A little NL East chatter
I knew it was inevitable. Rafael Furcal is gone, but he isn’t a Cub. And he is not a Met either. Welcome to the Dodgers, Raffy.
Now the two people the Braves were focused on keeping have both departed to New York. Fantastic. But if you think I am heartbroken or disappointed, you are very wrong. I am a little bummed, after all, because Rafael turned an ordinary trip to a ballgame into a memorable experience for me in 2004. But here’s what we have to gain:
Due to the fact that Chipper reworked his contract to get a paycut, we are now able to spend money on a solid closer, perhaps Todd Jones or Trevor Hoffman. But maybe we will get a virtual unknown to do the job that Dan Kolb failed to do in 2005. We now have more money to spend on eventually resigning both Andruw Jones and Marcus Giles after the 2007 season is over and done with. And there are teams that may be willing to part ways with a solid shortstop in exchange for a catcher, because God only knows the Braves have catchers to part with, like Johnny Estrada who is not worth the money we pay him. And Brayan Pena, who is a great young prospect.
Well I’ve been meaning to post a little more on the whole Billy Wagner-Tom Gordon-Kyle Farnsworth triangle. But seriously, what is there to actually say about it? The Phillies seem to be getting the bad end of this deal. The Yanks are taking a risk with Farnsworth, because even though he was solid with the Braves, he does have the tendency to be a wild pitcher with little control. Big winner in all this? The Mets. But the Mets are not the overall winner so far this offseason.
So who is the winner so far? Id have to say the Marlins. After getting a new manager in Joe Girardi, they have a manager who might be able to understand the youth of the team. I think the Marlins will have an off year next year, with the departures of Beckett, Lowell, Burnett, Delgado, LoDuca, among others. But its definetly a time for the youth movement in the Marlins. I don’t see them going out and getting a big all star power hitter, but I do see them trying to bring up players from their farm system. The Marlins do not have a bad farm system at all.
I think even though the Mets were the winners in the relief pitcher triangle, I don’t think they were the big offseason winners so far. With the aquisition of Billy Wagner, that solidifies their bullpen. Now where will this put Braden Looper? Where will we see him in 2006? So do I think the Mets have their pitching staff set? Bullpen wise, yes, I do. Now we all know they got LoDuca and Delgado. But everyone should know that a big name doesn’t mean a World Series title. Because honestly, besides Paul Konerko and the injury plagued Frank Thomas, what members of the White Sox were known around baseball as being a major threat at the plate om a regular basis? Not many if you really think hard. So the Mets will need to show the baseball world that big names can bring big things to the team.
Now back to the Braves, I don’t know where this will leave us. I hear the constant rumors with the Devil Rays with Julio Lugo. Not a bad choice. But time, and winter meetings will tell.
Rock on!
đŸ™‚ Julie
Forever Braves 