• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Sports Bank

News. Sports. Arts & Entertainment. Politics

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Archives
  • Media
  • The Sports Bank in Book Form
  • Premier League Book

Contender Marketplace Part 10 NL East

July 26, 2008 By paulmbanks 1 Comment

Share

soxmanphoebe.jpgcole-hamels1.jpgmets090.jpg

Peter Christian & Soxman break down what each MLB contender needs to make the play-offs
 

Trade Rumors begin to heat up as the MLB trade deadline approaches.  The deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31. Until then teams may trade players freely without having to go through the waiver process.
NL EAST
 
Phillies
The Phillies addressed their biggest need by trading for Joe Blanton on July 17th.  Are they done picking up starting pitching?  They have also scouted Matt Cain, AJ Burnett, and Derek Lowe.
 
Mets
The Mets are suddenly very much alive in the NL East.  They are also believed to be involved in the Freddy Garcia sweepstakes.  They have also been strongly linked to AJ Burnett in recent weeks.  I’ve heard rumors of a trade involving Matt Holliday, Willy Taveras, and Brian Fuentes for Fernando Martinez, and Carlos Beltran, but I don’t believe it.  Martinez could make a big-impact if ready, and the Mets could turn to a cheaper option such as Xavier Nady or Raul Ibanez. 
 
Marlins
How could a team that loses their best hitter and franchise player compete?  The Marlins are doing it…And are quickly earning my respect as the “Twins” of NL.  Perhaps they should change their name from the Marlins to the Piranhas.  Looking to add speed to compliment their abundance of power, they have inquired with the Rockies about Willy Taveras and Scott Podsednik.  They also need help at catcher and are said to have inquired on Ivan Rodriguez and David Ross of the Reds.  Is a return by Miguel Olivo another possibility?   

–The Soxman

cole-hamels1.jpg

NL East –
Philadelphia Phillies –
I picked the Phillies to win the World Series back in April and back in April they made me look like a genius (I’m going to ignore my Mariners and Blue Jays picks). To this point the Phils have been the front runner but a recent hot streak by the Mets coupled with the pesky Marlins hanging around have made the NL East a three team race. Philadelphia gave up their top prospect in Adrian Cardenas along with two other minor leaguers to land Joe Blanton to help the rotation which is probably the only area that could use some solid improvement. Pat Gillick is a seasoned GM and can play the deadline game with the best of them. Last season’s under the radar move to land Kyle Lohse turned out to be a fantastic one as he was a key cog in the team’s play-off run. A similar move will need to be made this season as both Brett Myers and Adam Eaton have been largely ineffective in the rotation. The biggest problem with the Phillies is that they already gave up their biggest bargaining chip to get Blanton. If things stand pat, the Phillies will rely on either Myers or Eaton to step back into the rotation to help down the stretch.

mets090.jpg
 
New York Mets –
What a difference a month makes. On June 17th, the Mets had just fired Willie Randolph and were struggling to get above .500. Now the Mets are fresh off a 10 game winning streak and back in the NL East race. If the Mets plan on staying in the race they need Johan Santana to be his usual 2nd half dominant self, they need solid production out of their stars (David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran) and they need players like Ryan Church and Luis Castillo to get healthy. The resurgence of the Mets has taken the pressure off of GM Omar Minaya for now but don’t expect him to make any desperation moves like the Victor Zambrano move a few years ago by his predecessor Jim Duquette. Plus, the bulk of the Mets pieces were moved in the Johan Santana trade (with the exception of Fernando Martinez, who is said to be untouchable). The Mets may be best suited in trading one or more of their veterans to another contending team to get some bullpen help and potentially a guy who can step in to close if Billy Wagner’s arm issues continue to be a problem (i.e. Brian Fuentes).
 
Florida Marlins –
Soxman has it right, the Marlins are more of a piranhas type team than even the Twins are this year. The clutch hitting they have gotten from up and down their lineup is staggering. Especially once you consider how unknown the bulk of the team is. The Marlins have lost more starting players in the last 5 years than any other team in the majors (I might have made that up, but it looks good on paper) and yet they continue to overachieve. Their infield may be one of the most unexpected powerhouses of the last decade (84 HR from the infielders) and the starting pitching has been extremely good. However, if this team is going to compete into late September for a play-off spot, they have holes that need to be filled. They could use another starter, an extra arm in the bullpen and a veteran presence off the bench, preferably someone who can play outfield. Since the Marlins have lost so much they also have a very good crop of young players and prospects. While it is unlikely the Marlins would be able to take on any big contract type players, ownership has shown some commitment to this team by giving Hanley Ramirez the largest contract in Marlins history. A player like Josh Willingham or Cody Ross might be dealt in order to allow Luis Gonzalez to take on a bigger leadership role from the lineup rather than the bench while also netting another pitcher to bolster the staff. While other teams may salivate and offer up the farm, Cameron Maybin is no where near the table.
–Peter Christian

7/17- Red Sox
7/18- Yankees
7/19- Rays
7/20- White Sox
7/21- Twins
7/22- Tigers
7/24-Angels
7/25- A’s, Rangers
7/26- Phillies, Mets, Marlins
7/27- Cubs
7/28-Brewers, Cardinals
7/29- Dodgers, Diamondbacks

soxmanphoebe.jpg

Follow paulmbanks

Related Posts via Categories

  • Aaron Judge Breaking the Roger Maris HR Record Would be Good for Baseball
  • Time to Rethink Black Sox Legacy Amid Field of Dreams Game
  • Travelogue: Visiting the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Iowa
  • Field of Dreams: Re-Analyzing the Movie Amid the 2nd Real Life MLB Game
  • Cubs and Reds at Least Bring History to Field of Dreams Game
  • Ricketts’ Marquee Network Loses 1/4 Its Audience; Cubs Fans Rejoice
  • Aaron Judge Ahead of Roger Maris Yankees HR Record Pace
  • Willson Contreras, Ian Happ Will be Casualties of Next Ricketts Sell-Off
  • Chicago Cubs 2022 Season Midterm Report Card, Analysis
  • FOX Sports Places Yankees-Red Sox Promo at World Trade Memorial Site

Filed Under: MLB

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. paulmbanks says

    July 29, 2008 at 6:35 PM

    I’m surprised Sarah hasnt posted on this one yet, cuz I included her boyfriend Cole Hamels as the picture.

    “Meet the Mets. Greet the Mets”

    Prof. B, send this link to Adam if you get the chance. it’s Mets related content

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

newsnow_f_ab
online casinos not on Gamstop

Best Paypal Casinos

Recent Posts

  • Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel Both Enjoyed their Screaming Match
  • Manchester United Transfer Talk: Alvaro Morata, Sasa Kalajdzic
  • Dan Marino (Exclusive) on How He Beat the 1985 Chicago Bears
  • Man United Thrashed By Brentford 4-0; Some of the Best Football Pundit Reactions
  • Liverpool Starting XI, Match Prediction vs Crystal Palace
  • Liverpool Team News vs Crystal Palace: Thiago, Matip, Konate, Jota
  • USA, Barca Defender Sergino Dest Being Pursued by Manchester United
  • Mike Singletary Exclusive: Chicago Bears Legend Champions Clean Water Cause
  • Northwestern QB Ryan Hilinski Wages a Bigger Battle Off the Field
  • Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman on Brave New NIL Era

From Our Sponsors

OnlineBettingMD

Online Sports Betting

Best football betting sites

 

From Our Sponsors


[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2022 ·Magazine Pro · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress · Log in