Who says you can't change your team even as you're going to spring training?
Clearly not the Orioles and manager Buck Showalter.
They announced a 3-year, $5.75-million contract with RHP Suk-min Yoon, and apparently are within a passed physical of adding RHP Ubaldo Jimenez for four years and $50 million.
Yoon most likely would pitch out of the bullpen, where he would be one bad game removed from a "Suck-min" headline. I'm wary of Jimenez because his pitching motion has so many ways to get out of whack and also possibly hurt his arm.
-- With money that might have gone to Jimenez, the Indians avoided
arbitration with RHP Justin Masterson by signing him to a contract for
this season at $9.7625 million. What? They couldn't afford another measly $237,500 to bring him up to $10 million?
-- The Rangers apparently have gone into camp with a three-way battle among RHPs Neftali Feliz, Tanner Scheppers and Joakim Soria. I was encouraged about Soria last season until a couple of really bad September outings. Texas must not be too excited about Scheppers, because he was the headliner among a group of nine mostly marginal major leaguers signed for a year at or slightly above the $500,000 minimum. Scheppers will receive $515,000. If he does become the Rangers' closer, let's hope he doesn't spend too much of his money in The Flats in Cleveland.
-- Additional second base battles.
In Washington, it's shaping up as 2012 discovery Danny Espinosa and 2013 find Anthony Rendon. If neither matches his breakout season, it could be a long year for the Nationals and their pitchers.
The Yankees' front-runner is Brian "Can't Avoid Injury" Roberts. Other options could be Kelly "Can't Field" Johnson, Brendan "Can't Hit" Ryan and Eduardo "Can't Play Third or Short" Nunez. If a team has four second basemen, it really has no second baseman.
The spaghetti method -- take a bunch of players at one position to spring training, throw them at the all and hope one of them sticks -- really works only with pitchers. Among a group of five or six pitchers, one of them will get lucky enough to get some batters out -- at least through spring training, and even then he could become a liability during the regular season.
-- With New Age manager Brad Ausmus, the Tigers will join the growing trend of major league teams using analytics and probability to align fielders and improve their defense. Ausmus and analytics both begin with A. The new skipper's staff includes a guy named Matt Martin as defensive coordinator. Detroit also will be emphasizing speed more this season, with 2B Ian Kinsler and OF Rajai Davis (on a platoon basis) in their starting lineup. Prediction: Kinsler will steal more bases this season than Prince Fielder will.
-- It will be a surprise if the Tigers don't run away with the AL Central this year. Division rivals are making defensive changes by moving catchers to first base (Twins' Joe Mauer) and third base (Indians' Carlos Santana). Santana might be more agile than catcher-turned-third baseman Pablo Sandoval.
-- Looking ahead six weeks, the Blue Jays named RHP R.A. Dickey as their Opening Day starter.
* * *
Basketball. The NBA started up tonight, and I learned that I didn't win Week 16 by an 8-0 margin. Apparently, Week 16 is continuing from the short last week through the short this week -- even though this is a short week loaded with games. And my lead for the week now is down to 7-1; I've fallen behind in free throw percentage.
There were good performances from my roster tonight. The Suns' Gerald Green poured in 36 points, including six 3s. Carmelo Anthony had another (yawn!) double double with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Showing posts with label Gerald Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gerald Green. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Maholm more than a bargain for Dodgers
Thoe pitching pieces are beginning to fall into place.
A day after the Diamondbacks signed free-agent RHP Bronson Arroyo, the division-rival Dodgers agreed to terms with free-agent LHP Paul Maholm.
Los Angeles reportedly was one of Arroyo's suitors, and Maholm represented a fall-back position.
I'm here to say that the supposed loss of Arroyo actually will be to the Dodgers' benefit. Arizona is paying $23.5 million over 2 years for Arroyo, who will be 37 this season. Maholm, 31, is an injury risk, but LA is obligated to him only for 1 year and $1.5 million.
There's no way Arroyo can be more than 10 times more valuable than Maholm. I don't expect the former Red Sox/Reds pitcher to be able to make a difference to unseat the Dodgers at the top of the NL West.
To make room for Maholm on the roster, Los Angeles placed LHP Scott Elbert on the 60-day disabled list, which doesn't count against the 40-man limit. Elbert is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The Cubs avoided arbitration with RHP Jeff Samardzija by signing him to a 1-year, $5.345-million contract.
Elsewhere, arbitration decisions are beginning to be handed down.
Padres RHP Andrew Cashner, who broke through to win 14 games in 2013, won his case and will receive $2.4 million in 2014. Indians RHP Vinnie Pestano won't be a millionaire just yet. He lost in arbitration, and will be paid $975,000.
Perth, Mayaguez win winter titles
The Canberra Cavalry came closer than expected, but still lost the Austalian Baseball League best-of-three Championship Series in two games. Two one-run games. The host Perth Heat took the Claxton Shield -- the ABL's answer to the NFL's Lombardi Trophy -- for the third time in four years.
For Perth, Warwick Saupold (Tigers organization) pitched two hitless innings to save Saturday's 2-1 victory for winning pitcher Brian Baker, who last pitched in the U.S. in the Brewers organization. Catcher Allan de San Miguel (Rockies) singled to give the Heat a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning. Shortstop Joey Wong (Rockies) was the Championship Series MVP.
Los Naranjeros de Mayaguez from the Mexican Winter League won the Caribbean Series final game 7-1 Saturday over Los Indios de Mayaguez, representing Puerto Rico.Catcher Sebastian Valle hit a grand slam in a six-run sixth inning. Chris Roberson hit a solo homer in that inning.
The game had been scoreless until that inning. RHP Joel Pineiro allowed just three hits in five innings for Puerto Rico, but the bullpen gave up eight hits and seven runs over the next three innings. Winning pitcher Juan Delgadillo allowed four hits and struck out five.
Puerto Rico, which hasn't won the series since 2000, defeated Los Navigantes del Magallanes of Venezuela 2-0 Friday to advance to the championship game. The Puerto Rican team's runs both were unearned. Eddie Rosario's two-run bloop single in the seventh inning followed two errors by Venezuela shortstop Eduardo Escobar, a Twins prospect.
* * *
Basketball. It's still 8-0 heading into the final day of this week's competition. On Saturday, Ricky Rubio threw in a surprising 25 points for the Timberwolves and Team Fresh Prints. Just slightly less surprising was Gerald Green's 25-point performance for the Suns and TFP. For Sunday, I have eight players active, and I should do all right unless each of them shoots 3-for-18 or something like that.
* * *
Hockey. I haven't seen the official standings through Saturday yet, but it appears that the second-place team picked up a point to move nine points ahead of my 67 heading into the two-week-plus Olympic hibernation.
My lineup included two goalies whose team was playing, but neither of them were in goal. Thus, they didn't hurt me. But they didn't help me either. It appears that during this break I will be 3 wins, .223 (a huge gap) in goals against average and .034 in save percentage away from picking up a point in each of those categories.
On this surprising night, my former Avalanche players combined for plus-6 of my team's plus-7 performances. There were a few minuses in the lineup, but a player I saw in person, Brenden Dillon, was plus-1 in the Stars' 2-1 victory over the Coyotes.
I'm now 19 assists and 14 PPP behind the second-place team, but his players have a combined 63 games more than mine. So he could have to reduce his lineup by three or four players a day or take a week or two off at the end of the season. The first-place team also now has more games played than mine. I've used skated in seven more than he has, but he has used goalies 13 times more.
Important key: Don't see the Olympic break as a vacation. I've always tried to take stock of my fantasy baseball teams during the All-Star break, when the stats stand still. That used to be three days, now it's four. This Olympic break will be something like 16 days! Take some time to see where you can pick up points and formulate strategies to do just that. Scour the list of free agents. Think about trade scenarios. Note your league's trade deadline; I think my ESPN league's deadline is Feb. 28. Possibly most important, keep track of injuries and which players are likely to come back after the break. You can pick up useful players, possibly even star-caliber players, for little or no investment.
A day after the Diamondbacks signed free-agent RHP Bronson Arroyo, the division-rival Dodgers agreed to terms with free-agent LHP Paul Maholm.
Los Angeles reportedly was one of Arroyo's suitors, and Maholm represented a fall-back position.
I'm here to say that the supposed loss of Arroyo actually will be to the Dodgers' benefit. Arizona is paying $23.5 million over 2 years for Arroyo, who will be 37 this season. Maholm, 31, is an injury risk, but LA is obligated to him only for 1 year and $1.5 million.
There's no way Arroyo can be more than 10 times more valuable than Maholm. I don't expect the former Red Sox/Reds pitcher to be able to make a difference to unseat the Dodgers at the top of the NL West.
To make room for Maholm on the roster, Los Angeles placed LHP Scott Elbert on the 60-day disabled list, which doesn't count against the 40-man limit. Elbert is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The Cubs avoided arbitration with RHP Jeff Samardzija by signing him to a 1-year, $5.345-million contract.
Elsewhere, arbitration decisions are beginning to be handed down.
Padres RHP Andrew Cashner, who broke through to win 14 games in 2013, won his case and will receive $2.4 million in 2014. Indians RHP Vinnie Pestano won't be a millionaire just yet. He lost in arbitration, and will be paid $975,000.
Perth, Mayaguez win winter titles
The Canberra Cavalry came closer than expected, but still lost the Austalian Baseball League best-of-three Championship Series in two games. Two one-run games. The host Perth Heat took the Claxton Shield -- the ABL's answer to the NFL's Lombardi Trophy -- for the third time in four years.
For Perth, Warwick Saupold (Tigers organization) pitched two hitless innings to save Saturday's 2-1 victory for winning pitcher Brian Baker, who last pitched in the U.S. in the Brewers organization. Catcher Allan de San Miguel (Rockies) singled to give the Heat a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning. Shortstop Joey Wong (Rockies) was the Championship Series MVP.
Los Naranjeros de Mayaguez from the Mexican Winter League won the Caribbean Series final game 7-1 Saturday over Los Indios de Mayaguez, representing Puerto Rico.Catcher Sebastian Valle hit a grand slam in a six-run sixth inning. Chris Roberson hit a solo homer in that inning.
The game had been scoreless until that inning. RHP Joel Pineiro allowed just three hits in five innings for Puerto Rico, but the bullpen gave up eight hits and seven runs over the next three innings. Winning pitcher Juan Delgadillo allowed four hits and struck out five.
Puerto Rico, which hasn't won the series since 2000, defeated Los Navigantes del Magallanes of Venezuela 2-0 Friday to advance to the championship game. The Puerto Rican team's runs both were unearned. Eddie Rosario's two-run bloop single in the seventh inning followed two errors by Venezuela shortstop Eduardo Escobar, a Twins prospect.
* * *
Basketball. It's still 8-0 heading into the final day of this week's competition. On Saturday, Ricky Rubio threw in a surprising 25 points for the Timberwolves and Team Fresh Prints. Just slightly less surprising was Gerald Green's 25-point performance for the Suns and TFP. For Sunday, I have eight players active, and I should do all right unless each of them shoots 3-for-18 or something like that.
* * *
Hockey. I haven't seen the official standings through Saturday yet, but it appears that the second-place team picked up a point to move nine points ahead of my 67 heading into the two-week-plus Olympic hibernation.
My lineup included two goalies whose team was playing, but neither of them were in goal. Thus, they didn't hurt me. But they didn't help me either. It appears that during this break I will be 3 wins, .223 (a huge gap) in goals against average and .034 in save percentage away from picking up a point in each of those categories.
On this surprising night, my former Avalanche players combined for plus-6 of my team's plus-7 performances. There were a few minuses in the lineup, but a player I saw in person, Brenden Dillon, was plus-1 in the Stars' 2-1 victory over the Coyotes.
I'm now 19 assists and 14 PPP behind the second-place team, but his players have a combined 63 games more than mine. So he could have to reduce his lineup by three or four players a day or take a week or two off at the end of the season. The first-place team also now has more games played than mine. I've used skated in seven more than he has, but he has used goalies 13 times more.
Important key: Don't see the Olympic break as a vacation. I've always tried to take stock of my fantasy baseball teams during the All-Star break, when the stats stand still. That used to be three days, now it's four. This Olympic break will be something like 16 days! Take some time to see where you can pick up points and formulate strategies to do just that. Scour the list of free agents. Think about trade scenarios. Note your league's trade deadline; I think my ESPN league's deadline is Feb. 28. Possibly most important, keep track of injuries and which players are likely to come back after the break. You can pick up useful players, possibly even star-caliber players, for little or no investment.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Freeman earns big contract; can Heyward do the same?
The biggest contract signing Monday was the Diamondbacks' re-signing with OF Gerardo Parra for this season.
Tuesday's activities dwarfed that one. The Braves avoided arbitration with the two players they hope will be the kingpins of their offense for the near future. 1B Freddie Freeman signed for a franchise-record $135 milion over eight years, and OF Jason Heyward agreed to two years and $13.3 million.
To put Freeman's contract in perspective, the most Chipper Jones ever got was $90 million for six years. Yes, there has been some inflation since then, but Freeman's amount still blows Jones out of the water. Can Freddie earn it? Yes, unless complacency sets in. In Heyward's case, Atlanta must be hoping that his seeing a few million now could be the incentive he needs to show that he's ready to earn and receive much more in his next contract. He hasn't yet shown that he's worthy.
A more sobering note: Padres LHP Cory Luebke will undergo Tommy John surgery for the second consecutive year, and as a result will not be pitching for the second season in a row.
Free agency continues to be a topic, but a slow-moving topic with no signings for a while.
The players being spurned because they would cost the signing team a draft pick are RHPs Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana, OF Nelson Cruz, DH Kendrys Morales and SS Stephen Drew.
With RHP Jeremy Hellickson out for at least six weeks this season, the Rays could sign RHP Bronson Arroyo, the next-best available starter to take Hellickson's spot in the rotation for at least a while.
Other starting pitchers still available include LHPs Chris Capuano, Barry Zito and Paul Maholm, and RHPs Tommy Hanson and Jake Westbrook. Out of that group, I'd be most interested in Maholm and Hanson (if he isn't hurt).
Former closers available are RHPs Joel Hanrahan, Andrew Bailey, Rafael Betancourt, Kevin Gregg, Brett Myers, Francisco Rodriguez and Fernando Rodney. There are reasons why most of them USED TO BE closers. Rodriguez is second among active pitchers with 302 career saves, but at this point he's far more likely to get 2 more saves than to get 300. Rodney is the best of the lot; he still seems to have that chip on his shoulder/swagger combination that works so well in that role. RHPs Luis Ayala and Frank Francisco have had some saves during their career, but seem barely capable of keeping a major league job now.
LHPs Mike Gonzalez and Oliver Perez also are available for bullpen supporting roles.
Other free agents who have had some success in years past are 3B Placido Polanco and OF Juan Pierre, who doesn't seem likely even to steal enough bases to have some fantasy value.
Look ahead to Thursday. That's the day when the first pitchers and catchers will report -- for the Diamondbacks, who will open the regular season (with the Dodgers) a week earlier than everyone else in Australia. Arizona also seems serious about being a player, both in free agency and on the field.
* * *
Hockey. On Monday, eight skaters were active on my team, and they provided no goals, one power-play point and two penalty minutes.
As usual, I misplayed my goalies. I used Frederik Andersen, who gave up four goals in Anaheim's loss. I really had been counting on Ben Scrivens to win for Edmonton against the Sabres, the league's worst team. But he wasn't in goal. The newly reacquired Steve Mason did play for Philadelphia, allowing two goals in a win.
Tuesday was better. Clarke MacArthur helped me pick up a point with 14 penalty minutes that moved me into second in that category. That point lifted my team's total to 67, 7 1/2 points out of second place. I'm also within 20 of first place for the first time in ... a month? two months? My plus/minus is sliding into at least the outer circles of hell. I'm down to plus-45, just 4 ahead of the team behind me and 41 away from the next higher team. My best chances for an additional point are save percentage (trailing by .025) and assists (10 back of the next higher team).
For Wednesday, I decided to go with Joe Pavelski, playing at home against Dallas, than with Corey Perry, who's going against the Blackhawks.
* * *
Basketball. Through Monday, my lead was just 5-1-2 -- with ties in assists and 3-point field goals, and trailing again in field goal percentage. After Tuesday, it appears that I'm up to 6-2, with a lead in assists on the strength of Ricky Rubio's 13. Gerald Green sabotaged me with his 2 for 13 shooting. Jodie Meeks played only a minute before he decided he couldn't play on his sore ankle -- just long enough to miss both of his shots.
Meeks is now off my roster, along with Joe Johnson. In their place, I picked up Jose Calderon to help on 3-pointers and Boris Diaw for his shooting percentage. It doesn't hurt that he's one of my favorite players. What's not to like about a black man named Boris from France? (Especially one who can play.)
I really need to fix my field goal percentage before the playoffs to avoid a premature exit. If I don't I'll have to depend on building up big leads in the counting stats, and late in the week still trying to use only my best shooters.
It's possible that I would make more playoff moves, or that I could stand pat with players I hope will do better.
Tuesday's activities dwarfed that one. The Braves avoided arbitration with the two players they hope will be the kingpins of their offense for the near future. 1B Freddie Freeman signed for a franchise-record $135 milion over eight years, and OF Jason Heyward agreed to two years and $13.3 million.
To put Freeman's contract in perspective, the most Chipper Jones ever got was $90 million for six years. Yes, there has been some inflation since then, but Freeman's amount still blows Jones out of the water. Can Freddie earn it? Yes, unless complacency sets in. In Heyward's case, Atlanta must be hoping that his seeing a few million now could be the incentive he needs to show that he's ready to earn and receive much more in his next contract. He hasn't yet shown that he's worthy.
A more sobering note: Padres LHP Cory Luebke will undergo Tommy John surgery for the second consecutive year, and as a result will not be pitching for the second season in a row.
Free agency continues to be a topic, but a slow-moving topic with no signings for a while.
The players being spurned because they would cost the signing team a draft pick are RHPs Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana, OF Nelson Cruz, DH Kendrys Morales and SS Stephen Drew.
With RHP Jeremy Hellickson out for at least six weeks this season, the Rays could sign RHP Bronson Arroyo, the next-best available starter to take Hellickson's spot in the rotation for at least a while.
Other starting pitchers still available include LHPs Chris Capuano, Barry Zito and Paul Maholm, and RHPs Tommy Hanson and Jake Westbrook. Out of that group, I'd be most interested in Maholm and Hanson (if he isn't hurt).
Former closers available are RHPs Joel Hanrahan, Andrew Bailey, Rafael Betancourt, Kevin Gregg, Brett Myers, Francisco Rodriguez and Fernando Rodney. There are reasons why most of them USED TO BE closers. Rodriguez is second among active pitchers with 302 career saves, but at this point he's far more likely to get 2 more saves than to get 300. Rodney is the best of the lot; he still seems to have that chip on his shoulder/swagger combination that works so well in that role. RHPs Luis Ayala and Frank Francisco have had some saves during their career, but seem barely capable of keeping a major league job now.
LHPs Mike Gonzalez and Oliver Perez also are available for bullpen supporting roles.
Other free agents who have had some success in years past are 3B Placido Polanco and OF Juan Pierre, who doesn't seem likely even to steal enough bases to have some fantasy value.
Look ahead to Thursday. That's the day when the first pitchers and catchers will report -- for the Diamondbacks, who will open the regular season (with the Dodgers) a week earlier than everyone else in Australia. Arizona also seems serious about being a player, both in free agency and on the field.
* * *
Hockey. On Monday, eight skaters were active on my team, and they provided no goals, one power-play point and two penalty minutes.
As usual, I misplayed my goalies. I used Frederik Andersen, who gave up four goals in Anaheim's loss. I really had been counting on Ben Scrivens to win for Edmonton against the Sabres, the league's worst team. But he wasn't in goal. The newly reacquired Steve Mason did play for Philadelphia, allowing two goals in a win.
Tuesday was better. Clarke MacArthur helped me pick up a point with 14 penalty minutes that moved me into second in that category. That point lifted my team's total to 67, 7 1/2 points out of second place. I'm also within 20 of first place for the first time in ... a month? two months? My plus/minus is sliding into at least the outer circles of hell. I'm down to plus-45, just 4 ahead of the team behind me and 41 away from the next higher team. My best chances for an additional point are save percentage (trailing by .025) and assists (10 back of the next higher team).
For Wednesday, I decided to go with Joe Pavelski, playing at home against Dallas, than with Corey Perry, who's going against the Blackhawks.
* * *
Basketball. Through Monday, my lead was just 5-1-2 -- with ties in assists and 3-point field goals, and trailing again in field goal percentage. After Tuesday, it appears that I'm up to 6-2, with a lead in assists on the strength of Ricky Rubio's 13. Gerald Green sabotaged me with his 2 for 13 shooting. Jodie Meeks played only a minute before he decided he couldn't play on his sore ankle -- just long enough to miss both of his shots.
Meeks is now off my roster, along with Joe Johnson. In their place, I picked up Jose Calderon to help on 3-pointers and Boris Diaw for his shooting percentage. It doesn't hurt that he's one of my favorite players. What's not to like about a black man named Boris from France? (Especially one who can play.)
I really need to fix my field goal percentage before the playoffs to avoid a premature exit. If I don't I'll have to depend on building up big leads in the counting stats, and late in the week still trying to use only my best shooters.
It's possible that I would make more playoff moves, or that I could stand pat with players I hope will do better.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
There's always a job for a middle-of-the-road lefty
The Rangers and Mets made blip-on-the-radar news this weekend. Not a bad time for lefties either.
Texas signed LHP Rafael Perez a minor league contract with a chance to compete for a spot in their bullpen. He's a sidearmer effective against his kindred left-handers. Kind of like a southpaw Darren O'Day from the Rangers' glory days. Texas had Michael Kirkman in its bullpen most of last season. I'm fairly confident the Rangers could do better with Perez, who pitched only in the minors in 2013.
With LHP Derek Holland out for half or more of this season, Texas reportedly has been exploring signing LHPs Paul Maholm or Bruce Chen. Maholm had some success when the Pirates were really bad. Chen has pitched for just about everybody, including parts of two seasons for the Rangers, and brings a high-end personality to a clubhouse. He even pitched well as a swing man for Kansas City last season.
Texas also avoided arbitration by signing one-year contracts with RHPs Neftali Feliz ($3 million) and Alexi Ogando ($2.625 mill). That's probably more than $10,000 per pitch for the pair who were hurt most of last year. Ogando was on the DL three different times. Feliz took more of the long-term approach by not pitching in the majors until September.
The Mets signed LHP John Lannan, who could be their fifth starter, and are bringing back SS/utility infielder Omar Quintanilla. Each would go to spring training with a minor league contract.
Another guy, or perhaps I should say just another guy, is trying to make a comeback after being out of pro ball last year. The Mariners have agreed with LHP Joe Beimel on a minor league deal. Not sure why they think he suddenly might know how to pitch.
The list of teams that reportedly have offered RHP Masahiro Tanaka more than $100 million for six years shows that the Diamondbacks want to become major, big-market player. The other teams on the list are the Yankees, Dodgers, White Sox and Cubs. Hey, the Cubbies could win 70 games with Tanaka on the staff.
* * *
Basketball. It's still 7-1 going into the last day of the week.
I'm down by six 3-pointers, and think I have sufficient leads in the other categories unless my shooting percentages go down significantly (which always can happen).
Team Fresh Prints has five players going Sunday, to four for my opponent. However, three of his players are guards, but one is Rajon Rondo, whom we shouldn't expect to play much for a while.
I also have three guards in action, but I'll need good performances from Gerald Green, Victor Oladipo and Marco Belinelli to have a chance to sweep the week.
Covered the Trail Blazers' devastation of the Mavericks tonight. Mo Williams, who comes off Portland's bench in much the same way that he comes off my bench, had a good game with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and eight points, but didn't hit any 3s.
A player to watch for Dallas is Devin Harris, who played for the first time this season. He could give them a legitimate point guard, but tonight he had just six points in 17 minutes and missed two free throws.
* * *
Hockey. Can't say much because I dropped a point and had poor performances in my Categories That Shall Not Be Named. On the down side, there are four other teams creeping up close behind me in goalie wins. Let's put it this way, they're closer to me than I am to the team ahead of me.
* * *
Football. After being eliminated from the AMFL playoffs last week, I have no fantasy football teams active.
I'm pretty sure I'm out of contention in the Pittsburgh pick-'em playoff pool. Don't remember whether I told you my strategy for this week in the hypothetical bet-a-thousand pool. I'm putting $1,400 on the Broncos at (I believe) minus-7 1/2 and $100 on the 49ers at (I think) plus-3 1/2. A Denver win could at least narrow the gap between my $1,600 and the $3,700 that leads the pool. If the Patriots and Seahawks cover, I'd at least be left with $100 that I could double with a winning Super Bowl bet. Of course, it's not real money unless I finish in the top three (maybe top six, don't remember) and then I'd win just a percentage of the $10 entry fees put into the pool. I'm currently 18th among about 60 in the pool.
Texas signed LHP Rafael Perez a minor league contract with a chance to compete for a spot in their bullpen. He's a sidearmer effective against his kindred left-handers. Kind of like a southpaw Darren O'Day from the Rangers' glory days. Texas had Michael Kirkman in its bullpen most of last season. I'm fairly confident the Rangers could do better with Perez, who pitched only in the minors in 2013.
With LHP Derek Holland out for half or more of this season, Texas reportedly has been exploring signing LHPs Paul Maholm or Bruce Chen. Maholm had some success when the Pirates were really bad. Chen has pitched for just about everybody, including parts of two seasons for the Rangers, and brings a high-end personality to a clubhouse. He even pitched well as a swing man for Kansas City last season.
Texas also avoided arbitration by signing one-year contracts with RHPs Neftali Feliz ($3 million) and Alexi Ogando ($2.625 mill). That's probably more than $10,000 per pitch for the pair who were hurt most of last year. Ogando was on the DL three different times. Feliz took more of the long-term approach by not pitching in the majors until September.
The Mets signed LHP John Lannan, who could be their fifth starter, and are bringing back SS/utility infielder Omar Quintanilla. Each would go to spring training with a minor league contract.
Another guy, or perhaps I should say just another guy, is trying to make a comeback after being out of pro ball last year. The Mariners have agreed with LHP Joe Beimel on a minor league deal. Not sure why they think he suddenly might know how to pitch.
The list of teams that reportedly have offered RHP Masahiro Tanaka more than $100 million for six years shows that the Diamondbacks want to become major, big-market player. The other teams on the list are the Yankees, Dodgers, White Sox and Cubs. Hey, the Cubbies could win 70 games with Tanaka on the staff.
* * *
Basketball. It's still 7-1 going into the last day of the week.
I'm down by six 3-pointers, and think I have sufficient leads in the other categories unless my shooting percentages go down significantly (which always can happen).
Team Fresh Prints has five players going Sunday, to four for my opponent. However, three of his players are guards, but one is Rajon Rondo, whom we shouldn't expect to play much for a while.
I also have three guards in action, but I'll need good performances from Gerald Green, Victor Oladipo and Marco Belinelli to have a chance to sweep the week.
Covered the Trail Blazers' devastation of the Mavericks tonight. Mo Williams, who comes off Portland's bench in much the same way that he comes off my bench, had a good game with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and eight points, but didn't hit any 3s.
A player to watch for Dallas is Devin Harris, who played for the first time this season. He could give them a legitimate point guard, but tonight he had just six points in 17 minutes and missed two free throws.
* * *
Hockey. Can't say much because I dropped a point and had poor performances in my Categories That Shall Not Be Named. On the down side, there are four other teams creeping up close behind me in goalie wins. Let's put it this way, they're closer to me than I am to the team ahead of me.
* * *
Football. After being eliminated from the AMFL playoffs last week, I have no fantasy football teams active.
I'm pretty sure I'm out of contention in the Pittsburgh pick-'em playoff pool. Don't remember whether I told you my strategy for this week in the hypothetical bet-a-thousand pool. I'm putting $1,400 on the Broncos at (I believe) minus-7 1/2 and $100 on the 49ers at (I think) plus-3 1/2. A Denver win could at least narrow the gap between my $1,600 and the $3,700 that leads the pool. If the Patriots and Seahawks cover, I'd at least be left with $100 that I could double with a winning Super Bowl bet. Of course, it's not real money unless I finish in the top three (maybe top six, don't remember) and then I'd win just a percentage of the $10 entry fees put into the pool. I'm currently 18th among about 60 in the pool.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Ellis looks like better pickup than Axford
Two baseball deals were set over the weekend, another was finalized and two others were reported.
The Dodgers confirmed that 3B Jose Uribe would return on a 2-year, $15-million deal and the Twins re-upped RHP Mike Pelfrey for 2014 and '15.
The Mets completed their 2-year contract with free-agent RHP Bartolo Colon.
The reported free-agent signings were by the Indians for RHP John Axford -- who could become their closer, at least until he loses the job -- and the Cardinals with 2B Mark Ellis. He could take some pressure off left-handed-hitting 2B Kolten Wong.
* * *
Football. The problem with having more than one fantasy team is that a guy who gives you a win in one league could beat you in another. That appears likely to be the case in my two football leagues.
Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles' 5 touchdowns gave me 30 points in my scoring-only league. That helped me to a 63-20 lead with RB Ray Rice and the Lions' quarterbacks still to play. My opponent's starting lineup has all played already. In a league that has been going since 1987, I haven't scored more than 70. And that was when we got double points for 50-plus-yard scoring plays and I had Jerry Rice on my roster. I'll still be two games out of first place with two to play.
In my scoring-plus-yardage, I'm on the verge of blowing a 25-point lead after the first week of a two-game consolation semifinal playoff. Playing against me, Charles scored 51 points. That helped my opponent pulled within 183-181 with my roster exhausted and Lions RB Reggie Bush still available for him Monday night.
* * *
Hockey. With only one player from my roster actually playing, I dropped a point in ATOI. Valtteri Flippula gave me an assist and plus-1. Fortunately, I didn't make a change to put Flyers G Steve Mason in my lineup. He again gave up four goals, and lost in overtime. But I might have been able to use my two Ducks skaters, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner, each plus-1. I apparently didn't make lineup changes after Saturday night's Bucks-Mavericks game. Got up this morning at 5 to go to Bonham for two church services, took a nap when I returned and didn't wake up until the Packers were scoring to pull within 29-24 of the Cowboys.
Made another move to get more minutes as well as some penalty minutes and shots and a positive plus/minus on my backline. Welcome, Stars D Brenden Dillon to replace the Bruins' Torey Krug.
* * *
Basketball. Late Sunday afternoon, after Gerald Greene made a 3-pointer, I was leading 8-0 as this week's head-to-head matchup neared its end. However, I knew my lead of 1 3-pointer wasn't safe with Stephen Curry still playing for my opponent.
So I wasn't surprised when Curry made 4 treys and no one on my roster had another. However, it was a surprise that my opponents' hustling team made 13 steals and 32 of 35 free throws (while my guys were missing 5 of 17). That left me with a 5-3 win for the week (22-10 over the last 4 weeks after a 5-18-1 start).
I moved up to seventh place, 2 1/2 games out of fifth. I'm also 4 1/2 games behind the third-place team, my opponent for the next week, and 7 1/2 out of first.
The Dodgers confirmed that 3B Jose Uribe would return on a 2-year, $15-million deal and the Twins re-upped RHP Mike Pelfrey for 2014 and '15.
The Mets completed their 2-year contract with free-agent RHP Bartolo Colon.
The reported free-agent signings were by the Indians for RHP John Axford -- who could become their closer, at least until he loses the job -- and the Cardinals with 2B Mark Ellis. He could take some pressure off left-handed-hitting 2B Kolten Wong.
* * *
Football. The problem with having more than one fantasy team is that a guy who gives you a win in one league could beat you in another. That appears likely to be the case in my two football leagues.
Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles' 5 touchdowns gave me 30 points in my scoring-only league. That helped me to a 63-20 lead with RB Ray Rice and the Lions' quarterbacks still to play. My opponent's starting lineup has all played already. In a league that has been going since 1987, I haven't scored more than 70. And that was when we got double points for 50-plus-yard scoring plays and I had Jerry Rice on my roster. I'll still be two games out of first place with two to play.
In my scoring-plus-yardage, I'm on the verge of blowing a 25-point lead after the first week of a two-game consolation semifinal playoff. Playing against me, Charles scored 51 points. That helped my opponent pulled within 183-181 with my roster exhausted and Lions RB Reggie Bush still available for him Monday night.
* * *
Hockey. With only one player from my roster actually playing, I dropped a point in ATOI. Valtteri Flippula gave me an assist and plus-1. Fortunately, I didn't make a change to put Flyers G Steve Mason in my lineup. He again gave up four goals, and lost in overtime. But I might have been able to use my two Ducks skaters, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner, each plus-1. I apparently didn't make lineup changes after Saturday night's Bucks-Mavericks game. Got up this morning at 5 to go to Bonham for two church services, took a nap when I returned and didn't wake up until the Packers were scoring to pull within 29-24 of the Cowboys.
Made another move to get more minutes as well as some penalty minutes and shots and a positive plus/minus on my backline. Welcome, Stars D Brenden Dillon to replace the Bruins' Torey Krug.
* * *
Basketball. Late Sunday afternoon, after Gerald Greene made a 3-pointer, I was leading 8-0 as this week's head-to-head matchup neared its end. However, I knew my lead of 1 3-pointer wasn't safe with Stephen Curry still playing for my opponent.
So I wasn't surprised when Curry made 4 treys and no one on my roster had another. However, it was a surprise that my opponents' hustling team made 13 steals and 32 of 35 free throws (while my guys were missing 5 of 17). That left me with a 5-3 win for the week (22-10 over the last 4 weeks after a 5-18-1 start).
I moved up to seventh place, 2 1/2 games out of fifth. I'm also 4 1/2 games behind the third-place team, my opponent for the next week, and 7 1/2 out of first.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Cleaning up, but not cleanup batters
Part of the cleaning up is sweeping up the crumbs from the winter meetings.
The latest contract agreement and near agreement are hardly crumby, though.
The Rays ponied up some cash to keep 1B James Loney on a reported 3-year contract. The Royals are close to a 4-year deal for more than $30 million with 2B Omar Infante, according to his agent.
These aren't big deals for big hitters such as Giancarlo Stanton or Nelson Cruz, but they are important to teams who want to be in the playoff picture for 2014 and not standing outside the frame like Broadway Danny Rose.
* * *
Hockey. With only one player -- Matt Niskanen, who helped with minutes and a plus-1 rating -- active Friday, I still managed to gain 1 1/2 points on the second-place team. By not playing, my goalies picked up a point in goals against average. I'll have a full complement of skaters and possibly a goalie or two going tonight. I don't want my players scoring on my goalie, the way my remaining Senators did last week.
* * *
Basketball. Picking up Gerald Green did get me two 3-pointers, and the rest of my lineup came up with enough to take the lead by four in that category. And that put me ahead for the week 8-0. If that holds, and the other contests in my league go as they have been, I would pass only one team but would move into a tie with two or three other teams as close as three games to first place. I should have a good lineup going tonight to help me hold at least most of my lead. Five players are active, including Chris Bosh and the recently hot Carmelo Anthony.
The latest contract agreement and near agreement are hardly crumby, though.
The Rays ponied up some cash to keep 1B James Loney on a reported 3-year contract. The Royals are close to a 4-year deal for more than $30 million with 2B Omar Infante, according to his agent.
These aren't big deals for big hitters such as Giancarlo Stanton or Nelson Cruz, but they are important to teams who want to be in the playoff picture for 2014 and not standing outside the frame like Broadway Danny Rose.
* * *
Hockey. With only one player -- Matt Niskanen, who helped with minutes and a plus-1 rating -- active Friday, I still managed to gain 1 1/2 points on the second-place team. By not playing, my goalies picked up a point in goals against average. I'll have a full complement of skaters and possibly a goalie or two going tonight. I don't want my players scoring on my goalie, the way my remaining Senators did last week.
* * *
Basketball. Picking up Gerald Green did get me two 3-pointers, and the rest of my lineup came up with enough to take the lead by four in that category. And that put me ahead for the week 8-0. If that holds, and the other contests in my league go as they have been, I would pass only one team but would move into a tie with two or three other teams as close as three games to first place. I should have a good lineup going tonight to help me hold at least most of my lead. Five players are active, including Chris Bosh and the recently hot Carmelo Anthony.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Meetings could also be a pre-climax
This year's winter meetings were indeed an anti-climax after a flurry of player moves during the week that preceded them. The meeting might also be a pre-climax to the few free-agent signings (headlined by Shin-soo Choo and Grant Balfour) and possible trades (David Price?) still to come.
The meetings came and went quickly -- I guess unless you went there and spent a lot of time hanging around the hotel lobby.
The moves, mostly minor, over the last couple of days:
-- Red Sox. Finalized their 2-year, $32-million resigning of 1B Mike Napoli. To make room on the 40-man roster, Boston designated OF Alex Castellanos for assignment.
-- Giants. Probably overpaid $5 million for 1 year of OF/1B Mike Morse, who's likely to become their left fielder.
-- Phillies. Signed RHP Roberto Hernandez aka Fausto Carmona and drafted RHP Kevin Munson from the Diamondbacks.
-- Tigers. Signed free-agent RHP Joba Chamberlain to a 1-year, $2.5-million contract. I know Detroit's bullpen has been terrible, but what has Chamberlain to show he's any better and justify a $2.5M price tag.
-- Marlins. Traded OF Justin Ruggiano to the Cubs for OF Brian Bogusevic. I actually like this move for Miami. I saw Bogusevic make the conversion from pitching, and believe he has more upside than Ruggiano, who may have just had the best season he ever will have. The Marlins also trolled the low-cost waters by taking shots at four players in the Rule 5 minor league draft.
-- Astros. Traded the first pick in the major league Rule 5 draft, LHP Patrick Schuster, to the Padres to complete the deal that sent RHP Anthony Bass to Houston Wednesday. Not really a big deal on either side. Schuster, who pitched four consecutive no-hitters in high school in 2009, had a 1.83 ERA as a reliever for the Diamondbacks' affiliate in the high Class A California League last season. But he doesn't throw hard, and that's still a long way from the majors.
-- Angels. Acquired LHP Brian Moran, a nephew of ex-major leaguer B.J. Surhoff, whom the Blue Jays had drafted from the Mariners organization, for $244,000 of international-player bonus money. Moran has Triple-A experience. That and left-handedness could earn him at least a few sips of coffee in the majors.
-- Blue Jays. They also were pretty busy in Thursday's minor league draft. One of the players they took was LHP Richard "Big Dick" Bleier from the Rangers organization.
-- Dodgers. Acquired another major league draft pick, RHP Seth Rosin, by sending cash to the Mets. Rosin was throwing low-90s fastballs in Double-A this year.
-- White Sox. Drafted and kept C Adrian Nieto from the Nationals organization. He batted .285 with 11 homers and threw out 33 per cent of base stealers in the high A Carolina League. It might be difficult for Chicago to keep Nieto on its roster for 2014, and also to send him to the minors without someone else claiming him.
-- Rockies. Drafted RHP Tommy Kahnle from the Yankees. He threw in the mid-90s, but without much control, in Double-A. Colorado needs pitching, so it wouldn't be a stretch to think Kahnle could be in its bullpen in '14.
-- Brewers. Drafted LHP Wei-Chung Wang from the Pirates. The Taiwanese pitcher was in the Rookie Class Gulf Coast League this year after coming back from Tommy John surgery.
-- Diamondbacks. In addition to losing a couple of players in the major league Rule 5 draft, Arizona claimed RHP Marcos Mateo, a former major leaguer, from the Cubs organization.
-- Orioles. Drafted 3B Michael Almanzar, the son of former major league pitcher Carlos Almanzar, from the Red Sox. Michael hit 16 homers in Double-A this year, but needs to refine his swing, selectiveness and defense. Baltimore also obtained C David Freitas from the Athletics organization as the final return for RHP Jim Johnson.
-- Braves. Avoided arbitration by resigning RHP Jordan Walden for 1 year and $1.49 million.
-- Pirates. Resigned SS Clint Barmes for 2014 for what ESPN reported as $2 million. Pittsburgh has not confirmed a reported agreement with free-agent RHP Edinson Volquez for a year and $5 million. That's despite his 5.71 ERA last season. Perhaps the Pirates think he could benefit, as their 2013 starters did, from their advanced metrics that led to successful placement of fielders. If nothing else, Volquez is cheaper than resigning RHP A.J. Burnett. Perhaps the Bucs could use some of the difference toward a contract with free-agent 1B James Loney, which could run to $30 million for 3 years. Or they could trade for a less-expensive 1B such as Seattle's Justin Smoak.
* * *
Overall, Thursday was a good night for my fantasy teams.
Football. In my scoring-plus-yardage league playoffs, I picked up a sub-standard 17 points from Peyton Manning, plus 14 for Keenan Allen and 3 for Danny Woodhead to take a 141-87 lead into the weekend. I'll have six more players in action; my opponent will have seven. In my scoring-only league, Allen's two TDs gave me a 12-6 lead over my opponent, whose points came from Manning's TD passes. Better yet, I still have six players to go; he has just four.
Hockey. A rare good night in plus/minus helped me gain 3 points. The second-place team lost 2 points, so I cut the gap to 7 1/2 points.
Basketball. I'm still leading 7-1, trailing only in 3-pointers. To that end, I picked up the Suns' Gerald Green to replace the next-to-worthless J.R. Smith.
The meetings came and went quickly -- I guess unless you went there and spent a lot of time hanging around the hotel lobby.
The moves, mostly minor, over the last couple of days:
-- Red Sox. Finalized their 2-year, $32-million resigning of 1B Mike Napoli. To make room on the 40-man roster, Boston designated OF Alex Castellanos for assignment.
-- Giants. Probably overpaid $5 million for 1 year of OF/1B Mike Morse, who's likely to become their left fielder.
-- Phillies. Signed RHP Roberto Hernandez aka Fausto Carmona and drafted RHP Kevin Munson from the Diamondbacks.
-- Tigers. Signed free-agent RHP Joba Chamberlain to a 1-year, $2.5-million contract. I know Detroit's bullpen has been terrible, but what has Chamberlain to show he's any better and justify a $2.5M price tag.
-- Marlins. Traded OF Justin Ruggiano to the Cubs for OF Brian Bogusevic. I actually like this move for Miami. I saw Bogusevic make the conversion from pitching, and believe he has more upside than Ruggiano, who may have just had the best season he ever will have. The Marlins also trolled the low-cost waters by taking shots at four players in the Rule 5 minor league draft.
-- Astros. Traded the first pick in the major league Rule 5 draft, LHP Patrick Schuster, to the Padres to complete the deal that sent RHP Anthony Bass to Houston Wednesday. Not really a big deal on either side. Schuster, who pitched four consecutive no-hitters in high school in 2009, had a 1.83 ERA as a reliever for the Diamondbacks' affiliate in the high Class A California League last season. But he doesn't throw hard, and that's still a long way from the majors.
-- Angels. Acquired LHP Brian Moran, a nephew of ex-major leaguer B.J. Surhoff, whom the Blue Jays had drafted from the Mariners organization, for $244,000 of international-player bonus money. Moran has Triple-A experience. That and left-handedness could earn him at least a few sips of coffee in the majors.
-- Blue Jays. They also were pretty busy in Thursday's minor league draft. One of the players they took was LHP Richard "Big Dick" Bleier from the Rangers organization.
-- Dodgers. Acquired another major league draft pick, RHP Seth Rosin, by sending cash to the Mets. Rosin was throwing low-90s fastballs in Double-A this year.
-- White Sox. Drafted and kept C Adrian Nieto from the Nationals organization. He batted .285 with 11 homers and threw out 33 per cent of base stealers in the high A Carolina League. It might be difficult for Chicago to keep Nieto on its roster for 2014, and also to send him to the minors without someone else claiming him.
-- Rockies. Drafted RHP Tommy Kahnle from the Yankees. He threw in the mid-90s, but without much control, in Double-A. Colorado needs pitching, so it wouldn't be a stretch to think Kahnle could be in its bullpen in '14.
-- Brewers. Drafted LHP Wei-Chung Wang from the Pirates. The Taiwanese pitcher was in the Rookie Class Gulf Coast League this year after coming back from Tommy John surgery.
-- Diamondbacks. In addition to losing a couple of players in the major league Rule 5 draft, Arizona claimed RHP Marcos Mateo, a former major leaguer, from the Cubs organization.
-- Orioles. Drafted 3B Michael Almanzar, the son of former major league pitcher Carlos Almanzar, from the Red Sox. Michael hit 16 homers in Double-A this year, but needs to refine his swing, selectiveness and defense. Baltimore also obtained C David Freitas from the Athletics organization as the final return for RHP Jim Johnson.
-- Braves. Avoided arbitration by resigning RHP Jordan Walden for 1 year and $1.49 million.
-- Pirates. Resigned SS Clint Barmes for 2014 for what ESPN reported as $2 million. Pittsburgh has not confirmed a reported agreement with free-agent RHP Edinson Volquez for a year and $5 million. That's despite his 5.71 ERA last season. Perhaps the Pirates think he could benefit, as their 2013 starters did, from their advanced metrics that led to successful placement of fielders. If nothing else, Volquez is cheaper than resigning RHP A.J. Burnett. Perhaps the Bucs could use some of the difference toward a contract with free-agent 1B James Loney, which could run to $30 million for 3 years. Or they could trade for a less-expensive 1B such as Seattle's Justin Smoak.
* * *
Overall, Thursday was a good night for my fantasy teams.
Football. In my scoring-plus-yardage league playoffs, I picked up a sub-standard 17 points from Peyton Manning, plus 14 for Keenan Allen and 3 for Danny Woodhead to take a 141-87 lead into the weekend. I'll have six more players in action; my opponent will have seven. In my scoring-only league, Allen's two TDs gave me a 12-6 lead over my opponent, whose points came from Manning's TD passes. Better yet, I still have six players to go; he has just four.
Hockey. A rare good night in plus/minus helped me gain 3 points. The second-place team lost 2 points, so I cut the gap to 7 1/2 points.
Basketball. I'm still leading 7-1, trailing only in 3-pointers. To that end, I picked up the Suns' Gerald Green to replace the next-to-worthless J.R. Smith.
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