If you can't beat em, buy em

As we all know by now Yankees GM Brian Cashman flew to Arkansas to talk with Cliff Lee.  This is obviously not surprising at all as any MLB fan knew the Yankees would go after Lee during the offseason.

It seems apparent that the Yankees will go after Lee hard.  Their pitching hasn't really worked out for them recently.  Javier Vasquez didn't pan out.  A.J. Burnett is a question mark after a terrible season.  Plus, Andy Pettite is getting old.

Lee is the obvious choice.  The Yankees pitching staff is basically the sole reason they didn't get by the Rangers in the ALCS.  There's really no one else they can go after.  Zach Greinke simply won't go to New York and the next two best choices are Jorge de la Rosa and Carl Pavano.  Who we know the Yanks won't touch.

Some think the Yankees wouldn't go after him because having two aces wouldn't make much sense.  I remind those people that it's the Yankees.  They will do whatever they can to win another World Series, and I don't blame them.

Lee throttled the Yankees.  As we've seen before, the Yankees absolutely hate being embarrassed.  They've brought in Yankee killers before (Tony Womack and Carl Pavano). It may not always work out, but Lee is arguably the best pitcher in the game right now.  It just makes too much sense.  As it seems like it always is for the Yankees, if you can't beat em, buy em.

2010 MLB Playoff Predictions: World Series

So here it is,  our World Series prediction.  Enjoy!

Phillies vs. Yankees

Here we go again.  Ever since last season ended I predicted the Yankees and Phillies would face off again.  And why not?  Both teams looked so dominant compared to everyone else.  The Phillies have arguably the best lineup in the bigs and now this season they have Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt complementing Cole Hamels.  Last season they had Cliff Lee.  But now they have two aces.  As for the Yankees,  I really couldn't see anybody overtaking them once again.  It really isn't that hard to predict.

As for the game,  I see this as another classic matchup.  The Phillies easily have the pitching edge with Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels.  The Yankees only have CC Sabathia.  If this series were to happen you better not miss game one with Halladay facing off vs. Sabathia.  My oh my.  Both offensive lineups are just stacked and I see them basically evening out.  As for the bullpen,  the Yankees have the advantage there with Mariano and Wood.  Look for another hell of a series if this happens.

Phillies in 7

2010 MLB Playoff Predictions: AL

It's October folks so you know what that means, playoff baseball!  Here's our AL Playoff predictions.

ALDS:

Twins vs. Yankees
The Twins were looking  at a matchup with the Rangers.  Then the almost unthinkable happened.  The Yankees lost on Sunday so now the two best teams in the AL (IMO) are playing in the ALDS.  The Twins have struggled lately and their two best players have been hampered with injuries.  Their pitching will also need to be spot on.  Meanwhile, the Yankees are always ready in the playoffs and with CC Sabathia going game 1, they should have an edge despite not having home field advantage.  Twins absolutely need to sweep the first two games at home because I don't see them getting a win at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees in 4

Rays vs. Rangers
The Rangers have also been hit with injuries as well.  Josh Hamilton is not 100% and you cannot afford to have your big bat banged up.  I don't know if the Rangers pitching is good enough to advance.  Plus, Cliff Lee hasn't been his self lately.  The Rays have been very consistent in the past month and I see them continuing that trend especially with playing the first two games at home.

Rays in 4

ALCS:

Rays vs. Yankees
If any team wanted to take down the Yankees your best bet would have been to secure home field.  Well, the Rays have just that.  I see this as a great matchup and either team can win it all if they advance to the World Series.  I'm a little unsure about the Rays' bullpen in this, which is the most important unit when it comes to playoff baseball in my opinion.

Yankees in 6

Could this be the Yankee's Year?

The Yankees are one of the hottest teams in the majors right now. Mike Mussina is actually flirting with an All-Star bid or possible start and Johnny Damon is red hot at the plate. The team at one point today even had scored 24 unanswered runs going back to saturday! So really, what's not to like about the Yankees? For me, A LOT.

For starters I've never really liked the Yankees but this isn't about that. This is about me not liking the 2008 yankees. This is about me seeing past their current hot streak and me telling you why they're really not that good and why they may miss the playoffs this year.

Right now the Yankees are 39-33 and riding a 6 game winning streak. They are currently 5.5 games back in the AL East and 3.5 in the wild card. Fairly respectable. However, up until just this week the Yankees looked horrible. They were .500 and carrying a $207,000,000 + payroll! They're also old and aging quickly and not meeting expectations in the least.

I foresee a Mike Mussina fall from grace impending in the 2nd half of the year, assuming he doesn't get injured. Speaking of injuries to the starting staff, Chien-Ming Wang sprained foot running the bases earlier this week and looks to be out until September. That is a big hit for this team.

Speaking of the Wang incident, (if you just laughed you're immature like me) did anybody see Hank Steinbrenner make a total ass of himself by blaming this pivotal injury on the National League. He literally blamed the entire National Leauge for the injury. How retarded and simple-minded. It's not like Wang hasn't had to sprint from the mound to first while catching a throw/flip from a first baseman to make an out in the AL, which many would argue takes more effort/athleticism than simply rounding third. Hank is a joke.

It also doesn't help the Yankees that the AL East is tougher than ever this season. The Tampa Bay Rays are for real this year and the Red Sox are tough as always. And I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the Blue Jays surpassed the Yankees in the second half with their exceptional starting rotation. The divisional competition is getting younger, faster, smarter, and tougher while the Yankees really aren't.

You look at their current roster, they are an old team. Their elite players are all over 30 years, with many being in their late 30s. Their younger players, excluding Joba Chamberlain, haven't panned out. Melky Cabrera is just average. Phil Hughes has been unimpressive. Ian Kennedy has been a train wreck. Darrell Rasner has yet to prove himself and outside of Robinson Cano, their offense lacks youth.

In order to maintain the dynasty, the Yankees have had to decimate their farm system along the way, so their is no fountain of youth to tap into. So, with the Yankees' six games and their best pitcher Chien-Ming Wang out for most of the season now, could THIS be the year, the Yankees finally miss the postseason? We can only hope so.

MLB Predictions: American League

East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

The Red Sox should be one of the top teams in the MLB. They still have a dominant line up with David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell, plus Jacoby Ellsbury will be a great leadoff man. The starting pitching rotation is solid with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester leading the way and the bullpen remains one of the best with Jon Papelbon and Hideki Okajima. The Yankees will obviously fight for the top of the division but their pitching staff isn't that strong. Also, watch out for the Blue Jays they may finally get into the playoffs if they stay healthy.

Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Kansas City Royals

The Tigers have a very potent offense with Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, and Miguel Cabrera. They should have no problem putting up runs. The pitching staff is even better now with the addition of Dontrelle Willis. I don't know how much longer Todd Jones can be the closer they may need a new one soon. The Indians should be a great ball club again as well, their pitching staff really came on last season.

West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Oakland A's
4. Texas Rangers

Look for the Angels to win the West once again. They should have a great offense and the addition of Torii Hunter will help, especially in the OF. The pitching staff looks good again but with Kelvim Escobar out that could hurt quite a bit. The bull pen is solid as well. The M's could fight for the division too. They have a young line up and their staff is as good as it's been in awhile.

Playoffs:
ALDS:
Tigers over Yankees in 5
Red Sox over Angels in 5

ALCS:
Tigers over Red Sox in 7


World Series predictions & NL Preview tomorrow!

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.

2007 MLB Playoff Predictions (NLDS & ALDS)

NLDS
Colorodo Rockies over Philadelphia Phillies in 5

My heart says Rockies but my head says Philadelphia. I would give the edge to the Phillies based on pitching. Both have tremendous offenses though. I'm a little late with this and the Rockies have already beat Cole Hammels so I will go out on a limb and stay with my heart on this one. The Rockies ride their momentum and beat the Phillies in 5.

Arizona Diamondbacks over Chicago Cubs in 5

The Cubs were hot down the stretch and have a great line-up but Arizona is built for the playoffs with great pitching and great defense. Their bullpen is leagues better than Chicago's and it will show.

ALDS
Boston Red Sox over Las Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 3 games

I think the Red Sox will sweep. They'll probably get Beckett in twice in 4 games if they need him and other than Vlad the Angels have no power. Vlad will be DHing and with Matthews Jr. out their outfield is going to be spread pretty thin. Even though the Angels have K-Rod Scott Shields the Red Sox have much more bullpen depth. Sweep?

New York Yankees over Cleveland Indians in 4 games.

I hate to do it but I don't think the Indians can beat the Yankees. Their pitching is a little better. With Rivera and Chamberlain holding down the 8th and 9th innings their going to be tough to beat. Not to mention their offensive lineup should scare the crap out of the Indians. I hate to do it but I have to pick the Yankees. However, I will be cheering my lungs out for the Indians on this one!

Rocket Adds a Boost, but not Enough to Take the Yanks to the Moon (Playoffs)

Roger Clemens made his long awaited debut tonight and picked up the win against the Pirates 9-3. He gave up 3R, 3ER, 2 BB, and had 7K's in 6 innings. Congratulations Yankees fans but I have news for you: IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT MORE THAN ROGER CLEMENS FOR YOU GUYS TO CATCH THE RED SOX. I'm glad that you're excited and everything but let's not get ahead of ourselves. He just beat the Pirates.

If anybody (Yankees' fans especially) think that a 40+ yr. old legend who is starting to show his age can come in, throw 6 maybe 7 innings every 5th day and help you make up your 10 game deficit you are terribly mistaken. Yes, he is an all-time great and I have great respect for him, but he's not "The Rocket" he used to be and the Yankees have far more problems than even the old Rocket could have fixed.

For obvious starters your pitching sucks. Rocket can start every game. Hell, he may not be able to start every 5th game! Also, you don't really have a 1st baseman right now. Your OF is getting a little old with Matsui and Abreu. Abreau is nothing special defensively by any means and could probably be the DH and let Melky Cabrera play in the field. Anyways, Matsui and Abreu are getting old -not Rocket old...but old- and neither of them are having stellar years by any means. You (Yanks) should be embarassed about wasting Arod's historic month of April.

The Yankees are old, have no pitching, problems at 1B, problems off the field (Giambi) and are worse than the Red Sox. Rocket helps but he's not the answer and in my mind there is no way that the Yanks can catch the Red Sox. Maybe if they make a few moves they'll be able to make a run for the wild card later. However, I'm going to go ahead and call it. In my opinion THE YANKEES ARE DEAD.