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What They Need: Washington Nationals - A Reality Check

Sarah Green — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:16:25 +0000

Ken Rosenthal wrote earlier this fall that club officials in Washington believe their team is reasonably close to a breakthrough — they blame 2008’s performance on injuries, and think they need just a few pieces to put them over the top. The Nationals want to scoop … [visit site to read more]

Pujols MVP Backlash Part II - Backlashing the Backlash

Paul Moro — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:06:30 +0000

Piggybacking on Coley’s post yesterday regarding Albert Pujols as MVP, I want to draw attention to another article arguing against the pick - this one from the … [visit site to read more]

What They Need: Chicago White Sox - Speed, infielder, youth

Alejandro A. Leal — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:17:52 +0000

At the end of the season, the White Sox dragged their feet (and their fans through burning coals) before clinching the AL Central title in what turned out to be a surprisingly mediocre division.

Sure, they bounced back from an atrocious 2007 season, but more often than not, their age, lack of speed, reliance on the long ball, and inability to hold leads exposed serious flaws to a team that eventually was bounced from the playoffs after a weak series against the World-Series-bound Tampa Bay … [visit site to read more]

Pujols MVP backlash

Coley Ward — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:30:39 +0000

We’ve got a host of NL MVP-related links today.

DanUpBaby at Viva El Birdos says, “I’ve never been happier to overreact about something, personally.”

Here’s how Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writer visit site to read more]

Cubs Poised To Re-Sign Ryan Dempster

Paul Moro — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:25:29 +0000

Prior to this season, the knock on Ryan Dempster has been his control. For his career, he’s handed out 707 free passes in 1425 innings. That’s 4.47 walks per nine innings, which is pretty much unacceptable.

But his 2008 performance has shown exactly why walk totals are extremely important. By cutting down to 3.4 walks per nine, Dempster produced a 2.96 ERA in 206 2/3 innings. And now, visit site to read more]

What They Need: Tampa Bay Rays — Offense, an Outfielder

Sarah Green — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:51:02 +0000

The Tampa Bay Rays won the AL East this year thanks to a combination of efficient pitching and smothering defense. Those skills also took them all the way to the World Series — in their first year as an over-.500 team.

But where they fell short in the Fall Classic was in offense. They just couldn’t out-hit the slugging Phillies. But before you cry “sample size!” (and I know the words are right on the tip of your tongue), take a look at their regular season run differential. The Rays … [visit site to read more]

What they need: A’s — Rafael Furcal and a big season from Daric Barton

Coley Ward — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:47:59 +0000

I have to admit, at first glance I thought this was going to be an easy one. In 2006, the A’s were seventh in the AL in OBP at .340 and made the playoffs. Last season’s team was next to last in all of Major League Baseball in OBP and finished 25 games out of first place.

It’s just that simple, right?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

The great … [visit site to read more]

What They Need: New York Mets — Some Sort of Exorcism? Okay, or Pitching.

Sarah Green — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:50:29 +0000

I’ve been trying to decide what the Mets need. I mean, in 2007 they were all but a lock for the playoffs before embarking on an epic fail of historic proportions. Then they went out and acquired the best pitcher on the market. So theoretically, they should’ve come back … [visit site to read more]

What They Need: St. Louis Cardinals - Chris Carpenter, Bullpen

Paul Moro — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:59:14 +0000

The 2008 St. Louis Cardinals were not a bad team. Despite finishing a disappointing 4th place (11.5 games back) in the NL Central, they were only four games out of the Wild Card spot. They had one of the most potent offenses in the National League, plus a pitching staff that kept opponents to an above average 4.48 runs per game.

But “above average” was not enough to carry them past the Astros, Brewers, or the Cubs. And when young ace Adam Wainwright went down, joining pitchers Mark Mulder … [visit site to read more]

Manny to the Nationals would be sweet, sweet justice

Coley Ward — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:30:03 +0000

It’s been widely reported that the Nationals might make a run at free agent IB Mark Teixiera, but here’s a little something that Buster Olney threw out at the bottom of his latest column (Insider required):

Each offseason move impacts others that will follow, but with that in mind, here’s a guesstimate as to where the top free agents will land:

Sabathia: … [visit site to read more]