Major League Baseball: 2012-2013 Offseason and Spring Training

[Blitz24]

Not sure how I feel about that...

Depends on development. The Braves traded for Mark Teixeira and it turned out to be the worst trade in the past 10 years.

 

[Prosthetic]

I kind of like the deal for the D-Backs and Braves. I think people are overlooking the addition of Snider who adds another bat with pop. Good deal for both teams.. Prado is a big pick up for the Snakes, I've always thought of him as Mark DeRosa with less power.


Just realized that the Mets signed Shaun Marcum. But that's not what caught my attention, its that they signed him for 4 Million. I get that he had injuries last year, still for a guy who has nearly identical peripherals to Zack Greinke. Marcum is older and has been in the MLB for less time, but honestly that doesn't matter since if hes healthy the numbers really won't be any different.

 

[Blitz24]

I kind of like the deal for the D-Backs and Braves. I think people are overlooking the addition of Snider who adds another bat with pop. Good deal for both teams.. Prado is a big pick up for the Snakes, I've always thought of him as Mark DeRosa with less power.


Just realized that the Mets signed Shaun Marcum. But that's not what caught my attention, its that they signed him for 4 Million. I get that he had injuries last year, still for a guy who has nearly identical peripherals to Zack Greinke. Marcum is older and has been in the MLB for less time, but honestly that doesn't matter since if hes healthy the numbers really won't be any different.

Marcum was the guy the Brewers traded Brett Lawrie for. Pretty sure they wouldn't have made that trade in retrospect.

 

[Prosthetic]

So it turns out my dad and I may head down to Scottsdale this year... Kind of excited, I kind of want to do a road trip.

 

[Blitz24]

So it turns out my dad and I may head down to Scottsdale this year... Kind of excited, I kind of want to do a road trip.

I've been there and to their stadium down there. Its pretty nice. Saw them play the A's in 2005.

 

[Prosthetic]

I've been there and to their stadium down there. Its pretty nice. Saw them play the A's in 2005.

I went in 2010 and 2011 had lots of fun both times. I had lots of fun walking around exploring at night when I had nothing to do. Last time we stayed at the same hotel as Madison Bumgarner and saw him and his wife on multiple occasions. He drives a monstrous red Dodge Ram that he drove all the way from North Carolina (where he lives on a farm in the off season).

 

[Blitz24]

I went in 2010 and 2011 had lots of fun both times. I had lots of fun walking around exploring at night when I had nothing to do. Last time we stayed at the same hotel as Madison Bumgarner and saw him and his wife on multiple occasions. He drives a monstrous red Dodge Ram that he drove all the way from North Carolina (where he lives on a farm in the off season).

Next time you see him get me an autograph . I had family who lived out there and it was my first exhibition MLB game.

 

[Prosthetic]

Next time you see him get me an autograph . I had family who lived out there and it was my first exhibition MLB game.

I thought about asking him for one but decided to leave him be as I don't really care about autographs.

I really love the vibe of spring training... Its so relaxed and its not too hot out so you can go out and on hikes in the desert which are fun.

 

[Villain]

Spring Training is getting closer...

 

[Ken]

My blood is starting to itch. Already bought my MLB.tv premium subscription.

@Prosthetic: Congrats on your big season!

 

[Blitz24]

And Bourn signs with Cleveland.

Sort of ironic that Boras himself is the reason that Bourn isn't in New York.

 

[Gooner SJ]

My blood is starting to itch. Already bought my MLB.tv premium subscription.

Had that two seasons ago. 👍

 

[Patrick]

Spring Training is getting closer...

I know, i'm so excited.

 

[JohnBM01]

Lot of teams getting Spring Training underway. My Astros beat the Phillies 8-3. We banged out 14 hits and commited no errors. Philadelphia had eight hits and four errors. The big difference maker in the Astros' victory today was the solo home run by Brandon Barnes.

Remember that these Spring Training games don't count towards anything. However, it is always nice to see your team(s) getting their engines going in preparation for the regular season.


Here are some more scores from some other games ("home" teams underlined):

* New York Mets beat the Washington Nationals 5-3.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins 5-3.

* 8-3 was how much the Astros beat the Phillies, but it was also 8-3 when the Miami Marlins beat the St. Louis Cardinals.

* Atlanta couldn't tame the New York Yankees, as the Braves lost 8-3.

* The 2012 World Series runners up, Detroit Tigers, took a 10-3 defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays.

* A tight 3-2 victory was what the Pittsburgh Pirates got over the Tampa Bay Rays.

* Tampa Bay played another game today and ended up beating the Boston Red Sox 4-3.

* The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim got pounded like a drum by the Chicago Cubs- an 11-2 smashing.

* Kansas City's Royals put down the Texas Rangers 4-2.

* There was another game for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim today. This time, against the defending champs- the San Francisco Giants. It was 4-1 in favor of the S.F. Giants.

* Seattle's Mariners managed to take down the San Diego Padres 8-6.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers got blanked 9-0 when they took on the Chicago White Sox today.

* It was a 2-1 victory for the Milwaukee Brewers as they took down the Oakland Athletics.


Congrats to all other winners as Spring Training gets underway.

 

[Prosthetic]

So happy to listen to the game today, just bummed that I'm going to miss it tomorrow but I gotta make that money. The Giants have a lot of talent in the low levels of their system and a few of them are springing up. Kind of disappointed our big 3 pitching prospects aren't their but Chris Heston is, and will probably be the the #6 guy in case a pitcher goes down because Surkamp is still recovering from TJS.. He is one of those not so high ceiling guys but with a high floor.

Nice to see Torres and Ramirez back in the orange and black.

I wonder what comes of Tanaka, I'm hoping me makes the team and started off good showing off an excellent glove and good bat control with moving runners over.

I'm really excited to see some of our power hitters finally moving up the ranks and one of them (Oropesa) have already contributed. Hoping Roger Kieschnick can finally learn to hit a breaking ball because the dude has some serious pop and has the potential to start as a 4/5th OF with the big club.

 

[JohnBM01]

Curtis Granderson got dinged up yesterday. The Yankee player will be out for about 10 weeks with a broken forearm. Granderson's injury is a wicked one. The Yanks lost 2-0 to Tampa Bay in their Spring Training game yesterday.

[UPDATE] He broke his forearm. So I edited this post. It is still a brutal injury.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Astros won 10-1 today against Tampa Bay. I only hope my Astros play consistently and good. I am not expecting a third-straight 100+ loss season.

How is/are your team(s) looking so far?

 

[Ken]

Just picked up MLB '13. It came with a 30-day trial for MLB.tv, if anybody wants it. I already have a full-year package. Just PM me.

 

[BooyakaDragon]

👍 So...um......Go Astros

 

[JohnBM01]

The Astros are going to struggle this season, but I am hopeful they can play well and consistently well. The American League is no joke. I'll be happy even if they avoid losing 100+ games for the third straight season.

 

[BooyakaDragon]

The Astros are going to struggle this season, but I am hopeful they can play well and consistently well. The American League is no joke. I'll be happy even if they avoid losing 100+ games for the third straight season.

I can't wait to watch Rangers vs Astros more often, I love it when my 2 favorite teams go against each other.

 

[Ken]

I can't wait to watch Rangers vs Astros more often, I love it when my 2 favorite teams go against each other.

Well, for your case, I hope they put on more than a MLB vs. AAA worthy game.

EDIT: Gosh, my Yankees can't catch a break. A-Rod is out. Youk is struggling with health. Granderson is out with a broken arm. Even Cashman broke his leg skydiving. Now, Teixeiria is out for 8 weeks with a wrist injury. UGH!!!!

 

[Prosthetic]

Aubrey Huff announced retirement today... No surprise there. He had an excellent career that suffered from lack of effort (he was a party boy that liked to drink). He was also on bad teams for pretty much all of his career (06 Astros were Average and 2009 Detroit were good but just missed the Playoffs).

In the end he was a good power bat that didn't strikeout much and when he was in shape played good D at first. (He wasn't bad in the OF until he gained weight again in 2011). He is one of the last of the old school player breed... Something this sport IMO needs more of.

I will always remember this moon shot.

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12940613&c_id=mlb

 

[Villain]

I can't wait to watch Rangers vs Astros more often, I love it when my 2 favorite teams go against each other.

If you have two favorite teams, you don't really have a favorite team.

 

[JohnBM01]

Even though I said the Astros are going to struggle, I still want them to play exceptionally well. I still believe in the Astros even if they end up losing 100+ games again. I've kept tabs here and there on their Spring Training games. The new look and young talent is almost basically about starting over. I won't know what to make of the Astros until at least half of this coming season is complete.

I'm really surprised not a lot of people are actually following Spring Training or predicting much anything on their teams. I know it's Spring Training and none of these games matter, but you all have to be at least hopeful for the start of this new season, right? Since my Astros are making their American League debut, that means Tigers fans, Angels fans, Yankees fans, Red Sox fans, Mariners fans, Orioles fans, Twins fans, all of the AL... get to know us Astros. The coolest thing to me about the AL move is that we get to host teams like the Rangers, Yankees, Red Sox, and teams like that. TV coverage of the Astros will still be scarce as long as the new Comcast SportsNet Houston still hasn't been distributed across every such carrier. So any games I do follow will mostly be relegated to the radio for games not carried on networks besides CSN Houston.


So what has your motor running for the 2013 season? Anything concern you about your team(s)?

 

[Villain]

Bill James (if I have to explain who that is, you need to wisen up your baseball IQ) recently said in an interview that the Astros will be a 90+ win team in 3 years.

Hope that makes you feel better.

 

[mcfizzle]

So what has your motor running for the 2013 season? Anything concern you about your team(s)?

I'm a Cubs fan and as the roster is currently constructed they should be better than last year. If Garza gets healthy and they can get average production from third base they can be a respectable close to .500 team. That's not what Theo wants however. At this point with their top prospects a few years off a .500 team will be broken up at the deadline, much like last year resulting in a rough couple months to end the season. I think it was Epstein or Hoyer who said the middle ground is the worst place for a rebuilding team. Either get that high protected pick or have a legitimate chance in the playoffs. .500 and false hope of contending with players who won't be there when the team succeeds sets back the rebuild.

Realistically, it's about 2015 and beyond for the Cubs. Their minor league teams may be more fun to watch then the parent club this season with top prospects Jorge Soler and Javier Baez having good showings and holding their own at major league camp and Brett Jackson having early success with his revamped swing. That's why I decided to buy milb.tv along with mlb.tv this year. But just like last year I think the most exciting part of the season for me will be the trade deadline.

My prediction for the Cubs, 65-70 wins and drafting Appel with the second overall pick in the draft. As long as their top prospects continue to develop and they add solid pieces at the deadline that is a success in my book.

Edit: I have been following Cubs ST along with WBC pretty closely John. I've never really commented in here but will have to this season.

 

[JohnBM01]

For the Astros to improve, it will have to be incremental improvement. It has to be incremental and consistent. Maybe my only hope for the Astros this season is that they avoid being an AL West doormat. Most people usually think of the Seattle Mariners as the worst of the AL West teams. So if being better than the Mariners is a good barometer for even a rebuilding team, then being ranked ahead of SEA is a realistic expectation. Only other team I think we could have a chance at being better than (but not by too much) would be Oakland. The Astros will have to be powerhouse material to surpass the likes of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and that team up north- the Texas Rangers.


This is basically a new start for the Astros. In a way, I kind of hope it's like when Baltimore went with the cartoon bird apart from its previous logo, or when Tampa Bay went from the Devil Rays to simply the Rays. Subtle changes and promising talent can take any team from the doldrums to respectability. I just want to see the Astros be a winning program again. Doesn't matter if it's the 100+ win Astros of 1998 or the surprising NLCS Champion 2005 Houston Astros- I want to see more of my hometown's teams become winners.

 

[BobK]

Bill James (if I have to explain who that is, you need to wisen up your baseball IQ) recently said in an interview that the Astros will be a 90+ win team in 3 years.

Are you sure he didn't say a total of 90+ wins over the course of the next three years?

 

[Villain]

Are you sure he didn't say a total of 90+ wins over the course of the next three years?

A lot can happen in 3 years.