August 7, 2008

Chicago – Cuban Style… Dogs Days of Summer… Rays’ Rock The House

Mark Cuban is still alive, well and remains among the potential buyers for the Chicago Cubs.  Cuban survived the first cut of the original list of 10 prospective buyers to make the final five.

The Chicago Sun Times reported that the Tribune Company which owns the franchise acknowledged that the six remaining potential buyers all have submitted bids of $1-billion or more.  However, according to the Sun-Times Cuban is not the favorite son of the MLB owners because of his outspoken ways.  Case in point, Cuban has been fined in excess of $1-million dollars for his frequent criticism of NBA officials since buying the Mavericks in 2000.

Rumors have it that he’s despised by White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, one of baseball’s major power brokers and Commissioner Bud Selig’s closet confident.  Additionally since Major League Baseball stipulates that 75 percent of the owners must approve any sale this could block his chances of ownership.

Experts think that MLB owners would never allow Cuban, despite all of his money into their exclusive club.  But, Tribune CEO Sam Zell is determined to get Cuban mostly because he’s about the only potential buyer that can ante up the monies for the franchise.  Speculation is that Cuban submitted a $1.5-billion dollar bid, the highest among the bidders.

Zell last week rejected the initial bid of perceived front-runner Madison Dearborn Partners LLC Chairman John Canning, who is part owner of the Milwaukee Brewers and close associate of Selig.  Canning’s group was considered the favorite of MLB.

Meanwhile, if you’re a Cubs fan and don’t want Mark Cuban as the owner… well, I think you need to check into a facility to clear your head out.  Cuban is not just what the Cubs need, but what MLB needs as well.

In all seriousness, would you rather have a “Selig Puppet” or Mark Cuban owning the team… the one person that is not afraid to spend his hard or soft earned money?  Food for thought – since paying $280-million for the Mavericks back in 2000, Cuban turned that team around from the league laughingstock to one of the NBA’s premier franchises.  Last year, Forbes Magazine pegged the team’s 2007 value at $461-million and Cuban’s personal wealth at $2.6-billion.

Cuban energized a very failing and comatose franchise in Dallas and has brought lots of energy to the NBA.  Putting aside his torn in Commissioner’s Stern back, Cuban would be just what the Cubs and Chicago needs.

He is by far a great owner for the players, the fans… he is today’s version of Bill Veeck and Major League Baseball needs him, more than they need Bud Selig.

The Dog Days of Summer…

It’s somewhat hard to believe that the baseball season has entered the month of August.   Throughout the last month and a half or so, speculation as to which teams would be the buyers, sellers or both was made clear by last Thursday’s trading deadline.

With late surges post the All-Star game, it seemed certain that teams such as the Mets, Yankees, Rays, Red Sox and some others would likely be buyers… though that’s not to say that others wouldn’t dive into a trade or two if it made sense.

For the most part, teams with no chance of a post-season berth will look to strengthen their current roster and farm system by trading one or maybe two of their valuable assets.  It’s not that these teams necessarily want to trade such a player, but it essentially boils down to salary.

Knowing that a player has an expiring/near expiring contract and that they would command a higher salary than the team could afford to pay them, the team opts to trade them for players that are a) a major league type player now or b) a prospect.  The saying goes – why get nothing if you let them go via free agency, when you can get a return on your investment now.  

The reason the July 31^st trading deadline is such a big deal, is that players traded by this date do not have to clear waivers.  That’s not say trades can’t be made after that date, it’s just that if a team chooses to do so players must go through waivers.

So, who were the buyers and the sellers when it was all said and done?  The Yankees bought or should I say stole from the Pirates and Tigers.  The Yankees boosted their bullpen and outfield adding Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady from the Pirates.  They then solidified their catcher’s position by getting Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers for Kyle Farnsworth.

Marte becomes the much needed set-up man and left that the Yankees have so desperately needed all season.  Rodriguez fills the spot vacated by Jorge Posada who opted for season-ending shoulder surgery.  Nady fills the bill as insurance to ailing Jonny Damon and Hideki Matsui.  Ironically, the Mets had Nady high on their radar – and if you recall was traded by the Mets to Pittsburgh two summers ago for bullpen help… they’ve been regretting that trade ever since.

The Red Sox were buyers and sellers… unloading Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers in a 3-team trade that netted them Jason Bay from Pittsburgh.  In the deal though, they lost outfielder Brandon Moss and pitcher Chris Hanson along with Dodgers minors leaguers Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris (came in the Ramirez trade) to the Buccos.

The Cincinnati Reds made the headlines by trading future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar.   The trade was clearly a salary dump for the Red Legs and Griffey had to waive his contractual rights to accept the offer because he has 10-years of major-league service time and five years with the Reds.

Griffey though didn’t take look to decide on waiving his contractual rights.  He goes from a last place team that has no chance for the post-season to a team that is currently in first place with a very good chance of making the post-season.

“It’s a dream come true to play for another winning team.  These guys were in first place before I got here.  It’s my job to try to keep them there,” said Griffey.

Other Significant Moves…

I think one of the biggest disappointments this season is the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers.  It seems as they’ve taken steps backwards instead of forwards -   GM Mark Shapiro said the team’s string of injuries and disappointing performances made it hard to imagine a significant rally in the second half.

Most predicted the Indians as runners-up to Detroit in the AL Central, and with all the off-season spending the Tigers did, on paper it sure looked like a lock on winning the division. 

Cleveland began their house-cleaning (salary dumping) with the trade of their ace C.C. Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers just before the All-Star break, and continued last week with the trade of Casey Blake to the Dodgers for prospects. 

Los Angeles was looking for a bat and for a run-producing third baseman and in Blake they’ll get that as he’ll replace rookies Blake DeWitt and Andy LaRoche.  Cleveland receives minor league catcher Carlos Santana, minus the Black Magic Women and pitcher Joe Meloan.

The Brewers meanwhile took a big risk on Sabathia, whose contract expires at the end of the season.  During spring training, C.C. rejected a $72-million, four-year extension from the Indians, so it makes you wonder how much more it would take to sign him… then you also have the Ben Sheets factor.  He’s in the final year of a $38.5-million, four-year contract.

The Cubs and Phillies went out and bolstered their pitching staff courtesy of the Oakland A’s with the acquisitions of Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin going to Chicago and Joe Blanton off to the City of Brotherly Love.

Chicago made their move just a day after the Brewers acquired Sabathia and it really didn’t cost them that much, sending pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielders Matt Murton and Eric Patterson and minor league catcher Josh Donaldson.

Oakland GM Billy Beane said trading Harden doesn’t mean his team is in selling mode. “I don’t necessarily think we’ve taken a step back. I think we’ve taken a step forward for the next three to five years,” Beane said.

Blanton Oakland’s Opening Day starter hasn’t come close to last year’s success when he won 14 games.  He was 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA at the time of the trade and has made two starts for Philadelphia, both times getting the no-decision. “We’ve been attempting to upgrade our rotation, and we feel like we’ve done that,” Phillies assistant GM Mike Arbuckle said.

Rays’ Rock The House…

Here we are, in the second week of August and the Tampa Bay Rays stand alone… not as basement dwellers’ in the AL East but as the Division leaders.  If anyone would have told me that the Rays would be in this position back during spring training or when the season had started, I would have probably laughed and told them they’re crazy.  Now, the last laugh is on me.

Tampa Bay (68-45), the worst franchise in the majors for much of its first decade of existence, is now the best team in a tough division, thanks largely to an beyond belief 45-17 home record.

They’re two wins away from matching the best season total in franchise history and currently stand 66-49… 3 games up on the Boston Red Sox and 6.5 up on the New York Yankees.

The Rays continue to be the “Cinderella Story” of the baseball season.  No single player is having a “MVP” year… Dioner Navarro and Akinori Iwamura are the only players hitting .280 or above, rookie sensation Evan Longoria leads the team in HRs (22), RBI (71), 2B (27), Slugging (.534), Total Bases (202) and OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging - .885) and could become the first Ray to win Rookie of the Year, pitcher Andy Sonnanstine leads the team in wins (11) but yet, has the highest ERA (4.52) of the starting five and has given up the most hits (156 in 133.2 innings pitched).  Troy Percival has managed to save 24 games despite having landed on the DL twice; Dan Wheeler is second in the majors in Holds (25).

Despite their success, many question whether such an inexperienced team can handle the pressure – especially on the road, where the team hasn’t won as much as they’ve liked (23-28) this season.

Many believe that the division race will still come down to Boston and New York as it has every season since 1998… but don’t tell that to the Rays’ players or their manager Joe Maddon.

Tampa Bay opened many eyes on Wednesday night with their 6-run come from behind 10-7 9th inning victory over the Cleveland Indians.  Trailing by four entering the inning, Eric Hinske had an RBI double in and then Gabe Gross tied it 7-all with a two-run homer off Edward Mujica, who was trying for his first major league save. Masahide Kobayashi (4-5) replaced Mujica and gave up an infield single to Akinori Iwamura, walked Ben Zobrist before Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer to center for his fifth career game-ending homer.

Manager Joe Maddon said it could be a season-defining win.  “It's is just one game. However, it’s the fact that it’s a win and the way that we won it,” Maddon said. “I like to believe this is the kind of game that we can build on.”

I’m a Believer… Are you?

Some Interesting Tidbits…

• There have now been 2,002 regular-season games between the Yankees and the Red Sox since Yankees moved to New York (from Baltimore) in 1903.  The Sox record is 896-1092.
   

• Speaking of the Yankees and the Red Sox, the Sox play their final series at the Stadium on August 26-28.  The Yankees and Sox end their season at Fenway, September 26th-28th. Wouldn’t you have thought that MLB could have found a way to switch that around?
   

• Nobody has grounded into more DP’s this season than Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero (22). The Dodgers James Loney comes in with 20.
   

• Tampa Bay and Cleveland are the only teams with four complete-game shutouts this season.
   

• Every season since 1988 Greg Maddux has won at least 13 games, that streak is going to end this season as he only has five wins.