Angels Sign Ryan Madson

The Angels have signed closer Ryan Madson to a one year deal for an undisclosed amount of money probably in the $4-7 million range that he got last year, I would guess.  This creates a bit of competition in Angels camp now since Ernesto Frieri has closing experience and did a good job last year and Madson was a great closer before getting hurt last yea.  It only takes one bad year for a closer to become a permanent middle reliever but Madson is probably the better fit for the closing job to start the year off and Frieri to be a setup man along with Scott Downs.  This makes the Angels better as a whole and this move is adding just another quality player to the Angels for the year.  The Angels bullpen will benefit from this move a lot as Madson should lower their numbers and as a full time closer, I could see 35-40 saves in Madson future very easily.  Madson should have a year like some of the ones he had in Philly.  He’s not out of his prime yet and more teams should have went for him and should go fro players like him even with the risk after surgery.  Teams like the Tigers could’ve also gotten him and had a great closer, but this should just work out for all and be a great signing.

Torii Hunter Visits Detroit, Tigers Leading Bidder

Torii Hunter was in Detroit today visiting the Tigers and they are prepared to offer him a multi-year deal.  Hopefully only worth about two years as he is getting older and a decline is due at some point, but or the Tigers to have him in right field and hitting second would be huge for them, and he is a major upgrade over Delmon Young.  Of all the outfielders in this free agent class, Torii may not fit the best with the Tigers and Victorino may be the best fit but Torii has talent and the defense he brings to the Detroit outfield is great.  To have Dirks in left and Jackson in center along with him will be a great outfield and signing him and teaming that up with a Victor return the top of the Tigers line-up could be a machine.  At this point, Torii signing with Detroit seems likely and possibly the best move.  The Angels would hurt from his loss but with all of their players can’t afford to keep hom.  The Rangers are the only competition at this point and he though he fits with them and makes them a ton better too, he looks to be Detroit bound.  This is the player the Tigers need and he can hit well in Comerica.  He is just a good choice,a nd could add 20 homers from the two spot.  Torii will sign soon, as he did when coming to LA in the 2007/08 offseason.  PREDICTION: Tiger for 2 years, 23 Million

Line-Up With Torii

1. Jackson CF
2. Hunter RF
3. Cabrera 3B
4. Fielder 1B
5. Martinez DH
6. Dirks LF
7. Peralta SS
8. Avila C
9. Infante 2B

That looks amazing and Hunter protects Jackson and is protected by Cabrera, a hitter’s dream, even better than in LA with Pujols.  Martinez can handle all the pressure in the five hole too, so this line-up looks great

Revised MLB Standings Predictions

Not being a homer, sticking with my Tigers pick, they hvae finally came together and they might not stop, anything is possible but I think these right here are going to be right!

AL EAST	W-L
Yankees	97-65
Rays	90-72
Orioles	88-74
Blue Jays	84-78
Red Sox	80-82
AL CENTRAL	W-L
Tigers	94-68
White Sox	85-77
Indinas	76-86
Royals	73-89
Twins	69-93
AL WEST	W-L
Rangers	94-68
Angels	92-70
Athletics	86-76
Mariners	71-91
NL EAST	W-L
Nationals	95-67
Braves	93-69
Marlins	85-77
Mets	81-81
Philies	70-92
NL CENTRAL	W-L
Pirates	94-68
Reds	90-72
Cardinals	88-74
Brewers	75-87
Cubs	67-95
Astros	64-98
NL WEST	W-L
Giants	96-66
Dodgers	91-71
D’Backs	82-80
Padres	70-92
Rockies	68-94
Wild Card-AL	Rays	over	Angels	9 to 6
Wild Card-NL	Dodgers	over	Braves	4 to 3
ALDS	Rays	over	Rangers	in 5
	Tigers	over	Yankees	in 5
NLDS	Nationals	over	Dodgers	in 4
	Giants	over	Pirates	in 4
ALCS	Tigers	over	Rays	in 6
NLCS	Nationals	over	Giants	in 7
WS	Tigers	over	Nationals	in 6

Top 10 LA Angels Right Now

1 1B Albert Pujols
2 SP Jered Weaver
3 SP Dan Haren
4 SP CJ Wilson
5 RF Torii Hunter
6 SS Erick Aybar
7 2B Howard Kendrick
8 3B Mark Trumbo
9 RP Jordan Walden
10 SP Ervin Santana
HM: Morales, Wells, Abreu, Bourjos, Downs

Rangers Add Yu Darvish

The Rangers have signed Yu Darvish to a 6 six-year, 60 million dollar deal.  I think the Rangers win this deal because they are getting an ace if he adapt well, which shouldn’t be a problem.  His World Baseball Classic numbers were good and they were in MLB atmosphere.  He should be the best pitcher to come out of Japan even if he doesn;t fully live up to his expectation, which I see him being in the middle.  He replaces CJ Wilson well and should be a good starter.  Expect some struggles this year but a lower-3.00 ERA should be reasonable and it could get lower and should never climb above 4.  He should always have good stats.  His stuff is sick too and could be some of the best in baseball and facts are facts, he dominated in Japan, which si the best he could do but even with the inflation his numbers should take in the MLB, he should still be dominating.  I think he will be okay in the division and in the ballpark.  He’s a great signing and could be a difference maker int he division race, whether he;s good, or the smaller chance he isn’t.  he’s better than Daisuke and even better than Nomo and we should expect some good things from him and though he shouldn’t ever be a top or even top three pitcher, he could be special and feared.  Good fit and signing for both.

Bold Predictions for 2012

RED SOX: They will win over 90 games but miss the playoffs
YANKEES: Robinson Cano will hit 40 HR
RAYS: Will win the Wild Card with Longoria returning to hitting over .300
ORIOLES: Matt Wieters lives up to the potential
BLUE JAYS: Brett Lawrie leads the Blue Jays in Batting Average

TIGERS: Miguel Cabrera hits 40 HR and best his 2011 Average while taking the MVP, Verlander repeats his performance
ROYALS: They finish in second place behind Eric Hosmer becoming an elite 1B
INDIANS: Ubaldo Jimenez fails to win 12 games and is a flop
TWINS: Joe Mauer fails to hit .300 playing a full season
WHITE SOX: They finsih in last and Gordon Beckham breaks out

ANGELS: They fail to win the division and struggle against the Rangers 
ATHLETICS: Jarrod Parker wins or comes very close to the AL ROY
RANGERS: Neftali Feliz wins 19 games and has a sub-3 ERA
MARINERS: Dustin Ackley has a sophomore slump

PHILLIES: Jon Paplebon has blows over 7 saves
MARLINS: They win 90 games and the teams best player is Mike Stanton
METS: David Wright hits 30 HR
NATIONALS: Bryce Harper makes a June debut and he has more success than Strasburg
BRAVES: Freddie Freeman is the team MVP

CARDINALS: They Cardinals still win 88 games, but miss the playoffs
BREWERS: They still find a way to win the division
REDS: Come back strong and challenge for the division
CUBS: Starlin Castro get 200 hits again and Ian Stewart hits 27 HR
PIRATES: They finish at .500 or better
ASTROS: Jose Altuve finishes in the top 10 in average and challenges 200 hits

PADRES:Cameron Maybin goes 20-20
DODGERS: Matt Kemp wins the Triple Crown
GIANTS: Tim Lincecum wins 23 games the pitching triple crown
ROCKIES: They get back in the playoff hunt behind Tulowitzki’s 40 HR
DIAMONDBACKS: Justin Upton is second in the NL MVP behind Matt Kemp

Angels Sign Albert Pujols

The Angels have signed future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols to a ten-year, over 250 million dollar deal, sure he’s overpayed but he’s the best player in baseball since Barry Bonds(and no steroids!).  First, a reflection on his Cardinal career, considering last year was his worst and he missed out on 100 RBI on the season for the first team that he would have gotten easily barring a wrist injury, he has had a great Cardinal career and dare I say this but he’s pretty close to being as good as Stan Musial was in St. Louis and if you take Pujols 11 years and compare to Musial’s it’s a toss-up, plus he won two World Series, very successful and I think I’d take Pujols over Musial, though Musial I respect a ton and was one of the greatest hitters ever.  It’s a huge loss to the Cards and it will cost them at least 10 wins and a lot more, but they will survive and maybe they will surprise me.  Here’s how Pujols Angels career should play out, years 1-6 worth the money, years 7-8 Still great but overpayed, years 9-10 still good but way overpayed.  Pujols will have a big first year in LA, not his best ever and he may still have more to come but Pujols will have a good year and bolster the Angels line-up a ton.  The angels are probably a little better than the Rangers now too and Pujols should have a great rest of his career there.  He wills till win a few more MVPs and will be feared.  He will give them a lot fo production and there is no chance he will be a bust.  He’s the best player in the MLB so the impact for now will be off the charts but in 6-8 years the deal might be a bit heavy, but a lot of good to come for Pujols and he will just hit, hit, and hit some more.  His defense will be above average and this is a great fit.  The whole line-up looks a lot better.  Expect over a 115 HR in the first 3 years of the deal and over 375 in all of it, plus a .325-ish batting average and a ton of RBI, greats stats

Pujols Rumors

Albert Oujols is getting multiple 10 year-200 million dollar offers, worth for now but at the end overpaying, but he still has seven or eight top of the NL (or AL maybe) season left in him, so it may just be worth it

• The Marlins have made the biggest push and if they could get Pujols, that would make them the best offense in the nL, if not MLB and Pujols can hit anywhere so there are really no concerns about him fitting anywhere but he could become a legend in Miami, not only for himself but the team and I see him doing very well and eht he always does if not better for Miami and he still has MVP seasons coming, Miami would get so much production
• I like him the best as a Cardinal and he probably would be best off going back here or to Miami,b ut he’d be better off in St. Louis and just pick up where he left off and have an amazing career and become a legend as a Cardinal, and pass Musial as the greatest Cardinal all-time
• I like the Cubs getting him a nd he could maybe do best here, at least as far as his power numbers
• I like him anywhere but the Angels is one of my least favorite destinations out of all these clubs.
• Bottom line is Pujols will be Pujols give or take a few adjustments to park and division factors which won’t affect his stats pretty much at all.  He will be a Hall Of Fame player anywhere, the team that gets him will be big winners.

Moves: Santiago, Iannetta, Hernandez

• The Tigers re-signed Ramon Santiago and it’s a great move.  He’s a great utility infielder that has a lot of value.  his defense is above average at either of the double play positions and though he will probably never hit .300 he could go as high as .260 or .270 for the Tigers and he will flash his pop for homers and some RBIs every so often.  He’s a great fit and wouldn’t have done better for anyone else and he should be comfortable and do what he usually does in Detroit and be one of the best back-ups in 2012 and he may even do better and get more playing time for Detroit.  RATING OF SIGNING: 9.1
• The Angels acquired Chris Iannetta in exchange for starter Tyler Chatwood, Chatwood is young but major league ready and could have some ups and downs, especially in Colorado now but expect a few more ups and he’s an okay fit as a Rockie and has a small chance at a sub 4.00 ERA this year but in the long run he’s a three or four starter who has an okay career.  Ianetta could rise his average some in LA but his power may take a small hit before going back up and he may be the Napoli-type trade of the year.  This move puts Jeff Mathis on the bench, where he belongs.  Iannetta will do okay handling pitchers and will have average defense, he’s a great fit and good acquisition.
• The reason the Rockies traded Chris Iannetta is because they signed Ramon Hernandez an older catcher who’s been declining to a two-year deal, a great fit for both sides.  Hernandez can hit seventh a do very good while Wilin Rosario finishes developing and Hernandez still has something left and I expect one surprisingly good year at least from him and good offense and defense through the deal, if there is one thing that is almost guaranteed it will be for him hitting 20 HR each year.

Angels New Line-up

1. SS Erick Aybar
2. 2B Howie Kendrick
3. CF Mike Trout
4. RF Torii Hunter
5. 1B Mike Trumbo
6. DH Bobby Abreu
7. C Chris Iannetta
8. LF Peter Bourjos
9. 3B Alberto Callaspo

Hot Stove: Sanchez-Cabrera, Wright, Phillies

• The Royals acquired Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Verdugo for Melky Cabrera.  I say Cabrera hits no more than 15 homers and no less than 12 homers in San Francisco and is and upgrade over Andres Torres, his speed is good too.  I believe Sanchez will figure it out and stop walking people soon, maybe this season and could turn into the ace of the Royals staff, it’s a win-win and I think that even though the Royals sold high in Melky it could even work in their favor.  Sanchez is no guarantee but I think the Royals are a nice fit where he can succeed and be an all-star.  Cabrera will be a good leadoff man this year and his 2011 numbers should mostly stay.  The only scary thing is his worst season was in the NL.  The Royals now can let Lorenzo Cain play who may be a slight downgrade for Melky this year but Cain has some tools and will start showing some right away and develop into a great player.  The Royals also obtained Verdugo who looks like he could be a useful long reliever and spot starter by 2013, not too great though.  EDGE: Royals, slightly
• Here’s a trade idea that I came up with, David Wright to the Angels for Peter Bourjos, Kaleb Cowart and Luis Jimenez
• Here’s a Phillies line-up with Michael Cuddyer

1. CF Shane Victorino
2. 3B Placido Polanco
3. RF Hunter Pence
4. 2B Chase Utley
5. LF Michael Cuddyer
6. 1B Jim Thome
7. SS Fraddy Glavis
8. C Carlos Ruiz