SANTANA TO METS!!!

LINK HERE!
Pending a physical and contract extension, Johan Santana, the greatest pitcher in baseball, is about to join the New York Metropolitans. The deal, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, is for Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Phil Humber, and Kevin Mulvey.

Here's a look at the Mets '08 rotation:
1. Johan Santana
2. John Maine
3. Pedro Martinez
4. Oliver Perez
5. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez

That is by far the best NL rotation right now (and possibly the best in the Majors).
This just in as well, the Mets are the 2008 NL Eastern Division Champions!

Great deal Omar! You've earned all our respect again. Now get a deal done for 6 years 140MM with a 20MM mutual option for a seventh year.

'08 RAPs (Rundowns and Predictions): Preview

I've been working on my '08 Rundowns and predictions all week. I can't finish until the hot stove season ends. So don't expect to see them until after Kyle Lohse and Corey Patterson are signed and the Santana thing is over. However, here's a preview for the Tampa Bay Rays:

After a dismal 66-93 2007 season, you'd usually expect a team to be pessimistic about the next year. This is not the case with the Rays. They have by far the best farm system in the game, and will be looking for contributions from the likes of Evan Longoria, Jeff Niemann, and quite possibly the first man ever taken in a televised MLB Rule 4 draft, David Price.

The Rays have also picked up talent via free agency and the trade market this year:

Traded Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie to the Twins for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett: While I still think the Twins won this deal, it will certainly help out the Rays. Garza gives them a very formidable rotation for the first time in club history.
Traded Jeff Ridgeway to Atlanta for Willy Aybar.
Signed Cliff Floyd to a one year deal with an option for 2009.
Signed Troy Percival to a 2 year deal.

Clearly the Rays will be a much better team in '08. In fact, they will, quite possibly... brace yourselves... be over .500 this year. Does that mean a 3rd place finish?

Quick Rundown: Catcher: Dioner Navarro; 1B: Carlos Pena; 2B: Akinori Iwamura; SS: Jason Bartlett; 3B: Evan Longoria; LF: Carl Crawford; CF: B.J. Upton; RF: Cliff Floyd; DH: Rocco Baldelli (for about 2 games)
Rotation: SP1: Scott Kazmir; SP2: Matt Garza, SP3: James Shield; SP4: Andy Sonnanstine/Edwin Jackson; SP5: Jeff Niemann/Jason Hammel/David Price

Weekly 2008 Run-Downs and Predictions: COMING SOON!!!

Just as a heads up, starting next month, I will be posting my predictions for the upcoming season. Here's how this will go:

1. Monday: I will post about what happened last year in the division that I will be covering during the week.
2. Tuesday: I will discuss the moves made by the last place team (and the 5th place team in the NL Central) and whether the team(s) will improve in the upcoming year or not.
3. Wednesday: I will discuss the fourth place teams offseason moves (Not in the AL West; that will be covered on Tuesday) and whether they'll improve or not.
4. Thursday: I will discuss the 3rd place teams offseason and whether or not they'll improve.
5. Friday: I will discuss the runner-up in the division's hot stove season and whether or not they will have a better year.
6. Saturday: Finally, I'll discuss the winner of the division's offseason and whether they will get worse or not.
7. Sunday: I'll have my final prediction for the division, including win/loss records and Division MVP!

So keep your eyes peeled. These posts should be out around mid February!

Prospect Perspective: Fernando Martinez

Well, since there has been a lot of talk recently about Fernando Martinez being sent to Minnesota in a deal for Johan Santana, I've decided to add him to my list of "Prospect Perspective" posts.

Value: Fernando's value may have taken a bit of a hit following his .265 Average between A and AA ball. However, it's very hard to say that an average season could hinder the value of a 19-year-old outfielder who has the tools to someday become a great outfielder. Any player being discussed as the centerpiece in a trade for the greatest pitcher in baseball, before their twentieth birthday, has to have tremendous value. Overall Value: A

Ability: Fernando may only be 19, but he has the pitch recognition and strike zone awareness of a ten year veteran. His major flaw; however, is his tendency to press whenever he goes into a slump; but, this is common among young players and should not take anything away from the way he is perceived as a stud prospect. He hits well to all fields, which some scouts projections say, will lead to him having home run power to all fields once his body fills out. Also Martinez struggles up against strong left-handed pitching. Unlike Carlos Gomez, the man F-mart is so wrongly compared to, Fernando isn't all that great defensively. He'll get bad reads on balls periodically, causing him to take peculiar routes after making questionable first steps. Scouts also believe he'll possibly lose some of his above-average speed as he continues to grow. These flaws in his defense lead most to believe he'll end up as an average corner outfielder defensively. Overall Ability: B+

Future: There's hardly any doubt that Martinez has a future in the majors. The real question is what kind of major league career will he have. It is very hard to determine the future of a 19-year-old who hasn't seen the Majors. But, I'll try to anyway. I see F-Mart as an above-average, everyday player. He'll mostly have years of 20-25 HR's, 80-90 RBI's, 280-310 AVG., 350-380 OBP. That's a pretty solid line, though not as dominate as some ignorant Met fans perceive. Bottom line, he isn't the centerpiece the Twins are looking for; but, is he close enough? Overall Future: A

Overall Prospect Rating: A, F-Mart is a true "prospect." He'll either pan out or he won't. While he is still young, that doesn't guarantee he'll improve a lot. However, I have little doubt he'll be a major presence on a big league club someday; whether that's for the Mets, Twins, or someone else, that is yet to be determined.

For "Prospect Perspective" posts on Phil Hughes, Lastings Milledge, and Joba Chamberlain, scroll down the page!

Poll: NL East's Best Pen

As you might notice I have put up a second poll on the sidebar. This was inspired by a somewhat heated conversation over at Mlbtraderumors.com. Here are some statements that were made:

1. Me: "Mets bullpen VS Braves pen: Wagner >>> Soriano; Sanchez > Gonzalaz; Heilman >> Moylan; Joe Smith > Manny Acosta; My five year old neighbor > Joey Devine How can you possibly say the braves have a better pen. That's like saying Glavine is a better number three starter than Oliver Perez..."
2. Andy Braves Fan: "...Braves have 2 proven closers with Soriano and Mike Gonzalez (should be back in June). Joey Devine has been a top closing prospect, Manny Acosta, etc. Please, know what you are talking about before you rant. The Braves bullpen was so strong that they traded 1/4 of it for other needs."
3. Dee Edge: "...[The Braves] still need bullpen help the only have one soold guy in tha pen soriano and he faded last yr too." (Translation: Soriano is the only solid pitcher in the Braves pen and even he faded at the end of the year)

So I'll let you decide! Make sure to vote soon! This poll expires on the 27th.

Poll Post: Theo Epstein

Well as you can see, Theo Epstein managed to edge out Dayton Moore in the best GM poll. Obviously, this was due to not only his great list of transactions, but his two rings as well.

Who was the best general manager from 2006 to present?
BOS: Theo Epstein: 23 votes (46%)
KC: Dayton Moore: 22 votes (44%)
NYM: Omar Minaya: 4 votes (8%)

So without a further ado, here are the three best moves that Epstein has made in his tenure as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox:

1. Traded Jorge De La Rosa, Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, Jorge De la Rosa and outfielder Michael Goss to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Curt Schilling: This will perhaps go down as the most famous trade in Boston Red Sox history. Schill of course delivered one of the greatest performances in sports history in the 2004 League Championship Series. The D-Backs did get some decent players but the Red Sox got the best of this deal by far.
2. Red Sox hire Terry Francona as manager: Four out of the first twelve Boston managers managed to capture a world series title. This was then followed by 86 years of no managers capturing a world series title for Boston. However Epstein found the man Red Sox Nation had been searching for for dozens of years in December of 2003. The next year, Boston would break 'the curse' thanks in large part to a manager who didn't back down no matter how bleak things looked in that League Championship Series.
3. Red Sox Acquire Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota from the Florida Marlins: Sure they had to give up Hanley Ramirez (one of the top five shortstops in baseball right now) and Anibal Sanchez (Who, shortly after, threw a no hitter) as well as Jesus Delgado and Harvey Garcia, but it was worth it. Beckett allowed them to capture a second ring as well as a division title. Also, Beckett's presence allows them to hold onto Clay Bucholtz and not spend him on an overpriced pitcher. Lowell also help establish the Red Sox current formidable lineup, which led also to the second Series victory and division title.

So that concludes the first poll post. The next poll should be up shortly.