by Hans on February 3, 2009
Part 1 – Atlanta Braves
It was the night of October 19th, 2006 – Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. The St. Louis Cardinals had taken a 3-1 lead in the top of the ninth inning and rookie closer Adam Wainwright had come in to start the bottom. He retired two batters and built an 0-2 count on the current one, bringing the Cards one good pitch away from the World Series. But at the plate stood a 29-year-old All-Star in his prime. Carlos Beltran had turned his 2004 playoff heroics into the largest contract in Mets history – 7 years and $119 million. The Mets had loaded the bases for their slugger and were one good hit away from the World Series. MLB’s slogan – “I Live For This” – had never been more appropriate. Wainwright delivered a curveball that started high over the outside corner. Shea Stadium’s capacity crowd, painted in an electrified orange and blue, stood on their toes as his two strike pitch dropped on its way to the plate and Carlos Beltran… did not swing. The Cardinals went on to win the World Series and the Mets went home.
It was the night of September 30th, 2007 – the 162nd game of the year. Despite a $115 million payroll, the Mets had lost 11 of their last 16 games to blow both high expectations and a 7 game lead in the NL East, now tied with the Philadelphia Phillies. Tom Glavine, in the final year and possibly last game of the 4 year and $42 million contract New York had offered to lure him from the Braves, took the mound in the top of the first inning against a young Florida Marlins group making $31 million total as a team. Shea Stadium’s capacity crowd, painted in a hopeful orange and blue, sat on the edge of their seats as Glavine started the first inning. He would retire only one batter and allow seven earned runs before he left; the Mets losing to the Marlins 8-1. Philadelphia went on to playoffs and the Mets went home.
It was the night of September 28th, 2008 – the 162nd game of the year and potentially the final game in the history of Shea Stadium. The Mets had lost 9 of their last 16 games to blow a 3 game lead in the NL East and now stood tied for the NL Wild Card with the Milwaukee Brewers and two games back of the NL East Champions, the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets, payroll now at $137 million, again faced the Marlins, payroll under $23 million, for the rubber game of the series. The game had been tied until the top of the 8th inning when Scott Schoeneweis relieved Brian Stokes and gave up a home run to pinch hitter Wes Helms. Luis Ayala would then relieve Schoeneweis and give up the same to Dan Uggla before retiring the next three batters. Shea Stadium’s capacity crowd, painted in a horrified orange and blue, slumped woefully in their seats as the out-of-town scoreboard flashed a Brewers win and the Mets stranded runners in the 8th and 9th innings. The Brewers went on to the playoffs, the Philles went on to win the World Series and the Mets went home.
If dramatic defeat were not enough, rival Philadelphia always seemed to prolong the pain with some comment or another. Jimmy Rollins stated during the 2007 spring training that the Phillies were the “team to beat.” He repeated his challenge in the spring of 2008 only to be followed after the season by World Series MVP Cole Hamels’ comments on a New York talk show that the Mets were “choke artists.”
Omar Minaya had been given resources most GM’s would dream of having. Since joining the team in 2005, he has expanded the Mets payroll to $137, signing Luis Castillo ($25 million), Billy Wagner ($43 million), Tom Glavine ($42 million), Pedro Martinez ($53 million), Carlos Beltran ($119 million), and Johan Santana ($137l5 million), acquiring other expensive veterans like Carlos Delgado and Orlando Hernandez as well. With nearly three years of nightmares, the New York media circling like vultures with tape recorders, and Shea Stadium being replaced by controversial CitiField in 2009, Minaya put his head down and went to work. He replaced his faulty bullpen almost to the piece, shipping Aaron Heilman and Joe Smith in a deal for All-Star closer J.J. Putz and Nick Green, waving goodbye to free agent Luis Ayala and sending Schoeneweis to Arizona for a song. And to top it all off, he signed newly crowned saves king Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez to a 3-year, $37 million contract. He fortified his rotation resigning Oliver Perez to a 3-year, $36 million deal, giving former Washington National Tim Redding a one year $2.25 million contract, and signing veteran Freddy Garcia to a minor league deal to add depth.
But the Mets have more than the ghosts of their past to address. Fans and the New York media seem to think they can will Manny Ramirez onto the team, Luis Castillo remains a disaster at second base, potential replacement Daniel Murphy struggled defensively in the Arizona Fall League and is currently slated for a platoon in left field, and a healthy return of John Maine is far from a certainty. So will Omar open the checkbook again or roll the dice hoping that for once, more money is not the answer? My guess is that they could also use another veteran outfield bat like Bobby Abreu.
In Part 1, we reviewed the Atlanta Braves. In Part 3, we’ll review the Florida Marlins
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by Hans on January 31, 2009
Two days before Halloween of 2008, the bulk of the National League East got its own scare as the Philadelphia Phillies became World Series Champions. The NL East is a tough division to be sure; a mix of fierce rivalries, big bank rolls, a constant influx of both big name free agents and young, hungry talent, and strong front offices itching to pull off a blockbuster on the way to the postseason. So let’s turn the clock back and look at how it all began.
On the morning of August 1st, 2007, the Atlanta Braves were sitting 5 games above .500, 3 1/2 games behind the NL East leading New York Mets, and 1 1/2 games behind the NL Wild Card leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Since the All-Star break, the Braves had gone 9-9 losing 1 1/2 games in the standings as the Mets went 11-8. But Atlanta fans had to have a spring in their step that morning. With Time Warner selling the team to Liberty Media in February, legendary GM John Schuerholz had the motivation to once again produce a winner and had just completed a blockbuster deal to bring firstbaseman Mark Teixiera to bolster the Braves lineup. And with 9 games remaining against both the Mets and the Phillies, the playoffs were well within reach.
That night in his Braves debut, Teixiera drew a bases loaded walk and hit a 3-run home run – and then just kept hitting. In 54 games with the Braves, he batted .317, blasted 17 home runs, and drove in 56 runs – a pace of 51 HR’s and 168 RBI’s. Manny who? Despite this production, Atlanta would not catch up, winning 13 of 28 in August and 15 of 27 in September, which included a 3-6 record against their New York rivals and 4-5 against the eventual NL East Champion, Philadelphia.
In exchange for Teixiera and reliever Ron Mahay, Texas received a veritable king’s ransom. Atlanta sent catcher/firstbaseman Jarrod Saltalamacchia, shortstop Elvis Andrus, and starting pitchers Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Beau Jones. The Braves already had young All-Star Brian McCann behind the plate, veteran Edgar Renteria at short with 25 year old rookie Yunel Escobar getting experience in the majors and prospect Brent Lillibridge developing in the minors, and a rotation anchored by solid veterans John Smoltz and Tim Hudson. What’s more, the Braves would have control of Big Teix for the 2007 playoff run and all of 2008. So to some this massive shedding of talent could be justified.
Heading into the 2008 season, Atlanta kept making moves. The first was in the front office as Schuerholz left his position as GM to become the club’s President, appointing long-time assistant Frank Wren as the new General Manager. Wren announced that the team would not resign Andruw Jones but brought long-time Brave Tom Glavine back with a one year deal. He shipped Renteria to Detroit for rookie pitcher Jair Jurrjens, and sent young reliever Joey Devine and prospect Jaime Richmond to Oakland for Mark Kotsay, supposedly to fill center field while top prospect Justin Schafer developed. But the troubles continued.
Schafer would get a 50 game suspension for his ties to the use of Human Growth Hormone. Outfielder Jeff Francouer all but disappeared at the plate. Glavine hit the Disabled List on April 18th and would only make 13 starts, winning 2. Smoltz follow suit on April 28th and, after coming back from the DL resting an inflamed right shoulder, proceeded to reinjure himself requiring season-ending surgery. Tim Hudson would be placed on the DL on July 28th and also require season ending surgery. By the time Hudson went down, Atlanta was 7 1/2 games out of first place, 10 1/2 behind the Wild Card leader, Milwaukee, and 7 games under .500. Distraught and disappointed, Frank Wren called up the runners up in the 2007 Teixiera bidding, the Los Angeles Angels, and cut a deal acquiring only first baseman Casey Kotchman and pitching prospect Stephen Marek in return.
2008 closed with the Braves finishing 4th in the NL East and missing the playoffs for the third straight year. With Smoltz and Glavine both recovering from injuries and becoming free agents and Hudson targeting mid-summer for his return from surgery, Wren pursued pitching with passion. He went after San Diego ace, Jake Peavy, but eventually backed down after hearing the Padres’ demands of multiple top level prospects, especially pitching phenom Tommy Hanson. He pursued free agent A.J. Burnett only to be trumped by the spending power of the Yankees. Forced to move, he sent Lillibridge and a few other prospects to the White Sox for Javier Vasquez, outbid rival New York Mets with a four year deal for Derek Lowe, and signed Japanese import Kenshin Kawakami to a 3-year deal.
The rotation as it currently stands is just above average, led by Lowe, Vasquez, Jurrjens, Kawakami, and possibly Hanson, with Hudson returning for a playoff run. But if Chipper Jones can stay healthy enough to lead the offense again, Kotchman can prove himself a worthy first baseman, and a very young and inexperienced outfield can simultaneously develop together, the Braves Wren might have just wheeled and dealed his way back into contention. My guess is, they need another veteran outfield bat like Bobby Abreu.
In Part 2, we’ll review the New York Mets.
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