Despite a disappointing ending, 2010 was a fantastic year for the Texas Rangers; they won the AL West, and captured their first AL pennant in team history.
However, if the Rangers want to rebound and make it back to the Fall Classic in 2011, there are a few things they have to address.
Like every team, the Rangers have questions at a few positions that must be answered during the off season.
These 10 moves could help bring the rangers back to post season success.
While the Florida Marlins may have their hands full with finding their next manager and signing Dan Uggla to a contract extension this offseason, they face an uphill battle in fixing what was broken throughout the 2010 season, bullpen aside the catcher position gave the Marlins headaches all season long.
I’d compare it to the Marlins buying a brand new battery and having to change it every few days, which translates to every couple of weeks for the Marlins who went through an assortment of them this past season.
The primary starter John Baker who underwent Tommy John Surgery in the summer hopes to be ready by the time spring training rolls around but it won’t be easy process considering he’ll still need to use his throwing arm after every pitch and when base runners are on the loose.
And from the looks of it, the Marlins might not be as intrigued to bring back backup catcher Ronny Paulino after his positive test for performance-enhancing drugs in mid-August.
Down the stretch after losing Paulino, the Marlins went with an array of catchers, ranging from Brad Davis to Brett Hayes to Chris Hatcher and Mike Rivera.
In 2010, the quintet of Baker, David, Hayes, Hatcher, and Rivera went on to hit a combined .197 (56 for 284) with 5 home runs and 28 RBI in 104 games. You can make the argument that may have been a reason why the Marlins lost as many games as they did these season and could have been anywhere in the 85 to 90 win range had they had a solid healthy catcher throughout the season.
Looking at the free agent market, the only intriguing name out there is Victor Martinez yet he 32 and would demand big money—upward of $50 million, which is Dan Uggla money—if the Marlins intend to rise their offer.
While familiar names such as Ramon Castro, Miguel Olivo and Matt Treanor can all possibly be free agents, I don’t expect the Marlins to go to either because of age and money combined. I can’t envision the Marlins paying Treanor or Castro more than $2 million, which is what they may command and Olivo is likely to return to Colorado with his mutual option pending.
As for the trade market, the Marlins can probably pursue Ivan Rodriguez from the Nationals and perhaps get him for virtually a class-A minor leaguer yet he won’t bring with him the impact bat the Marlins need.
The remaining candidate who is on the block at a reasonable contract price and is under 30 years of age? Mike Napoli.
Napoli carries with him the perfect bat to a possible Marlins lineup that use some added protection considering Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross have departed via midseason trades.
While the Marlins may have Gaby Sanchez, Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, and Mike Stanton as their power hitters, adding Mike Napoli gives the Marlins a dangerous lineup which could easily rival that of the Phillies and Braves and set themselves up for a good 1 through 8 in the batting order. Imagine starting off on Opening Day with Coghlan, Morrison, Ramirez, Uggla, Sanchez, Stanton, Napoli and Maybin.
Mike Napoli can be non-tendered by the Angels if they decide to go in a different direction but more than likely, Napoli will be shopped around the league which brings a catcher weak Marlins team into the fold.
Napoli is a local South Florida product hailing from Charles Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines and he was born in Hollywood, Florida. He would welcome a return to the Sunshine State in a heartbeat especially if he was non-tendered.
2010 Batting Statistics: .238 batting average, 26 home runs and 68 RBI
2010 Contract: $3,600,000
2011 Projected Salary: $ 5-6 million (third year arbitration eligible)
Defense will certainly be an issue for any team that has Napoli who committed a league high nine errors as a catcher in 2009. I’d suspect that if Mike Napoli ever came to be a Florida Marlin, he’d more than likely split time with John Baker in a platoon role with right and left handed pitching. Napoli hit .219 last season against right handed pitcher.
The ultimate factor is money for the Marlins in acquiring a guy like Napoli. The money has to be used in signing Dan Uggla to an extension and shoring up the depleted bullpen for the Fish yet if can give the Marlins a stable catcher for the next few seasons until Kyle Skipworth is ready then they should pursue the opportunity especially if Napoli gives them the hometown discount.
Nevertheless, if the Marlins expect to draw any interest of fans to their new stadium they’ll have to do it by getting competitive and spending their money. Their image has been ruined in the public by their own local government, MLB, and by Cody Ross’ performance in the postseason.
If they want to repair their image they’ll have begin making trades to add pieces, not dumping them and I would like to see it happen in the offseason and not the midseason trading deadline when the team is on pins and needles. Mike Napoli would be a solid first step in that direction for a franchise undergoing a major facelift soon.
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Call it a transition year. Call it an unlucky year. Call it whatever you want, but the 2010 Boston Red Sox simply failed to meet the expectations of management, fans, and baseball pundits across the country.
There are a handful of factors worthy of blame here, including general manager Theo Epstein’s reluctance to part with prospects to shore up the bullpen or acquire a top-flight pitcher like Cliff Lee. But pointing fingers is no way to win a World Series.
So with the 2010 Red Sox season officially in the books, let’s forget the past and take a closer look at the decisions that will help shape the 2011 Boston Red Sox. First up, Boston’s free agent and arbitration-eligible players.
It’s never too early to start looking towards Draft Day 2011, is it?
Let’s kick off our offseason rankings taking a look at my Top 15 catchers for 2011.
Keep in mind that these will be updated throughout the offseason, depending on player movement and finalizing my projections:
Thoughts:
What are your thoughts on these rankings? Who’s too high? Who’s too low?
Make sure to check out our 2011 projections:
THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM
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The Orioles will go into this offseason happier than any 90-plus loss team has in the history of baseball.
They might have ended the season with 96 losses, but they were 34-24 in August, September and October and under new skipper Buck Showalter, the young players that the organization was beginning to worry about, stopped the regression that was frustrating every fan in Baltimore.
Because of this recent play, general manager Andy MacPhail will almost certainly make a bigger splash in the free agent market this year.
Of the holes to fill, the Orioles would like a solid corner infielder–Josh Bell is not panning out like the organization thought he would–a power hitter and a inning-eating pitcher that can replace Kevin Millwood.
The Orioles would also like a shortstop to replace Cesar Izturiz, who is a liability at the plate, but the pickings are very slim.
Not on this list are the big names of Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford and Jason Werth because the Orioles would have to drastically over pay for these players and I don’t see any of those guys going from Playoff stud, to leader of a rebuilding club.
The Seattle Mariners enter the 2010-2011 Major League Baseball offseason in dire need of some runs. The team did not merely take up the rear in American League run scoring: They finished with 100 fewer runs than the Baltimore Orioles, who finished second-to-last. The Mariners pitching staff had a 3.95 ERA, good for the fifth-best in the AL, but because of the dreadful, anemic, monumentally inept offense they put on the field, Seattle won just 61 games.
Given that premise, there is a surprising degree of very genuine optimism within the Mariners front office. Team chairman Howard Lincoln and general manager Jack Zduriencik sent an open letter to Mariners’ fans this week, urging them to be patient and promising great things ahead.
As the team’s decision-makers note in the letter, the Mariners system is stocked with quality hitting prospects. I have seen, with my own eyes, the tremendous potential of Carlos Triunfel, the team’s enigmatic but very young and gifted shortstop. Other top-tier bats on the cusp of big-league readiness include Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, and Greg Halman.
If the Mariners are serious about their commitment to long-term rebuilding, then, we ought not to see a hyper-aggressive effort to fill a pathetic lineup with second-rate stop-gaps in 2011. There is clearly a better approach to be had in effecting the sea change this squad of seafarers so badly needs. Here are 10 players the team should target this winter, in order to make a real run at the postseason in 2012 and beyond.
For most teams coming off a disappointing season, it’s relatively simple to evaluate the current roster, take a look at the payroll budget, have the coaching staff gather and brainstorm, then come up with a new, enthusiastic game plan for the upcoming year.
But for the Los Angeles Dodgers, about the only thing certain is that new manager Don Mattingly will be running the show on the field for the Boys in Blue.
With the McCourt divorce seemingly an infinite monkey on their backs, the Dodgers are unsure of the payroll parameters for next year, and with more than a handful of gaps to fill in terms of player personnel, it’s difficult to guess the complexion of next season’s roster.
Still, even before Los Angeles considers adding new players to the roster, Mattingly and general manager Ned Colletti must agree upon a coaching staff who will help guide the squad in 2011.
The Dodgers still have a formidable core of players in which to build around, but Colletti had already stated that no job is safe and that Los Angeles could be in for a large roster shake-up heading into next season.
Several trades are possible, but with the decision in the divorce trial looming, Los Angeles may be forced to remain inactive at the winter meetings, unless some type of budget guidelines are established before a verdict is rendered.
As for the free agent market, the number of high quality starting pitchers is limited, but there are quite a few power bats available—one area the Dodgers must certainly address. With Manny Ramirez out of the picture, and Jason Schmidt, Orlando Hudson and Nomar Garciaparra finally off the deferred money list, there may be enough cash to go after a few big names.
The following slides show eight players who the Dodgers may take a look at in the offseason, and explain why each player may be a good fit for Los Angeles.
The 2011 season is finally over for the Boston Red Sox.
The upcoming months should provide a lot of intrigue.
A number of current Red Sox could be hitting the free-agent market: David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre, and Bill Hall if their respective options aren’t exercised. Also, the bullpen woes must be addressed.
But most importantly, catcher Victor Martinez is assuredly hitting the free-agent market. Letting him walk would be a huge mistake.
Victor doesn’t want to leave Boston. The onus is on the front office to make sure he doesn’t.
Martinez, when dealt to the Red Sox from Cleveland at the 2009 trading deadline, broke down in tears when he was told by Indians GM Mark Shapiro that he had been traded. Martinez is the type of player who stays loyal to an organization, and had envisioned retiring as a member of the Cleveland Indians.
Now that he has found a new home in Boston, a place where he has thrived on the diamond and fit in in the clubhouse, Martinez would probably prefer that he and his family stay put.
Unfortunately, the Red Sox haven’t gotten negotiations off on the right foot.
Earlier in the month, the team offered Martinez a two-year deal, which caught the catcher off guard. He politely declined.
“That’s a business part of this game,” Martinez told Boston sports radio station WEEI. “They’re trying to do one thing, and we’ll see what happens. I don’t really have to do it. They came with something, and that might just be where the negotiations start, but I don’t see myself signing a two-year deal. I’m young enough. I work so hard and I give it all. I just want to be treated fair. It wasn’t hard because it was something I wasn’t expecting. I wasn’t expecting a two-year deal, anyway. I wasn’t expecting for them to come to me during the season anyways.”
Victor’s agent Alan Nero had this to say about the dealings: “Victor, at this point, is looking to be with a team for the rest of his career. It’s not a matter of security, it’s a matter of trying to get comfortable in one place.”
Basically, it all sounds as if Victor wants more years. He believes that he can catch full time for the rest of his career, which he’s said he would prefer to do. The Red Sox probably wouldn’t have to overpay for his skills in relative comparison to the market to get him either, just give him peace of mind in knowing where he’ll be.
A Victor-less Red Sox is a scary thought, one which most fans shouldn’t be comfortable with.
When you discount an injury-filled 2008 where V-Mart was limited to just 73 games, his domination of the catcher position over the course of his career has been quite remarkable.
Since 2004, his first full-time season, Victor has ranked in the top three among catchers in home runs and average five times, and runs and RBI six times. Other than 2008, Victor has been first or tied for first in RBI among catchers in every single, including 2010 (he’s currently tied with Brian McCann of the Braves with 77; McCann has 15 games on him).
Martinez is making an on-the-field case for why he should get a new contract from the Sox. After a thumb injury sidelined him for almost a month, an offensive surge over the last two months has shown why he’s so valuable.
In August, Martinez hit .298 with 4 HR and 15 RBI. In September, his numbers have been even better: a .324 average, 6 HR, 23 RBI, and a .941 OPS.
If Victor leaves, the catching situation in Boston next year would most likely be a platoon situation with Jarrod Saltalamacchia getting the majority of the time and Jason Varitek providing the occasional rest day and start against left-handers.
To accomplish this, the Red Sox would have to re-sign the aging captain, despite the fact that he has more or less indicated that he believes this will be his last season as a member of the Red Sox.
Even in a platoon scenario, Saltalamacchia would well exceed the most at-bats he’s ever had in one year (308 in ’07).
And yet, Saltalamacchia hasn’t yet proven that he can hit consistently on the major league level, and he hasn’t been able to hold onto a starting job because of that. To bank on him finally doing that in 2011, while getting the most playing time of his career, isn’t sensible.
Also, Martinez has finally learned the nuances of the Red Sox starting rotation, something that was a minor point of criticism when he first arrived in Boston.
To show how far Victor has come in learning the staff, when asked about Martinez’s contract situation, Clay Buchholz openly endorsed him:
“We’ve got a bunch of catchers here, but he’s a special guy to this team because of his offensive capability and what he can do behind the plate.”
Martinez’s comfortability behind the plate with top-of-the-rotation guys like Buchholz will go a long way in a future re-signing with the team.
And 2011 is a crucial year for Red Sox pitching; John Lackey and Josh Beckett have both had very disappointing seasons. The last thing either of them need is the uncertainty of who they’ll be throwing to on a day-to-day basis.
Letting Martinez leave could prove disastrous for years to come if Saltalamacchia doesn’t pan out. The Red Sox don’t have any legitimate catching prospects who are close to being MLB ready, and any struggles by Saltalamacchia could leave a gaping hole behind the plate until the Red Sox can fill that void.
Unfortunately for the Sox, quality free-agent catchers almost never hit the free-agent market these days, and it’s just as hard to trade for one. For the most part, you have to develop top catching talent, or get incredibly lucky like the Red Sox did in 2009, when the Indians practically dumped Martinez on the Sox.
For example, the free-agent catching class of 2011 (besides Victor) features such names as A.J. Pierzynski, John buck, Miguel Olivo, and Bengie Molina.
2012 is just as exciting. Jorge Posada and Pudge Rodriguez are both available, if the Sox want to go the 40-plus route.
Letting Victor leave would be the equivalent of the Red Sox organization saying, “We believe Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the full-time catcher of the future.”
But if he isn’t, the Sox will have let one of the best catchers in baseball slip through their fingers, only to realize they need him more than anyone.
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The Boston Red Sox are for all intents and purposes finished with their 2010 season. It has been a long and tough campaign which saw them virtually eliminated by their own inability to stay on the field.
Too many key injuries will derail any team let alone a team faced with a game of musical chairs with Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees.
The Red Sox still retain a solid core of players and with the chance that Tampa Bay may not be able to afford some its talent with expiring contracts, those Red Sox fans already moving onto the 2011 season have a few reasons to smile.
With that said this is a team that needs a few serious improvements and here are the top five changes that need to be made in order to both make the playoffs and contend for a World Series in 2011.
The Boston Red Sox are not your garden variety “drop dead and stay dead” team late in the season, at least not in the Tito Francona era.
Bizarre occurrences have a certain fondness of popping up in September heading into October months.
Terry Francona merits an insane measure of praise for the Red Sox preservation of a potential playoff run, but plugging the young farm hands into the everyday lineup is only half of the equation. Stepping up and taking full advantage in producing in the lineup is a completely difficult task to ask out of green talent fresh off the farm.
So far so good; do the best you can with what you have to work with.
Boston’s minor league system can go toe-to-toe, maybe even mowing down all other farm systems in the majors period.
Twenty-two games remain on the Boston Red Sox regular season schedule. Following last night’s 11-5 five home run-filled outburst versus the AL Wild Card-leading Rays, Boston climbed to within 6 ½ games of Tampa Bay. Stacking on, Boston it’s reclaimed a half game lead over the frequently shifting Chicago White Sox.
With the prospect of piecing together a last gasp run, the Boston Red Sox margin for error nears zero, but a sense of urgency singed in a usual suspect leaves a certain “what if” in the minds of other playoff contenders.
Stranger things have happened in the past.
Shortstop Marco Scutaro is currently gutting out an excruciating rotator cuff injury while sustaining the most consistency in Red Sox hitters outside of Adrian Beltre. Scutaro (9,10) homered twice piling on in last night’s come from behind victory in the rubber game against division rival Tampa Bay.
Terry Francona’s offense carries on their torrid tempo marching in the run production parade with help from the white hot Victor Martinez. David Ortiz, J.D. Drew, and Adrian follow V-Mart in a resurgent hitting practicum as of late.
Boston’s obvious ache keeping them from gaining precious ground is the horrendous performance of their bullpen.
Analysts and other writers have repeatedly mentioned the demeanor of the formally unfailing execution of free spirit closer Jonathan Papelbon, described as checking out.
Sadly, they may perhaps hit the nail on the head. However, dealing Manny Delcarmen to the Colorado Rockies patches a gaping hole in a swiftly leaking setup man setting.
Do you really see the Tampa Bay Rays overtaking the New York Yankees for good to win the American League East crown?
No, not when Yankee hitters have an addiction to dead of the ninth inning dramatics.
Until that third out is recorded, disregard the assumption the Yankees are done from game to game. The Yankees will hold on to win the American League East easier than most think. There’s too much fire power and clutch play despite the next gear the Rays have hit up to this point.
Major League Baseball’s postseason fires out its first pitch on October 6.
Not much time left.
The question isn’t, “Do the Red Sox possess the intestinal fortitude to survive the final stretch gauntlet?”
Quite the contrary.
Does time permit the Red Sox from digging deep into their innermost section of the intestinal track to maintain the fraught excavation it takes to make the run.
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