forget Matt Albers!) But you know, I know and Bud Selig's luxury-tax pinto-bean counters know that one of these weeks, as soon as it's clear Adrian Gonzalez's shoulder is still attached to his clavicle and as soon as the accountants give the thumbs-up, the Red Sox also will drop an extension on their new first baseman in the neighborhood of seven years and 150 million bucks. So we're going to ring the cash register early and award them this prestigious checkbook-champ title for approximately $311 million. But hey, if they change their minds, they should know they could have scarfed up nearly 15.6 million servings of Anna's Baked Boston Scrod down at the Long Wharf outpost of Legal Sea Foods if they wanted to lay out that kind of change.
2. ROCKIES: Here's a team that never looks in the mirror and sees a big spender staring back. But our motto here is: Follow the money. So we followed along this winter as the Rockies added six years and $119 million to Troy Tulowitzki's equity pool, and another $80 million to the Carlos Gonzalez kid, grandkid and great-grandkid scholarship fund. And yeah, it's true they were only "extensions" to players who weren't going anywhere for years. But tell it to the accounting department. Now add another $40 million for the Rockies' two big league free agents, Jorge De La Rosa and Ty Wigginton. And that's $239 million in bills that are going to land on somebody's desk over the next 10 years. That doesn't quite make this team the Yankees. But we won't be confusing the Rockies with the Pirates any time soon, either.
3. NATIONALS: Even though the Reds followed the Rockies' path and locked up $151 million worth of extensions with four of their favorite local heroes this winter, I'm making an arbitrary decision to elevate the Nationals ($145.85 million spent) onto the bronze-medal podium on this stage. Yeah, that's pretty much based on the Jayson Werth signing alone. (More on that later.) But if any team tried to make a statement with the sheer muscle of its checking account this winter, this was the team. You can quarrel with the length and magnitude of that seven-year, $126 million Christmas gift the Nats laid on Werth. And trust me, pretty much everybody who participated in this poll did exactly that. But it was still a signing the Nationals utilized to announce to the world: "We're no longer the Artist Formerly Known as the Expos. We're planning to be good. And we've got the money to make it happen." So this is Spring Preview's way of saying: We heard you!
FUN POLL FACTS: Bet you didn't know that EIGHT different teams (these three, plus the Reds, Phillies, White Sox, Tigers and -- shocker alert! -- the Yankees) committed at least $100 million each in free-agent deals and/or whoppo contract extensions this winter. That doesn't even count the Dodgers, who spent $91.825 million on their 11 big league free agents and will top $100 million easy if a few of their 15 minor league free agents make the team. And it doesn't count the Angels, who spent $23 million on free agents and also took on -- stop us if you've heard this somewhere before -- another $86 million worth of Vernon Wells via trade. But the Angels subtracted just enough in salaries in that deal to slip under the magical $100 million threshold. Phew. Meanwhile, who was the biggest non-spender this winter? Gotta love those Indians. Who out there can identify their only free-agent signing this winter (at least so far)? Yessiree, that would be good old Austin Kearns, for 1.3 million big ones. Hey, you were expecting maybe Manny Ramirez?
Best Free-Agent Signings
1. Cliff Lee, Phillies (5 years, $120 million)
2. Carl Crawford, Red Sox (7 years, $142 million)
3. Adrian Beltre, Rangers (5 years, $80 million)
It's actually kind of amusing that people look at the Lee signing and think the Phillies got some kind of "bargain." Uh, has anyone mentioned lately that this man will collect more dollars per season (an average of $24 million) than any pitcher has ever raked in during any multiyear contract in history? Nevertheless, the Phillies played this so coyly, so quietly, so ingeniously that not even the Yankees and Rangers saw them coming until it was too late. And now this team heads for spring training with one of the greatest, October-ready rotations ever assembled. It's STILL hard to believe this really happened -- and not just for the Yankees.
FUN POLL FACT: Would you believe 27 different free agents got at least one vote -- including (gasp) Vicente Padilla? No kidding.
Worst Free-Agent Signings
1. Jayson Werth, Nationals (7 years, $126 million)
2. Juan Uribe, Dodgers (3 years, $21 million)
3. Joaquin Benoit, Tigers (3 years, $16.5 million)
Werth got more votes in this category (18) than any other player got in any other department, so I guess the voters have spoken. But I'm not sure I agree with them. At least Werth has proved he can play. There isn't much chance he'll live up to his contract, since it will carry him through age 38. But there's a difference, to me, between a "bad signing" and a contract that's just flat-out too long. So I'd have voted for Benoit (whose great year literally came out of nowhere), Uribe (who couldn't even find a job until January the previous two winters), or any one of about seven setup men (whose multiyear deals boggled many a mind) before I'd have picked Werth. But as I said, the voters have spoken. And I'm the one who asked them to vote.
FUN POLL FACT: Six different players got votes in the best and worst free-agent columns -- Benoit, Rafael Soriano, Carl Pavano, Brian Fuentes, Aaron Harang and Adrian Beltre, whose magnetism in racking up big vote totals for both best and worst signing was unprecedented in the history of this poll.
Best Trades
1. The Red Sox get Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego for three guys (Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Raymond Fuentes) talented enough to rank as the Padres' best, second-best and seventh-best prospects, according to the Keith Law prospect-rating machine. So I'm not buying one scout's assessment that the Red Sox "stole" this man. Nevertheless, was Gonzalez born to hit in the shadow of the Green Monster or what? (And if you answered "what," boy would that be incorrect!) This guy slugged .810 on balls hit to left field last year, according to Inside Edge. He hit 42 percent of his homers to the opposite field. And ESPN Stats & Info's Justin Havens estimates that Gonzalez would have hit 18 more home runs at Fenway these past three years than he hit at Out-co Park (oops, make that Petco). So the only remaining critical question: Can Gonzalez learn to properly pronounce "chowdah"?
2. The Blue Jays find a team (your perplexing L.A. Angels of Anaheim) willing to take on pretty much all $86 million of Vernon Wells' theoretically immovable contract, then turn around and flip one of the players they got back (Mike Napoli) for their new closer (Frank Francisco). As one exec said, this might not have been "the best pure baseball trade" made this winter -- but holy schmoly. They MOVED VERNON WELLS' MONEY. One assistant GM called it "the least tradable contract in baseball." (OK, guess not.) And as another put it, by dumping so many of those dollars, what the Blue Jays really acquired was "a chance to change the mid/long-term fate of an organization." And that's a much more impactful acquisition than any prospect, any star or (for sure) any player to be named later.
3.The Brewers get the great Zack Greinke (and, of course, the not-so-great Yuniesky Betancourt) for a shortstop who had a .288 OBP (Alcides Escobar), a fireballer with two marijuana suspensions (Jeremy Jeffress) and two other good-but-not-star-caliber young players (Lorenzo Cain and Jake Odorizzi). OK, so they essentially blew out their whole system to do this. But when you're in go-for-it mode (and they clearly are), no point in going for it halfway. Right?
FUN POLL FACTS: If a good baseball trade is one that works for both teams, we might have set a record this winter. The votes rolled in for both sides of the Gonzalez, Greinke, Matt Garza, Shaun Marcum and Dan Uggla deals. So how 'bout for the Angels' side of the Wells extravaganza? Ehhhh, still haven't found anyone willing to endorse that one.
Best Free-Agent Bargains
BEST FREE AGENTS SIGNED TO ONE-YEAR DEALS
1. The Cubs get Kerry Wood back for a lower base ($1.5 million) than the Pirates will pay Ross Ohlendorf ($2.3 million) for going 1-11.
2. The Twins re-sign their home run leader (Jim Thome) for less money ($3 million) than they paid Nick Punto to hit ONE homer last year.
3. For one year and $7 million, the Marlins bring Javier Vazquez back to the National League, where he was last seen two years ago nearly leading the league in strikeouts.
BEST FREE AGENTS $2 MILLION AND UNDER
1. Have we mentioned the Cubs are getting the bargain of the century from a setup force (Wood) who had an 0.69 ERA for the Yankees last year?
2. The Brewers take a $1.75 million shot at a reliever (Takashi Saito) who has NEVER had an ERA higher than 2.83 on this side of the Pacific.
3. The Rays hold their breath and give $2 million (i.e., $140 million less than Carl Crawford got) to everyone's favorite baseball role model, Manny Ramirez.
BEST FREE AGENTS SIGNED TO MINOR LEAGUE DEALS
1. Who needs Andy Pettitte or Cliff Lee? Without having to guarantee a whole lot more than meal money, the Yankees get to take a flier on Freddy Garcia, a pitcher who won more games last year (12) than Pettitte and had as many quality starts (18) as Lee.
2. The Pirates drop down and fire a sidearm minor league deal at left-on-left specialist Joe Beimel, a fellow one scout called the "Paul Assenmacher of his generation."
3. It's a tie between the let-it-fly bench-king champions of the non-roster-invitee world, Matt Stairs (Nationals) and Jason Giambi (Rockies) -- two entertaining, life-loving, free-swinging mashers whose combined six pinch homers last year somehow earned them zero guaranteed dollars.
Three Most Outrageous Contracts (Free-Agent Or Otherwise)
1. Even the panelists who didn't agree that Jayson Werth was the "worst signing" of the winter couldn't help voting for him in the "outrageous contract" competition. Look, the guy's a good player. But more millions (126) than homers (120)? A $126 million deal for a fellow who has had only two 500-at-bat seasons? A seven-year guarantee for a guy who turns 32 in May? Even an NL exec who said he "loves the player" concluded that this is "almost sure to be an albatross contract at some point in the next seven years." Then again, maybe he just likes saying "albatross."
2. Ever wondered what a $35 million setup man looks like? Now we know. He looks exactly like Rafael Soriano, the Yankees' new special assistant to Mariano Rivera. Hey, we all understand this dude can pitch (when healthy). He's held opposing hitters to an average beneath the Mendoza Line four years in a row. But did he deserve a deal that pays him almost $12 million a year to pitch the eighth inning -- and throws in two opt-out clauses? Boy, did that ever bug some of the folks we polled. "Well, there's one thing we know," said one of them. "He's not opting out. If he got this kind of money for 45 saves, what's he going to get for NO saves?"
3. Adrian Beltre is another guy who sure confuses people. He got lots of votes for best signing, AND worst signing, AND most outrageous contract. So what's up with that? Well, on his previous five-year contract (with Seattle), he produced an adjusted OPS-plus above 112 in NONE of those years. And the only two seasons of his career in which he made the top 10 in any significant offensive categories just happened to be the two contract-drive years before he locked up those five-year deals. So there ya go.
FUN POLL FACTS: So which non-free-agent deals got votes? Extensions to Dan Uggla, Troy Tulowitzki and Joey Votto. And the voters kept piling on the Angels just for trading for Vernon Wells, even though they didn't sign the guy to this contract. They just assumed what was left of it. So if you hadn't caught onto the fact that people in this sport HATED that trade, that oughta do it. Right?
Most Important Injury Comebacks
1. Brandon Webb (Rangers)
2. Justin Morneau/Joe Nathan (Twins)
3. Kevin Youkilis/Dustin Pedroia/Jacoby Ellsbury/Adrian Gonzalez (Red Sox)
Rookies To Watch (AL)
1. Jeremy Hellickson (Rays RHP)
2. Mike Moustakas (Royals 3B)
3. Kyle Drabek (Blue Jays RHP)
Rookies To Watch (NL)
1. Domonic Brown (Phillies RF)
2. Freddie Freeman (Braves 1B)
3. Aroldis Chapman (Reds LHP)
Most Unlikely Names On Spring Training Rosters
1. MATT ANDERSON (Phillies): He was the very first player taken in the entire 1997 draft (which would be 184 picks before the A's took Tim Hudson, incidentally). So it's safe to say that if you'd told folks back then that Anderson would still be hanging out in spring training 14 years later, nobody would have been shocked. But if you'd told them how he'd get here, well, they'd have just about passed out. Anderson hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2005, hasn't even been able to hook on in an independent league since 2006 and hasn't pitched anywhere since 2008. But he hit 97 mph on the gun last December with Phillies scout Del Unser watching. So the Phillies scarfed him right up. And it was worth it just so he could shoot down the long-standing rumor that he once blew out his shoulder throwing an octopus, a tale he refuted in Jerry Crasnick's must-read profile of him last month.
2. NICK BIERBRODT (Orioles): Exactly 1,300 men have shown up on a pitcher's mound in the big leagues at least once over the past six seasons. But not one of them was named Nick Bierbrodt. Last time he was sighted on a big league mound? How about July 6, 2004 -- which was so long ago, Ichiro has had nearly 1,500 hits since then. Meanwhile, Bierbrodt's path back has taken him to Taiwan -- where he got to pitch for one of the storied franchises in sports, the Brother Elephants -- not to mention the Atlantic League, the Golden League, the Texas League and the Pacific Coast League. And now, 15 years after the Diamondbacks drafted him in the first round (10 picks ahead of Milton Bradley), Bierbrodt's old manager in Arizona, Buck Showalter, is giving him one last chance. Is spring training an awesome invention, or what?
3. SEAN BURROUGHS (Diamondbacks): Well, we've got the first round of the 1996 and 1997 drafts covered in this section. So why not the '98 draft? Burroughs was the ninth overall pick that year, taken ahead of Carlos Pena, CC Sabathia, Brad Lidge and about 1,000 other guys. And whatever happened to THEM, anyhow? As for Burroughs, he last hit a major league home run on April 30, 2005. He hasn't even shown up in a minor league box score since 2007. And the most interesting tidbit I was able to find on his Facebook community page was that he once told David Letterman he wanted to be a gynecologist when he grew up. Well, he just turned 30, so you'd think he'd have finished med school by now. Instead, he convinced his former GM in San Diego, Kevin Towers, to slip him an invite to spring training with the D-backs. Beautiful.
No. 1 Story That Summed Up The Offseason
As one AL executive quipped, history was truly made this winter, with that Cliff Lee signing -- but not how you think.
"The mystery team," he joked, "finally signed a player."
Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
A complete guide to what happened this offseason and what's ahead as camps open
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
No more huddling by the space heaters. No more treks to the hardware store to see if the new shipment of ice-chopping implements has finally hit the shelves.
No more loading up the entire thermos arsenal with hot chocolate. No more gathering around the fireside to watch the Weather Channel for 14 consecutive hours.
That's what winter was like where I reside, in a Pennsylvania town that apparently was secretly annexed by Iceland when we weren't looking. But all that frostbitten wind-chill garbage is about to become officially irrelevant, thanks to the greatest invention since the iPad. And by that, of course, I can only be referring to …
Spring training.
So as pitchers, catchers and sleet-riddled Northerners get ready to stampede through the gates of exotic Joker Marchant Stadium and HoHoKam Park, it's time to look ahead to the people and storylines you'll be monitoring this spring, with the help of two dozen baseball sages who took part in our annual spring-preview survey:
Most Intriguing Spring Stories (AL)
1. YANKEE PANKY: The Yankees will play 162 games this season. I guarantee some pitcher or other will start all 162 of them. But once we get past CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes, the mystery of who starts all those other games is one of those sagas that makes spring training media-expense accounts worth computing. Can A.J. Burnett be salvaged? Can Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia be hypnotized into believing it's still 2005? Can Cameron Diaz command a slider anywhere near as well as she commanded a piece of popcorn on Super Bowl Sunday? Can't wait to find out.
2. FOREVER YOUNG? When last we saw those Texas Rangers, they were still playing baseball in November, Cliff Lee was on the mound and Michael Young was Mr. Ranger. Amazing how much can change in a few months, huh? While the Rangers remain poised to contend, we know they'll be doing it without Lee, who bolted for Philly. But will they be able to find a taker for Young -- their disgruntled shortstop-turned-second baseman-turned-third baseman-turned-super-utility DH -- in the next week? And if not, can they all make peace this spring, find this guy 600 at-bats and get back aboard the World Series Express? Bigggg questions.
3. WHO KIDNAPPED THE RAYS? Speaking of how much can change in a few months, who are these mystery men about to slip on those Tampa Bay Rays uniforms this spring? We knew Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena wouldn't be working here anymore come spring. We just didn't get the memo that the Rays would also be trying to replace Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and pretty much everyone who ever hung out in their bullpen -- or that we'd find the Johnny Damon/Manny Ramirez Idiots Reunion tour passing through Port Charlotte, either. But here's the best-kept secret that folks might very well discover by the end of this spring: Incognito as they may be, these Rays are not about to go all Wayne Huizenga-ish on you and win like 59 games. They're way too talented for that. But how high is their upside? We'll start finding out under the palm trees.
4. ALL A'S: Looking for a dark-horse pick to be this year's Giants? How 'bout those Oakland A's? Bet you didn't know they led the whole darned sport in quality starts last year. (They threw 103 of them -- seven more than the next-closest rotation.) Then Billy Beane and his brain trust spent the winter stocking up on bats (Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham, David DeJesus) and bullpen depth (Brian Fuentes, Grant Balfour, Rich Harden). And if all those pieces fit together this spring, look out. The next Bay Area World Series might be coming right up -- but not on the shores of McCovey Cove.
5. "O" HAPPY DAY: How 'bout this for a concept: actual hope in Baltimore. And it doesn't even involve Joe Flacco. I'm not sure about the last time an Orioles spring training was a source of this much positivity, but I'm fairly certain Earl Weaver was still smoking cigars in the manager's office, whenever it was. Well, just goes to show you what a couple of big-name free agents (Vlad Guerrero and Derrek Lee), two intriguing trades (for J.J. Hardy and Mark Reynolds), a major bullpen pickup (Kevin Gregg) and an injection of genuine managerial know-how (from the great Buck Showalter) can do for a team. The Orioles haven't had a winning season since Jeffrey Maier hit puberty. But this just might be the year. And if it is, that crazy AL East is about to get even more nuts.
Most Intriguing Spring Stories (NL)
1. CUT THE CARDS: Albert Pujols says he doesn't want to be a distraction. OK, great. So let's say he DOESN'T sign an extension with the Cardinals before he buttons his jersey and cuts off negotiations next week. Can't imagine anybody would want to talk about that over the next seven weeks or months. Heck, no. We'd much rather focus on the maturation of John Jay, or ask profound questions like "Is there life after Blake Hawksworth?" Who'd want to get distracted by a subject as trivial as the impending free agency of One of the Greatest Players of All Time? No sane person would let that happen. But on the off chance that most of the hemisphere can't get Sir Albert's contract status out of its head, the Cardinals had better get this deal done. Or it's tough to like their chances of spending another serene spring in Jupiter.
2. ACES HIGH: Whatever happened to the theory that no big-time pitchers would ever want to pitch in Citizens Bank Park, huh? The Phillies are turning that one into a bigger myth than Charlie Sheen's "laugh-induced abdominal pain." This spring, the Phillies will assemble a rotation that has combined for three Cy Youngs, 10 other top-five Cy Young finishes, a World Series MVP award, two LCS MVP awards, 18 Opening Day starts (by four different pitchers), six 20-win seasons and 13 trips to the All-Star Game. So can they all make it through spring training without Tommy John surgery? If so, this team should be departing scenic Clearwater, Fla., as your official NL favorite.
3. LAND OF THE GIANTS: The good news for the team that won the World Series is that it became the first juggernaut in history to ride four starting pitchers 27 and younger to the parade floats. But the bad news for the Giants is that those four young starters had to work an extra 99 high-octane postseason innings to carry all those waiver-wire all-stars around them into the winner's circle. Those innings rarely come without a price. So since this team added virtually no offense over the winter, the Year After bounceability of its rotation will be a, well, "Giant" story to eyeball this spring.
4. WHO'S THE BOSS? There's nothing more impossible in life than following a legend. And you don't even have to consult Aaron Rodgers about that. You can spend all spring asking Don Mattingly and Fredi Gonzalez. All they have to do is walk in the tracks of two managers who won nearly 5,000 games between them: Joe Torre and Bobby Cox. Is Mattingly ready to do what the Yankees weren't so sure he was up to doing -- running the show of one of baseball's most storied franchises (in this case, the Dodgers)? And is Gonzalez -- hand-anointed by Cox himself as The Successor in Atlanta -- really the perfect, easy, no-worries choice to carry on the legacy of one of the only five men in history to manage the same team for 20 consecutive seasons? Spring training won't answer those questions definitively. But it will sure give both these guys a chance to rehearse their follow-the-legend lines.
5. OWNING UP: We don't normally spend a lot of time dissecting owners in spring training. But this spring, we might have to make an exception. Will the Mets' legal bills be higher than their payroll by Opening Day? Is there an astrologer someplace who can extricate the Dodgers from the McCourt family civil war? And when will one of those Texas oil zillionaires finally step up to convince Drayton McLane he wants the Astros to be a champion, too, gul-darnit? We're talking three once-premier NL franchises, all of which have played in an NLCS over the past six Octobers, now virtually frozen in ownership limbo. Isn't this spring fun at its very finest?
Most Improved Teams (AL)
1. Red Sox
2. A's
3. Orioles
The blueprint for this defining offseason was one the Red Sox had sketched on their chalkboards for a long, long time. So when the first pitch was thrown, they were ready. Yeah, we'd all been speculating for like two years that they'd trade for Adrian Gonzalez someday. But they actually made it happen -- and then essentially hammered out the parameters of an extension that was both fair and Pujols-proof. Then, in the same December week, they zeroed in on Carl Crawford and lured him away from what seemed like an inevitable rendezvous with the Angels. Add in a couple of good-fit bullpen imports (Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler) and a little upbeat news on the health front (Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury). And this shapes up as the best team out there on anybody's spreadsheet. Of course, it helps to have a few hundred million dollars sitting around to plow into the renovations. But the Red Sox continue to remind us they can splice together brains and bucks as purposefully as any franchise in the sport.
FUN POLL FACT: While the Red Sox (18), A's (9) and Orioles (6) monopolized the most-improved votes, the surprise entry was the Blue Jays, who parlayed the stunning Vernon Wells deal into mentions from three voters who were mega-bullish on their long-term future now that they don't have Wells' $86 million cluttering up their debt sheet.
Most Improved Teams (NL)
1. Brewers
2. Phillies
3. Dodgers
As I mentioned in a blog post this week, nobody will ever confuse Brewers history with Packers history. The Packers now have won 13 NFL titles in their history -- while the Brewers haven't even won 13 postseason GAMES in theirs. But this is The Year cheeseheads have been waiting for since Harvey's Wallbangers boarded up the old trot shop nearly 30 years ago. GM Doug Melvin's marching orders were to go all-in to win. And the GM apparently knew what that meant. He sure wasn't going to win with a rotation that had a worse ERA than any team in his league not known as "The Pirates." So Melvin did what he had to do, wiping out his top-prospects list to deal for Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum. And the folks who responded to this poll clearly liked the GM's work, since the Brewers got more most-improved votes (15) than the next three NL teams (Phillies, Dodgers, Marlins) put together (12). But here's the bad news: This had better be The Year, because it looks as if Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks will both bolt through the free-agent emergency exit next winter. All this reminds one scout of the year when the Brewers traded for CC Sabathia (in 2008): "They have a hell of a team this year," he said. "But they can't keep their team together next year. So they'd better get off to a good start."
FUN POLL FACT: Eight different NL teams got at least one most-improved vote (including the Pirates). But the only team besides the Brewers to get more than three votes was the Phillies (seven).
Most Unimproved Teams (AL)
1. Angels
2. Yankees
3. Mariners
For eight years (2002-09), the Angels dominated the AL West by such a ridiculous margin, there was only one team within 100 wins of them. And that was Oakland, which was 46 wins back. But all of a sudden, things ain't going so hot in Orange County. After his team staggered to a sub-.500 finish for the first time in seven years, owner Arte Moreno plunged into the offseason vowing to do and spend what it took to get the mother ship back on course. So how'd that work out? Hoo boy. One of our poll participants used the word "disaster" to describe the Angels' train wreck of a winter. And that was one of the gentler descriptions. They took such a hard line on the two free agents who fit their needs most -- Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre -- that they lost both of them. Then they reacted, in the words of one AL exec, with a "total panic move," by trading for Vernon Wells without even getting the Blue Jays to eat a major chunk of his money. When you consider that the Angels got almost twice as many most-unimproved votes (10) as two teams that did just about zilch this winter -- Cleveland and Seattle -- it tells you exactly how many people in this sport have spent the past few weeks asking: "What the heck were they thinking?"
FUN POLL FACTS: A sure sign of how good a winter the A's had was that the other three AL West teams got a combined 18 most-unimproved votes -- while Oakland was piling up nine most-improved votes.
Most Unimproved teams (NL)
1. Mets
2. Astros
3. Pirates
Before he took the Mets job, Sandy Alderson probably thought a Ponzi scheme was something that went down in a "Happy Days" episode he once saw on Nick At Nite. But this is one GM who has been getting an education this winter in all kinds of stuff that doesn't involve trolling for somebody who might hit more than six home runs a year in Citi Field. It sure isn't the new GM's fault that he had no money to spend and no hope of moving the Oliver Perezes and Luis Castillos who are cluttering up his roster. But the bottom line is that the Mets had a laugh track of an offseason. A two-year contract to D.J. Carrasco, after he got non-tendered? A major league deal for Ronny Paulino while he was still serving a PED suspension? A bargain bin full of Boof Bonsers and Willie Harrises and Taylor Tankersleys? A hunt for inning-eating starters that led to the signings of Chris Capuano and Chris Young, two guys who have spent a combined 720 days on the disabled list over the past three seasons? Someday, when the Madoff Mess gets sorted out and the bloated contracts disappear off the payroll, the sharp minds the Mets brought in to salvage this operation will be able to make an impact. But they had no shot this winter.
FUN POLL FACT: Although the Mets blew away the field, quite a field it was. Nine of the 16 teams in the NL got at least one most-unimproved vote -- the three above, plus the Cardinals, Padres, Dodgers, Reds, Braves and your defending World Series champs, the Giants.
Least Recognizable Team
1. Pirates
2. Astros
3. Royals
I might as well retire this category. What's the point? The Pirates seem to win it every year, anyway. Here's how I know exactly how faceless this team is: I cover baseball for a living. I kept a daily log book on every team's transactions all winter. And even I couldn't correctly identify the Pirates' entire prospective Opening Day lineup this week. So there's no telling how much money you could win if you walked into any tavern not located in the 412 area code and challenged your buddies to do it -- even if you gave them Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez free of charge. It's not a good sign when more Americans can name the lineup of the 1979 Pirates than the 2011 Pirates. But I'm betting that if I commissioned a Gallup poll, that's exactly how it would turn out.
FUN POLL FACT: You know it was an action-packed offseason when eight teams get more than one vote in this competition -- our top three, plus the Indians, Padres, Mariners, A's and Rays.
Checkbook Champs
1. RED SOX: The Red Sox really made life tricky for us checkbook-champ judges. Technically, they laid out "only" $161.63 million for Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks and their surrounding free-agent cast this winter. (Don't forget Matt Albers!) But you know, I know and Bud Selig's luxury-tax pinto-bean counters know that one of these weeks, as soon as it's clear Adrian Gonzalez's shoulder is still attached to his clavicle and as soon as the accountants give the thumbs-up, the Red Sox also will drop an extension on their new first baseman in the neighborhood of seven years and 150 million bucks. So we're going to ring the cash register early and award them this prestigious checkbook-champ title for approximately $311 million. But hey, if they change their minds, they should know they could have scarfed up nearly 15.6 million servings of Anna's Baked Boston Scrod down at the Long Wharf outpost of Legal Sea Foods if they wanted to lay out that kind of change.
2. ROCKIES: Here's a team that never looks in the mirror and sees a big spender staring back. But our motto here is: Follow the money. So we followed along this winter as the Rockies added six years and $119 million to Troy Tulowitzki's equity pool, and another $80 million to the Carlos Gonzalez kid, grandkid and great-grandkid scholarship fund. And yeah, it's true they were only "extensions" to players who weren't going anywhere for years. But tell it to the accounting department. Now add another $40 million for the Rockies' two big league free agents, Jorge De La Rosa and Ty Wigginton. And that's $239 million in bills that are going to land on somebody's desk over the next 10 years. That doesn't quite make this team the Yankees. But we won't be confusing the Rockies with the Pirates any time soon, either.
3. NATIONALS: Even though the Reds followed the Rockies' path and locked up $151 million worth of extensions with four of their favorite local heroes this winter, I'm making an arbitrary decision to elevate the Nationals ($145.85 million spent) onto the bronze-medal podium on this stage. Yeah, that's pretty much based on the Jayson Werth signing alone. (More on that later.) But if any team tried to make a statement with the sheer muscle of its checking account this winter, this was the team. You can quarrel with the length and magnitude of that seven-year, $126 million Christmas gift the Nats laid on Werth. And trust me, pretty much everybody who participated in this poll did exactly that. But it was still a signing the Nationals utilized to announce to the world: "We're no longer the Artist Formerly Known as the Expos. We're planning to be good. And we've got the money to make it happen." So this is Spring Preview's way of saying: We heard you!
FUN POLL FACTS: Bet you didn't know that EIGHT different teams (these three, plus the Reds, Phillies, White Sox, Tigers and -- shocker alert! -- the Yankees) committed at least $100 million each in free-agent deals and/or whoppo contract extensions this winter. That doesn't even count the Dodgers, who spent $91.825 million on their 11 big league free agents and will top $100 million easy if a few of their 15 minor league free agents make the team. And it doesn't count the Angels, who spent $23 million on free agents and also took on -- stop us if you've heard this somewhere before -- another $86 million worth of Vernon Wells via trade. But the Angels subtracted just enough in salaries in that deal to slip under the magical $100 million threshold. Phew. Meanwhile, who was the biggest non-spender this winter? Gotta love those Indians. Who out there can identify their only free-agent signing this winter (at least so far)? Yessiree, that would be good old Austin Kearns, for 1.3 million big ones. Hey, you were expecting maybe Manny Ramirez?
Best Free-Agent Signings
1. Cliff Lee, Phillies (5 years, $120 million)
2. Carl Crawford, Red Sox (7 years, $142 million)
3. Adrian Beltre, Rangers (5 years, $80 million)
It's actually kind of amusing that people look at the Lee signing and think the Phillies got some kind of "bargain." Uh, has anyone mentioned lately that this man will collect more dollars per season (an average of $24 million) than any pitcher has ever raked in during any multiyear contract in history? Nevertheless, the Phillies played this so coyly, so quietly, so ingeniously that not even the Yankees and Rangers saw them coming until it was too late. And now this team heads for spring training with one of the greatest, October-ready rotations ever assembled. It's STILL hard to believe this really happened -- and not just for the Yankees.
FUN POLL FACT: Would you believe 27 different free agents got at least one vote -- including (gasp) Vicente Padilla? No kidding.
Worst Free-Agent Signings
1. Jayson Werth, Nationals (7 years, $126 million)
2. Juan Uribe, Dodgers (3 years, $21 million)
3. Joaquin Benoit, Tigers (3 years, $16.5 million)
Werth got more votes in this category (18) than any other player got in any other department, so I guess the voters have spoken. But I'm not sure I agree with them. At least Werth has proved he can play. There isn't much chance he'll live up to his contract, since it will carry him through age 38. But there's a difference, to me, between a "bad signing" and a contract that's just flat-out too long. So I'd have voted for Benoit (whose great year literally came out of nowhere), Uribe (who couldn't even find a job until January the previous two winters), or any one of about seven setup men (whose multiyear deals boggled many a mind) before I'd have picked Werth. But as I said, the voters have spoken. And I'm the one who asked them to vote.
FUN POLL FACT: Six different players got votes in the best and worst free-agent columns -- Benoit, Rafael Soriano, Carl Pavano, Brian Fuentes, Aaron Harang and Adrian Beltre, whose magnetism in racking up big vote totals for both best and worst signing was unprecedented in the history of this poll.
Best Trades
1. The Red Sox get Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego for three guys (Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Raymond Fuentes) talented enough to rank as the Padres' best, second-best and seventh-best prospects, according to the Keith Law prospect-rating machine. So I'm not buying one scout's assessment that the Red Sox "stole" this man. Nevertheless, was Gonzalez born to hit in the shadow of the Green Monster or what? (And if you answered "what," boy would that be incorrect!) This guy slugged .810 on balls hit to left field last year, according to Inside Edge. He hit 42 percent of his homers to the opposite field. And ESPN Stats & Info's Justin Havens estimates that Gonzalez would have hit 18 more home runs at Fenway these past three years than he hit at Out-co Park (oops, make that Petco). So the only remaining critical question: Can Gonzalez learn to properly pronounce "chowdah"?
2. The Blue Jays find a team (your perplexing L.A. Angels of Anaheim) willing to take on pretty much all $86 million of Vernon Wells' theoretically immovable contract, then turn around and flip one of the players they got back (Mike Napoli) for their new closer (Frank Francisco). As one exec said, this might not have been "the best pure baseball trade" made this winter -- but holy schmoly. They MOVED VERNON WELLS' MONEY. One assistant GM called it "the least tradable contract in baseball." (OK, guess not.) And as another put it, by dumping so many of those dollars, what the Blue Jays really acquired was "a chance to change the mid/long-term fate of an organization." And that's a much more impactful acquisition than any prospect, any star or (for sure) any player to be named later.
3.The Brewers get the great Zack Greinke (and, of course, the not-so-great Yuniesky Betancourt) for a shortstop who had a .288 OBP (Alcides Escobar), a fireballer with two marijuana suspensions (Jeremy Jeffress) and two other good-but-not-star-caliber young players (Lorenzo Cain and Jake Odorizzi). OK, so they essentially blew out their whole system to do this. But when you're in go-for-it mode (and they clearly are), no point in going for it halfway. Right?
FUN POLL FACTS: If a good baseball trade is one that works for both teams, we might have set a record this winter. The votes rolled in for both sides of the Gonzalez, Greinke, Matt Garza, Shaun Marcum and Dan Uggla deals. So how 'bout for the Angels' side of the Wells extravaganza? Ehhhh, still haven't found anyone willing to endorse that one.
Best Free-Agent Bargains
BEST FREE AGENTS SIGNED TO ONE-YEAR DEALS
1. The Cubs get Kerry Wood back for a lower base ($1.5 million) than the Pirates will pay Ross Ohlendorf ($2.3 million) for going 1-11.
2. The Twins re-sign their home run leader (Jim Thome) for less money ($3 million) than they paid Nick Punto to hit ONE homer last year.
3. For one year and $7 million, the Marlins bring Javier Vazquez back to the National League, where he was last seen two years ago nearly leading the league in strikeouts.
BEST FREE AGENTS $2 MILLION AND UNDER
1. Have we mentioned the Cubs are getting the bargain of the century from a setup force (Wood) who had an 0.69 ERA for the Yankees last year?
2. The Brewers take a $1.75 million shot at a reliever (Takashi Saito) who has NEVER had an ERA higher than 2.83 on this side of the Pacific.
3. The Rays hold their breath and give $2 million (i.e., $140 million less than Carl Crawford got) to everyone's favorite baseball role model, Manny Ramirez.
BEST FREE AGENTS SIGNED TO MINOR LEAGUE DEALS
1. Who needs Andy Pettitte or Cliff Lee? Without having to guarantee a whole lot more than meal money, the Yankees get to take a flier on Freddy Garcia, a pitcher who won more games last year (12) than Pettitte and had as many quality starts (18) as Lee.
2. The Pirates drop down and fire a sidearm minor league deal at left-on-left specialist Joe Beimel, a fellow one scout called the "Paul Assenmacher of his generation."
3. It's a tie between the let-it-fly bench-king champions of the non-roster-invitee world, Matt Stairs (Nationals) and Jason Giambi (Rockies) -- two entertaining, life-loving, free-swinging mashers whose combined six pinch homers last year somehow earned them zero guaranteed dollars.
Three Most Outrageous Contracts (Free-Agent Or Otherwise)
1. Even the panelists who didn't agree that Jayson Werth was the "worst signing" of the winter couldn't help voting for him in the "outrageous contract" competition. Look, the guy's a good player. But more millions (126) than homers (120)? A $126 million deal for a fellow who has had only two 500-at-bat seasons? A seven-year guarantee for a guy who turns 32 in May? Even an NL exec who said he "loves the player" concluded that this is "almost sure to be an albatross contract at some point in the next seven years." Then again, maybe he just likes saying "albatross."
2. Ever wondered what a $35 million setup man looks like? Now we know. He looks exactly like Rafael Soriano, the Yankees' new special assistant to Mariano Rivera. Hey, we all understand this dude can pitch (when healthy). He's held opposing hitters to an average beneath the Mendoza Line four years in a row. But did he deserve a deal that pays him almost $12 million a year to pitch the eighth inning -- and throws in two opt-out clauses? Boy, did that ever bug some of the folks we polled. "Well, there's one thing we know," said one of them. "He's not opting out. If he got this kind of money for 45 saves, what's he going to get for NO saves?"
3. Adrian Beltre is another guy who sure confuses people. He got lots of votes for best signing, AND worst signing, AND most outrageous contract. So what's up with that? Well, on his previous five-year contract (with Seattle), he produced an adjusted OPS-plus above 112 in NONE of those years. And the only two seasons of his career in which he made the top 10 in any significant offensive categories just happened to be the two contract-drive years before he locked up those five-year deals. So there ya go.
FUN POLL FACTS: So which non-free-agent deals got votes? Extensions to Dan Uggla, Troy Tulowitzki and Joey Votto. And the voters kept piling on the Angels just for trading for Vernon Wells, even though they didn't sign the guy to this contract. They just assumed what was left of it. So if you hadn't caught onto the fact that people in this sport HATED that trade, that oughta do it. Right?
Most Important Injury Comebacks
1. Brandon Webb (Rangers)
2. Justin Morneau/Joe Nathan (Twins)
3. Kevin Youkilis/Dustin Pedroia/Jacoby Ellsbury/Adrian Gonzalez (Red Sox)
Rookies To Watch (AL)
1. Jeremy Hellickson (Rays RHP)
2. Mike Moustakas (Royals 3B)
3. Kyle Drabek (Blue Jays RHP)
Rookies To Watch (NL)
1. Domonic Brown (Phillies RF)
2. Freddie Freeman (Braves 1B)
3. Aroldis Chapman (Reds LHP)
Most Unlikely Names On Spring Training Rosters
1. MATT ANDERSON (Phillies): He was the very first player taken in the entire 1997 draft (which would be 184 picks before the A's took Tim Hudson, incidentally). So it's safe to say that if you'd told folks back then that Anderson would still be hanging out in spring training 14 years later, nobody would have been shocked. But if you'd told them how he'd get here, well, they'd have just about passed out. Anderson hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2005, hasn't even been able to hook on in an independent league since 2006 and hasn't pitched anywhere since 2008. But he hit 97 mph on the gun last December with Phillies scout Del Unser watching. So the Phillies scarfed him right up. And it was worth it just so he could shoot down the long-standing rumor that he once blew out his shoulder throwing an octopus, a tale he refuted in Jerry Crasnick's must-read profile of him last month.
2. NICK BIERBRODT (Orioles): Exactly 1,300 men have shown up on a pitcher's mound in the big leagues at least once over the past six seasons. But not one of them was named Nick Bierbrodt. Last time he was sighted on a big league mound? How about July 6, 2004 -- which was so long ago, Ichiro has had nearly 1,500 hits since then. Meanwhile, Bierbrodt's path back has taken him to Taiwan -- where he got to pitch for one of the storied franchises in sports, the Brother Elephants -- not to mention the Atlantic League, the Golden League, the Texas League and the Pacific Coast League. And now, 15 years after the Diamondbacks drafted him in the first round (10 picks ahead of Milton Bradley), Bierbrodt's old manager in Arizona, Buck Showalter, is giving him one last chance. Is spring training an awesome invention, or what?
3. SEAN BURROUGHS (Diamondbacks): Well, we've got the first round of the 1996 and 1997 drafts covered in this section. So why not the '98 draft? Burroughs was the ninth overall pick that year, taken ahead of Carlos Pena, CC Sabathia, Brad Lidge and about 1,000 other guys. And whatever happened to THEM, anyhow? As for Burroughs, he last hit a major league home run on April 30, 2005. He hasn't even shown up in a minor league box score since 2007. And the most interesting tidbit I was able to find on his Facebook community page was that he once told David Letterman he wanted to be a gynecologist when he grew up. Well, he just turned 30, so you'd think he'd have finished med school by now. Instead, he convinced his former GM in San Diego, Kevin Towers, to slip him an invite to spring training with the D-backs. Beautiful.
No. 1 Story That Summed Up The Offseason
As one AL executive quipped, history was truly made this winter, with that Cliff Lee signing -- but not how you think.
"The mystery team," he joked, "finally signed a player."
Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
C
Cr122
Guest
All I want to say is f the Red Sox.
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The Red Sox will be an interesting team to watch. I think on paper they look to be the best team in the AL. Boston just has to avoid the injury bug that crushed them last season. If they do that, I think they take the east over the Yankees.
As a Texas fan, I'd be for that (should we make it back to the post season). Texas has played very well against Boston under Washington, especially at Fenway.
sbk92
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2011 Farm System Rankings
By Frankie Piliere
National MLB Analyst | Follow on Twitter: @frankiepiliere
It's time to size up the minor leagues on an organizational level. Below, I've ranked each team's farm system from 1-30.
1. Kansas City Royals | 2010 Rank: 12 | Players in Top 100: 9
There is no contest. Not only do the Royals have easily the most talented farm system in baseball, but they have one of the best crops of talent of any organization in recent memory. With front-of-the-rotation lefties like Mike Montgomery, John Lamb and Danny Duffy, and middle-of-the-order bats like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Wil Myers headlining their system, they truly have no equal.
2. Atlanta Braves | 2010 Rank: 4 | Players in Top 100: 6
It shouldn't be much of a surprise when you find the Braves near the top of these types of rankings. Somehow each year they find a way to graduate players to the big leagues yet still maintain outstanding depth at all levels of the minors. Julio Teheran is baseball's best pitching prospect, Freddie Freeman appears to be the first baseman of the future and the low-level talent just keeps coming.
3. Tampa Bay Rays | 2010 Rank: 1 | Players in Top 100: 5
The recent haul they received in exchange for Matt Garza definitely gives them a boost, but the Rays were going to be a top-10 system regardless. Chris Archer gives them yet another high-upside arm in a system that already features Matt Moore and Alex Colome. Hak-Ju Lee gives them yet another toolsy athlete to go along with players like Desmond Jennings, Justin O'Conner and Josh Sale.
4. New York Yankees | 2010 Rank: 15 | Players in Top 100: 5
It's been awhile since the Yankees could legitimately claim to have one of baseball's best farm systems. This year they are undoubtedly part of that group. Jesus Montero is the best catching prospect in the game, and their collection of young arms -- headlined by Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman -- stacks up with any in baseball. There is more coming from the lower levels.
5. Toronto Blue Jays | 2010 Rank: 26 | Players in Top 100: 5
There has been a change in approach in Toronto -- hats off to the Jays for building up their farm system in a hurry. They have big-league-ready talent like Kyle Drabek and J.P. Arencibia as well as guys on the horizon like Adeiny Hechavarria and Zach Stewart. Better yet, there's plenty of other talent backing those guys up. Even as they begin graduating some prospects to the majors, there's plenty more on the way, particularly from a strong 2010 draft class.
6. Cincinnati Reds | 2010 Rank: 13 | Players in Top 100: 4
Aroldis Chapman still having prospect status is a pretty good place to start for any farm system. But beyond that, having studs like Billy Hamilton, Yasmani Grandal and Yonder Alonso on the way sure doesn't hurt either. The Reds have talent up and down the ladder as they continue to draft smart and do their share of work in the international market.
7. Philadelphia Phillies | 2010 Rank: 17 | Players in Top 100: 4
You have to give credit to an organization that, despite making trades to better its big-league roster, manages to keep talent steadily flowing through the minor-league system. The Phillies place heavy bets on athletes with tools and power arms and it continues to pay off. Both Brody Colvin and Jarred Cosart show frontline-type stuff, and players like Jonathan Singleton, Sebastian Valle and, of course, Domonic Brown look to be at least better-than-average regulars in the major leagues.
8. Los Angeles Angels | 2010 Rank: 20 | Players in Top 100: 5
Some might say this is a little high for the Angels, but if you buy into their low-level talent like I do, it's just about right. It sure doesn't hurt to have baseball's No. 1 prospect, Mike Trout, in your system either. They racked up talent in the 2010 draft and have sleeper arms like Garrett Richards and Fabio Martinez who could break out in a big way in 2011.
9. Texas Rangers | 2010 Rank: 2 | Players in Top 100: 3
For most teams you'd have more doubts about lower-level talent. With the Rangers' recent track record of player development, though, it's easier to place more value on what they have toward the bottom of their system. They've graduated a lot of talent, but there appears to be another wave coming.
10. Minnesota Twins | 2010 Rank: 14 | Players in Top 100: 5
Even when the Twins' system isn't getting a tremendous amount of attention, they still seem to graduate under-the-radar talent to the majors. Well, the machine keeps on working in Minnesota and there are more young players on the horizon, like right-hander Kyle Gibson and toolsy outfielder Aaron Hicks.
11. Cleveland Indians | 2010 Rank: 5 | Players in Top 100: 4
Despite graduating one of baseball's best prospects in Carlos Santana, the Indians' farm systems remains deep up and down the ladder. Aside from Lonnie Chisenhall, they aren't loaded with blue-chip prospects, but what they do have is a surplus of future above-average big-league contributors like Jason Kipnis, Alex White and Nick Hagadone. With the addition of 2010 draftee Drew Pomeranz, they could have another blue-chipper on the way.
12. Colorado Rockies | 2010 Rank: 10 | Players in Top 100: 4
Christian Friedrich may have slipped in 2010, but just about every other part of the Rockies farm system improved. Wilin Rosario continued to show off his cannon arm behind the dish and swing the bat well, while Tyler Matzek emerged as the frontline pitching prospect they hoped he'd be.
13. San Diego Padres | 2010 Rank: 30 | Players in Top 100: 4
The Padres absolutely got a huge lift from the Adrian Gonzalez deal. It gave them Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Reymond Fuentes. But their system was pretty solid even before that trade. With Simon Castro and Kelly leading the way in the pitching department, the Padres' future looks bright.
14. Boston Red Sox | 2010 Rank: 11 | Players in Top 100: 2
The aforementioned Gonzalez deal definitely hurts the Boston farm system, but they do have plenty of reinforcements, including Jose Iglesias and Anthony Ranaudo. Iglesias appears to be the shortstop of the future and Ranaudo looks poised to move up the ladder quickly on the mound.
15. Washington Nationals | 2010 Rank: 16 | Players in Top 100: 4
They may have graduated Stephen Strasburg, but now they have another super prospect in Bryce Harper. That said, don't underestimate the lesser-known talents in their system like Sammy Solis, Danny Espinosa and Derek Norris. Washington's system is much more than one big-name prospect.
16. Seattle Mariners | 2010 Rank: 19 | Players in Top 100: 3
Seattle loaded up on high-upside talent in last year's draft, and it is now developing the depth to put behind headliners Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda. Having those two leading the way is crucial. The pair is as impressive a duo as you'll find in the minors.
17. St. Louis Cardinals | 2010 Rank: 27 | Players in Top 100: 2
The Cardinals aren't known for taking high school pitchers, but it sure looks like they picked the right time to grab one in selecting Shelby Miller in the first round of the 2009 draft. St. Louis is building a solid amount of depth behind Miller and overall appears to have a system on the rise.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks | 2010 Rank: 22 | Players in Top 100: 3
Arizona has some outstanding young bats to lean on in Matt Davidson, Marc Krauss, Bobby Borchering and others, but the D'backs have some work to do in terms of depth. Jarrod Parker looks ready to graduate and contribute in the majors and Tyler Skaggs looks to be on track as well, so they do have some headliners to on which to hang their hat.
19. Los Angeles Dodgers | 2010 Rank: 25 | Players in Top 100: 1
The Dodgers are ranked somewhat low, but the strange thing is that they have all the talent necessary to be a very strong farm system. There's no doubt that it was a tough year for many of the Dodgers' top prospects, including Ethan Martin and Chris Withrow. They could bounce back in 2011, but until they do this is where this system belongs.
20. San Francisco Giants | 2010 Rank: 8 | Players in Top 100: 2
The two players at the top of the Giants' list of prospects are two names any organization would be proud to have. The world was introduced to Brandon Belt in 2010, and he appears to be an All-Star in the making. Zack Wheeler is already showing front-of-the-rotation stuff. Beyond them, however, the Giants' system thins out significantly.
21. Chicago Cubs | 2010 Rank: 18 | Players in Top 100: 2
Make no mistake about it, losing Chris Archer and Hak-Ju Lee really hurt the Cubs' depth. That doesn't make the Matt Garza trade a bad one, but those are two outstanding talents to lose. They do have some good lower-level depth, however, and could rebound quickly.
22. Pittsburgh Pirates | 2010 Rank: 28 | Players in Top 100: 2
Of all the lower-ranked teams, it might be the Pirates that have the best chance of making a big leap in the rankings next year. With superb new pitching talents like Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie and Luis Heredia now in the fold, the Pirates' minor-league depth is clearly on the rise.
23. Houston Astros | 2010 Rank: 29 | Players in Top 100: 1
It's still a long road back for the Astros' farm system, but they are headed in the right direction. Jordan Lyles is the on the cusp of helping their big-league rotation, and they have started making some higher upside draft picks. Let's give them credit for taking steps toward righting the ship.
24. Detroit Tigers | 2010 Rank: 21 | Players in Top 100: 2
The Tigers may not be overflowing with young talent right now, but they do have Jacob Turner and with him they are in a good position. They aren't lacking in power arms either, but the Tigers do lack pitchers with the total package. The way they've spent in the past on the draft is a good indicator that they could bounce back quickly.
25. Baltimore Orioles | 2010 Rank: 6 | Players in Top 100: 2
The Orioles are not particularly deep right now in terms of minor-league talent. What they do have, however, are two legitimate blue-chip prospects. Zach Britton and Manny Machado both have that type of talent. The good news is that Britton is not far from the major leagues.
26. Chicago White Sox | 2010 Rank: 23 | Players in Top 100: 2
Chicago has an outstanding headliner for its system and that's more than some clubs on this list can claim. Chris Sale made an immediate impact in 2010 and figures to play an even bigger role in 2011. What's behind him is the bigger question mark for the White Sox.
27. New York Mets | 2010 Rank: 24 | Players in Top 100: 3
By taking Matt Harvey with their top pick last year, the Mets took a step in the right direction. Harvey coupled with Wilmer Flores makes for a decent duo at the top of the system, but the depth is still very much lacking for New York and it's going to take some time to build that back up to a respectable level. The Mets are headed in the right direction, though.
28. Oakland Athletics | 2010 Rank: 3 | Players in Top 100: 3
If there's one thing we know about Oakland, it is that there is always a lot of turnover. The A's build a strong system, graduate the players, leave their system empty and then they build it right back up again. They are in that building phase as we speak.
29. Florida Marlins | 2010 Rank: 7 | Players in Top 100: 1
This is not familiar territory for the Marlins and I imagine they'll get their system back on track quickly. They graduated one of baseball's best young players, Mike Stanton, in 2010 so that certainly doesn't help them in these rankings. They simply lack high-impact talent right now.
30. Milwaukee Brewers | 2010 Rank: 9 | Players in Top 100: 1
The Brewers' system wasn't all that impressive even heading into the offseason. After raiding their crop of talent in trades for Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, there is really not much elite talent left. They are trying to win now, and you can't fault them for that, but that approach has certainly left them with some major holes to fill in their farm system.
By Frankie Piliere
National MLB Analyst | Follow on Twitter: @frankiepiliere
It's time to size up the minor leagues on an organizational level. Below, I've ranked each team's farm system from 1-30.
1. Kansas City Royals | 2010 Rank: 12 | Players in Top 100: 9
There is no contest. Not only do the Royals have easily the most talented farm system in baseball, but they have one of the best crops of talent of any organization in recent memory. With front-of-the-rotation lefties like Mike Montgomery, John Lamb and Danny Duffy, and middle-of-the-order bats like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Wil Myers headlining their system, they truly have no equal.
2. Atlanta Braves | 2010 Rank: 4 | Players in Top 100: 6
It shouldn't be much of a surprise when you find the Braves near the top of these types of rankings. Somehow each year they find a way to graduate players to the big leagues yet still maintain outstanding depth at all levels of the minors. Julio Teheran is baseball's best pitching prospect, Freddie Freeman appears to be the first baseman of the future and the low-level talent just keeps coming.
3. Tampa Bay Rays | 2010 Rank: 1 | Players in Top 100: 5
The recent haul they received in exchange for Matt Garza definitely gives them a boost, but the Rays were going to be a top-10 system regardless. Chris Archer gives them yet another high-upside arm in a system that already features Matt Moore and Alex Colome. Hak-Ju Lee gives them yet another toolsy athlete to go along with players like Desmond Jennings, Justin O'Conner and Josh Sale.
4. New York Yankees | 2010 Rank: 15 | Players in Top 100: 5
It's been awhile since the Yankees could legitimately claim to have one of baseball's best farm systems. This year they are undoubtedly part of that group. Jesus Montero is the best catching prospect in the game, and their collection of young arms -- headlined by Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman -- stacks up with any in baseball. There is more coming from the lower levels.
5. Toronto Blue Jays | 2010 Rank: 26 | Players in Top 100: 5
There has been a change in approach in Toronto -- hats off to the Jays for building up their farm system in a hurry. They have big-league-ready talent like Kyle Drabek and J.P. Arencibia as well as guys on the horizon like Adeiny Hechavarria and Zach Stewart. Better yet, there's plenty of other talent backing those guys up. Even as they begin graduating some prospects to the majors, there's plenty more on the way, particularly from a strong 2010 draft class.
6. Cincinnati Reds | 2010 Rank: 13 | Players in Top 100: 4
Aroldis Chapman still having prospect status is a pretty good place to start for any farm system. But beyond that, having studs like Billy Hamilton, Yasmani Grandal and Yonder Alonso on the way sure doesn't hurt either. The Reds have talent up and down the ladder as they continue to draft smart and do their share of work in the international market.
7. Philadelphia Phillies | 2010 Rank: 17 | Players in Top 100: 4
You have to give credit to an organization that, despite making trades to better its big-league roster, manages to keep talent steadily flowing through the minor-league system. The Phillies place heavy bets on athletes with tools and power arms and it continues to pay off. Both Brody Colvin and Jarred Cosart show frontline-type stuff, and players like Jonathan Singleton, Sebastian Valle and, of course, Domonic Brown look to be at least better-than-average regulars in the major leagues.
8. Los Angeles Angels | 2010 Rank: 20 | Players in Top 100: 5
Some might say this is a little high for the Angels, but if you buy into their low-level talent like I do, it's just about right. It sure doesn't hurt to have baseball's No. 1 prospect, Mike Trout, in your system either. They racked up talent in the 2010 draft and have sleeper arms like Garrett Richards and Fabio Martinez who could break out in a big way in 2011.
9. Texas Rangers | 2010 Rank: 2 | Players in Top 100: 3
For most teams you'd have more doubts about lower-level talent. With the Rangers' recent track record of player development, though, it's easier to place more value on what they have toward the bottom of their system. They've graduated a lot of talent, but there appears to be another wave coming.
10. Minnesota Twins | 2010 Rank: 14 | Players in Top 100: 5
Even when the Twins' system isn't getting a tremendous amount of attention, they still seem to graduate under-the-radar talent to the majors. Well, the machine keeps on working in Minnesota and there are more young players on the horizon, like right-hander Kyle Gibson and toolsy outfielder Aaron Hicks.
11. Cleveland Indians | 2010 Rank: 5 | Players in Top 100: 4
Despite graduating one of baseball's best prospects in Carlos Santana, the Indians' farm systems remains deep up and down the ladder. Aside from Lonnie Chisenhall, they aren't loaded with blue-chip prospects, but what they do have is a surplus of future above-average big-league contributors like Jason Kipnis, Alex White and Nick Hagadone. With the addition of 2010 draftee Drew Pomeranz, they could have another blue-chipper on the way.
12. Colorado Rockies | 2010 Rank: 10 | Players in Top 100: 4
Christian Friedrich may have slipped in 2010, but just about every other part of the Rockies farm system improved. Wilin Rosario continued to show off his cannon arm behind the dish and swing the bat well, while Tyler Matzek emerged as the frontline pitching prospect they hoped he'd be.
13. San Diego Padres | 2010 Rank: 30 | Players in Top 100: 4
The Padres absolutely got a huge lift from the Adrian Gonzalez deal. It gave them Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Reymond Fuentes. But their system was pretty solid even before that trade. With Simon Castro and Kelly leading the way in the pitching department, the Padres' future looks bright.
14. Boston Red Sox | 2010 Rank: 11 | Players in Top 100: 2
The aforementioned Gonzalez deal definitely hurts the Boston farm system, but they do have plenty of reinforcements, including Jose Iglesias and Anthony Ranaudo. Iglesias appears to be the shortstop of the future and Ranaudo looks poised to move up the ladder quickly on the mound.
15. Washington Nationals | 2010 Rank: 16 | Players in Top 100: 4
They may have graduated Stephen Strasburg, but now they have another super prospect in Bryce Harper. That said, don't underestimate the lesser-known talents in their system like Sammy Solis, Danny Espinosa and Derek Norris. Washington's system is much more than one big-name prospect.
16. Seattle Mariners | 2010 Rank: 19 | Players in Top 100: 3
Seattle loaded up on high-upside talent in last year's draft, and it is now developing the depth to put behind headliners Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda. Having those two leading the way is crucial. The pair is as impressive a duo as you'll find in the minors.
17. St. Louis Cardinals | 2010 Rank: 27 | Players in Top 100: 2
The Cardinals aren't known for taking high school pitchers, but it sure looks like they picked the right time to grab one in selecting Shelby Miller in the first round of the 2009 draft. St. Louis is building a solid amount of depth behind Miller and overall appears to have a system on the rise.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks | 2010 Rank: 22 | Players in Top 100: 3
Arizona has some outstanding young bats to lean on in Matt Davidson, Marc Krauss, Bobby Borchering and others, but the D'backs have some work to do in terms of depth. Jarrod Parker looks ready to graduate and contribute in the majors and Tyler Skaggs looks to be on track as well, so they do have some headliners to on which to hang their hat.
19. Los Angeles Dodgers | 2010 Rank: 25 | Players in Top 100: 1
The Dodgers are ranked somewhat low, but the strange thing is that they have all the talent necessary to be a very strong farm system. There's no doubt that it was a tough year for many of the Dodgers' top prospects, including Ethan Martin and Chris Withrow. They could bounce back in 2011, but until they do this is where this system belongs.
20. San Francisco Giants | 2010 Rank: 8 | Players in Top 100: 2
The two players at the top of the Giants' list of prospects are two names any organization would be proud to have. The world was introduced to Brandon Belt in 2010, and he appears to be an All-Star in the making. Zack Wheeler is already showing front-of-the-rotation stuff. Beyond them, however, the Giants' system thins out significantly.
21. Chicago Cubs | 2010 Rank: 18 | Players in Top 100: 2
Make no mistake about it, losing Chris Archer and Hak-Ju Lee really hurt the Cubs' depth. That doesn't make the Matt Garza trade a bad one, but those are two outstanding talents to lose. They do have some good lower-level depth, however, and could rebound quickly.
22. Pittsburgh Pirates | 2010 Rank: 28 | Players in Top 100: 2
Of all the lower-ranked teams, it might be the Pirates that have the best chance of making a big leap in the rankings next year. With superb new pitching talents like Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie and Luis Heredia now in the fold, the Pirates' minor-league depth is clearly on the rise.
23. Houston Astros | 2010 Rank: 29 | Players in Top 100: 1
It's still a long road back for the Astros' farm system, but they are headed in the right direction. Jordan Lyles is the on the cusp of helping their big-league rotation, and they have started making some higher upside draft picks. Let's give them credit for taking steps toward righting the ship.
24. Detroit Tigers | 2010 Rank: 21 | Players in Top 100: 2
The Tigers may not be overflowing with young talent right now, but they do have Jacob Turner and with him they are in a good position. They aren't lacking in power arms either, but the Tigers do lack pitchers with the total package. The way they've spent in the past on the draft is a good indicator that they could bounce back quickly.
25. Baltimore Orioles | 2010 Rank: 6 | Players in Top 100: 2
The Orioles are not particularly deep right now in terms of minor-league talent. What they do have, however, are two legitimate blue-chip prospects. Zach Britton and Manny Machado both have that type of talent. The good news is that Britton is not far from the major leagues.
26. Chicago White Sox | 2010 Rank: 23 | Players in Top 100: 2
Chicago has an outstanding headliner for its system and that's more than some clubs on this list can claim. Chris Sale made an immediate impact in 2010 and figures to play an even bigger role in 2011. What's behind him is the bigger question mark for the White Sox.
27. New York Mets | 2010 Rank: 24 | Players in Top 100: 3
By taking Matt Harvey with their top pick last year, the Mets took a step in the right direction. Harvey coupled with Wilmer Flores makes for a decent duo at the top of the system, but the depth is still very much lacking for New York and it's going to take some time to build that back up to a respectable level. The Mets are headed in the right direction, though.
28. Oakland Athletics | 2010 Rank: 3 | Players in Top 100: 3
If there's one thing we know about Oakland, it is that there is always a lot of turnover. The A's build a strong system, graduate the players, leave their system empty and then they build it right back up again. They are in that building phase as we speak.
29. Florida Marlins | 2010 Rank: 7 | Players in Top 100: 1
This is not familiar territory for the Marlins and I imagine they'll get their system back on track quickly. They graduated one of baseball's best young players, Mike Stanton, in 2010 so that certainly doesn't help them in these rankings. They simply lack high-impact talent right now.
30. Milwaukee Brewers | 2010 Rank: 9 | Players in Top 100: 1
The Brewers' system wasn't all that impressive even heading into the offseason. After raiding their crop of talent in trades for Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, there is really not much elite talent left. They are trying to win now, and you can't fault them for that, but that approach has certainly left them with some major holes to fill in their farm system.
sbk92
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You do realize they are farm system rankings?
C
Cr122
Guest
Ayuh, the Yanks refused to trade Jesse Montero this past off season which I thought was a good move.
It's about time they are keeping their farm system in tact.
It's about time they are keeping their farm system in tact.
C
Cr122
Guest
Nah, Yanks and Phils.
My surprise teams this year are Oakland in the A.L., and as you mentioned sbk, the Brewers in the N.L.
C
Cr122
Guest
Updated: February 21, 2011, 10:39 AM ET
Cliff Lee has worked through strain
Associated Press
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee says a side muscle strain is the reason his first bullpen session lasted just eight pitches a week ago.
He said Monday that he's "perfectly fine" now and the strain under his left armpit is "not really a major issue."
Lee completed his next two pitching sessions last week, and also took part in fielding practice during the first week of training camp.
Lee signed a five-year, $120 million contract with the Phillies as a free agent in December. He says he felt discomfort while playing catch last month in Arkansas. When he reported to camp last Tuesday, he was limited to eight pitches.
News of Lee's offseason injury was first reported Sunday night by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
Cliff Lee has worked through strain
Associated Press
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee says a side muscle strain is the reason his first bullpen session lasted just eight pitches a week ago.
He said Monday that he's "perfectly fine" now and the strain under his left armpit is "not really a major issue."
Lee completed his next two pitching sessions last week, and also took part in fielding practice during the first week of training camp.
Lee signed a five-year, $120 million contract with the Phillies as a free agent in December. He says he felt discomfort while playing catch last month in Arkansas. When he reported to camp last Tuesday, he was limited to eight pitches.
News of Lee's offseason injury was first reported Sunday night by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
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SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Texas Rangers usually lack the pitching to survive the stifling heat of August and make a deep run through the postseason. But they're generally an unflappable bunch, capable of encountering potholes without flipping over on their sides and careering into oncoming traffic.
It happened last year when cocaine revelations swirled around manager Ron Washington and rocked the team before spring training. The Rangers addressed the problem and moved on. Several months later, when the team acquired pitcher Cliff Lee at the deadline, president Nolan Ryan and general manager Jon Daniels found themselves up to their necks in questions about bankruptcy proceedings. Not to worry.
[+] EnlargeMichael Young
AP Photo/Charlie RiedelMichael Young and the Rangers seem ready to put a contentious offseason behind them.
The Rangers' clubhouse environment is serene enough that outcasts Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley arrived in spring 2008 and found acceptance, peace and a new lease on life. When Milton Bradley fits in that seamlessly, you know the keel is always even.
"If there's a club that's shown it can ignore external factors, we're it," Daniels said. "We've probably had too much practice. But we're good at it."
Michael Young isn't the sole reason "distractions" -- to use the spring training word du jour -- seem to fall by the wayside in Arlington. But he's the player most responsible for setting a tone of professionalism in the clubhouse, uniting disparate factions and keeping his teammates focused.
Skeptics might point out that Young appeared in 1,508 career games before his first postseason appearance, so what are the intangibles worth, really? But they've never heard the sense of respect in his teammates' voices when they assess his place in the overall scheme.
"I've never categorized myself as the leader of this team," Young said Sunday. "But I'm going to be myself. If you turn around and people are following, you're leading. At that point, you embrace that responsibility and that role. And that's what I've done here."
So what happens when the plot takes an unexpected turn and the clubhouse leader, healer and facilitator of good will is himself the focus of the storm? That sociological experiment is playing out for Team Equilibrium this spring in Surprise.
Two years removed from swallowing his pride and moving from shortstop to third base to accommodate rookie Elvis Andrus, Young is back in a position that makes him squirm. In early February, apparently convinced that Daniels was trying to trade him despite assurances to the contrary, Young pronounced himself "misled and manipulated" and asked the Rangers to deal him.
Those efforts aren't going so smoothly, and now it appears he'll stick around for a while. In his new role as a reluctant Ranger, Young earns a spot on the Mount Rushmore of 2011 spring training soap operas alongside Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and Derek Jeter.
Setting things straight
Step one, at least, is out of the way. When Young arrived in Surprise this weekend, his bats, gloves and cleats were waiting for him, and he made sure to check his personal baggage at the door. On Saturday, he held a news conference and said his main focus is preparing for the season. On Sunday, he showed up at 6 a.m. to get a head start on his work, then met with Washington, the coaching staff and his teammates in an attempt to "squash" the negative fallout from his unsettled personal situation.
"I'm an open book," Young said. "Guys know the way I'm wired and the way I approach my job. In that sense, this is not going to be an issue at all.
"
Dobbs You mean to tell me that I agreed to it, and then, two weeks before camp, I was like, 'Sorry, I don't give a [crap] about those guys in the room?' I'm just not that way.
" -- Rangers DH Michael Young
"I'm not going to allow there to be any white elephant in the room. Address it and confront it. And after guys ask their questions, tell them, 'Have some fun, have a good camp, and get ready to go beat somebody."'
If you're one of those people who are interested in how the sausage is made, the offseason was fascinating to watch in Arlington. It's perfectly clear that Young is angry at Daniels, and in no mood to forgive, and it's going to be a challenge for the two men to overcome their differences. Meanwhile, Young has gone out of his way to praise Ryan for being so "upfront" and "honest" in their personal dealings.
By accident rather than design, a good-cop, bad-cop dynamic seems to be taking shape in the Texas front office. On the one hand, there's Ryan, with his 5,714 strikeouts, Hall of Fame cachet and good ol' boy charm, always there to calm the waters and receive praise from the adoring media in Texas.
On the other hand, there's Daniels, who built the first World Series team in franchise history with the acquisitions of Hamilton, Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Nelson Cruz and numerous other club mainstays. Daniels landed the Rangers' GM job in 2005 as a 28-year-old Cornell graduate -- a two-fer that's never going to win an executive a front-row seat in the baseball "boys club."
Daniels is smart enough to know that the best way to move beyond the current mess is to keep his head down and let the shrapnel whiz past. He's sensitive to the public perception that he wasn't entirely straight with Young because, as he puts it, "So much of what we do in this business is based on our word and our integrity."
But Daniels is even more disturbed that outsiders might think there's a divide in the Texas front office. He insists that perception is inaccurate.
"This is a regrettable situation, but one thing I'm very confident in is that everything we've done has been with one goal -- to win," Daniels said. "And it's been done in concert with everybody in the organization. Ownership. Management. Staff. Scouts. We're very much on the same page."
Making the best of it
[+] EnlargeJon Daniels
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesJon Daniels admitted that the offseason turmoil that enveloped the Rangers and Michael Young was "regrettable."
In truth, Young is one of dozens upon dozens of big leaguers who have some sort of gripe with the GM or the front office. His situation is more high profile, and the stakes are clearly bigger, but he's in the same boat as the lower-service-time player who feels personally violated because the team just carved him up in a salary arbitration hearing.
In the pantheon of baseball rifts, player-GM ranks well down on the list of concerns. When players hate each other, it's a recipe for friction in the clubhouse. If the players think the manager is spineless or overmatched, it's a recipe for chaos. The higher up the food chain you go, the less impact it has on the front lines. The old Yankees all felt squeezed by GM George Weiss, and the Oakland A's loathed owner Charlie Finley, and they used it as a bonding ritual. Sure, the money is exponentially bigger today. But human nature hasn't changed.
The notion that Young's personal animosity toward Daniels might spill over into the Texas clubhouse is, on the face of it, absurd. Brandon Webb has pitched a total of four innings over the past two seasons because of shoulder problems. Do you think he's consumed with Young's feelings toward Daniels?
First baseman Mitch Moreland is fighting for at-bats as he tries to establish himself as a big leaguer. Does he care that Young and Daniels aren't on speaking terms?
Cruz, Colby Lewis, Hamilton and C.J. Wilson missed out on champagne and ginger ale showers when the Rangers fell to San Francisco in the World Series. As long as Young plays for the Rangers and contributes, that's their prime concern.
Ian Kinsler, one of Young's closest friends on the team, scoffed at the notion that a Young-front office rift might permeate the clubhouse.
"That's pretty high school," Kinsler said. "There's really no drama in here. My relationship with the front office is completely different than, say, Taylor Teagarden's. And Mike's is at a different level than mine. It's not my concern at all. My concern is to make sure we're ready to play come April 1."
The dynamics change, of course, if the Rangers actually trade Young. But that's looking like more of a long shot every day. Say what you will about Young's defense or his $16 million annual salary, but he ranks second to Ichiro Suzuki with 1,602 hits since 2003. He accepted a role as DH and super-utility guy once the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre as their new third baseman, and now it's too late in the game for Daniels to replace Young's bat. Beyond that, the Rangers are resistant to paying most of Young's salary so he can contribute somewhere else.
So, everyone will try to make the best of it. And, in a day or two, the Detroit Tigers will decide what's going to happen with the Miguel Cabrera situation, and breathless coverage will ensue, and Rangers beat writers will begin focusing on Young's transition to first base and DH.
At the height of the insanity in early February, Young learned a few things about the fickle nature of public opinion. For every supporter who argued that he was disrespected or wronged by the organization, there was a corresponding rejoinder from the "shut up and play" faction of the Internet.
"Everybody's entitled to their opinion," Young said. "I never paid too much attention to that. It was out there that I all of a sudden changed my mind on my role. You mean to tell me that I agreed to it, and then, two weeks before camp, I was like, 'Sorry, I don't give a [crap] about those guys in the room?' I'm just not that way."
Young actually laughed when he received several phone calls in early February asking about his spring plans.
"People were calling me and asking, 'Are you coming to camp?'" Young said. "I'm like, 'Of course I'm coming to camp. Why wouldn't I?'"
Baseball has a way of soothing the anger, or at least providing a diversion to paper over it. Michael Young might not be a happy camper, but he's in Surprise preparing to play ball. And for now, at least, it's time to move on to the next spring training crisis.
It happened last year when cocaine revelations swirled around manager Ron Washington and rocked the team before spring training. The Rangers addressed the problem and moved on. Several months later, when the team acquired pitcher Cliff Lee at the deadline, president Nolan Ryan and general manager Jon Daniels found themselves up to their necks in questions about bankruptcy proceedings. Not to worry.
[+] EnlargeMichael Young
AP Photo/Charlie RiedelMichael Young and the Rangers seem ready to put a contentious offseason behind them.
The Rangers' clubhouse environment is serene enough that outcasts Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley arrived in spring 2008 and found acceptance, peace and a new lease on life. When Milton Bradley fits in that seamlessly, you know the keel is always even.
"If there's a club that's shown it can ignore external factors, we're it," Daniels said. "We've probably had too much practice. But we're good at it."
Michael Young isn't the sole reason "distractions" -- to use the spring training word du jour -- seem to fall by the wayside in Arlington. But he's the player most responsible for setting a tone of professionalism in the clubhouse, uniting disparate factions and keeping his teammates focused.
Skeptics might point out that Young appeared in 1,508 career games before his first postseason appearance, so what are the intangibles worth, really? But they've never heard the sense of respect in his teammates' voices when they assess his place in the overall scheme.
"I've never categorized myself as the leader of this team," Young said Sunday. "But I'm going to be myself. If you turn around and people are following, you're leading. At that point, you embrace that responsibility and that role. And that's what I've done here."
So what happens when the plot takes an unexpected turn and the clubhouse leader, healer and facilitator of good will is himself the focus of the storm? That sociological experiment is playing out for Team Equilibrium this spring in Surprise.
Two years removed from swallowing his pride and moving from shortstop to third base to accommodate rookie Elvis Andrus, Young is back in a position that makes him squirm. In early February, apparently convinced that Daniels was trying to trade him despite assurances to the contrary, Young pronounced himself "misled and manipulated" and asked the Rangers to deal him.
Those efforts aren't going so smoothly, and now it appears he'll stick around for a while. In his new role as a reluctant Ranger, Young earns a spot on the Mount Rushmore of 2011 spring training soap operas alongside Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and Derek Jeter.
Setting things straight
Step one, at least, is out of the way. When Young arrived in Surprise this weekend, his bats, gloves and cleats were waiting for him, and he made sure to check his personal baggage at the door. On Saturday, he held a news conference and said his main focus is preparing for the season. On Sunday, he showed up at 6 a.m. to get a head start on his work, then met with Washington, the coaching staff and his teammates in an attempt to "squash" the negative fallout from his unsettled personal situation.
"I'm an open book," Young said. "Guys know the way I'm wired and the way I approach my job. In that sense, this is not going to be an issue at all.
"
Dobbs You mean to tell me that I agreed to it, and then, two weeks before camp, I was like, 'Sorry, I don't give a [crap] about those guys in the room?' I'm just not that way.
" -- Rangers DH Michael Young
"I'm not going to allow there to be any white elephant in the room. Address it and confront it. And after guys ask their questions, tell them, 'Have some fun, have a good camp, and get ready to go beat somebody."'
If you're one of those people who are interested in how the sausage is made, the offseason was fascinating to watch in Arlington. It's perfectly clear that Young is angry at Daniels, and in no mood to forgive, and it's going to be a challenge for the two men to overcome their differences. Meanwhile, Young has gone out of his way to praise Ryan for being so "upfront" and "honest" in their personal dealings.
By accident rather than design, a good-cop, bad-cop dynamic seems to be taking shape in the Texas front office. On the one hand, there's Ryan, with his 5,714 strikeouts, Hall of Fame cachet and good ol' boy charm, always there to calm the waters and receive praise from the adoring media in Texas.
On the other hand, there's Daniels, who built the first World Series team in franchise history with the acquisitions of Hamilton, Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Nelson Cruz and numerous other club mainstays. Daniels landed the Rangers' GM job in 2005 as a 28-year-old Cornell graduate -- a two-fer that's never going to win an executive a front-row seat in the baseball "boys club."
Daniels is smart enough to know that the best way to move beyond the current mess is to keep his head down and let the shrapnel whiz past. He's sensitive to the public perception that he wasn't entirely straight with Young because, as he puts it, "So much of what we do in this business is based on our word and our integrity."
But Daniels is even more disturbed that outsiders might think there's a divide in the Texas front office. He insists that perception is inaccurate.
"This is a regrettable situation, but one thing I'm very confident in is that everything we've done has been with one goal -- to win," Daniels said. "And it's been done in concert with everybody in the organization. Ownership. Management. Staff. Scouts. We're very much on the same page."
Making the best of it
[+] EnlargeJon Daniels
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesJon Daniels admitted that the offseason turmoil that enveloped the Rangers and Michael Young was "regrettable."
In truth, Young is one of dozens upon dozens of big leaguers who have some sort of gripe with the GM or the front office. His situation is more high profile, and the stakes are clearly bigger, but he's in the same boat as the lower-service-time player who feels personally violated because the team just carved him up in a salary arbitration hearing.
In the pantheon of baseball rifts, player-GM ranks well down on the list of concerns. When players hate each other, it's a recipe for friction in the clubhouse. If the players think the manager is spineless or overmatched, it's a recipe for chaos. The higher up the food chain you go, the less impact it has on the front lines. The old Yankees all felt squeezed by GM George Weiss, and the Oakland A's loathed owner Charlie Finley, and they used it as a bonding ritual. Sure, the money is exponentially bigger today. But human nature hasn't changed.
The notion that Young's personal animosity toward Daniels might spill over into the Texas clubhouse is, on the face of it, absurd. Brandon Webb has pitched a total of four innings over the past two seasons because of shoulder problems. Do you think he's consumed with Young's feelings toward Daniels?
First baseman Mitch Moreland is fighting for at-bats as he tries to establish himself as a big leaguer. Does he care that Young and Daniels aren't on speaking terms?
Cruz, Colby Lewis, Hamilton and C.J. Wilson missed out on champagne and ginger ale showers when the Rangers fell to San Francisco in the World Series. As long as Young plays for the Rangers and contributes, that's their prime concern.
Ian Kinsler, one of Young's closest friends on the team, scoffed at the notion that a Young-front office rift might permeate the clubhouse.
"That's pretty high school," Kinsler said. "There's really no drama in here. My relationship with the front office is completely different than, say, Taylor Teagarden's. And Mike's is at a different level than mine. It's not my concern at all. My concern is to make sure we're ready to play come April 1."
The dynamics change, of course, if the Rangers actually trade Young. But that's looking like more of a long shot every day. Say what you will about Young's defense or his $16 million annual salary, but he ranks second to Ichiro Suzuki with 1,602 hits since 2003. He accepted a role as DH and super-utility guy once the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre as their new third baseman, and now it's too late in the game for Daniels to replace Young's bat. Beyond that, the Rangers are resistant to paying most of Young's salary so he can contribute somewhere else.
So, everyone will try to make the best of it. And, in a day or two, the Detroit Tigers will decide what's going to happen with the Miguel Cabrera situation, and breathless coverage will ensue, and Rangers beat writers will begin focusing on Young's transition to first base and DH.
At the height of the insanity in early February, Young learned a few things about the fickle nature of public opinion. For every supporter who argued that he was disrespected or wronged by the organization, there was a corresponding rejoinder from the "shut up and play" faction of the Internet.
"Everybody's entitled to their opinion," Young said. "I never paid too much attention to that. It was out there that I all of a sudden changed my mind on my role. You mean to tell me that I agreed to it, and then, two weeks before camp, I was like, 'Sorry, I don't give a [crap] about those guys in the room?' I'm just not that way."
Young actually laughed when he received several phone calls in early February asking about his spring plans.
"People were calling me and asking, 'Are you coming to camp?'" Young said. "I'm like, 'Of course I'm coming to camp. Why wouldn't I?'"
Baseball has a way of soothing the anger, or at least providing a diversion to paper over it. Michael Young might not be a happy camper, but he's in Surprise preparing to play ball. And for now, at least, it's time to move on to the next spring training crisis.
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Cardinals' Adam Wainwright has 'significant' elbow injury
Bad news for Cards fans.................
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2011/02/cardinals-adam-wainwright-has-significant-elbow-injury/1
By Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY
Adam Wainwright was a 20-game winner last season with the Cardinals. Suddenly, the potential distraction of Albert Pujols' contract situation is far from the most pressing issue in St. Louis Cardinals camp.
Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who finished second in the National League Cy Young Award race last season, left Cardinals camp in Jupiter, Fla. and returned to St. Louis to have his pitching elbow examined.
General manager John Mozeliak told news reporters that the elbow injury is "significant."
If early indications are as grim as they appear, and Wainwright is headed for Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, the blow would be a devastating one for the Cardinals.
They are built heavily on Pujols and pitching, and losing their co-ace -- along with veteran Chris Carpenter -- would vastly change the dynamic of the club while also giving significant hope to the defending NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds, as well as the upstart Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.
Minus Wainwright, those clubs could easily boast a superior 1-2 (or even 1-2-3) pitching duo than the Cardinals, with the Brewers adding Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum to Yovanni Gallardo, and the Cubs adding Matt Garza to Ryan Dempster and a revitalized Carlos Zambrano.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Wainwright had a tear in the same ligament in 2004 and missed his final start of 2010 due to discomfort.
An elbow examination in November showed no structural problems, and Mozeliak reports that the latest problem was discovered after Wainwright threw a bullpen session. The GM is expected to provide an update on Wainwright's prognosis Wednesday afternoon.
The Post-Dispatch also notes that Wainwright's two-year contract option that was triggered by his Cy Young finish is valid only if he does not finish the 2011 season on the disabled list.
And as with everything involving the Cardinals this season, it all comes back to Pujols. The chance to win consistently while also getting paid a salary commensurate to his status in the game is a significant portion of Pujols' free agency equation.
If Wainwright misses this season and spends part of 2012 recovering from surgery, it probably wouldn't help the Cards' chances of convincing their franchise icon that he can do both in St. Louis.
Wainwright posted a 20-11 record and a 2.42 ERA last season, losing out to Roy Halladay in Cy Young voting. In 2009, he finished third in Cy Young balloting after a 19-8, 2.63 season, and he's 64-34 since joining the Cardinals rotation full-time in 2007.
For now, the Cardinals will make do with what they have and, presumably, explore replacement options. Speculation has already begun that they will pursue free agent pitcher Kevin Millwood.
Bad news for Cards fans.................
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2011/02/cardinals-adam-wainwright-has-significant-elbow-injury/1
By Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY
Adam Wainwright was a 20-game winner last season with the Cardinals. Suddenly, the potential distraction of Albert Pujols' contract situation is far from the most pressing issue in St. Louis Cardinals camp.
Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who finished second in the National League Cy Young Award race last season, left Cardinals camp in Jupiter, Fla. and returned to St. Louis to have his pitching elbow examined.
General manager John Mozeliak told news reporters that the elbow injury is "significant."
If early indications are as grim as they appear, and Wainwright is headed for Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, the blow would be a devastating one for the Cardinals.
They are built heavily on Pujols and pitching, and losing their co-ace -- along with veteran Chris Carpenter -- would vastly change the dynamic of the club while also giving significant hope to the defending NL Central champion Cincinnati Reds, as well as the upstart Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.
Minus Wainwright, those clubs could easily boast a superior 1-2 (or even 1-2-3) pitching duo than the Cardinals, with the Brewers adding Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum to Yovanni Gallardo, and the Cubs adding Matt Garza to Ryan Dempster and a revitalized Carlos Zambrano.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Wainwright had a tear in the same ligament in 2004 and missed his final start of 2010 due to discomfort.
An elbow examination in November showed no structural problems, and Mozeliak reports that the latest problem was discovered after Wainwright threw a bullpen session. The GM is expected to provide an update on Wainwright's prognosis Wednesday afternoon.
The Post-Dispatch also notes that Wainwright's two-year contract option that was triggered by his Cy Young finish is valid only if he does not finish the 2011 season on the disabled list.
And as with everything involving the Cardinals this season, it all comes back to Pujols. The chance to win consistently while also getting paid a salary commensurate to his status in the game is a significant portion of Pujols' free agency equation.
If Wainwright misses this season and spends part of 2012 recovering from surgery, it probably wouldn't help the Cards' chances of convincing their franchise icon that he can do both in St. Louis.
Wainwright posted a 20-11 record and a 2.42 ERA last season, losing out to Roy Halladay in Cy Young voting. In 2009, he finished third in Cy Young balloting after a 19-8, 2.63 season, and he's 64-34 since joining the Cardinals rotation full-time in 2007.
For now, the Cardinals will make do with what they have and, presumably, explore replacement options. Speculation has already begun that they will pursue free agent pitcher Kevin Millwood.
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Updated: February 24, 2011, 2:30 PM ET
Brandon Webb has solid session
By Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington was excited by what he saw from Brandon Webb's "heavy" long toss session Thursday.
"Wow," Washington said. "The ball was coming out of his hand really good. The arm strength is picking up."
Washington said Webb threw 60 to 65 pitches off flat ground during a 17-minute session Thursday.
The Rangers decided they wanted the right-hander to build up arm strength before getting back on a mound after his short bullpen session during the first workout a week ago.
The former NL Cy Young Award winner hasn't pitched in a major league game since the 2009 opener for Arizona because of shoulder surgery.
Washington said Webb could throw off a mound Sunday or Monday "if everything keeps progressing."
Webb is set to throw again Friday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Follow Richard Durrett on Twitter: @espn_durrett
Brandon Webb has solid session
By Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington was excited by what he saw from Brandon Webb's "heavy" long toss session Thursday.
"Wow," Washington said. "The ball was coming out of his hand really good. The arm strength is picking up."
Washington said Webb threw 60 to 65 pitches off flat ground during a 17-minute session Thursday.
The Rangers decided they wanted the right-hander to build up arm strength before getting back on a mound after his short bullpen session during the first workout a week ago.
The former NL Cy Young Award winner hasn't pitched in a major league game since the 2009 opener for Arizona because of shoulder surgery.
Washington said Webb could throw off a mound Sunday or Monday "if everything keeps progressing."
Webb is set to throw again Friday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Follow Richard Durrett on Twitter: @espn_durrett
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Phillies puzzled by no-show Luis Castillo
Updated: March 22, 2011, 2:15 PM ET
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- His name was on the lineup card. His locker had his name over it. His uniform hung on a rack. But as Tuesday morning was about to turn into Tuesday afternoon, there was no sign of newly signed Luis Castillo in the Philadelphia Phillies' spring-training camp.
And while manager Charlie Manuel professed publicly that he was "not disappointed", Phillies officials clearly were confused, and at least mildly frustrated, by Castillo's absence.
Mike and Mike in the Morning
Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel talks about the injury to Chase Utley and what the team plans to do to replace his production. Plus, Manuel weighs in on the team's dominant pitching staff.
More Podcasts »
Castillo agreed to a minor league contract with the Phillies on Monday morning, and had been expected to arrive in Clearwater by Monday night. The team made a hotel reservation for him and wasn't aware he was still home in South Florida until ESPNDeportes.com's Enrique Rojas reported that Castillo wasn't leaving for Clearwater until Tuesday morning.
A source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that Castillo was delayed by a personal matter. But Manuel said he wasn't told why Castillo was delayed.
"They told me he'd be here today, so I put him in the lineup," Manuel said. "The reason I put him in the lineup was, I wanted to see him play. Maybe I should wait to put up my lineup till game time."
But after learning that Castillo wasn't in Clearwater, Manuel scratched his name off the card. And when the Phillies posted their lineup for Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay in Port Charlotte, Castillo wasn't listed on that card, either. Manuel said the reason for that was that the 35-year-old second baseman is now scheduled to take a physical in the morning.
Asked if he was disappointed by Castillo's absence, Manuel replied: "I don't get disappointed. I'm not disappointed. Not at all."
But when asked if he'd have been in Clearwater by now if it were him, Manuel smiled and said: "If it was me? I'd have been here two days ago. But it's not me."
The manager then reiterated, however, that "I ain't upset about it or nothing, really. When he gets here, we'll suit him up and see what he can do."
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. attributed Castillo's absence to a "miscommunication" between Castillo and his agents, Sam and Seth Levinson.
Amaro said he was "surprised and confused" by Castillo's absence initially, "but I don't see it as a big deal, because it's not."
"It just means one less day of us not being able to put our eyes on him," he said. "But hopefully, we're smart enough that we can evaluate him in one less day."
Amaro said it's now expected that Castillo will complete his physical in time to play Wednesday.
"It's a minor league deal," he said, "so it's not the same sort of physical as a major league deal. We just want to make sure he's OK."
But Castillo now has only six exhibition games remaining before his new team breaks camp next Monday. And the Phillies are in wait-and-see mode before they commit to him as a potential replacement for Chase Utley, whose return from knee trouble could be weeks or months away.
The Phillies were reluctant to guarantee Castillo money or playing time before seeing him play firsthand. And even if he makes the team, they would be responsible only for the major league minimum salary of $414,500. The Mets, who released him last week, are on the hook for the rest of the $6 million Castillo is owed in 2011.
Senior writer Jayson Stark covers Major League Baseball for ESPN.com.
Updated: March 22, 2011, 2:15 PM ET
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- His name was on the lineup card. His locker had his name over it. His uniform hung on a rack. But as Tuesday morning was about to turn into Tuesday afternoon, there was no sign of newly signed Luis Castillo in the Philadelphia Phillies' spring-training camp.
And while manager Charlie Manuel professed publicly that he was "not disappointed", Phillies officials clearly were confused, and at least mildly frustrated, by Castillo's absence.
Mike and Mike in the Morning
Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel talks about the injury to Chase Utley and what the team plans to do to replace his production. Plus, Manuel weighs in on the team's dominant pitching staff.
More Podcasts »
Castillo agreed to a minor league contract with the Phillies on Monday morning, and had been expected to arrive in Clearwater by Monday night. The team made a hotel reservation for him and wasn't aware he was still home in South Florida until ESPNDeportes.com's Enrique Rojas reported that Castillo wasn't leaving for Clearwater until Tuesday morning.
A source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that Castillo was delayed by a personal matter. But Manuel said he wasn't told why Castillo was delayed.
"They told me he'd be here today, so I put him in the lineup," Manuel said. "The reason I put him in the lineup was, I wanted to see him play. Maybe I should wait to put up my lineup till game time."
But after learning that Castillo wasn't in Clearwater, Manuel scratched his name off the card. And when the Phillies posted their lineup for Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay in Port Charlotte, Castillo wasn't listed on that card, either. Manuel said the reason for that was that the 35-year-old second baseman is now scheduled to take a physical in the morning.
Asked if he was disappointed by Castillo's absence, Manuel replied: "I don't get disappointed. I'm not disappointed. Not at all."
But when asked if he'd have been in Clearwater by now if it were him, Manuel smiled and said: "If it was me? I'd have been here two days ago. But it's not me."
The manager then reiterated, however, that "I ain't upset about it or nothing, really. When he gets here, we'll suit him up and see what he can do."
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. attributed Castillo's absence to a "miscommunication" between Castillo and his agents, Sam and Seth Levinson.
Amaro said he was "surprised and confused" by Castillo's absence initially, "but I don't see it as a big deal, because it's not."
"It just means one less day of us not being able to put our eyes on him," he said. "But hopefully, we're smart enough that we can evaluate him in one less day."
Amaro said it's now expected that Castillo will complete his physical in time to play Wednesday.
"It's a minor league deal," he said, "so it's not the same sort of physical as a major league deal. We just want to make sure he's OK."
But Castillo now has only six exhibition games remaining before his new team breaks camp next Monday. And the Phillies are in wait-and-see mode before they commit to him as a potential replacement for Chase Utley, whose return from knee trouble could be weeks or months away.
The Phillies were reluctant to guarantee Castillo money or playing time before seeing him play firsthand. And even if he makes the team, they would be responsible only for the major league minimum salary of $414,500. The Mets, who released him last week, are on the hook for the rest of the $6 million Castillo is owed in 2011.
Senior writer Jayson Stark covers Major League Baseball for ESPN.com.
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Brian Wilson only has mild side strain
Updated: March 22, 2011, 10:58 AM ET
ESPN.com news services
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The San Francisco Giants are optimistic closer Brian Wilson will be ready for Opening Day after doctors confirmed Monday that he has nothing more than a mild strain on his left side.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Wilson already has been exercising in the weight room, but no lifting of weights has been involved.
After an off day for the entire team on Tuesday, Wilson will attempt to play catch on Wednesday, although not off the mound.
"We are encouraged by the progress he's made," Bochy said.
The 29-year-old Wilson, who led the majors with 48 saves last year, said he could pitch now if this was the regular season.
"If it's a regular-season game, I'm throwing," Wilson told reporters. "There's really no point in risking anything by going out and pitching the sixth inning of a spring training game on March 21."
If he is out for an extended period, the closer's role likely would be taken by left-handers Jeremy Affeldt or Javier Lopez, or right-hander Sergio Romo.
The defending World Series champions open the season on the road March 31 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report
Updated: March 22, 2011, 10:58 AM ET
ESPN.com news services
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The San Francisco Giants are optimistic closer Brian Wilson will be ready for Opening Day after doctors confirmed Monday that he has nothing more than a mild strain on his left side.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Wilson already has been exercising in the weight room, but no lifting of weights has been involved.
After an off day for the entire team on Tuesday, Wilson will attempt to play catch on Wednesday, although not off the mound.
"We are encouraged by the progress he's made," Bochy said.
The 29-year-old Wilson, who led the majors with 48 saves last year, said he could pitch now if this was the regular season.
"If it's a regular-season game, I'm throwing," Wilson told reporters. "There's really no point in risking anything by going out and pitching the sixth inning of a spring training game on March 21."
If he is out for an extended period, the closer's role likely would be taken by left-handers Jeremy Affeldt or Javier Lopez, or right-hander Sergio Romo.
The defending World Series champions open the season on the road March 31 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report