MLBTR Polls

Poll: Will The Reds Pick Up Cabrera’s Option?

By Zachary Links | October 13, 2010 at 9:12pm CDT

Last winter the Reds signed Orlando Cabrera to a one-year deal in part because of his leadership abilities and playoff experience. The veteran earned $2.02MM in 2010 with a $4MM mutual option for 2011. If Cincinnati declines the option, the buyout will be for $1MM and if Cabrera declines, it will be for $500K.

While Mark Sheldon of MLB.com writes that Cabrera delivered on the leadership, his offensive numbers slipped in 2010. The soon-to-be 36-year-old hit .263/.303/.354 in 123 games while playing above-average (5.3 UZR/150) defense. Meanwhile, Paul Janish improved his offensive production, posting a slash line of .260/.338/.385 in 82 games while also playing a solid shortstop (2.2 UZR/150) in a limited role. Janish also did a solid job of filling in for Cabrera when he was injured for critical games in August.

Will the Reds pick up their end of Cabrera's option?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Poll: Which Player Will Improve His Stock The Most?

By Luke Adams 2 | October 7, 2010 at 9:32pm CDT

When Cliff Lee shut down the Rays in Game One of the ALDS, SI.com's Jon Heyman tweeted that the Rangers' ace may have earned himself an extra $10-20MM in free agency. While one game shouldn't sway a player's value quite that much, the difference between a successful postseason run and an unsuccessful one can certainly be significant for free-agents-to-be.

With many of this winter's most intriguing potential free agents still in action, it will be interesting to see which of them come up big for their respective teams over the next few weeks. Lee got off to an excellent start, while players like Carl Crawford and Rafael Soriano are already just one game from elimination. There's still a lot of baseball left to play, however, and if the Rays can stage a comeback against Texas, Crawford and Soriano should play a major role.

These guys are going to be paid handsomely no matter where they sign or how they perform in October, but this is tonight's poll question:

Which potential free agent will improve his stock the most in the 2010 postseason?

Click here to vote, and click here to view the results.

Poll: Which Team Will Win The World Series?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 6, 2010 at 12:11pm CDT

It's taken years of trades, signings and draft picks for the 2010 playoff teams to get this far. A month from now, one of them will make baseball history and win it all. The Rays or Rangers could win that elusive first World Championship; the Yankees could win yet another one; the Braves could send Bobby Cox to retirement in style. At this point it's nearly impossible to predict who will win it all, but let's not let that stop us from trying.

Who will win the 2010 World Series?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

Poll: Will The Jays Re-Sign Buck?

By Zachary Links | October 5, 2010 at 7:31pm CDT

This season, John Buck was afforded a fresh start in Toronto and churned out his best offensive season to date. The 30-year-old catcher hit .281/.314/.489 with 20 homers in 118 games. After being non-tendered by the Royals in 2009, Buck made his first All-Star team in 2010. All in all, a solid year for a guy making $2MM on a one year deal.

However, with J.P Arencibia waiting in the wings, some have wondered if there's room for Buck on the Blue Jays in 2011. Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos said that while he will explore bringing back Buck, the veteran backstop has earned a long-term contract and a starting job. The question is: Will Buck get that opportunity in Toronto? Arencibia had a stellar year in Triple-A, posting a slash line of .301/.359/.626 with 32 homers in 104 games. With numbers like those, one has to wonder if the 24-year-old's learning curve will be steep enough to justify retaining a player who is six years his senior.

Will the Blue Jays re-sign Buck?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Poll: The Mets’ Next General Manager

By Mike Axisa | October 2, 2010 at 12:18pm CDT

Yesterday we learned that the Mets would not retain GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel beyond this season, unsurprising moves to say the least. Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports that Minaya was told of his fate yesterday, but he wonders if owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon are willing to hire someone that will be brutally honest in his assessments and give him autonomy.

Former Indians and Rangers GM John Hart has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Minaya, and he of course has an impressive track record of rebuilding teams from the ground up through the farm system. Former Met pitcher Jerry Dipoto has also been mentioned as a candidate after losing out on the Diamondbacks job. Sherman also says former Athletics GM Sandy Alderson and current Rays senior vice president of baseball operations Gerry Hunsicker are strong candidates.

Whoever the Mets hire will have their work cut out for them. Manuel and presumably his coaching staff will need to be replaced, and a team that has gone 148-174 over the last two seasons despite over $275MM in combined payroll will need an overhaul. Johan Santana will miss at least part of 2011 after shoulder surgery, and the contracts of Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez, Luis Castillo, and Oliver Perez ($48MM in salary next year) could prove to be untradeable. Time to vote…

Who should the Mets hire as their next GM?

Click here to vote in the poll, and here to see the results.

Poll: Will The Nationals Re-Sign Adam Dunn?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 29, 2010 at 4:03pm CDT

Adam Dunn is what he is: one of the few hitters in baseball capable of reaching 40 homers annually and a consistently below average defender. He knows it, the Nationals know it and so do all of Dunn’s other potential suitors. His game hasn’t changed much recently and his strengths and weaknesses will likely remain constant for the next few seasons.

The Nationals would like to build a better defensive team and, with no DH slot, must find room for Dunn on the field if they re-sign him this offseason. Any team would love to add 40 homers to its lineup, but after two years, the Nationals realize that Dunn’s defense is a liability. They are said to like Carlos Pena, another powerful first baseman on the brink of free agency, partly for his glovework.

Despite Dunn’s defense, the Nationals have had interest in re-signing him all season long. At this point it seems likely that Dunn will reach free agency, but the 30-year-old could be a fit in Washington in 2011. Ryan Zimmerman wants the slugger back and so do the Nats fans who have been encouraging the team’s front office to keep him. But their wish won’t necessarily come true…

Will the Nationals re-sign Adam Dunn?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

Poll: Will The Brewers Trade Prince Fielder

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 27, 2010 at 9:49pm CDT

Prince Fielder's just 26 years old, but he already has 192 homers to his name. He's leading the National League in walks this year, and though his power numbers aren't as impressive as usual, he's now fifth in the league with 32 homers.

Next year, Fielder's last before hitting free agency, he will earn a raise from his current $10.5MM salary, so he's not exactly a bargain. Technically it's possible that the Brewers work out an extension with Fielder and agent Scott Boras, but lots of people, including Ryan Braun, expect the Brewers to trade their first baseman this offseason.

They could use starting pitching and Fielder could help them acquire a controllable arm or two. But Prince may not have quite as much trade value as you might think, so it's not as simple as plucking the top young pitchers from opponents' depth charts. What do you think GM Doug Melvin will do with his first baseman?

Will the Brewers trade Fielder this offseason?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

Poll: The Best Record In Baseball

By Mike Axisa | September 25, 2010 at 12:35pm CDT

There's just a little more than a week left in the season, and with the exception of the NL West and NL Wild Card, the playoff teams are all but set. Now it's just a matter of sorting out the seeding.

For most of the season it's been assumed that whoever won the AL East would finish the season with the best record in all of baseball, but suddenly that's not the case any more. The Phillies staked a claimed to best record with last night's win, their 11th in a row to put their season record at 93-61. Both the Rays and Twins sit half-a-game behind them at 92-61, and the Yankees are within a game of Philly with a 92-62 record. No other team is within six games of the Phillies.

Since the NL won the All Star Game and thus clinched home field advantage in the World Series, having the best record in baseball isn't worth much beyond bragging rights. That might not mean anything to the teams, but it certainly means something to us fans. Remember, you can always check out the reverse standings (for draft order purposes) at our page, but it's time to vote…

Which team will finish with the best record in baseball?

Click here to vote, and here to see the results.

Poll: The Next Losing Team To Make The Playoffs

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 23, 2010 at 9:47am CDT

Eight teams have assured themselves of losing records in 2010, but they're all trying to turn things around and reach the postseason. Could the Diamondbacks, under new GM Kevin Towers, be the first to reach the playoffs? What about the Royals, who have so much minor league talent? Or the Cubs, a big-market team with a number of pieces already in place? It's time to vote on those teams, plus the Nationals, Pirates, Mariners, Indians and Orioles.

Which losing team will reach the playoffs first?

Click here to vote and here to see the results.

Poll: Extending Josh Hamilton

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 21, 2010 at 9:02am CDT

When he’s on the field, Josh Hamilton is one of the best players in the game. Hamilton’s five-tool ability has translated into results for a few seasons now and at 29 he leads the American League in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.

But Hamilton, who had completed just one full season in the major leagues before this year, has not played since bruising his ribs in early September. Injuries have prevented Hamilton from playing more regularly throughout his career, so questions about his ability to stay on the field would no doubt contribute to the Rangers’ willingness to guarantee tens of millions of dollars. At this point, Rangers GM Jon Daniels tells Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that he isn’t worried about extending Hamilton.

"Our only focus as it relates to Josh right now is getting him healthy and back in the lineup," Daniels said. "The contractual stuff will take care of itself."

The Rangers have Hamilton under team control for two seasons after this so they don’t face the same urgency that the Cardinals do with their franchise player. Hamilton won’t cost nearly as much as Albert Pujols, but he’s in a position to demand more than $40MM over four years, no small amount of money. It’s a good problem to have – how would you address it if you were in Daniels’ position?

Would you offer Josh Hamilton a long-term extension?

Click here to take the survey and here to see the results.