Kuzul

Jair Jurrjens isn’t getting any better. Since suffering a knee injury in the second half of the 2011 season, Jurrjens has looked uncomfortable on the mound has has vastly underperformed for an Atlanta Braves team that needed him to be one of the consistent starters in their rotation.

So far in 2012, Jurrjens has four starts and a 9.37 ERA which is the highest of any Braves pitcher. He has allowed 30 hits and 17 earned runs in 16.1 innings, and his pitches have looked flat with no movement to deceive hitters. Tim Hudson is due to come up from triple-A Gwinnett within a few weeks, and the starting rotation needed to be fiddled with to find room for him. 

The Braves had hinted that they would be sending Randall Delgado, a young Braves right-hander who has two wins in three starts this year. Delgado, although his ERA is 5.74, has looked good in his three starts this season, and he had only started one Major League ballgame before 2012, so he is still learning on the job.

The Braves have provided plenty of run support to Delgado, and every other starter for that matter, and he has been able to stunt the opposing lineup long enough for the Braves to build up an insurmountable number of runs against the opposing pitcher. 

Delgado has certainly looked more under control than Jurrjens this season, and that is probably the main reason that the Braves front office decided to send Jurrjens down to triple-A Gwinnett after another lackluster start in Los Angeles where he gave up nine hits and five earned runs in three innings of work.

Jurrjens was in Cy Young form in the first half of 2011, and was selected to the first All Star game of his career. He ended up recording 13 wins for the Braves in 2011 and, despite a knee injury that landed him on the disabled list and a start in Gwinnett, he was expected to be one of the Braves’ solid arms to rely on this season. 

Jurrjens has been dependable in 2012, but the Braves can only depend on him for losses and a huge deficit to overcome within the first four innings of games.

The fact is, Delgado has been far more consistent than Jurrjens, and Delgado has much more confidence in the rotation right now. It makes sense for the Braves to invest starts and instruction on Delgado over Jurrjens for the moment because Delgado has been the more reliable arm. If he can learn how to pitch in certain situations and start putting up some one-two-three innings, he can be a solid starter in the Braves’ rotation.

Jurrjens will look to regain his Cy Young form in the minors for the time being. Whether the Braves will look to groom him for a trade later in the year is still not clear, but as of right now, the rotation is better off with Jurrjens in Gwinnett. 

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The Atlanta Braves won a close game in Arizona on Saturday, beating the Diamondbacks 3-2 to hand the D-backs their fifth straight loss. Tommy Hanson, the ace of the Braves staff, pitched seven strong innings and allowed just one run en route to picking up his second win of the season.

After pummeling opponents with a devastating offense for the past few weeks, it was nice to see the Braves take a close game and lock it up in the late innings.

The Braves scored one run in each of he first three innings, and Dan Uggla launched his second home run of the season in the third, giving the Braves a 3-2 lead that the held for the remainder of the game.

Tommy Hanson looked sharp in his start. He gave up a run in the first and second inning, but commanded the strike zone and retired the last 12 batters he saw, handing the ball off to Jonny Venters in the eighth. Venters struck out the side, all but marking the tally in the win column for Fredi Gonzalez and Co. 

Craig Kimbrel then came in for the ninth and recorded his fifth save in as many attempts this season. Kimbrel and the rest of the Atlanta bullpen have shown that, if given a lead, they can hold a game and shut down a lineup in their tracks.

Saturday’s win was reassuring for Braves fans. Atlanta’s offense had been blowing opponents out of the water, and no pressure was put on the pitching staff recently, with the Braves leading the league in runs scored.

Hanson had a great outing after beginning the 2012 season with three rather mediocre starts. The 25-year-old righty bounced back on Saturday and posted a seven-inning, five-hit, two earned run performance that gave the Braves their 10th win in 11 games. 

Fans can take comfort in the fact that Atlanta’s pitchers retired the last 18 Arizona batters in a row. Tommy Hanson had seven strikeouts in as many innings, and Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel each struck out the side in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to lock up the win for the Braves.

The Braves are winning games with both their offense and pitching, putting them in great position in the NL East and the rest of the 2012 season.

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Theo Epstein was just appointed President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs, and he has a laundry list of problems to fix. His priorities range from blockbuster contracts for lackluster players, a dismal farm system and a front office that just hasn’t looked like they’re on the same page since the whole Bartman thing.

Epstein had immense success in his early years in Boston, but he was given a team with immense talent. The Red Sox let the Cubs interview Epstein about a possible position in their front office after a 2011 season in which the Red Sox went 7-20 in September, losing the Wild Card to the Tampa Bay Rays on the final day of the season.

Epstein took blame for the collapse alongside Red Sox manager Terry Francona, and then Francona‘s contract for 2012 was not picked up and he was trashed in the newspapers before he could even leave Boston.

Epstein didn’t take long to follow Francona and jump ship in Boston. He interviewed with Chicago and agreed to a deal that was finalized on October 21st after long negotiations between the Red Sox and Cubs on compensation for Epstein’s departure.

All that is now resolved and Epstein has been given a team with which he can clean his slate. He needs to get rid of contracts like Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano and Alfonso Soriano, but he has a more important task at the top of his list.

The Cubs need a new manager before the 2012 season, preferably as soon as possible.

Mike Quade, who managed the Cubs for his first full season as a Major League manager in 2011, led the team to a 71-91 record. The record is not as bad as the mismanagement of the bullpen in the second half of the season and the lack of development in the farm system.

The Cubs were eliminated from the playoffs just after the All-Star break and Quade should have saved his pitchers and position players from throwing out their arms or stealing bases in the grueling July, August and September of the baseball season. With so many managers on the sidelines, there is no reason for Epstein to keep Mike Quade as his manager.

Terry Francona is not a candidate to be the Cubs’ manager. His career ended harshly in Boston, and he is likely to stay out of the baseball limelight for at least a year. His broadcasting debut with FOX in October went well, and he would rather pursue that than rejuvenate a grown clubhouse again.

Epstein has some managers to choose from, but it will take convincing to move them out of retirement.

Ryne Sandberg is the Cubs’ first choice for their next manager. He had been a manager for the Cubs in the minor leagues until last year when they pushed him aside and gave Mike Quade the managerial position after Lou Piniella’s departure. Sandberg is respected in the Cubs’ organization and also by the players, so Epstein should consider him first. 

Epstein would also be wise to consider Bobby Valentine for the job. Valentine was most recently the manager of the New York Mets and took the Mets to the World Series in 2000. Valentine also had a very successful career managing in Japan, and his big city managing style would mesh well with Chicago. 

Epstein and Francona were on the same page from 2004 to 2008 and they won two Championships over that time period. Epstein will hire a manager that he identifies with both systematically and personally.

Epstein was a personable general manager in Boston; he would walk about the clubhouse and talk with his players, always staying on top of his team’s well-being. He would read every word of the reports he got from his scouts and was meticulous in his decisions on an everyday basis.

Valentine would complement his style well. Valentine managed with his ear to the ground, he knew the heart beat of his team every single day of the season and he would make the right decisions in every game—something Quade did not do in 2011.

There are managers in retirement that would fit the Cubs’ style but they are long shots. Joe Torre would be perfect, but to call him even a long shot is generous; he’s someone who no one talks about anymore and led a team with high-paid players that performed regularly.

Willie Randolph coached the Mets from 2005 to 2008 and had a winning record each year. The Mets have traditionally had a short leash with managers, and Randolph got a bad rap in the city upon his departure. Randolph coaches on Buck Showalter’s staff in Baltimore and is certainly more weathered in the Major Leagues that Mike Quade. He would fit well in Chicago and is someone who could adapt to Epstein’s plans for the farm system and the organization as a whole.

Epstein is going to turn Chicago upside-down. He will not be afraid of telling Cub fans like it is, and ridding them of the Bartman/Billy goat curse will be his goal. He took the job with the Cubs because he wants a new challenge.

He broke Boston’s curse, and now that he’s 37, he wants to break the other curse in baseball. Chicago has potential for a championship-caliber team, but their turnaround will start when Epstein finds a replacement for Mike Quade.

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It would be easy to start the free agent discussion with Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and CC Sabathia. But the free agent class of 2012 is a loaded one.

It has the big-name hitters, the star pitchers, an armory of relievers and plenty of position players for teams to choose from. And even though there are more free agents out there than the big-name ones, no one wants to read about if Rod Barajas or Russell Branyan are going to have new homes next Spring.

Many teams are looking to rebuild starting in 2012 and this free agent class is a perfect place to start.

The position with the most free agent star power is first base. Luckily for these high profile sluggers, there are plenty of teams waiting for their arrival into the free agent market place.

Albert Pujols 

Pujols is the biggest name on the market this year. His numbers are Williams-like, his home runs mirror Ruth, his pride the spirit of Clemente and his bat has the speed of Dimaggio’s. We’ve all heard the praise of Albert during the first 10 years of his career, and so has he.

He knows he’s the best, and he knows he should be payed like the best. He’s 32 and looking for a 10-year, $30 million deal. While he’s a first ballot Hall of Famer, a World Series Champion, MVP, Batting Champion, and will probably repeat a few of those awards, no one is worth $300 million in the second half of their career. And Albert will not get that kind of money.

The Cardinals are the front runners to keep Pujols, and he has said he’d prefer to stay in St. Louis. Without his bat, the Cardinals would be in trouble, and they have the most money to land him, with the possible exception of the Cubs and new President of Baseball Operations, Theo Epstein.

Pujols will be a priority for any team needing a first baseman, and that will include the New York Yankees. Mark Teixeira, although a consistent performer in the regular season, has more than choked in the playoffs as a Yankee. I wouldn’t count out Brian Cashman and the Yankees to try to nab Pujols.

Prince Fielder

Fielder is done in Milwaukee. Even if the Brewers had managed to bounce the Cardinals and then overcome a ferocious Rangers lineup to win the World Series, Prince would still leave.

The Brewers don’t have the money he wants because they just locked up Ryan Braun to a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal, and they don’t have room for two of those kind of players. Fielder has earned his pay day, and he will get it from another team.

The Cubs and Dodgers appear to be the leaders to get Prince, but don’t overlook the Cardinals. If Pujols leaves, there will be a massive gap in the Cardinals’ lineup that only someone with a bat the size of Prince Fielder’s would even be considered to fill.

It’s a long shot, but the Red Sox were supposed to win the World Series this year, so who knows.

Robinson Cano

Cano is a free agent at the end of this season. The 2011 Home Run Derby Champion has been a star in New York and will continue to succeed wherever he plays. The Yankees have a laundry list of free agents that they are losing this year, and with the possible exception of CC Sabathia, Cano may be their first contract negotiation.

The Yankees infield is waning—A-Rod and Jeter are past their better years, and Teixeira is on the back end of a multi-year deal that was given to him too quickly. Cano is the only strong force in New York’s roster that has the potential to produce for years to come. Plenty of teams would love the chance to have the second baseman on their team.

Jose Reyes

Reyes will be in a different uniform in 2012. The New York Mets are a mess, and they won’t have the funds to re-sign their All-Star shortstop. Reyes won the National League batting title in 2011, and while he has been one of the most dynamic players in baseball since his rookie year, he has suffered a handful of injuries in his career.

The Mets will not sign him to the deal that he wants because Reyes is seeking one similar to what Carl Crawford was given by the Boston Red Sox. It is almost inevitable that Reyes is going to have another significant injury by the time he retires.

He is a fast, small player who hustles and takes extra bases whenever they are available. His legs have already been locking up on him. His last few seasons have been riddled with hamstring and calf injuries and disabled list stints.

But Reyes will find a boatload of cash somewhere, and his tour of franchises will probably begin in Los Angeles to speak with Don Mattingly, or in St. Louis to talk with Tony La Russa about a vacancy at shortstop left by Rafael Furcal’s free agency.

Aramis Ramirez

Ramirez has a monster option for the 2012 season and with the arrival of Theo Epstein in Chicago, many have speculated that he may clear house and remove all of the overbearing contracts on the Cubs’ books. Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano may meet the same fate as Ramirez.

But Ramirez has a good chance of finding work in 2012. He is an All-Star third baseman that, when healthy, can charge a lineup full of home runs and runs batted in. Ramirez will look for a home in a place like St. Louis or Boston, but the Chicago White Sox are also a candidate to land him in the offseason.

Carlos Beltran 

Beltran is still a free agent at the end of the season, despite being traded to San Francisco from the Mets at the trade deadline. He is another All-Star who has endured an injury-filled career. Beltran has missed significant portions of seasons in the past, and that puts owners on edge when negotiating long-term deals.

Beltran will find a long-term deal somewhere like Atlanta or Arizona, teams that needs one more piece to make an impact on their playoff ambitions. The Yankees could also make a move on Beltran. They have not been afraid of older outfielders like Andruw Jones, Paul O’Neill, Bernie Williams, and Beltran is someone that would excel hitting with Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch as a backdrop.

Nick Swisher is a free agent in 2012, and the Yankees will likely not re-sign him, and Beltran would be a perfect replacement in right field. He is nearing the end of his career, and in the years to come his role on a team may change to more of an influence in the clubhouse or on the bench rather than a surge in the lineup. Either way, the Giants will not hang on to Beltran, and he will be free to test the market.

CC Sabathia

Sabathia is the biggest, in size and in name, free agent this season. The Yankees can not afford to let him go because they also lose Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to free agency this year. CC has a player option for the 2012 season, and he is likely going to opt out of the Yankees’ locker room for next season.

Sabathia can be used on any other team in baseball, and he would be payed a big price to be acquired. A team like the Rangers or the Marlins could pick up CC in the winter, but the Brewers are also a possibility.

Milwaukee already had CC in their locker room and it worked seamlessly. A solid pitching rotation could have saved the Brewers in the playoffs this season, and since CC has already pitched the Brewers to the playoffs once, it’s easy to imagine him doing it again.

CJ Wilson

Wilson is a free agent at the end of the 2011 season. He has been the ace on the Rangers’ roster and led the team to the World Series this year, all while weathering the departure of Cliff Lee to the Phillies in the off-season.

Wilson will be payed a hefty sum to play for the Yankees. With the crumbling of their pitching staff both in the playoffs and in the regular season, Joe Girardi’s club will look to rebuild with a young, quality starter like Wilson. If Sabathia opts out of his deal in 2012, it’s a forgone conclusion that Wilson will be in pinstripes next spring.

Edwin Jackson is another possible Yankee pitcher in 2012. His 2011 season was marked by a move to the Cardinals at the trade deadline. He performed well for St. Louis and proved that he can be a reliable third or second arm on some staffs for the next few years.

St. Louis will most likely re-sign Adam Wainwright in the offseason. Wainwright is a free agent, and although he missed the entire 2011 season due to Tommy John surgery, Wainwright is a viable pitcher in St. Louis and they won’t let him go. Jackson will be let go and teams like Arizona, New York, and the Dodgers would jump at the opportunity to sign the 28-year-old starter.

2012 free agency will be a free-for-all of sluggers, aces, relievers, middle infielders and even coaches. The 2012 season will have many players in new cities and new uniforms, which will make for the exciting possibility of new matchups. 

The big spenders like the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Dodgers will be out in full force this Winter. Keep your eyes on your team’s roster, but don’t get too attached to any of the names on it.

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