What Jose Reyes Signing Means For Marlins (Winter Meetings 2011)

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

Jose Reyes agreed early Monday morning to a six-year/$106 million dollar contract to become the new shortstop for the Florida Marlins. This signing indicates what many presumed about Miami upon word they would be debuting their new stadium this coming 2012 season. That they would be major players in the free-agent market. 

And they’re not done.

Sources are saying they are still in the market for Albert Pujols and a left-handed starter to balance their rotation (C.J. Wilson or Mark Buherle). The signing of Reyes means Hanley Ramirez will be moved to another position but I question this logic for two reasons. The first being his defense, which was never that solid at short and now he is expected to shift over to third. The next involves top infield prospect Matt Dominguez (third base) and undoubtedly the end of his tenure with the Marlins. He had a less than stellar performance in the Arizona Fall League this year and that was preceded by low totals throughout the minors. He is still young, and I could see him being used as a trade piece to a team that may be willing to take a flyer on him and his potential for the right price (Seattle? Oakland?). 

Reyes, when healthy, is the premier lead-off man in the game. He was the first New York Met to win a batting title and will now team up with 2009 batting champion Hanley Ramirez, young masher Mike Stanton, Gaby Sanchez and Logan Morrison to form a very formidable young lineup that has the potential to do some serious damage. Reyes’ history of injury leads me to the opinion that the Marlins overpaid a bit for the shortstop. But the Marlins had to do something big this off-season to excite the fan base and this move does just that. 

Baseball Winter Meetings Provide Opportunity for Some Teams

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

The winter meetings in Dallas, Texas for Major League Baseball kicked off with a bang on Monday with the announcement of Jose Reyes signing with the Miami Marlins (more on that later). This was just one of the many major chips expected to fall this week. Here are the three major themes to keep an eye on during the meetings in Dallas:

Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder signings: They are the marquee free-agents of this years class and no doubt the most expensive. But the team that lands either will take their offense and ball clubs to a whole new level. With Pujols, 31, it isn’t certain what he is looking for as far as contract demands. But he turned down the Cardinals offer the first time in February and you have to wonder if he was just trying to make sure they would be contenders for the duration of his career (which this contract would take him to the end of). The World Series the Cardinals won in 2011 wouldn’t have been possible without him and teams like the Marlins, Cubs, and Rangers must have taken notice as they are the top bidders, potentially, for his services.

Prince Fielder is just as important to the Brewers as Pujols is to the Cardinals. The overwhelming opinion throughout baseball is that he won’t be back in Milwaukee in 2012. Meaning the rumblings of the Mariners, Dodgers and Rangers could be more than just rumblings. He’s 27, coming off of a season in which he helped lead the Brewers to the division title, and most general managers would agree that his youth mixed with his team mentality are the right mix to propel a team on the cusp into annual playoff contention. 

Trades, Signings, and More Trades: The Red Sox and Braves had monumental collapses. The Yankees and Phillies were unceremoniously bounced without a whimper in the first round. All four of them are in the dangerous position of knowing they’re better than that while not wanting to give up or spend too much. Let the talks begin! Now these aren’t the only four who are looking to make a move via trades (Jurrjens, Prado, and Lawrie have come up in trade discussion), or an impact signing (recently reported that Philadelphia is looking into Aramis Ramirez at third base) but they will be the most active. Especially in lieu of the Jose Reyes signing to the Miami Marlins. Look for New York to address their pitching concerns if not by C.J. Wilson then a pitcher like Jurrjens. Boston meanwhile is in the position of damage control as they look to re-sign Ortiz in hopes of solidifying that line-up and hammering out a possible deal for a pitcher (which is where Boston’s glaring deficiency is). 

Collective Bargaining Agreement: While this may not seem as big an issue, with more teams focusing on building their teams through their farm systems the way draft compensation is divvied based on signings will be a factor in the way teams do business. 

It will be an exciting week as the winter meetings should bring some off-season action down in Dallas.  

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

Bryce Harper, first-round #1 (overall) pick of the Washington Nationals in 2010, swinging a 47 ounce bat. Watch how fast his hands are when he switches back to the 34 ounce. Not sure what to expect from him just yet but he does have the tools to be great. 

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

Bobby Valentine’s Hiring A Coup For Red Sox

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

Boston made waves this week by signing Bobby Valentine as their new manager to replace the ultra-successful Terry Francona. As has been well documented, Boston had a collapse for the ages and rumors started to surface about behavior issues in the Red Sox clubhouse. In sports it is a known fact that once a coach or manager loses his voice with the team it is time for a change. 

Bobby Valentine is exactly what the Red Sox need. 

Valentine, whose last managerial job in America was with the Mets in 2002, is known to be as baseball savvy as any manager who has ever filled out a line-up card. He is as meticulous a manager as they come and it is certain if he gets out-managed it won’t be because of preparation or lack of attention to detail. The Job he did in New York when he averaged 87 wins, won two NL Wild Card berths, and took the team to the World Series was remarkable considering his personnel (his 1999 starting outfield consisted of Rickey Henderson, Brian McRae and Ronny Cedeno). 

He knows how to get the most out of his team, and his mix of statistical knowledge and old-school baseball instinct should work well for the Red Sox and their brass, particularly in this age of sabremetrics. He’s all about accountability and it will be interesting to see how a player such as Josh Beckett responds to a manager who is as committed to fitness and the particulars of the game. He’s a players manager, and as long as you show up and perform to the best of your ability he will always have your back. There were some grumblings that some players were upset about the move and my response to that is those are players who probably aren’t ready to win. Because no one wins like Bobby Valentine, and if there is one thing that is certain, Joe Maddon has company in the eccentric manager department of the AL East now. 

BYU Should Focus On Winning

Posted on by Adam Cubbage

“The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it.” — Lou Holtz

There aren’t many times when I agree with Lou Holtz, but this seems to be one of those rare occasions. I’ve had an issue with a lot of the college football realignment going on recently. I’ll admit I’m one for tradition and seeing Missouri and Texas A&M in the Southeastern conference SEC makes me a little uneasy. Not to mention the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and their raid of the Big East. One team has bothered me throughout this whole process because while some may gripe about Boise State hollering and screaming for a chance they (along with TCU, Houston, Hawaii in 2008, and Utah) have done something that this particular program hasn’t.

Win.

I point to BYU because they seem to have an issue with the “system” the way it is. So much so they have gone independent and very soon could look to form a Big East division out West in order to get a piece of the BCS pie. The only problem is they haven’t earned it.

BYU does have some very nice wins but those are usually followed up by some very confusing losses. Lets count them:

  • Air Force and Utah State in 2010
  • Allowing 54 to Florida State in 2009
  • Arizona and TCU in 2008
  • Tulsa in 2007

 When you look at teams like Boise State, Utah, TCU and the rest who have crashed the BCS party they all have something in common. They took care of business when they needed to and for that were rewarded with BCS credentials.

*I would also like to mention each of them have won a BCS bowl and a few have done it twice.

The Cougars seem to be running from something and it could be their own lack of accomplishment. Since the 2001 season, when Luke Staley made this team a national sensation they have yet to crack the BCS while conference mates TCU, Utah and Boise State have all gone more than once. If BYU has a problem with anything it should be their own inability to get it done when it counts. So While beating Oklahoma is nice I’m left to ask who hasn’t beaten Oklahoma. Utah, in a year when they moved to the Pac-12 and realized how hard it is to play that kind of football every week, found solace in the fact that they could come back to the Mountain West and throw up 54 points on the cougars in Provo. 

I have no problem with BYU. I have a problem with running from reality. BYU’s focus should be on winning games and nothing else. After accomplishing this then see where the ball lies.