Blue Jays Rising

                          Thole and Dickey will be heading North

Right now, Vegas has the Blue Jays as the favorite to win the 2013 World Series. The Blue Jays haven't had this high of expectations in 20 years when they won back to back championships in 1992 and 1993. They haven't been terrible since their World Series days, but they've been average to mediocre since. Toronto has also been stuck in the American League East, a division which the Red Sox and Yankees have dominated since then. Those two teams have won 7 World Series since the Blue Jays last won one. However, the Red Sox finished in last place in 2012 after collapsing down the stretch the previous season. The Yankees won the division last year, but they have the oldest roster in the league. Almost all of the Yanks key players will be over 30 next year, some close to 40.

There is an opening at the top of the AL East with not as strong Yankee and Red Sox teams. It's still a tough division though. The Orioles made their first postseason in 15 years last season. The Rays have made 3 out of the last 5 postseasons, and should contend again next year. The Jays were probably the most excited team about the second wild card last year, but their pitching collapsed on them last year. Toronto used 12 different starters and 34 pitchers total last season. Their team ERA was 4.64, 11th in the American League.

The Jays made some big moves to upgrade their rotation. They added Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle in a monster trade with the Marlins. This week, they traded for 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey from the Mets. Dickey will bring his knuckleball to Toronto, and was given a 2 year, $25 million extension.

Dickey, Buehrle, and Johnson have made 7 All Star teams between the trio. Johnson won the National League ERA crown in 2010, but missed much of 2011. Johnson did pitch 191.1 innings last year, but had a 3.81 ERA. Buehrle is one of the most dependable starters in the league, pitching over 200 innings and winning over 10 games for the last 12 seasons. Buehrle was part of the 2005 White Sox championship team and has won the last 4 Gold Gloves. Dickey had a career year last season, winning 20 games and leading the NL with 230 strikeouts.

To fill out the last two rotation spots, the Jays have Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek, and Drew Hutchison to pick from. Romero was an All Star in 2011 and had a 2.92 ERA that season. Last year, Romero's ERA jumped nearly 3 runs to 5.77. The Jays hope that was an aberration. Morrow pitched a no-hitter last season, but was limited to 124.2 innings. Morrow could also move into the bullpen and could be a closer candidate if Casey Janssen falters. Drabek and Hutchison are young pitchers who pitched under 100 innings last season.

Toronto also added Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio, Josh Thole, Maicer Izturis, and Melky Cabrera this offseason. The Jays offense is led by right fielder Jose Bautista and  1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion. Encarnacion hit a career high 42 home runs in 2012, and had a career year last season. Encarnacion might be another late bloomer like Bautista, or he could be a fluke. It was his 8th season in the big leagues and he finally lived up to his vast potential. Bautista missed the last two months due to injury, and that's when the Jays crumbled.

After Bautista went down, the Jays young hitters fell off. J.P. Arencibia, Brett Lawrie, and Colby Rasmus all fell into slumps afterwards. Toronto will need those three hitters to have good seasons next year. They signed Cabrera, who was off to a career year last year before his PED suspension. He could take over at left field, although young speedster Anthony Gose will fight for playing time there. Cabrera could also DH, with Encarnacion moving to first base.

Toronto only won 73 games last year, there worst showing since 2004. They should be much improved for next season, but will it be enough to put them ahead in the division? It would be a major dissapointment if the Jays don't contend next year. I think with a much improved rotation and addition of a impact player like Reyes, they should be the favorite to win the AL East next year. But, there is some questions about this club. Their bullpen was shaky last year, and they'll need their younger players to step up offensively. The AL East is still a tough division as well. I don't know if I would say Toronto is a World Series favorite, but I think they should be a playoff team next year.


           

Hamilton Cashes In With the Halos

         Hamilton will be joining forces with Pujols and the big money Angels next year
    

New York, Boston, and sometimes Philadelphia have been the big spenders in the last decade or so, but the city of Los Angeles has been the place were the big stars have been going the last couple of years. Earlier this week, the Dodgers signed Zack Greinke to a record contract for a right handed pitcher. The Angels were trying to re-sign Greinke after trading for him midseason. Since they lost out on Greinke, they moved in on the biggest name out there, Josh Hamilton. Surprisingly, Hamilton signed a deal with the Rangers archrival for 5 years and $125 million.

The feeling in Texas has to be as bad or worse as it was in St. Louis last year when Albert Pujols left for Anaheim. Even worse for Rangers fans, they have to see Hamilton 18 times a year whereas Cardinal fans only see Pujols every few years. The Rangers weren't willing to give Hamilton more than a three years, but it was thought that Hamilton would get 6 or 7. He ended up getting 5, but will make more per year on average than Pujols will.

Hamilton is a great player when healthy, but is injury prone. Last year, Hamilton played in 148 games, the second highest total in his career. Two seasons he's been limited to under 100 games in 2007 and 2009. Hamilton's  MVP season in 2010, he only played in 133 games. Hamilton set a career high with 43 home runs last year, but fell into a deep slump later in the year. There are also concerns about Hamilton re-lapsing, and  his mental makeup. Hamilton played lackadaisical in the stretch run last year, dropping a flyball during a pivotal game against Oakland.

Still, a team with Pujols, Hamilton, and Mike Trout is a team to be reckoned with. Pujols is a three time MVP, and Hamilton won it in 2010. Trout finished 2nd this year and will certainly be a perennial MVP candidate. They also will feature Mark Trumbo and Howie Kendrick in their lineup. They finished 3rd in the American League in runs scored last year, and are a good bet to lead the league next year.

 The Angels outfield is crowded now with Hamilton, Trout, Trumbo, Vernon Wells, and Peter Bourjos in it. Wells came over in a trade from the Blue Jays a couple years back and has been awful with the Halos. In two seasons, Wells has a .222 batting average and a .258 on base percentage. Wells is owed $21 million for the next two seasons, and the Angels are likely stuck with him. However, he's blocking younger, better players. It's also a albratross of a contract and it's unlikely they will release him.

Wells will likely play some DH, but Kendrys Morales is their regular DH and a better hitter. Bourjos is a terrific defensive outfielder, and led the league in triples in 2011. Bourjos won't be playing center since Trout is there, and that leaves the corner OF spots. Those are occupied by Hamilton and Trumbo, with Wells also getting some of the playing time. Bourjos was relegated to defensive replacement and pinch runner last season, and could be traded. It's also possible that Trumbo is moved to third base, although he's shaky defensively there. Alberto Callaspo was their primary 3B last year, but is average at best offensively and could be moved to a utility role.

Most likely, the Angels will trade either Trumbo or Bourjos. They could be traded for a third baseman or a starting pitcher. I have a hard time believing they will part with Trumbo. Trumbo hit 32 home runs last year, and the Angels now have 4 guys who hit over 30 last year(Trumbo, Trout, Pujols, Hamilton). Here's a look at the Angels projected lineup next year, assuming they don't make anymore moves.

CF Mike Trout
2B Howie Kendrick
1B Albert Pujols
RF Josh Hamilton
3B Mark Trumbo
DH Kendrys Morales
LF Vernon Wells
C Chris Ianetta/Hank Conger
SS Erick Aybar

Bench
Maicer Izturis
Alberto Callaspo
Peter Bourjos

We know that the Angels will score a lot of runs next year, but how will their pitching be? They had a shaky bullpen, and they led the AL with 47 blown saves the past two seasons. They have also traded Ervin Santana, declined Dan Haren's option, and lost Greinke to free agency. However, they have added four pitchers this offseason. They traded reliever Jordan Walden to the Braves for starter Tommy Hanson, and added starter Joe Blanton, lefty reliever Sean Burnett, and closer Ryan Madson via free agency. These guys aren't stars, but they are solid pitchers.

Jered Weaver and CJ Wilson head the Angels rotation, and will be followed by Hanson, Blanton, and probably Garret Richards. Weaver won 20 games last year, and is one of the best pitchers in baseball. In the bullpen, they retain Ernesto Freiri, Scott Downs, and Kevin Jepsen. Burnett adds a second lefty, and Madson ends the bullen by committee approach of last year.

With the Rangers late season collapse and with Los Angeles signing Hamilton away from them, the Angels are the likely favorites in the AL West next year. That was the case this time last year, but the small budget Oakland Athletics ended up beating out both Texas and LA. The Angels have an impressive team on paper, but they still have to play the games. I wouldn't start printing out World Series tickets just yet. There will be a lot of pressure on this team to perform and manager Mike Scioscia knows it. If they miss the playoffs again next year, Scioscia and GM Jerry DiPoto might lose their jobs.

Dodgers and Royals Upgrade Pitching

         Zack Greinke moves crosstown after signing big deal with Dodgers

The Dodgers made a couple of big moves this past weekend. They signed Korean pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu after posting a $25 million posting fee to the Korean leagues to negotiate with him. Ryu was then signed to a 6 year, $36 million contract. Ryu is a 25 year old left hander, and had a 2.80 ERA in 1238 innings in the Korean leagues. The Dodgers have had many Korean and Japanese pitchers pitch for them in the last couple of decades including Hideo Nomo, Chan Ho Park, Kaz Ishii, and Hong-Chi Kuo.

Zack Greinke also agreed to a six year, $147 million deal this weekend. It is a record deal for a right handed pitcher, and the second biggest deal for a pitcher in history after CC Sabathia's deal. Greinke also can opt-out of his deal after three years if he chooses. Greinke won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award and has struck out over 200 batters 3 out of the 4 last seasons. Last season, Greinke went 15-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 212.1 innings for the Brewers and Angels.

Greinke may be the highest paid right handed pitcher in baseball, but I don't think he's the best. I think he will pitch well in Dodger Stadium, but there is a lot of pressure for him to perform now. The Dodgers had some bad luck 13 years ago when they signed Kevin Brown to the first $100 million contract. Brown had a couple of dominant seasons for them, but was injury prone the rest of the contract and was dealt away to the Yankees later. Brown was also in his mid-30's when he signed the deal compared to Greinke being 29.

The Dodgers now have a surplus of starting pitching. They are led by ace left hander Clayton Kershaw, who won the 2011 NL Cy Young Award. Kershaw has led the NL in ERA and WHIP the past two seasons and will likely be offered a big extension soon. Kershaw will be eligible for free agency after the 2014 season. Kershaw and Greinke is a one of the best pitching duos in the league, and might remind Dodger fans of Orel Hershiser/Fernando Valenzeula, Don Sutton/Tommy John, and even Sandy Koufax/Don Drysdale. After that, the Dodgers still have Josh Beckett, Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano, and newly acquired Hyun-Jin Ryu. They also still have Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly, who were both injured at season's end. It's possible the Dodgers could put one or two of these guys on the market.

Another team who has been busy is the Kansas City Royals. They already signed Jeremy Guthrie to a three year deal and traded for Angels right hander Ervin Santana. Sunday night they made a big splash making a deal with the Rays. They traded for James Shields and Wade Davis, giving up prospects OF Wil Myers, RHP Jake Odorizzi, LHP Mike Montgomery, and 3B Patrick Leonard. Myers is a highly rated prospect and hit 37 home runs in the minors last season. Odorizzi was part of the Greinke deal with the Brewers two years ago. Tampa Bay got some good players in return as well, but the Royals desperately needed to upgrade their pitching.

Bruce Chen has been the Royals top starter the last two seasons. When Bruce Chen is your top starter, you know your team is in trouble. 2006 #1 pick Luke Hochevar took a huge step back in 2012, posting a 5.73 ERA. Hochevar may end up as a bust, and is not guaranteed a rotation spot next year. Journeyman Luis Mendoza was one of the Royals best starters last year, but could move to the bullpen next year. The Royals see alot of promise from lefty Danny Duffy, who will be coming back from Tommy John surgery next year. It looks like the Royals rotation will consist of Shields, Davis, Santana, Guthrie, and either Chen or Mendoza til Duffy gets back.

The Royals have a pretty decent bullpen in Kelvin Herrera, Tim Collins, and Aaron Crow as setup guys and Greg Holland as their closer. They traded Jonathon Broxton at the trading deadline last year. Former closer Joakim Soria missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, and signed with the Rangers earlier this month. With an improved rotation and some rising talent on offense, the Royals could be a much improved team next year. Billy Butler and Alex Gordon have developed into really good players. Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, and Salvador Perez look like they will be pretty good players as well. The AL Central is the weakest division in baseball, and the Tigers won it winning only 88 games. I still think the Tigers are the class of the division, but the Royals might be able to make a run next year.

                       

Steroids and the Hall of Fame

              

                                    McGwire and Bonds talking in 2001

In a month, one of the most interesting Hall of Fame elections is going to be annnounced. There are some holdovers on the ballot with no steroid connections like Jack Morris, Lee Smith, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell, Don Mattingly, and Dale Murphy. Morris got almost 67% of the vote last year and will only be on the ballot one more time if he don't get in this year. Raines has been gaining support, and considering he was one of the game's best players in the 80's, may eventually get in. Smith is around 50%, and since he's no longer the alltime saves leader, his case isn't as strong as it once was.

More recent retirees like Bernie Williams, Larry Walker, Edgar Martinez, and Fred McGriff are also returning on this year's ballot. Martinez got the highest support last year with 36.5%, and there has never been any steroid/PED connection to any of these players. This is the third time on the ballot for Jeff Bagwell, who I thought was a surefire Hall of Famer when he retired. Bagwell only got 41% his first year, and jumped up to 56% last year. There is no evidence of Bagwell juicing, but is he being punished for his big build and the generation he played in? I don't know for sure if Bagwell didn't juice, but its also unfair to punish him without any evidence of it considering most of his career there wasn't rules against it.

Also returning to the ballot this year is Mark McGwire and Rafeal Palmeiro, two 500 home run hitters. McGwire admitted to using steroids almost 3 years ago after declining to discuss it in front of Congress years before that. Palmeiro failed a PED test soon after obtaining his 3000th hit. While these guys both put up unbelievable numbers, their steroid use has clearly hurt them with the HOF voters. Raffy is on the ballot for the third time, and only got 12.6% last year. Big Mac will be on the ballot for the 7th time, and the best showing he did was in 2010 when he got 23.7%. Palmeiro was always considered to be a second tier star when he played despite his impressive career numbers, and only made 4 All Star teams in 20 seasons. McGwire was also considered to be a one dimensional slugger who walked alot during much of his career. That been said, 10 years ago they both were considered to be likely Hall of Famers when they were eligible.

This year, there are many big name first time eligible players on the ballot. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, Sammy Sosa, Curt Schilling, David Wells, Kenny Lofton, and Steve Finley will all appear on the ballot for the first time this year. Finley and Wells were very good players, but not HOF worthy in my opinion. Lofton is a notch below the Hall of Fame as well. That still leaves six players that have very impressive career resumes. Schilling isn't likely to be a first ballot guy, but his postseason heroics could put him over the hump someday. Biggio has no connection to PED's and is in the 3000 hit club. I would say Biggio is the most likely candidate to get in from that bunch this year.

Piazza has never been connected to steroids, but some writers seem to think he might of used them. I wouldn't be surprised either way, but with no evidence against him, it's similar to what's happening to Bagwell. Piazza is clearly the best offensive catcher in baseball history and should be a slam dunk choice. I've heard a lot of people in baseball call Ivan Rodriguez a future Hall of Famer, and there is more steroid innuendo to Rodriguez than Piazza. Rodriguez was named in Jose Canseco's book and there are rumors he failed a test in 2003. There was no punishment in 2003, and baseball agreed to only start punishing people for PED's if over 5% of the players failed those tests. Obviously, they did. However, Rodriguez never failed any tests since then, and its not certain if he did in 2003. Piazza never failed any tests either, and should get treated the same in my opinion.

That leaves Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa. None of these three players have admitted to steroid use, nor did they fail any tests after baseball started testing. That been said, I think all three of them used steroids during their careers. Clemens flat out denied using, and Bonds said he never knowlingly used steroids. When they played all kinds of players were using steroids, even bench players like FP Santangelo and Manny Alexander were named on the Mitchell Report.

Sosa has the weakest case of the three, although he did hit over 600 home runs during his career and won the 1998 MVP. I'm not sure when he started taking steroids, but I'm pretty sure it happened before the 1998 home run chase. Would Sosa of put up HOF numbers without using steroids? That's a question that's impossible to answer.

Clemens and Bonds both put up Hall of Fame resumes before their alleged juicing started. Most people think these guys started using PED's in the late 90's to extend their careers and compete with the many other players who were using. Still, Bonds was considered the best player in the game and Clemens the best pitcher long before they used a syringe. Bonds won 3 out of 4 MVP's in the early 90's and was a five tool player back then. Clemens won at least 3 Cy Young Awards before any PED allegations happened. While both of these guys were jerks during their careers, it's impossible to deny their greatness. Bonds is the only 7 time MVP, and Clemens is the only 7 time Cy Young winner in baseball history.

Cooperstown isn't a church though. There are racists, drunks, cheaters, drug users, and violent people in the Hall of Fame now. I know many of the writers want to keep the Hall pure of steroid users, but someday that line will be crossed. If a steroid user gets in, should Pete Rose and Joe Jackson get in? I've always thought both players should get in despite their breaking of the gambling rules. I also think there are some steroid users that should get in someday as well. There is no dispute that steroids helped players out, but leaving great players out of the Hall of Fame from the steroid era leaves a hole in the history.

In the next few years, there will be many impressive candidates on the ballot. In 2014, Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Mike Mussina, Jeff Kent, and Luis Gonzalez will be on the ballot. In 2015, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, and Gary Sheffield will join them. in 2016, Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Edmonds, Trevor Hoffman, and Billy Wagner will be on the ballot for the first time. Someday in the future admitted steroid users like Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez will be on the ballot.

I also think getting steroids out of the game is a good thing. It's a different style of game than it was 10 years ago, and the power numbers aren't as ridiculous as they once were.Instead of relying on rumors and innuendo, there is a testing program that proves rather players used or not. However, I do think its unfair to punish players of the past who may or may not of used in a different time in baseball history. Some guys like Piazza and Bagwell are being punished by voters who have no proof of PED usage.

There is little chance that Bonds or Clemens make the Hall this year. The Associated Press polled 112 HOF voters, which is about one-fifth of the overall voters. Bonds only got around 45%, Clemens 43%, and Sosa 18%. There are many voters who will flat out refuse to vote for any player who has steroid connections. What are they going to do when someone who did use steroids at some point during their career makes the Hall of Fame? It will happen someday, if it hasn't already happened. Is it fair to punish players for something that wasn't against the rules for most of their careers? Should there be a seperate wing or a asterisk on their Hall of Fame plaques if they make it? It will be interesting to see what happens in the next 5-10 years.



                   Clemens/Piazza bat throwing incident during the 2000 World Series

Marlins Gut Their Team, Again

                                          Toronto bound

When the Marlins spend money, what usually happens next is they look for a way to dump those contracts. They went out and signed manager Jim Leyland, Bobby Bonilla, Moises Alou, and Alex Fernandez before the 1997 season. They already had veterans Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, Robb Nen, and Gary Sheffield, and up and coming players like Edgar Renteria, Livan Hernandez, and Charles Johnson. They won the 1997 World Series, but within a couple of years, all those players were traded away. They lost 108 games the next season after gutting their championship team.

In 2003, the Marlins had a group of talented players entering their prime. They changed managers mid-season and under Jack McKeon they went on a second half surge. They won the wild card and upset the Giants, Cubs, and Yankees to win their second World Series. Yet, after the season they didn't re-sign Pudge Rodriguez and traded away Derrek Lee. A few years later, they either traded or didnt' re-sign Luis Castillo, Juan Pierre, Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, Alex Gonzalez, Brad Penny, and many others. They entered the 2006 season with a 15 million dollar payroll, with only Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis remaining from their 2003 team. Two years later, they traded both players to the Tigers for practically nothing. The big prospects from that trade(Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller) did little with the Marlins, and Cabrera just won the Triple Crown and MVP this past season.

Marlins ownership then decided to sign Hanley Ramirez to a long term deal during the 2008 season. After the 2009 season, MLB Players Association and Commissioner Bud Selig forced the Marlins to spend more of their money. The Marlins were due to open Marlins Park in 2012 and they had received $300 million in revenue sharing in the last 10 years. The Marlins then signed Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco to contract extensions. They still traded away Dan Uggla a season later after signing free agent catcher John Buck. The prior offseason, the Marlins said they would change their ways and keep a higher payroll. The went on a spending binge and got a new manager in Ozzie Guillen. They went out and acquired Heath Bell, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Carlos Zambrano. The Fish were expected to contend this year, but they were a flop.

Maybe it was a bad mix of players, or that manager Guillen wasn't a good fit, or it could of been that ownership didn't give this team a fair chance to succeed. They traded away Hanley Ramirez, Randy Choate, Edward Mujica, Gaby Sanchez, Anibal Sanchez, and Omar Infante at the deadline this year. Guillen was fired weeks after the season ended, and Heath Bell was traded away to Arizona after a disastrous season. Then last week, the Marlins announced they would be trading Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, John Buck, and Emilio Bonifacio to the Blue Jays for Yunel Escobar, Jeff Mathis, Henderson Alvarez, and 4 minor leaguers. The Marlins heavily backloaded the Reyes, Buehrle, and Bell deals and traded them all after 1 season.

The Marlins have now shed $236 million in future contracts since July. Some of the players they recieved back could be good players like pitchers Jacob Turner and Nathan Eovaldi. But, the Marlins have said for years they needed a new stadium to be competitive. Now that they have it, they still are cheapskates. Giancarlo Stanton is now the face of the franchise and is a a enormous talent, but he wasn't happy about the trades and I can't blame him. Stanton tweeted after the Fish-Jays megadeal, "Alright, I'm pissed off!!! Plain and Simple." I doubt the Marlins will pony up the money for Stanton when he's eligible for free agency either.

Jeffrey Loria is one of the worst owners in professional sports, if not the worst. He bought the Montreal Expos in late 1999, and is somewhat responsible for the extinction of baseball in Montreal. He wanted more money for English broadcasts of the team in 2000, and ended up having no English broadcasts available. The Quebec government had a deal for a new stadium for the Expos, but Loria wanted them to spend more money. The proposed Labatt Park never became a reality because of Loria's greed. He then sold the Expos to MLB before the 2002 season, and bought the Marlins from John Henry for a discount rate. Henry went on to buy the Red Sox.

Despite winning the 2003 World Series, Loria would not keep that team together. He dumped salary and explored moving the team during 2005 and 2006. Loria was then able to work out a sweetheart deal with Miami to build a new stadium. The city of Miami and Miami-Dade County agreed to pick up 80% of the $634 million costs of the new ballpark. Loria isn't as rich as some big league owners, but he has a net worth of $500 million. Loria is also a big recipient of revenue sharing along with the corporate welfare picked up by the city of Miami. Yet, he has not held up his end of the bargain in trying to field a competitive team.

The latest trade with Toronto is under review from Bud Selig. He is angered about the deal since he helped Loria secure the stadium deal. Still, Selig is likely to approve the deal. There is talk that he could strip the Marlins of the 2015 All Star Game now. The Marlins will have a tough time recruiting free agents to Miami now because of this. There was not a no-trade clause in the Reyes, Buehrle, or Bell deals, but Loria assured Reyes that he would not be traded. Loria only cares about making money, and isn't all that interested in winning and has alienated Marlins fans. It would be for the best interests of the Marlins franchise, their fans, and baseball if he sold the team.

Teams Going With Younger Managers

Walt Weiss: Former Rockies shortstop becomes manager

Last year, two teams hired managers without previous managerial experience. The White Sox hired Robin Ventura after Ozzie Guillen left to go to the Marlins. While Ventura hadn't even been a coach at the major league level, the White Sox nearly made the playoffs this year. Guillen wore out his welcome in the South Side and Ventura's style was a good change for them. After the Cardinals won the World Series last year, future Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa retired. After interviewing several candidates, GM John Mozeliak decided to go with his special assistant and former Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny. There were some questions since Matheny had no prior experience. However, Matheny did a terrific job and nearly got the Redbirds back into the World Series this year.

This year, there has been 6 managerial openings. The Indians fired Manny Acta, and ended up going with former Red Sox manager Terry Francona. Cleveland almost went with former All Star catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., but decided on Francona instead. Alomar Jr. will be Cleveland's bench coach, though. The Red Sox fired Bobby Valentine after one disastrous season, and worked out a deal to bring Toronto's manager John Farrell to Boston. Farrell had been a pitching coach previously with the Red Sox. Toronto still doesn't have a manager yet. They have interviewed Alomar Jr. and Tim Wallach, but its rumored they want someone with previous experience.

The Astros have lost 100 games two years in a row, and will be moving to the American League next year. They went with 40 year old Nationals coach Bo Porter to be their manager. Porter briefly played in the big leagues at the turn of the century, and was a journeyman minor leaguer. He has held a variety of minor and major league coaching jobs since retiring as a player. The Astros are in sorry shape, and Porter will have his work cut out for him in Houston.

The Marlins signed Guillen to a four year contract after luring him from the White Sox last year. Miami spent a bunch of money in the offseason, acquiring Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Carlos Zambrano, and Heath Bell. However, Miami had a dissapointing year and finished in last place. Hanley Ramirez, Gaby Sanchez, Anibal Sanchez, and Omar Infante were traded in July in a fire sale. Guillen also made negative headlines praising Fidel Castro and said he gets wasted on every road trip. The Marlins decided to go a different route, and went with former catcher Mike Redmond. Redmond played for over 10 years in the big leagues, and was a member of the 2003 World Champion Marlins team. Redmond had been managing in the Blue Jays farm system the last two years. Jim Leyland and Jack McKeon both highly recommended Redmond as a manager.

Jim Tracy resigned as Rockies manager after a frustrating last place finish. Colorado did a search, and considered bench coach Tom Runnels and even Jason Giambi to be manager. However, they went with former shortstop Walt Weiss. Weiss played with the Rockies from 1994 to 1997. He also played with the Athletics, Marlins, and Braves. Weiss was the 1988 AL Rookie of the Year, and part of the Athletics 1989 World Champions. However, Weiss has only managed at the high school level and was a special assistant to GM Dan O'Dowd last season. Weiss did play for La Russa and Bobby Cox during his career, so I imagined he learned a few things from them.

Also, the Nationals have brought back Davey Johnson for one more season. The Nationals made the playoffs for the first time since 1981 when they were the Expos this past season. Johnson is 70 years old and the oldest manager in the game right now. Johnson will retire at the end of the 2013 season and move into a consultant's role. Johnson has led 4 different teams into the playoffs, including the Mets, Reds, Orioles, along with the Nats.

Cardinals Should Trade for Elvis Andrus

                Elvis Andrus avoiding a Matt Holliday slide in the 2011 World Series

The Texas Rangers have the luxury of having two outstanding shortstops in their organization. In the big leagues, they have Elvis Andrus. He took over as Rangers shortstop at age 20 in 2009, moving Michael Young to third base. Andrus is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, and a big part of their two World Series teams. Andrus hit for a career high .286 in 2012, and set a career high in doubles, RBIs, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. Andrus is just entering his prime and is still only 24 years old.

Texas also has the top rated shortstop prospect in the game in Jurickson Profar. The Rangers signed him out of Curacao in 2009, and he was a Little League World Champion in 2004. Before the 2012 season, Profar was rated the #7 prospect in baseball, barely after he turned 19. Profar will turn 20 next February, but he may be ready for the big leagues. Profar homered in his first major league at bat this past September, and made an appearance for the Rangers in their wild card game loss.

What will the Rangers do with Profar? They recently signed second baseman Ian Kinsler to a long term extension, so moving to second is out of the question. They also have third baseman Adrian Beltre signed for several more years, so moving to third isn't going to happen either. They could keep him in Triple A next year, as insurance in case someone gets injured. Or they could trade him for another bat in the outfield or first base. Another possibility is that the Rangers could put Andrus on the market to make room for Profar.

Its not often when a team would consider trading someone like Andrus. But, Andrus is two years away from free agency, and Profar would be six years away. Profar is also 4 and a half years younger than Andrus, and has more power. Like Andrus, Profar steals bases and is an excellent defensive shortstop. Rangers GM Jon Daniels has a good problem to have, but may make a move to address weaker spots in the organization. Josh Hamilton is a free agent, and its quite possible he will depart. The Rangers could be in the market for a big bat, and use either Andrus or Profar as trade bait.

The Cardinals might be a player for one of those two players. Rafael Furcal isn't likely to be ready for opening day, and it would be a miracle for the Cardinals to get 121 games out of him again. Thats the second highest total of games played by Furcal in the last 5 seasons. Furcal is also in the last year of his deal, and is 35 years old. Pete Kozma had a terrific September, and had some big hits for the Cardinals in the playoffs. However, Kozma also had some errors and fielding misplays in the playoffs. Also alarming is that Kozma is just a .236 career hitter in the minor leagues. Its also possible that the Cardinals could stick with a platoon of Kozma and Furcal, but that plan could blow up if Furcal isn't healthy. That would leave Kozma as the main guy, and who knows which version you would be getting. The .236 career minor league hitter, or the .333 September hitter in 72 at bats.

I think the Cardinals should make a major push for either Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar. Andrus is the most likely target and its rumored the Rangers might be shopping him. I'm not sure what the Rangers would want for him, but I have a few guesses. I would think they would want one of our bigtime pitching prospects like Shelby Miller or Trevor Rosenthal. But the Rangers have several top pitching prospects of their own. Another guess would be a big bat to replace Josh Hamilton. That could be a number of players, they could want Oscar Tavares, but I would want Profar instead of Andrus if that was the case. They could want Allen Craig, Matt Adams, or Matt Carpenter. I would hate to give up Craig, but it would be worth looking at.

There is one more option, and while not as likely, but is something I would do in a hearbeat. Matt Holliday for Elvis Andrus, straight up. It might sound like a radical idea to some, but I don't think it is. Holliday will be 33 next year, and still has 4 years and a option left on his contract. Holliday is still productive and hit .295, had a .379 on base pct., 27 home runs, and 102 RBIs. Holliday did a good job as the #3 hitter this year, and actually had a better year than the guy he replaced this year, Albert Pujols. However, Holliday set a career high with 132 strikeouts this year. His defense is somewhat shaky, and while he has some big hot streaks, his bat can go cold for long stretches. Holliday always plays hard(just ask Marco Scutaro), but he never seems to get a big hit when you need it.

I don't know if the Rangers would be interested in picking up the rest of Holliday's contract, but they might if Hamilton leaves. They would need a big bat to replace him, and Holliday would be that guy. I also don't know if Holliday would accept a trade to Texas or not. The Cardinals could move Craig to right field, and put Adams or Carpenter at first base. They could also leave Craig at first, and put Carpenter or even Oscar Tavares in left. Its obvious the Cardinals need a shortstop, though and Andrus would fill that void. Andrus is two years away from free agency, and the Cardinals could use the money they save from the Holliday deal to sign Andrus to a long term deal.

The Cardinals should be considering upgrading shortstop this offseason. It looks like they might, I've read a story on them looking at Stephen Drew. I also just read a Bleacher Report story about the Cardinals trading for Elvis Andrus. Middle infield is really the Cardinals only weakness, and shorstop specifically. 2011 top pick Kolten Wong will soon be ready to take over second base, and Matt Carpenter is learning how to play second this offseason, so I'm not as worried about that. Daniel Descalso was overexposed this year, and would be better off as the Cards top utilityman like he was in 2011. Descalso is a scrappy player, takes good at bats, and plays good defense, but is a weak hitter overall.

Shorstop is a position the Cardinals will have to go outside the organization to upgrade. Andrus would be a huge upgrade from what we have. Andrus hits for a .270-.280 average, steals bases(stole over 30 bases in 3 out of 4 big league seasons), and is a defensive wizard. Andrus also wears #1 in Texas, like Ozzie Smith, but would obviously have to change his number in St. Louis. Besides the huge upgrade in defense, he would add some much needed speed to the ballclub. Jon Jay has turned into a stolen base threat, stealing 19 bags this year, but he's pretty much it. Andrus would add a new dimension to the Cardinals with his speed. At age 24, Andrus is young enough where he could be the Cardinals shortstop for years to come. I hope John Mozeliak is looking into acquiring him.



                            Jurickson Profar, the Rangers shortstop prospect