Well the 2010 MLB trade deadline is officially in the books and it was a rather tame one to say the least. It was a buyers market for sure, which i think prevented some teams from being willing to give up their top talent. The most interesting trade was the 3 team deal sending Ryan Ludwick to San Diego, Jake Westbrook to the Cardinals and prospects to the Indians. The Padres seem like the winners in this one, aquiring a solid middle of the order bat to protect Adrian Gonzalez. The losers have to be the Cardinals, they trade away their starting right fielder who is a middle of the order hitter in a mediocre offense for a below average starting pitcher. Im sure there we be those who believe the pitching god of Dave Duncan can make him into a good pitcher but i have my doubts. Another interesting trade involves the Cubs and Dodgers, Chicago is sending Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers for Blake DeWitt and 2 AA pitching prospects. The Dodgers are getting a solid middle to back of the rotation pitcher in Ted Lilly. He may not have his best stuff any more but he has excellent control and can be dominant on occasion (such as his 1-hitter against the White Sox). The Dodgers also get a solid SS/2B with some speed who will hit around the .290/.330/350 mark and is an average defender. The Cubs get a mid level starter prospect and a throw in reliever prospect, to go along with 2B/3B Blake DeWitt. DeWitt is a 25 year old who was called up a little to soon in his career and hasnt shown a lot but has some potential. Although this year he has been a better player than Theriot, really this is a move that helps the Cubs get younger and cheaper as the attempt a quick rebuild. I think the Cubs get the edge in this one because they achieved what they wanted to. They dumped salary(although not all of it) they got some pitching prospects and got younger at 2B. The dodgers did get a pitcher who will help them down the stretch but DeWitt may be a bit better than Theriot at 2nd. Lance Berkman, Kerry Wood, and Austin Kearns are all headed to the Yankees where they continue to assemble the best talent possible. Lance Berkamn is definatly a win because he is a very skilled player who is just having a down year, and the salary dosnt really affect the Yankees. The Astros are a completley different team then the ones that played the Cubs a few days ago, with Brett Wallace as the new first baseman and JA Happ replacing Roy Oswalt. The Pirates are really starting to show they are on the way up with some excellent deals. They moved some veteran relievers they signed in the winter such as Octavio Dotel(dodgers), DJ Carrasco(D-Backs) and Javier Lopez(Giants) and aquiring players with huge upside (John Bowker,Joe Martinez,James McDonald, Andrew Lambo,and Chris Snyder to name some). I think you have to consider the Pirates as really winners in the trade market, they may not be anywhere near contention but they have stockpiled a ton of prospects the past few years to where once some of them develop and they become contenders they will still have some in which to trade to push them over the top in a pennant race. That being said they are a while a way from contention. I was not suprised to see Adam Dunn stay mainly because i think the Nationals value him much more than any other team in baseball and they will most likely extend him long term because they will pay him more then anyone else. The MLB landscape has not changed that much through these trades, really the biggest impact is going to be the Berkman trade in my opinion, outside of that the rest of the moves wont achieve that much this year.

Well i am continuing my preview series of each divison, the last post was the AL West so i figured i stay out west and do the NL West. I think this could be one of the most intriquing divisions in baseball, because i think every team excluding the Padres has a shot at winning this division. So anyway here is my predictions and anaysis, please post a comment if you have any questions or if you want to tell me your opinion.

1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Diego Padres



1. San Francisco Giants

Departed- Ryan Garko, Bob Howry, Randy Johnson, Justin Miller, Brad Penny, Merkin Valdez, Rany Winn, Noah Lowry
Aquired- Mark DeRosa, Aubrey Huff, Todd Wellemeyer, Santiago Casilla, Byung-Hyun Kim

I realize a lot of people are going to disagree with me on this one, and i realize its a stretch but when you break down the statistics they seem slightly better than the D-Backs, Rockies, or Dodgers. This team makes me think a lot of the 2003 Cubs team that almost beat the Marlins in the NLCS. They have one of the best pitching staffs in the buisness. At the top of the rotation they have 08' and 09' CY Young award winner Tim Lincecum. He is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, he just hasnt got a ton of run support. Behind him is another dominant pitcher in Matt Cain, while he dosnt strike as many people out he is great for ERA. Jonathan Sanchez is the interesting option, i really think he can become an ace. He has the stuff to do it, hopefully he can put it all together this season. Barry Zito is the veteran presence in the rotation, he may not be the same guy he was 4-5 years ago but he is a solid innings eater at the least. The guy im the most excited to see in this rotation is Madison Bumgarner. This looks like another star pitcher to come out of this farm system, i think he could be in the rookie of the year running based on his talent. The bullpen is solid with Brian Wilson saving games and Jeremy Affeldt setting him up. Although after those two they are not particularly deep, middle relief is average at best. The lineup is considered the Giants weakness, and they will struggle but i think they have improved from last season. The infield is pretty good with Kung Fu Panda (Pablo Sandoval) at 3rd, he is basically a Vladimir Guerrero clone when it comes to his ability to hit unhittable balls. Aubrey Huff will man 1st and will be looking for a bounce back season. He hit decently with the Orioles but struggled after he was traded to Detroit. Hopefully Freddy Sanchez will have a healthy season and provide solid production at 2nd. Edgar Renteria will hope to improve on a dissapointing season at short although some of it was due to him declining. Bengie Molina will return at catcher but he is just holding the fort until Buster Posey is ready. The outfield is improved with the addition of the ever versatile Mark DeRosa. He can lay the corner outfield, infield and 2nd. Aaron Rowand will continue to play Center, and Nate Schierholtz will start in RF. The Giants also have solid depth with Juan Uribe, and Eugenio Velez as infield options and Fred Lewis and Andres Torres as outfield options. This may not be the best hitting team but they have depth and great pitching. I realy like this team and i think they can win this division.

 2. Los Angeles Dodgers

Departed- Jon Garland, Orlando Hudson, Juan Castro, Mark Loretta, Will Ohman, Juan Pierre, Jim Thome, Randy Wolf
Aquired- Jamey Carroll, Reed Johnson, Alfredo Amezaga, Nick Green

This is still a good team, but i do not like there pitching depth. Billingsley and Kershaw are going to have the pressure to carry this team on their backs. I think Billngsley may be able to do that, but i dont think Kershaw can. He is to young and doesnt have the expierence to carry a team. Behind those two there is Kuroda, Padilla, McDonald, and Jeff Weaver, none of those options with the exception of Kuroda are anything more than innings eaters. The bullpen is very good though, Broxton is a bulldog and can handle a lot of innings for a reliever. Sherrill is a good setup guy and i like Tronosco, and Kuo as middle relief. The offense has some good young talent that is going to be relied upon to make the playoffs. The infield is solid with the veteran Casey Blake at 3rd, and James Loney at 1st. I am not a James Loney fan mainly because he doesnt have the power to play 1st and his defense isnt outstanding so i dont see his purpose. Ronnie Belliard will play 2nd, and Rafael Furcal will look to bounce back from a dissapointing season at short. Russell Martin is also looking for a rebound season after having the worst season of his career. The dodgers have lost some confidence in him, enough for him to be mentioned in trade talks for Adrain Gonzalez, which also questions James Loney's jon security. The Dodgers do have one of the best outfields in the majors. They saw breakout seasons from Andre Ethier in RF and Matt Kemp in CF. Ethier provieded some good power, while Kemp gave a good power, speed combo. And of course there is the infamous Manny Ramirez in LF, he missed significant time for a suspenision due to a drug test infraction. Everyone knows Manny did roids, but he does have talent and should still put up better numbers than last season. They have some good depth with Blake DeWitt and Jamey Carroll as backup infield options and Reed Johnson in the outfield. Im a big Reed Johnson fan, he plays all out and hits for contact and decent power. The depth is not quite as good as the Giants though and i think the lack of pitching depth is what really will hurt them this year.

3. Colorado Rockies

Departed- Garrett Atkins, Jose Contreras, Matt Herges, Jason Marquis, Ryan Spierer, Yorvit Torellaba
Aquired- Melvin Mora, Miguel Olivo, Tim Redding

I really wanted to put these guys in first and they very well could be but im not sold on them. The pitching has a lot of potential and they have an ace in the making with Ubaldo Jimenez. Aaron Cook is a solid middle of the rotation guy, but im not sold on Jason Hammel and especially Jorge De La Rosa and the sabermetric systems dont favor these guys either. I am excited to see Jeff Francis return but he has been out of the game for a year and will take time to get back. I have also heard about Jhoulys Chacin as another guy who could make an impact at some point this season. He is one of their top prospects and supposidly has good stuff but i havent seen him before so i cant really comment about him. I like their bullpen, hopefully Huston Street will continue to succeed as the closer and Rafael Betancourt will continue to be a good setup man. Its amazing what happend to Manny Corpas from being their top closing prospect to being a disaster (Is Carlos Marmol a potential Manny Corpas) but i think he might be able to put it together this season. The staple of every Rockies team has been offense and that hasnt changed with this one. Todd Helton continues to play at 1st and although he doesnt have the power he once had he still can hit for a great average and rbi guy. Ian Stewart will have a full time gig at 3rd this season, and while he has power his .228 average doesnt inspire success. Clint Barmes is another situation like Stewart where he hits for power but not average. Troy Tulowitzki is probably the Rockies best player which is rare for a short stop, but he is a very special player (I drafted him for Fantasy Baseball). He hits for great power, good average and has decent speed. He is an all around threat who also plays solid defense. Chris Iannetta is another power guy who struggles with his average, but i am looking for a breakout year for him. The Rockies outfield is very young with the exception of Brad Hawpe. Carlos Gonzalez will likely start in LF, He is another guy who can hit for power and speed with a solid average and could be a very good major leaguer. Dexter Fowler will man second, ive heard he has sick speed but needs to hone his decesion making and is not very patiant at the plate. Brad Hawpe is really the power bat in the outfield, and is one of thier main RBI guys. The have good infield depth with Melvin Mora as their utility guy and Jason Giambi will return to his new pinch hitting role. They also have 2 solid back up outfielders in Seth Smith and Ryan Spiboroghs.My favorite thing about this team is that its almost entirley homegrown, thats something you dont see much of anymore. This is a team that if it gets to the post-season could make a deep run but they will have to fight for it. As I said before they could easily win this division but im just not sold on them yet.

4. Arizona D-Backs


Departed- Eric Byrnes, Doug Davis, Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Chad Tracy
Aquired- Bob Howry, Kelly Johnson, Ian Kennedy, Adam LaRoche,

This is another team that could also win the division, but no matter what happens they will much improved from last season. The rotation will be a lot better than last season. Dan Haren is still at the top providing a quality start after quality start and striking out plenty of guys along the way. The biggest addition to this team is a healthy Brandon Webb, if he can play anywhere near the way he did before his injury should be a huge boost. Edwin Jackson will replace Max Scherezer, while he may not provide the strikouts he should be a bit more consistent and may work deeper into games. Ian Kennedy will try to get his career as a starter going after failing in New York and Billy Buckner will probably be the fifth guy. Really this is a 3 deep rotation, but you can get to the postseason with that. The pen is average to below average. Chad Qualls is OKAY as a closer, and Bob Howry is decent as setup. Aaron Heilman is an average middle reliever, his probelm is that he tries to be to perfect with his pitches which makes him walk a lot of guys and put on a lot of runners. Also he always seems to let his inherited runners score. I love Clay Zavada though, the mustache is awesome and he pitched great last season. All in all though it may be the worst bullpen in the division. I really like the infield, Adam LaRoche while he may be streaky on a monthly basis, is very consitent year to year and will proved better production at first than the D-Backs have had for a while. Mark Reynolds has some serious power and good speed, he is a great middle of the order hitter. The middle infield has a lot of potential, but they need bounce back years from both Stephen Drew (SS) and Kelly Johnson (2B). Johnson came over from the Braves during the offseason after hitting himself out of the Braves lineup. He had been fairly consistent up until last season so you have to think he will bounce back. Miguel Montero finally broke out after seeming like a bust, he put up excellent numbers and should continue to improve. The outfield is highlighted by Justin Upton in RF, who in my eyes is a hitter of Albert Pujols caliber, he may not be as developed as Pujols was at his age but i think when he peaks his numbers will be similar. Chris Young is in CF and looking to improve upon a disasterous 09' campaign in which he hit .212-15-42-54-11 in 433 AB. He has the ability to be a 30-30 threat but his high strikeout rate hinders him. Conor Jackson will start in LF, he is a consistent bat but not a great one.They have mediocre depth with Chris Snyder at catcher although he is a likely trade canidate. Augie Ojeda and Ryan Roberts are decent infield options with Gerrardo Parra and Alex Romero outfield options. This knock on this team has always been their youth and inexpierence, but now they have grown up some and they have taken thier licks so they may finally breakout and make a run for it this season.

5. San Diego Padres


Departed- Henry Blanco, Brian Giles, Edgar Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Drew Macias
Aquired- Aaron Cunningham, Jon Garland, Jerry Hairston Jr, Yorvit Torrellaba, Scott Hairston

This pick is pretty obvious, they are pretty far behind the rest of division in total talent. They have some nice pieces and if they trade A-Gon they should be in a postion to have a solid core of young players and should have the financial flexability to make some moves. The rotation actually isnt that bad with Chris Young as the leader. Which isnt very reliable due to his injury history but he does have talent. Jon Garland will eat some innings and his record may take a beating but he should have a solid ERA. Kevin Correia looked excellent at the end of last season and put up solid numbers overall. Clayton Richard (came over from CHW is Peavy trade) looks like a solid back of the rotation option with upside, and Matt Latos will get a shot for a full season. He has a ton of potential and its been mentioned that he may be hard to keep around once he gets going. The bullpen is one of the best in the game with Heath Bell at closer (another trade canidate), and Mike Adams as a setup man and future closer. Luke Gregerson, Joe Thatcher, and Greg Burke are all viable setupmen. The infield is solid anchored by one of the best players in the game in Adrain Gonzalez at first. Who knows how much longer he'll play for them but he has sick power and at any other ballpark could hit .300 and he also a gold gover first baseman. Chase Headley moves to 3rd and is an average one. David Eckstein mans 2nd and is still one of those players who does the most with the least talent. Everth Cabrera will play short and is another one of these new generation of shortstops (more oldschool, light hitting with good speed). The outfield is highlighted by Scott Hairston in RF who is one of the better power hitters at PETCO Park. At the other side is Kyle Blanks who looks to be another great player but should be at first but is blocked by A-Gon. He should be a solid middle of the order hitter. Will Venable will start in CF and will provide average production from the postition. Tony Gwynn is a solid backup option but there isnt a lot of help behind him. Jerry Hariston is a good utility infielder but may struggle at PETCO, and Matt Antonelli and and Luis Rodriguez are other infield options. The Padres are the only divison that doesnt really have a shot to win the division.      

Now that another decade has come and gone i figured it was time to take a look at how each baseball franchise has faired over this past decade. This morning i went on to baseball-reference.com and poured over statistics for several hours and compiled a list ranking every franchise in order of their success this decade. The top 4-5 are pretty obvious, but the lower rankings were tougher and are partially my opinion.

1. New York Yankees - No real suprise here, they started and ended the decade with World Series titles. Appearing in the playoffs every year except 2008, they have been the dominant franchise over the past 10 years.

2. Boston Red Sox - These 2 teams from the AL East have really dominated baseball this decade, the Red Sox finally broke their curse and went on to win 2 World Series titles. They have created a steady foundation to be competitive for the next decade also.

3. St. Louis Cardinals - They have been the dominant franchise of the NL, making 7 post-season apperances and win a World Series title. The Cardinals dominance has been highlighted mainly by the emergence of one of the greatest baseball players of a generation in Albert Pujols.

4. Los Angeles Angels - It has become a common occurence to see the Angels in the post-season. They won the first World Series title in 2002, and have accended to the top as one of the dominant franchises in the league.

5. Atlanta Braves - Although the Braves are considered the team of the 90's they have still been very succesfull in the 00's. They made 6 post season appearences and have recently begun to get back to their formula of dominant pitching. Look for them to see even more success in the coming decade.

6. Chicago White Sox - The White Sox also broke their curse in this decade, winning their first World Series title since 1917 in 2005. They made 3 post-season appearences and have thrived under the leadership of manager Ozzie Guillen.

7. Philadelphia Phillies- They slowly built themselves up over the corse of the decade to the point that now they have back to back World Series appereances one of which they won. They have created a model of success that many teams are going to try and repeat.

8. Oakland Athletics- They started off the decade with 4 straigth post-season apperances and made another in 2006. They have struggled lately, but they have one of the best GM's in baseball in Billy Beane.

9. Los Angeles Dodgers- They have had a winning record every year except the 2005 season, and have made the post-season 4 times. Most recently, under the guidance of Joe Torre they have made it to the NLCS in back to back years with a youthfull roster that should dominate for years to come.

10. Minnesota Twins- They have only had 2 losing seasons over the course of the decade and have appeared in the playoffs 5 times. They have been in constant competition with the White Sox through out the decade.

11. Arizona Diamondbacks- Only 3 years old when the decade began the Diamondback franchise has seen it ups and downs throughout its short life. They started off the decade very well, winning the World Series in 2001 with the dominant dou of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. They have eratic the second half of the decade though.

12. Houston Astros- Since the NL Central was first formed the Astros and Cardinals have been the main competitors for the division (Although the Cubs have taken their place as of late). They were great the first half of the decade, culminating in an NL Pennant in 2005, but have faded in the second half.

13. San Francisco Giants- The Giants were another team that started the decade strong earning the NL Pennant in 2002. But struggled mightly in the second half, failing to win more than 76 games from 2004-2008. But with the arrival of stars such as Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Pablo Sandoval they showed promise in 2009.

14. Florida Marlins - They havnt been flashy, only making the post-season once, but they made it count winning the franchises 2nd World Series title in 2003. They have managed to stay competitve through out the decade with a small fanbase and budget.

15. Chicago Cubs- Another decade has gone, and the curse still remains. THe first half of the decade they were erratic, although in 2003 they came within a game of winning the NL Pennant. Most of their success came in the last 3 years of the decade, with 2 post season apperances and 3 straight winning season the Cubs may break the curse in the next decade.

16. Seattle Mariners- The first four years were great, with 2 post season appearances and a 116 win season in 2001. But they also had 3 season with fewer than 70 wins. They have looked better near the end of the decade although Ichiro is starting to slow down ( Only in speed, he still collects 200 hits a season).

17. New York Mets- They started the decade off with the Subway series (Although they lost to the Yankees). But since then they have only made 1 post-season apperances. The latter half of the decade has been defined by end of the season collapse, and the team self destructed in 2009. The future is uncertain for the Mets.

18. Cleveland Indians- The late 90's were good for the Indians, but the 00's were not as good. They only made 2 post-season apperances, although they did have four seasons of 90 or more wins. 07 showed promise winning 96 games and making it to the NLCS but their record worsened in 08, and 09.

19. Colorado Rockies- The young franchise struggled for most of the decade. Until in 2007 they won the NL Pennant, losing to the Red Sox in the World Series. They had a down year in 08', but made the playoffs again in 09'. The next decade holds a lot of promise for the Rockies.

20. San Diego Padres- They have struggled for most of the decade, with only 4 winning seasons from 2004-2007 during that span they managed to make the post-season twice and never made it past the NLDS.

21. Detroit Tigers- The first half of the decade the Tigers were awfull, in 2003 they posted their worst record going 43-119. But in 2006 they came out of no where to win the AL Pennant, and have posted winning records 3 out of the last 4 years, although only 1 post-season appearance.

22. Toronto Blue Jays- The Blue Jays could go higher on this list if it werent for the fact that they did not make the post-season at all this past decade. They havnt been bad, but they have played in a very tough division with the Yankees and Red Sox the top 2 teams of the decade. They have posted a winning record 5 times in the decade.

23. Texas Rangers- The Rangers have been a mediocre team most of the decade, never losing more than 91 games in a season in the decade. They have only had 2 winning seasons and did not make the post-season at all this decade.

24. Millwaukee Brewers- The Brewers have been succesfull recently, but the earlier part of the decade they were awfull, posting their worst season in 2002 going 56-106. But in 2008 they made the playoffs for the first time since 1982 and the Franchise looks poised to be a contender in the next decade.

25. Tampa Bay Rays- I guess the name change from Devil Rays to Rays turned the franchise around (LOL). Up until 2008 they had never won more than 70 games in a season. They sure turned around fast going from having 10 straight losing seasons (from 98-07) to winning the AL Pennant. They were not as good in 09 but still had a winning record.

26. Cincinnati Reds- They started the decade off with a winning season, but have failed to have one since. While they have not been awfull they havent done much right either. There are some signs of hope for the next decade though.

27. Washington Nationals- Im including the Expos in this analysis. They have had 3 winning seasons, but they did not make the post-season at all in this decade. They had 2 consecutive 100 loss seasons to end the decade and they are still a while away for contention in the next decade.

28. Kansas City Royals- Although they have the worst record of the decade i still rate them higher than the other 2 because they haeg had a winning record as recently as 2003. The other 2 franchises are on record long losing streaks.

29. Baltimore Orioles- Their last winning record was in 97' and they have failed to win win more than 78 games in the decade. Their are signs of life and they have the potential to break out of thier drout in the next decade.

30. Pittsburgh Pirates- It is well known that the Pirates are on a streak of 17 consecutive losing seasons. This past decade they were especially bad winning more than 72 games only once (75 in 2003). They are in a complete rebuilding process and it may take a while to break that streak.

Well the Yankees are about to prove for about the millionth time (exagerated number) that you can buy yourself a championship in baseball. If you have enough money you can get all the best players on one team. I think that is the major reason why football has beat out baseball as the most popular sport in the U.S. There is such parity between the good and bad teams in MLB. The same 10 teams are good every year, while the small market teams have to get really good G.M.'s just to make the playoffs. Severe measures need to be put in place to correct the failing system that is currently in place or baseball will continue to lose fans. It gets really boring when the same franchises dominates the league year after year. I realize the players union will freak out if a salary cap is put in place because then Mark Teixera couldnt make the $180 mill he needs to live off of. The players in Major League Baseball are the most overpaid of any sport, the amount of guaranteed money these guys are getting is crazy. 10 years ago this wasnt really a problem, yes the Yankees were very succesful but small market teams were still able to compete against the bigger markets. But now with the minor league talent being treated like free-agents, the big market teams are spending tons of money are foreign prospects and draftees. Thus preventing the smaller markets from building through player development. Lets take a look at the teams that were over .500 and how big their markets are.

New York Yankees
Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Rays*

Minnesota Twins*
Detroit Tigers

Los Angeles Angles
Texas Rangers
Seattle Mariners

Philadelphia Phillies
Florida Marlins*
Atlanta Braves

St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs

Los Angeles Dodgers
Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Giants

With the exception of the Rays, Twins, and Marlins the teams over .500 all have pretty high salaries and fairly large media markets. Teams like the Rays and Marlins have been able to build through the draft, the Rays due to the fact that they were awful for a long time and were able to get high picks. The Marlins have always been smart in analyizing talent and trading their good players for prospects. The Twins are just good at making trades and they have done some building through the draft. The rest of the teams have for the most part built themselves by dominating the free agent market and making trades. Now that does not apply to all of these teams (Giants, Rockies, Braves) but again many of the teams i am listing that arnt that way didnt make the playoffs. Out of the Playoff teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, Angels, Phillies, Dodgers, Cardinals, Rockies)  6 of those teams have high salaries or made big trades for expensive players. Basicaly what im tryig to say is that the big market teams are really dominating the rest of the league and need to be restrained, thats why i believe there needs to be a .....$120 mill salary cap. That way it still gives the better teams some room to get the bigger players but not enough to complete dominate them. And with some shrewd managing any team could have a shot at the World Series. And im not saying all of this because im a fan of a small market team, cause im not im a cubs fan we have a $135 mill payroll. I just want the sport to be fair. And if your a Yankee fan who wants to bash on this post because you are nieve enough to think that the Yankees dont buy themselves championships. Please dont post on here because i am not going to read it.