A Blockbuster Trade for Buster, Giants

 

Twas a Happy Father's Day for all fans of the San Francisco Giants, whether you're actually a father or not after the news broke of a blockbuster trade that sent All-Star slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox to the Bay Area. With more than a month before the MLB trade deadline and the Giants at 41-31 in a neck and neck battle for first place out west with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco took the field on Sunday for their rubber-match against their longtime foe trailing by only 1 game. But just 20-minutes before first pitch of a game that was nationally televised on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Giants skipper Bob Melvin would be forced to call an audible as left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison who was slated to be his starting pitcher was pulled from the bullpen during his warmup session after learning that he would be one of the centerpieces of the trade for Devers. In addition to Harrison, the Giants also sent right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks and prospects Jose Bello (reliever) and James Tibbs III (outfielder) to Boston, the 13th overall pick in last July's Draft. 

For a team that has touted the best bullpen in the Bigs and a starting pitching staff that has been plenty solid, the Giants offense on the other hand hasn't necessarily delivered their end of the bargain, sitting at 24th in batting average and 20th in both doubles and home runs. Much to the displeasure of Giants fans who have expressed their frustration on social media (myself included). Buster Posey has heard those cries loud and clear and in his first year as President of Baseball Operations in San Francisco, has now answered them by making the type of trade that could change the landscape of the entire organization. The addition of Devers gives the Giants the superstar slugger they've tried so desperately to land over the last several off-seasons but have struck out. Despite signing shortstop Willy Adames this past December to the most lucrative contract in franchise history (7-years, $182 Million), they had whiffed on all the big fish they had attempted to catch prior, including Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani just to name a few. Landing Devers now will help alleviate some of that pain and will leapfrog Adames as the highest-paid Giant ever. After signing a 10-year extension with the Red Sox in 2023 worth $313.5 Million dollars, San Francisco will take on the remaining $250 Million-plus of Devers' contract. 

Hitting .272 on the year with 15 home runs belted and 58 RBI, Devers automatically becomes the most feared hitter in the lineup and will depart from his time in Boston with his last hit as a member of the Red Sox being a home run against the archrival Yankees just hours before the team decided to send him packing. With experience at both third base and DH, Dever figures to start at third base in the absence of Platinum Glove-winner Matt Chapman who is expected to miss several weeks with a hand injury, before Devers likely makes the switch to DH or first base. While the deal hasn't been received well by Red Sox Nation on social media, Devers' last few weeks in Boston didn't leave the best taste in the mouth of the Red Sox front-office after both sides failed to see eye to eye following the addition of All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman back in February which led to Devers' initial refusal to move from the hot corner to accommodate Bregman. While Devers would eventually bite the bullet to allow Bregman to play third, the damage was already done. Things only soured further after Devers was asked to move again from DH to first base following a season-ending injury suffered by Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas, which Devers again refused. In the hours after dealing Devers, Boston's front-office admitted they weren't shopping him around but were listening to offers when San Francisco came knocking. 

Turning the attention to Boston, both Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks have had their ups and downs in San Francisco and will welcome a clean slate in bean town. Following a dazzling Minor League career and being called up to the Majors in 2023 and becoming the second youngest Giants starter since Madison Bumgarner at the young age 22, Harrison had shown flashes in a Giants uniform but hadn't panned out to be one of the top young arms in their starting rotation like they had hoped. Failing to make the team's Opening Day roster in 2025, Harrison began the year in the Minors before being called up in May to mainly serve out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, Hicks who signed a 4-year, $44 Million dollar contract with the Giants in 2024, began his tenure with the Giants absolutely on fire having been converted from a reliever to a starting pitcher. However, his blazing hot start began to fizzle out once the season wore. Once the temperatures began to rise, so to did his ERA. Opening 2025 as a starter again, Hicks again got off to a hot start as a member of the starting rotation before being demoted back to the bullpen. Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey will try to work his magic to help turn both pitchers around and steer them in the right direction after having served on the Giants' coaching staff under the same title from 2020-23. 

As for the prospects, Tibbs may be the only part of the deal that will be tough to see go from a Giants standpoint given his potential and the Giants' luck or lack thereof in developing young sluggers from within their farm system, but even then this was a deal Buster had to make to help turn the tide. Tibbs, 22, is a power-hitting outfielder that was selected 13th overall by the Giants in last year's MLB Draft and could be MLB ready as early as next year. Elsewhere, Jose Bello is a 20-year old right-handed pitcher that was signed by the Giants out of the Dominican in 2023 as an international free-agent at the age of 17. Expected to be a reliever, Bello is still many years away from being Major League-ready according to his scouting report. 

As the summer months begin to heat up, the same could be said for Devers who is swinging a hot bat and will have a chance to stick it to his former team as San Francisco hosts Boston this coming weekend for a 3-game series at Oracle Park.  

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Manaea cools off red-hot Red Sox with first No-Hitter of 2018

Just three weeks into baseball's 2018 regular season schedule and we've already been treated us to our first no-hitter of the young MLB season. Last night in Oakland, California, Sean Manaea of the Oakland Athletics made history by twirling a no-hitter against the hottest team in all of baseball -- the Boston Red Sox, who entered the game with an MLB-best record of 17-2 and the highest-scoring offense in the league. As if no-hitters weren't already impressive, Manaea managed to throw his against a team that just days earlier became only the seventh ball club in the modern era (since 1900) to win at least 16 of their first 18 games to start a season. In fact, Boston's .895 winning percentage made them the best team in Major League history in a minimum of five games to be no-hit.

Having never logged a single complete-game in his third Major League season, the 26-year old Manaea who's been locked in this season to the tune of a 1.23 ERA thru 5 starts, made sure his first complete game was one for the record books. While the no-no snapped Boston's 8-game win-streak, the longest winning-streak snapped by a no-hitter in the Live-Ball era (since 1920), it snapped an even more impressive streak of 3,987 consecutive games without being no-hit. To find the last no-hitter recorded against the Red Sox, you'd have to go back to April 22, 1993 when Chris Bosio of the Seattle Mariners kept Boston hit-less at the Kingdome. Coincidentally, only the A's have gone longer without being no-hit at 4,242 consecutive games following Saturday.

With 227 no-hitters recorded in the Majors since 1908, Manaea's is just the 54th recorded by a left-hander during that span and the first since Cole Hamels of the Phillies did so against the Cubs on July 25, 2015, and the first Oakland A's pitcher to record a no-no since Dallas Braden's perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Mother's Day in 2010. As for the last no-hitter of any kind, Edinson Volquez of the Marlins was the last to accomplish the feat, no-hitting the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 3, 2017. Manaea's no-hitter is the 12th in A's franchise history and seventh since the team moved to Oakland in 1968. Though he walked two batters including the first batter of the game, Manaea recorded 10 K's in the outing to tie a career-high and stands behind only Catfish Hunter (11) and Dave Stewart (12) for the most strikeouts recorded by an Oakland Athletic during a no-hitter.

A pair of close plays nearly derailed Manaea's historic performance in consecutive innings in the 5th and 6th, but an error and a reversed call would preserve the no-no. With 2-outs in the 5th inning, A's shortstop Marcus Semien would commit an error on a fly-ball he would get under and eventually bobble which allowed Sandy Leone to get on base. Unaware that the play was ruled an error and not a hit, Manaea assumed it was ruled a hit and didn't realize until the 8th inning that his no-hitter was still in tact. But he and the A's would catch another break just an inning later in the 6th, when Andrew Benintendi hit a dribbler down the first base line that first baseman Matt Olson scooped up and attempted to put a tag on Benintendi who ran out of the baseline to elude the tag. After initially being called safe at first, the umpires would gather together for a meeting at the request of A's manager Bob Melvin, where the umpiring crew determined that the runner indeed ran out of the baseline and therefore was called out, much to the disappointment of Benintendi who had thought he bailed his team out with their first hit of the night. From there on, Manaea seemed almost destined to etch his name into the record books, and nine outs later he would do just that.

Semien would more than make up for his 5th inning error by scoring all three of Oakland's only runs, including a solo home run in the bottom of the 5th, providing more than enough offense in the Athletics' 3-0 victory. Since trading away last year's ace Sonny Gray at the trade deadline a year ago to the New York Yankees, Manaea, the former first round pick of the Kansas City Royals appears to be pitching his way to be the next man fit for the job as the A's Opening Day starter -- Kendall Graveman, has been shelled in all five of his starts this season, giving up 4 runs or more in all five outings and currently boasting an ERA of 10.07. Having already made history this season and appearing to find his groove, Manaea will be one of those guys worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses as the A's who currently sit even at 11-11 on the year, look to find their next go-to man on the mound. A pretty cool moment came after the game when Manaea was interviewed on the field by Dallas Braden who last threw a no-no for the A's before Manaea's magical night, before a few of his teammates crashed the party with a Gatorade bath, pie to the face and topped off with a shower of bubblegum, leaving Braden ducking for cover.


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Boston parts ways with struggling Panda

In the winter of 2014, third baseman Pablo Sandoval was the hottest commodity at the hot corner on the free-agent market. After helping the San Francisco Giants claim their third World Series championship in five years in what would be the closest thing we've seen to a baseball dynasty since the New York Yankees of the mid to late 1990's and into the year 2000, the former World Series MVP inked a five-year, $95 Million dollar deal with the Boston Red Sox. And while his time in Boston began nightmarish for the 2-time All-Star, it would eventually be cut short as he was designated for assignment over the weekend.

Though staying healthy and in shape has never been a strong suit of Sandoval's, his ability to hit coupled with the defense he showed while with the Giants was virtually nonexistent during his time in Boston as he's been a shadow of his former self. In his first full year with the Red Sox, Sandoval struggled mightily, hitting a mediocre .245 on the season with career lows in both home runs (10) and RBI's (47) since breaking into the bigs in 2008. Hoping to bounce back with a solid 2016, his Sophomore year in Boston would be anything but as he was limited to only six at-bats in 3 games after straining his left shoulder which would require season-ending surgery. Following the injury, 2017 seemed to be promising for the 30-year old Sandoval who appeared in Spring Training close to 40 lbs. lighter and hitting much better at the plate as his .338 batting average and 5 home runs helped him win back the job as Boston's Opening Day starting third baseman. Instead, the struggles both offensively and defensively would continue as soon as the season started, as he hit just .212 with 4 HR and 12 RBI in 99 at-bats.

Adding to his frustration, Sandoval was plagued by injuries once more which eventually contributed to his designation despite still being owed over $48 Million dollars. That amount marks the second-highest total of money owed to a player, trailing only Josh Hamilton's $68.4 Million owed by the Angels after being cut by Los Angeles only two years into his five-year contract. While many around the baseball world would point to his former ball club in San Francisco as being an ideal landing spot for Sandoval, it's easier said than done and rather unlikely that he'll be reunited in the Bay Area. Though Sandoval became an instant favorite among Giants fans and players alike who embraced him with such nicknames as "Pandaval" and "Kung-fu Panda", he didn't leave on the best of terms with the Giants front-office. Not to mention the Giants appear to already have their third baseman of the future in 22-year old Christian Arroyo. Whether or not we'll be seeing fans at AT&T Park dusting off their old panda hats is anybodies guess at this point, but given the Giants could sign him to the prorated league minimum after Friday if the Red Sox fail to trade his rights, it wouldn't be the biggest of surprises if they decided to kick the tires on an old friend. In just 161 games with Boston over the past two and half seasons, Sandoval hit a sub par .237 at the dish with 14 homers and 59 RBI's. 


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A Giant No More

With the 2014 season now over and done with and free agency officially underway, one Giant who was instrumental in the team capturing their third title in 5 seasons this year will not be returning in 2015. That's right, fans of the orange and black will be forced to retire their panda hats with the news of free-agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval agreeing to terms with the Boston Red Sox. The deal which has not yet been made official by the ball club, is said to be in the $100 Million range over five-years. While the exact figures of what Giants general manager Brian Sabean had offered Sandoval have not yet been released, their offer wasn't far off from what Boston and Sandoval had agreed to according to sources. 

The Red Sox who ranked last in the Majors in batting average at the third base position this past season, will get a much needed jolt with the signing of Sandoval. After a very slow start, the 28-year old Sandoval had a torrid second half to the season before finishing the year having clubbed 16 homers and driving in 73 runs while posting a .279 batting average. Most impressive of all, however, is the 26 hits Sandoval recorded during the Postseason in 2014, the most all-time in a single Postseason. While Sandoval has never hit more than 25 home runs in his career, albeit playing all seven Big League seasons in the pitcher friendly AT&T Park, the Kung-Fu Panda has also never reached the 100 RBI mark. But transitioning his game to Fenway Park could do wonders for his already solid numbers. His defense which is also above average and probably doesn't get as much praise as it deserves, will also be appreciated in Bean Town. Though I highly doubt they'll embrace Sandoval the way the fans in San Francisco did with complete and utter 'Pandamonium'.

Looking to bounce back from a forgetful 2014 season in which they finished last in the AL East at 71-91 after making it to and winning the World Series in 2013, the Red Sox also landed free-agent shortstop Hanley Ramirez who agreed to a 4-year, $88 Million deal which also includes a $22 Million vesting option for a fifth year. Ramirez who turns 31 next month and played the last 2 1/2 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, will return to the organization that drafted him and saw him make his Big League debut before being traded to the Florida Marlins back in 2005 where he later won a batting title. 

As for the reigning World Series Champion Giants who now have a gaping hole in their infield and made it their top priority to focus on the re-signing of Pablo Sandoval before doing anything else this offseason, the door is now open for the GM Brian Sabean to look elsewhere. While the Giants could always retaliate by snagging All-Star pitcher Jon Lester via free-agency who was traded from the Red Sox to Oakland near the trade deadline and is being perused by Boston, they could also take a shot at landing Yasmany Tomas who is said to be the next bright young star from Cuba.


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Deadline Dud

This year's MLB trade deadline was a whisper in the night opposed to years passed as there were no major splashes made in baseball's trade-o-sphere. However, a few clubs managed to address their pitching needs without dealing for marquee names. Perhaps the biggest name dealt was starting pitcher Jake Peavy who relocated from the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox. Though Peavy, a 4-time All-Star and former Cy Young Award winner isn't quite the pitcher he once was with the San Diego Padres as he's had a hard time adjusting to the offense-friendly American League, he gives Boston a much needed arm in a rotation that's been without arguably its best pitcher in Clay Buchholz who's been idle since June 8 with a shoulder injury. The move also benefits the player as the 32-year old Peavy (8-4, 4.28 ERA) departs a last place Chicago team for Boston who currently sits atop the AL East with an MLB-best 66-wins. Peavy is under contract through 2014.

One team hoping to spoil the party and prevent Boston from making the postseason if not meet them there, are the Baltimore Orioles who answered their division-rivals with a move of their own, acquiring hurler Bud Norris from the last-place Houston Astros. Norris, who served as the ace for a Houston ball club that's had a torturous 2013 campaign, owning baseball's worst record at 36-71 in their first year in the American League, has gotta be as happy as anyone now that he'll be shifting from the race for the worst record in all of baseball for what's expected to be a pennant race in the AL East. Orioles skipper Buck Showalter who helped turn the franchise around in 2012, leading them to their first playoff appearance in 15 years, knows his squad has been highly dependent on its power hitting offense while the team's mediocre pitching staff has fallen by the wayside, putting up numbers near the bottom of the pack in almost every major pitching category. That's where Norris comes in and hopes to make his presence felt.

However, as far as importance goes, both of these deadline deals fail to match that of the Texas Rangers acquiring Matt Garza from the Chicago Cubs for Mike Olt, C.J. Edwards and Justin Grimm, which took place last week. Nolan Ryan and company hope the addition of Garza will help the Rangers catch up to and pass the Oakland A's who dethroned Texas for the American League Western Division title last season and currently lead the division by 3.5 games. Garza who's been surprisingly consistent despite playing a majority of his career in the powerhouse AL East while with the Tampa Bay Rays and in the hitter-friendly Wrigley Field, will now be given the daunting task of having to pitch in Arlington, Texas where the triple-digit temperatures are no friend to a pitcher's earned-run average. But who wouldn't sacrifice a few notches on their ERA to play for a contender that's made two World Series appearances in the last three years.

Another name or beard rather that is quite popular among baseball fans is Brian Wilson. The former All-Star closer for the San Francisco Giants has been M.I.A. from the big league stage since April of 2012 while recovering from a second Tommy John surgery. After watching his team win the World Series without his help in 2012, negotiations with the San Francisco ball club went sour when the team he compiled 171 career-saves for over seven seasons failed to offer Wilson a contract following his second surgery. Wilson didn't shy away from expressing his disappointment with the Giants front-office as his feathers were ruffled so much so that he chose not to accept an invitation to the team's ring ceremony back in April. And to spite them even more, the former ringleader of the 2010 Giants club which were best known as a band of misfits, signed with the team's arch rival -- the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Signing with the Dodgers gives Wilson a chance to prove he still has something in the tank as well as play for a contender as it appears the blue crew is primed to run away with the division, barring a setback of suckage like the 2013 Dodgers prior to Yasiel Puig's arrival. The deal which keeps Wilson under contract for the remainder of the season is a low-risk, high-reward type of signing for L.A. considering they didn't have to give up any prospects to get an arm that helps bolster the bullpen assuming he resembles the Brian Wilson that led the National League in saves in 2010 with 48. And if not, they won't be obligated to his services past 2013 which makes it a win-win for Don Mattingly and company. 

Last but not least is Alfonso Soriano, the lone position player acquired before the deadline worth mentioning. After beginning his Major League career in 1999 with the New York Yankees where he spent five seasons, two of which he made the All-Star team in while donning the pinstripes, Soriano was dealt to the Rangers for Alex Rodriguez who he'll now call his teammate. The Yankees began the season as one of the better teams in the AL and remained near the top of the AL East standings until just recently where they're now looking up at everybody in the division except for the Toronto Blue Jays who still can't get over the .500 mark and continue to disappoint. Soriano is due $25 Million over the remainder of 2013 and through 2014, with the Cubs picking up nearly $18 Million owed to the 7-time All-Star. Though Soriano's batting average has dropped drastically over the years and he no longer poses a major threat on the base paths, he can still pile up RBI's as evident in 2012 when he racked up a career-best 108 ribbies while swatting 32 home runs, his largest total since 2007 when he hit 33 homers with the Cubbies. But even the addition of the 37-year old Soriano doesn't look like it'll be enough to help the Bronx Bombers overcome the much younger and talented teams ahead of them in the division. At least not this season.

The limited action at this year's trade deadline is most likely an indication that teams feel more eager to hang onto key players since the MLB's adoption of a second Wild Card team in each league which was introduced for the first time in 2012, thus making teams that would normally be sellers at the deadline into hopeful contenders. That move may have forever altered the landscape of the trade deadline we once knew to be one of the more exciting week's of baseball. But that's not to say moves still can't be made as there's always the waiver wire that teams can resort to. The waiver deadline is a whole different ballgame though, which doesn't end until August 31. With that said, lets keep our eyes peeled for any forthcoming deals made through waivers. For all we know, they might be more groundbreaking than what this dud of a trade deadline offered.


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From Red to White, The Return of Youkilis

One team's trash is another team's treasure. That could simply be said for former Boston Red Sox third baseman and fan favorite Kevin Youkilis who when healthy this season didn't quite produce the way first year skipper Bobby Valentine had envisioned. Hitting a dismal .233 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI's in 42 games for the Boston ball club, it was no secret that Youkilis was in a funk, nor was he seeing eye to eye with his manager as the two shared a rocky relationship. After losing his starting job to the hot-hitting rookie Will Middlebrooks, the once upon a time spark plug for the Red Sox was at an all time low. And not far behind was his stock. With nowhere else to go on the baseball diamond after a failed experiment at first base which seemed to only make him struggle more at the plate, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington had no other option than to trade him. 

With several ball clubs interested in the 33-year old veteran in his ninth season, it was the Chicago White Sox who landed Youk in hopes of solving their problem at third base in exchange for pitcher Zach Stewart and utility man Brent Lillibridge with the Red Sox agreeing to pay $5.5 Million of Youkilis' salary. In his final at-bat as a member of the Red Sox, Youkilis would treat the Boston faithful to the perfect farewell, hitting a triple before being pinch ran for, leading to a standing ovation and a curtain call which served as a storybook ending for what was a memorable nine-year tenure with a Red Sox franchise he helped win two World Series titles. And after only a few games and a handful at-bats in a White Sox uniform, it appeared that a change of scenery and a different color of sox was all the 3-time All-Star needed to be rejuvenated at the plate as he made his presence felt with an immediate impact.

Having hit .353 with 4 homers, 15 RBI's, 13 runs scored and 11 walks over 13 games in July, including 5 hits in 14 at-bats in Boston against his former team where the return was just as welcoming as it was emotional, White Sox GM Kenny Williams and the South Siders appear to have struck gold with their most recent addition. With the White Sox currently atop the AL Central in a tie with the division-rival Detroit Tigers who were expected to run away with the division coming into the season, Youkilis' bat just might be Chicago's key to making the postseason where they haven't been since 2008. That'll all depend on whether or not he can stay healthy. With trip after trip to the disabled-list it seems, Youkilis, a career .286 hitter, has averaged just 119 games from 2009-2011.


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Valentines Day in Beantown

In November of 2002 at the young age of 28, Theo Epstein took on the daunting task of becoming the general manager of a Boston Red Sox organization that hadn't won a World Series title since 1918, a drought that became notoriously known as the "Curse of the Bambino." However, two years later Epstein would form a Red Sox team that was finally able to turn the tide and put an end to the black cloud that hovered over Fenway Park for 86 years as Boston soon became a fixture in the Postseason, winning two World Series Championships in four years. With lofty expectations heading into the 2011 season after acquiring not one, but two of the most highly coveted names on the market in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, many believed Epstein had assembled one of the best lineups Major League Baseball had ever seen. Instead, a monumental collapse in September would prove otherwise as Epstein's brainchild lost a nine game lead in the wild card race, missing out on the postseason on the final day of the regular season. Boston's debacle would later result in a number of changes in the Red Sox front-office including the dismissal of former manager Terry Francona as well as the departure of Epstein who now has an even bigger task at hand and will be in charge of ending an even longer World Series drought of 103 years, this time for the Chicago Cubs.

Following the collapse, the Red Sox appointed Ben Cherington as Epstein's successor who's first task was to hire a new skipper to fill the shoes of Terry Francona. After searching high and low with a list that had over 50 possible candidates, Cherington and co. thought they found their man in Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum until he was snagged days later by the Cubs which led them to Plan B. Hired to become the 45th manager in franchise history as well as put an end to the video game playing and fried chicken eating in the Red Sox clubhouse will be Bobby Valentine who's nine years removed from his last stint in a Major League dugout.

Making his third pit stop along his big league journey, Valentine, a New England native who grew up in Connecticut has compiled a 15-year career managing such team's as the Texas Rangers (1985-1992) and the New York Mets (1996-2002) before serving the last of his two stints in Japan with the Chiba Lotte Marines (1995, 2003-2009). Though Valentine has tasted success overseas, leading his team to a world title in '05 to win the Japan Series, the 61 year old skipper has experienced limited success at the Major League level with his only major accomplishment being a National League pennant in 2000 and a trip to the World Series in which his Mets lost to the cross-town rival New York Yankees in five games. All of that could change, however, as Valentine gets set to takeover a ball club with a plethora of talent and potential.

Prior to the announcement of Valentine being selected to manage the Red Sox in 2012, many had the skipper being somewhat of a dark horse and an underdog to land the job, but it was his passion for the game and will to win that turned Cherington and Boston's front-office into believers, offering him a two year deal with options for a third and fourth year. Historically, teams managed by Bobby V have been known to show immediate improvement in the standings following the season in which he took over so if history repeats itself the Red Sox should be playoff bound at least if not be the team everyone projected to win it all last year. You may have seen or heard Valentine's most recent work on ESPN where he served as an analyst the last two season's. Trading in his suit and tie for a jersey, Bobby V gets set to take on a job he's described as a dream come true. "I'm honored, I'm humbled and I'm pretty damn excited," Valentine said during his news conference in front of a large crowd of cameras and reporters at Boston's Fenway Park.


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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.

Bean Town Blockbusters

Sending ripples in this years MLB offseason and the baseball universe, is the ongoing deals that have transpired in the early weeks of Baseball's Winter Meetings. Though the list of Free Agents isn't as appealing as it has been in years past outside of Cliff Lee of coarse and a few others, we've already seen a handful of blockbuster deals being made. While the overspending of the Nationals to get Jayson Werth garnered much attention, fitting that blockbuster category, another big move being made this time by way of the trade, was the dealing of Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to Boston. In exchange, San Diego received a number of Minor League prospects.

Upon being introduced in a press-conference in Massachusetts, A-Gone took little to no time to catch the support of Red Sox Nation by describing his desire to win and his readiness to, "Beat the Yanks." Gonzalez, a 3-time All-Star and 2-time Gold Glove Award winner, will service the final year of a four-year deal in 2011, worth $6.3 Million dollars. While a contract extension is in the works, what the change of scenery does for Gonzalez who has developed a reputation for his raw ability to hit the long ball to the opposite field despite hitting in the pitcher friendly Petco Park for the past five seasons, will only help his cause now that he'll be playing in the friendly confines of Fenway. Just two seasons removed from a disappointing offseason in which Red Sox GM Theo Epstein failed to sign Mark Texeira, it seems the acquisition of Gonzalez just might have made up for it, not to mention for a fraction of the price.



As if it wasn't apparent enough that the Red Sox were ready to put last season behind them, a season in which they failed to make it to the Postseason for the first time in four years, they go out and make yet another blockbuster deal. After the addition of the slugging/defensive-wiz Gonzalez, the Red Sox made an aggressive effort to bring in the speedy Carl Crawford. Helping reshape Boston's line-up as one of the more devastating groups from top to bottom, Crawford agreed to a 7-year, $142 Million dollar contract, giving the Red Sox one of the better 1-2 punches that we've seen in years past. The Crawford signing has its own domino effect, as teams like the Angels will have to do without the player they based their entire offseason plan on, and will be forced to resort to plan B.

After offering a 6-year, $108 Million dollar contract that ended up not being enough for the biggest marquee position player of this offseason, the Angels will have to shop the market in hopes of landing an All-Star player that can help L.A. regain supremacy in the AL West. One possibility is signing Adrian Beltre who revitalized his career last year with Boston, hitting .321 to go along with 28 home runs and 102 RBI's, all career highs since his MVP-like season in '04 with the Dodgers. As for the aftermath of a Tampa Bay Rays team, 2-years removed from a World Series appearance and the best record in the American League last season, the ball club has seen a number of key players that contributed to their success sign elsewhere.

Those players include reliever Joaquin Benoit, first baseman Carlos Pena, the aforementioned Carl Crawford, and closer Rafael Soriano who remains to be unsigned at this point. Adding insult to injury, shortstop Jason Bartlett was recently traded to San Diego, and rumor has it, starting pitcher Matt Garza is being linked to a possible trade. Hoping to rise from the ashes like the Rays have in recent years, the Baltimore Orioles who have been cellar dwellers in the AL East for the past several years, hope to put an end to that by acquiring All-Star slugging third baseman Mark Reynolds from Arizona. Although the Red Sox and Yankees remain to be the clear cut favorites in the powerhouse division, it'll be interesting to see how the 2011 season pans out.

Big Papi or Big Copy?

Just another chapter to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry - Before finishing the 2009 season strong with 28 home runs and 99 runs batted in, Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz began the season on a sluggish note. And similar to his slow start last season, Big Papi has already shown struggles early on to start his 2010 campaign. Through his first 11-games, Ortiz has a whopping 6-hits in 41-at bats and owns a batting average of .146. But if things on-the-field aren't frustrating enough for the 5-time All-Star, maybe those off-the-field are. Adding fuel to the fire of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, is New York's very own businessman and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, who is suing Ortiz for opening a nightclub in his native country of the Dominican Republic and naming it "Forty-Forty." A name that Jay-Z thinks is a bit too close to his sports lounges which carry the name "The 40/40 Club."

Since first opening its doors in New York City in 2003, Jay-Z has been co-owner of "The 40/40 Club" and has since then migrated the brand to other locations such as Atlantic City, Chicago and Las Vegas. Jay-Z and company also plan to expand their upscale sports venues overseas in both Tokyo and Macau. However, Ortiz' native homeland of Santo Domingo was never part of the plans. Nor is he on the V.I.P list considering he plays for the Boston Red Sox who just so happen to be arch rivals of Hova's beloved Yankees... At least not anymore anyways. When being asked where he came up with the name of his club, Jay-Z said "The 40/40 club in baseball is as executive as it gets." Of coarse referring to the rare club of those who hit 40-home runs and steal 40-stolen bases in a single season. A rare feat only four players in Major League history have accomplished -- Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998) and Alfonzo Soriano (2006).

The achievement is something Ortiz would know nothing about, given he's one of the slowest guys on the playing field and only has 10 stolen bases throughout his entire 13-year career. My guess is when first coming up with the name, Big Papi was referring to 40-home runs and 40-hot dogs. Or perhaps 40-cervezas? Either way, Ortiz is in a world of trouble both on the baseball diamond and soon enough in the courtroom. What I'd really like to know is, whether or not Jay would have decided to take Derek Jeter or A-Rod to court if they did the same thing. Now that I highly doubt...

Hot Dogs, Cotton Candy, Lemonade!

Play Ball! - With baseball season on the horizon and ready to take place, what better way to kick off the season than for the Yankees and Redsox to renew their rivalry. Less than 24 hours from now, New York's C.C. Sabathia will face off against Boston's Josh Beckett at Fenway park. But with the start of the 2010 MLB season, also comes my predictions. It was around this time last year when I first created my blog, and put up my predictions for last year's season (Peanuts!, Get'churr Peanuts!). And if you've followed my blog since, you'd know how my predictions panned out. Let's just say not the way I thought, with the Mets (My NL pick) being plagued with injury after injury and taking a lot longer than expected to adapt to their new $900 million dollar environment, also known as Citi Field. Boston (My AL pick) on the other hand was bounced out of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a 3-game sweep.

Thankfully a new season means a new start. First off in the AL West, I think with the absence of their former ace John Lackey and All-Star third-baseman Chone Figgins who's now in Seattle, the Angels will no longer be the dominant team of that division. With a busy offseason for the Mariners, I think they did a tremendous job, showing commitment to make a huge step this upcoming season. The combination of Felix Hernandez and newly acquired Cliff Lee will give them a great 1-2 punch, if not the best in all of baseball. I also believe the Texas Rangers will be right there on the heels of Seattle and Anaheim. With a deadly offense, this team is still one more All-Star caliber pitcher away from creating some damage in my opinion. As for the A's, better luck next season... Or the season after that...

AL West: Seattle Mariners

The AL Central looks to be another 3-team battle with the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, and the Detroit Tigers. Unfortunately for last year's division champion Twins team, they'll be without their All-Star closer Joe Nathan for the entire 2010 season, due to Tommy John Surgery. With a Twins squad set to play in a new out-door stadium instead of the Metrodome they've played in for 28-years, I think their new stadium will take some getting used to. I like the fact that the White Sox will be starting the season off with Jake Peavy in the rotation, but other than Gordon Beckham and Alexi Ramirez, the guys on offense are just another year older. If Carlos Quentin can have another year like his 2008 campaign, that would be huge. And if Juan Pierre gets enough playing time, he could play a vital role in my opinion. If Andruw Jones could duplicate one of his last few years in Atlanta it would be huge. Then again, he hasn't done a thing since signing that monster contract with the Dodgers two years ago. In Mo-town, other than Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera, I don't find anything that sticks out. Cleveland and Kansas City? Let's not mention them...

AL Central: Chicago White Sox

In the AL East, I see nothing more than a dog fight between the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and the young and dangerous Tampa Bay Rays. If only it was possible for more than two teams in the same division make it to the postseason. Although I think the Rays will make an improvement from last year's 84-78 record, it won't be enough to win the division or the wild-card. The winner of the division could go to either Boston or New York, but with the Yankees as the reigning champs, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. Boston will be right there with them though, but will have to settle for the wild-card, regardless of Jason Bay's bat, who I think they will miss deeply.

AL East: New York Yankees

Now for my favorite division, the NL West. I'm surprised of how many sports writers and analysts have projected the Giants to win the division. And you know what? I'm going to agree with them. Last year I was being optimistic with picking my team, but this year I will no longer have to rely on optimism to win the NL West pennant. And if they don't win the division, I think they'll settle for the wild-card, with the Colorado Rockies to blame. Last year's champion Los Angeles Dodgers are no longer a concern in my opinion, as both the Giants and Rockies have surpassed them as the top dogs in this division. Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp and Andre Either are all young studs, but I don't think it'll be enough to make a third consecutive trip to the NLCS. That's unless Mannywood carries them on his back again, like he did two seasons ago. Like I said in my 2010 SF Giants preview, let's hope Aubrey Huff turns out to be the power hitter we've all been hoping for *crosses fingers*. Arizona won't be as bad as they were last year with Brandon Webb back and healthy, but the Padres still look like a player or two from being a Minor League ball club, and I don't see All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzales sticking around after the trade deadline.

NL West: San Francisco Giants

The NL Central is a bit similar to the AL Central in my opinion, boring. But with a nice 1-2 punch of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals are instant favorites. And I guess having the best player in the game today -- Albert Pujols won't hurt much either. A new contract for outfielder Matt Holiday only adds insult to injury for the rest of the NL Central. With a surprising 2009 from the Reds, I think they could easily leap-frog a spot in the division. The Brew Crew looks a bit bland on offense other than Bruan & Fielder and their pitching needs all the help it can get as Yovani Gallardo is the lone man standing. As for the Chicago Cubs, looks like it'll be just another number added to the 100+ year World Series Championship drought. Sorry Houston and Pittsburgh.

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals

Last season I made the mistake of picking the New York Mets of not only winning the division (which they didn't do), but I had them winning the whole shabangabang. Last year's disappointing 4th place finish could have been blamed on injuries, but who knows. Although I don't see someones name being added to the DL every other day for the Mets this year, I see the defending National League champs standing in their way. And if they aren't enough, I see the Braves ahead of them as well. Starting the season off with Tommy Hanson in the rotation will be quite an upgrade from last year's opening day rotation who will see many of the same faces. Even though I'm yet to mention the Marlins, no way am I forgetting about them. If team can surprise a league, it's the Fish. The Nationals will make some progress towards becoming a contender, but this year won't be the year.

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

My pick to win it all? I'm going to say a rematch of last year's World Series, but this time with the Phillies coming out on top. What does my heart say? San Francisco vs. Boston with the Giants holding the hardware up high.

World Series: Phillies over Yankees in 6 games.

& While we're on the brink of another Yankees-Red Sox series, peep this video for a laugh:

He's worth a pretty Penny

Less than a week ago, Brad Penny was released by the Boston Red Sox and was put on waivers. He found his destination within hours of the Monday deadline. After four seasons with the L.A. Dodgers, you kind of get the hang of playing your division rivals -- the San Francisco Giants. But now he'll be on the other side of the fence as far as the rivalry goes and he can't wait. He says he'd love to pitch against his former team and looks forward to facing those he once called his teammates. With the Giants season schedule nearing it's end and playoff hopes still at large, the two teams will meet two more times this season for a 3-game series in each city.

As odd as I found this signing, I thought who better to pick up than Brad Penny? Considering he knows the N.L. West very well. Not to mention we basically got him for peanuts. But despite not having pitched since August 21st, Penny made his Giants debut one to remember. Coming into tonight's game, Penny hadn't gone into the 8th inning since June 25th of 2007. Tonight he reached that mark in shutout fashion. Penny looked nothing like the pitcher who went 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA for the Red Sox. Instead he looked like the 2-time All-Star that won 16 games for the Dodgers just three seasons ago. & If Penny can continue to pitch like he did tonight, the thought of Randy Johnson not being able to pitch out of the rotation won't be as scary as it once was.


& While the Giants were busy introducing their newest arm, the Dodgers added a few pieces of their own to the puzzle. Left handed slugger Jim Thome and Righty Jon Garland. Sources say the Dodgers jumped at Thome to block the Giants from acquiring him. But being a former DH for so long and moving to the National League won't help. Thome reminded Dodgers GM Ned Colletti before he signed that he can't play first base. Which will give the Dodgers some pinch hitting power off the bench.