Never too late for a Blockbuster

First year general manager of the San Diego Padres A.J. Preller proved on Sunday that there's never a bad time to make a blockbuster trade in the MLB. After a very busy offseason which saw the Padres steal the headlines at baseball's winter meetings in December by making acquisition after acquisition to remodel the outfield with such names as Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers as well as Derek Norris behind the dish and Will Middlebrooks in the infield, only to add the cherry on top a month and a half later in the form of pitching ace James Shields, Preller has helped morph the Padres from the doormat of the NL West to a potential contender. And on the eve of Major League Baseball's Opening Day, San Diego made yet another deal to revamp the franchise. 

As if Padre fans weren't already ecstatic to turn a new leaf and witness a team with the potential to send the franchise to the postseason for the first time since 2006, they were given one final gift from their new general manager before the start of the season in the form of All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel. Preller made a deal to land Kimbrel and outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. aka BJ Upton from the rebuilding Atlanta Braves. The Friars managed to kill two birds with one stone with the trade as it helped solve their crowded outfield problem by sending outfielders Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin to Atlanta and also helped them add some extra depth to the back end of the bullpen with the acquisition of one of the best closers in the game. The Braves also landed right-handed pitcher Matt Wisler in the trade, who is one of San Diego's top prospects as well as Minor Leaguer Jordan Paroubeck and a Draft pick. 

Taking on the hefty contract of the struggling Melvin Upton Jr. was less than ideal for the Padres who are now looking at an Opening Day payroll near the $109 Million mark which is a franchise record, but chances are they wouldn't have been able to land Kimbrel without it being a package deal and taking Upton as well. Unlike his brother Justin who is due to be a free-agent after the season, the 30-year old Melvin Upton is under contract until 2018 and is owed over $45 Million over the next three seasons. As for Kimbrel, the 26-year old fire-baller is owed $46 Million over the next four seasons with a club option to buy out in '18. But if the All-Star reliever can continue to duplicate the numbers he's produced in each of his first four seasons, there's little doubt the club would choose to part ways. Since being called up to the bigs in 2010, Kimbrel owns the lowest ERA in all of baseball at 1.43 with a minimum of 250 innings pitched and his 186 saves over the last four seasons are the most in the Majors during that span. With four consecutive seasons of 40 saves, a feat reached only three other times, Kimbrel will have a chance this year to become the first pitcher in MLB history to make it five straight seasons of 40 saves.

Padres skipper Bud Black was expected to give the ball to reliever Joaquin Benoit to close out ballgames, but chances are he'll now be moved to a setup role in the eighth as Kimbrel is assigned closing duties. With some pundits predicting the Padres to snap their playoff drought the moment they signed James Shields, they've gotta be licking their chops now that San Diego's chances just got a lot better. But since they were basically being declared a wild card team before Preller's latest blockbuster trade, does this now make them a potential favorite to knock off the consensus NL Western division champion L.A. Dodgers whom they open the season against and maybe even put them in the discussion for an NL Pennant? That's a question yet to be answered, but one thing that is for certain is that A.J. Preller and the Padres will more than likely be buyers at the trade deadline and not sellers.


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THE DEPARTED strarring The Boston Red Sox

Heading into the final weeks of September in baseball's regular season, the taste of champagne appeared to be on the tongue of the Boston Red Sox as they held a nine game lead over the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays in the AL wild card. However, their nine game cushion which appeared to be insurmountable would prove to be anything but, thanks in large part to a putrid 9-17 month of September for the Red Sox and a mere opposite 17-8 for the Rays as both teams entered the final day of the season in a deadlock for wild card supremacy. Projected by many to not only make it to and win the World Series this year, but perhaps win up to 100+ games, the Boston Red Sox saw the curtain to their 2011 campaign come to an early close on Wednesday night.

With the odds stacked against them trailing the Yankees 6-0 entering the 8th inning in Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field, the Rays pulled within a run by rallying for 5 runs in the inning, capped off by a 3-run home run off the bat of Rays All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria. While fans waited anxiously in Tampa, fearing it might be the final time they saw their beloved Rays in action this season down to their last strike in the 9th, one of the most unlikeliest of hero's saved the day. With two strikes and two outs, Dan Johnson who entered Wednesday's game a proud owner of 9 hits in 83 at-bats this season including one homer, did the unthinkable by connecting for a solo home run to tie the game at 7-runs apiece. Meanwhile, the scene at Baltimore's Camden Yards didn't seem to be any more promising for the Rays as the Sox were one out away from winning in a 3-2 ballgame.

With one of the most dominant closers in all of baseball on the mound, the Orioles faced a tall order as Boston's Jonathan Papelbon struck out the first two batters he faced entering the 9th before allowing three consecutive hits including a game-winning single by Baltimore's Robert Andino to seal the win for the O's and put Boston's playoff hopes in jeopardy. With the Rays up to bat in the 12th inning, the outfield scoreboard lit up with the final score of the Boston-Baltimore game, sending the Rays faithful into a frenzy. A mere four minutes later, Evan Longoria put an exclamation point on Tampa Bay's storybook finish, hitting a line-drive solo home run down the left field line to put a damper over the city of Boston and send his team into the postseason. The only thing that would've made Tampa Bay's miraculous comeback any more dazzling than it was, is if they won it off of New York's Mariano Rivera who recently became MLB's all-time saves leader on September 13, surpassing the previous mark of 601 career saves set by Trevor Hoffman.

To sum up just how catastrophic Boston's monumental collapse is, the Red Sox became the only team in MLB history to miss the postseason after leading a division or wild card spot by as many as nine games entering the month of September, edging the Atlanta Braves' 8 1/2 game slide also set this season. So who's to blame for this record-setting debacle you ask? While many would point the blame to one individual in most cases, the truth is there's a collection of names and areas to point the finger at and they all lie within the team. To say the Red Sox starting pitching staff had a disastrous month of September would be an understatement considering the starting rotation had its worst month statistically in franchise history, posting an ERA of 7.08. The woes didn't stop there as the team combined for a league-high 26 errors, responsible for 14 unearned runs. Finally there's the lack of hitting as eight of Boston's 20 losses this month came when scoring two runs or fewer. This of coarse being the same offense that many predicted to shatter records in the run department.

Notice how I failed to mention anywhere in there the name of Red Sox skipper Terry Francona. That's because I, nor the Red Sox organization are using Tito as a scapegoat despite taking the blame for his team's historic collapse. Like any great manager would, Francona didn't shy away from admitting the team's failures were his fault, regardless if they were or not. Less than 48 hours after Wednesday's game, the 8-year relationship between Francona and the Red Sox organization came to a halt after Tito took to a press-conference where he told reporters, "It's time for a new voice here." Francona's impressive resume as head honcho of the Red Sox includes two World Series titles including the Championship in 2004 which ended an 86-year dry spell, better known as the Curse of the Bambino. Though he might not have been able to solve the ongoing issues in Boston, one thing that's certain is that he'll have no trouble finding a new job.

While at the helm in Boston, Francona led his teams to an overall record of 744-552 and is currently the only manager in MLB history to win his first 8 games in the World Series. Although it's still early to say where he'll land just yet, rumors of Francona taking the managerial job for either Chicago team (White Sox or Cubs) have surfaced. But with Francona no longer in the mix in Bean Town, it'll be interesting to see if the organization decides to give Red Sox GM Theo Epstein the axe. In some ways you could compare this Boston Red Sox squad to last year's Miami Heat granted the blockbuster acquisitions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford came with mile high expectations. The only difference being Miami made it to the Finals and Boston didn't proclaim themselves to be 7-time champions before they could even bring home one.

Not to be forgotten are the Atlanta Braves who like Boston are in a similar black hole right now after blowing an 8 1/2 game lead to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL wild card. Luckily for them, the Red Sox are around to take the heat and absorb most of the criticism. Any other time the franchise would be getting tomahawk chopped by not only their fan base, but by the media as well.

In what will go down as one of if not the most exciting nights of regular season baseball in the game's 100+ years of existence, the question of whether or not Major League Baseball should consider implementing another wild card position for each league as talked about at the start of the season by Commissioner Bud Selig comes into play. Having been one of the game's hot topics for the past several years now, there's been mixed emotions among the fans, players and owners about changing the current landscape of the playoff format. But had there been two wild card spots on Wednesday night, those amazing games wouldn't have been as significant. In my opinion, this is a perfect example of: if it's not broken, don't fix it.

Giants brilliant pitching edges Braves

Giants win ALDS! - Coming into Game 4, a lot was in stake for both teams. Whether it was the Giants vying for their first first Postseason series win since the Barry Bonds era and their first trip to the NLCS since 2002, or the Braves hoping to keep Bobby Cox's managerial career alive for another day. But with only three quarters of the stadium filled, you kinda had a sense that the Braves faithful would be seeing both their hopes of a World Series tittle and Cox's career come to an end. The least they could have done was pay their respects to the man that managed their team for 20+ years. But before the world of Baseball bid Cox a farewell, a game was to be played.

And similar to the previous three games of the series, starting pitching would steal the show. Coming into the game, Giants starters combined for 11 hits, 4 BB's, 0 ER's, and 31 K's in 23 IP. Wins proving to be the only thing hard to come by as Cain and Sanchez had to settle for no-decisions, the only win coming from Lincecum. With yet another gem thrown by the Giants starting pitching staff, this time behind the arm of Madison Bumgarner, little offense was needed. As the tomahawk chop in full effect throughout Turner Field, the Braves would scratch across a run in the third. Giants outfielder Cody Ross tied it in the sixth with a solo shot, only to have the tie erased in the bottom half of the inning. Braves catcher Brian McCann sent the first pitch he saw into the bleachers, giving Atlanta the lead once again.

San Francisco answered back an inning later thanks to two RBI singles from Juan Uribe and Cody Ross, regaining the lead, 3-2. It was then time for some relief work. For several years now, the bullpen has been a major strong point for the Giants. However, the same exact bullpen that ranked second best in the NL this year, has been anything but impressive so far this Postseason. Tonight would be a different story though. After reaching base again, Braves skipper Bobby Cox decided to pinch-run for the power hitting McCann. A similar move Giants manager Bruce Bochy made in Game 2 when pulling the home run threat of Pat Burrell, which proved to be a costly mistake. With limited power remaining in the Braves line-up, Giants relievers Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez and Brian Wilson all combined for three shutout innings to seal the ball game, sending the Giants to their first Championship Series in eight years.

Before the bottle popping began in the clubhouse, the Giants players and coaching staff withheld their celebration and walked onto the field to give the retiring Cox a round of applause of their own. The 69 year old Cox was given a curtain call and saluted the Atlanta crowd before tipping his hat and giving the Giants personnel a thumbs up. With a banged up roster without a number of key players such as Chipper Jones, Martin Prado and Billy Wagner, you've gotta wonder what the series would've been like if Atlanta was in full strength. I'm not one to complain though, and I couldn't be any happier to see my Giants move on to the NLCS. Game 1 which takes place at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, sets up for a match-up of epic proportions as Roy Halladay faces Tim Lincecum. Get your popcorn ready!

Giants thank Conrad for late 3-2 rally

With the highlight of game 1 being dominant pitching and late game heroics in game 2, game 3 would be a mixture of both. After the Giants failed to capitalize in the first inning with the bases loaded, they made sure they wouldn't make the same mistake when given another chance. Third baseman Mike Fontenot who was acquired from the Cubs as late as mid-August, led the second inning off with a triple before scoring on Cody Ross' routine pop-up in shallow right field that was dropped for an error by the Braves second baseman Books Conrad. For the Giants, drawing first blood would be important against Atlanta's Tim Hudson who went on to win 17 games this year and owned an ERA south of 3.00.

Heading into the eighth inning, it looked like another 1-0 finish in favor of the Giants. Then came in reliever Sergio Romo who blew the lead for the second straight game. With a man on and 1 out, Eric Hinske hit a pinch-hit 2-run homer that hit the foul pole and gave Atlanta their first lead of the game. With another questionable pitching change by manager Bruce Bochy, the call to the 'pen proved to come back to bite him in the ass for a second time in three days. Although the go-ahead dinger would be costly, the Giants would still have life thanks to their new favorite opposing second baseman -- Brooks Conrad. After already committing three errors in the game, Conrad showed shades of the '86 World Series by doing his best Bill Buckner impersonation and letting a ground ball hit by Buster Posey sneak between his legs and underneath his glove. Freddy Sanchez scored on the mishap, which gave Conrad three errors on the night, setting a new Division Series record for most in a series (4).

And just like that, the Giants rallied to steal a game, similar to Atlanta's triumphant game 2 comeback. Despite his stellar 7.1 innings of 2-hit, 11-strikeout outing, Sanchez was given a no-decision as the Giants won, 3-2. One decision that has been made however, is the decision to sit ace Tim Lincecum for tomorrow's game 4. Instead, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy will give the ball to the young rookie southpaw -- Madison Bumgarner. Meanwhile, Atlanta decides to go with game 1 starter -- Derek Lowe. Heading into tomorrow's game, the one thing running through the minds of Giants players and fans alike is how sweet it would be to celebrate on enemy turf, instead of having to play a deciding game 5 in San Fran.

Giants Bullpen Implodes

Heading into Game 2 with a 1-game lead over the Atlanta Braves, the atmosphere in AT&T Park was like that of no other. After Tim Lincecum's dominant outing on Wednesday, the Giants faithful would be spoiled if they were to see another outstanding pitching performance. Matt Cain didn't quite equal Lincecum's 2-hit, 14 K performance, but he threw exceptionally well by striking out 6 and allowing only 1 run (unearned) in 6 2/3 innings. The Giants offense would then steal the show in the early going by scoring 4 runs in the first two innings. Pat Burrell ignited the fireworks after hitting a 3-run homer in the first inning, driving in Freddy Sanchez and Buster Posey. Matt Cain followed in the second by helping his own cause with an rbi-single putting the Giants up 4-0.

The Braves offense would finally make its Postseason debut, by scoring a run in the 6th inning after being held scoreless for nearly 15 innings. Also making it's first Postseason appearance this year, was the Giants bullpen. With a 4-1 lead heading into the 8th, the Giants looked like they were going to head into Atlanta with a 2-game lead. But that was until Giants skipper Bruce Bochy over-managed the game. After a stellar 6 2/3 innings registered by Cain, southpaw Javier Lopez was given the ball for the final out of the 7th. Sergio Romo then came in to start the 8th, and the wheels fell off from there. After inheriting two runners on base without recording an out (both on walks), it was up to closer Brian Wilson. Despite leading the Majors with 48 saves during the regular season, Wilson was rarely called upon to get any more than than 3-outs in a game. So a 6-out save during a pivotal Postseason game would be something new for the fire baller. The move would also prove to be very dangerous.

During the regular season, come from behind wins were routine for the Atlanta Braves who were second in the Major Leagues with 46. So when third baseman Pablo Sandoval committed an error on a dribbler he threw awkwardly to first, pulling Aubrey Huff off the bag, the Braves were in route to adding yet another come from behind win to the list. With two men on and only one out, Alex Gonzalez hit a 2-run double to tie the game and eventually leading to extra innings. What looked to be a friendly division series between two of Georgia's very own -- Buster Posey and Jason Heyward, turned into a rivalry thanks to the Giants home crowd. Coincidentally both are in the hunt for this years NL Rookie of the Year Award. During his at-bats, Heyward got an earful as chants of 'Posey's better' roared throughout the stadium.

With the bases loaded and one out in the 10th inning, Posey would get a chance to prove just that. But instead hit into an inning ending double play to end the threat. Then heading into the 11th, it happened. Former pitcher and one of Atlanta's latest acquisitions -- Rick Ankiel hit a booming shot to right field, clearing the fence and landing in McCovey's cove. The solo shot that was a no brainer would make Barry Bonds cringe given how hard it was hit and how deep it went. With the home run by Ankiel, the Braves had their first lead of the series and made sure the score stayed that way as Atlanta would take the game, 5-4 and even the series at one game apiece. As the Giants visit Atlanta's Turner Field for Game 3 on Sunday, Jonathan Sanchez will face Tim Hudson as both teams aim to take a 2-1 lead over one another.

Lincecum's Golden Gem

He Came, He Saw, He Conquered - After the masterful no-hit performance Roy Halladay had put on the night before, it was unlikely another pitcher would steal the spotlight unless they were to throw a perfect game. San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum didn't surpass Doc's no-hit bid with a perfecto of his own, but he came awfully close from being flawless in the Giants first Postseason appearance in 7 years. Similar to Halladay, Lincecum also made his much anticipated Postseason debut. Continuing the ongoing trend that has been 'the year of the pitcher', Lincecum went on to throw a complete-game shutout, in route to San Francisco's 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

With Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe on the mound, who's been lights out coming into this Postseason, the Giants were limited to only 1-run in his 5.1 innings pitched. But with Lincecum on his a-game, hardly any offense was needed for what the 2-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner had in store for the fans that filled up the sold-out AT&T Park. Lincecum used his weapon of choice to his advantage -- the strikeout. Having led the National League in punch-outs for the third consecutive season this year, Timmy put on a dazzling 14 K performance, setting a Giants record for most strikeouts in a Postseason game. Ironically, 14K means gold, and Lincecum was nothing short of golden as he battled off the Postseason jitters with a 2-hit, 1-walk masterpiece that would make Leonardo Da Vinci proud.

On offense for the Giants, the lone run came in the 4th inning when right-fielder Cody Ross drove in the potential Rookie of the Year candidate Buster Posey. Posey led the inning off with a single and stole second on a controversial call that looked like an out. Neither the Braves infielders nor manager Bobby Cox who's had his fair share of arguments and ejections, bothered to debate the call. And thankfully second base umpire Paul Emmel called Posey safe, or else the game could very well still be going on. It could be debated whether or not Giants skipper Bruce Bochy should have yanked Lincecum in the ninth to bring in closer Brian Wilson who tied a franchise record for most saves in a single season (48) this year. But given Wilson likes to flirt around by allowing men on base, I think Bochy made the right decision. Bochy often tends to over-manage, so I was very surprised when he left Lincecum in to finish the game after 119 pitches.

The only way we'll find out if Bochy made a mistake by leaving Lincecum in too long, is if he's needed on short rest. And while I cross my fingers, let's all pray that won't happen. As the Giants plan to take a commanding 2-game lead to Atlanta, Game 2 on Friday will see Giants pitcher Matt Cain in action, as the Braves hope to even the series by giving Tommy Hanson the nod. Game time @ 6:30, Go Giants!

All Eyes on Heyward

MLB Rookie Watch Alert! - One of the league's top rookie stand-outs heading into Spring Training this season, was the Atlanta Braves number one prospect -- Jason Heyward. Selected 14th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Braves, Heyward has been a player many have anticipated and have been on the look out for, for quite some time given his bright talent and lightning fast bat-speed. Those who follow prospects were already aware of his ability, but for those who still weren't familiar with the name 'Jason Heyward' were given a brief wake-up call when highlights of a 450-foot blast during a spring training exhibition game were shown all over ESPN and the rest of the world of sports. But although he made his presence known during Spring Training, the question of whether or not he could transcend his game to the regular season was soon answered.

After Braves skipper Bobby Cox gave news of his young outfielder making the Opening Day roster, Heyward needed only one at-bat to introduce himself to the big league's. In the first inning of the the Braves 2010 season opener against the Chicago Cubs, Heyward hit a 3-run homer off of Chicago's Carlos Zambrano. The long ball traveled an estimated 476 ft and ignited a roar throughout the crowd in Atlanta's Turner Field. Although a home-run in your first ever big league at-bat could be a memory for the ages, it could also be a backfire as fans can often tend to expect a long ball out of you every at-bat. With less than 2-weeks of big league experience under his belt, Heyward has already been compared to the great Hank Aaron and already dons the nickname "The Jay Hey Kid", similar to the great Willie Mays' nickname "The Say Hey Kid."

Being compared to someone like Hank Aaron in your first big league season could put quite the pressure on someone as young as Heyward is, not to mention in their first few games. But granted he's only 20 years old, Heyward has plenty of time to fill the shoes of some of the best players the game has ever seen. And with both 22-year old Aroldis Chapman of the Cincinnati Reds and 21-year old Steven Strasburg of the Washington Nationals starting the 2010 season in the Minor Leagues, all eyes are on Heyward at the moment for the Rookie of the Year Award. But don't be surprised if and when both young hurlers get the call up to play with the big boys, as they hope to make R.O.T.Y cases for themselves and give golden boy Jayson Heyward a run for his money.

Glavine Calls It A Career

As the first stage of baseball season surfaces with pitchers and catchers reporting to camp, one hurler that won't be making the trip to spring training this season is 21-year veteran Tom Glavine. The 2-time Cy Young Award winner who turns 44 in March, hasn't played ball since the 2008 season when he made his final appearance in August of '08. With a year off the baseball diamond, the absence helped Glavine's decision to hang it up a bit easier. & Although he hinted about retiring months ago after his final game, it finally became official just last week. The 10-time All-Star who broke through in the Majors with the Braves in 1987 is one of only 24 pitchers in Major League history to reach the 300-win milestone and one of just six lefties in the 300-win club.

With 164 of his 305 career victories during the 1990's, Glavine was the second winningest pitcher in the National League, only behind Greg Maddux, who Glavine shared a clubhouse with for 9-years (1993-2002). But before Glavine enjoyed fortune in the 90's, the former World Series MVP would have his fair share of down years from 1987-90 where he compiled a record of 33-43, including a 17-loss season in '88. However, that all began to change just years later as Glavine went on to win 20-games in three consecutive seasons from 1991-93. Glavine served a 4-year tenure with the New York Mets from 2003-07 before returning back to Atlanta for the '08 season.

Along with Randy Johnson who just won his 300th career game as recent as last season with the San Francisco Giants, both Glavine and Johnson are the last of a dying breed, as pitchers become less likely to reach the 300-win plateau nowadays. But now that Tommy's playing career is over, we begin to wait and see if Mr. Glavine can make it into Cooperstown as a first ballot Hall of Famer when he is eligible for induction in 5 years. Another fan favorite and likely Hall of Fame candidate who has decided to call it quits, is Frank Thomas. The hefty slugger who belted over 500 homers will be better mentioned in this week's edition of Throwback Thursday, so STAY TUNED!

For more on Tommy Glavine and an older story regarding the 300-game winner, check out Throwback Thursday x Triple Trouble.