Lowe a Brave?

It looks as if the Braves are about to over pay for Derek Lowe. I am not saying it is a bad signing but 60 million for 4 years to a guy who will be 36 in June is a bit much. Lowe also had the advantage of pitching in Dodger stadium for the last 4 years. Last year was a perfect example.

Lowe had an Era of 2.30 at home and 4.42 on the road. When will teams learn that pitching at Dodger Stadium over inflates pitchers stats? Still, I think Lowe will be decent for the Braves. And let’s face it the Braves have to do something.

Hudson is coming off elbow surgery and other then waiting for Javy Vazquez to crap himself in a big game the Braves rotation had some serious holes. Lowe will be their opening day starter and will give them quality innings.

Do I think Lowe will come anywhere close to putting up the numbers he did while he was in LA, no. But, I do think he will bring some solidity to a young rotation and much needed veteran leadership. If Hudson does come back, they will have a decent front end of their rotation.

From this point going forward I will refer to each division in baseball by the following.  (I am looking for a better nickname for the AL Central.  All suggestions will be taken under advisement.)

The AL East – The ESPN Division

The AL Central – The Ice Melt

The AL West – The Moneyball Division

The NL East – The Expos Memorial Division

The NL Central – The Six Pack

The NL West – The Steve Finley

Cubs Beat Writers Will Now Have Plenty to Write About

So, the Cubs officially signed Milton Bradley and unveiled him to the local media yesterday. I am trying to be as optimistic as possible but I have this nagging feeling this is going to be a very Jacque Jones like signing.

To be perfectly honest, I think Jim Hendry has a bad off season to this point. I understand he is trying to make these moves under for the first time in years some payroll constraints. However, none of the changes Hendry has made have cleared payroll for 2010. That scares me because the choices he has made this year to stay within his budget has made this team inferior to last years.

I still think on paper at least, that the Cubs are the team to beat in the NL Central. (The Six Pack Division.) I also don’t think it is going to take 97 wins to win this thing in 2009 which is a good thing because I don’t see this team winning that many games again.

Of course, Hendry may not be done tinkering. The Jake Peavy saga is looking a lot like the Brian Roberts hot air from last year. Personally I don’t think the problem is with the rotation at this point. Dempster, Zambrano, Harden, Lilly, and Marshall is the best staff 1-5 in the NL if they can stay healthy. (A big if when we are talking about Harden.) My concern is the left side of the bullpen.

The Cubs brain trust has spent all off season in my opinion over correcting for their right handed heavy lineup the whole while ignoring the glaring need for a lefty in the bullpen. Neal Cotts is the only lefty in the pen at this point. Maybe Hendry is thinking of picking up another starter (such as Peavy) and then moving Marshall back into the pen.

That all sounds all well and good but, while I like Marshall I don’t think he is your prototypical left handed specialist. Left handed hitters actually hit thirty points higher against Marshall last year then righties. Neal Cotts has pitched in six seasons in the majors. He has had one spectacular year of those six in 2005 for the White Sox. (Just one more example of how that Sox team played over their heads that season.) Every other year he has had an era well over 4.00. Also, lefties and righties hit him at about the same average. So clearly he is not the answer. Obtaining an arm from the left side at this point in my mind is the Cubs most glaring need.

As for Bradley, it is not so much his temper that scares me. It is more his health track record. To say it is not good is like saying Dane Cook makes bad movies. It is obvious. Bradley has had 500 at bats once during his 9 seasons. Also his power numbers have been severely overrated. Last year he set highs in almost all of his power numbers. He hit 22 homers and drove in 77. He does get on base at a pretty good clip and can beat you in other ways. But, the Cubs signed him to bat in the middle of the lineup and drive in runs. Something that he has never really consistently done.

For all the Cubs fans bitching and moaning about Sosa, the Cubs have not adequately replaced him in right field since his departure after the 2004 season. Jeromy Burnitz was Jeromy Burnitz. Jacque Jones was pretty much a waste of money and it is obvious that they over estimated what Fukodome would do.

Bradley gives the Cubs flexibility and a definite presence that they did not have last season. But, I am telling you they are going to miss Mark De Rosa more then they know. He was the heart and soul of that team and his versatility can’t be replaced by the likes of Aaron Miles. I trust Hendry and I hope he is not done tweaking a team that despite taking a shit in the post season still managed to win 97 games.

Red Sox Sign Two More

The Red Sox signed Rocco Baldelli and John Smoltz.

The signing of John Smoltz is interesting. Really this is nothing other then an insurance policy. Smoltz, will be in 42 in May and is coming off of arm surgery. The earliest be could be available is late May.

I personally think the guy is done. If anything he might be able to give the Red Sox some innings out of the pen in middle relief. Asking him to go into the rotation and pitch every fifth day is asking a lot.

You have to wonder what Smoltz has left to prove. I have argued about him a lot with friends but if he were to retire today, I think he should get into the Hall of Fame. Smoltz was a seven time all star. He won the Cy Young in 1996. He was also one of the best post season pitchers of his era. In 207 pressure packed post season innings Smoltz posted an era of 2.65.

He was a dominant starter who turned himself into a dominant closer and then back into a pretty damn good starter again. He is a member of the 3,000 strike out club and in the last 19 seasons has he had only one year with an era over 4.00.

I always liked the guy and wish him luck. I just think this may be a case of hanging on to long. (Like Steve Carlton did.)

As for Baldelli, this is a high risk high reward move. Other then being Peter Gammons, favorite ballplayer not on the Red Sox before the signing, Baldelli always had the talent. The problem has always been his health. If his doctors have finally figured out his ailment this could be a really good move by the BoSox.

Their outfield now becomes a tad crowded with Elsbury, Bay, and Drew already there. There aren’t many AB’s for him at DH. But somehow I am sure Francona will figure it all out.

This is pretty much the first news we have heard out of the Red Sox all winter. (Other than the Brad Penny singing.) Considering what Yankees Inc has done this off season these are extremely minor moves in comparison. I still prefer the Red Sox and the D Rays, (yes, I realize they are no longer the Devil Rays, but I think it is ridicules that they dropped the Devil from their name. They will always be known as the Devil Rays to me) on paper to the Yankees. Pitching wise I much prefer the back ends of Tampa and Boston’s rotation to Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.

The ESPN division (the AL East) should be an interesting race this season. If Toronto can get some offense they could make it really interesting. All I can say is it must suck to be an Oriole’s fan nowadays.

Hoffman to Brewers

The Brewers signed Trevor Hoffman. As a Cub fan I am not losing much sleep over this. I think it was a decent move by the Brewers. There are few players left in baseball that are older then me but Hoffman is one of them. While, I can not argue with his closing abilities in 1995 nowadays Hoffman is at the end of the line.

Last season saw Hoffman post his worst ERA since he was a rookie in 1993. Still he did notch 30 saves for a brutal Padre team. On top of that, Hoffman doesn’t rely on his fastball to get hitters out so, so what if his fastball tops out in the 80’s? Hoffman is 41 but he can still get hitters out.

In reality, the Brewers really had no other 9^th inning option in their bullpen. One year for 6 million with a club option for 2010 is not much of a gamble for the all times save leader. The question of course is with the Brewers rotation issues will there be many leads for Hoffman to save?

A Misson Statement

Welcome to my baseball blog. I have been writing a blog for over four years now over at http://www.10withamop.blogspot.com/. In that area I posted any old thought that popped into my head. Many of those posts included my half assed opinions on my favorite sport and the greatest game invented baseball.

However, most of the people who read my personal blog don’t really care about what my thoughts on baseball are. I also realize that the last thing this world needs is another geek out there pontificating about the sport. But, I love the game a whole lot. And I have this need to write about it. It is fun and my one true passion in life.

Sometimes I realize it is simply to get things off of my chest. I really don’t care if anyone reads it and it becomes a personal baseball diary. I will of course focus a lot of my attention on my favorite team the Chicago Cubs. However, I won’t post exclusively about my favorite National League Team.

I hope any other baseball nerds out there, find the site and enjoy it. I am in no way an expert on the subject. I am just an average fan who figured out how to create a blog. (Not exactly a unique skill.) With that said I know this much, I am less of an asshole then Rick Telander is.