In this edition of the Outlook, I will recap more of the moves
from last month.
Angels Add to Bullpen (12.14.2004)
The Anaheim Angels tried to add to their already strong bullpen
by bringing in RP Esteban Yan, of the Tigers last year. In the
2004 season, Yan went 3-6 with a 3.83 ERA. These seem like good
numbers but he blew ten save opportunities and his WHIP of 1.83
spells certain doom for his future stats. I would not have made
this move as his ERA was inflated by the weak AL Central and a
spacious home stadium. This move was: bad.
Diamondbacks Bring in Clayton (12.14.2004)
I’m not exactly sure what the Diamondbacks were trying to
accomplish here but they signed shortstop Royce Clayton, most
likely based on his Coors-inflated stats. They will be getting
a decent glove at short, though, so that takes some thing off
the bucks they’re sending his way. The good thing for the
Diamondbacks is that this is only a one-year deal, so it won’t
be too awful. There were better players to be had over Clayton,
that’s for sure. This move was: bad.
Koskie to Canada (12.14.2004)
The only team left in Canada, the Toronto Blue Jays, brought Canada
native Corey Koskie to man the Hot Corner. The deal is three years
long and $17 million total. This was a good move, as Koskie will
bring a great defensive presence, as well as a solid bat. The
only question about this is signing is where Eric Hinske will
now play with first being the most logical place. This move
was: good.
Jose Hernandez to Cleveland (12.14.2004)
Super-agent Scott Boras somehow got Jose Hernandez a one year,
$1.8 million deal. This doesn’t seem like such a hard thing
based on last season’s stats, where Hernandez got a little
bit of playing time (211 at bats). His batting average was .289
and a .370 OBP with 13 bombs. In a time span of this short, giving
Hernandez an everyday job somewhere would make sense. The only
thing against Hernandez is that he strikes out way too often to
be a starter (usually 170 times if given an everyday job). But
he manages to play decent defense at all of the infield positions,
so that’s a plus. This move was: all right.
Byrd to Anaheim (12.14.2004)
The Atlanta Braves signed Paul Byrd to a two-year deal after the
2002 season, only to have him injure his right elbow. The righty
then sat out the 2003 season and most of 2004 though he returned
mid season. He pitched quite well for the Braves down the stretch
but did not show that his arm strength was completely back. The
Anaheim Angels got a good deal here by getting Byrd, as he will
get into shape this off-season and should be as strong as ever
opening day next year. This move was: good.
Defection Complete (12.14.2004)
The Boston Red Sox signed one of the Yankees former good left-handed
starters - David Wells. They are definitely hoping that he can
hold off the Yankees and pitch them deep into the postseason.
I don’t know how well this move will work for the Red Sox,
but we shall see. Something is going off in my mind. This
move was: all right.
Reds Acquire Ramon Ortiz (12.14.2004)
The Cincinnati Reds added a good arm to their rotation in the
form of Ramon Ortiz. Last season was not too kind to him but he
won 44 games between 2001 and 2003. The Reds should be happy if
Ortiz pitches right along to his career norms, which shouldn’t
be asking too much. Also, he still had a good strikeout to walk
ratio (82-38), so future success might be considered likely. To
get this pitcher, though, the Reds had to give up Dustin Moseley,
a former number one pick. Moseley has a career 3.71 ERA in the
minors, but missed some time due to back problems last year. This
move was: good (for both teams.)
Craig Counsell Returneth (12.15.2004)
The Diamondbacks brought back the one with the weird batting stance.
Have you ever seen it? You should, it’s definitely worth
the price of admission. Well, anyway, Counsell played most of
the time last season for Milwaukee and didn’t do anything
major to distinguish himself. The bench will be his most likely
position this year. This move was: all right.
Einar Diaz Alert (12.15.2004)
What’s that loud buzzing sound? That’s the Einar-Diaz’s-name-has-appeared-on-athomeplate.com
buzzer. The catcher was traded to the Expos last year from the
Rangers, but then signed with the St. Louis Cardinals this season.
They are mainly trying to get someone who can split time with
whomever they decide to let start next year. This move was:
all right.
Reds Add Two (12.15.2004)
The Reds, seeking to upgrade an atrocious bullpen, have added
two pitchers. David Weathers, last seen with the Marlins, went
7-7 with a 4.15 ERA over 82.1 innings. The other piece they brought
in was Ben Weber of former Anaheim Angels fame. In the 2004 season,
he went 0-2 with an 8.06 ERA over 22.1 innings. Of course, this
is completely out of whack with his abilities, especially in 2003
when he, over 80.1 innings, pitched with a 2.69 clip. This
move was: good.
Brewers Turn One More (12.15.2004)
The Oakland Athletics sent right hander Justin Lehr and minor
leaguer Nelson Cruz to the Brew Crew for Keith Ginter. Justin
Lehr has received praise as a future solid relief pitcher and
Nelson Cruz isn’t some throw-in. Keith Ginter was just a
little lucky last year when he hit .262 with 19 homers and 60
RBIs. All this came with an excellent .333 OBP. This most definitely
seems like a bench player to me, as the A’s won’t
be getting anything good from Ginter’s bad. This move
was: good (Brewers) / bad (A’s).
Sexson Signs with Mariners (12.15.2004)
Now that the Mariners have finally begun to spend money a couple
of years too late, they are at least attracting some good players.
The first baseman has the potential to hit forty homers, but in
the spacious SafeCo Field you should expect that number to drop
to 30-35. These are still really good numbers, but don’t
overpay for him. This move was: good.
Royal/Pirate Swap (12.16.2004)
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals pulled off a minor
swap. The Royals sent catcher Benito Santiago and cash to the
Bucs for pitcher Leo Nunez. This brings the Pirates a good catcher
who’ll play everyday. I think he’ll be more valuable
than Leo Nunez ever will be. This move was: good (Pirates)
/ all right (Royals).
Pedro to Shea (12.16.2004)
The New York Mets unveiled their new pitcher Pedro Martinez after
signing him to a four year, $54 million deal. The right-hander
takes the reigns of the starting rotation, as well as shouldering
the load of all the expectations heaped upon the Mets. I could
almost hear the weeping and dismay from the Red Sox nation from
in front of my computer...and I loved it. This move was: good.
Smoltz Extended (12.16.2004)
The Atlanta Braves pulled off a bombshell on this day, as the
Smoltz-as-a-Brave-for-life signing wasn’t the biggest piece
of news on the day (more on that later). Earlier in this series,
I detailed how Smoltz was being moved into the rotation due to
the trade for Danny Kolb. Now he signed an extension for two years,
which would bring him right near the age of retirement. Of course,
he might pull a Barry Larkin and try to play somewhere else instead
of retiring. This move was: good.
Blockbuster Deal I (12.16.2004)
In a move that seems completely insane, the Oakland A’s
dealt one of the Big Three. Tim Hudson was dealt to Atlanta because
of the doubts that he would re-sign with the A’s after the
2005 season due to money problems. Well, one man’s pain
is another man’s fortune, if that’s a real quote.
If not, then I just made it up. The Braves sent left fielder Charles
Thomas, relief pitcher Juan Cruz, and minor league prospect Dan
Meyer to get the ace pitcher. Thomas stats from last season were
a little high I believe and will go down when he is given the
everyday job in left field with Oakland. Juan Cruz could possible
become the second best starter on the A’s staff next year,
he only needs to harness his stuff. Dan Meyer is the major piece
to this deal. He has pitched amazingly over the past few years
in the minors and has really developed into a big time prospect.
He was the Braves best pitching prospect and that’s saying
a lot. This move was: excellent (Braves) / good (A’s).
Twins Re-sign Mulholland (12.16.2004)
The Minnesota Twins brought Terry Mulholland back to their team.
Mulholland, one of three pitchers to defeat every team (Kevin
Brown and Al Leiter are the others), is seriously rubber armed.
The lefty is 41-years-old and is able to start one day and pitch
in relief the next. The Twins are going to be glad to have him
on their staff with lots of young pitchers. This move was:
all right.
ChiSox Bring Back Juan Uribe (12.16.2004)
Last year Juan Uribe started off very strongly but flattened out
towards the end of the year. Still, as a second baseman, he had
a nice season hitting .283 with 23 homers. If he can tighten up
his plate discipline, Uribe can make this three year deal even
sweeter for the White Sox. This move was: all right.
Ray King Returns (12.17.2004)
One of the Cardinals key left-handed members of the bullpen will
be returning next year and his name isn’t Steve Kline: it’s
Ray King. In 2004, King went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA over 62 innings.
These are quite good numbers and he definitely is earning his
paycheck. This move was: good.
Boras Sells Beltre (12.17.2004)
The Seattle Mariners completed their corner infield makeover by
adding Adrian Beltre to their lineup. The deal is five years long
and worth $64 million, which is quite expensive for a player that
only had one great year. Beltre will man the hot corner for the
Mariners, but I don’t expect his numbers to be that high.
But 30 homers, 100 RBI, and a .300 batting average are definitely
attainable. He will remain one of the best 3B in the game, matching
Chipper Jones and Scott Rolen. This move was: excellent.
If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them (12.17.2004)
Edgar Renteria was part of the St. Louis Cardinals that represented
the National League in the World Series. The team was ultimately
beaten by the Red Sox, and so Renteria used the phrase “if
you can’t beat them, join them.” He now will play
shortstop for the Boston Red Sox. He signed a four year, $40 million
deal, which might be a little bit on the expensive side, but to
combat George Steinbrenner, the Red Sox have to add a little extra.
This move was: good.
Feel free to leave comments in the forums or e-mail Daniel
at daniel@athomeplate.com.
