Hi there all (well, all one of you :) ),
After such a long absence, it may take a bit to get back into the swing of things (what with crawling back from the underworld, I'll need to dust myself off and re-animate my flesh), but here's the bullet point version of my final thoughts on the baseball season:
- Loved the outcome of the season - I mean, I probably would have been happier to see the Rays take it, but props to the Phillies. Gillick put together a solid all around team there, and they could be in contention to challenge for the next couple years (provided they pick up an arm and can replace Burrell).
- The Rays are going to be monsters. They'll be in contention for at least the next few years, provided they can pick up a smart DH and don't have any major regressions in their young position players.
- Bad Sunglasses, I respectfully disagree with your assessment of Upton as the future star of this team. I would pick Longoria as the guy who will have the best career. Very well rounded power hitter, solid third baseman... Upton will be good, but I just don't get the feel of a dominant player there - a solid 5 tools player, sure, and surely a valuable piece of his team for a number of years. I think, though, that his power burst in the playoffs won't be repeatable, and he'll be good but not great.
- Yankees will be an interesting experiment to watch this offseason - we're seeing that low payroll teams with speed, defense, and effective pitching are picking up more and more wins (Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Florida, etc), and teams with massive payrolls and aging superstars are sinking in teh standings (Seattle, NYY, NYM, Detroit, etc.). With a lot of money to spend and a lot of clout, I'll be interested to see what kind of team Cashman puts together this year.
- Same goes for the Mariners, though we're probably still 2 years out. I agree with some of hte blogosphere that it's possible for us to have a moderately successful 2009 if the right moves are made. Their new GM, Zduriencik, has his work cut out for him, but I have the faith that only the support of an ailing, frustrating but potentially good team can bring.
- Finally, my prediction for Free Agent bust of 2009 - Derek Lowe. I just don't see him pitching well anywhere. He'll get around 10MM, which is ridiculous.
Football thoughts to come soon...
