Tagged: Cliff Lee
12/16 Hot Stove – Breaking Down the Halladay-Lee Deal
There are no losers in this four team deal. We have to praise all of the GMs in involved.
Let’s start with the Phillies. Ruben Amaro Jr. was able to acquire perhaps the best pitcher in baseball and lock him up to a long term deal while trading Cliff Lee to the Mariners and re-stocking his farm system. You have to give him credit. He couldn’t lock up Cliff Lee long term so he made the move for Roy Halladay. Great job!
Now onto the Mariners, where Jack Zduriencik has been quite busy this offseason. First, he signs Chone Figgins and then he trades for Cliff Lee. You now have to make them the favorites in the AL West with perhaps the best 1-2 punch in baseball with King Felix and Lee.
The Blue Jays did what they wanted to do. They were able to trade Halladay and they were able to get some top prospects in return. Kyle Drabek was their target back in July and they finally got him. They were also able to send Michael Taylor to the A’s for Brett Wallace, who will bolster their infield with his bat.
We have winners all around after this deal. It will be fun to see them all in action come next April. Watch Hot Stove tonight at 6pm ET.-Mitch Williams
Click here to watch Wednesday night’s interview with Roy Halladay.
12/14 Hot Stove – Pitchers Burning on the Stove
If this three-team deal goes through with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee involved, it would make the Blue Jays big winners today. Everyone knew the Blue Jays had to make a deal, and with what we’re hearing, they made a great decision.
Instead of taking a watered down deal from one team, they get to pluck a few of the best prospects from the Phillies’ and the Mariners’ farm systems.
What this deal sets up is the Mariners becoming the favorites in the AL West. With Cliff Lee and King Felix, you have the best lefty/righty combo in the game. Beckett and Lester, Beckett and Lackey, Sabathia and Burnett, are not going to dominate like Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee.
Cliff Lee gave the Phillies everything and more they could have expected last season. The only thing I can think of is that Roy Halladay gives the Phillies the big dominant right-handed ace. With lefties J.A. Happ, Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer in the rotation, Halladay can add some balance.
Like the Yankees making big moves last year, the Mariners and the Red Sox are emerging as the teams making noise this offseason.
The only noise out of Anaheim has been the star players leavening. The Angels are sitting back while Seattle is going after it. The Angels are closing in on a deal with Hideki Matsui, replacing one aging slugger for another, which means Vladimir Guerrero will be out of Anaheim.
The John Lackey signing means two things for the Red Sox. First you can all put your Jason Bay jerseys in a frame, because they’re a collectors’ items now. With all the money spent on Lackey, I don’t think Bay is coming back to Boston.
Secondly this gives the Red Sox six starters. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey will lead the way. With Daisuke Matsuzaka you hope to get a bounce-back year. This leaves the number-five spot for Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield, who was an All-Star last year. Wakefield has always been a durable, “I know what I’m getting” guy, and the best number-five starter in the game.
What this scenario does is open the door for Adrian Gonzalez to come to Fenway. The depth in pitching allows Buchholz to be the chip that can bring in Gonzalez. With Gonzalez’s power bat at first, they can platoon Jeremy Hermida with another guy – say pick up Dan Uggla – to fill the spot in left field.
In between all the dealings between the East and West, the Cardinals are waiting to hear back from Matt Holliday. They made a respectable offer, but there might be more riding on a Holliday deal.
The Cardinals need to keep Albert happy, because if he’s not happy with the direction of team, he will have options.
Just imagine if Pujols tested the free agent waters? -Greg Amsinger
10/27 MLB Tonight – World Series Preview
How difficult is it to get into the World Series, win, and then repeat? Looking back to the Yankees Dynasty of the late 90’s, there was some luck conspiring in their favor to accomplish that feat.
In Game 1 of the ’98 World Series, the Padres had a 3-run lead and what seemed to be an inning ending strike 3 call on Tino Martinez in the 7th. If the call went the Padres way, the outcome of the series could have been quite different. The Padres were the kind of team people seemed to rally behind because of their play, and because of a few of my favorite players, Tony Gwynn, Kevin Brown and Trevor Hoffman. That call would have been a big step to securing their confidence, and securing a win.
But that 2-2 pitch from Mark Langston was called low, and the next pitch was a grand slam into the seats, which changed the series and the course of baseball history.
This was the first hint of that Yankee karma which dominated the baseball world. Looking back we can focus on that moment as a launch pad for the Yankees Dynasty of the late ’90’s.
The Phillies seem to have nothing conspiring in their favor over the last few seasons. It’s hard to look at one moment that changed the luck of the Phillies success because the team has just been awesome. The sustaining drive pushing the Phillies success has been a result of players’ heroics. If you look at their run to the World Series, it makes sense. They took care of the NL East, beat up on the Rockies, beat up on the Dodgers, and now will face the best of the AL. There is no doubt that the Phillies are the best team in the National League.
The ’09 Yankees made it out of a tough AL, but there were some key moments that brought them to the World Series. First there was the blown call in Game 2 of the NLDS. Joe Mauer’s 11th inning drive into the LF corner was called foul, but clearly fair. This swung the game and the series because instead of scoring a go-ahead run, Teixeira’s sinking liner into the LF seats ended up sinking the Twins.
Then there was A-Rod’s game tying HR off Brian Fuentes in Game 2 of the ALCS. He got a fat 2-strike pitch and it just sneaked over the RF fence.
Robinson Cano was either in or out of position, depending on how you look at it, but took care of a grounder up the middle to an Angels rally in Game 6.
These breaks helped launch the Yankee Dynasty in the late 90’s, showing how powerful that Yankee Karma can be carrying an already good team.
In saying all this, Cliff Lee has been the best pitcher this postseason. Sorry A-Rod, but Ryan Howard has been the scariest hitter this post-season. The Phillies have a dynamic lineup, and wildcard going in Game 2 (I can’t wait for Pedro in the Bronx). With all the karma being tossed around, the Phillies will win the World Series, a repeat, and the start of a new dynasty. -Matt Vasgersian
10/12 MLB Tonight – The Mayor’s Office
Tonight after the Rockies and Phillies game, we’re going to have a lot to talk about.
I want to see how Cliff Lee is going to pitch tonight in his first start in Coors Field. What’s his game plan going to be? Will he have the same movement on his pitches? How will he react to the cold conditions? The key for him tonight might just be the adjustments he makes if his stuff isn’t as sharp in the thin Denver air.
Having played at Coors Field, I can tell you it’s is a great place to hit. The ball comes clearly out of the backdrop and the outfield is a big spacious place to drop a base hit into. But tonight, the cold will be on the hitters’ minds. With Ubaldo throwing in the upper 90’s, and Cliff spotting his fastball, it’s going to be difficult for the hitters to square the ball up. I mean, you take one on the hands and you’ll have a constant reminder to make sure to square the ball up the next time because your thumbs will be ringing the rest of the game.
For the Rockies I’m looking at their line-up adjustments. Can Carlos Gonzalez stay on his hot-hitting tear, and will Dexter Fowler moving up in the line-up make an impact? They have been on base 3 times already; let’s see if they can keep it up. Also let’s see what Seth Smith can add to the offense.
After being in the booth for a lot of Red Sox games this season I must say the sweep really shocked me. I have to question Terry Francona’s decision to intentionally walk Torii Hunter to load the bases in the 9th to bring up Vladimir Guerrero. But after playing for Tito, I know how big he is on match-ups and Torii Hunter hits well against Papelbon.
Even though Vlad has not had success in the playoffs, he is one of the greatest players of our generation. In that situation, Jonathan Papelbon needed strikes and had to come right at Vlad, but that’s just playing right into his hands. You can’t just reach back and throw fastballs to a free swinging, first-ball fastball hitter as dangerous as Vlad. Pap needed to get strike one but that pitch to Vlad ended up being his last of the season.
Thanks for joining me in the Mayor’s Office. – Sean Casey
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