Thursday, November 18, 2010

Adam Dunn Negotiating with the Tigers?

Bad loss for the Nats, great possibilities for Dunn though. The park effects will continue to dampen his power numbers, but not enough to decrease his overall value to an AL team. The Tigers fielding options at first base are not glorious, as Miguel Cabrera is crappy (as opposed to Dunn's extremely crappy), so he may get a chance to grab a glove a couple times a week. He would have better protection in the lineup with Cabrera and Ordonez playing the roles of Zimm and Hammer. The big difference would be having a true leadoff hitter in Austin Jackson, something the Nats had for only two months in 2009 when Nyjer Morgan was less crazy.

This is currently speculation but expect the stars and dollar signs to align in the nearer future. If not the Tigers, likely another AL team desperate for a bat.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

October Off, What is New in September

As the major league baseball season drags through September and the team which you are covering really isn't doing anything remarkable, it becomes difficult to stay motivated and get these random thoughts to text. Neither of my teams (Oakland, Washington) were a threat to do anything after September 1, and aside from Espinosa's hot start, it was a letdown. It would take something newsworthy to get rolling again with the playoffs dominating the headlines. I even considered adding in thoughts from other walks of life.

Then, as expected, Pat Listach was in the wind. Some experts thought he had a shot at the Cubs managerial job, and he interviewed around before settling in as Quade's lieutenant. It's still hard for me to envision Listach as a manager, since it seems like just yesterday he was taking home Rookie of the Year honors for Milwaukee... then again, at the time Milwaukee was still in the AL, so who knows anymore.

With Riggleman not a long term fix at manager for the Nats, Listach would have been a great fit for a maturing team looking to make the next step. It is unfortunate they couldn't find a way to promote him or keep him on staff, though there is always the chance he will still be looking for a top job when Riggleman runs his course. The Bobby Coxes only come around once a decade, so most teams are shedding managers within five seasons.