In Anaheim, California, things are heating up quite a bit. The
Hot Stove is in full force with players being signed and traded.
Here is a complete review of all the doings at baseball’s
Winter Meetings. (All ratings are on the: excellent, good, all
right, bad, and horrible scale.)
December 10th – Day I
Angel in Outfield
The Anaheim Angels greatly strengthened their outfield with the
addition of center fielder Steve Finley into the fold. Finley
will give the Angels a very good glove, which allows Garret Anderson
to return to his normal position of left field. This also adds
a very strong bat into the middle of Anaheim’s order to replace
Troy Glaus, as well as another veteran presence in the clubhouse.
The deal is worth $14 million over two years with an option for
a third year at $6 million. This move was: good.
Hidalgo a Ranger
The Texas Rangers brought in a very complete player in the
form of Richard Hidalgo. His offensive prowess and defensive abilities
in right field rank very high and at five million for one year
is a steal. Hidalgo might be trade bait around the deadline, though,
as Layne Nix may be ready for action sometime soon. I believe
working with Rudy Jamarillo, the Rangers hitting coach, will allow
Hidalgo to hit 30-35 bombs with a .300 batting average. This
move was: good.
Marlins Sign Pair
The Florida Marlins brought in six-fingered Antonio Alfonseca
and five-fingered Todd Jones to bolster their bullpen. In the
2004 season, Alfonseca was 6-2 with a 2.57 ERA over 73.2 innings
with the Atlanta Braves. Last year with the Rockies and Phillies,
Todd Jones went 11-5 with a 4.15 ERA over 82.1 innings. This pair
of signings gives the Marlins two excellent setup men, but they
still need a closer. This move was: good.
D’Backs Bring in Ortiz
Russ Ortiz began the 2004 season as the Braves number one
starter, but Jaret Wright soon took that role. He still had a
good season, pitching 202 innings with a 4.13 ERA. Many people
don’t expect him to be quite as great a pitcher with a sub
par Arizona team, as they probably won’t score many runs
for him. Ortiz will be getting a little over eight million per
year over the next four seasons. He will definitely boost this
team and is one of the guys I’ve been pushing to get some
money in my section of cyberspace. This move was: good.
December 11th – Day II
Pirates Add Outfielder
The Pittsburgh Pirates pulled off a good trade that allowed them
to bring in outfielder Matt Lawton. To get the outfielder, the
Bucs had to send relief pitcher Arthur Rhodes, only recently acquired
from Oakland. Lawton hit 20 homers and reached base at a .366
clip. His numbers will decline a bit with his joining the Pirates,
but it seems he would make a decent number 2 hitter. Rhodes needs
to regain the former ability that allowed him to be a dominant
set up man in Seattle. Sadly, I do not believe he will regain
it. This move was: good (Pirates) / all right (Indians).
Braves Deal Best SP Prospect in System Again
Following the trend they started last year, the Atlanta Braves
traded away the best arm in their minor leagues to get a player.
(I’m speaking of the JD Drew deal in which they dealt Adam
Wainwright, if you have forgotten.) This time it was Jose Capellan
who moved away and Danny Kolb who came to Atlanta. This greatly
strengthens the Brewers stable of young pitchers (Jorge De La
Rosa, et al.) and allows the Atlanta Braves to move Smoltz into
the starting rotation, where he has been pining to be. I’m
not quite sure Kolb will maintain his newfound abilities and think
that Capellan will turn out to be Scott Kazmir: a “why the
hell did we do this” deal. But Braves General Manager John
Schuerholz always deserves the benefit of doubt. This move
was: excellent (Milwaukee) / good (Braves).
AL East Rivals Almost Sign One Each
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were at it once again
on Day 2. The Boston Red Sox pulled off an astounding signing
by bringing in former Yankees left-hander David “Boomer”
Wells. The Yankees managed to respond with pitcher Carl Pavano
saying he wants a deal worked out with the New York Yankees and
rumor has it that a four year, $40 million deal is being worked
out, similar to Javier Vazquez numbers. Of course neither team
signed either player, as David Wells must pass a physical, which
might take place on Tuesday or Wednesday. (no sure thing), The
Pavano signing has not taken place as of yet - he has chosen the
spot where he wants to play; he has yet to put ink on paper.
December 12th – Day III
Minor Deal with Major Implications
The Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Devil Rays turned a solid
deal. The Devil Rays acquired catcher Kevin Cash while the Blue
Jays brought in pitcher Chad Gaudin. This seems like a very minor
deal and it is, at least for the time being. Gaudin has been a
starter in the Devil Rays farm system, but they recently switched
him to the bullpen. Upon his arrival to the ‘pen, Gaudin’s
stuff turned absolutely filthy and he should make a solid career
as a relief pitcher. This move was: good (Blue Jays) / all
right (Devil Rays).
December 13th – Day IV
Brewers, White Sox Acquire Major Pieces
On the final day of the Winter Meetings, perhaps the biggest
deal went down. The Brewers sent Scott Podsednik and Jose Vizcaino,
and a player to be named later to the White Sox to get Carlos
Lee. This is a rather large move, giving the White Sox a seventy
steal, leadoff man in Podsednik, while sending the Brewers a formidable
middle of the order hitter. The importance of this move upon both
teams cannot be over estimated. This move was: excellent (Brewers
and White Sox).
Giants Add Matheny
The San Francisco Giants, tired of AJ Pierzynski’s weak
throws to second, signed Mike Matheny, a former Cardinal. The
deal is worth $9 million over three years, which is a cheap signing
for a starting catcher. The Giants are most likely going to deal
Pierzynski now that Matheny has been signed, but it remains to
be seen who is interested in his services. I think the Giants
brought in a solid backstop that will work well with their pitchers,
but not one who’ll provide the offense they severely need.
This move was: all right.
The main objective of the Winter Meetings is for teams to
resort to their Plan Bs and get the base of negotiations done.
Most of the time there aren’t many signings, and with only
a few this time, the tradition continues. There was a lot of talk
going on, though, so we should expect to see some more moves within
the next week. The Mariners have reportedly finished a deal with
Richie Sexson and have turned their eyes to Carlos Delgado. The
Blue Jays supposedly brought in Corey Koskie and the Mets have
offered a fourth year to Pedro Martinez. Carl Pavano will most
likely to go the Yankees, while Hudson is probably leaving Oakland,
most likely to Atlanta or Los Angeles. And the biggest piece of
news is that Carlos Beltran talks have begun with the Yankees.
