08-24-2015, 12:11 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-16-2015, 01:05 PM by mattynokes.)
This past off-season has been one of the most exciting in years – at least since I’ve been back. Thanks to some new blood and a few teams getting ready to make the transition from rebuilding to competing, the trade market was crazy rich and deep. A lot of big names flew around the country and are settling into new homes. How does you team stack up?
:bal3:
Status: Cautiously, Optimistically Rebuilding
I like what Hick did when he came in. He used is resources to take on some salary and gain some pieces that have future value. I feel like he jumped back on the FCM band wagon a little too early as it doesn’t appear he really has the time to commit right now. It just seems like a few more loose ends need to be tied up to hit the ground running with this rebuild. In time, Hick will have this rolling.
:bos2:
Status: Pluggin’ Away At The Rebuild
Rocky is developing some very nice prospects. Only a few are already up and I don’t see many being ready in the near future. The one problem I see is that the pitching depth is thin. Very thin. It’s possible and pragmatic that he’ll deal some positional guys to gain some arms. It’s unlikely Catchers Hershler and Aguilar will co-exist and Boston likely doesn’t need as many Outfielders as they currently have in the system.
:nyy2:
Status: Kind Of Competing Since Division Es No Bueno
Replace them with any one team in the ALC, ALW, or NLE and I don’t think there’d be a snowball’s chance in Hell that the Yankees could have a shot this season. New York has some good positional prospects that are close and their major league roster isn’t half bad either. The problem is the pitching is underwhelming, overall. Even with what the lineup can become, the fate of their long-term success will rest on if Erick can acquire better pitching that will last.
Status: Doing It The Right Way, Rebuild
I’m a little surprised and happy to see PR do what I think has been mostly the correct moves this off-season. He still does his usually second guessing every little detail, but overall I think he did very well to flip assets that won’t be around when he can realistically compete for assets that will. PR just needs to be patient. Like not releasing prospects just because they don’t have a sexy Peak. People will trade for them, at least buy them for cash. Or just KEEP THEM and see what happens. But I digress. Maybe Tampa didn’t get the most they could with some of their players, but sometimes when you hold out for the best return possible, you miss your chance to get solid value and are stuck with a sinking ship.
:tor3:
Status: The Show Goes On!
The rest of the East isn’t great, so Toronto is in the incumbent position to keep chugging away at first place. However, I can’t help but wonder how much longer they have. There’s some talent on the pitching side in the minors, but despite the good looking Peaks, I don’t think the positional side amounts to much. Corey could certainly deploy similar logic on the pitching prospects that Boston might have to do with the positional side of things, but Toronto looks like they’ll need the Triple-A arms to replace the aging major leaguers. The chance for sustainability is there. It will be interesting to see if it can be done.
:chw2:
Status: Learning To Rebuild Again
“Sustain” seems like a popular word, because it seems whenever JHC has a good team, he can’t sustain it. I feel like the root of JHC’s problem is that he loads up on one thing. You don’t do need have elite badasses at every spot, but you need to have some quality talent in the lineup, the field, the rotation, and the bullpen. After trying some half assery to compete the past 2 seasons, it looks like he’s finally wised up to rebuilding. Good thing he now has a lot of top 90 picks to load up the system, the minors look a little bare.
Status: The Pasta Is Almost Done
You could eat it now, but I’d say it’s a little too chewy. The Indians might get lucky and run into a playoff spot, but their real time to shine will be in 2059. Kubota and Lines will definitely be there. The reliever prospects will be there. Oshel and Clouse should be there while Bigil might be there as well. It’s a lot of talent to look forward too, but it’s hard to say for sure that Cleveland can believe just yet.
:det2:
Status: In The Driver’s Seat, For Now
Detroit is king of the division, and should be for a number of season’s to come. The majority of their major league roster is 28-32, so the window is there for a number of seasons to come. The problem is the minors are a bit bare and only have a handful or prospects to look forward to. GB will either have to break up the band a little bit or except that it’ll all come crashing down at some point. The moves he made this past off-season were magnificent as a playoff contender, but I also think it lessened his window to (hear comes that key word again) “sustain.”
:kcr2:
Status: The Water Is Still In Good Supply
Mike’s Royals are a lot like my Rockies when I was in Colorado. The team is good, no doubt. But I can’t help but feel like Kansas City has been feasting on the division usually being him and someone else. Just like if other teams had stepped up in the NLW, I think Mike will have to really dig to stay in the playoff hunt once some of these rebuilds finish molding.
:min2:
Status: O-M-G This Team Could Be Good, In A Few Years
First off, the stadium re-boot was brilliant. I mean, I helped guide him through things, but I think a lot of Minny’s problems was that the crazy Effects really screwed with their pitching. And when you look at the young guys that are already up plus what’s coming up soon, you have sit back and say, “wow, Rumble is building something special.” I don’t think it’s too long until the tables are turned and it’s Minnesota and Cleveland duking it out for the Central.
:hou3:
Status: Lost At Sea
They have some good, young starting pitching, but a lot of the rest is uninspiring. Plus I don’t see a single prospect that I think, “Yeah, that guy looks like he’ll be very good.” Part of the issue is it looks like the GM is still on leave and Houston could really use some attention. They aren’t terrible, but if they want to compete, then they need to trade from some of the SP depth to get bats and bullpen pieces. Otherwise a rebuild needs to happen.
:laa2:
Status: A Well Oiled Machine
They’re basically the build I was talking about with the White Sox comments. They aren’t some dominating, intimidating team, but they mix in some very good bats with defense. They have some pretty good arms and the ones that aren’t great are at least respectable. Plus there’s talent in the minors to keep then chugging as a serious playoff contender for years to come.
:oak2:
Status: Good, But It’ll Take Some Work
This team is good, but it’s undeniable that some of the heavily relied upon players (Vellieux, White, Szub, Madden) are declining. Fred could probably do almost nothing for a couple more seasons, but eventually, he’ll need to get creative to keep the train a rollin’. There are some solid prospects to work with and will be very interesting to see if the A’s keep at it or if the unfortunate early decline in many players bites them.
:sea2:
Status: At Least We Made Trades
Overall, I’m quite perplexed why Mzy did what he did this off-season. To me it boils down to Kyle Arrington. Trading him isn’t a bad thing, but you either decide that you’re competing (so you keep him) or you’re rebuilding (so you trade him for prospects). Seattle is the exact same average franchise age (28.0) as they were at the end of the off-season. From Point A to Point B, I don’t see how Seattle got themselves in a better position to consistently compete going forward.
:tex2:
Status: Somewhere Drinking Shiner With WP
It's never good for a team to have their GM take a leave while rebuilding, but the Rangers are dealing with it. One thing that is easily noticeable is the position prospects and young major leaguers have a lot of power potential. However, there's not much noteworthy pitching in stock, so something needs done or else Texas will be relying on 12-10 victories to happen.
Status: So Far, So Good
But for how long? Atlanta has some very, very good pieces in the major. However, their minors are nearly devoid of any talent. They have 2 prospects to my count. Two. They have many key players north of 30. They should be good for a few more seasons, but when things go sour, it's gonna be another full rebuild.
:mia:
Status: Competition Is Nearing
Hokey has tanked himself into a very nice position. There is a nice array of talent bumbling on the brink of being ready. It fits in very well for the Marlins' position that the current powers have a limited timetable to compete.
:nym2:
Status: Rebuild? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rebuild!
It's no shock the Mets never truly rebuilt. But what's shocking is they actually have some quantity of living, breathing prospects in the minors. Granted at the drop of a pin they could be dealt for proven talent, but there's reason to believe that they can come up relatively soon to turn this team into a legit contender in the weaker than normal NL East.
:phi2:
Status: Looking For Some Direction
When I first overlooked them, I took the stance of "competing with kid gloves." They had (and still do) some decent talent where with some value moves could have them creeping into a playoff race. They've lacked direction since the 2056 draft. A new GM took them over, sometimes did things, sometimes didn't. And we he did, he got fleeced in the Thorp deal. Even though we're looking for a new GM once again, I honestly hope I can have them at least through the off-season to get things straightened out. There direction needs to be just to rebuild.
:was2:
Status: Starring Truth In The Mirror
This season has to be frustrating for Peter. They aren't this bad of a team. However, it's a preview of what's to come. They're currently the second oldest team in the league and their reign on the NL East wasn't going to last much longer. They shouldn't see much of a layover, the talent is still there in the minors. However, it may not be until the 60's when they're back full force.
:cin2:
Status: Happily Hoovering Around .500
Or so it seems. There seems to be some moves with thoughts for the future and others with thoughts on the present. They aren't good enough to realistically compete right now and I don't get the logic of trading a prospect because you have someone else at his position. Position Change his ass in the minors (because it doesn't matter, see Bill Royal and how he played CF) and keep developing them until someone gives you something that helps you for the future.
:chc2:
Status: Smooth Sailing
The Cubs are in a real good position. They aren't very old and where they are old, they have options to replace them. They also seem to have an over abundance of Outfielders, which could help them trade for players to plug in holes for aging/declining players.
:mil2:
Status: Kidding Themselves Into Believing They Can Make It All Work
Milwaukee is good, there's no question. But the question everyone is wondering is if their financial crisis will blow up in Ryan's face? By now everyone is tired with him dangling the great players, only to demand the moon. Ryan certainly seems to price himself out of good trades. There's a point in getting what you deserve, but getting greedy when the cash pile is dwindling isn't the best move. The current course dictates that eventually Milwaukee will be in debt and when players are out of team control, they'll be forced into Free Agency.
:pit2:
Status: Sitting Pretty With The Rebuild
PIT's minors went from zero to hero very quickly. Gilly had a great draft and got himself a wide variety of talent. The pitching talent still leaves some to be desired, but there is some solace in not forcing and reaching on picks. Pitching will come in time.
:stl2:
Status: Something, Something, Baseball
I have a hard time placing this franchise. There's some young talent there, and some that could be very good. However, there's some holes and some aging players that need addressed. I just don't see the near ready talent in the minors. It's GD, so who knows what he has in store. He's always perplexed me with developing some great teams and getting great players, but then suffering through Nat Harmon and Kent Hart who are turds in a punch bowl.
Status: Primed And Ready To Go
This team isn't daunting, but they have a nice collection of talent and don't have many in key positions that you think "Gosh, I'd try to upgrade that in a heartbeat." For any that they have, there's talent waiting in Triple and Double-A. A big chink in the armor would be if any of the MLB pitching fails, since there's not much pitching to pluck from in the minors.
:col2:
Status: Full Rebuild Mode
Some talent has already been shipped out, but anything else that can net the Rockies talent that can help out in 2063 and beyond should go. Quality prospects like Baucom, Cavnar, and Ariaz should stay as they can be prime veterans when the team is competing. Follow the Pirates' model and things could be looking very good for Colorado going forward.
:lad2:
Status: Sure Glad The Budget Is Large
Otherwise they wouldn't be this good. Beyond buying talent, there is some good, earned talent in Dodger Land. There's some talent there in Triple-A to replace the holes, but I just have to wonder if the splurge signings of Jeff Paynter and Nick Messer will come back to bite them in the ass when the young talent come up for arbitration.
:sdp2:
Status: A Storm Is Brewing
San Diego is building a very good minor league system. Decker has drafted a wealth of talent that will soon rain down vengeance and fury on the NL West. Some idiot also handed him over Rusty Younger and Trace Handford, which only furthers the cause. This team should be the supreme of the West during the 2060's.
:sfg2:
Status: Wallowing Around In Mediocrity
The Giants should really See: Colorado. They need to tear it down and shoot for the future. There's some talent in the majors, but it's just not enough to sustain winning teams. That talent, though, should net them some nice prospects.
:bal3:
Status: Cautiously, Optimistically Rebuilding
I like what Hick did when he came in. He used is resources to take on some salary and gain some pieces that have future value. I feel like he jumped back on the FCM band wagon a little too early as it doesn’t appear he really has the time to commit right now. It just seems like a few more loose ends need to be tied up to hit the ground running with this rebuild. In time, Hick will have this rolling.
:bos2:
Status: Pluggin’ Away At The Rebuild
Rocky is developing some very nice prospects. Only a few are already up and I don’t see many being ready in the near future. The one problem I see is that the pitching depth is thin. Very thin. It’s possible and pragmatic that he’ll deal some positional guys to gain some arms. It’s unlikely Catchers Hershler and Aguilar will co-exist and Boston likely doesn’t need as many Outfielders as they currently have in the system.
:nyy2:
Status: Kind Of Competing Since Division Es No Bueno
Replace them with any one team in the ALC, ALW, or NLE and I don’t think there’d be a snowball’s chance in Hell that the Yankees could have a shot this season. New York has some good positional prospects that are close and their major league roster isn’t half bad either. The problem is the pitching is underwhelming, overall. Even with what the lineup can become, the fate of their long-term success will rest on if Erick can acquire better pitching that will last.
Status: Doing It The Right Way, Rebuild
I’m a little surprised and happy to see PR do what I think has been mostly the correct moves this off-season. He still does his usually second guessing every little detail, but overall I think he did very well to flip assets that won’t be around when he can realistically compete for assets that will. PR just needs to be patient. Like not releasing prospects just because they don’t have a sexy Peak. People will trade for them, at least buy them for cash. Or just KEEP THEM and see what happens. But I digress. Maybe Tampa didn’t get the most they could with some of their players, but sometimes when you hold out for the best return possible, you miss your chance to get solid value and are stuck with a sinking ship.
:tor3:
Status: The Show Goes On!
The rest of the East isn’t great, so Toronto is in the incumbent position to keep chugging away at first place. However, I can’t help but wonder how much longer they have. There’s some talent on the pitching side in the minors, but despite the good looking Peaks, I don’t think the positional side amounts to much. Corey could certainly deploy similar logic on the pitching prospects that Boston might have to do with the positional side of things, but Toronto looks like they’ll need the Triple-A arms to replace the aging major leaguers. The chance for sustainability is there. It will be interesting to see if it can be done.
:chw2:
Status: Learning To Rebuild Again
“Sustain” seems like a popular word, because it seems whenever JHC has a good team, he can’t sustain it. I feel like the root of JHC’s problem is that he loads up on one thing. You don’t do need have elite badasses at every spot, but you need to have some quality talent in the lineup, the field, the rotation, and the bullpen. After trying some half assery to compete the past 2 seasons, it looks like he’s finally wised up to rebuilding. Good thing he now has a lot of top 90 picks to load up the system, the minors look a little bare.
Status: The Pasta Is Almost Done
You could eat it now, but I’d say it’s a little too chewy. The Indians might get lucky and run into a playoff spot, but their real time to shine will be in 2059. Kubota and Lines will definitely be there. The reliever prospects will be there. Oshel and Clouse should be there while Bigil might be there as well. It’s a lot of talent to look forward too, but it’s hard to say for sure that Cleveland can believe just yet.
:det2:
Status: In The Driver’s Seat, For Now
Detroit is king of the division, and should be for a number of season’s to come. The majority of their major league roster is 28-32, so the window is there for a number of seasons to come. The problem is the minors are a bit bare and only have a handful or prospects to look forward to. GB will either have to break up the band a little bit or except that it’ll all come crashing down at some point. The moves he made this past off-season were magnificent as a playoff contender, but I also think it lessened his window to (hear comes that key word again) “sustain.”
:kcr2:
Status: The Water Is Still In Good Supply
Mike’s Royals are a lot like my Rockies when I was in Colorado. The team is good, no doubt. But I can’t help but feel like Kansas City has been feasting on the division usually being him and someone else. Just like if other teams had stepped up in the NLW, I think Mike will have to really dig to stay in the playoff hunt once some of these rebuilds finish molding.
:min2:
Status: O-M-G This Team Could Be Good, In A Few Years
First off, the stadium re-boot was brilliant. I mean, I helped guide him through things, but I think a lot of Minny’s problems was that the crazy Effects really screwed with their pitching. And when you look at the young guys that are already up plus what’s coming up soon, you have sit back and say, “wow, Rumble is building something special.” I don’t think it’s too long until the tables are turned and it’s Minnesota and Cleveland duking it out for the Central.
:hou3:
Status: Lost At Sea
They have some good, young starting pitching, but a lot of the rest is uninspiring. Plus I don’t see a single prospect that I think, “Yeah, that guy looks like he’ll be very good.” Part of the issue is it looks like the GM is still on leave and Houston could really use some attention. They aren’t terrible, but if they want to compete, then they need to trade from some of the SP depth to get bats and bullpen pieces. Otherwise a rebuild needs to happen.
:laa2:
Status: A Well Oiled Machine
They’re basically the build I was talking about with the White Sox comments. They aren’t some dominating, intimidating team, but they mix in some very good bats with defense. They have some pretty good arms and the ones that aren’t great are at least respectable. Plus there’s talent in the minors to keep then chugging as a serious playoff contender for years to come.
:oak2:
Status: Good, But It’ll Take Some Work
This team is good, but it’s undeniable that some of the heavily relied upon players (Vellieux, White, Szub, Madden) are declining. Fred could probably do almost nothing for a couple more seasons, but eventually, he’ll need to get creative to keep the train a rollin’. There are some solid prospects to work with and will be very interesting to see if the A’s keep at it or if the unfortunate early decline in many players bites them.
:sea2:
Status: At Least We Made Trades
Overall, I’m quite perplexed why Mzy did what he did this off-season. To me it boils down to Kyle Arrington. Trading him isn’t a bad thing, but you either decide that you’re competing (so you keep him) or you’re rebuilding (so you trade him for prospects). Seattle is the exact same average franchise age (28.0) as they were at the end of the off-season. From Point A to Point B, I don’t see how Seattle got themselves in a better position to consistently compete going forward.
:tex2:
Status: Somewhere Drinking Shiner With WP
It's never good for a team to have their GM take a leave while rebuilding, but the Rangers are dealing with it. One thing that is easily noticeable is the position prospects and young major leaguers have a lot of power potential. However, there's not much noteworthy pitching in stock, so something needs done or else Texas will be relying on 12-10 victories to happen.
Status: So Far, So Good
But for how long? Atlanta has some very, very good pieces in the major. However, their minors are nearly devoid of any talent. They have 2 prospects to my count. Two. They have many key players north of 30. They should be good for a few more seasons, but when things go sour, it's gonna be another full rebuild.
:mia:
Status: Competition Is Nearing
Hokey has tanked himself into a very nice position. There is a nice array of talent bumbling on the brink of being ready. It fits in very well for the Marlins' position that the current powers have a limited timetable to compete.
:nym2:
Status: Rebuild? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rebuild!
It's no shock the Mets never truly rebuilt. But what's shocking is they actually have some quantity of living, breathing prospects in the minors. Granted at the drop of a pin they could be dealt for proven talent, but there's reason to believe that they can come up relatively soon to turn this team into a legit contender in the weaker than normal NL East.
:phi2:
Status: Looking For Some Direction
When I first overlooked them, I took the stance of "competing with kid gloves." They had (and still do) some decent talent where with some value moves could have them creeping into a playoff race. They've lacked direction since the 2056 draft. A new GM took them over, sometimes did things, sometimes didn't. And we he did, he got fleeced in the Thorp deal. Even though we're looking for a new GM once again, I honestly hope I can have them at least through the off-season to get things straightened out. There direction needs to be just to rebuild.
:was2:
Status: Starring Truth In The Mirror
This season has to be frustrating for Peter. They aren't this bad of a team. However, it's a preview of what's to come. They're currently the second oldest team in the league and their reign on the NL East wasn't going to last much longer. They shouldn't see much of a layover, the talent is still there in the minors. However, it may not be until the 60's when they're back full force.
:cin2:
Status: Happily Hoovering Around .500
Or so it seems. There seems to be some moves with thoughts for the future and others with thoughts on the present. They aren't good enough to realistically compete right now and I don't get the logic of trading a prospect because you have someone else at his position. Position Change his ass in the minors (because it doesn't matter, see Bill Royal and how he played CF) and keep developing them until someone gives you something that helps you for the future.
:chc2:
Status: Smooth Sailing
The Cubs are in a real good position. They aren't very old and where they are old, they have options to replace them. They also seem to have an over abundance of Outfielders, which could help them trade for players to plug in holes for aging/declining players.
:mil2:
Status: Kidding Themselves Into Believing They Can Make It All Work
Milwaukee is good, there's no question. But the question everyone is wondering is if their financial crisis will blow up in Ryan's face? By now everyone is tired with him dangling the great players, only to demand the moon. Ryan certainly seems to price himself out of good trades. There's a point in getting what you deserve, but getting greedy when the cash pile is dwindling isn't the best move. The current course dictates that eventually Milwaukee will be in debt and when players are out of team control, they'll be forced into Free Agency.
:pit2:
Status: Sitting Pretty With The Rebuild
PIT's minors went from zero to hero very quickly. Gilly had a great draft and got himself a wide variety of talent. The pitching talent still leaves some to be desired, but there is some solace in not forcing and reaching on picks. Pitching will come in time.
:stl2:
Status: Something, Something, Baseball
I have a hard time placing this franchise. There's some young talent there, and some that could be very good. However, there's some holes and some aging players that need addressed. I just don't see the near ready talent in the minors. It's GD, so who knows what he has in store. He's always perplexed me with developing some great teams and getting great players, but then suffering through Nat Harmon and Kent Hart who are turds in a punch bowl.
Status: Primed And Ready To Go
This team isn't daunting, but they have a nice collection of talent and don't have many in key positions that you think "Gosh, I'd try to upgrade that in a heartbeat." For any that they have, there's talent waiting in Triple and Double-A. A big chink in the armor would be if any of the MLB pitching fails, since there's not much pitching to pluck from in the minors.
:col2:
Status: Full Rebuild Mode
Some talent has already been shipped out, but anything else that can net the Rockies talent that can help out in 2063 and beyond should go. Quality prospects like Baucom, Cavnar, and Ariaz should stay as they can be prime veterans when the team is competing. Follow the Pirates' model and things could be looking very good for Colorado going forward.
:lad2:
Status: Sure Glad The Budget Is Large
Otherwise they wouldn't be this good. Beyond buying talent, there is some good, earned talent in Dodger Land. There's some talent there in Triple-A to replace the holes, but I just have to wonder if the splurge signings of Jeff Paynter and Nick Messer will come back to bite them in the ass when the young talent come up for arbitration.
:sdp2:
Status: A Storm Is Brewing
San Diego is building a very good minor league system. Decker has drafted a wealth of talent that will soon rain down vengeance and fury on the NL West. Some idiot also handed him over Rusty Younger and Trace Handford, which only furthers the cause. This team should be the supreme of the West during the 2060's.
:sfg2:
Status: Wallowing Around In Mediocrity
The Giants should really See: Colorado. They need to tear it down and shoot for the future. There's some talent in the majors, but it's just not enough to sustain winning teams. That talent, though, should net them some nice prospects.
Cleveland Record: 5631-4946 (.532) [2054-2071, 2083-2104, 2110-2135]
AL Post: 16 (ALC), 11 (WC) - ALDS Win: 12 - ALCS Champ: 7 - WS Champ: 4
ALW: Mariners + Angels Record: 1072-864 (.554) [2042-2048, 2105-2110]
AL Post: 3 (ALW), 4 (WC) - ALDS Win: 3 - ALCS Champ: 1 - WS Champ: 1
NLW: Rockies + Padres Record: 3230-2753 (.540) [2017-2042, 2072-2082]
NL Post: 18 (NLW), 4 (WC) - NLDS Win: 7 - NLCS Champ: 4 - WS Champ: 0