Our featured bloggers that provided us with the in depth Report Card series that has just concluded are back to give everyone an in depth look at what the off season holds for the major league teams they cover.  A look at what each team needs, what each team has already gained and lost, and some of the youth in each team’s system will be examined in these articles.  You can find all of the author’s information at the bottom of the article.

After finishing 2011 with a disappointing 74-88 record the Oakland A’s head into an offseason full of questions that range from who’s going to play the outfield in 2012 to where the team will be located.  There may not be a lot of winning baseball in Oakland but there’s a never a dull moment either with so much uncertainty hanging over the franchise.

Key Free Agents Leaving The Team
Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, David DeJesus and Hideki Matsui.  That’s just Oakland’s entire starting outfield and full-time designated hitter.

Key Areas Needing Improvement
Outfield and designated hitter because they’re all hitting the road as free agents.  In-house options include Ryan Sweeney, Michael Taylor, Jai Miller, Jermaine Mitchell, Chris Carter, Brandon Allen and Kila Ka’aihue but none of them are proven commodities as everyday Major League players.

The A’s could also use a better option at third base where the top candidate to man the hot corner in 2012 is convereted second baseman Scott Sizemore who doesn’t provide the kind of power a team usually looks for out of the position.

Pieces That Are In Place
The pitching staff remains a strength, even with Dallas Braden and Brett Anderson on the mend from season-ending injuries.  Gio Gonzalez was an All-Star in 2011, Trevor Cahill is young enough to rebound from a rough season, Brandon McCarthy had an outstanding campaign that flew under the radar and Guillermo Moscoso came from out of nowhere to deliver quality innings at the back of the rotation.

The bullpen is also solid with closer Andrew Bailey backed up by veterans Grant Balfour, Brian Fuentes and young fireballer Fautino De Los Santos.

Second baseman Jemile Weeks is easily the most valuable position player the A’s have right now after his outstanding rookie season that saw him hit .303 with 22 stolen bases and flashes of outstanding defense.

Possible Trade Pieces Within The Organization
If you believe the rumor mill just about everyone wearing green and gold is a trade candidate, especially if Major League Baseball gives the A’s permission to move to San Jose.  In that case Beane is expected to go into full rebuilding mode in an attempt to have an outstanding young team in place by the time the team moves into a new ballpark in the South Bay.

Gonzalez and Bailey have been the subject of a lot of trade speculation so far and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them go to the highest bidder if Beane can get an offer to his liking.

Young player to watch for in 2012: Grant Green  
The former shortstop and first round draft pick out of USC was converted to center field last year and appears to be on the fast track to the majors.  Green followed an outstanding 2010 in Single A with an up-and-down 2011 that ended with some playing time in Triple A at the end of the season.

Considering the fact that free agent defections will leave the A’s looking for a new set of outfielders there’s no one blocking Green’s path to Oakland.  A strong few months in Sacramento could land Green in the big leagues around the All-Star Break.

Jason Leary
www.junkball.wordpress.com and www.swinginas.com
@JunkballBlogger

BaseballDigest.com aims to keep up that tradition.  This season, we bring you a Report Card on each team in Major League Baseball from writers that cover that team directly.  At the bottom of each write up, you will find the writer’s name, website, and any other pertinent information.  

The A’s entered 2011 as a trendy playoff pick after acquiring Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham and David DeJesus  to bolster the offense behind a stellar young pitching staff that carried the team to an encouraging .500 finish in 2010.

But the season unraveled quickly as losses, injuries, subpar performances and a firestorm of criticism cost manager Bob Geren his job well before the All-Star Break.  Bob Melvin took over but having a different Bob filling out the lineup card didn’t make much of a difference as the A’s crossed the finish line in third place in the AL West at 74-88, 22 games behind the Texas Rangers.

Rotation: B-
Oakland entered the year counting on a rotation led by Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Braden to keep them in the thick of the playoff chase.  Even though Anderson and Braden suffered season-ending injuries fairly early in the year and Cahill struggled with inconsistency the rotation still managed to be Oakland’s strength.

Gonzalez was an All-Star, Brandon McCarthy emerged as one of the free agent steals of the winter and Guillermo Moscoso came from out of nowhere to post a 3.38 ERA in 21 starts.

Bullpen: C
Along with the rotation, the bullpen looked to be a major strength for Oakland heading into 2011.  Free agent setup men Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes were added to a unit that already had Brad Ziegler, Michael Wuertz and Craig Breslow ahead of closer Andrew Bailey.

Unfortunately for the A’s, Bailey opened the season on the disabled list Ziegler was traded and Fuentes, Wuertz and Breslow all had off years.  When healthy, Bailey was as solid as ever and rookie Fautino De Los Santos showed flashes of being a dominant power arm out of the bullpen.

BD Report Cards brought to you by Seamheads

Catchers: C
As usual, Kurt Suzuki carried the load behind the plate for the A’s with backups Landon Powell and Anthony Recker appearing about as often as a sellout crowd in Oakland.  I think there were several moments during last season where the seldom-used Powell was covered in a visible layer of dust at the end of Oakland’s bench.

Suzuki calls a solid game and plays decent defense but his offense continues to stagnate since hitting its peak in 2009.

Infield: C-
On Opening Night Kevin Kouzmanoff, Cliff Pennington, Mark Ellis and Daric Barton were in the starting lineup.  By the end of the season Pennington was the only one left from an infield that was expected to provide solid defense and decent hitting but failed in both departments.  The defense was a sore spot all year and Oakland never got the kind of offensive production you would expect out of the corner infield spots.

The emergence of fleet-footed rookie second baseman Jemile Weeks was one of the few bright spots in a painfully disappointing season for the A’s.

Outfield: C+
A starting outfield of Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp and David DeJesus delivered a mixed bag of production as injuries limited each player to about 130 games.  Willingham hit for power but not much else, Crisp leveraged a relatively empty average into the league lead in steals and DeJesus had the worst year of his career.

Defenisively, Willingham lacked range, Crisp lacked a respectable throwing arm and DeJesus matched the worst fielding percentage of his career.  The only backup outfielder worth noting was Ryan Sweeney who followed a career-long trend of playing stellar defense while looking relatively helpless at the plate.

Top Offensive Player: Josh Willingham
Hitting 29 home runs and driving in 98 runs for one of the weakest offenses in baseball makes Willingham an easy pick as Oakland’s top offensive player.  Sadly, like most top offensive performers to wear white shoes before him Willingham is expected to depart the A’s as a free agent which will leave the club with a couple of compensation draft picks and a huge hole to fill in the lineup.

Top Pitcher: Gio Gonzalez
Gonzalez built on a solid 2010 campaign by earning a trip to the All-Star Game and winning 16 games with 197 strikeouts for a team that spent much of 2011 flirting with last place.  Not bad for a control-challenged 25-year-old southpaw.

Walks will always be a problem for Gonzalez, who led the league with 91 free passes, but as long as he can keep his cool and his fastball-curveball combo working he should have a few more seasons with 15+ wins and close to 200 punchouts ahead of him.

How many of those will be in an A’s uniform is a good question as the small market club is seemingly always on the verge of turning its roster over.

Jason Leary
www.junkball.wordpress.com and www.swinginas.com
@JunkballBlogger

Coming off a career in Japan they usually have dominated competition or have stats that are superior from their playing days overseas compared to a vast majority of players in the same position here in the States. As a result, their new respective teams and media blow the expectations out of proportion, thus creating a monster of a fan base. The fans end up expecting that this new player is the “chosen one”, the one missing link to get their team over the hump.

What Kosuke Fukudome has endured that others have not is that Fukudome is not only seen as a difference maker, but a potential difference maker for the Chicago Cubs, the team with a 104 year championship drought.

Cubs fans have been waiting for their team to capture the elusive World Series championship for over a century now. Before the 2008 season, the Cubs announced the signing of Kosuke Fukudome. He was showcased as a one-time MVP in Japan’s Central League, capable of putting up numbers with a .343 average, 34 HRs and 104 RBIs in a given season. He was to be the left-handed, leadoff bat the Cubs were lacking and he was going to make a difference at the top of the order. With this year being the last year of his contract, it remains to be seen if Fukudome can finally deliver on the championship he was brought in to capture. The pressure he faces as a Cub is like nothing talented Japanese players such as Ichiro Suzuki or Hideki Matsui have ever seen in Seattle or even a team with a rabid fan base in the Yankees.

I believe part of it has to be attributed to culture shock. A new batch of opponents. A new group of stadiums. New pitchers. A grueling schedule. A language you may not be fluid in as of yet. That is a lot to take in as a ‘rookie’ in the major leagues, ever after putting nine years of professional baseball service under your belt like Fukudome.

In his nine years playing with the Chunichi Dragons, he played in 1074 games, collected 1175 hits, 494 of them of the extra-base variety, a career .305 AVG and an OPS of .940. He originally was drafted in 1999 as a shortstop, but after committing many errors due to the inability to field ground balls, he was moved to third base and then to the outfield where he excelled. In his rookie season he batted .284 with 16 home runs and was a key part to the Dragons winning the title that year.

It didn’t take long for Fukudome to be considered as one of the best in the game. In his fourth season with the Dragons, he hit .343 and stopped Hideki Matsui from winning the triple crown. He followed up that season with a .313 average and 34 home runs. 2006 was Fukudome’s greatest year where he batted .351 with 31 home runs and 104 RBIs, winning him the Central League MVP. It garnered attention from MLB scouts and set the stage for great expectations from fans in the States.

In a July 2008 issue of Baseball Digest, Jim Molony wrote about the excitement Fukudome brought to the Chicago Cubs during his first season. Click here to check it out!

In his major league debut with the Cubs, fans in the right field bleachers were instantly smitten with Fukudome, wearing headbands in his honor and bowing down to him for his three-run home run he hit in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game off of Brewers’ closer Eric Gagne. Since that day, Fukudome has struggled to win over the Cubs faithful despite being named to the National League All-Star team during his rookie season. Part of this may be because he has only collected 34 home runs in his three seasons with the Cubs. With the fans seeing his numbers in Japan, they had visions of Fukudome hitting that mark in a single season, so overall, he has been a bit of a letdown. He is a key part of the 2011 Cubs outfield rotation and is off to a strong start yet again.

Recently, Fukudome got some news of the personal-life variety. His wife delivered the couple’s second child, a baby girl on April 19^th.

Cubs fans hope Fukudome himself can deliver something soon as well – a World Series championship for their Chicago Cubs.

Also Born Today:

Joe Crede turns 33 today. Crede played third base for the Chicago White Sox from 2000-2008 and for the Minnesota Twins in 2009. He won the World Series with the White Sox in 2005. During the Series, on October 22^nd, on the due date of his second daughter, he hit his first World Series home run.

Virgil Trucks turns 94 today. Trucks made his major league debut on September 27, 1941 for the Detroit Tigers. Through 17 seasons, he maintained a strong ERA of 3.39 and a win-loss record of 177-135. A World Series champion in 1945, Trucks has two no-hitters on his resume three months apart. The first on May 15, 1952 and the second on August 25, 1952.

Ryan Maloney is a Staff Writer for BaseballDigest.com, the author of popular Chicago Cubs blog Prose and Ivy and contributing writer to MLB.com/Entertainment.

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The A’s have had a few down years recently, and they seem finally ready to compete for a division title again for the first time since 2006. The Texas Rangers will be a hard team to overcome, but the A’s seem to be building a nice young core. The A’s way in will most likely be through the division, because there are too many teams at the top that would probably have better records than them for the wild card spot if they tried to sneak in that way.

Pitching, pitching, and more pitching is what would get the A’s over the hump in the AL West, but their offense has improved slightly since last year. The good news is that the A’s have not lost anyone from last year, and they have added Hideki Matsui, Rich Harden, Grant Balfour, and Brian Fuentes to their team. The Athletics finished at exactly .500 last season at 81-81 and in second place in the AL West, nine games back of the Texas Rangers.  Let’s take a look at the 2011 Oakland Athletics as they strive to improve upon last year’s record.

Starting Rotation – This is the #1 strength of the Oakland Athletics. The Athletics have something that every team in baseball covets, even the Philadelphia Phillies, a very talented and young rotation. The Phillies certainly have the former, but not the latter. With the likes of Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, Dallas Braden, and the addition of veteran Rich Harden, the A’s have the makings of one of the best rotations in all of baseball. In fact, that same rotation, minus Harden, had a major league-leading 3.47 ERA last season, which is the main reason they were able to finish .500, and they have a chance to be even better this season.

Ace Cahill was an All-Star in 2010, posting 18 wins. Anderson finished 7-6 with a 2.80 ERA in an injury shortened season. Gonzalez had his first breakthrough year in his first full season in the majors, going 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA. Braden threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays and finished 11-14, but with an impressive 3.50 ERA. Having started his career in Oakland, Harden is familiar with the team. If he can stay healthy, he will be a very solid #5 starter in the rotation. Harden had a down year for the Rangers going 5-5 with a 5.58 ERA, but he will look to rebound and prove to the Rangers that they should not have let him go by helping Oakland to win the AL West.

Bullpen – As impressive as the A’s starting rotation should be this season, the bullpen should not be too far behind. The bullpen finished with a 3.83 ERA in 2010, and they added veterans Grant Balfour for the 7th inning and Brian Fuentes for the 8th inning. Fuentes has experience as a closer and he may be needed in that role. Young stud closer Andrew Bailey is one of the best young pitchers in baseball, posting a 1.70 ERA and 51 saves for the A’s in the last two seasons, but had injuries last year, and according to the Oakland Athletics website, left this past Monday’s game against the Cleveland Indians grabbing his right elbow. He was sent to see specialist Dr. James Andrews and that’s never a good thing. We’ll see what happens there, but if Bailey is not healthy this season, the bullpen all of a sudden goes from great to good. Rounding out the rest of the bullpen is Michael Wuertz,lefty Craig Breslow, Jerry Blevins, and Brad Ziegler.

Infield – Let’s go around the horn. At third base it will be Kevin Kouzmanoff. Kouzmanoff does not give you quite the power you would like at third base, but he is reliable and better than average. Kouzmanoff led the A’s with 16 home runs last season, and he tied for the team lead with 71 RBI. At shortstop, Cliff Pennington will have the job for the second year in a row. Pennington only hit .250 with six home runs last year, so the A’s will need him to step his game up this season. At second base, Mark Ellis will have the job. Ellis you might remember from the A’s 2006 team that went all the way to the ALCS. Ellis is the only remaining starter from that team.

Ellis is probably one of the more underrated second basemen in all of baseball. He has never won a Gold Glove or made the All-Star team, yet his .990 fielding percentage is in the top five in major league history. Ellis also has 85 home runs in his career, which are the most ever for an A’s second basemen. Rounding out the infield is Daric Barton at first base. Barton has some upside and is still a very young player. The A’s are hoping that he can continue to progress this season.

Catcher – The A’s have a gem in Kurt Suzuki. Suzuki tied with Kouzmanoff with a team leading 71 RBI, which is very impressive for a catcher.

Insert your link in here.

Outfield – The Oakland Athletics outfield has a chance to be very good in 2011, if it can stay healthy, and that’s a big if. The outfield will be made up of newcomers David DeJesus and Josh Willingham, both acquired in trades, and centerfielder Coco Crisp who played for the A’s last season. Crisp was not healthy the whole year, similar to the rest of his career. He played in just 75 games last season but did hit a solid .279 with eight home runs and 38 RBI, and a career high 32 stolen bases.

Crisp has always had the talent, but he has been too injury prone throughout his career to be an All-Star caliber player that he was predicted to be when he first came up. DeJesus also had injuries last year with the Kansas City Royals, but he hit an impressive .318 in 91 games. Willingham, surprise, surprise, also battled through injuries with the Washington Nationals last year. In Willingham’s shortened season, (114 games), he was able to rack up 16 home runs and 56 RBI. In 2009, Willingham socked 24 home runs for the Nationals, so he definitely has some pop. If all three of these guys can stay healthy and produce for a whole season, it would greatly improve the A’s chances of winning the division.

Bench – Newly acquired designated hitter Hideki Matsui will have the task of providing some power in a weak lineup. Although Matsui is 36 years old, I believe he still has some pop left in his bat. Matsui only hit 21 home runs with the Angels last year, but then again, it was a down year for home runs across the board last season. Ryan Sweeney will be a solid fourth outfielder option after starting for Oakland last year. Making up the rest of the bench is Adam Rosales, who can play anywhere in the field, Conor Jackson, who was a starter with the Diamondbacks at one point, and maybe the player to watch the most this season, rookie Chris Carter, who hit two home runs in a spring training game Monday.

Manager – Manager Bob Geren enters his fifth season with the Oakland Athletics, and it seems that he has plenty of job security. After struggling through three losing seasons with a young team, Geren guided the A’s to a .500 mark for the first time during his tenure last season. This season, Geren looks to get the A’s over the hump and into the postseason.

Front Office / Ownership – The General Manager of the team is Billy Beane who I spoke of at the top. Beane is widely considered one of the best GM’s in all of baseball, and I agree that he is, but at the same time, I think Beane is not criticized enough for never winning a World Series title with this franchise. The owner of the team is Lew Wolff. The ownership group has said that Oakland is no longer a good option for the future for a team, and by saying that, they have alienated their fan base. The team is looking to move to San Jose as a future home, but they are waiting on Major League Baseball to make that decision.

Vlad is not the player he once was – a 5-tool stud that could throw a ball from the right field wall to home plate on the fly, run like the wind, and could hit any pitch out of the park – but he did bounce back with Texas last season. Serving as the team’s primary DH (he played only 18 games in the outfield), Guerrero hit .300, belted 29 home runs, and drove in 115 runs while posting an .841 OPS. His home run total was his highest in two years; the RBI total his higest in three.

The Angels used Hideki Matsui as their DH last season, but parted ways with him when his one year deal expired. Vlad was an extremely popular teammate and fan favorite during his six seasons in Anaheim, but the Angels let him walk after he played in just 100 games in 2009 (He produced 15 HR, 50 RBI, and a career low .794 OPS). Guerrero’s physical ailments- bad feet and knees in particular – have slowed him and affected his play. At 36 years of age (on Feb. 9) he’s a risk the Angels, who lost out on Carl Crawford and apparently Adrian Beltre, may very well be willing to take after finishing 9th among 14 teams in runs scored last season. On the other hand Texas is willing to let Guerrero go after a poor post-season that saw him produce just 6 RBI in the three playoff series.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Adrian Beltre is indeed getting very close to a six year, $96M deal with the Texas Rangers. That according to team beat writer T.R. Sullivan. The sixth year would reportedly be voided if Beltre doesn’t reach a specified amount of plate appearances in the fifth year.

The Orioles have officially locked up Kevin Gregg with a two year, $10M deal.

The Reds have signed outfielder Jeremy Hermedia to a minor league deal.

The Mariners and infielder Brendan Ryan will not have to go to arbitration after agreeing to a two year, $2.75M contract.

The Giants are talking once again with shortstop Edgar Renteria, who said the team disrespected him in earlier negotations.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Not as deep in the heart of Texas: Lee was the key to the Rangers sealing up the AL West and their run to the World Series. But with Lee gone, the Rangers don’t have a true number one in their rotation. They did make a low risk/high reward signing Sunday when they came to terms with former Diamondback, Brandon Webb ($3M base). It remains to be seen whether or not Webb will be able to regain his form. The Rangers signed Yorvit Torrealba to shore up the leaky boat situation they had at catcher and kept Matt Treanor to back him up. Jeff Francoeur (KC), Rich Harden (Oak), and Brandon McCarthy (Oak) all signed elsewhere.

In the arms of the Angels: With ace John Lackey’s departure prior to the 2010 season and Nick Adenhart’s tragic death in 2009, the Angels were lacking in quality starters last season. The Halos picked up Dan Haren at the trade deadline and hope someone else will emerge this year in the back end of the rotation. One player who might fit that bill is Hisanori Takahashi, the 35-yr old left-hander LA signed away from the Mets. The Angels did give themselves a shot in the arm, the left one to be exact, by signing stand out set up man/part-time closer Scott Downs to a three year deal.  The team also parted company with long time reliever Scot Shields. The Angels will be employing a new DH as well after letting Hideki Matsui walk (to Oakland).

An A for Effort: Oakland hung tough for quite a while in the west last year and has been very busy this off-season. In addition to signing Matsui, Harden, and McCarthy, the A’s also dealt for outfielders David DeJesus (KC) and Josh Willingham (FLA), brought back 2nd baseman Mark Ellis, and signed reliever Fernando Cabrera to a minor league deal.  Gone are Jack Cust, Vin Mazzaro, Edwin Encarncion, Eric Chavez, and Ben Sheets.

The Rhyme of the Mediocre Mariner: Seattle has had high expectations the last couple of years and very poor results. Outside of Felix Hernandez, Ichiro, and Franklin Gutierrez, there aren’t many holdovers on the roster to get excited about. Bringing in Jack Cust as the new bat isn’t going to change that. Seattle is reportedly shopping closer David Aardsma and already dealt away infielder Jose Lopez. Starter Ryan Rowland-Smith (Hou), like much of the team, had a disappointing 2010 and left via free agency. The only other notable signing for Seattle was the retention of Erik Bedard. Yes, it will be another rough year to be a Mariners fan.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

The Blue Jays are reportedly close to inking reliever Octavio Dotel to a one year deal. Dotel could either serve as a set up man or closer.

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo hears that Carl Pavano is holding out for a three year deal.

The Phillies re-upped with reliever J.C. Romero; terms are reportedly one year at $1.1M.

The Brewers have come to terms with reliever Takashi Saito on a one year, $3M deal.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

In New York, Yankees fans cried, whined, and sighed. And Met fans applauded that the Yankees lost out on Lee. Apparently it hasn’t sunk in yet that the Mets will have to face the Phillies rotation 19 times a year.

In Arlington, Ron Washington’s gut is in hiding. After all, it was Washington’s gut that told him Lee was coming back to Texas. And the Rangers are back where they were before last season’s trade deadline; with a huge hole in their rotation.

The Red Sox fans joy is twofold. 1) The Yankees didn’t get Lee and 2) The Yankees didn’t get a top left-hander to negate their lefty-laden lineup.

Meanwhile, Yankees GM Brian Cashman has to go to plan ‘B’. He told area beat writers this morning, via a conference call, that means “patience”. For now the Yankees have just three definite spots in their rotation- CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett. So the next logical step will be to see what Andy Pettitte’s status is. With no Lee in NY, Pettitte will probably ask for a higher amount of money than had the Yankees landed Lee. I can see a $15M asking price, though the Yankees will want the figure to be closer to $10M. Incentives can make both sides happy.

Another winner in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes is his agent Darek Braunecker, who is now a household name.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Former Yankee Hideki Matsui finalized his one year deal with the Oakland A’s. It’s worth $4.25M. Good job by Billy Beane.

The Yankees may not have gotten Lee, but they did get the catcher they wanted. Russell Martin, recently non-tendered by the Dodgers, has agreed to a one year deal.

Lyle Overbay has agreed to a one year, $5M deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Overbay had a nice offensive year in 2010, but it’s not his norm. Still you would think there would be some upper echelon teams interested in him.

The Nationals have signed pinch-hitter extraordinaire Matt Stairs to a minor league deal.

One of the Rangers plan ‘B’ options is apparently Chien-Ming Wang. The former Yankee missed all of 2010 after undergoing shoulder surgery and was non-tendered by the Nationals. Nolan Ryan and company are reportedly also looking at Carl Pavano.

The Cardinals have agreed to a deal with Gerald Laird as a backup catcher to Yadier Molina. Laird will receive $1M for one year.

According to the Kansas City Star’s Terez Paylor, the Royals are still shopping Zack Greinke and looking for the best fit.

The Rays have re-signed lefty J.P. Howell to a one year deal. Howell, who had torn labrum surgery in May, will miss the start of the season and his exact return is in question.

The Mariners, looking for parts, inked Royce Ring, Ryan Langerhans, Denny Bautista, and Chris Giminez to minor league pacts.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Cliff Lee has to make a decision soon. One that will affect him for the next six to eight years. Last night Texas owner Chuck Greenberg startled the baseballsphere by calling an 8 p.m. (CST) conference call (for some reason with print media only). Alarms bells sounding panicking Yankees fans and presumably exciting Rangers fans.

Thud!

That’s the sound of expectancy falling short. The call was merely to tell the media that the Rangers had made an offer with multiple options to Lee. So now the Yankees and Rangers (and any mystery teams we don’t know of) sit back and wait for Lee and his wife to come up with a choice.

The Yankees give Lee a better shot at contending every year. The Rangers give Lee the opportunity to be closer to his Arkansas home.

The ball is literally in Lee’s court diamond.

Some persons are very decisive when it comes to avoiding decisions.  ~Brendan Francis

Rumors, News, and Transactions

Based on her sources, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser feels Oakland is a likely spot for Hideki Matsui to play in 2011. One exec told her, “They need offense, and he’s got power,” the executive said. “He’ll help them. But the problem for a team like the A’s is they’re always looking at their third or fourth choice rather than their No. 1 choice.”

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports that the Reds have come to terms with outfielder Jay Bruce on a six year contract extension worth $51M. Bruce was set to become a “Super Two” (A player with two years and 122 days service) in February, which would have made him arbitration eligible for the next four seasons.  Good move by Cincy to buy up those years ahead of time.

The White Sox have stated that for now Chris Sales will remain in the bullpen unless they can bring in adequate replacements.

The Brewers would really like to sign Carl Pavano, but reportedly will not go beyond two years in any contract offer.

The NY Post’s Joel Sherman reports that Derek Jeter will be having one on one hitting sessions with hitting coach Kevin Long this winter in attempt to bounce back from his sub-par 2010 season.

The Twins have been receiving several calls inquiring if lefty Francisco Liriano is available. The Twins would rather not part with their top pitcher under contract, but are willing to move Kevin Slowey, who struggled with injuries last season.

The NY Daily News’ Mark Feinsand has learned from sources that catcher Russell Martin is leaning towards signing with the Red Sox.

Update 7:30 p.m.

One left-hander is off the market; the Angels of inked set up man, part-time closer Scott Downs to a three year, $15M contract.

The NY Daily News’ Andy Martino has the Mets taking a look at Reed Johnson as a reserve outfielder.

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley reports that the White Sox are shopping outfielder Carlos Quentin for relief help. It would also relieve some payroll since Quentin is in his second year of arbitration eligibility and made $3.2M last year.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Yankees have stepped up their pursuit of catcher Russell Martin. We reported earlier that reports had Martin leaning toward signing with the Red Sox where he would be a backup. The Yankees want him to start and assist Jorge Posada in mentoring Jesus Montero.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

2. David Ortiz, Bos – Big Papi was far from being Big Papi when he was non-tendered by the Minnesota Twins following the 2002 season.  Though not a free agent by normal standards, the bidding was open to any team interested.  The Red Sox figured they would take a chance on the underachieving 1B/DH and signed him to a one year, $1.25M contract.  Two World Series titles and 291 home runs later, the Red Sox are quite happy with their purchase.

3. Vlad Guerrero, LAA – The star of the Montreal Expos knew he couldn’t make top dollar in Canada nor would he get a championship north of the border.  He signed for five years at a (20/20 hindsight) reasonable $14M per year (plus a $9M option for 2009 that was picked up when the time came).  Guerrero won the 2004 AL MVP award, averaged 113 RBI over the original five years of the deal, and helped lead the Halos to four division titles.

4. Hideki Matsui, NYY – “Godzilla’s” three year, $21M signing prior to the 2003 season not only was about baseball, but the globalization of business as well.  The Yankees knew it would expand the reach of their then year old YES television network, increase their Japanese-American fan-base, and allow major league baseball to extend its reach further into Japan.  Matsui never became the 50 home run hitter he was in Japan, but became one of the Yankees steadiest run producers, averaging 110 RBI.  His initial contract also was a stepping stone to a second deal after the 2005 season that culminated with the Matsui winning the 2009 World Series MVP award.

5. Manny Ramirez, Bos – It’s hard to imagine that knowing all of the “Manny being Manny” drama that Ramirez created in Boston, that an eight year, $160M deal (signed in Dec., ’00) would be considered a good investment.  But it was.  Despite being put on re-callable waivers at various times, Ramirez was the big offensive gun Boston needed to reach new heights.  A Hall of Fame hitter, he was an integral part of the Red Sox winning titles in 2004 and 2007.

6. Mike Mussina, NYY – “Moose” was a top notch pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, who only left the town of crab cakes due to the team’s downward spiral.  Baltimore’s loss was the Big Apple’s gain.  The five year, $88M deal he signed prior to the 2001 season is a bargain by today’s standards, especially for one of the most consistent pitchers in the game. Mussina won 52 games in the first three years of the contract to help the Yankees win the AL pennant in 2001 and 2003.

7. Johnny Damon, Bos – After six years with Kansas City and a one year stint in Oakland, Damon signed a four year, $31M deal in Dec., ’01 and became a star for the Boston Red Sox.  He was one of the leaders of the so called “idiots” and was the team’s offensive catalyst.  Perhaps his best season was his last in Boston.  He reached career highs in home runs (20) and RBI (94), helped lead Boston back from a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS, including a game 7 grand slam, as Boston went on to snap an 86 year World Series championship drought.

8. Bobby Abreu, LAA – Despite a stellar career, Abreu found no takers for a multi-year deal during the winter of 2008, and settled for a one year contract worth $5M with the Angels.  The deal paid off for the Halos as Abreu produced a 103 RBI, 96 run, 30 stole base season and enabled Guerrero to become the full time DH.  Abreu hit .556 in the Angels first round sweep of the Red Sox in the division series.

9. Ted Lilly, ChC- At the time Lilly signed his four year, $40M contract with the Cubs there were some pundits who thought that Chicago had overpaid.  But Lilly threw over 200 innings (34 starts each in 2007 and 2008) in each of his first two seasons on the north side, winning 32 games in the process.  Injuries cut into his time in 2009 and 2010, but he still made 57 starts during that time.

10. Todd Jones, Det – Jones already had 13 seasons under his belt when he signed a two year, $11M with the Tigers prior to the 2006 season.  The closer saved 75 of the 125 regular games he appeared in and saved four games in the 2006 post-season when the Tigers made it to the World Series.

Now on to today’s news and rumors:

The last thing the St. Louis Cardinals want, or need, is for Albert Pujols to hit the open market after next season.  So it comes as no surprise that the team will be doing their best to sign Pujols to a contract extension this winter.

FoxSports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that Justin Upton is being shopped by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jon Paul Morosi has knowledge that the Boston Red Sox have already contacted Arizona about the younger of the Upton brothers.

Bartolo Colon hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since the 2009 season, but some success in the Dominican winter league has given him thoughts of making a comeback.  The Denver Post’s Troy Renck has learned that Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd is monitoring the situation.

According to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff, the New York Yankees are interested in lefty reliver Pedro Feliciano, who last pitched for the crosstown Mets.   At the moment, Boone Logan is the Yankees sole lefty out of the pen with Damaso Marte expected to miss most of next season.  Marcus Thames had a big year for the Yankees last season, but it appears he may be playing far away from Yankee Stadium next season.  Japan’s Sponichi Annex reports that Thames is working on a deal with the Softbank Hawks.

A veteran catcher with a presence is something every team would like.  The Florida Marlins are one of those teams and, according to AOL Fanhouse’s Ed Price, are making a strong bid for free agent catcher John Buck.

Scott Boras said his client Manny Ramirez is hoping to sign a one year, incentive laden contract.  Those could some interesting incentives.

Update 7 p.m.

The Florida Marlins said they were serious about trading 2nd baseman Dan Uggla and they weren’t kidding.  This afternoon Uggla was sent to division rival Atlanta for infielder Omar Infante and left-handed reliever Mike Dunn.

Uggla had recently turned down a four year, $48M contract extension and was immediately put on the trade market by the Marlins front office.  He’s a three time All-Star, who averaged 30 home runs over the past five seasons and just won his first Silver Slugger award.  The 30-yr old Uggla is expected to remain at 2nd base while current Braves 2nd baseman Martin Prado could move to a corner position.  That is at least until the 2010 trade deadline arrives when Uggla could be dealt again.

Infante was a surprise All-Star selection this past season, in which he hit a career high .321 and played in the second highest number of games (134) in his career.  Dunn just completed his first full season in the majors after being acquired from the Yankees in a deal that sent Javier Vazquez to New York in Dec. ’09.  He was 2-0, 1.89 with 27 strikeouts and 17 walks in 19 innings pitched.

The Cardinals have re-signed right-hander Jake Westbrook whom they acquired from the Indians at the trade deadline.  Westbrook was 4-4, 3.48 in five starts for St. Louis.  The deal is reportedly worth $16.5M and includes a mutual option for 2013.

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor  for BaseballDigest.com.  You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

Box breakdown—Each 2003 Fleer Tradition Update box contains 32 packs with 10 cards per pack.  There is also a rookie box inside that has 25 rookies inside.  Each box contains two game used cards on average.  There no autographs in this set.

Parallels—Every card has a glossy parallel which is numbered out of 100.

Inserts—The inserts sets for this release are Long Gone! (20 card set with each cards numbered to player’s longest home run), Diamond Debut (25 card set) and Turn Back the Clock (10 card set).  These are tough seeds in the boxes and you may only pull 1 or 2 of these inserts per box.

Rookie cards—When a set has over 100 rookies in it you can expect most of them to be busts.  The good ones you can pull here are Rickie Weeks, Jeremy Bonderman, Hideki Matsui, Brandon Webb, Shane Victorino and Delmon Young.

Game used—There are no autographs in this set so I will mention the game used cards.  There is a Milestones set with 16 cards.   The Milestones set also has a Gold parallel with all versions being numbered out of 100.  There are lots of the usual big names in the regular set but none books higher than a normal game used card.  Another run of the mill set is the Throwback Threads.  With five cards total, there is nothing special here.  The only solid game used cards you will want to pull from this box are the Throwback Threads patch cards with Mike Piazza or Vladimir Guerrero being the good ones.

The test of time— These boxes run around $50-$70 and are still out there in quantity.  Unless you are a hardcore set collector and love this release I say stay away from this box unless it someday drops to around $25 a box.  You will not come close to breaking even on this box by flipping or even trading thanks to the tough seeded odds of all the inserts sets and the fact that you can only get about 25% of the SP’s per box.  For the most part all the game used cards are boring and priced accordingly.

Next week I will be taking a look at the 2005 Topps Bazooka release.

2010 Season Record: 63-36

The Yankees opened up the week with a two game series against their long time nemesis,  the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  The Bombers got off on the right foot by scoring two runs in the first inning of the opener.  Nick Swisher belted a solo home run and Jorge Posada added a sacrifice fly.

However, that would not hold up against the Angels and their second year fill in starter Sean O’Sullivan.  The right-hander didn’t allow another hit through the 6th inning and got plenty of run support, including a two-run shot by Hideki Matsui, as the Angels beat the Yanks 10-2.

In Game 2, the Yankees’ sleeping bear offense awoke and scored 10 runs.  They would need it as the Angels clawed away against starter Javier Vazquez. With the Yankees holding a slim 6-5 lead in the 7th,  rookie Juan Miranda hit his 3rd homer of the season for a much needed insurance run.   But the Yankees youngsters weren’t done yet.

With two men aboard later in the inning, Brett  Gardner was ejected in the middle of his at-bat for arguing balls and strikes with the home plate umpire.  Suddenly, rookie Colin Curtis was up at the plate with an 0-2 count.  Curtis worked the count full against veteran Scot Shields and then lined a three-run home run into the right field seats.  It was Curtis’ first career home run and curtain call.  The Yankees went on to win the game by a 10-6 margin.

The Bombers then welcomed the lowly Kansas City Royals into town for a four game series.  The Yankees beat up on the Royals in Game 1, 10-4, as their dominant offense continued to click.

The first four batters in the Yankees lineup did most of the damage, going 10-20 (.500) with 2 HR and 8 RBI.  Alex Rodriguez’s bat stood out the most.  The All-Star third baseman went 3 for 5 with 4 RBI and hit his 599th career home run.

In Game 2 the Yankees great offensive play and individual milestones continued as the Yanks rolled to a 7-1 win.  The victory included Jorge Posada’s 1000th career RBI.  A.J. Burnett threw five innings of shutout ball before rain forced his removal from the game.  Robinson Cano also enjoyed a big night with a pair of hits and 3 RBI.

The Yankees couldn’t overcome a poor start by Sergio Mitre and dropped Saturday’s contest 7-4.   Mitre allowed five earned runs in 4.1 innings to offset any possible comeback by the Pinstripes. Red-hot Mark Teixeira slugged a pair of home runs and drove in three runs, but a late rally fell short.

The final game of the four game series was another offensive outburst for the Yankees and a measure of revenge against O’Sullivan.  The righty was acquired earlier in the week from the Halos and now faced the Yankees in a different uniform.

The Yankees knocked O’Sullivan around, then outlasted the Royals and a two hour-thirty seven minute rain delay for a 12-6 win.

Five Yankees collected two or more hits in the game, including Curtis Granderson who belted a pair of solo home runs.  A-Rod also had a great game even though he didn’t hit career HR number 600.  The slugger went 2-4 and drove in 3 runs to increase his RBI total to 81.  He also survived a scary moment in his final at-bat when Royals pitcher Blake Wood hit in the arm with a 95-mph fastball.  The slugger stayed down for several moments, but came away with just a contusion.

The Bombers’ offensive tear helped them stay in 1st place in the AL East as they prepare for a showdown with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Pinstriped Positives:

CC Sabathia continues to dominate the league and has put up great numbers so far this year.  In his last 10 games the Yankees ace is 8-1 with a 2.10 ERA.

Javier Vazquez has also continued to dominate hitters.  The one time struggling pitcher is 9-7 with a 4.54 ERA after going 6-2, 3.05 in his last 10 starts.

Mark Teixeira has been sizzling like the July temperatures. The one time struggling first baseman is hitting .289 in his last 10 games with 2 homers and 11 RBI.

Negatives:

Nick Swisher’s numbers have dipped a little as of late.  The first time All-Star is hitting .263 in his last 10 games, though he did hit a pair of home runs and drove in eight runs in the stretch.  He’s also been bothered by a sore heel.

Brett Gardner is really struggling; the speedy outfielder is hitting a measly .161 in his last 10 games and only has 2 stolen bases.

Robinson Cano who was once the league leader in batting average is hitting .243 in his last 10 games and has watched his batting average drop 7 points as a result (.329).

What’s Next:

The Yankees will now take their show and the league’s best record on the road as they face the Cleveland Indians for four games.  Then they will finish the week with a three game set against the second place Rays in Tampa.

John Fetter recently joined Baseball Digest as a New York Yankees contributor.  He can be reached at jfetter@sportstalk88.com.

Guerrero, ignored by many teams in free agency this offseason, has been the key cog in revving the Rangers’ offensive engine.  The designated hitter has flourished in a role that has him set in the four spot of a potent lineup, while not having the strain of playing the corner outfield spots.  While Guerrero’s batting average may have dropped from his torrid .340 pace in May, he still is hovering around .320 and remains in the top 10 in the majors. Ranking 6th in homers and 2nd in RBIs, respectively, Vlad has officially returned as a bona fide power threat and is once again in the conversation for most feared hitter in the American League.

On top of his impact at the plate, Guerrero, along with Michael Young, has given a young Ranger clubhouse another veteran presence. Having played in five playoffs, including two ALCS series, Vlad can help ease the pressure of the young players come playoffs time. With his bat and experience combined, Guerrero has proved indispensable for a surging Texas powerhouse.
With the Rangers’ flourishing beyond Guerrero’s bat, his former team, the Los Angeles Angels, miss his middle of the order presence. While the loss of first basemen, and power threat, Kendry Morales has hurt the reigning AL West champs, no player has been able to pick up the slack.

The Angels have five  players with ten homers or more, led by Torii Hunter (16) and Mike Napoli (15), but Guerrero’s replacement Hideki Matsui has not had his usual plate discipline (just .329 OBP of this writing, forty points below his career average), despite a respectable 10 home runs and 47 RBIs.   If LA has any hope of catching Texas they will need to add a big bat, a la Prince Fielder, or find an internal solution in order to compete.

Another of the unsung Rangers has been reliever turned starter C.J Wilson. As the on-and-off closer for the Rangers last season, Wilson enjoyed modest success notching 14 saves and a 2.81 ERA. This year, under the tutelage of team president Nolan Ryan, C.J built up his arm strength in order to turn into a starter and help fortify what was a rotation in flux.

A revelation for Ryan and vaunted pitching coach Mike Maddux, the left-hander has recovered from a rocky end of May, where he gave up 17 runs in 17 innings, to go 5-2 since. With his ERA around 3.20, Wilson has been the ace in the hole that Texas needed in the fight for the AL West. Wilson’s latest start is a microcosm for the way his 2010 season has unfolded. With Boston managing just three hits while striking out 10 times, the Red Sox couldn’t find a rhythm against the Texas pitcher. Although C.J was wild, a hallmark this year as he leads the AL in base on balls, allowing five walks, he struck out batters at opportune moments and induced two double plays. After going 6.2 innings, Wilson had the Rangers in a great place for a victory, something he has been able to deliver on all season long.  His emergence helped Texas open up  a modest lead in the AL West race, and allowed GM Jon Daniels to make a preemptive strike; Cliff Lee.

With Lee atop the rotation, and Hamilton chasing the Triple Crown, Guerrerro and Wilson will likely receive little attention the rest of the way.  But if the Rangers make a long-awaited return to the postseason this year, it’s hard to imagine how they would have gotten there without them.

Last night’s loss to the Detroit (5-4) was obviously frustrating to Yankees followers. Spot starter Sergio Mitre was far from fantastic, but he wasn’t horrendous either. An Alex Rodriguez throwing error led to two early runs, one of which was earned. Mitre is not part of the regular rotation and does all right as a long man in the pen. He’s not going to be the guy to make or break the team.

Boone Logan failed miserably in a big spot. There’s no excuse for walks to batters who don’t deserve to be pitched around. If he continues in that vein, he’ll be gone.

Marcus Winn, Randy Thames, Winn Thames…no matter how you combine their names, you really can’t put a good ball player together between them at this point in their careers. Thames has good power, but has never hit for average and his outfield skills..well, outfield and skills should not be used in the same sentence when it comes to Marcus Thames.

Winn was a good player. He is still a decent outfielder, but the speed left his bat a long time ago. Obviously, neither one of them would be getting many at-bats if not for the injuries to Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson. But the lineup and defense is still deep enough even with them.  And Granderson will be back before you know it.

As soon as Johnny Damon homered last night, there was an outpouring of messages on Twitter condemning the Yankees for not re-signing him.  Damon can still hit, but little leaguers have stronger arms than him, and fly balls have become an adventure in left field.  Despite all that, Damon could have been the Yankees DH had he and his agent Scott Boras not decided to be greedy.

Hideki Matsui’s name was thrown in the mix as well.  He was a clutch bat for the Yankees, but a liability in the field and his knees are shot. You can bet that if Matsui was still a Yankee and was hitting the .230 he’s currently hitting with the Halos, Yankees fans would be screaming about how the team shouldn’t have re-signed him.

The Yankee fan base has quickly forgotten how quickly a team can age. The 1996-2001 mini-dynasty ended with a sharp decline and even though the team made the 2003 World Series, there was some very obvious holes that took a long time to fill. 20/20 hindsight is easy to have, but looking back do you think it was smart to re-sign Scott Brosius or should the Yankees have made Mike Lowell their third baseman for the long run?

The Yankees have won 9 of 10 series this season, but apparently that isn’t good enough for some fans. Now, there’s no question that the Nick Johnson signing was probably not the most well thought out plan. But most likely the thinking was to go cheap for one year and then to make a run after Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth for next season.

Seriously, how do some Yankees fans last through a 162 game season? When my team loses in any sport it bother me.  But you can’t carry it into the next game.  The players don’t why should you as a fan?  Baseball is not like football.  There is no week between games.  Barring a rainout or a rare day off, teams are back on the field the next night.

Some losses hurt more than others, of course.  If you’re a Yankees fan, you never want to lose to Boston, but you have to look at the big picture. In this case that means remembering that the Yankees won two of three in both of their series with Boston this year (on the road to boot).

It’s cliche, but the baseball season is indeed a marathon not a sprint.  Chill out Yankees fans.
On the Up side

There were some positives for the Yankees and their fans to take from last night’s game with Detroit. Another home run for Mark Teixeira. A much better outing for David Robertson. Alex Rodriguez had a couple of solid hits. Jorge Posada returned to the lineup.  And a dominant performance by Joba Chamberlain, who hit the upper 90′s with his fastball and struck out the side in the 8th inning.

Where’s Waldo?

In this case, where’s Mariano Rivera.  The Yankees closer had sat out a three game series with Baltimore last week due to stiffness in his side.  With no close games in Boston, Joe Girardi decided to let Rivera rest some more.  But in a tight one last night there was still no Rivera sighting.  It has to make you wonder if Rivera is/was hurt worse than the Yankees let on.  With Javier Vazquez going for the Yankees tonight, the bullpen will most certainly be needed.  But it remains to be seen if the pen’s best pitcher will be used.

The Scranton Express

Injuries and a tired bullpen have led to a number of players being summoned from Scranton, the Yankees Triple-A affiliate.  Infielder Kevin Russo, and pitchers Romulo Sanchez and Ivan Nova have joined the Yankees on the road.  Tonight the Bombers get another left-handed bat to replace some of the missing pop with the recall of first baseman Juan Miranda.

* * *

Drew Sarver covers the Yankees for BaseballDigest.com and blogs at My Pinstripes.  He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and followed on Twitter.

Randy Wolf

Wolf was the first free agent pitcher of the board this off season. The Brewers inked him to a three year deal. For a team with the third best offense in the league last season , who were, at the bottom of every pitching category-this is a good move for the Brew Crew. He ate 219.1 innings,  struck out 160 batters, pitched to a 3.23 ERA and was 11-7.  Those aren’t the Fantasy numbers of an ACE, but a serviceable 3^rd tier starter on your staff.

Latroy Hawkins

Following Randy Wolf to Milwaukee is Latroy Hawkins. He saved 11 games last year, filling in for an injured Jose Valverde and had a nice 2.13 ERA.  This season Hawkins is setting up for the MLB all time saves leader Trevor Hoffman. He will land you holds and the occasionally save when Hoffman needs a rest or has an injury. That being said, I don’t like Hawkins and suggests you avoid hin on draft day.

Brandon Lyon

With Jose Valverde declining arbitration and Latroy Hawkins departing for greener pastures, the Astros have brought in Brandon Lyon on a three year deal.  I believe he will win the closer role out of Spring Training. However, an injury or blown saves will result in newly acquired Matt Lindstrom having save opportunities’.

Rich Harden

His tenure in the majors has resulted in 753.2 innings with 783 K’s and a lot of injures. Harden will flash some old magic throughout the season, however injures will be waiting along with a hitters friendly park in Arlington. Don’t avoid him all together on draft day, but use caution on the round you use the draft choice

Pedro Feliz

Feliz could hit 15HR this season and hit 30 doubles. However, it’s not enough for me to want him anywhere on my roster unless and injury accord.  Pedro is on the fence of being a player lost in the Waiver Wire Abyss, however, is a solid bench player in Fantasy Baseball this 2010 season.

Matt Lindstrom

Will fight Brandon Lyon for the closer position out of camp. Will obtain Holds and Saves this season. Please see Brandon Lyon for more details.

Rafael Soriano

Is now out of Atlanta with Mike Gonzalez no longer breathing down his neck. He saved 27 games last season and will have a fine season if he stays healthy.  He is a great mid round choice for saves.

Kevin Millwood

Grab him late. Thrown him against the wall and see what sticks.

JJ Putz

JJ wants to close games. Period. He said that in his press conference with the Mets last season and I can’t see why his attitude has changed. He will nail down Holds and get the occasionally save. However, I wouldn’t be surprise by seasons end if Bobby Jenks was out of the South Side and Putz was the full time closer. Ken Williams has repeatedly knocked Jenks for his big frame and conditioning. Lets not forget JJ had two awesome years closing for Seattle in 2006 with 36 saves and 2007 with 40.

Mike Cameron

Mike Cameron is shipping up to Boston, playing left field, and going to have a really good year. 30 bombs and 30 two baggers is not out of the question by any means. He will have plenty of RBI chances and draw his Walks. There are negatives such as K’s and average, however, Cameron can be your 2^nd or third outfielder this year and produce for you.

Juan Pierre

The Dodgers never used him correctly and he is a speed threat, that can win you SB’s in a week. I would look for him to steal 35-40 this season and hit for a high average.  If your league counts Triples and he also will nail you down those.  If the White Sox start him this season he should have a starting role on your Fantasy team.

Jason Marquis

In the best year of his career and on a “walk year”, his ERA was still 4.04. Let another team carry a Nationals starter with a 4.04.

Hideki Matsui

The 2009 World Series MVP will be wearing a halo over his head to go along with that World Series ring. Matsui is still going to put up fine numbers for any team that drafts him. We must not let his 2009 playoff run and MVP honors enhance his value on draft day though. Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer will put up similar numbers. 

Lost in the Waiver Wire Abyss*:

Player / 2010 Team

Ross Gload/Phillies

Chris Ray/Rangers

Bobby Crosby/ Pirates

Corey Patterson/Mariners

John Buck/ Blue Jays

Javier Lopez/ Pirates

 *The Waiver Wire Abyss refers to players who have zero to negative Fantasy value.

 Jay Ferraro is Executive Producer of Baseball Digest LIVE and the Fantasy Baseball writer for BaseballDigest.com.  You can reach him here and follow him on Twitter here.

Johnson played for the Yankees from 2001-2003 before being shipped to the Montreal Expos as part of a package for right-handed starter Javier Vazquez. He averaged 14 home runs and 52 RBI in the latter two years. He spent last season with the Nationals before being dealt to the Florida Marlins at the trade deadline.

Johnson has been on the disabled list a number of times and that marked a good portion of his time in New York as well as while he was an up and coming prospect. His best year was in 2006 while a member of the Washington Nationals. He had career highs in average (.290), OPS (.948), home runs (23), and RBI (77). His high on-base percentage and ability to produce runs fits right into the Yankees’ game plan.

Johnson not only replaces Hideki Matsui, who signed with the LA Angels, in the lineup, but also as a left-handed bat that can hit-left-handed pitching. He’s a career .292 hitter against southpaws, including .316 last season.

The Yankees payroll was over $200 million this year, by far the most in baseball. Although the Phillies were 7th overall, the majority of the key Phillies players were homegrown: Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, etc. Whereas, a good amount of the key Yankees players were bought: A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, etc.

The Yankees deserve credit for winning this championship and putting this team together, but it needs to be pointed out the way they did it, which is why a good majority of the fans out there do not like them.

In terms of the game itself: Andy Pettitte outpitched Pedro Martinez, and the Yankees powerful offense outperformed the Phillies powerful offense. In the end, even with all the pieces in place, the Phillies were unable to become just the fourth team in the history of the National League to repeat as World Champions.

Don’t be fooled though. Even though this Phillies team got beat this year, they will be back. Ruben Amaro, Jr. will tinker with the pieces in the offseason and try to improve the club before spring training next year, and their core players are all still in the prime of their careers.

Some other game notes, included Ryan Howard finally breaking out of his World Series slump, as he hit a homerun in the game, but it was all too little too late. Give the Phils credit though, because they fought and grinded to the very final at bat, which included Shane Victorino fouling pitch after pitch after pitch off against Mariano Rivera, before he finally grounded out to Robinson Cano to end the game.

For years, Hideki Matsui was one of the symbols of a New York Yankees team that never reached the promised land.

Not any more.

In playing what could be his last game in pinstripes, Matsui made the most of his final curtain call, driving in record-tying six runs to power the Bronx Bombers to their 27th World Series title.

Much like his Yankee Stadium debut seven seasons ago, a performance that saw the Japanese slugger called “Godzilla” drive in four runs with a grand slam in a 7-3 win over the Twins, Matsui was the leading man in Wednesday’s victory, by the identical score of 7-3.

Lending even more credence to the idea that the ghosts of championships past have moved across the street, Andy Pettitte was the winning pitcher that cold April day so many years ago.

”It’s mind-boggling the things that happen here at the Stadium,” said Pettitte that day. ”It’s obviously a great moment for him. That was special.”

On a night when the pre-game chatter in the press box was about how the Yankees had to find a way to stop Chase Utley from ruining their season, it was the Phillies who never found a way to keep Matsui from ending theirs.

While it’s certainly true that Matsui never truly delivered the kind of numbers that were expected of him when the Yankees signed him, his career in pinstripes has earned a great deal of respect
from anyone who has ever come in contact with him.

Perhaps it was his first impression, which could be his last. Either way, I leave it to Tyler Kepner, who wrote so eloquently about Matsui on Opening Day, 2003.

“… Matsui unleashed his compact swing and drove it more than 400 feet. When he returned to the dugout, the fans gave Matsui a 30-second standing ovation until he appeared and lifted his helmet to them in a curtain call. Matsui called it the ”greatest moment” of his life.”

That was then. This is now.

Down 3-0, Alex Rodriguez, hitless to that point, got the Yankees on the board in the 4th when he lined a 2-run home run off a televsion camera near the right field corner.  Originally ruled as being in play, the umpires conferred and went to replay to confirm the call (Fox’s Joe Buck continued to call rhe replay inconclusive the rest of the night).

Pettitte helped out his own cause with a game tying single an inning later and Johnny Damon put the Yankees ahead for a good with a 2-run double in the same frame.

Nick Swisher, who snapped out of a 4-35 skid with a double, added a solo home run in the 6th and Hideki Matsui added some insurance with a pinch-hit solo shot in the 8th inning.

Pettitte started out shaky and the Phillies took advantage.  Jayson Werth hit the first of two home runs  in the 2nd inning and the Phillies added two more when Pettitte walked Jimmy Rollins with the bases loaded and Shane Victorino followed with a sac fly.

But Pettitte settled down through the middle innings.  He dominated the dangerous left-handed trio of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez.  Howard, in fact, has gone 0-8 with seven strikeouts in the last two games.

Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte, of all people, retired all six batters they faced to build the bridge to the 9th.  Joe Girardi decided to go with Phil Hughes, but after retiring the first batter, Hughes gave up a solo shot to Carlos Ruiz to make it a 3-run deficit.  On came Mariano Rivera, who needed just five pitches to close the ball game out and give the Yankees their first series lead.

Series Notes

Pettitte’s RBI was the first game tying RBI by a Yankee pitcher since Jim Bouton during the 1964 series.  Pettitte, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera became the first trio to play in a World Series together 13 years apart.  Pretty cool.

Hideki Matsui’s home run was ironic in that it was the first one he hit to the opposite field all season.

People are still marveling over the performance by A.J. Burnett in Game 2.  Burnett has heard all the praise – plus fastball, wicked movement on breaking pitches, among the bestcurveballs in the game.  He’s also heard all the negative- no heart, empty head, bad attitude.  Burnett shook off the latter and a slow start and dominated thePhillies hitters for seven innings.  It was actually surprising that Girardi didn’t send him out for the 8th inning so that Rivera wouldn’t have to go for a six out save.

CC Sabathia faces Joe Blanton tonight in Game 4.  Sabathia will be working on three days rest for the second time in the post-season.  Burnett is scheduled to face Game 1 winner Cliff Lee in Monday night’s Game 5.

For perhaps one night only, Red Sox fans became Philadelphia Phillies fans as Pedro Martinez continued his successful 2009 comeback tour with his start against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series. For 6 innings, Pedro Martinez lived up to the hype of the situation at hand in his first Bronx start in 4 years. He dominated the American League Champions, holding their offense to 4 hits including 2 runs on solo home runs by Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui, while striking out 8. Following the 6th inning, FOX cameras showed Phillies manager Charlie Manuel talking with his starter, who had reached nearly 100 pitches.  When the 7th inning started, Manuel had decided to stick with Pedro Martinez and he was facing off against Jerry Hairston Jr., inserted in the lineup for his successes against the pitcher that dated back to 2004. Hairston blooped a single to right, and immediately “Shades of Grady” began to emerge during the tight 2-1 game. Melky Cabrera smacked a single to right before Charlie Manuel made the move to the bullpen. While the non-move cannot be considered as game-changing as the non-move made by ex-manager Grady Little in 2003, it seems almost inconceivable that a manager of Pedro Martinez would allow such a situation to present itself again.

Perhaps Phillies manager Charlie Manuel needs a history lesson in Pedro Martinez  101: Versus New York Yankees, Postseason Edition.

Pedro Martinez’s first postseason start against the Yankees was on October 16th, 1999, Game 3 of the ALCS that featured what should have been a classic pitching duel between Pedro and Yankees starter Roger Clemens. Instead, it was rout of epic proportions as Clemens and Hideki Irabu combined to give up 12 runs in 6 and 2 third innings. For the Red Sox this was their only victory in an eventual 4-1 series loss to the Yankees, who went on to win their second consecutive World Series title.

Pedro Martinez didn’t face the Yankees again in the postseason until Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS, matching up against Roger Clemens. This time, Clemens outpitched Pedro in a 4-3 victory for New York. The game included a bench clearing beanball war that resulted in Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer tumbling to the ground(which the NY media vilified Pedro Martinez for) and a post-game interview that included a hilarious quote from Martinez, “Who is Karim Garcia?”.

Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS was the setting of one of the most infamous managerial non-moves in recent baseball history. On October 16th 2003, 4 years to the day of the 1999 ALCS Game 3 matchup with Clemens, the two aces again squared off. In this round, Clemens exited after 3 innings and giving up 4 runs(3 earned). Martinez rolled through the Yankee lineup until the 7th inning, as his pitch count rose and the Yankee hitters grew comfortable at the plate. Despite giving up a home run and a pair of singles, Martinez got out of a 7th inning jam. Many Red Sox fans were surprised when Pedro Martinez appeared on the mound to start the 8th inning, despite the fact that David Ortiz’s home run in the top half of the inning gave the pitcher a 3 run lead to work with.

Until that point in the series, the Red Sox had utilized a near-systematic usage of their bullpen. Namely, Mike Timlin in the 8th inning and Scott Williamson in the 9th inning to close out games where the Red Sox were ahead. For reasons perhaps only ex-manager Grady Little knows, Pedro Martinez was left in the game after a mound visit by Little to determine if Martinez could finish the inning. Pedro subsequently gave up 4 consecutive hits, including 3 doubles, to allow the Yankees to tie the game at 5-5.   Grady Little removed Pedro for Alan Embree and Mike Timlin to stop the bleeding, but the damage had been done. Three innings later, Aaron Boone was christened with a new middle name that starts with the letter F. Ask any Red Sox fan about the 2003 ALCS, and they will tell you the game was lost not in the 11th, but the 8th.

It was during the regular season in 2004 when Pedro Martinez uttered the now famous line, “I just have to tip my hat to the Yankees and call them my daddy.” after a loss to New York. Regardless of the outcome of the game, Yankees fans showered Pedro Martinez with ‘Who’s Your Daddy?” chants during his game 2 and 5 starts and his relief appearance during game 7 in the 2004 ALCS and even later in his first start back in the Bronx with the Mets in 2005. Though the Yankees have a new stadium, this is one of the traditions that made the move, as Yankee fans sang the refrain during Pedro’s warmups and at the beginning of Game 2 last night.

For 6 innings, Pedro Martinez largely silenced the New York crowd, save for the two home runs that gave New York a 2-1 lead. Thanks in part to Charlie Manuel’s inability to recall history, Yankees fans theme song for Pedro Martinez was sung loud as he exited the 7th inning with men on the corners. As the series heads back to Philadelphia tied a game a piece, hopefully Charlie Manuel is considering his options should he be faced with a similar situation later on.

Matsui’s solo shot off Philadelphia’s Pedro Martinez in the sixth inning of Game 2 broke a 1-1 stalemate and was the key blow in the Yankees’ 3-1 victory over the Phillies.

When healthy, Matsui has been one of the most consistent Yankees since arriving from Japan in 2003. But his troublesome knees have given rise to doubt that he will return to the Bronx in 2010. For one night, he puts those doubts to rest.

“Matsui has been huge for us all year,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.

The former Tokyo Giants legend posted 28 homers and 90 RBIs in 142 games this season, and his second homer of the playoffs is proof he remains a vital part of the team’s offense.

On the mound, New York was even more impressive.

After A.J. Burnett allowed the Phillies their first – and only – run of the game on an RBI single by Matt Stairs in the second inning, the Yankee offense was quiet until Mark Teixeira homered to right-center leading off the fourth to tie the game at 1-1.

The Bombers got another run in the seventh, when Jerry Hairston led off the inning with a base hit. Brett Gardner pinch-ran, and reached third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run by Melky Cabrera, and scored on Jorge Posada’s pinch-hit single.

Burnett had a solid outing, striking out nine, including Ryan Howard three times, in his seven innings of work to earn his first-ever Series win. Thought by some to be the weak link in the Yankees’ rotation coming into the postseason, Burnett’s gutsy performance saved the bullpen any extra work after a terrible showing in the Game 1 defeat.

Instead, Mariano Rivera, like he did in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Angels, got the final six outs for the save.