MLB Itch

Ok, I know that the NFL playoffs are not even half way over, but I’ve had an itch to talk baseball all week long. And it's my blog, so I'll cry if I want to. I know it’s only January and there are plenty more off-season acquisitions to be made, but here are several teams who have caught my eye and made some interesting early pickups - some I agree with, some I most certainly do not:

Pittsburgh Pirates - Here's a team you love to root for, because they typically have a roster filled with tough, hard playing, underpaid nobodies. But this year, they've opened up the wallet (more like smashed the glass piggy bank) and are spending a little bit of money to sign more of the same tough, hard playing, underpaid guys who AREN'T nobodies. The additions of Sean Casey and Joe Randa give the Bucs a solid pair of corner infielders who have a knack for getting on base - although they don't exactly have the power numbers you'd like to get from those positions. Pittsburgh is also hoping that newly acquired veteran outfielder Jeremy Burnitz (24HRs) can generate that missing and much needed power. With budding stars Zack Duke (SP), Ryan Doumit (C), and Chris Duffy (CF), generating a buzz this off-season, I have yet another reason to keep hope alive for the Pirates in '06.

Baltimore Orioles - Oh my beloved Orioles. The plan was to sign nobody and complete a full decade of consecutive losing seasons. But Miguel Tejada had to open his big mouth didn't he? He had to ask that the O's bring in better players or he would demand a trade. So, to appease the fans as well as Tejada, the Orioles in their infinite wisdom sign Baltimore's favorite blast from the past Jeff Conine, washed up Red Sox legend Kevin "Cowboy-Up" Millar, and Cubs castoff Corey Patterson. Ughhh. What stinks as an O's fan is that these guys are good guys. Guys you want to cheer for. But Conine is old, Millar is past his prime and may have been an overachiever in Boston as it is, and the once highly touted Patterson batted .215 with 37 strikeouts in only 128 ABs last year. Yikes. As much as I want to root for these guys, I'm not sure that these were the signings that Tejada had in mind.

Washington Nationals - Who's idea was it to forget to ask second baseman Alfonso Soriano if he was cool playing some outfield this year for the Nats? Maybe checking with him first would have been a good idea by Washington’s front office folks before they decided to pull that 3-for-1 player deal with the Rangers. Soriano has said on several occasions, including the day of the trade, that he wouldn’t step foot on the diamond this season at any position other than second base. In fact, he even said it to the Rangers last year when that possibility was discussed. It is clear that Soriano only cares about being the greatest power hitting second baseman of all time. That would all be lost with a move to the outfield, where his bat would still be among the best in the game, but would lose its luster. I’m not sure that sending three players to Texas, including clubhouse favorite Brad Wilkerson, in exchange for a guy who doesn’t want anything to do with D.C. or the National League, was such a great idea. Even if Soriano does decide to suit up for the Nats in an attempt to boost his stock for next year’s free agent market, he won’t be happy when his homerun balls aren’t going yard anymore like they did in the good ‘ol days in Arlington. RFK is no Texas Stadium. To make things worse he’s not even the best second baseman in the D.C. - my man Jose Vidro is (barring a slow return from last year’s injury). Bottom line, it seemed like a good idea at first, but Washington didn’t think this one through.

NY Mets – I can’t argue with New York’s acquisition of career All-Star first baseman Carlos Delgado. And I understand that with Delgado’s injury plagued season last year, that the Mets would be wise to go out and get an insurance player to back him up. But Julio Franco was not the first name that came to mind. Do you realize how old this joker is? Methuselah Franco has 23 big league seasons under his belt, was born in 1958, and is turning 48 this year. I feel safe.

Oakland Athletics – Milton Bradley? Why would you sign Milton freakin' Bradley? This guy is an unstable, psychotic, racist, clubhouse cancer. He’s baseball’s poor man version of Terrell Owens, Keyshawn Johnson, and Ron Artest rolled into one. His record includes a beer bottle throwing incident with a fan, a scuffle with an African-American reporter he called an “Uncle Tom” and a “sellout”, an ongoing feud with former teammate Jeff Kent (also stemming from claims of racism), and a well documented string of domestic violence allegations spanning 11 months that saw 3 police visits to his home in response to 9-1-1 phone calls. At one point, I really thought that Bradley had the potential to be an All-Star after seeing him play in Cleveland. But his off the field problems have crushed those thoughts. I don’t know how the A’s can justify parting with their best young prospect in Andre Ethier for a guy with this much baggage. You want cancer? Chew tobacco. Don’t sign Milton Bradley.