Kuzul

Last night, the Philadelphia Phillies made a big yet somewhat expected splash when they received All-Star right fielder Hunter Pence and $1 million from the Houston Astros in exchange for four minor-league players, including their top two prospects—starting pitcher Jarred Cosart and first baseman/outfielder Jonathan Singleton.

Despite the ridiculous comment made by Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. earlier this season that the Phillies “would not make a major move this year” at the trade deadline, Amaro has gotten the job done again for the Phillies.

This is the third major move he’s made at the trade deadline in as many years as the Phillies general manager—two years ago, he traded four prospects to the Cleveland Indians for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco, and last year he traded pitcher J.A. Happ and two prospects to the Astros for Roy Oswalt. This year, he got the Phillies the right-handed bat they needed since Jayson Werth signed his mega-deal with the Washington Nationals. And us Phillies fans are happy about that.

However, just because Amaro has made this big trade with Houston doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s done for the year. While most reports indicate that he’s done dealing for the year—he’s even stated that he’s “very comfortable with the ballclub“—but as we’ve come to know with Ruben Amaro (as mentioned above), most things he says should be taken with a grain of salt.

The Phillies are now the team to beat in the National League. With a major league-best 66-39 record, not only are they the team to beat in the NL, but they very well could be in all of baseball.

Sure, the San Francisco Giants just got New York Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran in a trade, who was arguably the best all-around bat on the trade market this year, but he’s only with the team for the remainder of the season. And with the Phillies’ acquisition of Pence, he’s not only with the team this year, but also the next and the year after that.

In short, the Phillies have basically one-upped the Giants.

But does that mean the Phillies will stop here?

Earlier in the season, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel asked for both a right-handed bat and a relief pitcher. While Ruben Amaro has granted one of those two wishes (and the more important one as well), could he potentially look to get a deal done for a bullpen arm?

In the past when Ruben Amaro has made his trade deadline splashes, he has stood pat for the last few days following his deals. But could this year be a change to his status quo?

Prior to the completion of the Pence trade, Amaro had released a list of his top three priority players to acquire at the deadline this year. That list, from top to least priority, was Pence, White Sox right fielder Carlos Quentin and Padres setup man Mike Adams. Now that the Phillies have Pence, Quentin isn’t needed anymore, so Adams technically becomes the Phillies’ top priority should they continue to pursue other players. But will Adams be theirs for the taking?

As we’ve already covered, the Phillies have traded their top two prospects, Cosart and Singleton. Due to their departures, the Phillies’ new top prospect is starting pitcher Brody Colvin. If the Phillies, or any team for that matter, wants Adams, then they would most likely have to part with at least one top prospect. Should the Phillies pursue Adams, could Colvin be that prospect?

Even if the Phillies decide not to go the Adams route, they could trade for a smaller-market reliever like Chad Qualls of the Padres or Jon Rauch of the Blue Jays. It could be very interesting to see which reliever the Phillies get if they choose to go hunting for one.

And while the Phillies’ other primary target is a bullpen arm, they are also supposedly looking for a power bat off the bench. They inquired about Jason Giambi of the Rockies prior to his injury and they even asked the Minnesota Twins about the availability of their former first baseman Jim Thome, who is just four home runs away from reaching the 600 home run milestone for his career. Wouldn’t it be something if he did it in a Phillies uniform?

Yes, the Phillies have done something special in acquiring Hunter Pence. They’ve got the right-handed bat they have coveted and they’ll have it for two and a half years. But there’s still one lingering question: with just over 24 hours before the trade deadline (as of 1:35 p.m. EDT), will the Phillies make another move?

Only time will tell.

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The offense mustered by the Chicago White Sox in their 9-3 loss to Detroit is typical of the team’s misfortunes of late.  With the loss to the Tigers in the first game of a weekend series, the White Sox have lost eight of their last nine games.

Apart from their 9-2 win Thursday over the Rays, runs have been hard to come by for Chicago.  The Sox are averaging two runs a game in their last eight defeats.  Friday night’s offensive production came solely via the long ball, courtesy of Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko.

That’s appropriate in that the two sluggers have paced the Chicago attack all season.

Konerko, who until last season was a notorious slow starter in April, is hitting .329 with five homers and 16 RBI.  He shares the lead in that category with Quentin, who is hitting .320.  The two dingers he hit in Friday’s game now give him the team lead with six on the year.

For Konerko, a solid start is validation of the three-year contract he signed last winter.  It’s also a sign that the veteran first baseman still has pop in his bat after a career-season in 2010.

The bat work by Quentin and Konerko are highlighted further when compared to the rest of the White Sox lineup.

Free-agent acquisition Adam Dunn has struggled out of the gate.  The new DH has had an appendectomy that saw him miss six games.  He’s been dropped a few spots in the lineup and has an anemic .163 batting average thus far in 2011.

Alex Rios isn’t hitting the ball, for power or otherwise.  Gordon Beckham is treating us to a reprise of his poor start last season, hitting .213.  Brent Morel is hitting .208.

The fact that Quentin and Konerko are one-two in runs scored for the White Sox is a disturbing stat.  The table setters aren’t getting it done.  Ozzie Guillen is now starting to shuffle the lineup to get something going on the base paths.

Beckham, like last year, is being moved toward the bottom of the order.  Omar Vizquel is going to get more at-bats in the two spot, and Mark Teahen may have the chance for more plate appearances if Morel continues to flirt with the Mendoza line.

It’s a tough spot for the Chicago manager.  Last season, Rios and Konerko were the hot bats while everyone else slumped.  Now Konerko and Quentin, who himself was hitting in the .150 range at this time last season, are the bright spots in a lineup that is misfiring to say the least.

The White Sox ran hot and cold for most of last season, so this shouldn’t come as a complete shock.  It’s frustrating to watch a team with four regulars, including two high-priced veterans, hitting a combined .188.

I expected Morel to struggle at the plate, but with so many guys slumping, Guillen can’t afford to give his rookie third baseman the slack he requires.

Equally frustrating is the feeling that the White Sox just have to ride out this stretch and make it up later in the season.  The question then becomes this: Just how much ground will Chicago have to make up this season when the bats finally wake up?

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What We Learned:

It’s less than a week into the season, so almost nothing. But here are the things that stood out from the season’s first series.

–Progressive Field in Cleveland set consecutive low attendance records on Saturday and Sunday.

After an opening day sellout, the Indians sold 9,853 and 8,726 tickets over the weekend. I watched the games and there might have been a third of that many people actually in the stadium. This is after the Indians finished last in baseball in average attendance last year.

–The Rays may be in Trouble.

I was actually pretty surprised how highly many writers chose this team coming into the season. After losing Crawford, Carlos Pena, Matt Garza and virtually an entire bullpen–Joaquin Benoit (60 IP, 1.34 ERA), Rafael Soriano (45 SV, 1.73 ERA), Grant Balfour (55 IP, 2.28 ERA)–and replacing them with a group of has-been hitters and journeyman/never-was pitchers, many still considered Tampa Bay as division contenders or wildcard favorites.

Who knows, it could still turn out that way, but a team with Manny Ramirez as its cleanup hitter in 2011 is going to have trouble scoring runs. A team relying even moderately on Kyle Farnsworth as a closer is going to have trouble protecting leads. And even though everyone was worried about the Yankees starting pitching coming into the season, their five can probably match up decently with Tampa’s and they are going to score a lot more runs.

Oh and Evan Longoria is now on the DL.

–The Players who Stunk:

Manny: 12 AB, 1 H, 1 TB

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The Chicago White Sox General Manager has some tough choices in the coming months.

The White Sox, who currently have a payroll of over $105 million, have nine free agents and four arbitration eligible players on whom decisions will have to be made. Some will return to the fold in 2011, while others will be wished the best and sent off to seek different Major League employment (or start exploring that life after baseball thing).

Life is full of tough choices; let’s start making some.

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Let’s take a look at who had a big day and who didn’t yesterday:

Three Hot:

1. Mike Stanton – Florida Marlins
   He had a big day, going 3-4 with 2 HR, 3 RBI and 2 R. He’s now on a seven game hitting streak, going 13-29 with 5 HR, 8 RBI and 6 R.  He’s proven to be an extremely streaky player but when he’s on, he has as much power as anyone. The average isn’t great (.251), but if you are in need of some power, you just need to leave him in there through thick and thin so you don’t miss out on days like this.
2. Tim Lincecum – San Francisco Giants
   We all know that he has not been the same pitcher that he’s been in previous years, but he has turned back the clock over his last three starts. He beat the Padres yesterday, giving up one run on seven hits and one walk, striking out nine, over seven innings. In these last three starts he is 3-0, allowing five earned runs over 21.2 innings, striking out 29 in the process. He’s been frustrating, but a strong finish will go a long way towards once again solidifying his status among the elite pitchers in the game.
3. Cliff Lee – Texas Rangers
   Between the back issues and his struggles on the mound, there were huge concerns surrounding Lee. A lot of those concerns are eased when you toe the rubber and stymie a Yankees offense that is among the elite in the league. Lee went eight innings, allowing one run on two hits and three walks, striking out five. It’s the first time since August 6 that he has allowed less then four earned runs in a start (a span of five starts). His next start comes against the Mariners, so hopefully he can continue to roll and get back into form.

Three Not: by Will Overton

1. Carlos Quentin – Chicago White Sox
   The Chicago White Sox Outfielder found himself on the bench for the second game in a row and with no reported injury, one has to believe this is performance-related, as Manny Ramirez has made the White Sox outfield a bit crowded. Currently, Quentin is hitless in his last four games going a combined 0 for 13 and bringing his overall average in September to .227, coming off an August where he hit .239. I’m sure the average would have been more tolerable were Quentin doing his part in hitting homeruns, but he hasn’t hit one of those since August 11th. A decrease in playing time for Quentin means a likely increase for Mark Teahan, Mark Kotsay, and Andruw Jones, but none of that bunch is overly enticing for fantasy purposes. Chances are Quentin remains the everyday right fielder, but his value doesn’t justify his current owner percentage of 95% on ESPN. If you need the space, I wouldn’t be afraid to drop him.
2. Francisco Cordero – Cincinnati Reds
   Cordero notched his second blown save in this three game series, and the worst part is that this series has been against the Pirates. After two solid years in Cincinnati, including a 2.16 ERA last year, it looked like Cordero may have been becoming one of the more reliable closers in the game, but this was his 8th blown save and it sent his ERA up over 4 on the year. His job is probably not in jeopardy, at least not for the remainder of this season. But if you own him, you have to be questioning how much you can count on him as you head down the stretch. You ultimately have to take your chances and ride it out hoping for the best.
3. Dallas Braden – Oakland Athletics
   He has had an overall good year. We all know about the controversy with A-Rod and the perfect game that put him on the map. But much more quietly, he had a very dominant couple of months in July and August posting a 2.37 ERA in those two months combined. However he has fallen off the tracks a bit here in September. Yesterday’s performance wasn’t awful at a glance (4 runs in 5.2 IP) it was far from where he was or should be. He managed only 10 first pitch strikes to 25 batters and that led to 4 walks and only 2 K’s, as this was his season high for walks. He has topped his high for innings pitched and these struggles could be a sign of wearing down. I don’t think this is a warning sign for next year, but I wouldn’t count on to much more productivity from him going forward this year as all signs point to him being a bit to stretched.

What are your thoughts on these players?

Make sure to check out our Fantasy Baseball Minor League Player of the Year Awards:

• Atlanta Braves
• Kansas City Royals

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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After shellacking the Chicago White Sox 12-6 on Tuesday night, the Minnesota Twins have moved into first place in the AL Central by one game.

Both teams are hot, with the Twins winning 12 and the White Sox winning 10 of the teams’ last 15 games. White Sox have gone 39-16 since June 8th, overcoming a horrendous start to get to this point, while the Twins have gone 19-10 since the All-Star break without one of, if not their best, hitters.

It looks as though the race in the AL Central will once again come down to the final week of the season, and perhaps another 163rd game is in order.

For the Detroit Tigers, the season is all but over, as the team went from leading the division a day before the All-Star break to sitting 10 games back in third place thanks to a 5-22 record since then.

For the most part we know what we are getting from the players on the White Sox and Twins; however, there are players on both squads who can fluctuate either way and will eventually make or break their team’s chances of getting to the postseason.

Today we will take a look at five players who could decide the AL Central.

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A quick look at last week’s Fantasy Baseball top performing and least owned players on the waiver wire. Edwin Jackson’s insane no-hitter.

Carlos Quentin’s four dingers. Brandon Morrow & Jhoulys Chacin are strikeout machines. R.A. Dickey’s 6th straight.

Is Jamie Moyer really father-time in disguise?

Can they really keep it up for another week? Check out who’s a Must or a Bust.

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Sometimes we as fans forget that professional sports are not just around so we have an excuse not to go to the store with the wife or something to talk about with that uncle who insists the Bears will never win again until they bring Ditka back.

The fact of the matter is professional sports are around so that the owners of the teams can make money. Sure, the owners aren’t the only ones making money when you go to the stadium or buy a jersey. Everyone from the players and coaches down to the ticket takers and security guards make money from a professional sports team. Why?

Because it’s a business.

This leads me to a basic business concept that any owner this side of Al Davis understands, buy low and sell high .

Easy right?

It’s the reason that teams scout themselves and try to find out if that highly rated prospect is overrated. In which case he’ll be traded before other teams find out his true value (hello Andy Marte). Likewise, teams want to find out if that 38th round pick out of Jefferson is going to be Mark Buehrle , or a future used car salesman .

So what am I getting at? Well, there’s been a growing sentiment among White Sox fans that Carlos Quentin should be traded because of his lack of production this season as well as his inability to stay healthy.

I can’t help but be disappointed at the lack of business knowledge of some of my fellow Sox fans.

By trading Quentin right now, you’d be selling low on a guy who in 2008 was the odds on favorite for AL MVP before he punched his bat and subsequently was out for the rest of the season.

If the Sox were to trade Quentin, what would we as fans want in return? That’s right, a guy who could put up the numbers that Quentin did less than two years ago.

Well guess what, we already have a guy who has the potential to put up those numbers, it’s Carlos Quentin!

I’m not saying that at some point in the future the White Sox shouldn’t trade Quentin, or any other player on the team. My point is that now is not the time to move him. To do so would be to lose an asset that not long ago was worth vastly more, and could reasonably be expected to reach those numbers again in the future. Not to mention, even by holding on to him, his value can’t go much lower.

We as fans might not all have MBA’s or be prepared to work on Wall Street. But we should be able to understand the concept of buying low and selling high.

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Nothing like the popularity contest known as All Star Game voting to drive an attentive fan crazy.

The All Star game is meant to be for the fans, so logically, the fans should get the right to choose who they get to see in the game. As a result, many times a “fan favorite” makes the game despite lackluster performance, thanks to the fan vote.

While the differences between good and bad have become more clear as the years have gone on, there are still plenty of whoppers on the ballot. Factoring in different categories, like current 2010 performance, recent season performance, and the like, here are the top 10 worst All Star candidates.

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