Tag: Washington Nationals (Page 14 of 14)

      Hot Stove League: New York, New York (Burnett Officially Signs With Yankees)

      December 13, 2008 /

      I know this was Vegas, which comes with its own set of distractions, but come on. We all expected a lot more to happen at the MLB Winter Meetings this past week than the Yankees giving CC Sabathia the equivalent of a small planet and AJ Burnett significant real estate on said planet (the Yanks made the latter official Friday afternoon with a 5-year, $82.5 million deal), as well as the Mets signing the best closer out there (K-Rod) and trading for a second one (JJ Putz) to be their set-up guy. Unless the Orioles and Reds swapping Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Freel, or the Rays and Tigers trading Edwin Jackson for Matt Joyce gets your blood flowing, it was kind of a disappointing week, especially if you live 40 miles or more outside of the New York metro area.

      We still have Manny Ramirez without a team, and the very real possibility that he could just stay with the Dodgers. Really, doesn’t that make the most sense for this guy’s, um, easygoing, personality and playing style? Meanwhile, the stakes for Mark Teixeira have been upped by none other than the Washington Nationals, who are believed to be offering the free agent slugger eight years at $20 million per. That sounds to me like agent Scott Boras trying to just be Scott Boras. We all know Tex is going to wind up in Boston, Baltimore, or back with the Angels.

      And as if Cubs’ fans haven’t suffered through enough misery lately, GM Jim Hendry decided to pull the plug on the Jake Peavy trade. He just didn’t want to inherit as much salary as the Padres wanted him to, and he surely didn’t want to throw Mark DeRosa on a plane to San Diego as part of the deal. Now, the Angels have been mentioned as a team that might pursue Peavy, and you definitely can’t count the Yankees out either. Oh, and by the way, the Yankees have turned their attention to in-house “old reliable” Andy Pettitte now, and have not ruled Ben Sheets or Derek Lowe out yet. Wow.

      Meanwhile, the Mets spent so much on closers that they literally had nothing left to go after Lowe. Instead, GM Omar Minaya is talking to the Cubs about a trade for Jason Marquis, and/or re-signing Oliver Perez or Pedro Martinez.

      There could be a lot more moves on the horizon, but in a week expected to have a lot of fireworks, the hot stove fired up in New York and nowhere else. Stay tuned though, because deals are known to happen into January, and some, like Ramirez and Teixeira signing, could lead a domino effect for more moves.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Red Sox, Mark Teixeira getting closer to a deal?

      December 11, 2008 /

      According to FOX Sports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, the Boston Red Sox are inching closer to signing free agent Mark Teixeira.

      The Red Sox are making progress in their quest to sign free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, according to a major-league source.

      “Headway was being made earlier today,” one source said.

      A rival general manager whose plans could be affected by the Red Sox’s addition of Teixeira also indicated that a deal was getting closer.

      Teixeira is the Red Sox’s No. 1 offseason target. They view him as the perfect fit for the middle of their order.

      Teixeira is seeking a 10-year contract for at least $20 million per season. The Red Sox preference would be to sign him to a deal between six and eight years.

      With CC Sabathia taken, Teixeira is now the biggest prize on the free-agent market. He hit 33 home runs and had 121 RBIs as a member of the Braves and Angels last season. Teixeira has never hit less than 26 homers in his six major-league seasons.

      This would be a fantastic move for the Red Sox because they not only get a quality hitter, but a young quality hitter for the middle of their lineup. He might not have Manny Ramirez’s pop, but again, he’s younger and comes with less baggage.

      Conversely, this would be a huge blow for the Angels, who have made Teixeira their number one offseason target. The Orioles and Nationals have also shown interest in the first basemen, although it appears that the only real suitors for his services are the BoSox and Halos.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      No big signings, but a few rumbles of thunder

      November 22, 2008 /

      It’s been over a week since the period of free agency officially began, and yet we have no big signings just yet. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been talks, or even money offered. But it does mean that certain players and their agents just aren’t ready to make hasty decisions without weighing multiple options, and perhaps driving prices up into the stratosphere.

      Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin was miffed that the Yankees made the kind of offer they knew the Brewers couldn’t match–$130 or $140 million over six years, where the Brewers were hoping for more in the $100 million range. The Dodgers reportedly are getting set to offer CC between $110 to $120 million, plus the comforts of living on the west coast and getting the chance to swing a bat every five days. The Dodgers are also interested in trading for Toronto’s Roy Halladay, who suddenly is being mentioned in trade rumors. If the Dodgers are not able to sign CC or trade for Halladay, word is they will put their resources into re-signing one Manny Ramirez. Oh, and the Giants are also talking about making CC an offer. Imagine CC and NL MVP Tim Lincecum at the top of the rotation, something that could shift the balance of power in the NL West.

      There is likely to be a bidding war between the Red Sox, Jays, Yankees, Orioles, Braves and Phillies for righty AJ Burnett, the most coveted pitcher in the free agent pool not named CC.

      If you saw the Mets’ bullpen blow about a quarter of their losses last season (okay, maybe more), you know that GM Omar Minaya has made the pen a priority in the off-season. So not only are the Mets looking to sign a free agent stud like Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez or Brian Fuentes, they are also looking to trade for Seattle’s JJ Putz or newly acquired Rockies’ pitcher Huston Street. The terribly ineffective Aaron Heilman is being dangled as trade bait, but for the names they’re looking at, the Mets would probably have to offer up a lot more than that.

      Talks seem to keep breaking down about the Padres trading Jake Peavy…first with the Braves, then with the Cubs (after they re-signed Ryan Dempster)….and now the Yankees are being mentioned. Hmmm.

      And Mark Teixeira is being mentioned in the same breath as the words “Washington Nationals.” Raise your hand if you saw that coming…..

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB, Rumors & Gossip

      Athlete Profile: Alfonso Soriano

      October 1, 2008 /

      Alfonso SorianoThe unique combination of speed and power in Alfonso Soriano’s offensive game has only been rivaled in baseball by a youthful Barry Bonds. His critics have compared him to Juan Samuel, a free-swinging line drive hitter with power, but who also lacks patience at the plate.

      Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Soriano lived by the island’s adage “You cannot walk off the island.” And he developed into a free swinger as a hitter, with speed to stretch doubles into triples. Most major league scouts have noted that Soriano needs to cut down on his strikeouts to be effective in the post-season. Pitchers will expand the strike zone on him come October, as Soriano rarely takes a walk.

      Soriano slipped by all of Major League Baseball, to sign with the Hiroshima Carp in the Japanese League at the age of 18. His first professional season was not a success, as he batted only .191 on the year and technically “retired” from Japanese baseball.

      Whatever he accomplished overseas caught an eye in the New York Yankee organization, as they signed him to a minor-league deal before the start of the 1998 season. And Soriano did not disappoint, as he hit .305 with 15 HRs, 68 RBIs, and 24 SBs for the Yankees’ double-A affiliate. Next season, his advancement through the organization included Soriano’s MLB debut on September 14, 1999.

      He became a serious option to stay in the big leagues during spring training prior to the 2001 season. Being a SS by trade and Derek Jeter anchoring the position for the club, the Yankee front office decided Soriano should begin by taking fly balls in the outfield. However, 2B Chuck Knoblauch was still having difficulty throwing over to first base, and manager Joe Torre made the move to switch their positions. Suddenly, Soriano became the starting second basemen for the New York Yankees.

      And once again he did not disappoint, as Soriano finished third in the American League Rookie-of-the-Year voting. His post-season was memorable, as Soriano hit a dramatic ninth inning home run to win Game Four of the 2001 ALCS against the Seattle Mariners. Do not forget his home run off of Curt Schilling in the top of the ninth that gave the Yankees a brief lead in Game Seven of the 2001 World Series. Only to be overshadowed by Luis Gonzalez’s bloop single to leftfield that gave the Arizona Diamondbacks a World Series championship.

      His breakout season came the following year, as Soriano led the American League with 209 hits; he batted .300 with 39 HRs, 102 RBIs, scored 128 runs, stole 41 bases and was named to his first All-Star team. The following season, his inadequacies were exposed during the 2003 post-season, as Soriano batted .132 during the ALCS and World Series. Torre benched him in Game Five against the Florida Marlins due to his struggles at the plate.

      After the season, the Yankees traded him to Texas in the deal that brought A-Rod to New York. Following two seasons in Texas, Soriano was shuffled off to Washington and subsequently moved to the outfield. His errors in the infield prompted his move to LF (under protest). It was one season in our Nation’s Capital, but what a season, as Soriano had the fourth 40-40 (HR-SB) season in baseball history. And he cashed in, as the Chicago Cubs signed him to an eight-year, 136 million dollar contract in the following off-season.

      Soriano on the Web

      Official Chicago Cubs Player Bio: Alfonso Soriano

      Team’s official page; contains short bio, stats, and link to recent video highlights

      Alfonso Soriano Wikipedia Page

      Wikipedia page; contains short bio, career stats, and external links

      Soriano’s News and Commentary

      Soriano May Miss 4 to 6 Weeks

      Soriano’s leg injury that sidelined him for six weeks

      In Center Field, Soriano Has no Place to Hide

      Soriano discusses his approach to the centerfield position

      In Chicago, the $136 million question

      Why Soriano was the answer to the Cubs playoff woes

      Alfonso Says

      Chicago Cubs Manager Lou Piniella on the importance of Soriano in the lineup:
      ”We’ve played four months of baseball — 16 weeks. Soriano’s been out for eight of them [including two weeks in April], and basically, he’s our biggest home-run bat. We were able to overcome it, to these guys’ credit, the way they’ve played. But sooner or later, it starts showing up, and it has.”

      Soriano on his work ethic:
      I’m working every day. I don’t have any choice. I just work hard every day and try to get ready.”

      Soriano on hitting a game-winning home run:
      “It’s great. I work hard for those moments. I like those moments. It’s special today. … That’s what I want to do, try to help the team win.”

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, General Sports, MLB, Television

      Will The Mets Collapse Again?

      September 18, 2008 /

      I’m a lifelong Mets fan, and while they have been in four World Series and won two, they have been good enough to get there numerous times and have not. Most recently, the Mets were eliminated from playoff contention in 2007 on the season’s final day–to complete an epic collapse in which they were leading the Phillies by seven games with 17 to play. I remember those days vividly. My wife had just had our first child so I was up in the wee hours at least once a night, and every time I turned on ESPN News the Mets had lost while the Phillies had won. I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I think about it. It doesn’t help that the year before that, 2006, the Mets were painfully beaten in a Game 7 in the NLCS by the upstart (and annoying) Cardinals.

      Now, it appears that recent history will repeat itself. Despite that the Mets replaced Willie Randolph with interim skipper Jerry Manuel in June, and had that amazing run in July to get back on top of the division, they continue to build 3-4 game leads only to have the Phillies catch them. Right now they sit 1/2 game behind in the NL East, and 1/2 game up in the wild card standings only because Milwaukee has had their own collapse.

      Is this a repeat of 2007? How can you say it’s not looking that way? Jay Schreiber of the NY Times parallels some eerie things from last year to this year in his blog.

      Me, I just feel it. The middle of the order has stopped hitting, though they did wake up last night against Washington. Still, the Mets had an 8-2 lead and won 9-7. The bullpen is maybe the worst in baseball, and are responsible for a minimum of 10 losses already. And even the starting pitchers have started slipping a little. Not even Johan Santana makes you feel like they are going to win for sure.

      Throw in the fact that guys like John Lannan look like Cy Young against the Mets, and guys like Anderson Hernandez, Jorge Cantu and So Taguchi look like Ted Williams against them….and you just can’t feel good. Oh, and every day I look at the morning paper and the Phillies have won.
      Seriously, do they ever lose in September?

      Despite all of my negativity here, there is a good chance the Mets wind up as the wild card. They would face the Dodgers, who they match up well against. Well yeah, but don’t think someone like Casey Blake won’t hit .800 in that series. Plus, they haven’t face the Manny Ramirez Dodgers yet.

      If the Mets do wind up choking here down the stretch, I won’t say I told you so. And if they make it, I’ll root for them like crazy. But I still don’t feel very confident.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, MLB

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