final winter meeting signings and FA signings since
There are several signings in the MLB to report.
The Kansas City Royals shored up their pitching. They signed reliever Octavio Dotel. He's got a great fastball with an uncanny ability to rack up the K's. He's murder on lefties and can really bear down and get the job done with runners aboard. He has wild tendencies and, though he isn't hit more often than the average pitcher, when he is hit, he's hit to the moon. Dotel should provide the Royals with a quality setup man.
The Royals also won the Gil Meche sweepstakes, meaning that the Blue Jays went home from the winter meetings having only accomplished signing a 4th outfielder and drafting Smith in the rule five draft. Meche can throw a quality sinker in the low 90's to get groundball outs. He also has the heat to rack up impressive strikeout numbers. It's so early in his careera and he's already been hobbled by injuries for most of it. On the mound, command has been a problem. Meche is a solid .500 starter and should be the Royals #2 or 3 starter.
The Royals signed a second starter in John Bale who was playing in the Japanese league last season. If any bloggers know anything about him I would like to kow his career numbers.
The Chicago cubs added a fourth outfielder and pinch hitter in Daryle Wade. The left-handed slugger has a power to burn and is developing a knack for hitting in the clutch. He's over-aggressive at the plate, swinging at anything and is inexperienced against lefties. Defensively, he doesn't make anyone forget about Williw Mays. Look for Wade to be used as a pinch hittr late in games.
Catcher Mike Piazza has found a home in Oakland and he can pretty well leave his catching glove behind in San Diego as he'll primarily be the A's DH. Simply put, Mike Piazza can be one of the most powerful hitters in the game. Despite his aggressiveness, he does not strike out a lot and makes contact at will. Behind the plate, he blocks balls fearlessly. Overall, Piazza is rather poor defensively. It's his weak throwing arm that's been the source of most of his problems. He was also a weak first baseman when he experimented there. Also, he lacks the speed and runs the bases conservatively. Look for Piazza to hit anywhere from 3-5.
Back-up catcher Paul Bako has signed a 1 year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Bako is very solid defensively. He reads the game well and has a good command of his pitchers when he's behind the plate. Bako understands his role and is a good leader in the clubhouse. He'll never contend for any batting titles, to say the least. His strikeout rate is shockingly high and he consistently fails to get the job done with runners aboard.
Apparently Barry Bonds was right, he said that he could have a deal done with a snap of his fingers and less than 24 hours later he had signed on the dotted line for another season with the Giants. Bonds is just 22 home runs shy of making baseball history in surpassing Hank Aaron for top spot in career home run totals. Bonds' incomparable performance at the plate is a result of his selectiveness. He only swings when he is certain he will make contact, which makes it very tough for opposing pitchers to work to him. And if they don't want to pitch to him, he'll gladly take a stroll to first base. Bonds was once the best defensive left fielder in the game. Age has taken its toll on this aspect of his game, but he continues to be a dependable glove. Look for Bonds to take more games off, especially with a day-night double-header or two consecutive games where the Giants play one night and play a day game the following day.
Starter Andy Pettite rejoined the Yankees for at least a season. Pettite has one of the most devastating pick-off moves in the history of the game. He has great movement on all his pitches, especially his cutter that moves on righties. Needs to keep his base runners down. He consistently averages, over one hit per inning, which keeps him out of the elite class. Pettite would be a #2 starter 0n any other team, but on this team he'll likely start fourth.
Lefty specialist Russ Springer signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Could he be next season's Ray King for the Cards?
Another lefty specialist, Steve Kline signed with the SF Giants. He's tough on righties, but even tougher on lefties. He's a ground-ball pitcher who gets his team out of a lot of jams via the double play ball. He's becoming somewhat inconsistent. Despite being a lefty, base-stealers have free reign with Kline on the mound.
The LA Dodgers signed a trio of players. Outfielder Luis Gonzalez signed with the Dodgers for next season. A consistent line drive hitterost of his career, he has found a power stroke in the desert. He now lays off high heat, isn't above taking a walk, and uses the entire field to his advantage. Gonzalez is only an average fielder, partly because his speed and arm strength have lessened with age. His loss of step has also impaired his base-running ability. Gonzalez should provide leadership in the clubhouse and provide a solid bat in the middle of the Dodgers line-up.
The Dodgers also signed catcher Mike Lieberthal to a on-year pact. Lieberthal calls a magnificent game and logs a ton of innings. He's strong and can crush the ball to any part of the park. His throwing arm has been an asset in the past, but it's waning a bit. Lieberthal will go into slumps at the plate where he tries to pull everything, becoming easy prey for the high fastball. Look for him to start b/w 100-120 games.
Finally, the Dodgers signed starting pitcher Jason Schmidt to a three-year deal. Schmidt relies on a mid-upper-90's heater and a hard slider for outs. He is most successful when he can run his fastball in on the hands of batters. He also throws a change-up that helps to keep hitters off balance. Though he's made huge strides with his game, he still winds up with unnecessarily high pitch counts and a lot of walks. Look for Schmidt to be the Dodgers #2 starter.
The final major signing to report currenty is the Texas Rangers re-signing Vincente Padilla. The right-hander dominates right-handed hitters with his hard heat. Padilla keeps his pitches down and throws strikes. Very much a sinker-slider pitcher. Must continue to work on pitching inside, in particular against left-handers. He's also got to work on his ability to last beyond the 6th inning. Look for Padilla to be the Rangers # 3 starter.
The Kansas City Royals shored up their pitching. They signed reliever Octavio Dotel. He's got a great fastball with an uncanny ability to rack up the K's. He's murder on lefties and can really bear down and get the job done with runners aboard. He has wild tendencies and, though he isn't hit more often than the average pitcher, when he is hit, he's hit to the moon. Dotel should provide the Royals with a quality setup man.
The Royals also won the Gil Meche sweepstakes, meaning that the Blue Jays went home from the winter meetings having only accomplished signing a 4th outfielder and drafting Smith in the rule five draft. Meche can throw a quality sinker in the low 90's to get groundball outs. He also has the heat to rack up impressive strikeout numbers. It's so early in his careera and he's already been hobbled by injuries for most of it. On the mound, command has been a problem. Meche is a solid .500 starter and should be the Royals #2 or 3 starter.
The Royals signed a second starter in John Bale who was playing in the Japanese league last season. If any bloggers know anything about him I would like to kow his career numbers.
The Chicago cubs added a fourth outfielder and pinch hitter in Daryle Wade. The left-handed slugger has a power to burn and is developing a knack for hitting in the clutch. He's over-aggressive at the plate, swinging at anything and is inexperienced against lefties. Defensively, he doesn't make anyone forget about Williw Mays. Look for Wade to be used as a pinch hittr late in games.
Catcher Mike Piazza has found a home in Oakland and he can pretty well leave his catching glove behind in San Diego as he'll primarily be the A's DH. Simply put, Mike Piazza can be one of the most powerful hitters in the game. Despite his aggressiveness, he does not strike out a lot and makes contact at will. Behind the plate, he blocks balls fearlessly. Overall, Piazza is rather poor defensively. It's his weak throwing arm that's been the source of most of his problems. He was also a weak first baseman when he experimented there. Also, he lacks the speed and runs the bases conservatively. Look for Piazza to hit anywhere from 3-5.
Back-up catcher Paul Bako has signed a 1 year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Bako is very solid defensively. He reads the game well and has a good command of his pitchers when he's behind the plate. Bako understands his role and is a good leader in the clubhouse. He'll never contend for any batting titles, to say the least. His strikeout rate is shockingly high and he consistently fails to get the job done with runners aboard.
Apparently Barry Bonds was right, he said that he could have a deal done with a snap of his fingers and less than 24 hours later he had signed on the dotted line for another season with the Giants. Bonds is just 22 home runs shy of making baseball history in surpassing Hank Aaron for top spot in career home run totals. Bonds' incomparable performance at the plate is a result of his selectiveness. He only swings when he is certain he will make contact, which makes it very tough for opposing pitchers to work to him. And if they don't want to pitch to him, he'll gladly take a stroll to first base. Bonds was once the best defensive left fielder in the game. Age has taken its toll on this aspect of his game, but he continues to be a dependable glove. Look for Bonds to take more games off, especially with a day-night double-header or two consecutive games where the Giants play one night and play a day game the following day.
Starter Andy Pettite rejoined the Yankees for at least a season. Pettite has one of the most devastating pick-off moves in the history of the game. He has great movement on all his pitches, especially his cutter that moves on righties. Needs to keep his base runners down. He consistently averages, over one hit per inning, which keeps him out of the elite class. Pettite would be a #2 starter 0n any other team, but on this team he'll likely start fourth.
Lefty specialist Russ Springer signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Could he be next season's Ray King for the Cards?
Another lefty specialist, Steve Kline signed with the SF Giants. He's tough on righties, but even tougher on lefties. He's a ground-ball pitcher who gets his team out of a lot of jams via the double play ball. He's becoming somewhat inconsistent. Despite being a lefty, base-stealers have free reign with Kline on the mound.
The LA Dodgers signed a trio of players. Outfielder Luis Gonzalez signed with the Dodgers for next season. A consistent line drive hitterost of his career, he has found a power stroke in the desert. He now lays off high heat, isn't above taking a walk, and uses the entire field to his advantage. Gonzalez is only an average fielder, partly because his speed and arm strength have lessened with age. His loss of step has also impaired his base-running ability. Gonzalez should provide leadership in the clubhouse and provide a solid bat in the middle of the Dodgers line-up.
The Dodgers also signed catcher Mike Lieberthal to a on-year pact. Lieberthal calls a magnificent game and logs a ton of innings. He's strong and can crush the ball to any part of the park. His throwing arm has been an asset in the past, but it's waning a bit. Lieberthal will go into slumps at the plate where he tries to pull everything, becoming easy prey for the high fastball. Look for him to start b/w 100-120 games.
Finally, the Dodgers signed starting pitcher Jason Schmidt to a three-year deal. Schmidt relies on a mid-upper-90's heater and a hard slider for outs. He is most successful when he can run his fastball in on the hands of batters. He also throws a change-up that helps to keep hitters off balance. Though he's made huge strides with his game, he still winds up with unnecessarily high pitch counts and a lot of walks. Look for Schmidt to be the Dodgers #2 starter.
The final major signing to report currenty is the Texas Rangers re-signing Vincente Padilla. The right-hander dominates right-handed hitters with his hard heat. Padilla keeps his pitches down and throws strikes. Very much a sinker-slider pitcher. Must continue to work on pitching inside, in particular against left-handers. He's also got to work on his ability to last beyond the 6th inning. Look for Padilla to be the Rangers # 3 starter.
posted by opinionator777 at 11:52 AM
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