Best and Worst Move of the Off season ... So Far

This off season has featured many moves including block buster trades and mega signings. Although the team making the moves may think they are making the right decision, some moves just don't make much sense. Here are the top three best and worst moves of the off season ... so far.

Best Moves:

3. Yankees sign Brian McCann to a 5 year $85 Million contract. This is a great deal for the Yankees because in since the days when Posada was the catcher in 2010, the Yankees have gotten very little production from the catchers position. In 2013, Chris Stewart and Austin Romine split the time behind the plate and had about a 55 OPS+. By signing the 4th best catcher in the MLB, McCann brings a significant upgrade at a dire position.

2. Nationals trade Steve Lombardozi, Ian Krol, and Robby Ray to the Tigers for Doug Fister. The Nationals were not going to resign their fourth starter, Dan Haren, so instead of spending big money on the free agent market, they went out and acquired a well respected pitcher. Fister will be 30 in February and will be a free agent in 2016. The Nationals have control of Fister for 2 seasons and he helps make one of the best rotations in baseball. By getting a number four starter who pitches to a 116 ERA+, and eats a lot of innings, the Nationals made a great move.

Fielder and his sons

1. Rangers acquire Prince Fielder and cash from the Tigers for Ian Kinsler. The Rangers needed to trade one of their infielders due a surplus and a desire to have Jurickson Profar start, and they also needed a first baseman. The Rangers accomplished both of those needs in one trade. They get rid of an average overrated second baseman in Kinsler and get one of the most durable, consistent, and powerful first basemen in the MLB. To make the deal even better for the Rangers, they get $30 Million in the trade as well. Fielder has missed just 1 game in the past 5 seasons, and the Tigers will pay $6 Million each year from 2016-2020 to make the Rangers only pay $18 Million those seasons. Fielder is also going to be 30 in May, 2 years younger than Kinsler.

Worst Moves:

3. The Phillies sign Roberto Hernandez to a 1 year $4.5 Million deal. This move is more in the category of highly unnecessary. Roberto Hernandez, formally known as Fausto Carmona, has found only the slightest bit of success at the Major League level in 2006 and 2010 with 3.06 and a 3.77 ERA respectively. Herandez will be 34 in August, pitched just 14 innings in 2012, and pitched to a 4.89 ERA in 2013. The Phillies are trying to get rid of payroll. They have tossed around the idea of trading Papelbon, Cliff Lee, and even Jimmy Rollins, but yet they go out and sign a 34 year old pitcher who is drastically set up to fail for $4.5 Million.

2. The Tigers trade Doug Fister to the Nationals for Steve Lombardozi, Ian Krol, and Robby Ray. Although this was a great trade for the Nationals, it was a horrific trade for the Tigers. Why would they trade a pitcher due to make less than $10 Million, under team control until 2016, and who has been successful the past few seasons? The Tigers traded for Ian Kinsler so they didn't desperately need a second baseman because they weren't going to resign Infante. Ian Krol is a 22 year old left handed relief pitcher, but they have Phil Coke in their bullpen, and Joe Nathan as their closer. The Tigers rotation took a blow because it was deep, but now following  Verlander, Scherzer, and Sanchez is Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly.

Robinson Cano

1. The Mariners sign Robinson Cano to a 10 year $240 Million contract. This is an incredibly stupid
move because the Mariners do not have any other significant players in their lineup. Kyle Seager has found success, but not enough to strike fear into pitchers facing Cano and Seager. Jesus Montero was supposed to come through as big offensive player, but did not and eventually got suspended. The Mariners went off to sign Corey Hart, but he is coming off a significant injury and even if he returns to his All Star form the Seattle Mariners still do not appear as an offensive threat. Cano's contract will carry him through his age 40 season which could mean trouble because Cano is a second baseman, as he gets old he will most likely need to shift position. The Mariners have a great two players to build around now (Cano and Hernandez), but much more will need to be added to compete in the AL West.
       

In a Land Far Far Away...

Seattle and Miami are geographically the two teams furthest apart from one another and their 2013 off seasons are far apart as well. The Miami Marlins traded almost all of their team while the Seattle Mariners are making a push to make the playoffs.

Beware the Giancarlo. He's Better than Mike

The Marlins were the favorite for the National League West in the beginning of 2012, but that idea quickly dissipated as they began trading parts of their team. As the season went on, more and more players were being traded and then in the off season the Marlins made the huge trade with the Blue Jays which upset people in the MLB front office and many team owners. It's not the first time the Marlins have done this, and it will definitely effect the decisions of the free agents in future years.

1. L. Pierre CF           95 OPS+
2. R. Polanco 3B        71 OPS+
3. R. Stanton RF        158 OPS+
4. L. Morrison 1B      91 OPS+
5. R. Mathis C           71 OPS+
6. L. Coghlan LF       81 OPS+ in 2011
7. R. Hechavarria SS 74 OPS+
8. L. Dobbs 2B         89 OPS+

The Marlins' pitching rotation was regarded as one of the better ones in baseball, but now it is not even average. I don't know who they may choose to be the 5th starter, but here is how it looks as of now:

1. R. Henderson Alverez 4.85 ERA
2. R. Rickey Nolasco 4.48 ERA
3. R. Nathan Eovaldi 4.30 ERA
4. R. Jacob Turner 4.42 ERA

In the bullpen is underrated reliever/closer Steve Cishek. He had an ERA around 2.60 for the past two seasons. He may be the next one to be traded. Also Ryan Webb, Jon Rauch, and Wade LeBlanc are in the pen for the Marlins.

I project 59 wins for the Marlins, possibly even fewer if they continue to trade parts of their team.

The Mariners made some beautiful additions to their team this off season, especially their lineup. The biggest acquisition was Michael Morse. He will play the outfield and most likely bat third in the upgraded Mariners lineup. The 3-4-5 combo for the Mariners all start with the letter 'M' comment what you think their nickname should be. Also the fences are coming in at Safeco Field. So all the players are happy to hear that.

1. R. Guttierez CF 107 OPS+
2. L. Ackley 2B     79 OPS+
3. R. Morse RF      112 OPS+
4. S. Morales DH   121 OPS+
5. R. Montero C     95 OPS+
6. L. Ibanez LF       104 OPS+
7. S. Smoak 1B      87 OPS+
8. R. Ryan SS         61 OPS+
9. R. Andino 3B      61 OPS+

The Royal Emblem

The top of the Mariner Monarch is now getting paid as if he were royalty. King Felix signed a huge contract extension, the greatest in value for any pitcher in fact. Felix Hernandez does deserve that money. He brings the fans into that ballpark and has already proved what he can do at such a young age. But there is more to the rotation, here they are:

1. R. Felix Hernandez 3.06 ERA
2. R. Hisashi Iwakuma 3.16 ERA
3. L. Joe Saunders 4.07 ERA
4. R. Blake Bleavan 4.43 ERA
5. R. Hector Noesi 5.82 ERA

Todd Wilhelmsen impressed everyone in 2012 as he took on the closer's role and pitched to a 2.50 ERA. The bullpen for the Mariners isn't too deep, but Charlie Furbush and an improved Oliver Perez are in the bullpen. If the Mariners begin to seem as if they might make the playoffs expect the bullpen to be the first thing they look to improve. Francisco Rodriguez would be a great fit for what the Mariners need right now.

I project 82 wins for the Mariners in 2013.

Top Players 25 and Younger

If you want a successful franchise you're going to need young players with talent. In this post I will name and evaluate the top players by position of the age 25 or younger.

Pitchers:

Clayton Kershaw (23) - Kershaw holds a 2.66 ERA over the past 3 years for the LA Dodgers. That also gives him a 143 ERA+ over that span. That means he is 43% better than the average pitcher which is really good. consistently getting around 200+ innings pitched and 200 strikeouts every year, Kershaw has proven the pitcher that he is at a young age.

Felix Hernandez (25) - King Felix has been in the major leagues since he was 19. Everyone knows about his dominance of the game collecting the 2010 Cy Young award. He has a 2.74 ERA over his past 3 seasons which translates to a 152 ERA+. That means he is 52% better than the average pitcher. 200+ strikeouts and well over 200 innings pitched in his past 3 seasons make him one of the most dominate young pitchers.

Neftali Feliz (23) - A 2.55 ERA for a closer  is pretty decent. At a young age its more respectable. With 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings Feliz makes an excellent closer. he can absolutely develop into a star with the years to come.

Offensive players:

Buster Posey (24) - Posey is an excellent catcher. Although getting injured in the 2011 season ended his season early he earned the rookie of the year in 2010. He had an average on base percentage of  .362 over his past 2 seasons, which is excellent. If you juxtapose that with a 162 game average of 22 home runs and 88 RBI's Posey could be a deadly force down the road for the the Giants.

Billy Butler (25) - Playing in the Kansas City Royals' home field Kaufman Field can destroy offensive players' numbers. For Billy Butler that is not a problem. Holding a .370 on base percentage over the past 3 years is miraculous. With about 18 home runs and 90 RBI's a year if Butler was added to a team with more offense he can provide a lot of run support.

Pablo Sandoval (25) - Sandoval holds a .355 on base percentage over the past 3 seasons. A disappointing 2010 brings that number down, but about 20 home runs a year proves otherwise. Being a switch hitter, Sandoval can provide plenty of offense for a ball club .

Mike Stanton (22) - Micheal Stanton is a power house. He has a 162 game average of  34 home runs and a 132 OPS+. That means he ranks 32% better than the average offensive player. With the new Miami Marlins Stanton can put up some big numbers. Although his on base percentage is only .344 over 2  seasons, he can drive runs in like no tomorrow.

Evan Longoria (26) - Even though Longoria is 26 I included him in this post becuase of his incredible numbers. Averaging 28 home runs a year 105 RBI's and a .363 on base percentage, Longoria is a big part of any offense. He can be a number 3 or a number 4 hitter on any team and can play stellar defense.

Japanese Cowboy

Yu Darvish signed with the Texas Rangers last night for 6 years $60 million.This will keep the Rangers as competitors with the Angels. If he performs well, the Western divisions will be stacked with great pitching. Darvish pitched to minuscule ERA's and high number strikeouts in his seasons with Japan. Now the Japanese right hander will be pitching 6 years in Texas, lets see how he performs.

With all the big name pitchers off the market, only Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt remain. The western divisions will be loaded with excellent pitching.

Rangers: Davish
Angels: Weaver, Haren,Wilson, Santana
Mariners: Hernandez
Giants: Lincecum, Cain
Dodgers: Kershaw, Billingsly
Diamondbacks: Kennedy, Hudson, Cahill

Those are 13 names that can put up great numbers. Those fans on the west coast sure are lucky.