MikeO's MLB season predictions

[MikeO]

Im looking forward to next year though, regardless of what happens the rest of this year. Think about it:
Posada has been hurt all year
Wang is out for the year unless we make the playoffs
A-rod went down for a while
Damon went down for a while
Hughes was pitching on a stress fracture
Kennedy flopped
Key hitters had down years (Cano, Jeter)

I just think that you'll see a lot of that reverse itself, with the exception of Kennedy sucking eggs. Cano is too good a hitter to have the year he had. The light is just turning on for the year. We most likely wont have the same injury luck. The Posada and Wang injuries were huge. So theres always next year. Hey, I have to find some reason to be optimistic :D

until they get rid of the older players nothing will change and no reason to be optimistic

 

[djfresh47]

I don't believe the Yankees are done. With the injuries to the Rays the BoSox and the Yankees can make up some ground before they comeback. The Sox got Paul Byrd who should help them in the rotation. Clay Bucholz needs to go down to the minors, IMO and get some confidence.

The Yankees are an old team but I think they'll get younger in the offseason. Teams get attached to players who have helped them win championships or have been valuable members of a franchise. This sometimes hurts the team when they re-sign a guy when he's near the end. I'm wondering if they do that with Varitek.

 

[SpaceMountain16]

^ but then the Yankees go out and lose a game to the Royals. I mean for a team with any kind of post-season aspirations they just cant be doing that, not when they are 4-5 games out of a wild card spot as we get later into the season.

 

[MikeO]

I don't believe the Yankees are done. With the injuries to the Rays the BoSox and the Yankees can make up some ground before they comeback. The Sox got Paul Byrd who should help them in the rotation. Clay Bucholz needs to go down to the minors, IMO and get some confidence.

The Yankees are an old team but I think they'll get younger in the offseason. Teams get attached to players who have helped them win championships or have been valuable members of a franchise. This sometimes hurts the team when they re-sign a guy when he's near the end. I'm wondering if they do that with Varitek.

Here are the guys who WON'T be back and come off the books. Mussiana, GIambi, Abreu. Matsui enters the final year of his deal, which means they can trade him very easy since there would be no long-term commitment by another team. Pettite comes off the books. Pavano comes off the books. Thats over $100 mill in that bunch I just listed alone. The only guy I would try and keep is Pettite, sign him to a 1 year deal maybe.

They have Nady for 1 year $6 mill which is a friggin steal on every level. The Yanks will have a ton, and I mean a ton of money to play with. I think the top 2 targets will be CC Sabtha and Mark Texeria. LAA will want them both, I think the Yanks get at least 1 of those guys, maybe both.

But they MUSt get younger. This group and this mix just doesn't work or get the job done

 

[MikeO]

^ but then the Yankees go out and lose a game to the Royals. I mean for a team with any kind of post-season aspirations they just cant be doing that, not when they are 4-5 games out of a wild card spot as we get later into the season.

like I said the other day..........their done!! It's over.

NO excuses, they failed this year. The injuries didn't help, but at the end of the day this team has enough players to at least put up a better fight than they did.

I mean its Aug 16th and they are sending Melky to the minors and want Joba back in the bullpen. Can't be making those type of desperate moves/changes this late in the season

 

[ChambersWI]

Here are the guys who WON'T be back and come off the books. Mussiana, GIambi, Abreu. Matsui enters the final year of his deal, which means they can trade him very easy since there would be no long-term commitment by another team. Pettite comes off the books. Pavano comes off the books. Thats over $100 mill in that bunch I just listed alone. The only guy I would try and keep is Pettite, sign him to a 1 year deal maybe.

They have Nady for 1 year $6 mill which is a friggin steal on every level. The Yanks will have a ton, and I mean a ton of money to play with. I think the top 2 targets will be CC Sabtha and Mark Texeria. LAA will want them both, I think the Yanks get at least 1 of those guys, maybe both.

But they MUSt get younger. This group and this mix just doesn't work or get the job done

Tex is gonna be in for a rude awakening because he wants a 10 year deal. Only A-Rod and Jeter have gotten those, and Tex is not the player A-Rod is nor does he have the intangibles Jeters has.

If Hughes and Kennedy come back healthy (which it turns out they weren't healthy this year) the rotation gets a bit better. I don't know if the Yanks will get CC. Money does talk, but CC loves batting and wants to stay in the NL. Maybe Ben Sheets is more likely.

 

[djfresh47]

Tex is gonna be in for a rude awakening because he wants a 10 year deal. Only A-Rod and Jeter have gotten those, and Tex is not the player A-Rod is nor does he have the intangibles Jeters has.

If Hughes and Kennedy come back healthy (which it turns out they weren't healthy this year) the rotation gets a bit better. I don't know if the Yanks will get CC. Money does talk, but CC loves batting and wants to stay in the NL. Maybe Ben Sheets is more likely.

The thing with Sheets is that if he's healthy he's great. Though he seems to have stints on the DL every year. If they do end up with one of the two and I think they will their rotation becomes very good. Money does talk and the only speculation about CC is he could take less money to be on the west coast.

 

[MikeO]

CC ain't taking less money to be anywhere. He saw what Santana got last year, he's gonna want more. And to be honest he might be worth more at this point in time.

He's gonna be the highest paid pitcher in baseball and whoever pony's up and pays that, he is going there

 

[djfresh47]

CC ain't taking less money to be anywhere. He saw what Santana got last year, he's gonna want more. And to be honest he might be worth more at this point in time.

He's gonna be the highest paid pitcher in baseball and whoever pony's up and pays that, he is going there

Since going to the Brewers he's been incredible. He's proven he can pitch in both leagues. He was having an average season in the AL. Going to the NL to finish off the season made him a boatload of cash. Though it was really just an awful start of the season for him.

 

[MikeO]

Since going to the Brewers he's been incredible. He's proven he can pitch in both leagues. He was having an average season in the AL. Going to the NL to finish off the season made him a boatload of cash. Though it was really just an awful start of the season for him.

he had a bad April. Since then he has been lights out.

Little hangover maybe from pitching so many innings last year with their playoff run. He is the best pitcher in MLB in my opinion. What the Mets gave up for Santana they could have had this guy for half the prospects and maybe made out better.

 

[djfresh47]

I think Sabathia gets it. A guy like Rich Harden has better stuff. Though he rarely seems to go deep into games. I can't remember Sabathia ever being on the DL. It is noted that he's loved by teammates. The only thing teams may worry about is his weight. To me he is a real safe acquisition. Pitchers in general are much bigger risks IMO on longterm deals. Ben Sheets is a huge risk, Oli Perez has stuff and is LH so somebody will pay him, A.J. Burnett never pitches as good as his stuff.

I think the Indians did the right thing and traded CC. They weren't going to re-sign him and they were already buried.

 

[SpaceMountain16]

I think Sabathia gets it. A guy like Rich Harden has better stuff. Though he rarely seems to go deep into games. I can't remember Sabathia ever being on the DL. It is noted that he's loved by teammates. The only thing teams may worry about is his weight. To me he is a real safe acquisition. Pitchers in general are much bigger risks IMO on longterm deals. Ben Sheets is a huge risk, Oli Perez has stuff and is LH so somebody will pay him, A.J. Burnett never pitches as good as his stuff.

I think the Indians did the right thing and traded CC. They weren't going to re-sign him and they were already buried.

No question, but apparently the Brewers made the right decision here also. The guy is 8-0 for them with an era of 1.60 and five complete games in 9 starts. That's incredible. I mean as good as Webb and Lincecum have been i would definitely give Sabathia serious consideration for the Cy Young ESPECIALLY if he finishes with like 14-15 NL wins and the Brewers make the playoffs. In fact if Webb's D-Backs dont make it, which is possible, and the Brewers do. I'd give it to Sabathia because he is the reason why!

 

[DuderinoN703]

Here are the guys who WON'T be back and come off the books. Mussiana, GIambi, Abreu. Matsui enters the final year of his deal, which means they can trade him very easy since there would be no long-term commitment by another team. Pettite comes off the books. Pavano comes off the books. Thats over $100 mill in that bunch I just listed alone. The only guy I would try and keep is Pettite, sign him to a 1 year deal maybe.

They have Nady for 1 year $6 mill which is a friggin steal on every level. The Yanks will have a ton, and I mean a ton of money to play with. I think the top 2 targets will be CC Sabtha and Mark Texeria. LAA will want them both, I think the Yanks get at least 1 of those guys, maybe both.

But they MUSt get younger. This group and this mix just doesn't work or get the job done

When haven't they?

 

[djfresh47]

No question, but apparently the Brewers made the right decision here also. The guy is 8-0 for them with an era of 1.60 and five complete games in 9 starts. That's incredible. I mean as good as Webb and Lincecum have been i would definitely give Sabathia serious consideration for the Cy Young ESPECIALLY if he finishes with like 14-15 NL wins and the Brewers make the playoffs. In fact if Webb's D-Backs dont make it, which is possible, and the Brewers do. I'd give it to Sabathia because he is the reason why!

I don't think he should because he spent half the year in the AL. He is on a different level than any other pitcher right now though. Though I think an arguement can be made that he's almost hurting himself for next season by throwing all these complete games. Unlike the MVP I don't think record goes into consideration for Cy Young. The NL MVP is wide open race. Carlos Quentin is by far the AL MVP. Cliff Lee is the Al Cy Young.

 

[SpaceMountain16]

I don't think he should because he spent half the year in the AL. He is on a different level than any other pitcher right now though. Though I think an arguement can be made that he's almost hurting himself for next season by throwing all these complete games. Unlike the MVP I don't think record goes into consideration for Cy Young. The NL MVP is wide open race. Carlos Quentin is by far the AL MVP. Cliff Lee is the Al Cy Young.

Yeah but say he spent half the year in the AL, but ends up going 15-0 in the NL. While someone like Webb wins only 20 games in a full NL year. AND the Brewers make the playoffs and the D-Backs dont. You wouldn't give C.C. the Cy then?