EVIL~! alkeiper

You know, in two days I've lost both Eddy Curry and Allen Iverson to injury. So far I've got Curry, Keon Clark, and Raef LaFrentz, all centers, and all injured. Damnit.

The big issue with I-Rod is his health. Last season was the first time in four years he topped 120 games. And he's not getting any younger. As for Lopez, he'll never come close to 40 home runs again.

I expect something will come up after Javy and I-Rod land.

http://www.cincypost.com/2003/12/16/reds12...12-16-2003.html Looks like the Reds are planning on giving Rule 5 draftee D.J. Mattox a starting rotation slot.

Would the Dodgers give up anything in the deal? I heard the same deal on espnnews, and its kind of odd.

Also, espn says the Mariners are looking to trade Carlos Guillen to the Cleveland Indians for Omar Vizquel. Chalk this one up to new GM Bill Bavasi's ongoing quest to make the Mariners as bad as possible this upcoming season.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Cards signed Reggie Sanders to a two year contract. Good move for the Cardinals. An injury prone right fielder is just what they needed to put them over the top. No seriously, they shore up right field, avoiding the hilarity of seeing Kerry Robinson as an everyday player.

Vassily Jirov

Well the A's are still defending champions. They haven't been beaten yet. Besides, even if they do decline after losing those guys, how many teams win 90+ four years in a row? That's a great run. But the way I see it, they'll take all the draft picks they gain from Tejada and Foulke, and they'll build up new stars to replace the old ones.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=1686868 John Sickels checks in with an overview of the players.

Barrett's iffy. He had a great 2002, and a poor 2003. I honestly don't know what to expect out of him myself.

I don't even have to react. You guys are getting the hang of this. I did pick up the Bill James Handbook a few days ago. Its essentially the old Stats Inc. Handbook, which disappeared and was replaced by a crappier version a couple years ago. Its got every current player's career major league stats, and career minor league stats for the rookies. Alot of other cool stuff in it too. Its great for me because I don't have to go to 4 different sites to tracks down minor league stats for say....Rich Harden.

I undoubtably pissed on the Bell signing at some point soon after it happened. I mean, his OBP the previous year was .333, a career high.

They will lose more, but it'll be due more to his hitting.

There's really no correlation proven between catchers and pitchers preformances. Besides, if I-Rod is so crucial to the pitching staff than why couldn't the Rangers pitch the last few years he played there? On another note, the Phillies just got rid of Jose Mesa (finally). Why in the living hell did they need to pick up Jose Mesa II? He walked 43 batters in 60 innings. That's TERRIBLE. He was damn lucky to end up with a 4.35 last year, and he's a ticking time bomb. The Phillies have 3-4 guys with the Red Barons who could pitch better.

The Orioles might not be done. Some rumors circulating say the O's are close to announcing both Vlad AND I-Rod.

The Devil Rays signed Jose Cruz Jr. and Rey Sanchez. Cruz is a big upgrade to their outfield. A good hitter with gold glove defense. Sanchez is a nice defensive backup for their infield.

All could be good teams, but that's a tough feat to accomplish due to the unbalanced schedule.

One of the players sent to the Dodgers in the Weaver/Brown trade is pitcher Yhency Brazoban. Brazoban isn't too impressive of a prospect. He has a nice K rate, but he walks too many batters. He's only pitched 64 innings professionally, and he's 23.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/4549.htm Apparently Brian Cashman wants out after this season. I can't blame him. He'll find a GM job elsewhere where his talents will be more appreciated. Behinds Beane, Riccardi, and Epstein, Cashman might just be the best GM in the game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1685877 Rondell White signs a two year contract worth $6 million. Obviously a plus for the Tigers. Craig Monroe had a .287 OBP last year. Rondoll White's career OBP of .343. He'll give the Tigers offense a much needed boost.

Honestly, I couldn't tell you until they play the upcoming season. But Houston has a good 1-3 now in Roy Oswalt, Wade Miller, and Andy Pettitte. They have Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman, and Jeff Kent. They could be a very dangerous team if they make the playoffs. Yes, but I wouldn't say stuck with. I'd prefer to say, they got rid of some dead weight that wasn't quite as good as Jeff Conine.

Well, he pays less taxes in Houston, and lives closer to home. And the Astros are just as likely as the Yankees to win their division.

Why not? Benitez still had a 2.96 ERA last season. He strikes out more than a batter an inning, and because his stock is down, the A's could pick him up cheap.

I really doubt the A's will pursue Tejada. Bobby Crosby is the real deal.