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The baseball season is heating up. Many teams are still in the playoff hunt. Does anyone care?

Tigers #1 wtf...

Tigers are #1 because they have great pitching and everyone on their team contribute.

Im constantly watching the the trade winds blow. But of course as most know im a baseball nut. Just got a inside tip on a trade that will be pretty big being finalized on friday!

They way the playoff teams are determined pisses me off. Take the AL

If it ended today, the playoffs would be Detroit, Boston, NY and either LA or Oakland

Detroit, Bos and NY all belong there with their 673, 610 and 596 records. While Chi, Min and Tor with 590, 590 and 554 records, all better then the 515 LA/Oakland teams are sitting back watching.

Why should the 7th ranked team get to be there just because their division sucks? In the end it really doesn't matter because it will still come down to NY vs Bos, Det just doesn't play well against either team.

You can say that to just about any sports that have automatic playoff bid for divisional winners.

Automatic bids arn't a bad thing in general, however when you only take 4 teams into the playoffs and there is only 1 spot for a non division winner, you end up with situations like this.

Phlegm wrote:Tigers are #1 because they have great pitching and everyone on their team contribute.

Yeah I'm aware. It's just that it's been soooo many years...

The Twins are the hottest team in the American League though. They could take the wild card spot or the central if Detroit falters slightly.

My white sox are second in their division. They're just sandbagging till the playoffs.

The tigers are number 1 because they play consistant baseball against every team they play. They are not an amazing team they just dont make many mistakes. Notice their record though against the top teams in the leage, 1-2 vs boston, 3-6 vs chi, 1-3 vs NY. They dont actually match up well. The top teams dont play the same game vs every team. They are streaky however when it comes to playing the good teams, they usually step up and play very well.

Detriod really is a good team, I just dont think they are good enough to play with the other league leaders. They wont be going to the world series this year.

The twins are just that HOT, but I wouldn't expect that to keep up. When we get closer to the end, I bet you see only 4 teams still in it, Bos, Chi, Det and NY.

Small sample sizes on those records against boston and new york. I think they are just like the whitesox were last year. Great pitching, they dont hurt themselves deffensivly and they hit well with runners in scoring positions. Those are the type of teams that are scary to face in a 5 or 7 game series.

While i may not pick them for the world series yet (have to see how they handle the stretch run) but they have to be in my top 2 from the AL. Minesota is a team that i see as making a run to the WS.

WIth Liriano and Santana as their 1, 2 punch that will be VERY tough to overcome come playoff time. In a 5 game series you face them both twice! And in a 7 game series you have to face 1 ,3 times...and the other twice !?!?!? Thats scary.

I don't care.

The big trade i was talking about went through this morning.... Carlos Lee to the Rangers in exchange for Francisco Cordero, Lance Nix, and Kevin Mench.

The Rangers gave up a lot for him. So this means that the Brewers gave up on the playoffs?

I dont know...i think this makes the brewers better

I don't think this make the Brewers better. Cordero lost his job as closer because he kept blowing saves. Nix couldn't hack it earlier in the season so the Rangers sent him to the minors. Mench is just average.

Maybe not better this year...but in the long run they will be better off. Lee is a free agent after this year, and the Brewers would not have been able to resign him. Mench is a decent hitter, Lance Nix has a good upside if he can work through his problems (lots of hitters go through the same thing) and Cordero just has some mechanical flaws. He was a good closer for them last year, and the only reason he hasnt gotten another shot at the closers role is because Atsuka (sp?) has done a great job.

So the brewers bolster their pen, get a decent hitter in Mench, and someone with good upside for someone that was leaving at the end of the year. Milwaukee is a great place for Lance Nix to get playing time back in the bigs also. Texas was to deep in the outfield and Nix would never get another shot in Center Field with the emergence of Gary Mathews JR (for good reason). Nix is only 26 with power and good range in the outfield. For those reason Milwaukee came out good in this trade.

Texas of course got a HUGE addition. I see Lee signing with the Yankees next year though FYI.

Also Mench is a .284 hitter with 50 Rbi's and 12 Bombs and is only 28. He is someone that is going to hit you 25 homeruns, drive in 90 RBI's and hit .280 for you. Ill take that production in the outfield, and he hasnt hit his prime yet.

And Cordero is is coming off a 49 sv year and a 37 sv year for some pretty bad Texas Teams. He has had some good years, and has a lifetime 3.44 ERA. Every pitcher goes through some struggles and he just never got a chance to return to the closer spot. A change of scenery can do wonders....ask Eddie Guardado. Since being traded to Cinci he has been lights out, after not being able to keep a ball in the yard with the Mariners. So it does bolster the Milwaukee bullpen, and gives them a proven closer if Turbow keeps struggling.

Not so sure on Lee going to NY, they are already looking really hard at Soriano (hopefully they wont do anything stupid like giving up their #1 pitching prospect to get him now). With Matsui coming back, Williams not completely over the hill what would you do with them all. I guess you could move Soriano back to 2nb and complete what would probably be the best (and most expensive) infield in baseball.

Sheffield coming back this season or is he out for the rest of the year?

Lee will not be going to NY this year, i said next year and i will tell you why. First I doubt VERY seriously Alfonso Soriano goes to the yankees for ALOT of reasons. First Soriano WANTS to play second base next year. Yankees are very happy with Cano and the millions of dollars less that he costs them, with much better defense.

Second Washington is asking ALOT for Soriano, and his stock is going up right now. They are asking for 3 ML or ML ready players. Yankees do not have a farm system depth at all. Third the Yankees main pitching prospect has been deemed untouchable, and that is one of the players that Washington would want. Wash is also asking from the trade that they get cash compensation also to pay Soriano's salary.

Honestly i doubt VERY seriously that Soriano even gets moved this year. It would take just an AMAZING deal for them to give up on Soriano. The Nationals and Soriano have talked about him signing an extension to keep playing there. Somewhere around 5 years at 100 Mill

Now the Nationals have gotten REALLY hot lately also, they have won 6 straight and now find themselves only 8 games back in the WIld Card. Ever Since Jose Guilen has gone on the disabled list they have played VERY good ball, when he came back they slumped and now he is back on the disabled list and they are streaking again. Guillen will be released from the team very shortly, esspecially if the nationls keep streaking. Vidro is injured for them, so they cant trade him before the deadline, but when he comes back you may see him moved on a waiver wire deal. Esspecially if Washington adds an Outfield bat, and then move Soriano back to second.

Back to the Yankees and Carlos Lee. Next year Bernie Williams will be nothing but a fill in player, they are growing impatient with Matsui, so i dont doubt that Lee will land in the bronx.

Shef will be back before August 31 when the Rosters are finalized for the post season.

Xaiveir wrote:Lee will not be going to NY this year, i said next year and i will tell you why. First I doubt VERY seriously Alfonso Soriano goes to the yankees for ALOT of reasons. First Soriano WANTS to play second base next year. Yankees are very happy with Cano and the millions of dollars less that he costs them, with much better defense.

Second Washington is asking ALOT for Soriano, and his stock is going up right now. They are asking for 3 ML or ML ready players. Yankees do not have a farm system depth at all. Third the Yankees main pitching prospect has been deemed untouchable, and that is one of the players that Washington would want. Wash is also asking from the trade that they get cash compensation also to pay Soriano's salary.

Honestly i doubt VERY seriously that Soriano even gets moved this year. It would take just an AMAZING deal for them to give up on Soriano. The Nationals and Soriano have talked about him signing an extension to keep playing there. Somewhere around 5 years at 100 Mill

Now the Nationals have gotten REALLY hot lately also, they have won 6 straight and now find themselves only 8 games back in the WIld Card. Ever Since Jose Guilen has gone on the disabled list they have played VERY good ball, when he came back they slumped and now he is back on the disabled list and they are streaking again. Guillen will be released from the team very shortly, esspecially if the nationls keep streaking. Vidro is injured for them, so they cant trade him before the deadline, but when he comes back you may see him moved on a waiver wire deal. Esspecially if Washington adds an Outfield bat, and then move Soriano back to second.

Back to the Yankees and Carlos Lee. Next year Bernie Williams will be nothing but a fill in player, they are growing impatient with Matsui, so i dont doubt that Lee will land in the bronx.

I was talk about next season. Soriano may want to play second but when his contract is up, you can be damn sure NY will be knocking. My guess is Soriano wont be signing anything until his contract is up, he knows he is going to get big $$ and will want to shop for someone who will give him huge $$ or someone with big money for a spot at 2nd base. I honestly wouldn't be shocked if NY signs him when his contract is up and puts him at 2nd and trades away Cano in the hopes of pulling in pitching. More realistically, they will offer him a huge contract and put him in the OF.