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      NL & AL team awards at halfway point

      July 7, 2009 /

      Tom Verducci of SI.com put together his individual and team awards now that baseball is at its halfway point. Below are some of his team awards.

      AL Biggest Surprise: Texas Rangers.
      The team with four straight losing seasons has never been more than 3 1/2 games out of first place all season. Kevin Millwood has been a true workhorse and ace for a pitching staff that has held up very well under coach Mike Maddux.

      NL Biggest Surprise: San Francisco Giants.
      They might not even hit 100 home runs and they might be the least patient hitting team in the league, but the Giants are a legitimate wild card threat because their pitching is spectacular.

      AL Biggest Bust: Cleveland Indians.
      Yes, injuries have helped take this team out of contention, but the Indians shouldn’t be this bad. The bullpen has been frightening.

      NL Biggest Bust: Arizona Diamondbacks.
      Suddenly, they are a stagnant organization, and the A.J. Hinch hiring as a completely inexperienced manager has looked about as risky as it sounded at the time.

      AL Best Plan A: Detroit Tigers.
      They fast-tracked Porcello, traded for Edwin Jackson, moved Brandon Inge to third, acquired Gerald Laird and Adam Everett and paid Gary Sheffield to go away, a symbolic move that the organization knew the team had grown too old and unathletic. The emphasis on pitching and defense has been spot on.

      NL Best Plan A: Los Angeles Dodgers.
      They cut their payroll by $18 million and wound up with the best record in baseball. The Orlando Hudson signing was a gem, not to mention those of Casey Blake, Mark Loretta, Brad Ausmus and Randy Wolf, gamers all.

      AL Worst Plan A: Oakland Athletics.
      Oakland does a nice job of collecting assets on the cheap, but the plan doesn’t seem to come together. Old horses Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra have 729 plate appearances and OPS+ marks of 92, 69 and 83. Matt Holliday isn’t as valuable now as when Oakland acquired him. And the Athletics continue to have major problems keeping players healthy. Oakland does have a bunch of good arms that could pay off big soon, and there’s still time to invoke a good Plan B before the trade deadline.

      NL Worst Plan A: Washington Nationals.
      Why is Adam Dunn here? The Nats have too many outfielders who are poor defenders, too many starting pitchers who can’t go deep enough into games, too many relief pitchers who can’t get enough hitters out and too many dumb mistakes.

      I’m happy to boast that the team’s Verducci picked as his biggest surprises (Rangers and Giants), were two of the five teams I chose as my “deep sleepers” in the offseason. (Hey, this back isn’t going to pat itself, you know?)

      Of course, I was the one who also ranked the Diamondbacks as the seventh best team and the Indians the ninth best team in the league for TSR’s 2009 MLB Preview. (Hey, this body isn’t going to throw itself under the bus, you know?)

      MLB

      Rotoworld Top 250 MLB Fantasy Rankings

      July 7, 2009 /

      Rotoworld.com just released their July rankings of the top 250 fantasy baseball players. The rankings are based on how the site believes each player will perform in 5×5 leagues over the rest of the season.

      Here’s their top 15:

      1 Albert Pujols Cardinals
      2 Hanley Ramirez Marlins
      3 Tim Lincecum Giants
      4 Carl Crawford Rays
      5 Alex Rodriguez Yankees
      6 David Wright Mets
      7 Ian Kinsler Rangers
      8 Ryan Braun Brewers
      9 Chase Utley Phillies
      10 Johan Santana Mets
      11 Mark Teixeira Yankees
      12 Roy Halladay Blue Jays
      13 Joe Mauer Twins
      14 Evan Longoria Rays
      15 Miguel Cabrera Tigers

      All in all, these rankings are extremely helpful for owners trying to project how players are going to do throughout the rest of the year. If you’re looking to trade before your league’s deadline, these rankings can be a useful tool.

      That said, I’m a little surprised to see players like Dustin Pedroia (41), Josh Hamilton (49) and Pablo Sandoval (105) ranked so low. Pedroia should get his average back up over .300, he’s on pace to steal another 15-plus bases, and one would have to believe that his power numbers will be better in the second half as well. (He only has three dingers so far on the season, but hit 17 in his MVP season last year.)

      Hamilton’s injury is a concern, but he hits in a great lineup and as long as he stays healthy, he should have at least another 12-15 home runs left in him with the RBI totals to match. And while Sandoval (who qualifies at 1B, 3B and C) plays in a weak offense, he’s already proven that he can flat out rake. He’s currently batting .332 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs, which better David Wright’s .326/5/42 numbers. Plus, with the Giants in contention and looking to trade for a quality bat, Sandoval’s RBI and run totals could rise in the second half as well.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Report: Roy Halladay on the block

      July 7, 2009 /

      According to a report by FOXSports.com, the Blue Jays are listening to offers for ace Roy Halladay.

      “We have to see what’s out there,” Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi says. “I’m not saying we’re going to shop him. But if something makes sense, we at least have to listen. We’re (leaning) more toward listening than we’ve ever been.”

      Ricciardi first made similar comments to CBS Sportsline, prompting immediate skepticism from one rival executive, who speculated that Halladay was either hurt or that the Jays were being forced to dump the pitcher’s salary.

      Actually, the Jays’ motives are far less sinister.

      They’re falling out of contention. They probably cannot afford to keep Halladay when they owe outfielders Vernon Wells and Alex Rios approximately $160 million combined from 2010 to ’14. And they know that Halladay would prefer to pitch for a winner anyway when he becomes a free agent after next season.

      Oh, and one other thing: The trade market is barren of quality starting pitchers, much less one who is a true difference-maker, one of the top five starters in the game.

      You can’t blame Ricciardi for at least kicking the tires on a potential deal. As the article notes, Halladay becomes a free agent in 2011 and will probably exit stage left anyway – so why not try to get a king’s ransom for him now?

      FOX speculates that the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Mets, Rangers and Angels could all be in the market for Halladay, but it might be hard for New York or Boston to acquire the ace since they’re both in the AL East with Toronto. The Cubs might also not have enough quality farm pieces to acquire Halladay.

      If the Rangers weren’t such a cheap organization, I think they would make the most sense. They have one of the best farm systems in all of baseball and are a couple of starters away from possibly gaining the edge on the Halos in the AL West. But owner Tom Hicks has never had the organization’s best interest at heart, would probably not want to pay Halladay’s salary for the next year and a half, and he’s in the midst of trying to sell the team. Still, maybe current president Nolan Ryan could convince Hicks and GM Jon Daniels to make a move.

      The Dodgers are also intriguing because they’re already a World Series contender as is, but Halladay would essentially put them over the top and allow them to go toe to toe with anyone in either league. But would they be willing to give up an arm like Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw as part of a package to acquire Halladay? That’s doubtful.

      Either way, let the Halladay trade speculation begin.

      MLB

      Who is “America’s Team?”

      July 7, 2009 /

      ESPN.com is running a feature about which NFL team should be classified as “America’s Team.” The Cowboys have held the moniker for years, but considering they haven’t gotten out of the first round of the playoffs in over a decade, ESPN apparently thinks there is some room for debate.

      The Cowboys, Packers, Patriots and Steelers are the four candidates the site deems worthy of being America’s team. Matt Mosley, James Walker, Kevin Seifert and Tim Graham debate each team’s case, while Mark Schlereth and James Hasty chip in with their usual meatless comments. (Seriously, does Schlereth ever say anything that knocks your socks off?)

      This is a tough debate because with so much turnover from year to year in the NFL, teams really can’t build dynasties anymore. The Patriots could be considered a dynasty this decade (although if the Steelers win another Super Bowl this decade, they should be mentioned as well), just as the Cowboys were in the early 90s. You’d almost have to go decade by decade if you want to establish who America’s team is.

      But personally, I don’t think there should be an “America’s team.” There are 32 teams in the NFL and I don’t think we need to have one classified as “America’s.”

      NFL

      LeBron pledging to stay in Cleveland?

      July 7, 2009 /

      Yes, at least according to a “source” close to Trevor Ariza…

      The Cleveland Cavaliers got some bad news followed by some potentially terrific news on Sunday. In a last-ditch effort to recruit Trevor Ariza away from the Houston Rockets, LeBron James told Ariza he would remain with the Cavaliers past 2010, according to a person close to Ariza.

      Even that wasn’t enough to get Ariza, who verbally committed to join the Rockets last Thursday, to change his mind and go to Cleveland.

      But the Cavaliers will gladly settle for the consolation prize; if indeed James’ statement to Ariza was more than an empty sales pitch.

      “Trevor asked LeBron if he would be in Cleveland after next season,” the source said. “And LeBron said, ‘I’ll be there. Of course, I’ll be there.'”

      When James told Ariza he’d be a Cavalier past next season, Ariza was less than convinced.

      “He thought it was just a recruiting tool,” the source said. “LeBron definitely said it, but until he signs the contract it doesn’t mean much.”

      If James was indeed being sincere in his intentions to re-sign with the Cavs, this is about the best news that the city of Cleveland could get on a Tuesday morning in July. Of course, a lot can happen in a year and he could just be saying this to try to convince a free agent or two to join the Cavs. There’s also the distinct possibility that this “source” is full of it.

      The LeBron Watch continues…

      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

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