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The San Francisco Giants Should Sign Matt Wieters, Play Posey At 1B + Belt In LF

Matt Wieters accepted the 1 Year Qualifying Offer with the Baltimore Orioles last year - and he payed his first full campaign since 2013. At Age 30, he is still a decent Catcher both offensively and defensively. I first came up with this idea a few years ago, but Posey was still putting world class numbers out of the backstopper position, and they and several Outfielders. Now.there is an opening beyond the grass, so Brandon Belt could move there - freeing up Posey to play First Base.

Matt Wieters accepted the 1 Year Qualifying Offer with the Baltimore Orioles last year – and he played his first full campaign since 2013. At Age 30, he is still a decent Catcher both offensively and defensively. I first came up with this idea a few years ago, but Posey was still putting world class numbers out of the backstopper position, and they had several Outfielders on the depth chart. Now.there is an opening beyond the grass, so Brandon Belt could move there – freeing up Posey to play First Base – and the team to sign Wieters.

The Giants are one of the best franchises at fostering their home grown talent.  It has culminated in 3 World Series from 2010 – 2014, and the franchise has several of its core players locked up for the next 3 – 5 years.

With the recent news of the Luxury Tax Threshold penalizing the Dodgers something fierce for obliterating their payroll, the NL West has come back to the Giants to win – considering the LA squad has taken down 4 straight Division Titles.

San Francisco started the process of healing their Bullpen this winter. by forking out some big dollars to secure Closer Mark Melancon ( 4YRs/$62 MIL).  There is still a long way to go in shoring up the Relief Core, but they should have the funds to do it.

Which brings me to my next point.  Beyond the suspicion that Eduardo Nunez may not be a great long=term fit in the Bay Area, the Roster is pretty secure in the rest of the lineup – except for say the LF position.

There are not a lot of prime Free Agents on the open market that can play the OF.  Michael Saunders will cost too much money…Angel Pagan..well the Giants should just say no…Colby Rasmus…yikes…Brandon Moss….um….should be a 1B/DH type in the American League.

As for the depth chart currently for Bruce Bochy‘s squad…..Mac Williamson, Jarrett Parker and Gorkys Hernandez…Not sure that cuts the mustard on a playoff caliber squad.

My thought is – why not sign Matt Wieters to a 3 – 4 year contract worth about $33 – $44 MIL ($11 MIL AAV) – to be the prime Catcher for the Giants – then move Posey to First Base and Brandon Belt to LF? To me it makes sense. Read the rest of this entry

Boston Throws Down A Hell Of A Haymaker To The Rest Of The American League With Acquiring Chris Sale

Chris Sale has been as about as dominant as a pitcher as there as been in the American Leaue since he entered intothe rotation

Chris Sale has been as about as dominant as a pitcher as there has been in the American League since he entered into the rotation.  He is 74 – 50 with a clean 3.00 ERA over his career thus far – wtth 5 straight top 6 Cy Young Finishes and ALL – Star Appearances.  Sale set career highs in Wins (17) CG (6) and IP (226.2) during the last campaign.  He is only set to earn $38 MIL over the next 3 seasons total, so the cap hit is even better news for the Red Sox, who are already nearing the Luxury Tax Threshold Limit, and are subject to a 50% penalty as 3rd time abusers in 2017.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

The Red Sox have landed an ace in the winter for the 2nd straight winter.  Boston has acquired Chris Sale from the White Sox in exchange for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech – with two other prospects Alexander Basabe  and Victor Diaz also heading to the Pale Hose.

This is the type of trade that brings a championship.  For a MLB club that was right up against the Luxury Tax Threshold already of $195 MIL for 2017, having Sale only making $38 MIL over the next three years is the biggest plus to this pact going down.

Boston loses a young player like Moncada for sure. and he may be World Class in the future, but you have to give something up to get something.  The Beantowners will still also be alright for their future with the likes of Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley JR. just kickstarting their young careers, while they also held onto other great prospects like Andrew Benintendi and Blake Swihart.

They still have plenty of colorful veterans (with plenty of postseason experience) in talking of Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez – and yes even Pablo Sandoval. Read the rest of this entry

Who Owned Baseball October 2, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

 

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Getty Images

Julio Teheran crushed Detroit’s hopes with 7 innings of 3 hit shutout ball, striking out 12, and earning the 1-0 decision for the Braves.

Aaron Sanchez pitched the Blue Jays into the post season by taking a no hitter into the 7th, holding the Red Sox to 2 hits and 1 run in the 2-1 final.

Dernard Span went 3 for 5, scoring 3 and driving in 2, as the Giants topped the Dodgers and won a playoff spot, 7-1.

Matt Weiters slugged the Orioles into the postseason with 2 homers and 4 RBI to beat the Yankees, 5-2.

They all owned baseball on October 2, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Accepting the Qualifying Offer Hasn’t Gone as Planned for These 3 MLB Players

When the qualifying offer system was developed for MLB free agents, it was supposed to help players, but it’s done just the opposite. After first being put into play for the 2012 offseason, we didn’t even see a pending free agent accept one until last winter.

One would imagine the thought process for Matt Wieters, Brett Anderson and Colby Rasmus to break that cycle was rather simple: Get a guaranteed payday in the short-term while using another solid season to land a multi-year deal the following winter. Given each of their situations, this made sense.

But sometimes, the best-laid plans don’t work out. That’s what’s happened to these three players with the regular season’s final month upon us, forcing them to face free agency once again.

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Who Owned Baseball September 10, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

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Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press

Rich Hill was lifted after 7 perfect innings, striking out 9 Marlins and throwing 89 pitches. The bullpen would lose the no hitter in the 8th but the Dodgers finished up the 5-0 victory.

Joey Votto continued his torrid second half with 4 hits, including a homer, and a pair of runs scored, as the Reds beat the stumbling Pirates, 8-7.

Masahiro Tanaka threw shut out ball into the 8th, finishing with 1 run in 7 1/3 innings, striking out 10 Rays and earning the 5-1 decision for the white hot Yankees.

Matt Weiters reached base 3 times, homering twice and driving in 5 runs as the Orioles won a critical Wild Card Showdown with Detroit, 11-3.

They all owned baseball on September 10, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings – 7/18/16

P – Chris Sale (vs. Seattle Mariners): $12,200. In 78 career at bats against Sale, the Mariners’ lineup is batting .205, with 27 strikeouts, and a .254 OBP. Sale leads the majors with 14 wins this season. He also owns a 3.38 ERA, with 104 hits against, 123 strikeouts, and only 26 walks in 125 innings pitched.

P – Mike Fiers (vs. Oakland Althletics): $5,500. This pick scares me a little bit, but in order to afford my stack against Ivan Nova, this was a necessary play. Fiers has been hit or miss this season. He owns a 6-3 record, with a 4.36 ERA 64 strikeouts, and 21 walks in 93 innings pitched. He is playing in a pitcher friendly stadium against a division rival, so I’m hoping he will be on his “A” game.

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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 7/16/16

P- Lance McCullers (vs. Seattle Mariners): $9,800. McCullers has been on fire recently. Over his last three starts, he has a 1-1 record, 2.70 ERA, and 22 strikeouts in 16.2 innings pitched. In his last time on the mound against the Mariners, he struck out 10 over seven innings.

P- Jerad Eickhoff (vs. New York Mets): $7,800. The Mets offense has struggled with run production all season long. In 18 starts this season, Eickhoff has a 6-10 record, 3.80 ERA, 94 strikeouts, and 29 walks in 109 innings pitched. He doesn’t get great run support, but he is a steal for only $7,800.

 

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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 7/8/16

Due to the amount of time dedicated to the analysis of my midseason top 100 prospect rankings analysis, which you can find on my blog, I will not be providing reasonings behind my DFS picks for the next few days. I can assure you my picks below have been chosen using the same research methods I use on a daily basis. These methods include weather, B v. P stats, recent success, splits, stacks and much more. If you have any questions or comments, I will be glad to answer via social media (@dynasty_digest).

P- Chris Sale (vs. Atlanta Braves): $13,500

P- Hisashi Iwakuma (vs. Kansas City Royals): $6,500

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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 7/1/16

P –  Michael Fulmer (vs. Tampa Bay Rays): $10,900. Fulmer has been dominant this season. In 63.2 innings pitched, he owns a 7-2 record, 2.54 ERA, 50 hits against, 60 strikeouts, and 24 walks. The Rays offense has struggled quite a bit in 2016, so Fulmer should be able to take care of business. Prior to Fulmer’s last start, he threw 33.1 consecutive scoreless innings.

P – Tanner Roark (vs. Cincinnati Reds): $9,800. Roark struggled his last time out against the Reds, but he has been spectacular for the rest of the 2016 season. In 16 starts, he owns a 7-5 record, with a 2.96 ERA, 90 hits against, 89 strikeouts, and 32 walks in 100.1 innings pitched. The Reds offense has been miserable over the past seven games, which is a great sign for Roark.

SEE THE REST OF THE PICKS

 

 

Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 6/30/16

P – Zach Davies (vs. Los Angeles Dodgers): $8,000. Davies has been spectacular this month. In five starts in June, he owns a 1.64 ERA, 0.788 WHIP, 36 strikeouts, and six walks in 33 innings pitched. One of those five starts came against the Dodgers, in which he threw seven innings, giving up five hits, one run, and he struck out six. The Dodgers offense has really struggled over the past seven days, which is a good sign for the young right-hander.

P – Carlos Rodon (vs. Minnesota Twins): $8,500. Rodon is coming off a very good start against the Toronto Blue Jays in his last start. Over his last 12 innings pitched, he has struck out 16 batters, which is a great sign for daily fantasy. The Minnesota Twins rank in the bottom of the major leagues against left-handed pitching in 2016, so this should be a great matchup for Rodon. Rodon faced the Twins on April 13th, going six innings, giving up three hits, zero runs, and he struck out six. Rodon can be a very high risk, high reward pitcher, so this could be a risky play.

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Who Owned Baseball June 27, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

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JOE ROBBINS/GETTY IMAGES

Kris Bryant went 5 for 5 with 3 homers, driving in 6 and scoring 4 to lead the Cubs in a wild 11-8 slugfest in Cincinnati.

Jon Gray struck out 8 Blue Jays over 7 innings, walking none and worked around a pair of homers to get the 9-5 victory for Colorado.

Nick Franklin singled, doubled and homered, driving in 5 runs as the Rays snapped their losing streak, 13-7 over Boston.

Danny Duffy pitched 8 innings, allowing 2 runs, walking none and struck out 8 Cardinals batters to earn the 6-2 decision for the Royals.

They all owned baseball on June 27, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Who Owned Baseball June 26, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

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RICH SCHULTZ/GETTY IMAGES

Tyler Duffey did not allow a hit until the 6th and finished with 8 innings, 2 hits, 8 strikeouts and 1 run as the Twins clobbered the Yankees, 7-1.

Jose Fernandez struck out 13 Cubs and allowed just 4 hits and 1 run to earn the 6-1 decision for the red hot Marlins.

Lonnie Chisenhall collected 9 total bases with his 4 hits, including a homer and 3 RBI as the Indians continued to roll, 9-3, in Detroit.

Freddie Freeman reached base 4 times, including a homer and a pair of runs scored in the Braves 5-2 victory over the Mets.

They all owned baseball on June 26, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 6/24/16

DraftKings is a lot better for bringing home the bigger jackpots on this system, and we love the ability to swap out players all day.

P – Max Scherzer (vs. Milwaukee Brewers): $13,900. In 61 career at bats against Scherzer, the Brewers’ offense is batting .115, with 28 strikeouts, and a .169 OBP. In his last start against Milwaukee, Scherzer held together a perfect game through seven innings. Unfortunately he lost the perfect game in the seventh, but he only gave up one hit with 16 strikeouts in the complete game. In his last three starts, he owns a 2-0 record, 0.90 ERA, and 27 strikeouts.

P – Cody Reed (vs. San Diego Padres): $7,200. In his MLB debut, Reed showed lots of promise. He threw seven innings against the Houston Astros, giving up four runs, and striking out nine. His ability to strike batters out should make him a very good play on Friday. San Diego is ranked 27th in strikeouts, which is great for Reed.

To view the rest of the picks, click the link below:

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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings 6/14/16

P- Madison Bumgarner (vs. Milwaukee Brewers): $13,800. Bumgarner is the top pitcher on the slate for Tuesday and for good reason. First of all, he is facing the 21st ranked offense of the Brewers. Second, he is 7-2 this season, with a 1.88 ERA, and 99 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched. Third, he is pitching in his home park. Fourth, he will probably hit a home run to bolster his lead at some point in the game. This guy can do it all.

 

P- Brandon Finnegan (vs. Atlanta Braves): $8,100. Finnegan has been on a roll as of late. In hist past four starts, he has thrown at least 6.1 innings in each start. He now has seven quality starts in his 13 total outings this season. He will be facing one of the worst offenses in baseball on Tuesday, so this shouldn’t pose a threat to Finnegan’s hot streak.

 

To see the rest of the picks, click the link below:

 

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Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings – 5/27/16

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Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com) 

If you have any questions or comments about this article or fantasy baseball, please Tweet me. I post daily DFS lineups for Draft Kings everyday, so please make sure to follow my blog.

P – Max Scherzer (vs. St. Louis Cardinals): $13,000

P – Julio Urias (vs. New York Mets): $7,600

To view the rest of the picks, click the link below:

SEE THE REST OF THE PICKS

Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings – 5/21/16

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Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com) 

If you have any questions or comments about this article or fantasy baseball, please Tweet me. I post daily DFS lineups for Draft Kings everyday, so please make sure to follow my blog.

P – Jose Fernandez (vs. Washington Nationals): $12,500

P – Kevin Gausman (vs. Los Angeles Angels): $7,500

To view the rest of the picks, click the link below:

SEE THE REST OF THE PICKS

 

Josh Robbins’ MLB Daily Fantasy Picks DFS For FanDuel 4/27/16

 

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Starting Pitchers  (Expensive, Midlevel, Bargain)

1. Jake Arrieta ($12900) vs. Milwaukee Brewers

2. Gio Gonzalez ($9600) vs. Philadelphia Phillies

3. Steven Wright ($6900) vs. Atlanta Braves

Team Stacks

Colorado vs Jon Niese

Pittsburgh vs Jon Gray

Boston vs Bud Norris

Baltimore vs Matt Moore

BVP (Minimum 10 AB)

1. Mark Reynolds vs. Jon Niese (8-15/ 2 HR/ 1.496 OPS)

2. Matt Wieters vs. Matt Moore (8-17/ 2 HR/ 1.432 OPS)

3. Evan Longoria vs. Chris Tillman (17-51/ 7 HR/ 1.216 OPS)

Sample Lineup (Coors Field Lineup 1)

P – Steven Wright, ATL @ BOS, $6900

C – Stephen Vogt, OAK @ DET, $2600

1B – Mark Reynolds, PIT @ COL, $3300

2B – D.J. Lemahieu, PIT @ COL, $3400

3B – Nolan Arenado, PIT @ COL, $5100

SS – Jordy Mercer, PIT @ COL, $3400

OF – Carlos Gonzalez, PIT @ COL, $4000

OF – Gregory Polanco, PIT @ COL, $3800

OF – Jackie Bradley JR, ATL @ BOS, $2500


$35, 000, 000 ($0 Left)

Sample Lineup (Coors Field Lineup 2)

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If you’re not familiar with the points breakdown, here’s the format utilizing a $35 million salary cap.  

Scoring System: https://www.fanduel.com/spring-training?t=lobby

1 Starting Pitcher (SP)

1 Catcher (C)

1 First Baseman (1B)

1 Second Baseman (2B)

1 Third Baseman (3B)

1 Short Stop (SS)

3 Outfielders (OF)

Game Types: https://www.fanduel.com/how-it-works

50-50s


If you’re interested in playing DFS games, please use my Fanduel referral link to signup.

Please use the Referral Link for a signup bonus:

https://www.fanduel.com/?invitedby=bobadney&cnl=da

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*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com and their other partners.***

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MLB DFS Picks For FanDuel – 4/22/16

Longoria has bashed 6 HRs in 64 career AB vs CC Sabathia, and is the bargain of the night at just $2900 on FanDuel.

Longoria has bashed 6 HRs in 64 career AB vs CC Sabathia, and is the bargain of the night at just $2900 on FanDuel.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

Coming off a No hitter in Cincinnati on Thursday, I love the Cubs to continue their dominance over the Reds this weekend.  While I would say that Chicago will win the game handedly, the prices are just too high for some of the hitters.

I love picking Bryce Harper in any lineup right now.  You always know he will walk even if he doesn’t club the ball out of the yard.  I am calling for a stack against the Twins Kyle Gibson.

I also went with 3 Baltimore Orioles vs Chris Young in KC – who is yet to his stride this year.

Chris Davis has got to be the best play in the Majors besides Bryce Harper tomorrow.  He should get some lemons to hit over the wall.

I love playing Matt Moore against the struggling Yankees lineup.   Their Left Handed hitters like Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner should have a tough time.

The Rays chucker has not allowed a HR to New York’s hitters through 54 AB.  Meanwhile, the Rays should be able to score versus an aging CC Sabathia.

Evan Longoria has feasted on the man, and Logan Forsythe has a great short history versus him as well. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast Archives May.1, 2013 – May.31, 2013 (Episodes 190 – 220)

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Paul Francis Sullivan (please call him Sully) does a podcast 365 days a year – unless it is a leap year – then he will do another 1. He has done a show everyday since Oct.24/2012. This to date represents a streak of 1219 days consecutively!

Past the CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY are episodes 190 – 220 of the Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

We will also archive all of his podcasts to date (in coming weeks) so they are easily accessible for all his fans. Check out all his Archived info here.

Our website followers have grown larger each year for his podcast.

Follow Sully Baseball On Twitter

To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.

To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE.
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Don’t Cry For Players That Were Given The Qualifying Offer: And Are Not Being Signed

The Players of the MLBPA will have their chance to collectively bargain the rule of Qualifying Offer after the current CBA ends at the end of this year. Despite hearing a ton of groaning on radio airwaves from MLB hosts, the problem is just not as direr as they project. I may say they are trying to shock their audience for 24/7/365 programming. I argue the point that the 'QO' is not that bad.

The Players of the MLBPA will have their chance to collectively bargain the rule of Qualifying Offer after the current CBA ends at the end of this year. Despite hearing a ton of groaning on radio airwaves from MLB hosts, the problem is just not as dire as they project. I may say they are trying to shock their audience for 24/7/365 programming. I argue the point that the ‘QO’ is not that bad.  The Draft Picks assigned for the players should not dissuade teams from singing them, as the percentage of picks 11 – 30 of the 1st Round do not have a huge conversion rate in the Majors that would trump these players current production anyway.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

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I will spare a ton of rhetoric and cut right to the chase.  3 out of the 20 players are still without a deal that were linked to the Qualifying Offer of $15.8 MIL in November.  This not egregious in any way in my view.

Dexter Fowler, Yovani Gallardo and Ian Desmond all could have taken the deal, played one more year and then hit the open market again.  Heck, they still can, but probably are not going to get in the vicinity of that cash for a one year deal with a Draft Pick nailed to it.

If anyone is to blame it is their agents.  This is simply the price of doing business.

Desmond for sure has no one to blame when the Nats hit him with a 7 year deal worth $107 MIL prior to 2014. Don’t you think he would love a Mulligan on that one? Read the rest of this entry

San Francisco Giants State Of The Union For 2016

With the club pretty much being set for players all around the Infield and Outfield, and now the Starting Staff, the Giants look poised to make another run at a World Series run for an even year this decade. 2016 will see several of its Bullpen members on the last year of their contracts.

With the club pretty much being set for players all around the Infield and Outfield, and now the Starting Staff, the Giants look poised to make another run at a World Series run for an even year this decade. 2016 will see several of its Bullpen members on the last year of their contracts.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part-Owner) 

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The only real need to upgrade could be at the Outfield level, with either a CF/LF.    Angel Pagan is also in the last year of his deal, so maybe signing a guy to man the position beyond this coming year would be an option.

The Starting Rotation will be a lot stronger in 2016 with the additions of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija

You can say what you want about Cueto’s time in Kansas City not being as effective., but he has played most of his career in Cincinnati – and pitched extremely well at Great American Ball Park.

Funny enough his best years have also come in even years with finishing 4th in NL Cy Young Voting in 2012, and 2nd   in 2014, when he led the NL in Innings Pitched with 249.2 – and Strikeouts with 241 for the Reds.

Samardzija still has great stuff, and as a #3 Starter, you could see him bouncing back with a nice year in San Francisco. Read the rest of this entry

Los Angeles Angels State Of The Union For 2016

The Angels could easily upgrade 2B and an LF spots, and will need to compensate for Albert Pujols to at least miss the start of the 2016 season as well. They have great depth in the Pitching Rotation, however are bogged down by the Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson costing them a combined $40 MIL. Add in $30 MIL in buyout/dead money and the team will have a tough time competing in 2016 without nearing $200 MIL in total team payroll.

The Angels could easily upgrade their 2B and LF positions, and will need to compensate for Albert Pujols to at least miss the start of the 2016 season as well. They have great depth in the Pitching Rotation, however are bogged down by the Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson costing them a combined $40 MIL. Add in $30 MIL in buyout/dead money and the team will have a tough time competing in 2016 without nearing $200 MIL in total team payroll.  This means that Arte Moreno will have to give new GM Billy Eppler some more money to dole out to Free Agents.  Will he do it?  I am afraid for the Halo’s in 2016 if he doesn’t bring in 2 – 3 more upgrades..

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

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It has been a slow but somewhat productive winter for the Angels brass, and in particular for new GM Billy Eppler.  They have done the kind of deals that will work only if they still pull the trigger on signing a premiere player.

Los Angeles acquired a 3B already in Yunel Escobar, who was only traded for by flipping Trevor Gott and a mid level prospect. Not bad for a guy who batted .315/.374/.415 over the past year, makes $7 MIL in 2016, and has a Team Option for 2017 at another $7 MIL – or the club can Buy him out for a cool million.

This came on the heels of trading for Andrelton Simmons, who has 5 years of Team Control left for a guy that only had one more year of salary on the books in Erick Aybar. Read the rest of this entry

Teams That Should Take Advantage Of A Weak Penalty For The Luxury Tax In 2016

In the last year of the current CBA, there is potentially only one more year to take advantage of a feeble penalty as a first time abuser in 2016. With Boston set to join the Dodgers and Yankees as abusers, I took a look at other teams who should consider the 2016 campaign as a rare gamble to dole out some cash in seeking a World Series trophy before the new CBA is authored in prior to the 2017 season.

In the last year of the current CBA, there is potentially only one more year to take advantage of a feeble penalty as a first time abuser in 2016. With Boston set to join the Dodgers and Yankees as abusers, I took a look at other teams who should consider the 2016 campaign as a rare gamble to dole out some cash in seeking a World Series trophy before the new CBA is authored in prior to the 2017 season.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part-Owner) 

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The Boston Red Sox might just be on to something.  They will be penalized for the 1st year of going over the new $189 MIL limit in 2016, but it is also the last year the CBA may have the percentages.

Currently right now, there is a 17.5% penalty for spending dollars over $189 MIL.  The Dodgers and Yankees are the only other teams that are budgeted over the mark in addition to Boston.

On the cusp are the Detroit Tigers, sitting at around $177 MIL – while the Giants and Angels are nearly at $170 MIL.  The Cubs are also near the $165 MIL area.

Why not spend like crazy in 2016 – and take advantage of the system as it is presented towards you? Read the rest of this entry

Baltimore Orioles State Of The Union For 2016

The Baltimore Orioles needed a 5 game winning streak at the year's end just to crack .500 last season. Now they might lose the reigning AL HR king and Wei Yin Chen from last years squad. Dan Duquette needs to be diligent with his roster over this winter otherwise the club could start a free fall back down the AL East Standings circa 1998 - 2011.

The Baltimore Orioles needed a 5 game winning streak at the year’s end just to crack .500 last season. Now they might lose the reigning AL HR king and Wei Yin Chen from last years squad. Dan Duquette needs to be diligent with his roster over this winter otherwise the club could start a free fall back down the AL East Standings circa 1998 – 2011.

Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead  Analyst) 

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The Baltimore Orioles are in serious jeopardy of falling back into a tailspin in the AL East if they don’t turn around their winter. 

Last year you could at least fathom that they had 3 players coming back from injury in Manny Machado, Matt Wieters and Chris Davis that they could rebound and repeat as AL East champs

Buck Showalter saw his team scramble for a .500 record – yet the season was a massive disappointment from the previous 3 years.

Now the club might lose Chris Davis, Wei-Yin Chen and Gerardo Parra to Free Agency.  The management stopped the bleeding a little with the recent re-signing of Darren O’Day. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Top Free Agent Predictions (Picks 1 – 25)

The Red Sox will need to spend some money on Pitching this season. But don't be surprised if they overstock on a few more offensive pieces in the lineup, and then use some of their prospects to obtain even more pitching. They orchestrated a trade for Closer Craig KImbrel on Friday. A bona fide shutdown guy with 225 Career Saves and an ERA of 1.63 lifetime. The winter has just started for the Beantowners.

The Red Sox will need to spend some money on Pitching this season. But don’t be surprised if they overstock on a few more offensive pieces in the lineup, and then use some of their prospects to obtain even more pitching. They orchestrated a trade for Closer Craig Kimbrel on Friday. A bona fide shutdown guy with 225 Career Saves and an ERA of 1.63 lifetime. The winter has just started for the Beantowners.

Jordan Gluck (Part Owner/Featured Writer)

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MLB Free Agent Predictions

I will be using mlbtraderumors.com top 50 free agents to make things easy. To be clear there are other free agents outside this list (some who I think should be on it) who will be available and many could have breakout or comeback seasons.

Additionally there will be players that get non tendered during arbitration. Well so here are my predictions.

 

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MLB Top Free Agent Predictions (Picks 26 – 50)

Matt Wieters accepted the 1 Year Qualifying Offer with the Baltimore Orioles. He joined both Colby Rasmus and Brett Anderson as the 1st 3 men to ever accept the 'QO' under the new format. Marco Estrada was also taken off off the market Friday, accepting a 2 YR/$26 MIL deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Matt Wieters accepted the 1 Year Qualifying Offer with the Baltimore Orioles. He joined both Colby Rasmus and Brett Anderson as the 1st 3 men to ever accept the ‘QO’ under the new format. Marco Estrada was also taken off off the market Friday, accepting a 2 YR/$26 MIL deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jordan Gluck (Part Owner/Featured Writer): 

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MLB Free Agent Predictions

I will be using mlbtraderumors.com top 50 free agents to make things easy. To be clear there are other free agents outside this list (some who I think should be on it) who will be available and many could have breakout or comeback seasons.

Additionally there will be players that get non tendered during arbitration. Well so here are my predictions.

Players 1 – 25 link

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How To Fix The M’s For 2016: Seattle Mariners State Of The Union

Seattle was a lot of peoples pick to win the American League it seemed. A 76 - 86 season record ensued, causing the franchise to fire their GM and coach. Now with a tough AL West to contend with in the near future, we look on how the M's may go about their business this fall.

Seattle was a lot of peoples pick to win the American League in 2015. A 76 – 86 season record ensued, causing the franchise to fire their GM and coach. Now with a tough AL West to contend with in the near future, we look on how the M’s may go about their business this fall.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) 

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The Seattle Mariners made a lot of prognosticators look bad this year (including yours truly).  Of course the Washington Nationals also did as well. Yep..Guilty again.

It was a good thing I put some money on the Blue Jays to win the World Series in preseason, and then hedged against them in the ALCS with KC.  I was  also fortunate enough to go 9 – 4 with my prop bets as well, and did decent in picking the Mets over the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLDS, then win over the Cubs, otherwise I would have taken a beating for the year.

Anyways, enough about me, how about the 76 – 86 Mariners?  This team dropped 11 wins from the 2014 campaign, and it looked ugly on them. Read the rest of this entry

Baltimore Orioles Payroll In 2015 + Contracts Going Forward

One could say that even in the most abysmal of circumstances last year, Davis still almost hit hat total last season, clubbing 26 Bolts in 127 Games Played.  Look for him to crush between 35 - 42 HRs this season.

One could say that even in the most abysmal of circumstances last year, Davis still almost hit hat total last season, clubbing 26 Bolts in 127 Games Played. Look for him to crush between 35 – 42 HRs this season.  The big 1B is among several key figures that are in contract years after the season concludes, including more than half of the Bullpen’s becoming Free Agents following this campaign as well.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer)

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The Orioles have had a quiet off season, but where that not amount too much in terms of adding talent to their 2014 Roster, a lot of it has to do with some of their players maturing in salary via Arbitration.

I am sure there is a degree of urgency for the O’s brass, since they have a plethora of pending Free Agents after this year.

The franchise is slated to dole out about $120 MIL in team money this campaign.  While that places them in the top half of the MLB, they only register 4th in the AL East.

With Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Wie-Yin Chen all hitting the open market after this season, maybe the club should take a run at acquiring some guys for their World Series plight half way through this year.

If those aforementioned O’s aren’t enough, Chris Tillman, Darren O’Day, Bud Norris. Tommy Hunter, Alejandro De Aza, Ryan Webb and Steve Peace are also free to sign with all 30 clubs beyond 2015.

Past this campaign the team still has solid building blocks instilled with having Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Zach Britton and Jonathan Schoop under Team Control for years to come, but still the time to strike is right now.

For a Year to Year Breakdown For all of the O’s players salaries please visit here.

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Boston’s Management Strategy May Help Club Prevail Again In 2015 AL East

Ben Cherington pulled off the biggest salary dump in MLB History in 2012, with his clearing the deck of Gonzalez, Crawford and Beckett.  He replaced them with saavy, playoff tested Veterans - on lower value, and year contracts.  His club won the 2013 AL East with the revamped squad - that improved almost 30 Wins from 2012.  Last season, the club suffered another last place finish, however he dealt away Jon Lester, for Yoenis Cespedes, and then turned that asset into Rick Porcello.  The club also was able to sign Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval for this year, and have inked Rusney Castillo and Yoan Moncada since last summer.  The Red Sox are showing the way to handle a roster year to year.  If you are in it, spend the money, and when you are out, trade anybody of value not in your long term plans.

Ben Cherington pulled off the biggest salary dump in MLB History in 2012, with his clearing the deck of Gonzalez, Crawford and Beckett. He replaced them with savvy, playoff tested Veterans – on lower value, and year contracts. His club won the 2013 AL East (and the World Series of course) with the revamped squad – that improved almost 30 Wins from 2012. Last season, the club suffered another last place finish, however he dealt away Jon Lester for Yoenis Cespedes, and then turned that asset into Rick Porcello. The club also was able to sign Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval for this year, and have also inked Rusney Castillo and Yoan Moncada to long-term deals since last summer. The Red Sox are showing the way to handle a roster year to year. If you are in it, spend the money, and when you are out, trade anybody of value not in your long term plans.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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The terrible news of Marcus Stroman‘s ACL  earlier this week has dampened the chances the Toronto Blue Jays chances to really take a shot at the Division.

Let me qualify this more….

I think the Jays will compete all season, and may take a run at one of the Wild Card Spots for sure, it just at this time of the year, losing any pitching hurts big time.

Toronto is already lacking an ace, but that is not a cause for grave concern in this Division, with the AL East possessing exactly zero of them now, following the departures of Jon Lester and David Price in the last 9 months.  But they are in trouble when it comes to depth versus the other clubs. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Power Rankings March 2015

Once again, the National League is very top heavy. with the Nationals, Dodgers and Cards reeling in 3 of the first 4 rankings spots.

Once again, the National League is very top-heavy. with the Nationals, Dodgers and Cards reeling in 3 of the first 5 rankings spots.  The American League has more parity in the league this year. and could feature several new entrants into postseason play.  This includes the two longest playoff drought teams in the Toronto Blue Jays (the last team to make the playoffs since the Strike/Lockout in 1994 and 1995 – and the M’s haven’t since their 116 win campaign in 2001. The Marlins own the longest such dry spell in the NL<- with their last playoff berth coming in their 2003 World Series win.  You also have many young franchises like the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins having several of their young studs coming into the fold, and teams like the Rangers trying to be relevant again following a league record for DL Stints in 2014.  This will mean there are no easy wins on the J’unior Circuit’ this campaign.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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1.  Washington Nationals – This team is so far above the rest of the MLB, they should be everyones unanimous pick to win the best record in the MLB.  Their Division is weaker the NL West, and the teams in the NL Central are a lot closer in parity.

2.  LA Dodgers – Too many changes will take the club time to gel.  Emphasis on Joc Pederson to do well may be too much to ask.  Not enough is being said about the club losing the offense of Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez. Any club with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke as their top 2 starting pitchers will never be to far from the top ranking.

3.  Detroit Tigers – This is all based on the American League Central.  While I believe the team is not as strong as last year in the pitching department with Max Scherzer, they may be better in the lineup with Yoenis Cespedes. Read the rest of this entry

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