Draft Day Winners and Losers...

[POJO_Risin]

Sportsline...lets see what they have to say...

starting with...the winners...

and this includes teams that DIDN'T deal who many thought they would...

[Dave's PA Rental]

:)

[POJO_Risin]

Winner 1...and I agree that this was a good non-move...

1. Cincinnati Reds

Ideally, the Reds would've been able to ease their outfield bottleneck by selling high on Ken Griffey Jr. (and thereby unloading his burdensome contract); however, such a deal may not have been tenable. The good news for Reds fans is that GM Dan O'Brien didn't trade away Adam Dunn, the future of the franchise.

Detractors point to his lofty strikeout totals and low batting averages, but Dunn more than makes up for it with his tremendous raw power and exceptional walk rates. He gets on base, beats the ball around — and out of — the yard and is still only 25 years old. If paces hold, Dunn will end the season with 164 career home runs, which will put him 16th on the all-time list for homers before age 26. He'll be critical to the next contending Reds team, and O'Brien was wise to keep him in the fold.


I honestly think he's got Mac written all over him...

[POJO_Risin]

2. Florida Marlins

Perhaps no player was the subject of more trade rumors than right-hander A.J. Burnett. The Marlins are certifiable contenders (at present, they're only two-and-a-half games out of the NL wild-card chase), and to part ways with their second-best starting pitcher would've been a ridiculous misplay. Burnett is an established major leaguer who posts high strikeout rates in tandem with strong groundball tendencies — that's a profile that ages well and is almost uniformly successful. To cut bait on Burnett at this juncture would be an abject betrayal of Marlins fans. Luckily, that didn't happen.


Burnett almost went to Baltimore...and Baltimore turned them down...backed out...

well...since then? Burnett has 3 wins...Baltimore?...1...lmfao...

Florida should have been buyers...not sellers...

[POJO_Risin]

3. Chicago Cubs

Matt Lawton is no one's idea of a superstar, but the Cubs badly needed a corner outfielder. On the season Lawton's hitting .292 AVG/.403 OBP/.470 SLG against right-handers, and he also has a quality glove at the corners and speed on the bases. He and Matt Murton will provide the Cubs with a high-quality platoon in left. With Nomar Garciaparra and Kerry Wood set to return from the DL this week, the Cubs are very much worth taking seriously in the NL wild-card race. All in all, a nice addition by GM Jim Hendry.


Quality Glove?...what the fuck do you people know...ask fucking Va...

I like this move for the Cubs...

[POJO_Risin]

4. Atlanta Braves

The Braves are probably on an unswerving course toward yet another division title, but they're doing so in spite of serious bullpen issues. Jay Powell is out for the season with a broken arm, and their best reliever to date — Jorge Sosa — will be working as a starter for the foreseeable future. The unit as a whole ranks only ninth in the NL in bullpen ERA, so along comes Kyle Farnsworth. Farnsworth is probably over-performing to date, bur he's still been one of baseball's best setup men this season (42.2 innings, 55 strikeouts, 1 homer allowed, 2.32 ERA). Under Leo Mazzone's tutelage, expect that to continue.


I'd have probably bumped this up...Farnsworth is the real deal...

[POJO_Risin]

5. Boston Red Sox

As usual, the signal-to-noise ratio in the Hub City was quite low. Manny Ramirez is still a member of the Red Sox, but Theo Epstein and company did make a solid, if non-headline-grabbing, addition in Jose Cruz Jr. Cruz will provide Boston with some sock from the left side while Trot Nixon is on the DL, and after Nixon returns Cruz will become one of the better fourth outfielders around. His batting average is woefully low, but his patience at the plate and reasonable power numbers make him a useful player. Almost as important, by nabbing Cruz the Sox eliminated one of the Yankees' scant deadline centerfield options.


More for what they didn't do, than what they did do...

[POJO_Risin]

Losers...

[POJO_Risin]

1. Minnesota Twins

Even before Torii Hunter's serious ankle injury, which could force him to miss the rest of the season, the Twins had problems on offense. Presently, only the Mariners and Royals, among AL teams, have scored fewer runs this season, and now the Twins are without their second-best hitter.

Fortunately for Minnesota, they have a strong fourth outfielder in Lew Ford, but they're still burdened with a weak lineup. Terry Ryan badly needed to dip into the farm system to acquire an impact bat, but that didn't happen. As a result of Hunter's injury and the organizational holding pattern over the last few days, the Twins may not have what it takes to win the AL wild card.



They WON'T make the playoffs...sorry DLoc...losing Hunter killed them...

[POJO_Risin]

2. New York Yankees

The Yankee lineup, now that Jason Giambi is raking and Tony Womack is receiving playing time in pinch-runner doses, is fearsome. The rotation, which is still weak, at least has enough arms to afford the team a "let God sort 'em out" approach the rest of the way. But what about the defense? The Yanks pared their nails through the deadline, and now they're still without a legitimate center fielder.

There's a stat called defensive efficiency rating (DER), which measures what percentage of balls in play a team defense converts into outs. Anyhow, the Yanks this season rank 27th in the majors in DER (only the Reds, Royals and Rockies have been worse), and part of the problem is that they've been making do in center with a menagerie of left fielders, DHs and infielders. Jose Cruz Jr., Larry Bigbie, Eric Byrnes and Randy Winn all changed hands leading up to the deadline. Where were the Yankees?


I'll be honest here...the Yanks have enough offense to make the playoffs...but the world series is out of the question...Inept...they have NOTHING to deal that's worthwhile...nothing...welcome to the 80's...

[POJO_Risin]

3. Tampa Bay Devil Rays

The Rays had any number of fungible commodities they could have flipped for prospects at the deadline — shortstop Julio Lugo, DH/OF Aubrey Huff and closer Danys Baez. But none of them were moved. The Rays already have a staggering collection of young talent, but they could have bolstered the youth movement further by shipping off a few of their arbitration-eligible talents. Instead, GM Chuck LaMar was church-mouse quiet leading up to the July 31 deadline. About the only thing LaMar occasionally does well is trade vets for prospects; he should've been in that mode this time around.


I'd have had them right behind Minnesota...they had a boatload of value...and they did nothing...Lugo, Huff and Baez could have landed them a future #1 starter...and a future STUD outfielder...

a fucking waste...

[POJO_Risin]

4. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cards' lead in the NL Central is probably safe, but this is a team with serious chinks in the armor. Larry Walker is on the DL and is certainly an unknown quantity going forward, and there are rumblings that both Reggie Sanders and Scott Rolen might be lost for the remainder of the season. That's a lot of thunder on the sidelines.

The Cards have one strong in-house solution in John Rodriguez, but they badly needed another bat at the deadline. Names like Adam Dunn, Matt Lawton, Melvin Mora and Brian Giles were bandied about, but nothing materialized. There's still time, though; GM Walt Jocketty has added Walker himself after the non-waiver deadline, so dealing for a big contract isn't out of the question. The Cards need to do just that if they're to harbor serious World Series hopes.


an iffy one here...but the Cubs beat them to Lawton...and they didn't add anything yet...

I think they will down the road though...

I'm surprised they didn't get involved in the Manny sweepstakes...

[POJO_Risin]

5. San Francisco Giants

Granted, they didn't give up much for Randy Winn, but he didn't come for free. Yorvit Torrealba is one of baseball's best backup catchers, and Jesse Foppert, although his velocity's down, is still potentially useful. In return they get Winn — an overrated glove and a sub-optimal bat who has a $5-million mutual option for 2006. The Giants won't be going to the postseason this season or next. Why not begin the overdue rebuilding process? Winn isn't useful to them. Instead, they should've been feverishly shopping vets like Jason Schmidt, Omar Vizquel, Mike Matheny and Moises Alou.


I kind of agree with this one...I see a couple of names on that list that won't be useful next year...

[Rebel]

Gotta agree with the Marlins, I think they could make a run, gonna be tough to catch the Braves, I think the Astros are gonna run away with the wild card.

[POJO_Risin]

It all depends on the Astros offense...

and if Pettitte continues to perform...

and you have to face Clemens, Pettite and Oswalt in a short series...

you could be fucked...

Atlanta????

who knows...I think the Marlins could win that division...

[Rebel]

That's what I keep thinking, go into a five gamer against the Astros, forget it, Pettite keeps rolling they won't need much offense with those 3. Biggio is ahving a big year, especially since he's about a 100.

I'm gonna keep picking the Braves until they actually lose one :D

I still thing the Cards are head and shoulders in the NL, especially if they can get healthy, but you never know in the playoffs, especially with a team like Houston lurking.

[POJO_Risin]

I don't think they'll position players will get healthy...

but...they are good...

[Rebel]

jeez, when did Maddux become a softball pitcher?

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Quality Glove?...what the fuck do you people know...ask fucking Va...

Judas Priest, who in the fuck wrote this literary masterpiece ???

I'll tell ya one thing, I'm gonna laugh my hairy ass off watching him get tangled in the ivy at Wrigley.....

[POJO_Risin]

I picture him stuck there for a couple of days...

[Dave's PA Rental]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Losers...

Bwaaaahhhhaaaahhhhaaaaaa!

[Dave's PA Rental]

oh, I thought you were calling the Sox 'Losers'...arent I dumb :)

[DlocRoth]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
1. Minnesota Twins

Even before Torii Hunter's serious ankle injury, which could force him to miss the rest of the season, the Twins had problems on offense. Presently, only the Mariners and Royals, among AL teams, have scored fewer runs this season, and now the Twins are without their second-best hitter.

Fortunately for Minnesota, they have a strong fourth outfielder in Lew Ford, but they're still burdened with a weak lineup. Terry Ryan badly needed to dip into the farm system to acquire an impact bat, but that didn't happen. As a result of Hunter's injury and the organizational holding pattern over the last few days, the Twins may not have what it takes to win the AL wild card.



They WON'T make the playoffs...sorry DLoc...losing Hunter killed them...



Yes sir, the Twinkies are done. Hunter is the heart and soul of that team...

Even when he was healthy, they were tanking...