Let's take a look at the latest from the NL West:
- Jeff Sanders of U-T San Diego offers five goals the Padres will need to achieve in order to make the playoffs in 2014. Improving on 2013's 1,309 total strikeouts — good for 12th in the NL — headlines the list. Full seasons from Everth Cabrera and Carlos Quentin would also give San Diego a boost, Sanders writes.
- Padres farmhand Cody Decker has received a Major League Spring Training invite, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish tweets. The 26-year-old is primarily a first baseman. While Decker has yet to appear in a big league game, he's hit .269/.353/.534 across five minor-league seasons for San Diego.
- U-T San Deigo's Bill Center provided an update on extension discussions between the Padres and third baseman Chase Headley earlier this evening.
- The Rockies will continue to be handicapped by their TV contract, Troy Renck of The Denver Post writes (via Sulia). As MLBTR's Jeff Todd noted this afternoon, the Phillies stand to earn an average of $100MM annually with their new TV deal. Meanwhile, the Rockies' current contract doesn't expire until 2020.
The Rockies aren’t “handicapped”, their ownership just doesn’t want to spend. The Nationals have a joke of a TV deal and they’re willing to spend.
No one knows the details of their TV deal but according to Forbes the extension starts after 2014 season through 2020 is expected to double their cable TV revenue.
Given the original deal was at least 20 million a year (10/200) that should bump them up to at least 40 million. The Phillies are only getting 35 million through 2015 and in 2016 the new deal starts off at 65 million.
I don’t think the Rockies are as poor as they claim relative to other teams and they do have 54 million in national TV money to spend (and lets face it, the national TV guys are not paying to show Rockies games)..
The writing is pretty clearly on the wall for Blanks in San Diego. He’d be a perfect fit for the Brewers.
If they offered someone noteworthy maybe they could pry him.
They could shop Blanks to 1st base needy teams. He would cost 1/4th what the mets are asking for Ike Davis. Maybe to the Orioles for Jason Gurka or Lex Rutledge.
So happy for Decker. Met him a couple of times and he’s a class act all around. Hoping he brings in a great spring
I follow him on twitter. He thinks he’s funnier than he really is š
The Padres need a full season from Cabrera/Quentin, the Rockies need Tulo/CarGo, the Phillies need Howard/Utley, blah blah blah