Hello again readers, and welcome to my latest post!
It's been a very interesting offseason since October's disappointing finale. Usually, the offseason turns into an arms race between the Yankees and the Red Sox. However, baseball's "Cold War," if you will, has been surprisingly uneventful. A few signings here and there for non-impact players by both teams but nothing much beyond that. It appeared for a while as if one of the two would land lefty-ace Johan Santana, but neither team could strike a deal. These two A.L. East rivals seem to be happy with what they've got, leaving the door wide open for other teams to make big moves.
Aside from maybe the Detroit Tigers, who acquired P Dontrelle Willis and 3B Miguel Cabrera from FLA, the two biggest winners this offseason have been the Yankees' cross-town rival New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners. The Mets made one of the biggest deals in recent memory, snagging 2-time Cy Young Award winner, Johan Santana in exchange for what amounts to be their entire minor league system. I for one believe the Mets made a great deal. In a much more quiet deal, the Seattle Mariners added a young, dominant lefty ace of their own in Erik Bedard. In order to get him, the Mariners had to give up a load of minor league talent just like the Mets (moral of the story here: the Yankees have always had it right - winning has a price). On a very interesting side note, these two lefties pitched against each other on opening day of 2007. Any way you look at this offseason, the Mets and Mariners have set themselves up for a very promising '08.
But the question still remains; which team will have the bigger impact? In 2008, I think the Mets will have a bigger impact than the Mariners. Playing in the weak-hitting National League is advantage number one. Johan Santana has built his career by dominating the power-packed lineups in the A.L for years. There is no reason to believe that Santana's numbers will do anything but improve (I know, a very scary thought). In my estimation, the Mets are now in position to be the best team in the N.L. Falling very short of their expectations in '07, the Mets have reloaded, and reloaded big time. I challenge any team in the N.L to stop them from getting to the World Series in '08.
That being said, I still believe that the Mariners will have a big impact this season. I just don't see them being a contender for the A.L. pennant... yet. Seattle now has one of the premier pitching rotations in all of baseball, but they are a little young, and for the most part a little inexperienced. But, there is potential Seattle's new look pitching staff, led by Bedard to have a monster season. Bedard, King Felix, and Jarrod Washburn provide a very solid core. If Felix Hernandez can come of age, with Bedard and Washburn providing the consistency every pitching staff needs, not mention one of the game's better closers in J.J. Putz, its safe to say that the 2008 Seattle Mariners are the front-runner for the A.L. West crown. For now, I figure the M's will show signs of how good they'll be in the future, maybe even win their division, but I don't see them making a splash as large as the Mets this season.
So... what does this all mean in the world of the New York Yankees? Well there are a lot of things to consider here. First things first... the major fire power that has moved this offseason is not in the A.L. East. Santana could have easily joined forces with Boston, a nightmare I'm glad didn't come true. The way I see it, the Yankees are now better off. Not having to face Erik Bedard as often is a big plus. As far as the playoffs go, everyone knows that one or two losses can decide everything. The Yanks are set to play the Orioles 19 times in 2008's regular season, and I sure am glad Erik Bedard won't be starting any of those games. The lack of these two ace left-handers in the A.L. east is nothing but a positive for the Bombers. With all the moves that have gone on this offseason, 2008 should be a great season... let's just hope the Yankees close the House that Ruth Built in style.
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4 comments:
As always, another solid contribution to the world of internet sports reading. Congrats, Brad, on providing a reliable avenue for New York minded sports readers on the internet.
I think that the clear cut winners in the comparison between the Mets and Mariners are the Mets. While their roster still has significant question marks (think: middle relief, back end starting rotation) this team seems poised to make a big splash in the NL this season. Considering for a time the Mets sported a huge lead in the AL east (only to blow it, might I add) the addition of a potential 20 game winner to their rotation sounds imposing. With no major changes to their lineup, you can see why this team has most of Queens salivating. While I'll contend they are rickety and aging on on both sides of the diamond, they could certainly strike fear in most teams hearts, especially in a short series, if they can stay healthy. Big if.
On the other hand, the Mariners are still quite a young team. While they may be short on veteran leadership, they seem to have quite a few quality young arms in their rotation and bullpen. But any team without a bonafide closer causes me concern when the leaves begin to change. Lest we forget that hometown boy Mel Stottlemeyer will be the pitching coach for the Mariners this year. In a weak division, it would seem as if the Mariners should be the frontrunner, but as with all young teams, 'only time will tell.'
While I realize that the premise of your most recent post was to compare the deals that the Mets and Mariners made this past week in terms of the upcoming 08 MLB season, it's hard to ignore what the Tigers have done with their team. No big losses, and two huge additions, as you noted, make the Tigers a force to be reckoned with. The only real question mark is Zumaya's health, and presumably, he'll be able to kick the Guitar Hero habit if a championship is on the line again.
At any rate, all this adds up to what should be an exciting MLB season. Though, I fear, it will be a forgettable one if you are a Yankees fan.
Hey Rich, thanks for the comments. I agree with everything you said about the Tigers. I paid them respect in my post without shifting the spotlight off of Santana and Bedard.
I also find that we are on the same page with the Mets for the most part. Yes, they have proven to be a second-rate franchise in the past, and yes they're a little old, but there's nothing like a young, 2-time Cy Young winner to change that.
As for your thoughts on the Mariners' closer, J.J. Putz. I feel that his live arm, electric stuff, and All-Star performance of 2007 are evidence enough that the M's have a legit closer. No, he is not battle tested the way Mariano is, but everybody has to start somewhere.
On to the Bombers. Don't sleep on them just yet. There is plenty of potential for this team, especially with this rotation. Stay tuned, I'll post my thoughts about what I foresee in '08 for the Yanks.
Enjoyed the post, Bradley. I agreed with most of it- though I wouldn't mark down the Mariners as the AL West favorites just yet. Though I'd love for someone to dethrone the Angels out west, I don't see it happening this year.
Hey Esch Daddy Esch thanks for the comments. I think you make a fair point about the Angels. They have been very good for quite a few years now, but I think the M's pitching gives them an edge. With two solid lefties, a kid with the nickname "King", and an All-Star closer, I won't crown them yet, but watch out...
PS: How bout the nickname "The Canadian Curve" for Bedard??
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