Yesterday, the first major trade of the offseason took place. The Tigers traded 1B Prince Fielder and $30 million of his salary to the Rangers for 2B Ian Kinsler. Now this is a major trade in every way. This trade helps both teams in a few ways.
The Tigers-Even the Tigers had to realize that they signed Fielder for too much and for too long. Now it is only a couple years into his deal and he still has seven years left, most of which is not likely to be very productive. They do lose a big power hitter, but one who has struggled in the playoffs the last couple of years. They receive a second baseman in Ian Kinsler who is above average defensively. Kinsler is a good second baseman and speedy enough to lead off; something the Tigers could have used last season. Kinsler gets on base enough to help the lower part of the order produce as well. With Fielder gone, Miguel Cabrera can now move back to playing first base. Also, Victor Martinez can see time there, if Cabrera remains at third base. If Cabrera moves to first, the Tigers could sign a free agent to fill the hole or use one of their top prospects to take over if they feel he is ready. Above all, the Tigers save a lot of money that they can now use to retain their top pitchers for long term contracts. There is definitely more positive than negative for the Tigers in this trade.
The Rangers-While the Rangers trade away their longest tenured player for the second straight season; this time they get an all-star back at least. First base has been a hole for the Rangers ever since they traded away Mark Teixeira six years ago. They now get a first baseman that will likely be around for seven more years. He is a big slugger that will be perfect in the middle of the Ranger's lineup. The Rangers have in house options for Kinsler's replacement at second or they could go after a free agent (Robinson Cano?). They benefit a lot from this trade as well, but I would have to pick the Tigers as the bigger winner.
Meanwhile in the NBA the Utah Jazz are proving to be one of the worst teams ever, the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks are underachieving, the Trail-Blazers are overachieving and the San Antonio Spurs are still great.
The real mystery is the Clippers though. They have played great in some games and terrible in others. Chris Paul is already off to a historic start. He has scored at least ten points and had at least ten assists in each of the first thirteen games. Blake Griffin is scoring over 20 points almost every game and Deandre Jordan is almost certain to have double digit rebounds every game. The Clippers bench has a lot to prove still. Jamal Crawford is doing his thing by scoring and not playing defense. Darren Collison has been good in spurts, but has not shown how quick he can be and has been lacking on defense. Byron Mullens is on pace to be the worst defender of all time, and Antawn Jamison has not left the bench for a single minute to this point. It is now not a question of if but when the Clippers are signing Lamar Odom to help their interior defense. With Mullens and Ryan Hollins as the primary bigs off the bench, the Clipper could use a guy like Odom. I am predicting it. The Clippers have also had the hardest schedule this far so they will only improve in the standings as the season goes on. However, the Spurs, Thunder and the Warriors will be bugging the Clippers until the last day of the season.
Next time, the question everyone is asking. When will Kobe return to the court?
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
MLB Award Wrap-Up
It seems like the baseball season has been over forever, yet it has only been a few weeks since the Red Sox won the World Series. We just wrapped up the week of awards, which seemed mostly anticlimactic, but we did learn a lot. Here is my take on each of the major awards given out this week...
Rookie of the Year- AL: Wil Myers was going to win it and everybody knew it, but we had to wait to make sure there was not going to be a major disappointment. Myers had a great year and once again proved that the Rays know what they are doing every time they trade away a veteran. Myers was one of the key pieces the Rays got when they traded James Shields to the Royals last offseason. Jose Iglesias and another Ray Chris Archer finished second and third in the voting respectively. They both had great rookie seasons, but neither could match Myers overall performance at the plate, in the field and in clutch moments. He is going to give the Rays a starting outfielder for years to come; unless of course they trade him in the next few years.
NL- As much as I wanted Yasiel Puig to win the ROY award in the NL, I knew his chances were slim to none. Jose Fernandez had an amazing year. He had a great ERA, so many strikeouts and was dominant all season long. Even though he played for a terrible Marlins team, he still found a way to win games. He got the edge over Puig in large part because of Puig's sharp decline towards the end of the season. Puig had a September to forget, which lowered his batting average greatly. Fernandez was consistent all year long, which made him the top rookie in the National League.
Managers of the year-NL-This was the most obvious of all awards other than NL CY Young. Clint Hurdle led the Pittsburgh Pirates to their first winning season and first playoff appearance in over 20 years. That's about all he had to do to win this award. He did not have the best players in the league either, proving he could win with whatever talent he was given. Having the MVP can't hurt though.
AL-This was the biggest surprise of all the awards. Terry Francona came into Cleveland and took them from bad to playoffs. Like Hurdle, he didn't have the top roster in the league and made the best of what he was given. Francona's win came as a surprise to many though. John Farrell managed the Boston Red Sox to the league's best record and a World Series title so many thought he would be the winner. The voters apparently thought Francona did a better job with what he had.
Cy Young-NL- Clayton Kershaw won his second award in three years because he is simply the best pitcher in the major leagues. He had the lowest ERA for the third straight year and proved he is the best left handed pitcher since Koufax. He is not even 26 yet, and already has two Cy Young awards. Something tells me he will win many more.
AL- Max Scherzer was the most dominant AL pitcher this year and got a much deserved Cy Young. He won his first thirteen decisions of the season, and was the only pitcher in the major leagues to finish with at least 20 wins. His consistency and dominance throughout the season guaranteed this award and the funniest thing is he apparently might be on a different team's roster by Opening Day next year.
MVP AL- Miguel Cabrera is good. Really Good. He might just be the best hitter in the major leagues. He won his second straight MVP award and deserved it. He led the Detroit Tigers to the championship series for the second straight year and is going to continue to dominant as one of the best hitters for years still to come. You got to feel bad for Mike Trout though finishing second in the MVP vote for the second straight year.
NL-Andrew McCutchen had a good season and was MVP candidate all year long. His win comes more from no other clear candidate, but of all those eligible he was clearly the best. As mentioned earlier, he was the best player on a team that was above .500 for the first time in over 20 years. That was a big reason why he deserved the award. He is a good fielder and a great hitter. The question is if he can continue to be a top player in the league over the next few years.
Now the the baseball season is officially over and its time to focus on real life. More realistically though, basketball and football. Posts in the near future are likely to be about basketball, but the MLB free agency period has already begun! Punto to the Athletics and Soto returning to the Rangers are a couple of the signings so far. Where will Cano go? That will be answered with many others in future posts.
Rookie of the Year- AL: Wil Myers was going to win it and everybody knew it, but we had to wait to make sure there was not going to be a major disappointment. Myers had a great year and once again proved that the Rays know what they are doing every time they trade away a veteran. Myers was one of the key pieces the Rays got when they traded James Shields to the Royals last offseason. Jose Iglesias and another Ray Chris Archer finished second and third in the voting respectively. They both had great rookie seasons, but neither could match Myers overall performance at the plate, in the field and in clutch moments. He is going to give the Rays a starting outfielder for years to come; unless of course they trade him in the next few years.
NL- As much as I wanted Yasiel Puig to win the ROY award in the NL, I knew his chances were slim to none. Jose Fernandez had an amazing year. He had a great ERA, so many strikeouts and was dominant all season long. Even though he played for a terrible Marlins team, he still found a way to win games. He got the edge over Puig in large part because of Puig's sharp decline towards the end of the season. Puig had a September to forget, which lowered his batting average greatly. Fernandez was consistent all year long, which made him the top rookie in the National League.
Managers of the year-NL-This was the most obvious of all awards other than NL CY Young. Clint Hurdle led the Pittsburgh Pirates to their first winning season and first playoff appearance in over 20 years. That's about all he had to do to win this award. He did not have the best players in the league either, proving he could win with whatever talent he was given. Having the MVP can't hurt though.
AL-This was the biggest surprise of all the awards. Terry Francona came into Cleveland and took them from bad to playoffs. Like Hurdle, he didn't have the top roster in the league and made the best of what he was given. Francona's win came as a surprise to many though. John Farrell managed the Boston Red Sox to the league's best record and a World Series title so many thought he would be the winner. The voters apparently thought Francona did a better job with what he had.
Cy Young-NL- Clayton Kershaw won his second award in three years because he is simply the best pitcher in the major leagues. He had the lowest ERA for the third straight year and proved he is the best left handed pitcher since Koufax. He is not even 26 yet, and already has two Cy Young awards. Something tells me he will win many more.
AL- Max Scherzer was the most dominant AL pitcher this year and got a much deserved Cy Young. He won his first thirteen decisions of the season, and was the only pitcher in the major leagues to finish with at least 20 wins. His consistency and dominance throughout the season guaranteed this award and the funniest thing is he apparently might be on a different team's roster by Opening Day next year.
MVP AL- Miguel Cabrera is good. Really Good. He might just be the best hitter in the major leagues. He won his second straight MVP award and deserved it. He led the Detroit Tigers to the championship series for the second straight year and is going to continue to dominant as one of the best hitters for years still to come. You got to feel bad for Mike Trout though finishing second in the MVP vote for the second straight year.
NL-Andrew McCutchen had a good season and was MVP candidate all year long. His win comes more from no other clear candidate, but of all those eligible he was clearly the best. As mentioned earlier, he was the best player on a team that was above .500 for the first time in over 20 years. That was a big reason why he deserved the award. He is a good fielder and a great hitter. The question is if he can continue to be a top player in the league over the next few years.
Now the the baseball season is officially over and its time to focus on real life. More realistically though, basketball and football. Posts in the near future are likely to be about basketball, but the MLB free agency period has already begun! Punto to the Athletics and Soto returning to the Rangers are a couple of the signings so far. Where will Cano go? That will be answered with many others in future posts.
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