Commenting Problems?

A lot of people have been confused about commenting here at Ultimate Baseball. If you read the heading under the orange bar at the top of this page, it clearly says their is no need to register. This, in fact is the main reason I started this site, because I was tired of having to register to comment on just about every baseball site. To comment, just comment as anonymous." So, I'm hoping there will be no more confusion.

Poll Posts

Some of my viewers have noticed the poll on the sidebar of this blog. I just wanted to let you all know, each poll will be followed by a post. For example, in 35 days, when that poll expires, I will have a post explaining the moves made by the winning GM over the past few years. So please, vote for the best GM of the last few years!

Mets Trade Milledge to Nats for Church, Schneider

Earlier this week I discussed Lastings Milledge in my first post ever. Now, Milledge has been sent packing. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Mets sent Milledge to the Nats for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church. If this is true, as most rumors that Rosenthal reports are, Omar Minaya should be fired in the next hour or two.
First off, the Mets don't need Schneider. I'm fine with Estrada, who will hit 300 this year for whatever team he plays for, catching. Sure, Schneider, is a great defensive catcher and calls a great game; but, he couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag. I mean, it's not like Castro and Estrada are horrible catchers.
Then, there's Ryan Church. His name is ironic in the sense that Omar better pray he performs adequately in right field (If he's Omar's plan for right) . Otherwise, Omar is done!
If there is one bright spot for the Mets, it's that Omar didn't acquire any Latin players. If he traded Milledge for say, Jesus Flores and Wily Mo Pena, then the tabloids would be all over him as usual.

As for the Nats, they finally got something out of general manager, Jim Bowden. He now has two outfielders with tremendous upside in Pena and Milledge.

Final Note: The Mets did want to throw in Estrada, but Bowden declined.

Rumor Mill or Rumor Mull: Santana for Reyes

The second installment of Rumor Mill or Rumor Mull! Today I'll discuss the ups and downs of a Santana for Reyes swap:

1. New York Mets' perspective: This is a horrible idea for the Metropolitans. First off, this would break the hearts of the Mets younger fans. Then, they'll go into '09, in a new ball bark, with the face of the franchise being a thirty-year-old, who pitches every fifth day. I guess there is one positive result here for the Mets. They will, at least somewhat, erase the memory of '07.
2. Minnesota Twins' Perspective: For the most part this is a great deal for the Twins. They'll be adding a charismatic, popular face to their franchise, right before they move to their new stadium. Could you imagine a line-up of Reyes, Mauer, Young, Morneau in 4 years? Wow! However, the negative aspect of this for the Twins is that they don't add any pitching to replace Santana or Garza.

For the above reasons, I seriously doubt this trade will ever happen. As a Mets fan myself I view any mention of this scenario as ludicrous. Needless to say, if this happens, Omar will be my least favorite person in the world!

Class of 2008: Failing to Flourishing

Earlier this week, Tom Verducci of Sportsillustrated.com had an article about lasts years losers, who could turn their fortunes around. So, I've decided to list the top teams in each league with the ability to flourish in '08 after failing in '07.

American League: Kansas City Royals: Personally, I believe that the Royals will win the AL Central in '08. Now, before you start thinking I'm crazy, here are my reasons.

• Alex Gordon and Billy Butler: I believe Gordon will be the star of that division in two years (exceeding Sizemore, Hafner, Mauer, Liriano, Morneau, etc.). This year I honestly see him hitting 25-30HRs, driving in 100, and batting .330. Butler will also emerge as an offensive star, blasting 20-30HRs and winning a batting title.
• Trey Hillman and Yasuhiko Yabuta: Japanese relievers have shown dominance after coming to the U.S. (Okajima, Otsuka, etc.). Combine that with a manager who worked in Japan for several years and you get the best set-up man in the majors. KC had the best pen in that division last year already, imagine if they sign a Dotel or Riske, along with Yabuta. Now that's formidable!

National League: Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers just outright collapsed last year. I've never seen a collapse that bad in ... oops um, never mind (Let's Go Mets!). Anyways, here are the reasons the LA Dodgers of LA will bounce back.

• San Diego Silence: The Padres I thought would decimate that division last year; however, even after falling short (Matt Holliday STILL hasn't touched home plate), they've made no significant strides to improve their team. Meanwhile the Dodgers are at least looking at Santana and Bedard.
• Joe Torre: Aside from the fact Joe will use Johnathan Broxton and Scott Procter over and over until their arms need to be sewn to their shoulder, Joe brings a winning attitude to a laid-back franchise. His leadership and want to win will be enough to get the Dodgers a wild card birth (but not much else).

Rumor Mill: Garza for Young

Update: It seems most people believe the Twins won this one
Update, 6:07 AM: It's official
Wed 11/28 3:43PM: The Minnasota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays are close to a franchise changing deal. The Twins are reportedly ready to send young stud, Matt Garza along with Jason Bartlett and Juan Rincon to the Rays for former #1 pick, Delmon Young plus Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie. First off, I believe that the Rays lost this deal by a lot. Delmon Young is way more valuable than Matt Garza! Although it was about time the Rays dumped one of their young outfielders.
The Rays will head into '08 with a starting three of Kazmir, Shields, and Garza (assuming the Mets don't get Kazmir... Hey I can dream, can't I?). They may actually win 80 games with that young core and Rincon setting up. Bartlett will provide some competition for youngster, Reid Brignac.
Now, the most crucial part of this trade... Johan Santana? Last year Santana expressed his displeasure with the way Twins management seemingly gave up on the season when they traded Luis Castillo to New York. Now that they have given up one of the crucial members of the rotation, I believe Santana just stuck his foot out the door.

HELP WANTED: Post ideas

Well, it's been about 24 hours that I've been running this blog now and I feel I need more ideas for keeping my readers entertained. So, if you have any ideas about what I should post about, leave a comment and I'll try to oblige.

Rumor Mill or Rumor Mull? Mets and A's

There has been a lot of recent speculation about the Mets and A's hooking up in a deal for either Dan Haren or Joe Blanton. So I decided to step in and voice my opinion on this matter. I'll talk about the ups and downs for both teams.

1. Blanton: This would be a horrible acquisition for the Mets if they have to give up anything more than a Mike Devaney or Phil Humber and a Carlos Muniz type. Blanton will become the fourth or fifth best pitcher on the Mets behind John Maine, Oliver Perez, Pedro Martinez, and possibly El Duque. On the other hand, if the A's can acquire Fernando Martinez, Aaron Heilman, Carlos Gomez, Lastings Milledge, as Newsday suggests, the A's should do it in a heartbeat. I mean, they are nowhere near contending next year with the Angels as the powerhouse of that division.


2. Haren: This is a deal that could benefit both teams. The A's could obtain their future in the likes of Milledge, Gomez, Martinez, Kevin Mulvey, Mike Pelfrey, and Deolis Guerra. The Mets can receive a second ace to lead that rotation with John Maine. In Shea and Citi Field Haren could win 18 games and post a sub 3 ERA with some ease.

The way I see it, the best trade could be Haren for Gomez, Mulvey, Muniz, and Humber. However, Omar Minaya and Billy Beane have a tendency to discuss trades without anything getting done (Zito 2 years ago(good thing that never happen!), Haren and Blanton last year, etc.)

Fanatic Fun Awards

Tonight I've decided to have a little fun and give out awards to the various fan bases of certain teams. I will call these awards "The Fanatic Fun Awards." So, without a further ado, your 2007 Fanatic Fun Awards:

• Smartest Fan base: St. Louis Cardinals. I have to admit, as a met fan, this is hard to admit after the way they beat us in '06. However, most Cardinal fans I've read the comments of have been realistic, modest, and displayed a high intellect. Believe it or not, the runner up goes to the Boston Red Sox. It seems that when they're not discussing New York or Boston, their baseball IQ skyrockets. However, their inability to hide their hate for New Yorkers costs them this award.
• Least Intelligent Fan base: San Fransisco Giants. No other fan base can support a guy who ruined the great industry that is major league baseball (Barry Lamar Bonds). I've read comments by Giant fans who want five all-star prospects for Matt Cain (the most over-rated ace in baseball). The clincher for this award was a comment made by a guy named "zito4cyyoung" in the comment forums of Mlbtraderumors who said the least he'd take for Cain was David Wright and another prospect.
• Most Annoying Fans: Philladelphia Phillies. This is not only because of the unpleasant time I had when I went to a Met-Phillies game in Philly (the fans actually enjoyed being called "cheese-steaks"), but what kinds of fans celebrate and embrace losing 10,000 games. This one goes to the Phillies in a run away!
• Best All-Around Fan base: Chicago Cubs. You have to give credit to a fan base who sticks by their team no matter how mediocre they are. Or no matter how many heart breaks they suffer through. It was just great that the Cubs were finally a money spending team last off-season. Maybe they can maintain their success for years to come.
• Worst All-Around Fan base: Florida Marlins. This fan base is a disgrace. No offence to those who actually go to the games. What kind of fan lets their team financially rot just because they're afraid of the rain. How many rain-outs have there actually been over the last few years? Come on people, this is one of the, if not the most successful franchises of the last decade.

So there's my take on the fan bases of major league baseball. Feel free to leave your take in the comments.

Santana Suitors: Yankees, Sox, and Angels

I guess it is my duty as an official blog author to discuss the circus around Johan Santana. So I will present my analysis of what each of the top three suitors has to offer, and what they'd be willing to offer:

1. New York Yankees: Not only has it already been confirmed that the Yankees have had discussions with the Twins about Johan, but it seems that most people believe that they will land the best pitcher in baseball. The twins would want One of the Yankees' "Big Three" and Melky Cabrera. While I don't see anything special about Melky; there are some people around here who think he is a future stud. The Yankees have shown an unwillingness to trade any of the three in the past; however, Cashman, Hank, and Hal seem very open to trading Hughes or Kennedy if it nets them a big fish. I find their reluctance to trade Joba ludicrous seeing as he is at the peak of his value. I mean, the way he pitched in his time in the majors, Chamberlain and Tabata alone could be enough to obtain Santana.
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The Angels have an amazing farm system. Tim Dierkes over at mlbtraderumors.com had a nice suggestion earlier this morning. The Angels have Brandon Wood, Howie Kendrick, and a plethera of outfield prospects that the Twins could use. However, the main key to this trade could be the Angels reluctance to trade Nick Adenhart. I believe this guy could exceed Johan in ability in three or four years. In the end, I don't think that the Angels will aquire a seventh starter for their rotation in Santana.
3. Boston Red Sox: Okay, I almost didn't even mention the Sox because it would be unfair to have a rotation of Santana, Beckett, Schill, Dice-K, and Wakefield. However, Theo Epstein is the smartest man in baseball and he knows Schill and Wake have to eventually break down. So here we go! The Sox have two A caliber pitching prospects in Buckholtz and Lester. They also have a blue chipper in Jacoby Ellsbury. However, they'd much rather include Coco Crisp than Ellsbury (DUH!). Other names they'd include could be Jed Lowrie, Brandon Moss, and Kevin Youkilis.

In the end I truly believe the Yanks will take Santana. I mean, it could be worse; the Mets could offer Jose Reyes.

Prospect Perspective: Lastings Milledge

Welcome to C-Gouds' Ultimate Baseball Blog. As this is my first post, feel free to provide some constructive criticism for me in the comments section. I feel obligated to cover my favorite team, The New York Mets in my first post. "Prospect Perspective" is the name I will use for the posts where I discuss the value, ability and future of certain prospects. Today I will discuss the controversial, Lastings Milledge.
Value: I remember the day where the Mets let Milledge's upside keep them from acquiring Manny Ramirez. Now sometimes it feels as though Omar and the media are trying to run him out of town. It's amazing how quickly embracing your home fans and rapping can send one's reputation in a downward spiral. Most GM's in baseball see no value in Lastings anymore. However, Athletics GM Billy Beane seems awfully fond of him. He alone, may be able to land a #3 Starter. Overall Value: B
Ability: There's no doubt Lastings has tremendous ability. His major flaws are baserunning, off-speed stuff, and getting good jumps on fly balls. He however, is extremely athletic and charismatic. He has the speed to make up for his bad reads on fly balls and just has to learn the zone to become a star. Overall Ability: A
Future: It's pretty hard to tell what Lastings future holds. I, for one, believe he can become a 40HR 100RBI .260AVG. 25SB player. I see him as a future Mike Cameron type fielder. However, if he isn't given the chance to flourish, I could see him as a 18HR 60RBI .260AVG. 10SB type player. Since it is so hard to determine I''ll place him in the middle. Future: B+

Overall Prospect Level: B+