The 1995 Seattle Mariners

[Magatsu]

Hi everyone!

Sorry, that it took so long to continue but that crash caught me pretty off-guard and I was very frustrated after it happened.

I got over it and I'm hopefully ready to get in a adequate posting rhythm now.

Some preliminary remarks for this new thread though:

- I will do a lot of reposting in the beginning. Here in the 1995-thread as well as in the original thread. This thread will start with the 1995 Free Agent signings.

- The link to the original thread "The 1994 Seattle Mariners". At the Moment it stops in late August 1994 but I hope it will be complete in a few weeks.

Sorry again for all the reposting. I know it might be boring for all those who followed in the first place but I don't like unfinished work and at the moment it just looks like a train wreck (btw the 1994 season had such a great postseason that I think it is worth it ).

O.k., like I said the 1995 season started with the free agent signings ....

M

[Magatsu]

The 1995 season started with the free agent signing period and I had to turn this over my mind over and over. I really didn't want to make any moves but I had a lot of money available and realized my rotation wasn't so stable as I thought it would be. Well, here is the first part of what happened in the free agent draft (at least the most interesting signings):

Day 2 :

Seattle : P Chuck Finley, 7,350,000 per year, for 4 years.
Phew, that was some signing. I hope it turns out o.k. Chuck Finley pitched a healthy 3.85 ERA for the Angels last year. He had a record of 12-15 but he was 10th in strikeouts and had a WHIP of 1.19. With a rotation featuring Jason Bere, Chris Bosio and Roger Salkeld we needed another lefty and Chuck Finley was definitely the best on the free agent list. He wanted just 5.5M $ but I offered him 7.35M $ right away (Randy Johnson earns 7.5M $ and I definitely didn't want to give him more than Randy) to avoid abiding war and he signed the next day .

Toronto : LF Glenallen Hill, 4,709,000 per year, for 3 years.
The Cubs' starting leftfielder from last season will start as a backup to Chris James for Toronto but has a good chance of making the lineup over the course of the season.

Los Angeles : 1B Todd Benzinger, 2,047,000 per year, for 3 years.
This signing seems strange. Eric Karros is healthy again but still rots in AAA. This has to be something personal between him and his coach cause his numbers are alright (36 HR in 287 AB?)


Day 3 :

California : P Dave Stewart, 485,800 per year, for 1 year.
I'm happy for Dave Stewart that he found a job once more. I'm also happy that he went to California because there's a reason I didn't resign him .

Montreal : SS Jose Vizcaino, 1,932,300 per year, for 4 years.
Jose Vizcaino was the other player I focused on. He might have been an upgrade to Felix Fermin but now that he's gone (I wouldn't have paid 1.9M $ anyway) Felix has the job one more year.


Day 4 :

Minnesota : SS Shawon Dunston, 5,482,600 per year, for 5 years.
Minnesota : CF Darryl Hamilton, 2,086,000 per year, for 4 years.
Wow. Two big signings from the Twins. Shawon Dunston was the best shortstop on the list but he's 31. Darryl Hamilton is a great outfielder and both will improve the Twins' lineup.


Day 5 :

Florida : P Greg Hibbard, 1,851,300 per year, for 4 years.
After his great season with us and the Giants (14-9, 3.72 ERA) Greg was offered a relatively big contract by the Marlins. I wish for both of them that it turns out well.

San Francisco : P Stan Belinda, 7,446,100 per year, for 3 years.
Stan Belinda was pursued by 23 clubs and finally ended with the Giants. It's always questionable if a relief pitcher earns that much money but he was definitely the best MR on the list.


There are still Juan Gonzalez, John Burkett or Chris Hoiles to go. Update follows.

M

[Magatsu]

Day 7 :

St. Louis : P Randy Myers, 806,600 per year, for 3 years.
Mentioning this is more a concession to all the Cards fans out there . Yes they 'resigned' Randy Myers who will be again a solid contributor to their rotation.

California : P Mike Fetters, 4,030,000 per year, for 4 years.
Grrr, O.k. if the Angels can't get good starters they at least acquire one of the best relievers on the market.


Day 8 :

Florida : P John Burkett, 21,124,000 per year, for 7 years.
Again wow! The Marlins get John Burkett! One of the best 3 pitchers in the National League for 21M $! It's a lot of money but he will contribute a lot to the team. Now Florida is in the race with Rob Nen and John Burkett and a solid lineup. Very interesting.

Cleveland : SS Jeff Blauser, 13,260,500 per year, for 4 years.
After they let both Shawon Dunston and Omar Vizquel go to free agency they needed another shortstop and they got the best there was. Oh, I already said this about Dunston. Nevermind, Jeff Blauser is better. Fielding, power hitting, drawing walks - he can do it.

Boston : 1B Eddie Murray, 3,036,700 per year, for 2 years.
Eddie Murray is 38-yrs old but he is still one hell of a hitter. Since Mo Vaughn fields first base Eddie will be the DH and that will help Boston a lot.

New York (A) : 1B Hal Morris, 2,995,900 per year, for 3 years.
Luckily for the Yankees Hal Morris had a bit of an off-year batting only .266 so they got him relatiely cheap. He will do a very good job replacing Don Mattingly.


Day 9 :

Texas : P Andy Benes, 1,257,200 per year, for 3 years.
In RL the Mariners acquired Andy Benes in mid-season which was viewed by most as the turning point in their run for the pennant. If we want to repeat this we have to contact the Rangers' Front Office this year . Andy Benes had a good year in 1994 (12-9, 4.42 ERA) and he will be a good addition to a rotation ancored by Kevin Brown.

Philadelphia : 1B Eddie Williams, 937,400 per year, for 3 years.
Eddie Williams hit 18 homeruns last year for the Padres and will backup John Kruk in Philadelphia at first base .... until Kruk gets "too old for this $#!t".

Houston : C Damon Berryhill, 448,000 per year, for 1 year
Finally Houston got a backup catcher for Scott Servais. And, I might add, one who is nearly as bad as Servais so Berryhill might have a chance to get the starting job eventually.

Day 10 :

Atlanta : CF Steve Finley, 3,734,600 per year, for 4 years.
The "Ryan Klesko Situation" is still not solved in Atlanta but at least they have a replacement for Deion Sander who is still in the free agent pool. Steve Finley hit 20 homeruns and drove in 82 last year for Houston despite an average of just .258. He would have to improve dramatically in order to make up for his subpar defense.

Chicago (A) : LF Rob Ducey, 752,100 per year, for 3 years.
Free Agent Rob Ducey landed in the windy city to back up Keith Mitchell (ex-mariner), Dan Pasqua or 35-yr old Tim Raines. His chances at a starting job definitely improved.


Juan Gonzalez, as you might expect, is still driving up his price at the moment .


M

[Magatsu]

Day 11 :

St. Louis : P Chuck Mcelroy, 6,252,500 per year, for 3 years.
Chuck McElroy is a skilled lefty who went 11-4 with a 3.58 ERA last year for Cincinnati and St. Louis. He won't go deep into games but still provide a lot of good starts for the Cards.

Atlanta : 3B Tim Wallach, 7,481,700 per year, for 2 years.
After they signed Steve Finley the Atlanta Braves add Tim Wallach, coming from a carrer year, to play third base for them. It's unlikely that he will put up the numbers he did for the Dodgers last season but for the time being (he's 37) he will replace 34-yr old Terry Pendleton who hit .290 with 10 HR and 63 RBI last year.

Houston : RF Bo Jackson, 1,795,500 per year, for 4 years.
We seriously considered him when the Angels offered him to us last season. This year he signed with the Astros. He didn't hold the starting job for long as you can see below but even though he will provide a very good pinch hit bat.

Minnesota : C Lenny Webster, 698,400 per year, for 4 years.
Well, Matt Walbeck isn't ready yet. But at age 25 he might blossom into the starting role over the year behind 30-yr old Lenny Webster


Day 13 :

St. Louis : LF Juan Gonzalez, 14,824,300 per year, for 3 years.
So here he goes ... *drum roll* ... to St. Louis! The most feared hitter in the free agent pool changes leagues (*phew*) ... and kicks Bernard Gilkey out of the lineup??? Well at least it gives the Cardinals the best bench in the league I think. Nonetheless their (non-DH) 1 to 6 in their lineup are really scary ... and they have the 5th pick in the upcoming draft!

San Diego : CF Lance Johnson, 9,123,000 per year, for 5 years.
After Chicago got hold of Keith Mitchell they let Lance Johnson go to free agency and it was tensely awaited where one of the best lead-off hitters would end up. San Diego was a bit of a surprise as they already had Bip Roberts but nonetheless it gave them a fast man at the top of the order and (if Phil plantier can get it together) a good 3-4-5 lineup. They pick 6th in the draft and if they do good LA and San Francisco should be aware.

Chicago (N) : C Chris Hoiles, 14,863,400 per year, for 3 years.
This was the second best hitter in the Free Agent pool and definitely the best hitting catcher. What use he is to Chicago is anybody's guess cause they already have the second best catcher with Rick Wilkins. O.k., he batted just .197 last year with 13 HR and just 52 RBI but Chris Hoiles also hit just .229 and drove in 60. He hit 26 HR but the question remains what they do with Wilkins now. The only good it does them is that nobody else gets Hoiles. What a waste.

California : 2B Harold Reynolds, 1,715,400 per year, for 4 years.
*sigh* Mariner-legend Harold Reynolds 'resigns' with California and is still just second to Damion Easley. Almost makes me regret that I didn't put in an offer for him. A shame.


Day 14 :

Houston : CF Marquis Grissom, 4,071,000 per year, for 3 years.
Marquis Grissom is the reason that Bo Jackson will probably see just very limited playing time. Although Marquis isn't a good outfielder, he can hit (.276 with 14 HR and 70 RBI last season). If this helps the Astros has to be proven.

Atlanta : SS Gary Disarcina, 403,200 per year, for 2 years.
With Jeff Blauser gone the Braves acquired Gary DiSarcina for what he does best: fielding the shortstop position. He hit just .184 in the last season but did it in just 266 AB. Maybe he does better this year.


Day 16 :

California : P Mark Guthrie, 15,241,700 per year, for 3 years.
Another (overpaid,) very good reliever for the Angels. In the process Mike Fetters moved to the starting rotation (for the time being).


Day 17 :

Los Angeles : CF Deion Sanders, 8,709,700 per year, for 4 years.
Deion Sanders also left for a club who already have a superior lead-off man in Delino DeShields. Fortunately Deion also has some pop in his bat which makes him a very good No 2 hitter and additionally those two will steal bases like there's no tomorrow. Don't look for many double plays with this team.


M

[Magatsu]

Day 19 :

Houston : SS Bill Spiers, 4,842,000 per year, for 3 years.
Houston acquired Bill Spiers last season from Milwaukee and now 'resigned' him as a free agent for nearly 5M $. This move again keeps Andujar Cedeno and Orlando Miller from seeing much playing time.


Day 20 :

Minnesota : P John Wetteland, 20,155,400 per year, for 7 years.
Notwithstanding his historic performance in game 2 of the NLCS against the Braves, John Wetteland also had a great 1994 season which earned him the second highest offer in free agency in 1995. Minnesota now has a great 1-2-3-4 punch in their rotation with Mike Trombley, John Wetteland, Eddie Guardado and Scott Erickson.


Day 21 :

Philadelphia : 1B John Olerud, 19,797,400 per year, for 3 years.
Well this signing probably marks the end of one of my favorite players in the 90s cause John Kruk won't see much playing time behind maybe the best contact hitter in the game (and he's just 26 yrs old). Nonetheless the Phillies lineup now looks much more balanced than it did last year.


Day 22 :

California : P Bob Ojeda, 625,000 per year, for 2 years.
I just had to put this in. Bobby Ojeda got signed by the California Angels. It doesn't help us though as he stays in AAA for the time being.

Day 24 :

California : SS Omar Vizquel, 1,995,500 per year, for 3 years.
I'm happy for Omar as he finally gets a shot at the starting job at shortstop for the Angels. He's quite a mess at his position but neither Rod Correia nor Spike Owen are much better and at least Omar has some base running ability.

Detroit : C Chad Kreuter, 4,569,300 per year, for 3 years.
Maybe Detroit would have got Chad Kreuter cheaper if they had just resigned him but now that he came back he takes over the starting catcher's job from Mickey Tettleton who had a horrble season last year.

On day 30 there happened some minor singning mainly for the purpose of backing up a position and two trades ....

M

[Magatsu]

Wednesday 3/3/1995 :

Trade between Cincinnati and New York (A) :
New York (A) gets :
LF Steve Pegues
Cincinnati gets :
1B Don Mattingly

This has to break the heart of every Yankee-fan (hey, it even makes me sad) and I'm sorry but last years demotion of Donnie Baseball was equally heavy-hearted. In Cincinnati he backs up 30-yr old Lenny Harris at first base. New York traded veteranship for youth but Steve Pegues is already 26 and was put into double A. Nonetheless, he should be in AAA soon and if he gets some playing time in the big leagues he might be a valuable outfielder for the Yankees some day.


Trade between Florida and Cleveland :
Cleveland gets :
3B Kurt Abbott
P Kurt Miller
Florida gets :
P Eric Plunk
$2,500,000 cash.

Hmmm, interesting trade. Florida gets a very good reliever (who is post season proven ) and some money. They can use him as 3 of their starters are still not very durable. Giving up Kurt Abbott hurts but they have a deep infield in their organisation so it isn't really a problem. Cleveland on the other hand gets a promising third baseman (he will start at SS and newly acquired Jeff Blauser will move to third base) and give Herb Perry another year to develope in AAA.

Next up: the first-year player draft ( it may take a day or so as I have to evaluate my possibilities ).

M

[Magatsu]

Round 1:

Kansas City pick: RF Brian Giles.
Boston pick: 1B Jason Giambi.
Colorado pick: C Jorge Posada.
Detroit pick: 3B Phil Nevin.
St. Louis pick: RF Jon Nunnally.
San Diego pick: 1B Tony Clark.
Milwaukee pick: 2B Mark Loretta.
New York (N) pick: SS Derek Jeter.
California pick: RF Matt Lawton.
Pittsburgh pick: 3B Edgardo Alfonzo.
Houston pick: 1B Mike Sweeney.
Los Angeles pick: LF Bobby Higginson.
Florida pick: P Andy Pettitte.
Chicago (A) pick: 1B Mark Sweeney.
Philadelphia pick: P Hideo Nomo.
Seattle pick: 2B Quilvio Veras.
Baltimore pick: P Billy Wagner.
Cincinnati pick: C George Williams.
San Francisco pick: RF Mike Cameron.
Minnesota pick: CF Shannon Stewart.
Texas pick: C Gregg Zaun.
Oakland pick: SS Rich Aurilia.
New York (A) pick: CF Johnny Damon.
Atlanta pick: 2B Ray Durham.
Toronto pick: 1B Joe Vitiello.
Chicago (N) pick: 1B Matt Franco.
Montreal pick: RF Michael Tucker.
Cleveland pick: C Scott Hatteberg.


Round 2 :

Kansas City pick: LF Ozzie Timmons.
Boston pick: CF Marvin Benard.
Colorado pick: LF Todd Hollandsworth.
Detroit pick: P Jason Schmidt.
St. Louis pick: 3B Shane Andrews.
San Diego pick: C Chris Widger.
Milwaukee pick: LF Marty Cordova.
New York (N) pick: RF Rudy Pemberton.
California pick: RF Lyle Mouton.
Pittsburgh pick: RF Alex Ochoa.
Houston pick: RF Roger Cedeno.
Los Angeles pick: P Mariano Rivera.
Florida pick: LF Ruben Rivera.
Chicago (A) pick: LF Kevin Sefcik.
Philadelphia pick: P Mike Sirotka.
Seattle pick: P Carlos Perez.
Baltimore pick: P Troy Percival.
Cincinnati pick: 2B Craig Counsell.
San Francisco pick: P Ugueth Urbina.
Minnesota pick: 3B David Bell.
Texas pick: 3B Chris Stynes.
Oakland pick: P Brad Radke.
New York (A) pick: P Paul Byrd.
Atlanta pick: P Matt Mantei.
Toronto pick: 2B Jason Bates.
Chicago (N) pick: P Esteban Loaiza.
Montreal pick: 1B Mark Johnson.
Cleveland pick: 3B Freddy Garcia.


M

[Magatsu]

The NL East:

Atlanta Braves

Whom They Lost:                             Whom They Acquired:

2B Rafael Belliard (Free Agent,             2B Jose Lind (Free Agent
                     signed by Chigago(N))                 from Kansas City)
RP Mike Bielecki (Free Agent,               2B Rene Gonzales (Free Agent
                   signed by California)                       from Cleveland)
SS Jeff Blauser (Free Agent,                CF Steve Finley (Free Agent
                  signed by Cleveland)                        from Houston)
RP Kent Mercker (Free Agent,                3B Tim Wallach (Free Agent
                  signed by Chicago(N))                      from Los Angeles)
C Charlie O'brien (Free Agent,              SS Gary Disarcina (Free Agent
                    signed by Houston)                          from California)
CF Deion Sanders (Free Agent,               2B Ray Durham
                   signed by Los Angeles)   RP Matt Mantei
                                            RP Scott Sullivan
                                            C Sandy Martinez
                                            SP John Wasdin (all via Draft)

Atlanta is one of the few teams that didn't really improve in the offseason. Steve Finley's defensive skills are nothing compared to Deion Sanders' and a adequate replacement for Jeff Blauser at short will always be hard to get. Determining if the Brave reach the offseason again will be the performances of their big three in their rotation.


Philadelphia Phillies

Whom They Lost:                          Whom They Acquired:

RP Larry E Andersen (retired)            1B Eddie Williams (Free Agent
RP Roger Mason (retired)                                     from San Diego)
1B Ricky Jordan (Free Agent,             RP Jeff Russell (Free Agent
                  signed with Baltimore)                   from Kansas City)
LF Randy Ready (Free Agent,              1B John Olerud (Free Agent
                 signed by Florida)                       from Toronto)
SP David West (Free Agent,               SS Mike Benjamin (Free Agent
                signed by Colorado)                         from San Francisco)
                                         SP Hideo Nomo
                                         SP Mike Sirotka
                                         SP Robert Person (all via Draft)

The Phillies didn't lose much to free agency or retirement but got three young and good starters for their rotation (especially Hideo Nomo who combines with Curt Schilling for one of the best strikeout combos of the league). The main concern for them is that they waste two good bats in Darren Daulton (who lost his starting job to Todd Pratt) and John Kruk on the bench (if this can really be called a concern).


Montreal Expos

Whom They Lost:                           Whom They Acquired:

CF Marquis Grissom (Free Agent,           SS Jose Vizcaino (Free Agent
                  signed by Houston)                         from New York(N))
C Lenny Webster (Free Agent,              CF Darrin Jackson (Free Agent
                signed by Minnesota)                          from Chicago(A))
SP John Wetteland (Free Agent,            RP Donne Wall (via Draft)
                    signed by Minnesota)

"Never change a winning team" they say and the Montreal Expos stayed true to this saying. Marquis Grissom will be replaced by young phenom Cliff Floyd in centerfield with Darrin Jackson as a nice backup. To compensate the horrendous lack of defense all over the field they at least acquired one of the best shortstops in the game with Jose Vizcaino. Of course the quality of their rotation took a blow with the departure of John Wetteland and we will see how former closer Gabe White will fare as their No 3 starter.


Florida Marlins

Whom They Lost:                          Whom They Acquired:

SP Charlie Hough (retired)               SP John Burkett (Free Agent
C Ron Tingley (retired)                                    from San Francisco)
SS Mario Diaz (Free Agent,               RP Eric Plunk (Free Agent
                signed by Oakland)                       from Cleveland)
SP Dave Otto (Free Agent,                SP Andy Pettitte
               signed by Kansas City)    SP Bill Pulsipher (all via Draft)

After they strengthened their lineup during the last season with CF Mitch Webster, LF Derrick May and 2B Geronimo Pena they did exactly what I expected them to do and put their main focus in the offseason on pitching. The acquisitions of Andy Pettitte, John Burkett, Bill Pulsipher and Eric Plunk gives them a phenomenal staff and turns them into serious contenders.


New York Mets

Whom They Lost:                             Whom They Acquired:

SS Jose Vizcaino (Free Agent,               SS Derek Jeter
                   signed by Montreal)      RF Rudy Pemberton
                                            SP Shawn Estes
                                            SP John Ericks
                                            SP Brian Keyser (all via Draft)

If the departure of Jose Vizcaino really left a hole, Derek Jeter will fill it easily over the course of the season. Since they kept awfully quiet in the free agent signing period they have to fill their rotation with 2 very young players who won't be able to contribute much this year but might be a valuable asset in the future.

M

[Magatsu]

The NL Central:

Chicago Cubs

Whom They Lost:                            Whom They Acquired:

LF Glenallen Hill (Free Agent,             RP Kent Mercker (Free Agent
                    signed by Toronto)                      from Atlanta)
RP Stan Belinda (Free Agent,               C Chris Hoiles (Free Agent
                  signed by San Francisco)                  from Baltimore)
C Mark Parent (Free Agent,                 SS Rafael Belliard (Free Agent
                signed by San Francisco)                        from Atlanta)
SP Mike Moore (Free Agent,                 1B Matt Franco
                signed by Montreal)        SP Esteban Loaiza
                                           SP Ariel Prieto
                                           RP Brad Clontz (all via Draft)

26-yr old Karl Rhodes will replace Glenallen Hill in the outfield but he will have a tough time trying to duplicate Hill's numbers. On the other side they now have two power-hitting catchers who will try to improve their numbers from last season and Steve Trachsel and Esteban Loaiza will debut in the rotation while it's unlikely that Dan Plesac will put up the numbers from last year.


Cincinnati Reds

Whom They Lost:                          Whom They Acquired:

RP Steve Howe (Free Agent,               SP Xavier Hernandez (Free Agent
                signed by Houston)                             from New York (A))
SP Chuck Mcelroy (Free Agent,            C Tom Prince (Free Agent
                   signed by St. Louis)                 from Los Angeles)
1B Hal Morris (Free Agent,               1B Don Mattingly (Acquired from New York
                signed by New York(A))                      for LF Steve Pegues)
LF Jerome Walton (Free Agent,            LF F.P. Santangelo
                   signed by Colorado)   RP Tim Crabtree
                                         RP Juan Acevedo (all via Draft)

Don Mattingly will be a solid backup for 1B Lenny Harris but both won't be able to make up for the loss of Hal Morris and F.P. Santangelo also won't provide the pinch-hitting quality they used to get from Jerome Walton. Nonetheless Bret Boone and Willie Greene got older and better and will certainly improve their numbers from last season as well as their bullpen with Johnny Ruffin and Jerry Spradlin.


Houston Astros

Whom They Lost:                         Whom They Acquired:

RP Tom Edens (Free Agent,               RF Bo Jackson (Free Agent
               signed by New York (A))                  from California)
CF Steve Finley (Free Agent,            CF Marquis Grissom (Free Agent
                  signed by Atlanta)                         from Montreal)
SP Andy Benes (Free Agent,              1B Mike Sweeney
                signed by Texas)        RF Roger Cedeno
                                        SP Dustin Hermanson
                                        SP LaTroy Hawkins
                                        RP Jason Christiansen (all via Draft)

Time will tell if rookies LaTroy Hawkins and Dustin Hermanson are major league ready in Houston's rotation. Marquis Grissom will at least be a good replacemment for Steve Finley and rookie Roger Cedeno will provide solid defense along with some speed on the basepaths. Mike Sweeney will start his major league carrer, as he did in RL, behind the plate and will quickly blossom into one of the better hitters on the team.


Pittsburgh Pirates

Whom They Lost:                        Whom They Acquired:

C Lance Parrish (retired)              3B Edgardo Alfonzo
SP Jeff Ballard (Free Agent,           RP Mike Mimbs
                  signed by Atlanta)   RP Marc Valdes (all via Draft)
3B Jeff King (Free Agent,
               signed by Boston)
CF Gary Varsho (Free Agent,
                 signed by St. Louis)

Anchored by last years Rookie of the Year Jon Lieber the Pirates' rotation looks pretty solid while the bullpen with the two rookies has it's flaws. In the lineup first base now seems to be firmly in the hands of Orlando Merced who is backed up by four more first baseman. It's possible that Edgardo Alfonzo develops over the course of the season to the point where he replaces aging Lloyd McClendon at third base.


St. Louis Cardinals

Whom They Lost:                           Whom They Acquired:

RP Rick Sutcliffe (retired)               SP Chuck Mcelroy (Free Agent
RP Bob Ojeda (Free Agent,                                    from Cincinnati)
               signed by California)      LF Juan Gonzalez (Free Agent
CF Gerald Young (Free Agent,                                 from Texas)
                  signed by Boston)       RF Jon Nunnally
SP Danny Darwin (Free Agent,              SP Joe Borowski
                  signed by New York (A)) SP Steve Sparks
                                          RP Ron Rightnowar (all via Draft)

As I mentioned before, the acquisition of Juan Gonzalez isn't that big of an improvement as one might think because he pushes Bernard Gilkey out of the lineup - but an improvement it is. Jon Nunnally role on the active roster will be mainly to pinch-run or -field as he isn't really ready to handle major league pitching. Their pitching staff also seems a bit improvised as the rotation is led by the two rookies while Fernando Valenzuela and Randy Myers slipped to the bullpen. I expect a lot of change here over the course of the season.


M

[Magatsu]

The NL West:


Colorado Rockies

Whom They Lost:                      Whom They Acquired:


C Joe Girardi (Free Agent,           SP David West (Free Agent
                signed by Boston)                    from Philadelphia)
SS Walt Weiss (Free Agent,           LF Jerome Walton (Free Agent
                signed by Florida)                      from Cincinnati)
                                     C Jorge Posada
                                     1B Dan Masteller
                                     RP Mark Brandenburg
                                     SP Brian Boehringer
                                     RP Tim Harrikala (all via Draft)

The Rockies are a team on which John Vanderwal recorded the highest average last year with .258. Jorge Posada is a huge upgrade for this team but everybody else has to improve dramatically to turn them into contenders. Brian Boehringer and David West won't help their rotation much either and the only new face who could have a positive impact on their staff is closer Mark Brandenburg.


Los Angeles Dodgers

Whom They Lost:                              Whom They Acquired:

SP Tom Candiotti (Free Agent,                1B Todd Benzinger (Free Agent
                   signed by Atlanta)                            from San Francisco)
SP Mike Jeffcoat (Free Agent,                CF Deion Sanders (Free Agent
                   signed by San Francisco)                     from Atlanta)
SP Orel Hershiser (Free Agent,               SP Mariano Rivera
                    signed by Colorado)      SP Al Reyes (all via Draft)
C Tom Prince (Free Agent,
               signed by Cincinnati)
3B Tim Wallach (Free Agent,
                 signed by Atlanta)

For the second year in a row the Dodgers feature one of the best lineups in the league. With Deion Sanders they acquired another extremly fast guy who will replace Brett Butler in centerfield and if they finally decide to bring up Eric Karros they will have four men who are able to hit 30 HR in a season. Rivera, Reyes and Darren Dreifort slip into the rotation leaving only two starters from last season there with Omar Daal and Pedro Astacio.


San Diego Padres

Whom They Lost:                              Whom They Acquired:

SP Wally Whitehurst (Free Agent,             CF Lance Johnson (Free Agent
                      signed by Boston)                         from Chicago (A))
1B Eddie Williams (Free Agent,               RP Greg Hansell
                    signed by Philadelphia)  RP Jamie Brewington (all via Draft)

San Diego didn't change much in the off-season. Bryce Florie had a few talent upgrades and thus will replace Wally Whitehurst in the rotation and Lance Johnson is their new lead-off hitter starting in centerfield. They now have probably the best defense in the majors and if Phil Plantier finally starts hitting they could be a thread to Los Angeles and San Francisco.


San Francisco Giants

Whom They Lost:                             Whom They Acquired:

SS Mike Benjamin (Free Agent,               RP Stan Belinda (Free Agent
                   signed by Philadelphia)                    from Chicago (N))
1B Todd Benzinger (Free Agent,              SP Jim Abbott (Free Agent
                    signed by Los Angeles)                  from New York (A))
SP John Burkett (Free Agent,                SP Ugueth Urbina
                  signed by Florida)        SP Mike Grace
SP Greg Hibbard (Free Agent,                RP Mike Myers (all via Draft)
                  signed by Florida)

After they lost John Burkett and Greg Hibbard to free agency, Mike Jackson is the only starter from last year left in the rotation. Urbina and Abbott will certainly do the job and after them Stan Belinda (who was acquired for ~7M $) will setup for star closer Rod Beck. The Giants' lineup didn't undergo any modifications. 1B J.R. Phillips jumped from single A directly to the major league roster to back up Mark Carreon. They obviously don't trust the numbers he put up last season.


M

[Magatsu]

The AL East:

Baltimore Orioles

Whom They Lost:                          Whom They Acquired:

CF Lonnie Smith (retired)                1B Ricky Jordan (Free Agent
C Chris Hoiles (Free Agent,                                from Philadelphia)
                 signed by Chicago (N))  RP Billy Wagner
3B Tim Hulett (Free Agent,               RP Troy Percival
                signed by Oakland)       3B Chris Snopek
RP Tony Fossas (Free Agent,              SP Frank Rodriguez
                 signed by Milwaukee)    C Mike Hubbard
                                         RP Joe Hudson (all via Draft)

Oooph, remember when I told you about the Orioles' young and promising pitching staff at the end of last season? Now they have added Troy Percical and Billy Wagner! It doesn't really matter if Frank Rodriguez or Joe Hudson can't get out of their innings. Bases loaded and nobody out? No problem! Let one of those two or Armando Benitez take care of it. They lost Chris Hoiles but considering the numbers he put up last season they should compensate it. Their outfield features Damon Buford and Jeffrey Hammonds who are reduced to backup roles at the moment but will probably be starters at seasons end.


Boston Red Sox

Whom They Lost:                         Whom They Acquired:

RF Andre Dawson (retired)               RP Jose Mesa (Free Agent
SS Scott Fletcher (retired)                            from New York (A))
C Damon Berryhill (Free Agent,          C Joe Girardi (Free Agent
                    signed by Houston)                  from Colorado)
2B Greg Litton (Free Agent,             3B Jeff King (Free Agent
                 signed by Detroit)                    from Pittsburg)
RP Sergio Valdez (Free Agent,           1B Eddie Murray (Free Agent
                   signed by Texas)                       from Cleveland)
                                        SP Wally Whitehurst (Free Agent
                                                              from San Diego)
                                        1B Jason Giambi
                                        CF Marvin Benard
                                        RP Rick Huisman (all via Draft)

First they acquired Eddie Murray and two months later they got their hands on Jason Giambi. With first base firmly in the hands of Mo Vaughn, Eddie Murray is the odd man out and Jason Giambi has to learn how to play rightfield. Yes the Sox are stocked at the hot corners as Jeff King only slips in the lineup as a DH with Tim Naehring covering third base. Of course this might all change over the course of the season but there always seems to be one player who just doesn't fit in. The Red Sox have a much better team than last season but those logjams might cost them dearly.


Detroit Tigers

Whom They Lost:                            Whom They Acquired:

3B Skeeter Barnes (Free Agent,             2B Greg Litton (Free Agent
                    signed by California)                   from Boston)
RF Junior Felix (Free Agent,               3B Phil Nevin
                  signed by Oakland)       SP Jason Schmidt
                                           CF Dwayne Hosey
                                           SP Terry Adams (all via Draft)

All of the Tigers seemed to slump during the last season. Their main acquisitions are Phil Nevin and Jason Schmidt. While Phil Nevin still seems a little wild and poses mainly as a longball thread, Jason Schmidt is a huge upgrade for their rotation. If the rest of the team do finally hit as they should this team could shuffle their division with a vengeance.


New York Yankees

Whom They Lost:                              Whom They Acquired:

RP Jeff Reardon (retired)                    1B Hal Morris (Free Agent
SP Jim Abbott (Free Agent,                                   from Cincinnati)
                signed by San Francisco)     RP Tom Edens (Free Agent
SP Xavier Hernandez (Free Agent,                            from Houston)
                      signed by Cincinnati)  SP Paul Byrd
RP Donn Pall (Free Agent,                    RP Felix Rodriguez
               signed by Chicago (A))        RP Larry Thomas (all via Draft)
RP Jose Mesa (Free Agent,
               signed by Boston)

Offensively Hal Morris will be a great first baseman where he replaces Don Mattingly who was traded to Pittsburgh. What is even more impressive is their starting rotation which is again anchored by Bob Wickman and features Scott Kamieniecki, 23-yr old Sterling Hitchcock and Melido Perez. Their only flaw seems to be their bullpen but once they get to rookie closer Felix Rodriguez and still lead, they should get the win.


Toronto Blue Jays

Whom They Lost:                            Whom They Acquired:

1B John Olerud (Free Agent,                LF Glenallen Hill (Free Agent
                 signed by Philadelphia)                       from Chicago (N))
                                           SP Jason Isringhausen
                                           RP Bill Simas
                                           RP Chris Nichting (all via Draft)

The Blue Jays lineup isn't what it was the year before. The reason isn't necessarily the departure of John Olerud as they obtained Glenallen Hill whose bat is just a slight decline but after his injury late last season Paul Molitor 38 yrs of age show their effect. He will soon be replaced by Darnell Coles. Other than that most of the other Blue Jays were pretty young last year and only got better. This could turn out to be a very close division.



M

[Magatsu]

The AL Central:


Chicago White Sox

Whom They Lost:                          Whom They Acquired:

SP Scott Sanderson (retired)             LF Rob Ducey (Free Agent
CF Darrin Jackson (Free Agent,                          from Texas)
                    signed by Montreal)  RP Tony Castillo (Free Agent
CF Lance Johnson (Free Agent,                               from Texas)
                   signed by San Diego)  RP Donn Pall (Free Agent
                                                        from New York (A))
                                         SP Jeff Suppan
                                         RP Mike James (all via Draft)

The White Sox start the season relatively unchanged. Ex-Mariner Keith Mitchell starts in centerfield for Lance Johnson and first baseman Mike Simms will be the DH since Frank Thomas is back from the DL. Alex Fernandez will start in AAA but otherwise the rotation stayed the same with Roberto Hernandez as their ace. Tony Castillo and Mike James are nice additions to their bullpen.


Cleveland Indians

Whom They Lost:                           Whom They Acquired:

SP Dennis Martinez (retired)              SP Bobby Witt (Free Agent
SS Alvaro Espinoza (Free Agent,                           from Oakland)
                     signed by Texas)     SS Jeff Blauser (Free Agent
2B Rene Gonzales (Free Agent,                               from Atlanta
                   signed by Atlanta)     3B Kurt Abbott (Acquired from Florida
SS Shawon Dunston (Free Agent,                             for Eric Plunk and cash)
                    signed by Minnesota)  RP Dean Hartgraves (via Draft)
1B Eddie Murray (Free Agent,
                  signed by Boston)
SS Omar Vizquel (Free Agent,
                  signed by California)

Their bullpen is still nothing to get excited about but at least the Indians bolstered their offense even more. Paul Sorrento will replace Eddie Murray in the lineup and the duo of Abbott and Blauser will not only provide an offensive upgrade but will also combine with 2B Carlos Baerga to turn the left side of the Indians' infield into the Bermuda triangle where balls just seem to disappear.


Kansas City Royals

Whom They Lost:                            Whom They Acquired:

3B Gary Gaetti (retired)                   RF Brian Giles
LF Dave Henderson (retired)                RP Jim Mecir
2B Jose Lind (Free Agent,                  RP Joe Roa (all via Draft)
               signed by Atlanta)
RP Jeff Russell (Free Agent,
                  signed by Philadelphia)

The Royals still have one of the best rotations in the league centering around staff ace Kevin Appier and rookie closer Jim Mecir but only time will tell if 1st overall pick Brian Giles is enough to spark the offense. 1B Wally Joyner batted .194 last season and there isn't much reason to believe he will suddenly hit .300. Maybe they can avoid finishing with the worst record in the Major League again if they finally come to their senses and promote Bob Hamelin from double AA.


Milwaukeee Brewers

Whom They Lost:                            Whom They Acquired:

RP Mike Fetters (Free Agent,               RP Tony Fossas (Free Agent
                  signed by California)                     from Baltimore)
CF Darryl Hamilton (Free Agent             2B Mark Loretta
                     signed by Minnesota)  LF Marty Cordova
                                           RP Antonio Osuna
                                           SP Jimmy Haynes (all via Draft)

The Brewers lineup is stocked with power-hitters in Greg Vaughn, John Jaha and Dave Nilsson as well as table setters like Kevin Seitzer or Troy O'Leary. The two rookies Loretta and Cordova will get their occasional pinch hit at-bats and probably be in the lineup at the end of the season. Antonio Osuna should be able to compensate the loss of Mike Fetters but what keeps them from contending this year is a godawful starting rotation with 36-yr old Teddy Higuera as their ace. Rookie Jimmy Haynes is their No 3 starter and he's not very good. I think the look of this rotation will change pretty fast.


Minnesota Twins

Whom They Lost:                          Whom They Acquired:

RF Dave Winfield (retired)               SS Shawon Dunston (Free Agent
RP Mark Guthrie (Free Agent,                                 from Cleveland)
                  signed by California)  CF Darryl Hamilton (Free Agent
                                                              from Milwaukee)
                                         C Lenny Webster (Free Agent
                                                           from Montreal)
                                         SP John Wetteland (Free Agent
                                                             from Montreal)
                                         SP Alan Benes
                                         SP Rick Krivda (all via Draft)

With the signing of John Wetteland the Twins built themselves a rock-solid starting rotation. No 5 starter Scott Erickson's WHIP of 1.17 was the worst of the five starters last season. Catcher Lenny Webster will finally fill the offensive hole they had last season at this position and Shawon Dunston and Darryl Hamilton are both an upgrade. Nonetheless this team seems old with Chuck Knoblauch as the only player under 29 but their farm system is really no reason to worry as Shannon Stewart, David Bell or Rich Becker might even make the big league roster over the course of the season.



M

[Magatsu]

The AL West:

California Angels

Whom They Lost:                         Whom They Acquired:

SS Gary Disarcina (Free Agent,          SP Mike Fetters (Free Agent
                    signed by Atlanta)                    from Milwaukee)
SP Chuck Finley (Free Agent,            RP Mark Guthrie (Free Agent
                  signed by Seattle)                      from Minnesota)
RF Bo Jackson (Free Agent,              SS Omar Vizquel (Free Agent
                signed by Houston)                        from Cleveland)
                                        SP Felipe Lira
                                        RP T.J. Mathews
                                        SP Vaughn Eshelman (all via Draft)

In this reality Omar Vizquel isn't a very good shortstop defensively but he is a good enough hitter to deserve a starting job. He finally gets it with the Angels where he will bat in the lead-off spot. Garret Anderson was called up as a backup-outfielder and Chad Curtis will play his first full season in centerfield. Felipe Lira already looks like a decent starter but I doubt that Mike Fetters and certainly not Vaughn Eshelman will keep their jobs as starting pitchers.


Oakland Athletics

Whom They Lost:                       Whom They Acquired:

SS Jeff Schaefer (retired)            SS Rich Aurilia
RP Bobby Witt (Free Agent,            SP Brad Radke
                signed by Cleveland)  SP Bryan Rekar
                                      RP Tavo Alvarez (all via Draft)

With Ed Vosberg (33), Bob Welch (38) and Dennis Eckersley (40), the A's probably feature the oldest 1-2-3 starters of the league in their rotation. I expect that Brad Radke or Bryan Rekar who are in middle relieve at the moment will move into the rotation at some point to replace one of the dinosaurs . Their lineup remains pretty similar to last season's but Rich Aurilia might have a chance to gain the shortstop position from Mike Bordick.


Texas Rangers

Whom They Lost:                            Whom They Acquired:

LF Butch Davis (retired)                   SP Andy Benes (Free Agent
RP Rick Honeycutt (retired)                                from Houston)
LF Rob Ducey (Free Agent,                  SS Alvaro Espinoza (Free Agent
               signed by Chicago (A))                           from Cleveland)
LF Juan Gonzalez (Free Agent,              C Gregg Zaun
                   signed by St. Louis)    RP Jay Powell (all via Draft)
RP Tony Castillo (Free Agent,
                   signed by Chicago (A))

Tying the AL West and losing a 1-game playoff, the Rangers missed the playoffs by a hair. The loss of Juan Gonzalez to free agency diminishes the value of their lineup significantly but their rotation is still one of the best in the league with Kevin Brown, Kenny Rogers and newly acquired Andy Benes. Their bullpen also can hold his own and is more than able to hold most leads no matter how close they are.



M

[Magatsu]

I give you the lineup first since it's very much the same as it was at the end of last season:

The Lineup:

1. 2B Rich Amaral
2. C .Mackey Sasser
3. DH Edgar Martinez
4. CF Ken Griffey Jr.
5. 3B Alex Rodriguez
6. RF Jay Buhner
7. 1B Tino Martinez
8. LF Mark Leonard
9. SS Felix Fermin

...C Dan Wilson
...1B Reggie Jefferson
...3B Mike Blowers
...LF Eric Anthony
...LF Luis Sojo

A-Rod's defense at third base dropped in the offseason but I have to put him somewhere and hope that Felix Fermin can help him out at shortstop. I plan on giving Dan Wilson a lot of playing time (~30%) but Mackey Sasser's ability to avoid strikeouts was pretty useful last season. I just look how good they get off the starting block and then react. Much of it will depend on the pitching staff which looks a little different from last years:


The Pitching Staff:

SP Randy Johnson
SP Chuck Finley
SP Jason Bere
SP Chris Bosio
SP Roger Salkeld

MU Jim Converse

MR Bill Risley
MR John Cummings
MR Jim Converse

SU Bobby Ayala
SU Tim Davis

CL Jeff Nelson

All-in-all I'm very happy with this staff. The rotation has a wonderful 1-2-3 combo and the bullpen is very versatile with two lefties (Davis and Cummings). Unfortunately both are no strikeout-pitchers and all right-handers are . Well you can't have it all


Although I will start the season relatively unchanged I don't expect it to stay that way. Unlike last season I will look to make some trades early in the season and if some of the drafted rookies perform exceptionally well I will also have to react. But for the moment I just let them "hit away" .

So the season starts on 4/02/1995 with the Marlins hosting the Mets. The Mariners begin the season on the next day with a 3-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Not an easy start for sure. After an Off-Day we start a 3-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at home. I hope I covered everything of interest. If not (like always) just ask .


Upcoming:

4/03: @ Blue Jays*
4/04: @ Blue Jays
4/05: @ Blue Jays
4/06: OFF DAY
4/07: vs. Brewers*
4/08: vs. Brewers
4/09: vs. Brewers
4/10: OFF DAY
4/11: vs. Blue Jays*
* will be played out

M

[Magatsu]

The 1995 season has started and we're back to the usual format (phew, nice to walk a familiar path again ). The first week had an unpleasant surprise in store for us ...


This Week In Review:

4/03: @ Blue Jays loss 5-6(10): In front of a sellout crowd in the Skydome we managed to draw first blood in the top of the 2nd. With two outs Tino Martinez hit a grounder which 2B Roberto Alomar mishandled, Mark Leonard drew a walk and Felix Fermin singled Tino in. The bottom of the inning was ill-fated. First Randy Johnson gave up the lead when Shawn Green hit a 2-run homer and after he struck out Paul Molitor for the second out of the inning he squirmed with pain and after a short pause he had to be taken out of the game. Later it became apparent that he injured his shoulder and will miss the next 6 weeks. He was replaced by John Cummings who pitched the next 5.1 innings without giving up a run and allowed just 2 hits. The second error of the game by Roberto Alomar set the table for Edgar Martinez 1-out game tying sac fly and after reliever Aaron Small hit Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez hit a 3-run homer to deep left field for a 5-2 lead. In his first relief appearance ever Tim Davis entered the 8th to preserve the lead and allowed a 1-out single to Carlos Delgado. 3B Felix Fermin bobbled a ground ball by Shawn Green and the next batter Chris James hit a 2-run double to cut the lead to one run. One out later Jeff Nelson replaced Davis and gave up the game tying single to PH Joe Carter. After a scoreless 9th Shawn Green led off the 10th with a double and after Jeff Nelson's wild pitch moved him to third a sac fly by Darnell Coles ended the game.

4/04: @ Blue Jays WIN 9-5: With Randy Johnson out, Chuck Finley moved to the No 1 spot in the rotation. In his first start for the Mariners he didn't pitch like a staff ace but nonetheless went 6.1 solid innings and surrendered 3 runs on 5 hits and struck out 8. Luckily by the time Finley gave up a 2-RBI homerun to Chris James in the 6th we had already built a comfortable lead. A RBI-single by Edgar Martinez in the 1st and a 2-out 2-run homer by Tino Martinez in the 4th gave us a 3-0 lead and we managed to add 4 more runs in the top of the 6th which was highlighted by a lead-off double by Edgar Martinez and a 2-RBI double by Felix Fermin. After the BLue Jays scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th, Tino Martinez' and Mark Leo