Kuzul

The Los Angeles Dodgers are fading fast, and are already eying the San Francisco Giants with a fleeting hope of making a remarkable comeback and a wild-card berth.

Realistically, the Dodgers are most likely turning their focus to 2011, and the uncertainty that lies on the horizon.

It is becoming more possible that the McCourts, Frank and Jamie, will be ordered to sell the team while they can’t settle marital differences. A new owner would likely provide some financial stability.

Several Dodgers will be free agents at the end of the 2010 season, including James Loney, Hiroki Kuroda, Manny Ramirez, and Vicente Padilla.

In addition to the potential loss of key players, the Dodgers will still be paying estranged outfielders Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones.

With all the turmoil of under-performing players along with injuries and soap-opera drama in the front office, there is a brighter outlook for devoted fans…

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The list of former Cardinals turned Reds grew again today. Cincinnati sent OF Chris Dickerson to the Brewers for the 40-year-old Jim Edmonds.

Former Cardinals and current Reds GM Walt Jocketty has acquired Scott Rolen, Jason Isringhausen, Russ Springer, and Miguel Cairo in the past year—all Cardinals at one point or another.

The big question: Does Edmonds have anything left in the tank?

In 217 plate appearances he is hitting .286, but only has eight homers and 20 RBI after sitting out the entire ’09 season. He’s a left-handed stick, and has been hitting pretty consistently since the break (.333).

The majority of his time has been spent in CF, and that’s where he will be starting for the Reds on Monday night. Can you guess whom they are playing?

The Cardinals come to town for the biggest home series in 10 years for the Reds. There are two games separating them, and Jocketty has obviously acknowledged the importance of winning this series.

Edmonds has played in the postseason seven different times. He is a .285 career hitter that will bring a great deal of veteran leadership to the club. He has accumulated eight gold gloves over his career. He can tell a guy like Jay Bruce what it’s like to play in meaningful September and October games.

I don’t think this move was a great idea, but giving up Dickerson isn’t the end of the world. He’s a guy that never seemed to fit into the Reds plans and he just coudn’t get over the hump.

Dickerson has been consistently injured. He has been hurt for three months—just like last year. He was hitting just .205 in 44 at-bats with the Reds this season. Since his return, though, he’s been hot while batting .442 with three homers and six steals in his first 13 games at AAA Louisville.

So, while I’m not a huge fan of Edmonds, it’s not as if the Reds gave up a five-tool prospect. But I think there is a subliminal reason for Reds’ fans to not like Edmonds.

He used to be one of the most disliked players when he was a Cardinal. Remember when there was a report that Ken Griffey Jr. called ESPN to complain that Edmonds was making it on “Top Plays” more than Junior? The rumor said that Griffey was jealous and wanted ESPN to do something about it.

That report really pissed me off. The guy was already a Reds killer on the field (like many of the top N.L. central hitters of the 2000’s), and now some stupid fake rumor like this was floating around? I’m sure Edmonds had nothing to do with it, but it angered me just the same.

Well, now it’s 2010 and Reds fans have to root for the guy. It was a low-risk move that might have its most profound effects outside of the box-score. If he’s still able to play a decent CF and continue to hit in the .280’s, well done Jocketty.

If not, he will certainly have a short lease with me. But then again, the starter for most of the year (Drew Stubbs) is still hovering below .240.

A move had to be made and Jocketty went with a familiar face. We will know very quickly if it was the right move.

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The Toronto Blue Jays not only sweep the Tampa Bay Rays, they dominated in all aspects of the game in their recent series.

In the first game of the series, Toronto capitalized on Tampa’s mistakes, as two of their runs were unearned.

We also saw the first of Toronto’s strong pitching performances in the series, with Brett Cecil going seven complete innings while giving up one earned run on four hits.

In the second game, the attendance rose to 24,168 to watch the highly anticipated debut of Toronto’s top catching prospect, J.P. Arencibia (appropriately dubbed “The Franchise” by Toronto Blue Jays die-hard fans).

And boy, did he live up to that claim.

He hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in his first at-bat and ended up hitting one more homer, going 4-for-5 with three RBI and finishing a triple away from the cycle.

In the final game, it was all about the Brandon Morrow show.

Many were upset that Jays manager Cito Gaston started Morrow’s normal battery mate Jose Molina instead of Arencibia.

We don’t hate you now, Cito.

No offense to Arencibia, but I don’t think Morrow would have had the performance he had Molina not been in the lineup.

Molina has 593 career games of catching experience in the MLB, compared to Arencibia’s one. If you’re not a math genius, that’s a difference of 592 games.

Now, to Morrow himself.

Morrow ended up striking 17 batters. Seventeen! He also no-hit the Rays for 8 2/3 innings.

Among Morrow’s strikeout victims were Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, and Ben Zobrist, three of Tampa’s elite hitters.

The big highlight of this game was the leaping catch Vernon Wells made at the wall to protect Morrow’s no-hit bid. In a weird coincidence, DeWayne Wise was playing left field. Wise made a leaping catch in Mark Buerhle’s perfect game last year.

For Morrow, this could be the start of something special. For a guy known as a fastball pitcher, we definetly saw Morrow come out of his shell and throw the filthy breaking ball never scene before his time in Toronto.

If Morrow had retired Longoria and gotten the final out, there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this was the best pitching performance in Toronto History.

No Hitter? No. Best Pitching Performance in Jays’ History? Yes.

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For some reason, I liked Vern Fuller.

Don’t ask me why. For five seasons, from 1966 to 1970, he occasionally played second base for the Cleveland Indians. He had a career batting average of .232 in 785 at-bats.

He wasn’t my favorite player, but, when I think of the Tribe teams of that era, his name is always one of the first that comes to mind.

As I watched a little bit of the Indians’ latest loss on TV Thursday night, I found myself thinking: Vern Fuller would be a star on this team, or close to it.

With all due respect to Mr. Fuller, that’s sad.

Here’s what else I was thinking as I watched guys like Jordan Brown and Frank Hermann ply their trade in an Indians uniform:

1. Who are these guys? and

2. Why on earth am I watching this?

I’m not alone. Attendance at Progressive Field has plummeted. Ratings for Indians telecasts on SportsTime Ohio have experienced a similar decline.

Once the hottest ticket in town, the Indians have become irrelevant.

As Oscar Wilde once said, “The only thing worse in the world than being talked about is not being talked about.”

That’s our Tribe.

As I paused briefly to watch a few moments of Thursday’s telecast, Luis Valbuena came to bat. What he’s doing back in the majors, I don’t know, but he’s hitting .169 on the season.

Then six-year veteran Andy Marte and his now-predictable .204 batting average stepped up, followed by Lou Marson (.192).

I’m sorry, but when you’re fielding a lineup like that, you’re simply not competing.

Then I looked up their salaries. They’re each making about $400,000 this season. In fact, most of the guys on the team are.

I guess that explains it.

The Indians have become the Pittsburgh Pirates of the American League. They play in a beautiful stadium in the heart of the city. They have a loyal fan base. They have a minuscule payroll.

And they’re terrible. Just terrible.

It also appears that, before they get better, they’re going to get worse.

In recent weeks, they went through their annual exercise of gutting the roster. This time, Jhonny Peralta, Austin Kearns, Kerry Wood, and Jake Westbrook were sent packing. Good old Russell Branyan was shipped out before them.

Carlos Santana, their brightest young player, suffered a horrendous, season-ending knee injury this week.

In their place are youngsters like Brown, Valbuena, Hermann, and another $400,000 man, Hector Ambriz.

Whatever.

It’s hard to assess what kind of job Manny Acta is doing as manager. How can we, with the roster he’s been given?

Shin-Soo Choo is the closest thing the Indians have to a star. Santana has promise, and Sizemore is a solid pro, but both must now overcome injuries to return to form next year.

Otherwise, the jury’s out on virtually everyone—including the new ace of the pitching staff, Fausto Carmona, who sports a 44-45 career win-loss record.

Yawn.

What’s alarming is that this routine is becoming the norm in Cleveland.

Develop a few solid players, and sign some veterans. Mix them with young kids for half the season, then unload the guys that will bring some prospects. Play out the rest of the season with the youngsters, and do it all over again the next year.

Three years ago, the Indians won 96 games, the A.L. Central Division crown, and very nearly an A.L. pennant.

A year later, their win total plummeted to 81. Last year, that number dropped to 65.

While this year’s winning percentage is better than last year’s at the moment, one wonders how long that will last now that the lineup is littered with AAA-level talent.

Mark Shapiro’s tenure as general manager has been one of missed opportunities. Larry Dolan’s tenure as owner has been one of lowered expectations.

The problem is, when expectations get too low, people lose interest. That means the Indians don’t just need to figure out how to win games, they need to figure out how to win back the fans.

Goodness, where’s Vern Fuller when you need him?

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Thus far, the 2010 season has been a ride of misfortune for the Philadelphia Phillies. It has been the baseball equivalent of getting out on the wrong side of bed in the morning.  

With a seemingly unending stream of injuries that have depleted the team from opening day, this season surely has not played out as the team’s brain trust intended or baseball pundits projected. 

Only two of the Phillies’ five starting pitchers at season’s outset have taken their turn all season long— Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels. Joe Blanton, JA Happ, and now Jamie Moyer all have resided on the Disabled List for extended periods of time. 

Every member of the National League’s most formidable infield have done the same, with All-Stars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard currently nursing injuries. Earlier in the year, of course, Gold Glove shortstop and offensive catalyst Jimmy Rollins made dual tours of duty on the DL. 

And, that’s not all.

Regular catcher Carlos Ruiz and center fielder Shane Victorino, along with relievers Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, and Chad Durbin have all been shut down. Also, based on performance trends, it seems probable that Raul Ibanez played his way back to full health after offseason surgery. 

It has all transpired like a heart pounding anxiety attack that might awaken Ruben Amaro or Charlie Manuel in the middle of the night, except it’s not a nightmare— it’s real.  

What’s a Manager to do? What’s a General Manager to do? 

Perhaps exactly what they have done through this challenging, Rubik’s Cube of a season. 

Both Amaro and Manuel have kept a sense of calm that spills over to the players in the clubhouse. 

Although many questioned whether the team possessed a false sense of security or even a general malaise induced by previous success, players and their leaders refrained from tossing out lifeboats. All maintained an outward sense of confidence and optimism that things would turn, especially as key players returned to the field.  

To his credit, Manuel acknowledged the injury situation, but never bemoaned it. Instead, he used the full roster and whatever reinforcements could be pulled from the farm system below. 

The skipper’s patience and belief in his entire roster is now paying dividends. 

Supporting role players such as Kyle Kendrick, Wilson Valdez, Ben Francisco, Ross Gload, Brian Schneider and Jose Contreras have performed admirably in the absence of their higher profile teammates. 

And let’s not forget Ibanez, who just may not be over the hill after all. The 38-year old left fielder has seemed to find his stroke—better late than never—and is currently playing a starring role in the middle of the lineup. The rejuvenated player even seems a couple steps faster. 

Most importantly, it’s all now translating into wins. Suddenly the Atlanta Braves feel the figurative hot breath of the Phillies on the back of their necks—a two game lead with two months to go is not the same comfort zone they experienced just a couple weeks prior. 

As for Amaro, and the rest of the Phillies brass, they have stepped up as well rather than bale on the season. They have also responded admirably to the adversity that has been dealt (and perhaps somewhat induced with the now infamous winter trade) through a series of moves that seem to put the team in position for another World Series run. 

First, the team’s resolve to hang onto prized prospect Dominic Brown is paying rewards. The five tool right fielder has helped provide a much needed boost to the lineup—and frozen ropes to nail runners at the plate never hurt either. 

Then, against odds, Amaro landed baseball’s other ace righty hurler named Roy to give the Phillies book ends around locked-in lefty Cole Hamels. With Kendrick and Blanton trending well, the rotation looks poised to lead the way, especially with a patchwork lineup for the foreseeable future.

Although his rocky debut dropped his record to 6-13, “I Gotta Feeling” that Oswalt isn’t going to end the season with a losing record. He has a made a career out of being a strong closer, and the adrenaline of a pennant race will provide a wondrous boost.  

And it is no small thing that Oswalt joins a club with Werth still wearing the same red pinstripes. 

Wednesday, Amaro may have pulled off another much quieter, but substantial coup when he acquired first baseman Mike Sweeney from the Seattle Mariners. If he can remain healthy, the veteran slugger will definitely add juice to the lineup while Howard mends. 

When the “Big Piece” returns, Sweeney will cast the type of strategy altering shadow out of the dugout like that provided by Matt Stairs in 2008. And all reports suggest that he is the type of upbeat personality to perfectly mesh with the team’s already great clubhouse chemistry.  

The fact that he swings from the right side of the plate provides some additional leeway to play Brown. Sweeney’s presence should also serve to diffuse some the pressure that Jayson Werth could be feeling to make up for the brown-out associated with the loss of Howard, Utley, and Victorino. 

Amaro and key adviser Pat Gillick are aptly proving that it pays to maintain friends around the league. 

The main area of concern revolves around the bullpen—and specifically closer Brad Lidge. Almost two years of adventure tends to do that to even the most optimistic managers and fans. 

Surely the concerns are valid with Lidge’s diminished fastball, sporadic command, and high wire finishes. On the plus side, the former “Lights Out” hurler has put together three solid outings after his well publicized meltdown in Washington. 

Should Lidge fail to find his mojo, Contreras is still flashing closer stuff with his heavy fastball. And, who knows, maybe Madson can finally get over the hump to become a viable closer option? Or, there’s always Scott Mathieson down on the farm dealing high heat. 

Where this all leads is to a potentially very rosy picture for this troubled season to date. Oddly enough, this club has the potential of being the best yet when the games increase in urgency and importance. 

The return of Howard, Utley, and Victorino along with the addition of new cast mates such as Oswalt, Brown, and Sweeney creates the very real potential to provide more high drama when the leaves turn colors in the “City of Brotherly Love.” 

The challenges that come with a rash of injuries can often turn into advantages. Players such as Greg Dobbs, Francisco, Gload, Schneider, and Valdez have gained the opportunity to hone their skills while the regulars sit on the sidelines—which translates into a stronger, more productive bench down the road. 

The team needs to keep grinding out wins while not at full force to stay within striking distance, but this team has all the makings of being a beast down the stretch and in the postseason. 

And considering the tremendous struggle this season has been, it could possibly be the most satisfying as well. 

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On Wednesday afternoon against the New York Yankees, starting catcher John Buck injured his thumb and was placed on the disabled list after the game. There’s no definite timetable for his return, but he won’t be back until Aug. 19 at the earliest. Injuries are never anything to get excited about, but sometimes the player movement that stems from one can cause some excitement.

That looks to be the case here, as the Blue Jays promoted one of their top prospects, catcher J.P. Arencibia, to take Buck’s roster spot. Arencibia figured to make his debut at some point this season, at the least with a September call-up. That has been moved up to now, and it’s possible J.P. will stay with the club for the remainder of the season.

The Jays could opt to keep him on the roster even if Buck returns before rosters expand on the first of September. Until then, Arencibia should get the bulk of the playing time behind the plate for the Jays. Back down in Triple-A Las Vegas, Brian Jeroloman will be taking over the starting duties behind the plate. Jeroloman was enjoying a productive season in Double-A and will get his second shot at the higher level.

According to StatCorner’s site, Arencibia has been Las Vegas’ best offensive performer this season. He’s been a team-best 21.5 batting runs above average in 420 plate appearances. That represents a complete turnaround from his 2009 season, also at Triple-A, when he was 14.7 batting runs below average in 500 trips to the plate.

The improvement offensively is easily noticeable in several different areas, the most reassuring being his improved walk rate. While he might never be able to draw any more than a league-average number of walks, he should at least be able to avoid being labeled as a free swinger. His 7.9 percent walk rate is the best of his career and has come a long way since walking just 2.5 percent of the time in 2008 with Double-A New Hampshire.

J.P. has also seen more pitches this season than last, improving to 3.73 pitches per plate appearance. He’s been able to both walk more and see more pitches while at the same time striking out less. After swinging at 54.5 percent of the pitches he saw in ’09, Arencibia has cut back to 50.1 percent this season.

Hitting the long ball has never been a problem for Arencibia since being drafted in the first round of the 2007 draft. He went deep 27 times in 2008 between High-A and Double-A and hit another 21 homers last year. This season he’s gone yard 31 times in just 420 plate appearances.

His overall power has also been impressive. His ISO was over .200 in both ’08 and ’09 before this season’s outstanding .336. Arencibia has collected over 30 doubles each of the past three seasons. Like many catchers, the doubles come more from the solid contact than any ability to move quickly on the bases.

His batted ball profile, in terms of balls in play going for either a line drive, fly ball, or grounder, is largely unchanged from last season despite his BABIP jumping from .267 to .304. The .304 in 2010 is in line with his BABIP from ’08 and ’09, both of which were over .300. The rise in BABIP and the home run barrage have pushed his average to .303, a huge improvement from ’09.

Defense matters more for catchers than any other position, and it will be crucial that Arencibia can hold his own behind the plate. In his preseason prospect rankings on FanGraphs, Marc Hulet noted that scouts felt his defense had made strides during the 2009 season. He speculated that J.P.’s defensive abilities could be average to slightly above average.

Total Zone for catchers, which judges a catcher only on his ability to control the running game, rates Arencibia as slightly above average in throwing out and picking off runners. Advanced fielding stats have their uses, but not for evaluating catcher defense. All the intangibles of working with a pitching staff, calling a game, and so on are hard, if not impossible, to quantify.

We know what to expect, or at least hope for, when Arencibia steps to the plate, but time will need to pass to see how the other aspects of his game measure up. However many games J.P. gets into for the Jays this season will mean more to him than to anyone trying to analyze the results. At best he’d get 160 or so trips to the plate, far too small a sample size to draw conclusions from.

It will be said this is an audition for a starting role in 2011, but the Jays front office is not foolish enough to base that decision on 30 to 40 games when they have years of information from their player development personnel and coaches. That he has been called up is a sign they believe he is ready and that they are ready to commit a season’s worth of playing time to see what he can do.

The time up with Toronto will be invaluable to Arencibia. It will give him a chance to face the best pitchers and fastest baserunners for the first time, and the lessons he learns will pay dividends in 2011. Playing through the month of September for the first time will be a valuable experience. Catching 120 games a year is taxing on the body and something Jays fans hope Arencibia will have to get used to in the years ahead.

Enjoy watching one of the Jays’ prized prospects begin his big league career, but don’t get overly concerned with the results, good, bad, or ugly.

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Billy Beane is notorious for deadline deals. He has a quick trigger finger and seems to always be shuffling players in and out of the Oakland clubhouse. However, the 2010 trade deadline was different, as Beane and the Athletics just sat back and watched from a distance.

Some A’s fans are disappointed by the quiet deadline because they feel that if the A’s added a power bat they would be able to contend for the division crown. However, this is an unlikely scenario, and even if the A’s did catch the Rangers, it is hard to imagine this Oakland team making a splash in the playoffs.

By staying quiet at the deadline, Beane is looking to improve the 2011 and 2012 Oakland Athletics. This is a talented group of young players who have had a rough season due to inconsistency and injuries. Keeping this team together through the remainder of the year and the offseason will help the current A’s build continuity and trust in each other.

It is hard to win or feel comfortable on a team where players are constantly being shuffled in and out. Teams that have success generally have a core group of players that know what it is like to play with each other.

The A’s are young which means if Beane can keep this group together, they will be able to build continuity and return to the winning ways of the early 2000’s.

The current team has a great pitching staff and is desperate for a power hitter, but the trade deadline was not the right time to address this.

When rosters expand in September, the A’s will more than likely call up Chris Carter and Michael Taylor. Both these players have promising bats and will help the A’s in the future.

Fans may be upset that the remainder of 2010 seems pointless, but 2011 and 2012 look to be filled with young talent and a fresh start.

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Baseball managerial practices are organic. They change and shift according to knowledge into the laws of physics, culture, and economics.

In times of yore, a five-man rotation was thought to be useless, Cy Young started 49 games in a single year, and the concept of a closer would have been bizarre.

Getting back to the present, Stephen Strasburg’s muscles flared a few weeks ago, and it seems he may be shut down for the year.

Baseball’s “chosen one” had never pitched more than 128 innings in a season, and so nearing that number between the minors and majors this year, the Nationals began to tread carefully.

With his inflammation not abating, what are the chances they let him pitch again this year?

We live in the age of the pitch count and caution.

Looking at the numbers for the Giants’ starting pitching staff this year, some interesting trends start to emerge.

At the start of the year with a well-rested staff, the Giants came out firing on all cylinders, with the exception of Todd Wellemeyer’s road starts.

At home, however, Wellemeyer joined the party and the Giants maintained first place in their division.

Some ups and downs took them through the first half, but it was the offense’s impotence during stretches that prevented them from winning, e.g. the series in Oakland.

But before the All-Star break, the pitching seemed to completely break down and looked fatigued. They lost seven in a row and the formerly dominant pitching staff became average to subpar.

Of course, many will point to the obvious friction—holding Buster Posey back and continuing to use the very much depleted Bengie Molina—as the source of the teams’ woes.

The Giants traded Molina on June 30th, and the team has been much better since then.

Right before the All-Star break in Milwaukee, the team was able to get healthy on a fairly inept team, and Posey redonned his Iron Man suit and put the team on his back.

But the starting rotation really seemed to find themselves after the extra rest of the All-Star break.

Lincecum started the second half with a shutout. Zito followed with eight shutout innings.  Cain then gave up 2 ERs in seven innings. Sanchez also gave up 2 ERs in seven innings. And Bumgarner finished up the first cycle by going 5.2 IP and allowing 1 ER.

The Giants won four of five, and the starting rotation posted an ERA of 1.28.

Since then, the offense has outperformed every other one in baseball while the pitching has stayed solid.

But those first five games are instructive—with a little extra rest, the starting rotation dominated.

Furthermore, Lincecum needed to skip a start at the end of last year to refuel.

Now Wellemeyer is ready to return to the big league club and the Giants will have five-and-a-half starting pitchers.

Yes, I said five-and-a-half. Earlier this year I wrote an article suggesting Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde should be separated at the hip. In other words, Wellemeyer should just make his home starts. It was supposed to be funny…a joke.

But now, it actually seems to make sense. If the staff pitches better with a little extra rest, why not let Wellemeyer take a few home starts from here on out?

The Giants can go in one of two directions: either say we’re embarrassed that the guy can’t pitch on the road and not start him at all, or say we’re proud the guy can knock it out at home and send him out there.

The glass is either half empty or half full.

But if the corollary that a better rested staff is more dominant is true, then a “5.5 Man Rotation Giants” would have the best staff in baseball going into September and October.

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All day yesterday, the attention of Texas Rangers fans was set on a courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas, where the auction of their team was about to take place.

On one hand, you had a group headed by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and sports attorney Chuck Greenberg going up against a group headed by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane.

There were fireworks inside and outside of the courtroom—even a very heated confrontation between attorneys for both sides.

As the hours dragged on, so did the delays and recesses, as both sides tried to jockey for position. It was a chess match, with each trying to figure out what move their opponent would make next.

When the smoke cleared, it was Thursday at one o’clock in the morning, and it was finally over. The bidding had ceased, and it was the Greenberg-Ryan camp that came out victorious. Even in defeat, Mark Cuban was gracious, congratulating both Greenberg and Ryan, saying “Go Rangers” on Twitter early Thursday morning.

With the auction finally coming to a close, the focus of the Rangers’ front office can finally turn back to the team—a team that is currently in first place in the American League’s Western Division.

Not only will the focus now change to where it should have been all along—on a ball club that is headed for a probable run to the World Series—but also to the beginning of internal conversations about whether or not they can bring back two big pieces of their team for the next few years. One is outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, the other, left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels chatted with fans on ESPN Tuesday afternoon and was asked about the aforementioned players as well as the re-signing of outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Daniels said he has notified the agents for both Guerrero and Lee to let them know that they are interested in re-signing their clients. Those conversations, however, will not take place until after the 2010 season is over.

As for Hamilton, who isn’t eligible for free agency until 2012, he was offered a four-year, $24 million extension back in 2009 but turned it down, according to SI.com’s Jon Heyman.

Ryan, during his testimony early on, told the court that the Rangers might have a hard time re-signing Hamilton, especially if he won the AL MVP Award. He testified that the contract total could go well over $35 million when the team began negotiations of a contract extension.

While it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the Rangers to bring back both Guerrero and Lee for next season and beyond, most think that Lee will test free agency after the 2010 season is complete. His agent told ESPN’s Buster Olney back in May, “We’re five months away from free agency, so I think that’s the most likely scenario at this point.”

The trade that brought the left-hander to Texas was done right under the nose of the defending World Series champion New York Yankees. Normally, what the Yankees go after, they get.

To be defeated, especially for a guy like Lee, isn’t going to leave the Bronx Bombers with a good taste in their mouths. They want the left-hander in pinstripes; there’s no question about that. When it looked like he was headed to the Yankees a few weeks ago, Lee and his wife actually met with Yankees pitcher and former Cleveland teammate CC Sabathia and his wife to look at where they might end up living.

The Rangers do have one thing in their corner: an ace in their back pocket, and his name is Nolan Ryan. He’s a guy the players respect, not only because he is a Hall of Famer, but also because he’s a former player and knows what the game is like. While he shouldn’t be given complete credit for the turnaround of the former joke of the AL West, he is a big part of the team’s success so far this season.

If you’re a guy like Lee and you know you’re going to be playing for a guy like Ryan, it would make any pitcher think twice about playing anywhere else. Make no mistake—I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to hear that Ryan stayed in touch with Lee after this season comes to a close and made it clear to him just how much they want him back in a Rangers uniform.

I talked to CBS 11’s Melissa Newton via Twitter who told me, “Chuck Greenberg told me last night, ‘we still have money, and we’re still going to go after Cliff Lee.'”

If the Rangers want to get a long-term deal done with the left-hander, they are going to need to include a no-trade clause in his contract—something Lee says he’s going to require. “I’m going to do everything I can to have that in there,” Lee told the media during his introductory press conference with the Rangers. “I want to have some control of my life.”

During that same press conference, Lee was asked about free agency: “I don’t know…there are so many ifs and buts. There’s no telling who is going to be out there trying to sign me. There are so many variables and unknowns to give you a really good answer.”

The Rangers are a better team with both of these guys in the mix. They were good before Lee was traded here to Texas, but they’re that much better with him in the fold, and Nolan Ryan, Jon Daniels, and the rest of the front office have to know that.

All Rangers fans—and players—can do is speculate at this point. No one knows where Lee is going to sign or even what he prefers at this point. All they need to be concerned with is making a push through the playoffs to their first ever trip to the World Series.

After that, Daniels and Ryan will do everything they can to bring both Guerrero and Lee back, and I don’t believe the Rangers will have a single problem with giving Lee the no-trade clause for which he’ll be asking.

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There comes a time in a parent’s life when they have to let go of a child who has had thrust upon them the high expectations of a family. There is a time when that child has to leave the only city he has ever known and begin a new life elsewhere.

There comes a time when the Milwaukee Brewers and Manny Parra look each other in the eye and say things never worked out, and let Parra find another city to call home.

Same story, different scenario.

Parra, along with Yovani Gallardo, was once the crowned gem of the Brewers organization. Ever since he threw a perfect game in the minors, it seemed like he would join the ranks of Sheets and Gallardo as top pitchers from the farm system.

He was a special lefty with a hard fastball and nasty splitter to go along with a changeup. It was deemed a repertoire that made batters cringe. He could go late into games and didn’t allow free passes very often.

Then he arrived to town.

The Manny Parra of the scouting reports has not been very evident in a Brewers uniform, outside of the few good outings he has amounted.

His rookie season of 2008 did not immediately pour out stress on Brewers faithful. He had a stretch of eight consecutive wins that stretched his record to 9-2 with a 3.68 era as late as July. But as the summer emerged, Parra lost his command and touch, finishing the season in the bullpen with a 4.39 era, 1.54 WHIP, and 10-8 record as the team made the Playoffs.

The outlook was still bright for Parra. He mixed both bad outings (4 IP, 6 ER vs. Cincinnati) with the good outings (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R vs. Minnesota) to combine for a respectable campaign.

Then 2009 came around, and Parra, with his jersey number switched from 43 to 26, couldn’t find the strike zone and gave up more runs than I would like to mention.

For some reason, manager Ken Macha kept him in the starting rotation all season long, even though Parra never quite found a groove. You could look at the 10 run outing in pitcher-friendly Sun Life Stadium (then Land Shark Stadium) or the 1.2 inning start against the White Sox that turned ugly very fast.

In 27 starts, he reached the seventh inning only four times, getting through the inning only three times. He relied on five runs of run support per game from his team, which saved him from losing even more games.

Don’t let the 11-11 record throw you off guard. Look at the 6.36 era, the 19 home runs, and the 116/77 K to BB ratio. Those numbers definitely don’t back up the record.

He deservedly began 2010 in the bullpen, where he probably should still be. He exited April with a 0.77 era in nine appearances. But this success, along with an injury to the equally ineffective Doug Davis prompted a promotion to the starting rotation.

Brewers fans cringed.

In July Parra had a 10-run outing, a five-run outing, and two four-run outings. He made it through the fifth only once.

Just Wednesday, he was cruising along against the Chicago Cubs, allowing only a solo home run to Tyler Colvin. He had six punchouts through five innings. His splitter was being located well to go along with a strong fastball.

Then it turned south, allowing five runs in the innings to blow a 3-1 lead and allow the Cubbies to break away. He couldn’t even minimize the damage.

Looking at Parra’s outings, it doesn’t seem that the first few innings give him trouble. He can work out of jams and give up minimal damage, if any, and keep the team in the game. But anyone can do that.

It usually is the second and third times through the order that make Bob Uecker tell us that “Manny Pair-uh has given up four this inning and the Brewers trail, 5-2.”

His “stuff” just doesn’t seem to be effective for a length. Unlike the Roy Halladays, Cliff Lees or even guys like Carl Pavano, Parra doesn’t have the ability to control every pitch and doesn’t have the nasty breaking ball to rely on late in games.

He’s forced to use every pitch he has early on. Hitters recognize this and have seen everything he has to give by the sixth inning. That would explain all of the 5.0, 5.1, and 5.2 inning appearances over his career.

Basically, he has good bullpen stuff.

The problem is that Macha and GM Doug Melvin seem to has endless trust in Parra. They see the potential—a word only used with underachieving players—and keep sending him out to the hill every fifth day.

You can’t tell me that there isn’t someone else that can do better than the California native. While Gallardo has succeeded expectations becoming a 2010 All-Star, Parra has had a few starts that show what he can accomplish.

But how much time can the Brewers afford to waste trying to allow him to finally blossom. They gave Rickie Weeks time, but he was decimated with injuries and now is a big run producer and superb leadoff hitter.

At $440k, at least Parra isn’t making Jeff Suppan figures just to lose games. He becomes arbitration-eligible in 2011, but it is doubted that he will be given more money considering his performance.

The consequences aren’t as severe for releasing him, or designating Parra to the bullpen. Either one would make plenty of Brewer fans give a sigh of relief not having to see Parra implode in the sixth again.

You’ve had your chance to impress, Manny. Now it’s time for someone else to do the job.

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