Back again, after a huge signing.
Carlos Beltran lands in New York. Not where he was expected to go, but to the Mets. This was a huge deal for the Mets. This will move them up to one of the favorite spots in the NL East. The Yankees were making a run, but decided that there payroll was close to being too high. Did they just now discover this? C’mon, your payroll is over $200 million and it is now getting too high?
Last week I gave you the top 10 things in baseball last season. This week I have the top 10 things to look forward to in 2005.
10. Rafael Palmero’s pursuit of his 3000th hit – Palmero sits at hit number 2922. Barring an unforseen injury, Palmero will join the club. He had 142 hilts last season (a .258 average in 154 games). Based on last season’s numbers, he should join the club around the 84th game. Achieving this, along with his 500+ home runs, should also seal his spot in the Hall of Fame.
9. Roger Clemens retirement – The potential retirement of Roger Clemens should be settled in the next month. I really don’t want to see him pitching against the Cardinals (no bias here), but he does have something to lose. Currently, Clemens is tied for 10th in the all time Wins list. Should he come back, pitch one game and win (preferrably not against the Cardinals), he will be the sole owner of the 10th spot. He is also 2nd in strikeouts, but has not chance of catching Nolan Ryan.
8. Hall of Fame nominees – This year has one of the weakest classes I have ever seen. Rick Aguilera, Tim Belcher, Will Clark, Alex Fernandez, Gary Gaetti, Dwight Gooden, Ozzie Guillen, Juan Guzman, Orel Hershiser, Gregg Jefferies, Lance Johnson, Doug Jones, Roberto Kelly, Mickey Morandini, Hal Morris, Jaime Navarro, Luis Polonia, Mike Stanley, Walt Weiss, John Wetteland, and Mark Whiten can be elected. The only true canidate in my opinion is Orel Hershiser, and his case isn’t even that strong. Look for some of the names that have been floating around for a while to get in, like Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage.
7. The inaugural season of the Washington Nationals – Everyone is curious to see what the team formerly known as the Expos will do in front of a crowd. This experience will be something new for some of the younger players, like Brad Wilkerson and Jose Vidro, who have never played in front of a crowd. It will also be interesting watching the ripple of the Nationals make its way up to Baltimore. Orioles owner Peter Angelos is worried that he will lose money to his new neighbor. Angelos is currently waiting for a cash settlement from MLB for the potential lost revenue.
6. Which young players will emerge as the next big player – Rookies and second year players are always something to watch. You never know if your team will have the next big player in Albert Pujols or the next big miss in Jerome Walton. Justin Morneau, first baseman for the Twins, should show why the fan favorite Doug Mientkiwicz was traded this past season. David Wright, 3B, will hold the middle of the lineup for the Mets after a breif debut last year. Jeromy Reed, the prize in the Freddy Garcia trade last year, may get the chance to start in the Mariners outfield this year. Watch out for most of the Devil Ray’s and Brewer’s young players; these two teams that have struggled for years have built there minor league systems for what should be pretty impressive runs if their players mature this season.
5. Losing teams reload – Three of the struggling teams last year made a big splash in the free agent market. The Major League’s worst team, the Diamondbacks, went on a mission. They traded their Ace (Randy Johnson) for young players (Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey, Dioner Navarro), signed 2 free agent pitchers (Russ Ortiz, Shawn Estes), and aquired corner infielders (Shawn Green, Troy Glaus). Likewise, the Seattle Mariners also openned the checkbook. The signed NL MVP runner-up Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson to rather large contracts. They are also looking to pick up a good pitcher to anchor their staff through trades. Lastly, the Mets took a page from the other New York team; they signed the biggest free agents to lucrative deals. First, the signed Pedro Martinez to a monster contract. The only way to follow that up was to sign the biggest fielding free agent on the market: Carlos Beltran. All the deals that were made should significantly help these teams.
4. Small time players will learn big time pressure – Some lesser know players and some big names that have been hiding in small markets will get to feel the pressure. Danny Kolb, former closer of the Brewers, moves to the defending NL East champs, the Atlanta Braves. This will be a new experience for the form waiver claim. He will go from saving games in front of sparse crowds to saving games that mean something. Carlos Beltran, on of baseball’s best kept secrets before moving to Houston, will get to shine this year. Everyone saw a glimpse of what was to come last year in the playoffs. The power, the speed, the defense; Beltran is one of the rare 5 tools players. We will see how he handles baseball outside of the midwest.
3. Barry Bonds home run quest – Bonds enters the season sitting at home run 703; only 52 short of the Hank Aaron. He may also make a run at his own walks record, which he eithe challeges or breaks each year. Under normal circumstances, many would think Bonds would break the homer record this year; but there will be those questions. I will say Bonds is a lock on the Hall, no matter what he is accused of.
2. Steriods – With the Bonds home run chase and the Balco accusations, this will be a topic all season. When a player comes into Spring Training just a little smaller. When fewer players hit 50 home runs. When a player has mysterious fits of rage in the dugout. Everything that happens will be tied to steroids. Baseball has a problem attracting kids to the game, but how can they market it when they don’t know who is cheating to do it. Hopefully when I look back at the season, I will be talking about the new drug policy that MLB should introduce whether than speculating who was on something.
1. Salaries – This off-season took a step back in balancing the big market teams with the small market ones. Since the A-Rod deal, it looked as if salaries like that would start to disappear. This year was back to before A-Rod; long term 8 figure deals. Small market teams cannot pay a number 3 starter $7 million a season. Many small market teams can’t pay number 3 starter $4 million dollars. The discrepancies between the top and the bottom are astrinomical. The Yankees payroll will be over $200 million this season. $175 of that is owed to 6 players. If baseball is going to be on a level playing field, the spending is going to have to go down. Look at the NHL: the players salaries start to escalate until most teams are losing money and destroys the league.
A couple of Free Agent notes:
– Now that Beltran has signed, look for a domino effect. The Astros, Cubs and Tigers are looking for outfielders. The 2 top name are Jeromy Burnitz (due to the Coors effect) and Magglio Ordonez.
– Mike Cameron wants out of New York since he will not be playing centerfield. Arizona and Oakland are among the teams interested.
– The market for Carlos Delgado is also starting to heat up. The Mets, fresh off of the Beltran signing, are leading the pack. The Marlins have offered 3 years for $35 million. The Orioles and the Rangers are also making their pitch.
Shout outs:
Mark is back with the Musing.
Slayer has a superiority complex.
Take another trip to Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.
Aaron has part 3 of the Hall of Fame 100.
Also, watch for the NFL Playoff preview for picks from the staff.
One last thing. Fantasy baseball leagues will be starting up in the next 2 months and there will be many questions to ask. Whether you are new to fantasy sports or experienced with player questions, please feel free to send them to me. I would like to answer whatever you have to ask. Also send feedback on what I have here is appreciated. Thanks.
