After reviewing the additions made by Eastern Conference teams, we now turn our attention to how the Western Conference clubs have fared during the free agency period.

The Chicago Blackhawks made a big splash while admittedly overspending in terms of length and dollar amount (hey, at least they’re honest, right?). Brian Campbell leaves the Pacific coast to go to the Windy City, while Cristobal Huet gives the Hawks the most expensive goaltending tandem in hockey history (about $13 million in the crease). For Campbell, that means more of the same — power play time with a very talented core group of players. On the point position, the Hawks have seen a number of different configurations, including the use of their many young blueliners and forward/defenseman/all-around nice guy Dustin Byfuglien. There’s no telling yet who will have the best chemistry with Campbell, and it might even be a forward moving back like Robert Lang (though Jason Williams left via free agency), so the only thing that’s certain is that one of Chicago’s key power play point men will lose ice time to Campbell.

In the crease, no one’s quite sure what will happen with Nikolai Khabibulin, though rational thinking tells us that he will be shipped off so Huet can be the starter come opening night. Still, Hawk management is saying all the right things, such as the team is ready to go with 1A and 1B if need be (and an alternating system similar to what former San Jose coach Ron Wilson did with Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala two seasons ago might be a good way to drive up Khabibulin’s trade value). The bottom line, though, is that Huet will be there for the long haul and Khabibulin will be gone eventually.

Since Campbell left San Jose, what did the Sharks do in return? They got not one but two offensive-minded blueliners. First, the Sharks signed veteran Rob Blake, then they made a blockbuster deal for all-star defenseman Dan Boyle. Boyle immediately becomes San Jose’s go-to point man, but it still remains to be seen how new coach Todd McLellan will handle the rest of the unit. Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski have spent time at the point, and Christian Ehrhoff has shown plenty of offensive potential (and who better to learn from than Blake?). So until McLellan settles on something that works, you can bet that San Jose’s two power-play units will be a mix-and-match test of about ten different guys.

Over in Motown, the Red Wings reloaded by signing Marian Hossa for a one-year deal. It remains to be seen where Hossa will play, but most likely he won’t be lining up with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Instead, look for Hossa to anchor his own line except in special teams and last-minute situations. Because Detroit’s core group of forwards is so deep and diverse, there’s no telling just what coach Mike Babcock will do just yet.

Strange things are afoot in Vancouver (about 20 million strange things sent to one Mats Sundin), but in the meantime the Canucks have jettisoned long-time captain Markus Naslund and brought in Pavol Demitra to be his erstwhile replacement. Demitra, coming off a somewhat disappointing season in Minnesota, was upset with the way the Wild’s defensive system constricted his play. Um, Pavol, you do know that Alain Vignault plays a suffocating defensive style too, right? The Canucks also acquired inconsistent young power forward Steve Bernier, who could wind up anywhere from being the Sedin twins’ crease-crasher to Mike Gillis’ in-game pizza guy depending on how his work ethic goes this season.

The Phoenix Coyotes were a team on the rise last season, and they’ve got an even bigger reason to be optimistic heading into this year. Not only do young players like Peter Mueller and Kyle Turris become a year older, wiser, and stronger, the Coyotes have their first true No. 1 centre since the heyday of Jeremy Roenick in the desert. Acquiring Olli Jokinen cost blueliner Keith Ballard, but it presents so many more options up front for Wayne Gretzky. This looks to be the year the Coyotes turn the page.

The Dallas Stars now have the league’s two most irritating players. Will coach Dave Tippet choose to play newly-signed Sean Avery with superpest Steve Ott, or will he keep them separate to have the irritation spread out? One things for sure: the Stars have the right players to draw penalties — and anger — out of the opposition.

The Ducks kept Corey Perry in the fold with an extension that essentially replicated teammate Ryan Getzlaf’s deal. In need of scoring depth, Anaheim is hoping that Brenden Morrison can revive his career. If Teemu Selanne comes back, it’s almost certain that Morrison will play with the Finnish Flash, most likely with Chris Kunitz, as coach Randy Carlyle hopes to recapture the chemistry that left when Andy McDonald was traded to St. Louis. That’s probably Morrison’s best hope in terms of returning to elite status.

Columbus has been looking for a centre for Rick Nash for a while, and this time, it’s gambling on a young player rather than a veteran like Sergei Fedorov. By acquiring R.J. Umberger, the Blue Jackets are penciling him in to play with Nash and hopefully spread out the offense. They’ll need to succeed since the Blue Jackets’ only other offensive weapon (Nikolai Zherdev) was shipped off to the Rangers for blueline support. Umberger will have every opportunity to reach his potential by playing with Nash, and if the duo manages to find some chemistry, the Blue Jackets will have an offensive anchor to carry them through the near future.

Finally, Calgary signed Todd Bertuzzi. The rest of the world shrugged and laughed.

July 22nd, 2008
Categories: HOCKEY, Ice Chips, Mike Chen, Transactional analysis . Author: Mike Chen . Comments: 3 Comments

The first major pieces fell into place in the trade wars this week with both C.C. Sabathia and Rich Harden moving from the AL to the NL. I sure hope you NL-only owners were quick on the draw to pick up these two aces.

Let’s focus today on how the departure of defending AL Cy Young winner Sabathia affects the reeling Indians, losers of nine straight games. I mean, obviously, you can’t simply replace a Cy Young winner, but his roster and rotation spot were suddenly opened nonetheless.

Juan Rincon, signed by the Tribe to a minor league deal last month, is expected to get the call Wednesday to take Sabathia’s roster spot. Given how brutal the former top notch set-up dude has been the past two years and the fact that his results at Triple-A Buffalo haven’t been inspiring, I wouldn’t look to Rincon for any help. Manager Eric Wedge says that Rincon’s arm has looked good, especially his slider, but I’m not holding out hope to see the pre-juiced version of Rincon suddenly resurface.

But that still leaves Sabathia’s rotation spot, next needed on Saturday. Ultimately, Fausto Carmona will slide into that spot, but he’s still dealing with a left hip strain. He threw another bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to toss a simulated game Thursday, but then he’ll need a rehab assignment. So don’t look for Carmona to be back in Cleveland until after the All-Star break.

Many people have reported that Jeff Weaver, signed last week to a minor league deal, will get the start Saturday. But Weaver was cut by Triple-A Nashville almost a month ago, and hasn’t pitched since, so he needs to get some work in before he sees a major league diamond again.

The Tribe is very excited by the progress made this season by 23-year-old lefty Dave Huff, a first round supplemental pick in 2006. He’s already shot through Double-A, and is more than holding his own at Triple-A (3.79), but asking a kid who’s made just seven starts above Double-A to start in the majors may be pushing things. Still, Huff has landed squarely on the radar as a prospect worth watching.

Wedge would prefer to select from the group of “guys who have been around for a while.†This leaves some very uninspiring choices from Triple-A, including righties Matt Ginter (6-6, 4.27) and Dan Reichert (1-3, 4.40) and lefty John Halama (4-2, 5.66). I trust you’re not that desperate for pitching help, are you?

From the sounds of it, the trade of Sabathia will not suddenly open the door for any Indian youngsters we really need to be tracking.

However, one Indian prospect worth watching is newcomer Matt LaPorta, the key man acquired from Milwaukee in the deal. He was dominating in the Double-A Southern League, so Cleveland toyed with the idea of assigning him to Triple-A Buffalo after the deal. Instead, the team opted to take a slightly slower approach, sending him to their Double-A Eastern League affiliate. But don’t worry – I suspect he won’t be long for the Eastern League. I have a strong feeling we’ll be seeing LaPorta in Buffalo before the end of the month, and probably in Cleveland by the end of August. Get ready to jump on this powerful kid, who should already be taken in keeper leagues.

It’s been an awfully disappointing season in Cleveland given that this team was built to contend. But the acquisition of LaPorta is a brilliant way to retool on the fly with a bright young hitter, especially considering how quickly he’ll arrive in Cleveland to provide help.

July 9th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, RotoRob, Transactional analysis . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 1 Comment

Can you believe it was just three years ago that Houston was the NL Champions, representing the Senior Circuit in the 2005 World Series?

Man, have things ever spiraled out of control since then.

The team barely finished over .500 in 2006, and then plummeted even further last year. While they’ve shown modest improvements this season, in looking at the big picture, things appear bleak.

Even with the retirements of long-time franchise faces Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, the average age of the roster is still close to 31 years of age – the oldest of all major league clubs.

On the horizon, there isn’t much help coming in the near future. Baseball America ranks the Astro minor league system as the thinnest in all of baseball besides the White Sox. (Of course, surrendering their second round pick last year for a clearly done Woody Williams and failing to sign three of their top six picks didn’t help breath life into the system.)

Now, the drama begins.

Shawn Chacon, signed for $2 million in the offseason (when a few extra bucks would have landed Livan Hernandez or Kyle Lohse), finally imploded this week, hurling his own GM to the ground and landing on waivers Thursday afternoon.

He’ll likely never pitch again in the majors after this stunt.

Even though the ‘Stros are scuffling a bit lately, they are just five games under .500, and still somewhat close to the Wild Card leading Cardinals (7.5 games back).

But if this Chacon situation is the start of a major unraveling in Houston, it’s time to consider blowing it up and attempting a major rebuilding program – clearly a bitter pill to swallow for an organization that made the postseason six times in nine years, culminating in the 2005 World Series club.

So should Houston part with its stars and bring back in some much-needed minor league depth in the process? Let’s examine who might be the likeliest of candidates to go should the team opt to empty the cupboards.

Miguel Tejada is signed through the end of next year and owed another $13 million for 2009. His bat has slipped somewhat this year, but he’s slumping badly right now, so it’s not the best time to consider trading him. Tejada is a good team leader, but a declining bat on a 34-year-old shortstop not known for his defensive prowess is not a luxury a rebuilding team should be carrying.

Then you’ve got Lance Berkman, in the midst of a career year at the age of 32. Although he’s cooled somewhat this month, Berkman is still mashing, and he’s under contract until the end of the 2010 season, with a $15 million club option for 2011. He’d bring in a king’s ransom from a team needing an injection of offense, but would it would be horribly demoralizing to see this Texas boy and former Rice star leave Houston. Complicating matters further is his full no-trade clause.

Roy Oswalt is signed through the end of the 2011 with a 2012 club option, but he’s struggling through his worst season yet, so his value isn’t exactly through the roof right now. On the plus side, Oswalt is trending in the right direction, with June being his finest month of the season to date, and more along the lines of what we’ve come to expect from him. Imagine how much he’d bring in return, although, again, there’s a no-trade clause in play here.

Carlos Lee is under contract until 2012, and has been in slow decline for the last three years. Getting anything near market value for him would be huge, but Lee can veto any deal until 2010, so would need to waive his no-trade clause first. It would likely take a team offering him an extension to do so, and I’m not sure anyone would be interested in going there, so Lee is unlikely to be shed.

It will be interesting to see how the Astros decide to handle this situation. But unless by some bizarre happenstance this Chacon episode galvanizes the team and starts a roll, I think owner Drayton McLane, and GM Ed Wade (once he picks his ass off the ground, that is) really need to take a hard look at the long-term future of this club and make some tough decisions as we near the trading deadline.

June 27th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, RotoRob, Team report, Transactional analysis . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 3 Comments

The massively underperforming Seattle Mariners shook things up this week, dumping hitting coach Jeff Pentland in the hopes of turning around a season that has really gone off the rails the past six weeks.

I doubt this change will do much – I mean, consider the fact that Pentland is the sixth hitting coach for this team in just over a decade since Lee Elia. Elia, ironically enough, has now taken over the struggling Mariner offense again.

Coming off an 88-win season in 2007, expectations were high for Seattle, but since holding its own in April, everything has come unraveled. An 8-20 May, followed by a 2-7 June to date has caused the Mariners to fall 16.5 games off the pace in the AL West, a division they were expected to compete in this year.

It’s easy to blame the sticks, especially considering Seattle was at least a middle of the pack offensive club last season. The Mariners ranks dead last in on-base percentage and OPS and second to last in BA, runs and slugging percentage. Something had to give, so Pentland is the sacrificial lamb.

Of course, the Mariners aren’t the only team to feature a revolving door of batting coaches. The Dodgers are working on their eighth batting guru in eight years (Rick Down, Jack Clark, George Hendrick, Tim Wallach, Eddie Murray, Bill Mueller, Don Mattingly and now Mike Easler), and as the team continues to scuffle at the plate, it’s fair to wonder how long Easler will last.

But of course, the Dodgers – still very much in the race — aren’t being dragged down by their bats the way Seattle seems to have been.

Consider the wake of damage that fantasy owners have felt all too painfully:

To be fair, we should talk about the few things that have gone right for the Mariners hitters, a decidedly shorter list:

June 11th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, RotoRob, Team report, Transactional analysis . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 3 Comments

Can you believe it? We’re a mere seven parts into this series, and it’s coming to an end already. Just when we were really starting to have fun. For the first half dozen parts of our look at the last MLB free agency period, check here: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.

San Diego: The Padres made five moves, but three were insignificant signings and one was a re-signing they probably regret, leaving just one impact addition this offseason.

Catcher Michael Barrett, acquired in a mid-season deal with the Cubbies, was re-signed for one year and $3.5 million. This one hasn’t worked out; not only did Barrett just come off the DL after missing almost the entire season to date, but he’s been absolutely awful in his limited PT so far. Remember when this guy was a legitimate fantasy option? Seems a long time ago, doesn’t it?

Randy Wolf, who somewhat bounced back with the Dodgers last year (when he wasn’t hurt, of course), earned himself a one-year, $4.75 million from San Diego. We pegged him as a long shot gamble, and so far, it’s been a pretty good investment, as he’s really cut his home run rate (predictable in his new home park) and has garnered decent fantasy attention. Unfortunately, Wolf is pitching like crap in May, and hence is winding up on the waiver wires, but his last three outings have been solid, so I’d suggest taking another look at the veteran southpaw.

Robert Fick, who has been slipping for a couple of years, got himself a minor league deal from the Padres, but was released before Spring Training. Stick a fork in Fick.

In another ineffectual move, the Padres gave outfielder Jeff DaVanon a minor league deal, and then released him when Fick was set free. At least DaVanon found a new job, however, landing in the ChiSox organization.

Finally, after Tony Clark enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in Arizona last year, the Pads gave him $900,000 for one year. Unfortunately, they were not able to catch lightning in a bottle here, as Clark’s power has completely evaporated, something we sure didn’t see coming.

San Francisco: The Giants only made one free agent move, but it was a biggie as they brought in Aaron Rowand from the Phils. With Rowand coming off a career year, San Francisco committed $60 million over five years for him, hoping he’d help offset the offense lost with Barry Bonds not being brought back. So far, Rowand has surprisingly lived up to the lofty deal, especially in terms of his ability to get on base (11th in the NL in OBP and fifth in BA), something Giants’ fans were rather used to with Bonds. He’s been absolutely on fire lately, and a strong start to the season has gotten even better. I admit that – so far – I was wrong about this one, as I expected Rowand to flop.

Washington: The Nats were somewhat active this offseason, adding four new bodies.

The key addition was bringing in a new starting catcher in the form of Paul Lo Duca, signed away from the Mets for one year and $5 million. Toronto had been rumoured to be chasing Lo Duca, but the Nats won this battle. Unfortunately, Lo Duca got hurt in mid-April, and less than a week after being activated, found himself right back on the DL. He’s likely out until at least after the All-Star game, making this signing a big time flop.

The club also brought in veteran infielder Aaron Boone for one year and $1 million. After an injury cut short his 2007 campaign with the Marlins, he’s become a key backup for the Nats, and has recently taken over at third for the injured Ryan Zimmerman. Boone has been hitting incredibly well this year, showing power like never before (urine sample, please). His play is dictating more PT, and perhaps soon will even make him an attractive target in deeper NL-only leagues.

Another veteran utility man added was Rob Mackowiak, signed for one year and $1.5 million. Unfortunately, this deal hasn’t worked out as whatever happened to Mackowiak’s hitting ability after landing in San Diego last year has gotten worse this season. While he was someone worth looking at last August, he’s now a marginal major leaguer, but the Nats are probably stuck with him for the year given their investment.

Lastly, lefty Odalis Perez was brought in from the Royals for one year and $850,000. This deal is a major bargain, as Perez not only won a rotation spot, but has pitched his best since 2004, when he was a Dodger. The long balls he’s allowing worry me, but for now, Perez looks like a decent gamble in NL-only leagues.

Okay, that’s a wrap for our in-depth recap of the free agency period. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it. Pardon me now, while I go get my sore wrists tended to by a scantily clad 18-year-old who will later hand-feed me Twinkies and Skittles.

May 29th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, RotoRob, Transactional analysis . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 5 Comments