Monthly Archives: December 2015
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 15, 2015

Jamie Squire / Getty Images
I thought the Dodgers interest in Johnny Cueto was risky.
Now he signed with the Giants. I get the deal. Huge potential reward. Gigantic risk.
It also means the end of the Tim Linceum era.
Meanwhile Pete Rose is back in the news again and Serena Williams needs to compete with a horse.
Go ahead an bet on today’s episode of Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
Odds To Win The 2016 MLB Divisions

Even with the Cubs signing Jason Heyward and being the favorite to win bot the NL Pennant and World Series, they have to contend with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016 once again. The Redbirds won 100 games and are coming back with another great squad. That is the sole reason why the Cubs are not the biggest favorite to win their own Division.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
These odds are a pretty good reflection of the landscape in the MLB right now. The best value on the board would be the NY Yankees are +240 and Detroit at +250. Both of these clubs are old, but if they can play to their talent level and avoid injury, could win their Divisions.
I fully expect the Cubs will win the National League Central Division, but the +140 odd doesn’t pay enough to entice a wager.
The worst odd on the board has to be the Texas Rangers. I am not sure they are that much better than the Houston Astros right now, and they have not had a banner winter yet – while Houston has solidified their Bullpen by adding flamethrower Ken Giles.
Add in a full year of Carlos Correa – and Houston should be the Division favorite.
I think the Twins might be a nice long shot wager at +310. This club did finished 2nd in the American League Central Division during the 2015 year with 83 victories. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Power Rankings: Early Predictions For 2016
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
There is parity in the American League and their is a growing distance between the good and the bad clubs in the National League.
One could argue that the top 6 teams (NYM/CHC/SF/WSH/STL/PIT) in all of the Majors reside in the NL right now, and you then you can counter that by saying they have the 6 worst squads as well (PHI/ATL/MIL/CIN/SD/COL).
The funny thing about this whole ordeal is that the AL is absolutely going to cream the NL in Interleague this forthcoming season. On a 12 year win streak already, I am predicting a 175 – 125 W – L for the games between both leagues. The AL speedbags the National League in my view.
Last year, the American League held a 167 – 133 mark over the National League so that prediction up there is not foreign by any means.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 14, 2015

Boston.com
Can you imagine Dallas being Red Sox country?
Or New Englanders being apathetic fans of an expansion baseball team?
Perhaps that reality could have happened.
It is an alternate universe episode of Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
Be sure to visit Stadium Page by clicking HERE.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 13, 2015

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
It is Sunday and time for THE SUNDAY REQUEST.
@sullybaseball If Theo ends up breaking the curse in Chicago after doing the same in Boston, is he the greatest GM of all time?
— Jim Furlong (@EWOKinLA) December 12, 2015
Greatest of all time? Maybe not that high yet. But he should mentioned as an All Time Great already.
Praise the brains behind the scenes in this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Projected Top 5 Home Run Hitters In Major League Baseball For 2016

Giancarlo Stanton should contend for the NL HR championship crown in 2016. He is capable of cracking 40 – 50 HRs if he can play a year completely healthy. The Marlins are lucky to have one of the best young hitters in the game on offense. We will predict he will lead the overall MLB as well. Stanton cracked 27 HRs in just 74 Games Played in 2015 before a broken hand derailed his last three months of the season.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
So I think I fared fairly well from my prognostications of last HR leaders last year – although I was seriously off on Mark Trumbo and George Springer and of course Nelson Cruz did not slow down in 2015.
I almost nailed the totals for the top 1 – 4 in the AL. Bryce Harper did emerge. I also said that Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista would be near the top of the list of near misses, but those continued to be productive past that.
So it comes to another year of figuring out this maze of the top power hitters. I still believe that if Giancarlo Stanton remains healthy for a full season – that he will bomb 50 HRs. I am picking him to be the National League Leader. Read the rest of this entry
Detroit Tigers Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward

Detroit is rapidly aging with their core and they have added even more guys to the fold over this winter with Jordan Zimmermann and Francisco Rodriguez both 30 or over. This club may have opened up another 1 – 2 year winning window here – but will pay a steep financial price for it. The club is around $175 MIL already for total team salary and are right near the MLB Luxury Tax Threshold of $189 MIL.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Tigers are on the cusp of chasing that $189 MIL Luxury Tax Threshold they way they are spending money freely. They have 3 of the top 15 contracts in MLB history – with Jordan Zimmermann just outside the bar with his new 5 YRs/$110 MIL deal.
It has been a decade worth of competitive baseball – with the outlier being the last season where they finished under .500.
Detroit should be right around $171 MIL after the Arbitration contracts are finished this winter. This must be where the budget ends for the franchise.
The Tigers are still paying Prince Fielder $30 MIL over the next 6 years – spread out evenly, and this year they have the pleasure of kicking Joe Nathan another $1 MIL not to play for them.
Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander both earn $28 MIL in the upcoming season – while Victor Martinez and Jordan Zimmermann both will make $18 MIL each. Ian Kinsler and Anibal Sanchez round out the 8 figure players.
The Motown Boys also facilitated trades to bring in OF Cameron Maybin and Closer Francisco Rodriguez that will add some money to the bottom line in 2016.
Cabrera is just starting his huge 8 Years/$248 MIL pact – while Justin Verlander still has 4 years and a total of $112 MIL left on the books.
If all of the options are picked up on this team, the whole Roster could be back for the 2017 as well. This may be a good or bad thing. Read the rest of this entry
WTF Pittsburgh? Are You Contenders Or Are You At The Kids Table?

This Pirates club has made themselves relevant in the NL for the last 3 years with appearing in the Wild Card game – and pushing the Cards to the brink of elimination in 2014. However this organization has looked petty in looking too much to the bottom line so far this offseason. They have lost 4 players from the 98 win team of 2015 – and only have Jon Niese and Juan Nicasio as guys that help the MLB squad in 2016. They still have 3 months to go, but thus far the winter has been a tire fire.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
What the hell are the Pirates doing this offseason?!! I mean I have tonnes of respect for Neil Huntington – however the brass has made some highly questionable moves to save some money.
The Pittsburgh window to win is 2 – 3 more years, yet it almost looks likes the management is throwing a preemptive strike to blow the club up.
Okay, I may be overstating the facts a little here – as there is still well over 3 months before the club even hits Spring Training.
The club first non-tendered Pedro Alvarez – rather than head to the last year of Arbitration with him. He would have made in the neighborhood of $10 MIL in 2016 – I get that, but losing a 25 – 30 HR out of your lineup will be tough to adjust for. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 12, 2015

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
The Cardinals just lost Jason Heyward. How are the fans taking it?
@JasonHeyward I hope someone throws it at your face again you greedy piece of shit.
— clay jarrell (@cgjcards) December 11, 2015
Oh dear. Calm down Cardinals fans! Losing stars and still being a winner is part of Cardinals lore!
In the name of Stan Musial’s ghost, listen to this episode of Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
Miami Marlins State Of The Union For 2016

The Miami Marlins have not had a winning season since finishing 87 – 75 in 2009. With some deft maneuvers and the right allocation of team salary – this club could contend in the NL East with Atlanta and Philadelphia both rebuilding for the next couple of years. With a suspect ownership group I am not sure they will be bolster the club any bit – which would waste away the great value they have with their players currently with Fernandez, Stanton and Gordon.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Just what the hell are the Marlins up to this winter? Talk about a team that has done relatively nothing. I understand that the market isn’t the greatest however you have Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton at a ridiculous value.
This club should be spending as much money as humanly possible right now to go for it. The Braves and Phillies are down and rebuilding – and even Washington doesn’t seem as formidable as they have in previous years.
There was so much hype after signing Stanton long-term last season that has all dissipated within the last 12 months.
The management also turned out one of the better trades last year in picking up NL Batting Champion Dee Gordon for Andrew Heaney as the best players of the deal. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The American And National League For 2016

The National League has 4 favorites ahead of the odds on fave Jays to win the 2016 League Pennant. It is a more top-heavy league for sure. I am just not sold the Cubs shouldn’t be the overwhelming favorite here.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I love watching the odds fluctuate when deals are made in the Major Leagues. I often keep my mind on the European Oddsmakers. There is some hardcore nice value for your buck in betting some cash on the American and National League Pennant winners currently.
The Cubs should be the overall favorite to win both the National League and the World Series. At +450 this is a fantastic odd. I am not calling it a best bet of the week though. Read the rest of this entry
Assessing Adrian Beltre’s Place ALL – Time: Rangers Should Lock Him Up For A Few More Years

Adrian Beltre has earned every cent of his 6 years/$96 MIL deal signed before the 2011 season so far. He has 3 slashed .309/.358/.514 in his tenure and has finished in the top 15 for MVP voting in each of those campaigns. The Rangers should try to extend him for 2 or 3 more years past 2016 – and lock up the future Hall Of Famer so he can end his career in Arlington. Beltre will play next season at Age 37 – and will make $16 MIL in the final year of his pact.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
When Adrian Beltre arrived in Texas for the 2011 season he had a fine career that was started at age 20 in Los Angeles. What he has achieved in Arlington was turn a decent lifetime of playing baseball into a Hall of Fame Career.
The 36 year old Third Baseman could hold records for the hot corner for XBH, 2B’s, R, GP, PA, AB, Hits and RBI just to start with – and cement his legacy in Cooperstown.
So how many years can he play beyond next year? I think it is realistic to say he could play until he is 40. That would mean playing in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons. Read the rest of this entry
Texas Rangers Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward

The Rangers rose from the AL West ashes in 2015 and won their first Division Title in 4 years. It came off the heels of 2 injury riddled seasons that plagued any chance to make the playoffs. The club has about $140 MIL worth of salaries to pay in 2016 but should consider spending out another $10 – $15 MIL. They have a need for a Starting Pitcher and could use a breakout campaign from either Joey Gallo or Jurickson Profar to add depth for mid year trade to acquire a proven playoff Starter. The club will also hope Yu Darvish can come back at full strength. While they have 5 of the top 46 contracts of ALL – Time on their salary, 3 of them came via trade where the former team is picking up some of the dough.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Texas Rangers have 5 of the top 50 MLB Contracts of ALL – Time on their roster with Prince Fielder (10th), Cole Hamels (32nd), Shin-Soo Choo (37th), Josh Hamilton (42nd) and Elvis Andrus (tied for 46th).
Yes 3 of them came over via trade after chunks were already off, and their former team is still subsidizing some of the money going forward as well, but the Rangers are still already at over $120 MIL already committed in total team salary for 2016.
We have also heard grumblings that the team will look to extend Adrian Beltre this week in order to have him finish out his potential Hall Of Fame Career in Texas. This won’t hurt the bottom line in 2016 – but will also put some dough on the future of the teams finances should it occur. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 10, 2015

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
I know it is only December. But MAN the Cubs look like the team to beat in 2016!
They have been filling in their holes while the other NL contenders have bigger question marks.
Dare Cub fans dream?
It is a tempt the fates episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
tjohnsurgery.com Is Looking For Authors
Okay, so I have had this website domain for some time (tjohnsurgery.com) – and I am officially kicking it off in style. For Authors that love to talk about the surgery, now is your chance to hit the ground running on a trend that it is not going away any time soon.
I am looking for fellow writers to join in my in writing bio’s for all of the players that have had the surgery in history. Your articles will be posted on tjohnsurgery.com and also at our flagship website of mlbreports.com.
Now I am not looking for writers for the mlbreports.com right now – as we have over 1200 articles already committed from our ownership/crack writing team – however if you things work out, and you are strong enough to write, mlbreports.com is also an option.
Please take a look at our page that we have been running here at mlbreports.com for 2 years. https://mlbreports.com/tj-surgery/
If you are interested in applying for a writing position with us contact me (Chuck Booth) at mlbreports@gmail.com
Chicago Cubs State Of The Union For 2016

I absolutely love the signing of Zobrist for the Cubs. He is a quality veteran Utility guy for this young versatile club. Zobrist at 35 may have been pricey at the four year deal work, but they were able to trade away Starlin Castro as a result. Zobrist was vital to the Royals 2015 World Series Playoff run – and is Joe Maddon’s favorite all time player. His ability to switch all over the field will give guys like Schwarber, Baez, Soler and Russell all the availability to thrive with matchup maneuvers. The Cubs should not stop here though. They need to acquire a CF – and trade for a #3 starter at some point in the next 8 months.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Cubs finally threw their names in the ring on the Free Agent front this week by first signing ultra Utility man Ben Zobrist to a 4 YR/$56 MIL -on the heels of John Lackey to a 2 YR/$32 MIL deal.
The club also dealt Starlin Castro away for another team controllable pitcher in Adam Warren. These are significant steps in the right direction to start their run at the 2016 NL Central Division Title,
2015 was a nice breakout season – and the furthest the team has gone in 12 years however this franchise needs to spend as much money and continue to pursue an end to their century plus World Series drought.
There is no question all other 29 clubs would trade their offensive rosters for the value the young Chicago NL squad is going to put forth the next 5 years. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 9, 2015

AP Photo
The Diamondbacks are going for it. Did the Braves just pick up a franchise player from Georgia in the process?
Will Dansby Swanson be the new John Smoltz?
It is long term/short term gain episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 8, 2015

Events at the winter meetings are going so quickly that they render doing a daily podcast almost an exercise in being incorrect.
Trying to make predictions during this winter meeting… an impossibility
It is an unpredictable episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 7, 2015

Elsa/Getty Images
The Dodgers had a devastating blow handed to them when Greinke left.
They need to make some moves and for some of them, quantity will matter as much as quality.
And by the way, BACK UP YOUR FILES!
It is a Bleed Dodger Blue episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 6, 2015

Winslow Townson/Associated Press
It is Sunday and time for The Sunday Request.
@sullybaseball Im curious to see players stop the no trade and opt out bullcrap ie David Price. Would make fans happy, Players Union nervous
— Ken Gura (@kengura51) December 5, 2015
No Trades and opt outs are not going anywhere soon. And fans should be happy about that.
It is a collectively bargained for episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Arizona Diamondbacks Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward

The Diamondbacks doesn’t have many long term contracts that carry out big $ – so they were able to throw a whole bunch of dough to sign Zack Greinke to the biggest Annual Average Contract in MLB History. Despite that deal, there maybe more signings and acquisitions on the way with the total team payroll still being under $100 MIL thus far for next campaign.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
So in one signing of Zack Greinke, the Diamondbacks effectively doubled their 2016 salary outlook for the year. There was a reason Arizona could make such an expensive deal – and it wasn’t just because of their recent TV contract.
The franchise has done a decent job in slashing payroll over the last few years. They also have the best value on the board with the Paul Goldschmidt contract through 2019.
The big lanky 1B finished runnerup for the MVP in the National League for the second time in 3 years during 2015 – and will only earn $40 MIL over the next four seasons. Only Andrew McCutchen’s 6 YRs/$51 MIL extension rivals the kind of value the club has received in the league.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 5, 2015

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Did you predict Zack Greinke leaving LA for the Diamondbacks? If you answered yes, you are a liar!
The NL West is upside down and Johnny Cueto’s agent is loving it.
Snakes in the desert in this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.










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