MLB Free Agents Signing, Trades and News

With no other reason than sheer baseball interest, I have been living and breathing the sport since I decided it was a personal goal of mine to make as much of a living through baseball as humanly possible. Immersing myself in the game has left me with a little bit of a problem. I am really starting to like the Seattle Mariners this season. I’m not ready to turn in my Yankee pinstripes by any means, but after the off-season they’ve had they are the clear favorites to topple the Angels in the AL West 3 year run as champions. I really liked the way the Mariners played last season. I think their offseason moves have put them in the running to be legitimate contenders this upcoming season.

You have to absolutely love the amount of speed in their lineup. Figgins and Ichiro at the top will easily score 200 runs and steal 60 bases between them. Franklin Gutierrez won’t exactly hurt them in that category in their either. While they lack a true middle of the order stud in their lineup, the solid addition of Casey Kotchman as well as emergence of Jose Lopez last season will provide them with all the pop they need. I even think taking on head case Milton Bradley in exchange for the Irabu-esque Carlos Silva was a great gamble. I’m not saying they’re head and shoulder above the Rangers or Angels. I just think their team got better while the Rangers essentially remained the same, with the Angels losing their ace and leadoff hitter. I could sit by and spout out a bunch of stats to either prove or disprove why my theory is valid. It’s just one of those feelings you get at the beginning of the season that if I had an expendable 100 dollars to throw around, I’d check the Vegas odds on the Mariners to take the West. I bet it would come in at least 4:1, a very solid investment in my eyes.

Gambling references aside, I not only think the Mariners are going to win, I want them to win. As a Yankee fan I am trained to hate the Angels, while not taking the Rangers seriously. The Mariners ripped my heart out in 1995. They took away Donnie Baseball’s last chance at glory. However, we got them back in 2000 when they were on a seemingly unstoppable path towards overshadowing our immortal 1998 team. We both got our licks in and I am ready to forgive and forget. Besides, I just don’t like the Angels regardless of the outcome of last season’s ALCS. It’s about time someone ended their reign in the West because that division has been pretty boring for the past decade. I’m ready for a young athletic team lead by aces King Felix and Cliff Lee to dominate that division in an off year. If Erik Bedard can regain any semblance of his former self after signing an incentive laden one year contract, the Mariners will be able to contend with the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox.

I think it’s healthy to pick a second team to root for not only to hedge your bets, but also to make the season that much more interesting. I’m at the point as a baseball fan that I’ve seen my team win so much that it would make me happy just to see good baseball at this point. Let’s get some good rivalries going all over the league, not just in the AL East and the AL Central. I’m ready for it and I’m sure the success starved city of Seattle is as well.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Johnny Damon is on the Tigers and Braves radar. This article claims that the Tigers pursuit of Damon hinges on whether or not owner Mike Ilitch is willing to expand the Tiger budget. If Damon lowers his demands, he and the Braves may be a match.

VJ Says: Day by day we keep getting closer to pitchers and catchers. As this happens, Johnny Damon’s market still exists, but only in a $6 million realm. It looks like all interested parties are sitting on the sidelines, waiting to see how low Johnny Damon will go. Atlanta GM Frank Wren has the most to gain by getting the free-agent left fielder to sign on the dotted line. On paper, the Braves are one player away (Damon) from being serious contenders for a Wild Card spot in 2010. As for Detroit, the White Sox look like the only 90-win team in the AL Central, whether or not Damon lands in the MoTown.

There are ways to sugar coat one’s short comings in life. Platitudes such as “I gave it my all,” or “There’s always next year,” come to mind. In the spirit of brutal honesty, I failed. My goal was to be offered a job in professional baseball and I did not reach this goal at the commencement of my five week training course in Florida. So yes, in that sense I did fail. Needless to say I am very disappointed with myself in that respect. Regardless of the outcome of my training, there are so many things I gained during my time at the academy that I will take with me forever. This is why when people will ask if I feel like I wasted over a month of my life on a fruitless endeavor, I will laugh in their face.
I’ll start off first comparing myself from day one of training to day twenty nine, our final one in Kissimmee. I walked into the Houston Astros Spring Training complex with no confidence in my knowledge of the game, let alone my ability to umpire a game. I had no idea of the umpire’s responsibilities, terminology, mechanics, voice, and even complex baseball rules that must be recognized in seconds. The funny thing is that even if you can master all of these facets, you would simply be an average umpire. The skill that separates the men from the boys is situation management. You can put yourself in the perfect position for a call, use exactly the right terminology in an authoritative voice, with pristine mechanics and still have a team’s manager charging out of the dugout to scream in your face. At this point, it is up to you to do whatever you can to keep the situation from escalating, as well as get the game going in a timely manner. If you say the wrong thing, you will not only have numerous ejections on your plate, but an angry League President who will either fine, suspend, or terminate your contract. This is where inexperience as an umpire prevented me from being offered a pro job. I was told that I was too timid and gave the manager too much rope. See you don’t want to be a “red-ass” who throws anyone who looks at you funny out of the game. You also don’t want to be a pushover who lets the manager walk all over them. It’s a delicate balance, but if you were going to err on either side of the spectrum, it’s definitely better to be an umpire who does not allow a manager or player to talk down to them.
Although I wasn’t an honor graduate from the academy, I did have a few academic achievements I was very proud of during my time there. I got a 100 on my test on Section 5 of the Official Baseball Rules. Overall, I was 14th in test scores out of 115 students. I did not miss one lecture, nor day out on the field. Hell I did not so much as miss a drill on the field. I had excruciating knee pain pretty much the entire camp. I had constant stomach pains from the less than gourmet food being served to us. One day I nearly passed out from a stomach ache, but fought my way through the end of the drills to finish out the day. I’ll tell you one thing, while I was not the number one graduate of that academy, no one worked harder than I did day in and day out.
Aside from my academic achievements which were nice, the fact I am most proud of is the friendships I gained. I am annoyed to say that there were guys at the camp who were far from team players. This was preached to us from the moment we got there, that we are all umpires on the same team and we must not ever do anything that may potentially sabotage another umpire for personal gain. I am saddened to say that numerous times I saw people acting in their own interests to make another umpire look foolish by making personal comments or purposely messing up plays in the field. While this made me angry, I chose not to act on my feelings nor tell any of the superiors. I simply stayed away from these people and became closer with the people I knew were good guys that were there not only for a job, but to better themselves as umpires and as people. This is where I believe I stood out from a lot of people. If you ask most anyone who attended the academy, they will tell you that I would always go out of my way to make sure we had enough players to run a drill, pick up a guy who was injured, or help anyone in any way that I could. Again, this is not to build myself up as some sort of hero, as I am anything but. Umpiring aside, this is the person that I am. I will go out of my way to help any person until they prove to me that they are unworthy of my friendship. At that point, you’re on your own. I made so many friends in Kissimmee from all over the world. Without them, I would not have done as well as I did academically nor in my field work. I hope to umpire with as many of them as possible on an amateur level.
Although I did not achieve my goal of becoming an umpire in professional baseball, I did gain skills that I will utilize for the rest of my life. Life is full of disappointments and moments of elation. This was a mixed bag for me, as although I am not a minor league umpire, I do have many options available to me including the ability to relocate back to America’s Finest City. On a pleasant note, one good friend I was lucky enough to make my acquaintance with while at the academy by the name of Masa Ichiki comes to mind. Masa came all the way from Japan for the pro course, his second stint at the academy. His mechanics are crisp, his rules knowledge is almost flawless, and his personality is perfect for the job. The only thing that prevented him from being sent to the PBUC Academy the first time was his deficiency in English. They told him after his previous stay to learn more English and come back. He did and he was arguably the best umpire. While he had some work to do on his English, I was praying he would be one of the guys selected to move on. He was, and I have never been happier to see another person take a potential job from me. Good luck to you Masa, hope to see you in the majors one day. To all my other academy buddies, remember the lessons taught to us by Jim and every other red shirt there. Hopefully I’ll see you guys on the field as a co-worker. If not, I wish you the best of luck in whatever you do. Much love.

-Cary “from New York”

The San Francisco Giants should sign free-agent outfielder Jermaine Dye. He’s still sitting on the free-agent market with a price-tag of just $3 million (give or take). According to this report on Foxsports.com, Dye may soon be headed to an American League team. That would be a shame for the Giants who could use some extra pop. Last season, only the Mets hit fewer home runs. The offense ranked 13th in runs scored. Nate Schierholtz isn’t the answer in right field. DeRosa, Sandoval and Freddy Sanchez can use a little help. Let’s not forget, the young shoulders of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain can use some run support, one of these years

Johnny Damon in an Braves uniform. Atlanta GM Frank Wren and Scott Boras should make it happen. $13 million, the amount Boras originally wanted from the Yankees this off-season, is now a pipe dream. How about these two sides agree to a $6 million deal for 2010? The Braves boast a pitching staff that’s ready to contend now: Jurrjens, Lowe, Hudson and Hanson. Chipper, McLouth and McCann are sure to provide pop. If the newly acquired Troy Glaus does his job, and Yunel Escobar takes the next step as a hitter, Damon could be the final piece that helps Atlanta return to post-season play.

Colorado has a legitimate shot to return to the playoffs in 2010. John Smoltz could help make this happen. The Rockies offense has the depth to contend. The rotation is set at the top with Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jiminez and Jorge de la Rosa. Smoltz’s presence would help temper any uncertainty that either Jason Hammel or Jeff Francis present, at the back end of the rotation. $4 million would probably seal the deal here. Heck, with or without Smoltz, the Rox just might compete for the NL West. Why not bring in another arm with plenty of playoff experience?

The Minnesota Twins will have a new second baseman when they open up Target Field in April. Orlando Hudson has agreed to bring his game to the Twin Cities. As I predicted on Wednesday, Hudson will earn $5 million on a one-year deal.

Having played in Toronto, Arizona and Los Angeles, the Twins will be Hudson’s fourth big league stop. In 2009 he was selected to his second All Star team. It was  his only season with the Dodgers, posting .282/.348/.431 while scoring 74 runs. On April 13th against the Giants, Hudson hit for the cycle, becoming the first Dodger to do so since Wes Parker in 1970.

VJ Says: O-Dog is a gritty spark-plug. The type of guy fans want to root for. Minnesota will have fun watching Hudson bring a certain kind of energy to the Twins roster. A terrific candidate to set the table for Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.

Note to Ron Gardenhire: Give Orlando some rest throughout the season. Hudson swooned down the stretch last year with the Dodgers. Joe Torre went with Ronnie Belliard at second base during the playoffs, in favor of Hudson. His career average during September is .252, by far his worst of any month. Regardless, thumbs up to Minnesota for adding a quality character, bat and defender to their middle infield.

Speaking of second basemen, Adam Kennedy is headed to The District. He’ll earn $1.25MM in 2010 with the Nationals. Circle April 5th on your calendar:  Opening Day 2010, Washington hosts the defending NL champion Phillies. This matchup has the potential to reignite the Cuban Missile Crisis in our nation’s capitol.  Imagine this scenario: Kennedy at bat in the bottom of the ninth, tie game, Cuban defector Jose Contreras on the mound. For the sake of Nats’ fans (the franchise is 1-5 on Opening Day) let’s hope it’s Kennedy launching missiles this time around.