NL Off season 2011 Thoughts and Opinions

Ok, Ok, here it is, finally! My national league thoughts and opinions about the 2011 off season. Enjoy!

National League EAST:

Philadelphia Phillies:
Plain and simple, one of the better if not best rotations in the majors. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels as 1-2-3 is just straight up scary. Lee jumped ship from the Rangers to go back to the Phillies. They got him for less money then what the Yanks and Rangers offered. Jayson Werth left for a mammoth contract in Washington. This really should not affect the Phillies much, they still have bats with pop, and Werth is a ‘MLB over the hill’ 31 years old right now so this shouldn’t affect the Phil’s in the long run. The Phillies are going to demolish the NL East, their rotation is just entirely way too good. NL East champions… again…

Atlanta Braves:
The biggest loss for these guys is Billy Wagner. His retirement throws their bullpen into a tailspin. George Sherrill was brought in, but I’m not sure he can fill Wagner’s role. The trade for Uggla was great because the Braves were looking for some power, but his defense is suspect already. The Braves did have to cough up Omar Infante and left handed reliever Michael Dunn for, but it should be worth it. Derrek Lee’s already short tenure ends as he goes on to the Orioles to patrol first base. The Braves look fairly solid, and could be competitive with the Phillies, but their rotations just don’t compare. Second place for this team.

Florida Marlins:
The Marlins didn’t really do much besides get rid of Dan Uggla and Cameron Maybin. Randy Choate transplanted from Tampa Bay to Miami, and Javier Vazquez signed to help the Marlins nail down a rotation. Who knows if Josh Johnson, the Marlins ace will even stay for the season. Omar Infante comes from the Braves in the Uggla deal, offering a nice utility player and an everyday player for the Marlins. The Marlins won’t be a force especially in the NL East for quite some years, but give them some time, they could come back and be in the hunt. I’d say they end up in fourth place. 

New York Mets:
I repeat, I am NOT a Mets hater, I promise you that! This organization is hurting, big time. Not only is there an apparent money scandal going on (read my post about it here), their ace is rehabilitating right now and won’t be ready till at least late June or July. Also, their closer is an idiot, and could quite possibly be dropped during spring training because of his temper. Not to mention Feliciano left to go across town, and Takahashi for LA.  I really could keep going, but I won’t. The Mets didn’t gain much, but they did get catcher Ronny Paulino, pitcher Chris Young (who I see as actually producing, unlike Perez), and dare I even include, Boof Bonser..? The Mets really should be a great organization, because they are from such a great state (shameless plug), but I really think these guys are going to be in last place. I hate to say that because 1. Quite a few of my friends are going to try and kick my butt now for saying that. 2. They spend way to much money to be in the basement… and finally 3. I don’t hope for Mets failure (unless it’s 2000).

Washington Nationals:
Livan Hernandez is back and anchoring the Nationals rotation as their Ace. What do you mean what do I mean? No, I’m not kidding… Yeah he lost more than he won last year, but it’s the Nationals. Jayson Werth comes from the Phillies. This was another headline story of the offseason. They are paying somewhere around $126 million for this guy for 7 years of service? I’m sorry, I just don’t see him as a five tool player and worth that kind of money. The Nationals also lost Adam Dunn, but they replace him with another Adam. LaRoche will be manning first base for them and should be considered a solid pickup, but strikes out often. Gorzelanny was traded from the Cubs to the Nationals to help solidify their rotation. I bet they wish that Strasburg didn’t get hurt, things would be a lot different looking in the nation’s capitol right now. The Nationals will be in third place (believe it or not), but will be fighting the Marlins the whole season for it.

National League CENTRAL:

Cincinnatti Reds:
Not really too much to report with the division champs. They did manage to get Edgar Renteria, World Series MVP to replace Orlando Hudson. Joey Votto and Jay Bruce signed contract extensions, which should keep the Reds contending for years to come. Arthur Rhodes who had a fantastic season is gone, but does seem replaceable. Let us not forget about Aroldis. The starting lineup for this team pretty much stays intact, but they’ll end up in second this year behind Pujols’ and LaRussa’s Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals:
First of all, Albert Pujols did NOT sign a contract extension by the ‘spring training deadline. I think that he will be back after this year though, but the media will still bash him all season anyway. Lance Berkman signed to play the outfield daily. Nick Punto comes in to play 3B and add some defense behind Freese. Theriot comes in to play every day at SS. Jake Westbrook got added to the rotation making them pretty nasty with Carpenter and Wainwright at the top. The Cardinals will win the division this year, behind Pujols’ MVP season. Hey, it is a contract year you know.

Milwaukee Brewers: 
Fantastic moves by the Brew Crew by trading for both Zack Greinke, and Shaun Marcum. That makes a nasty 1-2-3 punch with Yovani Gallardo in the mix.Mark Kotsay also signed a one year deal, bringing some veteran presence to the bench, and backup Prince Fielder if necessary. Rickie Weeks signed a multiyear deal to stay at 2nd base, and I’m a fan, he has played well for them. I think the Brewers will still end up in fourth. The Reds and Cards will be duking it out in first and second, while the Cubs have a really good year. 

Houston Astros:
The Astros signed Wandy Rodriguez after his sub par year, but he’ll be their ace again. Otherwise they only made another few notable moves. The did manage to trade away Matt Lindstrom and his contract for a few prospects. Bill Hall comes in to play second base. Ryan Rowland-Smith is looking to have a comeback year after a horrendous one with the Mariners. The Astros don’t really seem like they can contend, but they ended nicely last season, so maybe that continues. Ultimately I think the Astros will probably end up in fifth place due to lackluster pitching.

Chicago Cubs:
I think the Cubs may do pretty well this year, they had an efficient off season. They scooped up Kerry Wood and bringing him back to the Windy City cleans up the bullpen considerably.Tom Gorzelanny was traded away to Washington, but he was replaced with a better pitcher in Matt Garza, from the Rays. The Cubs also grabbed Carlos Pena. I don’t think he’ll be under the Mendoza line again this year, but he will bring defense back to 1B. This division is pretty hard to pick this year besides who will be in last, but I think the Cubs could end up in third. This is of course, if Quade can keep the Cubs in order and firing on all cylinders.

Pittsburgh Pirates:
Oh, the laughable Pirates. This could be their 19th consecutive losing season. I don’t even know how this team has fans, seriously. The owners take their money pocket it, and put nothing else into their team. Lyle Overbay and Matt Diaz come on to this team just to get a paycheck then hang out at Heinz field. Ryan Doumit is their longest tenured player and they don’t even know where to play him. Lastings Milledge left via free agency and right handed pitcher Kevin Correia signs. Their best move came right at the beginning of the off season, hiring Clint Hurdle. Otherwise this team is a joke, and without a doubt will be in last place with their talent.

National League WEST:

San Francisco Giants:
The World Series champs seemed to keep almost everything together, except they lost their WS MVP Renteria. They replaced him with veteran shortstop Miguel ‘Forever Young’ Tejada. They kept Huff, Burrell, and Cody Ross. Derosa is also looking healthy and could possibly contribute in the outfield. Kung Fu Panda looks a little leaner and could have a comeback season. Posey will have another all star season. Otherwise, the rotation is still intact, Brian Wilson is still a beast of a closer, and the Giants will win this division.

San Diego Padres:
They did lose their first base powerhouse in Adrian Gonzalez, but they seemed to  make up for it with some nice additions. Cameron Maybin will now be incenter field, and maybe he’ll be the all star he was supposed to be. They brought in Jason Bartlett from Tampa Bay’s fire sale, and Brad Hawpe comes in to play first base. Orlando Hudson comes in to play second, while Jorge Cantu comes in to back up Hawpe at first base. It should be an interesting season for the Padres, but I really don’t see much in their pitching after Mat Latos, which will be an issue for them this year. This team will drop down to fourth place this year.

Colorado Rockies:
Tulowitzki signed a long term contract with the Rockies, solidifying his place in Colorado history books. Carlos Gonzalez also signed, and will be back in the outfield for the Rockies. John Maine signed a minor league deal with the Rockies, and that should be interesting. Jorge De La Rosa will be pitching for Colorado for at least a couple more years after he signed an extension. Ty Wigginton should be a good backup for aging Todd Helton, and the Jose Lopez trade puts a solid starter back at second base. Huston Street is closing again for the Rox, but Lindstrom who was traded from the Astros comes in to set him up, and possibly move into the closing role. The Rockies signed some key players and should be good for a nice amount of time. In this division I think the Rockies end up in second.

Los Angeles Dodgers:
The Dodgers failed to make a big splash during the offseason, but this is most probably due to the McCourt’s divorce case. They lost Russell Martin and replaced him with former backup Rod Barajas. I can see Dioner Navarro having a decent season backing him up though. Ted Lilly comes in on a three year deal. They also resigned Padilla, Kuroda, and brought in Jon Garland. Marcus Thames comes over to the NL West. I think the Dodgers may be surprised with him, and possibly start him in the OF in Podsednik’s vacated spot. The Dodgers won’t be a World Series team this year, their bullpen is sketchy. First year manager Mattingly has faith in Broxton as a closer, and maybe that gives him a spark. The Dodgers will end the season in third place.

Arizona Diamondbacks:
JJ Putz is their closer, that should say it all. Wasn’t he the Mets setup man or something just a couple short years ago? They also moved Mark Reynolds to the O’s, removing some K from their offense. Rodrigo Lopez, Mike Hampton, and Brandon Webb are all gone.  Russell Branyan signed a minor league deal and maybe he will start at first to replace LaRoche. Remember, the Dbacks also traded for Juan Miranda to play first. Armando Galaragga comes to their rotation, maybe he can help. Melvin Mora will now man third and Xavier Nady is playing in the outfield. Half of their starters are new so they need to actually play together before anything can really be determined. They will end up in last place again, but maybe end up with 70 wins this time.

There it is, the National League all summed up in one long post. I’m looking forward to a good season, with the NL Central being pretty tight with the exception of… well.. you know who.

Tell me what you think! Throw me a bronx cheer or something…