The wild wild west
Here we go with part 4 of 4 of our in depth look into the 2010 FCBL Trade Deadline. Today we get a look into the West Division which boasts the surprising Kansas City Royals, the better on paper Cincinnati Reds, the mediocre Oakland A’s, and the horrible Washington Nationals. Let’s look at each team in advance of today’s trade deadline.
First up is the Kansas City Royals. Manager Jason Blue has to be pleased with the results so far this year. He is 57-48 and in first place despite his 4.08 Team ERA, which is good for 7th in the league. How is the Royals doing it? They are sporting a .281 batting average which is first in the league, led by Jason Bartlett, Rajai Davis, and all time FCBL steals leader Juan Pierre. So what should they do at the deadline? My guess is Blue stands pat. There is no clear superstar on his team, and this is a really, really weak division. Why mess with a good thing?
Next is the Cincinnati Reds. Manager Josh Callahan has to be scratching his head, wondering what’s going on with his team. He has to be disappointed being 3 games behind the Royals, even though he clearly has a better team on paper. The Reds have a 3.86 Team ERA, but are only hitting .257. My guess is Callahan at least offers some of that pitching up, to try and get another bat into his lineup.
The Oakland A’s and manager Nathan Sheets have had a horrible year so far this year and it appears based on the trades Sheets has made the last month that he knows this year is a lost cause and is building for the future. The good news for A’s fans is they have a pretty smart cookie for a manager. Both trades he has made in last month have been terrific and he clearly got the best of both trades, especially the trade he made just yesterday. (By the way, how disappointed are Mets fans right now?)
Last up is the dismal Washington Nationals. Manager Doug Auman says he has a plan. Nationals fans are praying he is telling the truth. Auman came into town a few years ago and took over a team that was a perennial division and playoff winner, sometimes a World Series winner. Auman came in and immediately blew things up; trying to put his own stamp on the team. My advice to Nationals fans? Be patient. I have a gut feeling your manager does know what he is doing and might be taking a page out of Padres manager Kyle Wrights book and employing a 5 year plan. As far as this year? Auman needs to sell, sell, sell. He needs to be getting back high draft picks and young prospects. Well that’s it folks. We are less than 12 hours away from the 2010 deadline. I know I can’t wait to see what kind of deals get done.
Kung Fu Panda
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7/30/2010 12:00:00 AM
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Midwest
Welcome back folks! Here we go with part 3 of 4 of our look into the 2010 FCBL Trade Deadline. Today we look into the Midwest Division. The Midwest Division is the most competitive of all 4 FCBL Divisions. There are only 3 games separating 1st place from 3rd place. Which means a Division winner and the two Wild Cards could come out of the same division. So what will each Manager in the Division do as far as buying or selling at the deadline? Let’s start at the top.
The division is led by the Cleveland Indians. The Indians are managed by Justin Thome, who took over his team a few years ago and hasn’t looked back, which isn’t a surprise considering Thome is a former FCBL World Series winner. The Indians lead the FCBL with a amazing 2.99 ERA, and also have a respectable .262 team batting average. Common sense would tell you the Indians should stand pat at the deadline, especially in the pitching department, but there are reports out of Cleveland that Thome does not believe his team has what it takes to beat the two teams below him in the standings and is ready to start selling. Doesn’t make much sense to me, but I’m just a writer, what do I know?
Next up is the New York Mets, who next to the Red Sox in the Central, have to be considered a major surprise. Led by first year manager Phil Blewitt, the Mets are only one game behind the Indians for first place. No one could’ve expected this from the Mets. How are they doing it? Let’s go to the numbers. The Mets are third in the league with a tremendous 3.57 ERA. On the offensive side the Mets sport a .249 average. It’s no secret that Blewitt loves to wheel and deal, and if I was a betting man I would say he makes a deal before the deadline, most likely for a big bat. Blewitt will want to make a splash in his first year and get that division banner.
After the Mets, we are going to take a look at the LA Dodgers. Long time Manager Bill Toth is a known perfectionist when it comes to managing his team. He is never satisfied and is always looking to turn a weakness into a strength. Expect this deadline to be no different. It’s not a well kept secret that both Thome and Toth are obsessed with beating each other. Toth could be making a deal just to block Thome from making one or vice versa! Los Angeles is struggling on both sides of the ball, but I would look for the pitching to make a rebound after the Trade Deadline. That leaves getting a bat as Toth’s priority, and I won’t be contacting my bookie to bet against him doing just that.
The Texas Rangers are 48-54. Are they out of contention for the last Wild Card slot? The odds are not with them, but that is for Manager Tony Christofaro to decide. If he decides that his team has a 8-12 game winning streak in them, and make up the 8 game difference in the Wild Card race, then I would think they would be active at the deadline. What are their needs? Without a doubt, the Rangers are in need of pitching. A 5.29 team ERA is not going to do the job. The difference between the Rangers and a lot of teams in this league is the Rangers actually have a couple of nice trading chips at their disposal if they want to cash one of them in. I would think a lot of teams in this league would love to have either Prince Fielder or Ryan Howard on their team. Christofaro could go the other way and decide to sell. Once again, Fielder or Howard could fetch a nice bounty for his team and set the team up for the future. That is it for part 3. Look for the final article tomorrow.
Gary Sheffield
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7/29/2010 12:00:00 AM
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