What an offseason

Hey TSF readers, I am back to lay some more baseball insight into this fine fine blog. Back in July I wrote a post judging the trade deadline deals, and I'm back to look at what has gone on this offseason so far, and what could potentially take place.

Santana Mania
We all know that the best pitcher to throw a baseball since Roger Clemens was in his prime is on the market, but where will Johan Santana end up? This whole situation is about to get very interesting, because not only are the Red Sox and Yankees the only realistic options out there, but no one knows if they're actually trying to trade for Johan or just jacking up the price for the other team.

I say that the Yankees and Sox are the only real contenders because unlike anyone else on the current trade market, Johan Santana controls his own destiny. He can veto a trade if the team the Twins agree to terms with doesn't give him the extension he wants (rumored at around 23-25 million per year for 5-6 years). This makes this trade difficult in two ways - sure the Angels and Dodgers have the prospects to get a deal done, but they then have to sign Johan to a long term deal. If I were to guess, the Yankees eventually cave in and give up Ian Kennedy AND Philip Hughes, with Melky Cabrera and another minor leaguer (possibly Eric Duncan?) and get Johan. Trading that many prospects is completely against Theo Epstein's and Brian Cashman's philosophy, but the difference will be that Cashman isn't running the show anymore, and Theo is.

WTF White Sox?
What in the world were the White Sox thinking in giving Scott Linebrink that ridiculous contract? No one knows, but what we do know is that it has skyrocketed the reliever's market, and that is shown by Francisco Cordero's contract with the Reds. My prediction: They work out for a year, and then the contracts become albatross's hanging around both team's necks for the remainder of them. Thanks for setting back baseball a few years Kenny Williams.

Twins get a bat, Rays get an arm
Yes the Twinkies finally got another bat to stick in the lineup I like to call M&M and 7 random guys. Morneau and Mauer power that offense now that the Angels overpaid for ANOTHER aging center fielder (let's not forget Gary Matthews Jr.'s ridiculous contract from last year) when they signed away Torii Hunter. The problem is, Mauer doesn't hit for power, and while Cuddyer has been solid, they stil found their offense to be anemic at times even with Hunter having a contract year. Delmon Young will be for real, and he will help the Twins for however long he can keep his head on.
I still give this trade to the Rays, however, because the shortstops traded in this trade dramatically favors the Rays, and the prospect the Rays got will eventually be a solid 10th or 11th arm in the bullpen. The two players the Twins got back are bench players at best. Matt Garza also isn't too shabby, and I think Garza and Kazmir will make a solid 1-2 punch for the Rays.

Really LAA?
I already mentioned my thoughts on this signing above, but I will say this: If Torii Hunter is worth 90 million over 5 years, I'm good for about 750,000 over 3, and I didn't even play baseball my senior year of high school.

Cabrera Sweepstakes
Not since the Clippers and the Lakers fought to sign Shaq have two L.A. teams fought for the right to complain about how overweight a player on their roster is. Eating habits aside, Cabrera is a STUD, and while the Dodgers and Angels are being leveraged against each other by the Marlins (ask the LA Angels' owner how he feels about that), I think the Angels come out on top. Another reason why the Angels don't get Johan - they will trade their prospects to get Cabrera.

With so much happening so far this offseason (I didn't even delve into the Yankees re-signings drama), this offseason has promised to be a great one. When was the last time we saw two teams trade top prospect for top prospect like the Rays and Twins did? And when was the last time THIS MUCH top pitching talent has been available (make the right offer, the A's will give you Joe Blanton and Cy Young runner-up Dan Haren). As a baseball enthusiast, I am loving this offseason, and with the Winter Meetings around the corner, it should just get even better.

Take Your Pick: Who Can a Fan Like Me Start to Root For?

So, Barry Bonds hit his 748th career homer putting him 7 shy of Hank Aaron for what is probably the most heralded record in all of sports. I hate Barry Bonds and if you are a repeat reader you probably know that already. Anyways, I am starting to come to the realization that this is probably going to happen and instead of killing myself when it does I decided that I need a guy to root for. I need to find the next player who is going to beat Barry's steroid-injected ass (pun intended) in the HR standings. So take your pick and help me figure out who is the going to be the best guy to take the record away from Barry.

Personally Arod is my guy. You have Arod at 492 having hit his 27th HR of the season tonight against the Mets. Arod currently ranks 24th all-time but in my opinion probably has the best foreseeable chance to surpass Bonds of all current players. He is 32 years-old right now and if you disregard this year's 27 HRs he needs 8 seasons with a rough average of 36 dingers a season. Now I think it will take him even less than that because he is obviously going to hi more than 36 this year. So, really at the most I think he would have to play until he was 40. If he can stay healthy and stay with the Yanks so he can DH as he gets older I think he can do it.

This is so sick and perverted but I'm going to have to start cheering for a Yankee...Arod no less. I've always thought of him as a bit of a sell-out (think of him going to Texas completely for the $$) and is now noticed as a cheating bastard. However, I think he's my guy. Now, I'm not by any means going to go get myself an Arod jersey. I'm just rooting for him to bring Major League Baseball -along with myself- out of a state of misery as fast as he can.

My second choice is Albert Pujols. He's only got 266 right now but is only 27. If he can continue to hit his average of 42 HRs a year he could be at 770 when he is 39. So he's got a good shot, but I'm still taking Arod over him. Some goes for him. If he can get away from the Cardinals and onto a team where he can do some DHing down the road that will increase his chances as well.

Active players ranked above Arod in HRs are Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, and Ken Griffey Jr. In my opinion both are just way too old to be considered a serious threat to surpass Bonds someday. No way for those 3.

Also, guys who I think can be overlooked include , Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Gary Sheffield, and Chipper Jones. Manny is ranked 25th with 480 but is 3 years older than A-Rod so he's not my pick....plus he doesn't even care. Basically the lowdown on everybody else is that I think they are just too old. They are high on the list but there's just no way they can play long enough with their production to be seriously considered.

If I wouldn't take Arod or Pujols I would rather take my chance with a young kid like Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera. They are so young though that it is just a real risky pick. There are too many intangibles to consider to try and accurately project if and when they could be in position to pass Bonds.

My Picks
1. Arod
2. Pujols
3. Someone young like Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera

Agree with my Picks? Who is your pick to surpass Bonds on the all-time HR list (however many that may end up being)?