Offseason In Review: Baltimore Orioles
2016/03/offseason-in-review-baltimore-orioles-7.htmlAll in all, Baltimore will have five picks between the #27-91 selections of this year's draft, and you wonder if the team wasn't hoping for an even bigger draft haul in the form of an extra pick from Wieters' free agency. … Trumbo has 131 homers in 2760 career PA despite playing much of his career in pitcher-friendly ballparks in Seattle and Anaheim, though the challenge for him has always been getting on base.
Offseason In Review: Seattle Mariners
2016/03/offseason-in-review-seattle-mariners-7.htmlAnd while the Mariners' new outfield looks like a much better fit than last year's for the team's pitching staff, it's fair to wonder how much offense they'll provide -- Aoki, Martin and Seth Smith combined for a mere 22 home runs last year. … Trumbo's stats will probably improve this year heading from Safeco Field to Camden Yards, and Lind's are likely to dip heading from Miller Park to Seattle, but he's still a quality player whose on-base skills should help the Mariners' lineup.
Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox
2016/03/offseason-in-review-boston-red-sox-8.htmlThis is just my speculation, but I wonder if the Sox would've been better served by adding Margot or Guerra to a Hanley Ramirez trade package to try and entice a suitor to take Ramirez off Boston's hands. … An eighth-round pick for the Mariners in 2011, Smith has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen, racking up big strikeout totals in the minors and showing a career-long propensity for keeping the ball in the ballpark.
Olney On Piazza, Upton, Davis, Bastardo, Giants
2016/01/olney-on-piazza-upton-davis-bastardo-giants.htmlOlney is not the first to wonder if Upton would sign a pillow contract to play with the Orioles. … As a fly ball pitcher, Bastardo may not be the best fit for the mostly small ball parks of the AL East.
Free Agent Profile: Zack Greinke
2015/12/free-agent-profile-zack-greinke.htmlGreinke isn't some one-year wonder, though. … Greinke doesn't play in the offensive environment that we saw in the late 90s and early 2000s, but the lowest ERA in two decades is nonetheless incredible, and his ERA+ (which adjusts for both park and league, with 100 being average) rates him a staggering 125 percent better than a league-average pitcher in 2015.
Blue Jays Sign J.A. Happ
2015/11/blue-jays-sign-j-a-happ.htmlWhile the Blue Jays obviously won't be expecting Happ to maintain a sub-2.00 ERA rate, it's fair to wonder whether to what extent that mid-season turnaround will stick.
Alex Gordon Declines Player Option, Will Receive Qualifying Offer
2015/11/alex-gordon-becomes-free-agent.htmlWhile that type of spending is far beyond Kansas City's typical capacity, one has to wonder if the team would make an exception for Gordon, who has become the face of the Royals franchise and whom fans would undoubtedly like to see in Royals blue for the entirety of his career. … Since that time, Gordon has batted .281/.359/.450 despite his spacious home environs, leading park-adjusted metrics like OPS+ and wRC+ to peg his offense at about 20 percent better than a league-average hitter.
Offseason Outlook: Colorado Rockies
2015/10/offseason-outlook-colorado-rockies-6.htmlAs Colorado increasingly transitions young arms into the hostile environment of Coors Field, there's good reason to wonder if a more highly-regarded defender needs to be found. … Likewise, at first, KBO sensation Byung-ho Park may be posted this year, and might make for an Abreu-like signing (even if expectations of Abreu-like results are unwise).
Offseason Outlook: Minnesota Twins
2015/10/offseason-outlook-minnesota-twins-6.htmlA run at David Price or Zack Greinke would be uncharacteristic, and one has to wonder how many mid-rotation arms the team can target; a pursuit of Midwest native Jordan Zimmermann would be one thing, but going after Mike Leake, Yovani Gallardo, Wei-Yin Chen, etc. … his park-adjusted production was 34 percent worse than a league-average hitter), which ranked sixth-worst in the game among players with 450 plate appearances.
Central Notes: Stearns, Counsell, Indians, Machado
2015/09/central-notes-stearns-counsell-indians-machado.htmlScouting reports on the 23-year-old rave about his glove but wonder if he'll hit enough to be a regular in the Majors. … Freshly appointed Brewers general manager David Stearns held court with the media at Petco Park today, and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel runs down a number of the topics addressed by Stearns.
2016 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings
2015/09/2016-mlb-free-agent-power-rankings-6.htmlI wonder if he can push his average annual value up to $25MM, netting $150MM in total. … He's allowed 28 earned runs in 26 1/3 innings, including 48 hits of which eight left the park.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Stanton, Astros
2015/08/quick-hits-dodgers-stanton-astros.htmlWhile they aren't my vote for most disappointing, it's fair to wonder why they're only 1.5 games up on the Giants. … Miami is a tough park for home runs, but run scoring is roughly neutral.
Offseason In Review: Houston Astros
2015/03/offseason-in-review-houston-astros-7.htmlValbuena and Dominguez, for those wondering, struck out at nearly identical respective clips of 20.7 and 20.6 percent last year. … That power is especially dangerous in Houston, given the 315-foot short porch down the left field line at Minute Maid Park.
Offseason In Review: Kansas City Royals
2015/03/offseason-in-review-kansas-city-royals-6.htmlClearly, there's merit to spreading out the risk and shortening its length, as Kansas City did, but the club's detractors will no doubt wonder if the team would have been better served spending about $80MM to retain Aoki and Shields than rolling the dice on so many uncertainties. … However, while Volquez detractors who point out that much of his success was due to Pittsburgh's excellent defense and expansive home park may have a point, those same claims can be made about the Royals.
Mariners Sign Nelson Cruz
2014/12/mariners-to-sign-nelson-cruz.htmlGiven his history of leg injuries, it's more than fair to wonder how much outfield time he can handle in 2015 and how much of his offensive value will be negated by his defense. … Though the move to Seattle's Safeco Field would appear to be a detriment to his right-handed pop, both ESPN Park Factors and Baseball Prospectus Park Factors indicated that in 2014, Orioles Park at Camden Yards was actually less homer-friendly for right-handed bats than Safeco Field.
Red Sox Notes: Lester, Nava, Betts, Ross
2014/09/red-sox-notes-lester-nava-betts-ross.htmlThis is just my speculation, but I wonder if San Francisco could pursue Nava again this offseason if Mike Morse isn't re-signed. … Here's some more from Fenway Park...
Examining A Potential Daniel Murphy Extension
2014/06/examining-a-potential-daniel-murphy-extension.htmlThe natural reaction to that news, particularly for Mets fans, is to wonder what an extension would cost the team. … Even when adjusting for ball park, Murphy has a 110 OPS+, where Prado's was at 109 heading into the 2013 season.
Nationals Notes: Beltre, Treinen, Trade Deadline
2014/06/nationals-notes-beltre-treinen-trade-deadline.htmlIt's unclear if Washington could've afforded both, but it's interesting to wonder how different the franchise would look and whether or not they could've afforded Ryan Zimmerman's $100MM contract extension with Beltre in the fold. … Adrian Beltre made his first career appearance at Nationals Park this weekend, but he confirmed to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he came very close to calling that stadium home for a long time back in 2010.
Fielder Likely Out For Season; Profar Out 8-12 Weeks
2014/05/prince-fielder-seriously-considering-season-ending-surgery.htmlOne has to wonder if a season-ending injury could cause the Rangers to reconsider a run at Kendrys Morales, who, like Fielder, is represented by Scott Boras. … Drew Dossett today instead of traveling to his former home of Comerica Park for the team's series against the Tigers.
Offseason In Review: Houston Astros
2014/04/offseason-in-review-houston-astros-6.htmlHis career 12.3 percent walk rate and .365 OBP are attractive assets, even if one has to wonder how well he can handle Tal's Hill in center field at Minute Maid Park (defensive metrics regularly peg his glove in center as below average).
Rangers Trade Volquez For Hamilton
2007/12/rangers-trade-v.htmlWayne Krivsky took an interesting route to add an intriguing starter; I wonder if the move takes them out of…… Hamilton leaves a park that inflates left-handed home runs by about 28% to a park that inflates them by 24%
Blanton Reactions
2008/07/blanton-reactio.htmlThis does appear to be the first Gillick-Beane matchup, but I wonder how much of the work A's assistant GM David Forst did. … Keith Law thinks the Phillies' gain could approach two wins this year, even while considering the smaller park and inferior…
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Joe Blanton
2008/07/baseball-blogs-9.htmlThe Fightins wonder if acquiring Blanton was a good move and feel that J.A. … Philliesflow feels that trading for Blanton was a move that needed to be made, but wonder if the Phillies overpaid for a starter who was struggling in a pitcher's park.
Marlins Targeting Bullpen Help
2010/01/marlins-targeting-bullpen-help.htmlStill, you have to wonder if offering arbitration to Calero would've been a wise move. … Spencer names Kevin Gregg, Chan Ho Park, Seth McClung, Kiko Calero, Mike MacDougal, Derrick Turnbow and Jose Veras as relievers on the radar.
Extension Candidate: Carlos Marmol
2010/09/extension-candidate-carlos-marmol.htmlMarmol took over as Chicago's closer midway through the 2009 season, but his control problems made some wonder whether Marmol…… Bell did have the advantage of pitching at PETCO Park, so between that and inflation, Marmol has an argument that he should earn closer to $5MM than $4MM.