I never knew why it was called the Hot Stove, and I suppose in the age of Google and Wikipedia, I could easily find the answer to that question. Ultimately, it does not matter so I will simply continue on in blissful ignorance. Sports has become a 24 hour a day, 365 investment. Baseball is no different. As soon as the season ends, whether your team won or lost the World Series, the question is the same, what about next season? It does not take long before everyone wonders where free agents are going, how much money they are going to get, and who is the favorite next year. The Yankees are already facing questions like, are they going to resign Johnny Damon? What about Matsui? Is Pettite going or coming back? What about Holliday, Bay, and Halladay? I mean this team just won the World Series. I am going to be honest. I do not have any inside information. No one at any of the NL East teams is feeding me information.
Here is what I do know and it has been said by much smarter and more eloquent people than I. You cannot win in the offseason. So let’s take a stab at some of the more popular off season rumors and take the opposite position and see where that gets us.

Popular Theory #1

The Phillies are only looking to add a third baseman and complimentary pieces. Otherwise, they are still the team to beat.

I have to be honest, despite the nausea that ensued from watching the World Series as a Mets fan, I was envious of the way the Phillies were constructed. However, that same World Series exposed a lot of problems that the other NL East teams were not in a position to capitalize on last year. Cole Hamels is a question mark. Can Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ be counted on to perform as well as they did last season? Jayson Werth a 40 HR guy? Did Brad Lidge turn into a pumpkin? The least of the Phillies problems is 3rd base. With the Phillies lineup, they need someone slightly better at the hot corner than, say, Roger Dorn. The Phillies though could use a Randy Wolf type starter or try and catch lightening in a bottle with Eric Bedard. Rafael Soriano is available and if he can stay healthy, he would be a great setup man, push Madson to the 7th inning and also serve as insurance should Brad Lidge regress further into pumpkin pie. (Hope you appreciate the seasonal reference.) I understand that the Phillies will not overspend for John Lackey, but pitching wins. You cannot outslug everyone, especially in the playoffs. The Phillies need to find find a wily veteran to play third base, like the Marlins did with Jorge Cantu, and hope for the best. The rest of whatever money is available should be poured into the starting rotation and the bullpen.

Free Agents to Target: Joe Crede, Marco Scutaro, Rafael Soriano, Ben Sheets, Randy Wolf, Billy Wagner, Melvin Mora, Adam Kennedy, Jason Marquis.

#2

The Braves should look to unload salary by trying to dump Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez.

I am going to say it, the Braves could be on the short list for the Wild Card next year. Chipper Jones, Yunel Escobar, Adam LaRoche and Brian McCann create a pretty competitive lineup. Lowe, Hudson, Vazquez and Hanson are not a bad front 4. With the Mets and Phillies looking vulnerable, why would the Braves start bailing? While I dont think the Braves should make a run at Holliday or Bay to try and “go for it”, I do think they should look to invest their money. I am thinking Mike Cameron. I think they try to bring in Randy Wolf, or make a trade for Edwin Jackson. Speaking of trades, make an offer for Dan Uggla, I bet it would take less than you would think. The Braves can compete and though Lowe and Vazquez are huge contracts, can you really consider trading them? The Braves knew what they were getting into when they signed Lowe. Might as well make the best of it.

Free Agents to Target: Mike Cameron, Scott Podsednik, Marlon Byrd, Bobby Howry, Octavio Dotel.

#3

The Mets need to sign Matt Holliday and/or Jason Bay and/or John Lackey.

As a Mets fan, it would be great if the team could be run like fantasy baseball team. It cannot. While a left fielder would be great, and the Mets could sorely use the power, this team needs to be more artfully constructed then just plugging in Holliday. Now, the Mets could have a Yankee moment and burn money by signing Lackey and Holliday/Bay and turn the baseball world on its head, but that wont happen. This team needs a more focused approach. The Mets have won before with the likes of Darryl Hamilton, Benny Agbayani and Todd Pratt. The Mets need quality top to bottom. They need a solid rotation. The bench was exposed last season. The Mets should not have players on their team that might appear on a 1998 baseball card. Signing one big free agent will not solve this problem. There is better ways to invest money than in Holliday.

Free Agents to Target: Austin Kearns, Rich Harden, Adam Kennedy, Jarrod Washburn, Fernando Rodney, Jason Kendall, Jon Garland, Miguel Olivo.

#4

The Nationals should….

Eek. I dont know where to begin. The Nationals need to establish a winning culture. Right now, they are about inspiring as East Germany before the wall fell down. (Again, another culturally relevant point, Google it if you dont know why.) However, there is hope. Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman. Stephen Strasburg. A mildly intriguing starting rotation. The fact is, Washington, right now can neither afford nor attract top talent. So it needs to continue to build like it did when it signed Adam Dunn. In this market, given the fact that bigger teams are reluctant to give up draft picks and pay out top dollar, teams like the Nationals can sign players like Adam Dunn and thereby become competitive.

Free Agents to Target: Orlando Hudson, Justin Duchscherer, Hank Blalock, Ben Sheets, Brett Myers, Carl Pavano, Paul Byrd, Jose Contreras.

#5

Marlins? Marlins? Bueller?

As with the Nationals, the Marlins are a total mystery as to what direction they will take. They are rumored to be looking to move pieces. I just dont know. I dont even know what to say. It wouldnt surprise me if the Marlins found a way to finish below the Nationals next year or if they won the World Series. What I do know is that they have cheerleaders. Yes, you read it correctly. Rivaled only by the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders for “Fewest Fans to Entertain”, the Marlins have decided cheerleaders are a good way to get people to the ballpark. They have been around for a few years and it always surprises me when I see them. Is this the UFL? What happened to this baseball game? How much are they getting paid? How much could a ticket possibly cost to sit directly behind them? Anyway, the Marlins will probably have one signing that makes you go, oh yea, remember when he was good for that one season? The Marlins should give out an award to that guy. Call it, the Ken Bottenfield Award and it should be written into the contract.

Free Agents to Target: Mike Hampton, Vicente Padilla, LaTroy Hawkins, Shawon Dunston, Russell Branyan, Bruce Chen, Eddie Guardado, Rocco Baldelli. (Although to type this list makes me feel like I am wasting my time).

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see who the teams in the NL East decide to sign and/or trade for, but there are always some surprises.

Since 1997 only one National League East team has managed to win multiple World Series titles. That team is the Florida Marlins. Despite existing in a league that features the high spending New York Mets, the consistent Atlanta Braves, and the offensive juggernaut known as the Philadelphia Phillies, Florida has managed to remain competitive and successful.
The Florida Marlins are a remarkable story not because they win but because of how they win. The Florida Marlins operate with the knowledge of two incontrovertible facts. First, the team will not spend a tremendous amount of money in the free agent market or on payroll, period. Second, low attendance at home games does not present a financial problem due to league revenue sharing and a low payroll. Thus, it is possible to still make money as a business despite the fact that no one really wants to buy your product.
However, simply having a low payroll does not necessarily equal success. The key to the Marlins success is that the Marlins maintain the team’s low payroll by combining young players still playing out their rookie contracts and questionable veterans who are willing to play for short, minimum contracts. The inherent quality in both of these types of players is that they have the need to prove themselves. Young players know that the Marlins have no desire to pay top dollar for a valuable player, but the organization is more than willing to either flip that player for prospects or let the player leave during free agency and recoup draft picks. Thus, it is in the player’s personal interest to perform at his highest possible level to ensure continued, gainful employment as a professional baseball player. The same can be said about veteran players. Guys brought in on one or two year deals for about the league minimum know that if they want to continue playing and/or get paid more money, they have to take the opportunity given by the Marlins to show that they can produce.
For example, players such as Miguel Cabrera (traded to the Detroit Tigers, signed to 8yr/$153.5 million), Dontrelle Willis (traded to Detroit Tigers, signed for 3yr/$29 million), Josh Beckett (traded to Boston Red Sox, signed for 3yr/$30 million), Mike Lowell (traded to Boston Red Sox 3yr/$37.5 million), Cliff Floyd (traded to Expos for package of prospects including Carl Pavano), Luis Castillo (traded to Minnesota Twins, signed by New York Mets for 4yr/$25 million), Preston Wilson (traded to Colorado Rockies for Juan Pierre and Mike Hampton), and Derek Lee  (traded to Chicago Cubs, signed 5 yr/$65 million) all represent the Marlins’ plan to allow young players to develop and then trade them when they are at or near peak value. These players have then received more valuable contracts than the Marlins would have ever been willing to offer. In addition, players such as Ivan Rodriguez, Armando Benitez, and Todd Jones are examples of veterans who used their time as Marlins to procure more lucrative long-term deals.
Admittedly, the ability to continue to find successful and talented young players is vital for this type of organizational approach. However, to simply say that the Marlins have a talented scouting department dismisses the fact that when the Marlins trade talented players, they usually receive numerous prospects in return; thereby increasing the chance that at least one of those prospects will turn out to be talented. Prior to the 2002 season, the Marlins traded Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca to the Chicago Cubs for Julian Tavarez, Dontrelle Willis, Jose Cueto, and Ryan Jorgensen. Only Dontrelle Willis developed into an upper echelon player, albeit for a limited amount of time. Further, that same season, Cliff Floyd was traded back to the Expos for Carl Pavano, Justin Wayne, Mike Mordecai, Graeme Lloyd, Don Levinski, and Wilton Guerrero. Ryan Dempster was also traded for Juan Encarnacion and Ryan Snare. The point of this is to demonstrate that the Marlins turned 4 players into 12 players, but only two or three of those players turned out to be valuable. By trading valuable young talent at the right time, the Marlins were able to increase the quality and quantity of the talent they received in return, thus minimizing the impact of failed prospects.
This is one of the reasons that differentiate the Marlins from the Royals, Pirates, and Orioles. These organizations wring their hands when it comes to trading players away for fear of angering their fanbase. Thus, players are held onto longer and the team loses leverage when dealing with other teams. Another major reason these organizations have not found the success that the Marlins have is that they attempt to sign high priced free agents to give hope to their beleaguered fan bases. Without analyzing the moves of each organization, suffice to say that by paying someone drastically more than the rest of your team does not fuel the players desire to prove themselves, but rather creates questions like, “If they have the money to pay Player X, why am I not getting mine?” Not to mention that by allocating valuable resources of a small market team into such a limited asset the organization is prevented from investing throughout the team. Lastly, the Marlins traditionally do not trade for established talent by giving up prospects but vice versa. This way, the farm system of the Marlins is constantly infused with young players.
Now, this is not to say that the Marlins have not signed a high priced free agent, ex. Carlos Delgado, or that they will trade away every promising player. It is simply a unique organizational approach that may or may not change with the building of a new stadium and higher expectations. Thus, it should come as no surprise when the Marlins find success despite a meager payroll. Its not that the Marlins win, but how they win that makes them an organization that should be emulated by small market teams in both the National and American leagues.

Howard breaks out of a slump

The Phillies did something yesterday they had not done since 1984, sweep the Cubs in Chicago.  In the fourth inning, Ryan Howard broke out of the longest home run drought of his career, depositing a three run homer that would provide all the runs the Phillies needed with Cliff Lee on the mound.  Cliff Lee(3-0) went eight strong innings and only allowed six hits and run run, but did walk three to get his third win in as many tries and he is now undefeated in the NL with a 1.12 ERA.  Pedro Feliz also hit a home run in the fourth inning a few batters after Ryan Howard and drove Howard in for an insurance run in the sixth.  Phillies Phandom has more on the Phillies sweep.

Ryan Desmpter started out well for the Cubs as through the first three innings he looked virtually unhittable.  Dempster(6-6) ended up going six innings and gave up all six runs and eight hits in taking a loss for the Cubs.  Ryan Theriot produced the only run for the Cubs as he drove in Jake Baker in the fifth inning.

Cantu with a blast to start it off

Jorge Cantu hit a two run home run for the Marlins and that was the start of another win, and series win for the Marlins.  They never relinquished that lead and they exploded once starter Mike Hampton left after the fifth against the Astros relief.  Ronnie Paulino contributed a solo home run in that inning and Hanley Ramirez had a two run single as well.  Sean West(4-4) went six innings and allowed only one run and was able to cruise to the victory after the sixth inning outburst.  FishGuts has more information on this win for the Marlins and their march to get closer to the playoffs.

Mike Hampton started yesterdays game with a slightly bum leg.  Hampton(7-10) lasted five decent innings and left with his team having a shot at the game after allowing six hits and three runs, but allowing two home runs.  The Bullpen imploded and only Hampton’s RBI single and Darren Erstad’s single in the ninth put a dent in the scoreboard for the Astros.

Gomes hits three straight bombs

Jonny Gomes had a humongous games yesterday for the Cincinnati Reds as he went 3-4 with three runs scored and five RBI on THREE straight at bats with a home.  The Reds did not need much more offense to win this one but Ryan Hanigan also homered and Brandon Phillips had an RBI double late to lead the Reds to the 7-0 win over the Nats.  Bronson Arroyo(11-11) went the distance while being virtually unhittable giving up only two hits and one walk against the suddenly hapless Nationals.

The Nationals, as CenterfieldGate mentions, have now only scored three runs in their past three games and the offense has completely shut down.  Ryan Zimmerman did extend his hitting streak with a single, but Christian Guzman’s has ended, with the entire lineup looking terrible.  Colin Balester(1-2) did not help much either as he only went five innings and allowed five runs and two walks while giving up three home runs.  CenterfieldGate covers this game and more for all the Nats fans.

Be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!

If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com

Be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!

If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com

Holliday has a great debut

Yesterday all the news was about the St. Louis Cardinals trading for Matt Holliday formerly of the Oakland A’s.  Luckily for them, Holliday was only a train ride away in NYC and was available to hit cleanup in Philly last night.  Holliday didn’t disappoint going 4-5 with one rbi and a run scored as the Cardinals routed the Phillies 8-1.  Joel Pineiro(9-9) evened his record for the year as he went six innings giving up just three hits and a walk.  Julio Lugo started at second for the Cards and even had two hits, an rbi and two runs scored.

J.A. Happ(7-1) took his first loss of the year for the Phillies as he lasted only five innings while allowing five runs on five hits.  The Phillies offense was silent on this night as they only scored one run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning.  See Phillies Phandom for more Phils info.

Prado continues to stay hot

The Braves rebounded from a late loss to the Giants on Thursday by beating up on the Brew Crew in Milwaukee last night.  Martin Prado once again had a great game going 2-5 with four RBI, a run scored and a walk as the Braves won 9-4.  Javier Vazquez(8-7) got the win going seven innings of four run ball and being supported by a lot of offense behind him.  Chipper Jones and Nate McClouth hit home runs for the Braves in the win as well.  Check out The Braves Baseball Blog for more info.

The Brewers had tied this game up 4-4 going into the sixth inning, but bad relief pitching doomed them on this night.  Carlos Villanueva(2-7) worked one inning and gave up a run, but being the Brewers offense went silent, he got the loss.  Ryan Braun hit a home run and a triple, getting two RBI on the game to lead the Brewers.

Hermida comes through

Last night the Marlins went into Los Angeles after sweeping through San Diego and were looking to stay hot against the best team in the National League.  Jeremy Hermida made sure that happened with a pinch hit RBI single in the seventh inning to give them the lead.  They would add two more runs on a Chris Coghlan home run and a Jorge Cantu RBI single on the way to a 6-3 win.  Josh Johnson(9-2) pitched seven more innings of three run ball to get another win.  Leo Nunez continues to fill in well for the injured Matt Lindstrom as he worked a perfect ninth for his seventh save of the season.  Check out FishGuts for more.

The Dodgers sent their young stud to the mound and he pitched well, but not well enough to win.  Clayton Kershaw went six innings giving up two earned runs and three overall, but did not factor in the decision.  James McDonald(2-2) got the loss working two-thirds of an inning and giving up the single to Hermida.  Andre Ethier did have two RBI for the Dodgers, they will try to get back on track Saturday.

that one hurt, eh?

The Houston Astros are one of the hottest teams in baseball and last night they beat one of the best pitchers in unconventional ways.  The Astros took a 3-1 lead in the game on a home run from starting pitcher Mike Hampton to start.  Then, later when the Mets had tied it up, former Phillies catcher filling in for an injured Berkman hit a two run double to put them up for good.  Mike Hampton(6-7) got the win while pitching into the sixth and being charged with four runs on eight hits.  Jose Valverde worked the ninth on only seven pitches to get his 11th save of the season securing a 5-4 win.

The Mets ace Johan Santana just didn’t have it on this night.  Santana(11-8) lasted 6.2 innings but gave up twelve hits and five runs against only three strike outs.  The Mets bounced back many times in this game, first in the fifth inning after they fell behind 3-1, and almost again in the sixth.  Jeff Francouer was thrown out at home on a great throw by right fielder Hunter Pence and there was a mini collision at the plate.  The Mets couldn’t get another run across and they lost their third in a row and are now 2-6 since the break.  Check out The Real Dirty Mets Blog for more Mets info.

Padres Get a win

The Padres entered Nationals Park last night on a losing streak and were facing the best team to get a win from.  They scored five runs on starter Garrett Mock for the Nationals on the way to their 6-2 victory.  The usually light hitting Luis Rodriguez went 2-4 with three RBI, including a solo home run.  Mat Latos(1-1) went 5.2 innings of two run ball to get his first victory.  The Padres will look turn this into a streak on Saturday.

Garret Mock(0-4) took another loss in this game as mentioned earlier, he gave up five runs in only 5.2 innings to the San Diego Padres.  The only offense the Nats could support him with though were solo shots from Christian Guzman and Ryan Zimmerman.   Check out Centerfieldgate for more info.

Be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!

If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com

Walk off single

Ryan Howard’s tying homer in the ninth helped the Phillies complete a memorable comeback. Paul Bako’s single gave Philadelphia an 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night, giving them wins in eight of their past nine games. The Phillies trailed 7-3 before pinch-hitter Matt Stairs led off the ninth with a homer off Matt Capps (1-5). Jimmy Rollins walked and stole second, his third steal of the game, and Chase Utley followed with a one-out single to left. Howard followed Utley by blasting a 1-0 pitch to tie the game at 7. Raul Ibanez, playing in his first game after missing 20 with a groin injury, then hit a ground-rule double to center. After an intentional walk to Jayson Werth and an infield single by Pedro Feliz, Bako lined a 2-2 pitch to left, sending a crowd that included Vice President Joe Biden home happy. Tyler Walker(1-0) pitched one scoreless inning of relief. Cole Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP, lasted six innings while allowing five runs on seven hits—all extra-base hits. The left-hander has allowed at least seven hits in six of his last seven starts and is 1-3 in that stretch. Pittsburgh starter Ross Ohlendorf held the Phillies to five hits while allowing three runs and striking out five. The right-hander matched his career high with four walks.

Mr. West Through the wire

With one day to go until the All-Star break, the second-place Marlins fell four games behind Philadelphia in the NL East. Florida opens the second half of the season with a four-game series against the Phillies in Miami. Although he has pitched well lately, Garland (5-8) had gone nine starts without a victory and won for the first time since May 19—also against Florida. The Diamondbacks entered 8-16 against left-handed starters but jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first against Sean West (3-4). All-Star Justin Upton matched a career high with four hits, Jon Garland allowed one run in eight innings and the Diamondbacks beat the Florida Marlins 5-1 on Saturday night.

Closing out

Jurrjens pitched six strong innings and singled twice for his first career multihit game to drive in a run and score another, leading the Atlanta Braves past the Colorado Rockies 4-3 on Saturday night. Jurrjens (7-7) won for just the second time in his last eight starts. He had taken five losses in that span, including four in which he received two or fewer runs in offensive support. Rafael Soriano, the last of five Braves pitchers, allowed a bloop single to Seth Smith to start the ninth inning but then struck out the side for his 12th save in 13 opportunities. Colorado starter Jason Marquis (11-6) went six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits but was denied in his bid for a major league-leading 12th win.

Loaded French Fries the Reds

Francoeur had a two-run single in his Mets debut and Johan Santana pitched seven sharp innings, leading New York to a 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. Santana (10-7) allowed five hits, struck out five and walked one, taking advantage of some rare run support. New York scored seven runs in the left-hander’s previous five starts. While the Mets were all smiles, the Reds had a rough night. Johnny Cueto (8-6) turned in another shaky start, and right fielder Jay Bruce broke his right wrist trying to make a sliding catch. Cueto gave up four runs and nine hits over five innings, dropping to 2-3 with a 7.31 ERA in his last six starts. It was the right-hander’s first game since he allowed a career-high nine runs while recording just two outs in a 22-1 loss at Philadelphia. Bruce went down when he rushed in trying to grab David Wright’s blooper in the first inning. He got his glove on the ball, but it came out as his wrist folded back awkwardly.

Home Plate saw alot of action

Stammen (2-4) gave up nine hits in his first complete game and Washington’s fourth this season. He threw only 107 pitches, taking more chances with Houston’s hitters because of the lopsided score. Houston starter Mike Hampton (5-6) gave up nine hits in 3 2-3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. He pored over a video replay of his performance and didn’t think he pitched that poorly. Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham and Dunn homered in consecutive at-bats and the Nationals set season highs for hits and runs. Washington had three straight shots for the first time since the franchise relocated from Montreal in 2005 and the 21 hits were the most since the move.

This should be a great weekend of National League East Baseball, please be sure to check back to NLEC or the team affiliate blog frequently!

If interested in helping the NLEC, please contact mrose@nleastchatter.com

A full NL East Series Preview with Mets and Phillies will publish tomorrow.  Since a few teams are playing series starting Thursday night though, this needs to be published.  Enjoy!