Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2012 17:15:41 GMT -5
ODC 2nd half preview
Boston is clinging to a small lead in the AL’s most competitive division. Help should arrive when 3B Evan Longoria returns from injury. Not a lot of weaknesses in the lineup and rotation is very deep but could use a upgrade at 1B and in the bullpen.
The Yankees are right in the thick of the AL east race despite not having a star laden roster. To improve adding a hitter and SP could help their cause. They Have depth in the bullpen to facilitate a deal.
Baltimore’s depth has kept them in the race so far. To help get them closer they maybe should think about dealing some of that depth to get better in a few areas.
Toronto has had a good season thus far and remain on the fringe of the AL East race but might be better served to look to next season. Whatever they decide they should get a boost when 1B Ryan Howard returns from injury. RP Jim Johnson might be a piece other teams are interested in.
It’s been a lost season for the Rays they have a few nice pieces going forward and also have a few pieces that could help contenders such as CF Michael Bourn and RP Grant Balfour.
The Tigers have been steamrolling most everyone thus far and have a sizeable lead in the AL Central. A few more deals could really put them over the top. They could look to add a SP or two, a closer and upgrade at one or two spots in the line up.
Chicago is in 2nd but way behind Detroit still they are positioned to be in the playoff hunt. To help close the gap the Whitesox could add a SP and 1B to help their cause.
The Twins have had a nice season but are way behind Detriot and have made it known they are open for business. 1B Adam Dunn, 3B Chipper Jones and RP Bret Myers could help out a contender.
The Indians have already started their retooling process earlier in the season when they traded 3B Alex Rodriguez. They might not be done and have pieces that could appeal to contending teams SP’s Ryan Dempster, Ryan Vogelsong and Ricky Nolasco could all help boost a rotation. 1B Adam LaRoche could also help out a contender and if Cleveland really wants to shake things up they could put 3B/SS Hanley Ramirez on the block.
The young Royals have been snake bitten by injuries and growing pains this season but remain in a good position moving forward. Royals could look to move RP’s Heath Bell and Rafael Bentancourt. Also could possibly move Matt Carpenter and Brain Lahair.
Anaheim is currently at the top of the AL West despite being without Matt Kemp and Troy Tulowitski. They recently added Justin Morneau to help their cause. The will be in a fight the rest of the season I believe with Texas.
The Rangers are a close second and have also dealt with injuries all season long. If the Rangers want to get serious about a repeat they will have to make some moves to upgrade particularly in the infield.
The A’s started the season in hopes of contending and those hopes have vanished. Team could look to move SS Jimmy Rollins and OF Alfonso Soriano but will probably have to eat a nice chunk of cash to move either of them. OF Jason Kubel, RP Vinny Pestano and RP Ernesto Frieri could be pieces that are more attractive due to their relatively small salaries that could net a nice return for the A’s.
The Mariners…they need some TLC. 1B Carlos Lee, SP Paul Maholm and RP Octavio Dotel are about all that could be moved that would get them even a minimal return.
The Marlins sit a top of the NL East and are doing it with a less than full strength pitching rotation. SP Brandon Morrow should return at some point but they still could stand to make a deal to improve there and in the bullpen.
The Phillies are in contention despite having a mostly no name line up. Pitching is a strength and could be used to help get a deal done for a bat or two.
The Mets are also still in contention in the NL East if they want to win it and perhaps win the NL they should look into getting a front line SP to replace Daniel Hudson and getting a bat at either RF or LF would help also.
The Nats still fancy themselves as being a contender despite being far,far back in the standings. If they can somehow add 2-3 bats maybe they can shock the world.
The Braves fans have to be wondering….”WHAT HAPPENED” A team in the off season that was littered with young ALL-Stars has decayed into mostly over priced injury prone team sprinkled with fringe talent. In the Atl I guess there is always next year or the year after that….
STL has surprised this year and are currently entrenched atop of the NL Central and have best record in the NL. They are solid not spectacular on offense Brian McCann getting going could help things. Mike Trout really helps them a lot. Losing SP Brandon Beachy will hurt their chances but to reinforce their standing and perhaps put them over the top in the NL they could maybe add a SP and upgrade at offense somewhere.
The Brew crew remain in the playoff hunt despite being well behind 1st place STL. They can maybe close the gap and get in the playoffs if they add a bat in the INF, a SP and a bullpen arm.
The Astros are still in the playoff race but could fall out of it soon if they don’t make a move. Could use a Catcher, 1B/LF and a SP or two.
The Reds haven’t been terrible but should possibly consider retooling for next season. Players such as SP Josh Beckett, SP Chad Billingsley, CL Huston Street and UTL Ty Wiggington could help out contenders. IF the Reds look to go the rebuild route SP Justin Verlander and 1B Adrain Gonzalez could get the Reds a lot in return
The Cubs are in full rebuild mode, 1B Paul Goldschmidt and Sp Jarrod Parker have been good as advertised. CF BJ Upton and Utl Allen Craig could help a contender if the Cubs are willing to part with either.
The Pirates are also in rebuild mode have seen some players such as 1B Matt Adams, CF Leonys Martin, SP Nate Eovaldi and RP Brad Boxberger reach the majors this year with some success. They could take offers on SP Juan Nicasio as contenders look for starting pitching.
The Rockies have remained in 1st most of the year despite not having a hands on owner. Pitching has been ravaged by injuries and hitting could use a upgrade at SS, 3B, and OF. A few moves and the Rockies could find themselves playing in the world series.
The D’Backs are in the NL West race and if they manage to make a move or two they can over take Colorado. CF,RP and SP could be positions they look to upgrade.
The Dodgers have had a nice season and they find themselves in a interesting spot they can make a push or fold and play for next year.
It’s too late for San Diego to make a run this year but they could possibly be a factor next season. If they want to rebuild they have some hitters contenders could be interested in.
The Giants are rebuilding and have seen a few prized prospects make the jump to the bigs RP Addison Reed and most recently 1B Anthony Rizzo and SP Trevor Bauer.
Boston is clinging to a small lead in the AL’s most competitive division. Help should arrive when 3B Evan Longoria returns from injury. Not a lot of weaknesses in the lineup and rotation is very deep but could use a upgrade at 1B and in the bullpen. The Yankees are right in the thick of the AL east race despite not having a star laden roster. To improve adding a hitter and SP could help their cause. They Have depth in the bullpen to facilitate a deal. Baltimore’s depth has kept them in the race so far. To help get them closer they maybe should think about dealing some of that depth to get better in a few areas. Toronto has had a good season thus far and remain on the fringe of the AL East race but might be better served to look to next season. Whatever they decide they should get a boost when 1B Ryan Howard returns from injury. RP Jim Johnson might be a piece other teams are interested in. It’s been a lost season for the Rays they have a few nice pieces going forward and also have a few pieces that could help contenders such as CF Michael Bourn and RP Grant Balfour. The Tigers have been steamrolling most everyone thus far and have a sizeable lead in the AL Central. A few more deals could really put them over the top. They could look to add a SP or two, a closer and upgrade at one or two spots in the line up.Chicago is in 2nd but way behind Detroit still they are positioned to be in the playoff hunt. To help close the gap the Whitesox could add a SP and 1B to help their cause. The Twins have had a nice season but are way behind Detriot and have made it known they are open for business. 1B Adam Dunn, 3B Chipper Jones and RP Bret Myers could help out a contender. The Indians have already started their retooling process earlier in the season when they traded 3B Alex Rodriguez. They might not be done and have pieces that could appeal to contending teams SP’s Ryan Dempster, Ryan Vogelsong and Ricky Nolasco could all help boost a rotation. 1B Adam LaRoche could also help out a contender and if Cleveland really wants to shake things up they could put 3B/SS Hanley Ramirez on the block. The young Royals have been snake bitten by injuries and growing pains this season but remain in a good position moving forward. Royals could look to move RP’s Heath Bell and Rafael Bentancourt. Also could possibly move Matt Carpenter and Brain Lahair. Anaheim is currently at the top of the AL West despite being without Matt Kemp and Troy Tulowitski. They recently added Justin Morneau to help their cause. The will be in a fight the rest of the season I believe with Texas. The Rangers are a close second and have also dealt with injuries all season long. If the Rangers want to get serious about a repeat they will have to make some moves to upgrade particularly in the infield. The A’s started the season in hopes of contending and those hopes have vanished. Team could look to move SS Jimmy Rollins and OF Alfonso Soriano but will probably have to eat a nice chunk of cash to move either of them. OF Jason Kubel, RP Vinny Pestano and RP Ernesto Frieri could be pieces that are more attractive due to their relatively small salaries that could net a nice return for the A’s. The Mariners…they need some TLC. 1B Carlos Lee, SP Paul Maholm and RP Octavio Dotel are about all that could be moved that would get them even a minimal return. The Marlins sit a top of the NL East and are doing it with a less than full strength pitching rotation. SP Brandon Morrow should return at some point but they still could stand to make a deal to improve there and in the bullpen. The Phillies are in contention despite having a mostly no name line up. Pitching is a strength and could be used to help get a deal done for a bat or two. The Mets are also still in contention in the NL East if they want to win it and perhaps win the NL they should look into getting a front line SP to replace Daniel Hudson and getting a bat at either RF or LF would help also. The Nats still fancy themselves as being a contender despite being far,far back in the standings. If they can somehow add 2-3 bats maybe they can shock the world. The Braves fans have to be wondering….”WHAT HAPPENED” A team in the off season that was littered with young ALL-Stars has decayed into mostly over priced injury prone team sprinkled with fringe talent. In the Atl I guess there is always next year or the year after that…. STL has surprised this year and are currently entrenched atop of the NL Central and have best record in the NL. They are solid not spectacular on offense Brian McCann getting going could help things. Mike Trout really helps them a lot. Losing SP Brandon Beachy will hurt their chances but to reinforce their standing and perhaps put them over the top in the NL they could maybe add a SP and upgrade at offense somewhere. The Brew crew remain in the playoff hunt despite being well behind 1st place STL. They can maybe close the gap and get in the playoffs if they add a bat in the INF, a SP and a bullpen arm. The Astros are still in the playoff race but could fall out of it soon if they don’t make a move. Could use a Catcher, 1B/LF and a SP or two. The Reds haven’t been terrible but should possibly consider retooling for next season. Players such as SP Josh Beckett, SP Chad Billingsley, CL Huston Street and UTL Ty Wiggington could help out contenders. IF the Reds look to go the rebuild route SP Justin Verlander and 1B Adrain Gonzalez could get the Reds a lot in return The Cubs are in full rebuild mode, 1B Paul Goldschmidt and Sp Jarrod Parker have been good as advertised. CF BJ Upton and Utl Allen Craig could help a contender if the Cubs are willing to part with either. The Pirates are also in rebuild mode have seen some players such as 1B Matt Adams, CF Leonys Martin, SP Nate Eovaldi and RP Brad Boxberger reach the majors this year with some success. They could take offers on SP Juan Nicasio as contenders look for starting pitching. The Rockies have remained in 1st most of the year despite not having a hands on owner. Pitching has been ravaged by injuries and hitting could use a upgrade at SS, 3B, and OF. A few moves and the Rockies could find themselves playing in the world series. The D’Backs are in the NL West race and if they manage to make a move or two they can over take Colorado. CF,RP and SP could be positions they look to upgrade. The Dodgers have had a nice season and they find themselves in a interesting spot they can make a push or fold and play for next year. It’s too late for San Diego to make a run this year but they could possibly be a factor next season. If they want to rebuild they have some hitters contenders could be interested in. The Giants are rebuilding and have seen a few prized prospects make the jump to the bigs RP Addison Reed and most recently 1B Anthony Rizzo and SP Trevor Bauer.