In this edition of the Outlook, I will recap more of the moves
from last month.
Blockbuster Deal II (12.18.2004)
The Oakland Athletics continued to dismantle their starting rotation
by trading off their best left handed starter in the form of Mark
Mulder. He was dealt, on another sad day for Oakland fans, to
St. Louis for prospects Daric Barton (catcher) and Danny Haren
(starting pitcher). The A’s also got right-handed reliever
Kiko Calero, who should handle setup duties while allowing Beane
to deal arbitration eligible Chad Bradford. This move was:
excellent (Cardinals) / all right (A’s).
Out with the Old, in with the New (12.20.2004)
The Anaheim Angels did not tender their scrappy shortstop David
Eckstein a contract for the 2005 season, so they did a good thing:
they brought in Orlando Cabrera. Cabrera is expected to produce
quite well at the plate reunited with former teammate Vladimir
Guerrero, as well as a Latin-dominated clubhouse. He always brings
good to great defense at shortstop as well. This move was:
excellent.
Orioles Sign Lefty Kline (12.20.2004)
The Baltimore Orioles, seeking restructuring of their bullpen,
brought in a great lefty in Steve Kline. He’s a gamer with
can pitch in many, many games. The Orioles most definitely need
him to come in and compete for the closer’s role with Jorge
Julio, though Kline might be better off in a left-handed setup
role. There’s always a chance he’ll get some good
saves opps. This move was: good.
Mercker Hooks on with Reds (12.20.2004)
In the past two years, Mercker has taken quite a liking to the
relief role and the Reds definitely hope he’ll keep it up.
He’ll be needed to pitch in about seventy games with sixty-five
to seventy-five innings and he should be able to do it. This
move was: all right.
Tribe Re-Sign Belliard (12.20.2004)
Ronnie Belliard got off to a hot start in the beginning of the
year, but quickly cooled off to his career norms. They brought
him in for one more year with an option for the second, but I
think they won’t need the 2006 season from Belliard with
their upcoming prospects. This move was: all right.
Dodgers Wrangle Few (12.20.2004)
The Dodgers signed Jose Valentin to man the hot corner for them
after Adrian Beltre’s departure. He should provide some
decent pop, but don’t look for too much average from him.
This also helps point towards which direction Kent will play next
season. The men in blue also brought back bullpen cog Wilson Alvarez
and Giovanni Carrara. These moves were: all right.
Pads, Sawx Trade (12.20.2004)
In a tribute to my former teacher, I will write about this trade,
since he has the same name as one of the players in it. The Red
Sox acquired Jay Payton, David Pauley, and Ramon Vazquez, all
useful players, for center fielder Dave Roberts. Payton and Vazquez
figure to be bench players, while Pauley adds to their thin farm
system. Roberts will bat leadoff and buy some time for the kid
at AAA the Padres are going to bring up. This move was: good
(for both teams).
Womack Signs with Yankees (12.21.2004)
Yes, this was a slow day in news, as Vance Wilson, Russell Branyan,
Ben Davis, and Jay Gibbons all signed. But the big news is Tony
Womack signing a two year, four million dollar deal. It’s
not that big of a signing, as some people think that the man he
replaces wasn’t much worse or, in with some other people’s
thinking, not worse at all. He hit .303 with a .350 OBP last season,
but his career averages are .274 and .319 respectively in those
categories. I don’t think Womack will do much for the Yankees,
but who could have predicted last season for him. This move
was: all right.
Clement Continues War between Yankees and Sawx (12.22.2004)
I don’t know why many teams passed on this fellow with the
weird beard, but he’s quite a good pitcher. He threw over
200 innings in 2002 and 2003, while hitting 180 in 2004. His ERA
hasn’t been higher that 4.11 the past three years and he
strikes out a ton of batters. I think Clement is a serious candidate
to replace Derek Lowe, but actually someone who’ll produce
better statistics. I’m not quite sure I see the Yankees’
signing of Wright over Clement, but Theo isn’t going to
complain. This move was: good.
White Sox Sign El Duque (12.22.2004)
Looking to greatly strengthen their starting rotation, the White
Sox signed proven playoff performer Orlando Hernandez. He should
feel welcome to the team with fellow Cuban Jose Contreras, and
helps rounds out a staff with Mark Buerhle and Freddy Garcia.
I have read critics of this deal saying that a two-year deal is
ludicrous for Hernandez, but they have remained mum over David
Wells’ deal with Boston. This move was: all right.
Yankees Bring in Pavano (12.22.2004)
The New York Yankees brought in Carl Pavano to continue their
battle against the Red Sox. Pavano is, yes, I’ll admit,
a career sub .500 pitcher, but that’s only by one game.
Wins are such fluky things, that that should be discarded. Pavano
seems to be rounding out into the prime of his career, but he
is given a tough test in New York City with its media scrutiny.
This move was: good.
Boston Retaliates (12.23.2004)
The Boston Red Sox, because of an absolutely ludicrous move by
the Houston Astros, signed starting pitcher Wade Miller to a one-year
deal with 1.5 million dollars guaranteed. This should give the
Red Sox a very valuable arm in the back of their starting rotation.
What were you thinking, Tim Purpura?! This move was: good.
Dodgers Sign Drew (12.23.2004)
In a somewhat odd move, the Dodgers brought in outfielder JD Drew.
They will most likely place him in center field, allowing Shawn
Green to play right. I’m not sure if I completely agree
with this deal, as Drew seems slightly injury prone and he’s
locked up for five years. But anyway you cut it, having a healthy
Drew as the third hitter in your lineup is something to be happy
about. This move was: good.
Cardinals Replace Renteria (12.23.2004)
The Angels no longer wanted David Eckstein, so the Cardinals swooped
in. They have needed a leadoff hitter for quite a while, but Eckstein
does not get on base enough to be a very good one. I suppose the
Cards will be all right with Walker, Edmonds, Pujols, and Rolen
in their lineup though. This move was: all right.
Varitek Re-Signs (12.24.2004)
The Red Sox brought back their team leader from last season in
Jason Varitek. They thought it to be the most important part of
their off-season plan, and many Red Sox fans agreed. They bestowed
upon him the honor of Captain, though most everyone knew this
to be a fact. The total deal is four years long and valued at
$40 million. These numbers are quite high and the Sawx might eventually
get burned because of Scott Boras. This move was: good.
Lima Time in LA No Longer (12.25.2004)
The Kansas City Royals brought back Jose Lima to help anchor their
pitching staff. In 2003 Lima brought eight wins and some much
needed innings. Now the Royals need Lima to mirror his 2004 stats
in which he went 13-5 with 170 innings pitched. Any bit of innings
Lima can provide will be greatly appreciated for the young arms
they will be using next year. This move was all right.
12.26.2004
No transactions for this day.
Hollandsworth Returns to Cubs (12.27.2004)
The Cubs brought in Hollandsworth after his 2003 season with the
World Champion Marlins. Hollandsworth played a minor role off
the bench, but did quite well filling in for Sammy Sosa and Moises
Alou in later innings as well as spot starts. This move was
all right.
Reds Sign Lefty Eric Milton (12.27.2004)
The Cincinnati Reds, desperate to restructure their starting rotation,
brought in Eric Milton. He’s not exactly a staff ace and
I don’t know why he’s being paid this much money (three
years, $25.5 million). Milton, a lefty, has a career ERA of 4.76
and don’t expect him to pitch quite that well for the Reds.
This move was bad.
Alou to Join Father (12.27.2004)
Inking his name to a two year, $12.25 million deal, Moises Alou
has rejoined his dad in a dugout. This time the two will be joined
in San Francisco, the only team to ever have three Alous in the
outfield at one time. This signing gives the Giants a power bat
in either the number three slot right in front of or the number
five slot, right behind Barry Bonds. While pitchers will walk
Bonds to face Alou, it won’t happen as often this year.
Expect Alou to put up insane RBI numbers. This move was good.
12.28.2004
No transactions worth writing about.
The Wright Stuff (12.29.2004)
The New York Yankees brought in starting pitcher Jaret Wright
to hopefully round out their staff. Last year Wright was brilliant
for the Braves (not too hard with Leo Mazzone as your pitching
coach), going 15-8 with a 3.28 ERA over 186.1 innings. Mel Stottlemyre
is no slouch, so it can be expected for Jaret Wright to pitch
decently next season, unlike John Burkett from the past with Boston.
This move was all right.
12.30.2004
No transactions for this day.
Tino to Bronx Again (12.31.2004)
Tino Martinez is back in pinstripes, this time to play back up
to Jason Giambi, Tino’s successor a few years back. If I
were the Yankees, I would try to void Giambi’s contract
and let Tino man first for the whole season. With Tino around,
it’s very likely that Giambi will DH a lot, which will take
away playing time from Bernie Williams. This move was good.
Feel free to leave comments in the forums or e-mail Daniel
at daniel@athomeplate.com.
