August 2008 - Posts
The biggest story over the last week was the deadline signings of baseball amateur draft picks 2-5 with Buster Posey drawing a $6 million bonus from the No. 5 slot. Why such a big deal? Because Scott Boras is winning.
One of the agent’s missions for over a decade has been to morph the baseball draft into something akin to the NFL and NBA drafts. Force teams to reward players for future performance -- no sane business operates under that system but then again we’re talking about professional sports.
And now Boras is winning for one reason: he knows the money is there. The game is flush with cash and in a culture that demands immediate returns, Boras has been able to sell the fast track many college players have taken to become solid pros and accelerate signing bonuses at an alarming rate.
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How do teams react to injury? Four cases to watch: Arizona has suffered a second-straight season-ending hand injury to Orlando Hudson. Last year the Diamondbacks scuffled ahead with Augie Ojeda. This year they immediately traded for Adam Dunn – who is not a second baseman but does supply a much-needed potent bat.
Tampa Bay has Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria on the DL. Longoria, who has a fractured right wrist, isn’t expected back until next month and Crawford might not play again in the regular season due to finger-tendon surgery. Veterans Cliff Floyd and Carlos Pena have shifted to the heart of the order and reserves Eric Hinske and Willy Aybar have plugged into the holes created by the injuries. Can the Rays keep winning without making a move?
Has there been a player in recent history as important to a pennant race as Longoria, who started the season in the minors? It was widely believed he was held back for the team to postpone his eventual free agency by one year. Now he may be the key to Tampa Bay’s surprising postseason hopes.
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Something to watch over the final six weeks of the season is how the Giants use Tim Lincecum.
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After seven and a half years of nonsense from Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox finally had enough. Now that the shock of the trade has passed, here are some reflections on Boston management's making the move now, and why
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Here are the reasons why the Mets are finally the team to beat in the NL East:
CARLOS DELGADO: His bat looked dreadfully slow in the first three months but July has seen a rebirth of his swing -- .374 batting average with eight home runs and 22 RBIs. Now he hits cleanup and is the left-handed slugger the Mets need.
DAVID WRIGHT: He has always been the team’s foundation player despite the money paid to Carlos Beltran. Wright is this team’s rock and although he isn’t a vocal leader, he plays every day with indisputable energy and the proper approach. And it doesn’t hurt when he put together a month like July, with a .330 batting average, three home runs and 18 RBIs.
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