Fungos: The Other 22 Teams

By Gary Armida

While the 8 playoff teams prepare for their first round matchups, the other 22 teams have already starting thinking about next season. While the playoffs are exciting and the entire point of playing 162 (or in the White Sox’s case 163) games, the offseason process of rebuilding or recovering is infinitely more fascinating to this writer. Already, some moves, some rumors, and everything in between has started to circulate. Let’s take a look at a few news items before the playoffs take all of the attention.

• Brian Cashman and the Yankees agreed to a three year contract extension, keeping Cashman in the Bronx through the 2011 season. This is the absolutely correct move by the Yankees. Cashman could’ve had his pick of any job had he decided to leave the Bronx, but he ultimately decides to stay where he can have the resources to cultivate a team. Yes, he puts up with a lot from the owner, but the lure of New York and his comfort level must have won out. For the Yankees, they keep the stability in the front office coming off of a disastrous season. If Cashman had left, the Yankees may have returned to the decision making process having two factions, the Tampa faction and the New York faction. Cashman has his work cut out for him as he has many holes to fill–first base, right field, maybe centerfield, at least 3 rotation spots, and some worries about catcher. While some (including me) will question his pitching decisions, Cashman knows the market, knows the organization, and has developed the minor league system. Quite frankly, he was the best man for the job in that if someone else had come in, it may have taken a couple of years to rebuild.
• Staying with the Yankees for a minute, the New York papers report that Joba Chamberlain was experiencing shoulder pain at the end of the season, the second occurrence this season. Risking that I sound like a broken record, I will say it again–the Yankees are ruining this talented kid. By not deciding on a role, Chamberlain has had his arm abused because of the stress of relieving while never truly building his arm up for starting. Middle relief pitching is perhaps the most stressful type as it is an all-out assault on the hitter rather than the pacing that a starter does. Brian Cashman’s first order of business should be to decide on a permanent role for Chamberlain.
• The Padres completed the Greg Maddux deal when they selected pitchers Michael Watt and Eduardo Perez from the Dodgers. The Padres get two players as a result of the Dodgers making the playoffs, one of the conditions of the trade. Neither pitcher is expected to be a star, but Watt, a left hander, could be a back of the rotation starter and Perez could be a decent reliever some day.
• The Indians got the same deal as the Padres as they are now deciding on a fourth player to complete the CC Sabathia deal. According to the Cleveland papers, the Indians are deciding between Taylor Green, a 3rd baseman, or Michael Brantley, an outfielder. Green is a 21 year old left handed hitter whose power is developing. This year, in high single-A ball, Green hit .289/.382/.443 with 15 homeruns in 418 at bats. Brantley is a contact hitter with little power. The 21 year old left handed hitter finished his double-A season with a .319/.395/.398 line with 28 stolen bases. The fact that the Indians are getting another player makes this a balanced trade as the Tribe stocked up on young talent and the Brewers are in the playoffs riding the left arm of Sabathia.
• The Indians are also talking about some position changes for next season, moving Asdrubal Cabrera to short stop and Jhonny Peralta to third base. This move would immediately improve the Indian’s defense as Cabrera is a defensive wiz and Peralta, well, isn’t. Peralta is rumored to be unhappy with the move, but it is one the Tribe needs to make.
• The Mets’ John Maine had surgery to remove a lesion off of his right shoulder. Maine should be ready for the start of spring training. He will be counted on as the number 2 or 3 starter in the 2009 rotation.
• The Diamondbacks are making all kinds of news in the Arizona papers. First, the paper reports that the D-Backs will only take Randy Johnson back if he takes a pay cut. He is 45 years old, but he had a good year for the D-Backs going 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 184 innings. Best guess is that Johnson is starting for the Diamondbacks next season. The other hot rumor is that they may look to shop Eric Byrnes who is coming off of a double hamstring injury. While he is set to make $11 million dollars in each of the next two seasons, the market should be big for the gritty outfielder. the two New York teams desperately need someone of Byrnes’ work ethic and heart on the field.
• The Cardinals signed Kyle Lohse to a 4 year $41 million dollar contract. Lohse finally gets his big money deal after finishing 15-6 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. In 200 innings, he gave up 211 hits and struck out just 119 batters. This was, by far, the best year of his career. The Cardinals are taking a huge risk that Lohse has figured it out under pitching coach Dave Duncan. If he returns to being Kyle Lohse, this has the look of a Carlos Silva contract.

That’s it for the major news, unless you consider the Tigers not picking up the option on short stop Edgar Renteria. We’ll keep you updated on all of the post season happenings as well as the hot stove happenings. Have a great day. Be sure to check out our staff divisional round preview article.

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