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MLB Winter Winners
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| Eddie N MIAMI |
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
Phew. What a winter.
A billion dollars worth of free agents.
Cy Youngs changing jobs, changing teams, even unretiring.
Trades nobody saw coming.
And it isn't even over yet.
But with spring training looming just beyond Super Bowl Sunday, here's a look at the top 10 most improved teams of 2005, as selected in an informal poll of GMs, assistant GMs and scouts:
NO. 10 -- GIANTS
GM Brian Sabean knows he's running out of time to win with Barry Bonds. So he brought in the cast of "Thirtysomething" -- Omar Vizquel, Moises Alou, Mike Matheny and Armando Benitez. Unless all four -- and Barry -- contract senior-citizen-itis, the Giants are now the favorites in the NL West.
NO. 9 -- REDS
They may not be the Big Red Machine reincarnate yet. But this team is better, after acquiring Eric Milton, Ramon Ortiz, Joe Randa, Kent Mercker and Rich Aurilia -- even if the Great American Ballpark isn't exactly a perfect fit for Milton and Ortiz, two of the five active pitchers who have served up 40 gopherballs in a season.
NO. 8 -- BRAVES
GM John Schuerholz spent less money on free agents than the Mets tossed into Pedro Martinez's signing bonus -- but still found a way to retool. After stunning trades with Oakland and Milwaukee, the Braves have Tim Hudson and John Smoltz atop their rotation and Danny Kolb as their closer. But they're also depending on the volatile Raul Mondesi to replace J.D. Drew's offense, so don't hang that 14th straight NL East banner quite yet.
NO. 7 -- ANGELS
This team -- whatever its name is -- will miss Troy Percival, David Eckstein, Troy Glaus and Jose Guillen. But with Francisco Rodriguez ready to close and hot prospect Dallas McPherson taking over third base, the Angels had the freedom to bring in Orlando Cabrera, Paul Byrd, intriguing Cuban slugger Kendry Morales and maybe the biggest free-agent bargain of the winter, Steve Finley.
NO. 6 -- RED SOX
It's easy to focus on who isn't back -- primarily Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Cabrera. But Jason Varitek is back. Edgar Renteria upgrades the champs at short. And -- for 55 million fewer dollars than Martinez and Lowe got -- they've replaced two starting pitchers with three: Matt Clement, Wade Miller and one-time Fenway villain David Wells. So it's possible this team could be even better than those curse-busting Idiots who preceded them.
NO. 5 -- DIAMONDBACKS
They traded the Big Unit. They've won just about everybody's Overspenders of the Winter award. But the addition of Troy Glaus, Javier Vazquez, Russ Ortiz, Shawn Green, Shawn Estes and Royce Clayton can't help but make a 111-loss team better. It's just more likely to be a 2004 Tigers kind of better, not a win-the-World-Series kind of better.
NO. 4 -- YANKEES
It's still a shock the world's first $200-million baseball team didn't sign Carlos Beltran. But if all goes well, they've seriously upgraded their pitching staff with Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, Mike Stanton, Felix Rodriguez and some guy named Randy Johnson. And if all doesn't go well? There's plenty more George Steinbrenner dollars where those 200 million came from.
NO. 3 -- MARINERS
They haven't had a 40-home-run man since A-Rod left town. So this winter, the Mariners signed two of them -- Adrian Beltre, coming off a 48-homer eruption for the Dodgers, and Richie Sexson, two years removed from a 45-homer season for Milwaukee. The new shortstop, Pokey Reese, completes a much-improved defensive infield. Now, if anybody can pitch, this team could boomerang from 99 losses right back to contention.
NO. 2 -- MARLINS
It's possible no free agent will have a bigger impact on one team than Carlos Delgado, whose eight 30-homer seasons are eight times as many as all lefthanded-hitting Marlins in franchise history. If Al Leiter can replace Carl Pavano and Guillermo Mota can do a decent Armando Benitez imitation, the Marlins should be the scariest beast in the NL East.
NO. 1 -- METS
For 194 million bucks, you could buy 19 million pastrami sandwiches at the Stage Deli -- or Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez and Kris Benson. The Mets gave their frazzled fans something to chew on with the three most staggering free-agent contracts of the winter. It might not put them in the playoffs. But at least, it put them back on New York's radar screen.
Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
Hell yeah Marlins #2 :D |
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| Shamez214 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Eddie N MIAMI
NO. 1 -- METS
For 194 million bucks, you could buy 19 million pastrami sandwiches at the Stage Deli -- or Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez and Kris Benson. The Mets gave their frazzled fans something to chew on with the three most staggering free-agent contracts of the winter. It might not put them in the playoffs. But at least, it put them back on New York's radar screen.
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Yay.
Though I don't get Jayson Stark. He just had an article last week saying that our biggest flaw was our bullpen and that should've been our number 1 priority in the off season. But now we're the biggest winners? I don't get it... |
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| Eddie N MIAMI |
well actually I still dont think Jayson Stark likes what the Mets did.
these rankings are based on a poll of GMs, assistant GMs and scouts, like it says in the top of the article.
Suprised my 2nd fave team the Cardinals didnt crack the the top 10, I mean with just the Mulder signing is awesome.look out for them again this year, sad to see edgar leave though,lets see how eckstein does |
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| jonze234 |
| the mariners are going to be sick this year. their lineup is going to be great with Boone, Sexson, Beltre, Ichiro, Jeremy Reed, and Olivo. their pitching is going to be sub-par. all they need is for someone in their rotation to step up and they will win the west easily. is it too early to start predicting division winners? |
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| InterMilan31 |
The Mets definitly had a good off season although I think they should have made a little bigger push at getting Delgado. Still woried about their bullpen and Im not sold on Benson.
Also were did Maglio end up? Dont live in America and english people never heard of baseball lol so ya know..... |
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| jonze234 |
| quote: | Originally posted by InterMilan31
The Mets definitly had a good off season although I think they should have made a little bigger push at getting Delgado. Still woried about their bullpen and Im not sold on Benson.
Also were did Maglio end up? Dont live in America and english people never heard of baseball lol so ya know..... |
hes talking with the tigers (that seems to be the only team interested right now). according to his agent the tigers offered a 5 year deal worth $55 million and Maggs is going to counter the offer. i think its a big risk right now since he still has yet to show up for any of the workouts that he has scheduled for teams. hes one of my favorite players but i dont think hes going to have a very productive year in '05 considering his injury. |
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| King Ecnal |
| quote: | Originally posted by Eddie N MIAMI
Suprised my 2nd fave team the Cardinals didnt crack the the top 10, I mean with just the Mulder signing is awesome.look out for them again this year, sad to see edgar leave though,lets see how eckstein does |
Definately, MULDER IS A HUGE deal, and they gave up what's his face, that kid with the long hair, who sucked it up in the WS, that was a steal deal for the Cards, definately should have made the list over the Giants......who picked up four 50 year olds, any team could have done that......
I think Wright is going to go down the tubes in NY, should have stayed with Leo in Atlanta.....
I just hope Wade Miller can return to his form from a few years ago..... |
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| Member of X |
| quote: | Originally posted by King Ecnal
Definately, MULDER IS A HUGE deal, and they gave up what's his face, that kid with the long hair, who sucked it up in the WS, that was a steal deal for the Cards, definately should have made the list over the Giants......who picked up four 50 year olds, any team could have done that......
I think Wright is going to go down the tubes in NY, should have stayed with Leo in Atlanta.....
I just hope Wade Miller can return to his form from a few years ago..... |
I think Matt Clement is gonna go down the tubes. 2 cent head, never has been a winner. Yeah he has good stuff. Jose Conteras meet Matt Clement. Mazzone said the other day that he thinks Wright will repeat his performance this year. Granted though, I'm holding my breath too.
Pedro/Lowe vs. Clement, Miller, Wells. Think playoffs, not regular season. I don't know, I feel much more comfortable facing the new guys. Wells has a better chance of breaking down then Big Unit.
Look at what the Yanks were throwing out there last year. Brad Halsey, Jose Contreras, Esteban Loaiza, Kevin Brown in game 7, Javier Vasquez in the 2nd half, Mussina off his game for half the year, more. A Rod didn't even have a good year. They still won over a 100 games and were within a stolen base of sweeping the Sox. Sorry... the Evil Empire Strikes Back.
You don't understand the power of the dark side! |
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| InterMilan31 |
+1
I dont know why but besides me being a yankee fan I think that the Red Sox are gonna suck this season, of course they will get the wild card but dont think they will do anything in the playoffs but I wouldn't consider my opinion after all I live in Europe now.
GOOOOOO YANKS!!!!
AROD is gonna have a massive year I think. Him and Jeter will be :eyes: |
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| SlackerBoy9 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Shamez214
Yay.
Though I don't get Jayson Stark. He just had an article last week saying that our biggest flaw was our bullpen and that should've been our number 1 priority in the off season. But now we're the biggest winners? I don't get it... |
Oh c'mon Shamez..umm we did pick up Roberto hernandez(retread)......another few weeks and i will see first hand.I still think the angels are gonna be huge players in the A.l. but now that Percival is gone i guess we will see if K-Rod is for real...them picking up Cabrera is a definite upgrade. |
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