This is a continuation of a look at MLB Network's Top 10 by position:
Chase Utley has long dominated the category of best second baseman in the game and for good reason. But much to the likely dismay of Phillies fans, Utley was correctly dethroned heading into 2011.
10- Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates
9- Kelly Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks
8- Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles
7- Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers
6- Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
5- Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
4- Dan Uggla, Atlanta Braves
3- Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox
2- Chase Utley, PHILLIES
1- Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
The top three on this list are in a different category than the rest. After having a down season in 2009, by his standards, Utley really had a down year in 2010. He hit .275, 16 home runs, 65 RBI, 20 doubles, 75 runs scored, a .445 slugging percentage and an .832 OPS; all of which are career lows for a full season. Yes, Utley missed some time due to injury. But when he was in the lineup, he was still far less productive than he's ever been. He also made eleven errors in the field in 114 games, which is just one error fewer than 2009 when he played in 155 games. Clearly, Utley did not have a very good season.
It is likely that Utley will bounce back in 2011. Even if he doesn't return to his 2007, 2008 form, he'll still be one of the best in the game. But how could Cano not surpass Utley to be ranked number one after these numbers last year: .319 average, 29 homers, 109 RBI, 41 doubles, 200 hits, 103 runs scored, only 77 strikeouts, .534 slugging percentage and a .914 OPS. He also made just three errors all season. That's a spectacular season, certainly even MVP worthy. He is and should be the top ranked at his position entering 2011.
Pedroia is a small man carrying a big stick. After missing a large portion of 2010 due to injury, he's ready to return to a potent lineup in Beantown. A career .305 hitter, Pedroia hit 17 home runs and 54 doubles in 2008, and 15 homers and 48 doubles in 2009. He also stole 20 bags in each of those two seasons. Pedroia also plays spectacular defense; the little man really does it all for the Red Sox. He's the type of player who thrives when motivated with obstacles; he's been doing it his entire life because of his stature. Present him a challenge, and he'll far exceed it. Along with Cano and Utley, Pedroia rounds out three remarkably talented second baseman in MLB.
The Braves acquired a big bat in Uggla, who has terrorized the NL East during his time with the Marlins. Phillies fans were happy to hear Uggla was leaving Florida, until finding out he was only going to strengthen an already outstanding team in Atlanta.
After Phillips and Kinsler, the list drops off once again. The remaining four are good players, but don't compare to those listed above them. This is certainly a three-tier list, but second base is never one of the most stacked positions in baseball.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
MLB Network's Top 10: First Base
This is a continuation of a look at MLB's Top 10 by position.
First base is a position loaded with talent throughout MLB. It is most likely the most stacked position in the league. Ryan Howard is typically a difficult player to rank. He can go from being the most feared hitter in all of baseball to looking like he couldn't hit a slow-pitch softball in the blink of an eye. MLB network fairly and correctly ranked Howard sixth on their list.
10- Kendry Morales, Anaheim Angels
9- Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
8- Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
7- Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers
6- Ryan Howard, PHILLIES
5- Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
4- Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
3- Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox
2- Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
1- Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Pujols always tops this list and it seems he may continue to be the best and most productive first baseman in the game for another decade. Cabrera is an absolute beast at the plate; he is one of the best overall hitters in the game and always seems to be in contention for the Triple Crown. He actually out-hit Pujols in several categories last year including average, RBI, doubles, on base percentage and slugging percentage. Pujols, on the other hand, plays much better defense.
First base is a position loaded with talent throughout MLB. It is most likely the most stacked position in the league. Ryan Howard is typically a difficult player to rank. He can go from being the most feared hitter in all of baseball to looking like he couldn't hit a slow-pitch softball in the blink of an eye. MLB network fairly and correctly ranked Howard sixth on their list.
10- Kendry Morales, Anaheim Angels
9- Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
8- Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
7- Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers
6- Ryan Howard, PHILLIES
5- Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
4- Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
3- Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox
2- Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
1- Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Pujols always tops this list and it seems he may continue to be the best and most productive first baseman in the game for another decade. Cabrera is an absolute beast at the plate; he is one of the best overall hitters in the game and always seems to be in contention for the Triple Crown. He actually out-hit Pujols in several categories last year including average, RBI, doubles, on base percentage and slugging percentage. Pujols, on the other hand, plays much better defense.
Gonzalez is primed to put up a huge season in the friendly confines of Fenway Park for the Red Sox this season. For years, many have wondered what Gonzo could do if he left Petco Park. Finally, the baseball world will get its answer in what could be a career year for Gonzalez, hitting in the middle of a stacked lineup in a small ballpark.
No arguments with Votto (last year's NL MVP and deservingly so) and Teixeira rounding out the top five. Tex has ended up being a God send to the Bronx Bombers. With many of their regulars aging and declining in production (Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada to name a few), Tex has been the one consistent dominant force in the Yankees' lineup.
Howard had a strange year for the Phils last season. His average is up, falling just under .280 each of the last two seasons and his strikeouts were down last year, although he got fewer at bats due to injury. While Howard is making more of an effort to put the ball in play, his power numbers have decreased, especially last year. After hitting 58 home runs during his MVP season of 2006, Howard hit 47, 48 and 45 over the next three seasons respectively. Last year, he slugged just 31 long balls. His RBI total was drastically down too; he drove in 108 runs after knocking in 149, 136, 146 and 141 the four seasons prior.
Pitchers are getting more comfortable facing the big man. In 2006, he was intentionally walked 37 times. In 2007, 35 times. Then in 2008, he was intentionally walked only 17 times. Even worse in 2009, while posing a career high 616 at bats, Howard was intentionally walked just eight times. Last year, the number rose slightly to 11.
Pitchers obviously feel more comfortable and confident while pitching to Howard. Those numbers are certain to have something to do with Jayson Werth batting behind him as well, but Howard has shown opposing pitchers how to get him out. Don't expect his walk total to increase this season if the Phillies don't find a suitable replacement for Werth to bat in the five hole.
Friday, February 4, 2011
MLB Network's Top 10: Catcher
This is a continuation of a look at MLB's Top 10 by position.
Carlos Ruiz will never be mentioned among the top offensive catchers in baseball. He doesn't stack up with Joe Mauer or Brian McCann. But over the last two years, Chooch is finally getting the recognition he deserves as one of the best defensive catchers and game callers in the league. He's also started producing with the bat, especially in the post-season. Last year, he posted a career high .302 average, and fell just short of his career highs in home runs (8) RBI (53) and doubles (28). His 55 walks were also a career high. Add everything up, and Ruiz ranks seventh on MLB's top ten. The list:
10- Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
9- Kurt Suzuki, Oakland Athletics
8- John Buck, Florida Marlins
7- Carlos Ruiz, PHILLIES
6- Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians
5- Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
4- Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers
3- Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
2- Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
1- Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
No real surprises in the top five. Mauer is a perennial MVP candidate, Posey burst upon the scene with a tremendous year for the Giants (although it may be a little premature to rank him second already), McCann and Martinez are solid catchers with great bats and Molina is outstanding behind the plate.
Carlos Santana at number six is a surprise. He's appeared in just 46 games in his career and amassed 150 at bats. He hit .260 with six homers, 22 RBI, 13 doubles, 37 walks and 29 strikeouts. He was solid behind the plate as well and is a bright spot on a depleted Indians squad. But number six overall in the league is extremely premature to rank a kid that is still going based mostly on potential. Most people, right now, would take Ruiz over Santana. Talk to me in two or three years, or maybe even in six months, and Santana could certainly prove that he is worthy of the ranking. But at this point, he barely cracks the top ten for my money.
Matt Wieters is somewhat of an anomaly. Loaded with tons of potential, everyone expected huge things from him when he came up for the Orioles in 2009. He had a decent year in a limited number of games (96), but people expected more from him in his first full season. He struggled in 2010, which saw his average drop from .288 to .249. With nearly 100 extra at bats in 2010, he barely eclipsed some of his 2009 numbers; his home runs went from nine to eleven, his RBI from 43 to 55, his hits from 102 to 111 and his runs from 35 to 37. However, he did strikeout 94 times compared to just 47 walks.
Wieters still has a ton of potential, but after his 2010 season, potential has to be just about all he's being ranked on in cracking the Top Ten.
Carlos Ruiz will never be mentioned among the top offensive catchers in baseball. He doesn't stack up with Joe Mauer or Brian McCann. But over the last two years, Chooch is finally getting the recognition he deserves as one of the best defensive catchers and game callers in the league. He's also started producing with the bat, especially in the post-season. Last year, he posted a career high .302 average, and fell just short of his career highs in home runs (8) RBI (53) and doubles (28). His 55 walks were also a career high. Add everything up, and Ruiz ranks seventh on MLB's top ten. The list:
10- Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
9- Kurt Suzuki, Oakland Athletics
8- John Buck, Florida Marlins
7- Carlos Ruiz, PHILLIES
6- Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians
5- Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
4- Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers
3- Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
2- Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
1- Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
No real surprises in the top five. Mauer is a perennial MVP candidate, Posey burst upon the scene with a tremendous year for the Giants (although it may be a little premature to rank him second already), McCann and Martinez are solid catchers with great bats and Molina is outstanding behind the plate.
Carlos Santana at number six is a surprise. He's appeared in just 46 games in his career and amassed 150 at bats. He hit .260 with six homers, 22 RBI, 13 doubles, 37 walks and 29 strikeouts. He was solid behind the plate as well and is a bright spot on a depleted Indians squad. But number six overall in the league is extremely premature to rank a kid that is still going based mostly on potential. Most people, right now, would take Ruiz over Santana. Talk to me in two or three years, or maybe even in six months, and Santana could certainly prove that he is worthy of the ranking. But at this point, he barely cracks the top ten for my money.
Matt Wieters is somewhat of an anomaly. Loaded with tons of potential, everyone expected huge things from him when he came up for the Orioles in 2009. He had a decent year in a limited number of games (96), but people expected more from him in his first full season. He struggled in 2010, which saw his average drop from .288 to .249. With nearly 100 extra at bats in 2010, he barely eclipsed some of his 2009 numbers; his home runs went from nine to eleven, his RBI from 43 to 55, his hits from 102 to 111 and his runs from 35 to 37. However, he did strikeout 94 times compared to just 47 walks.
Wieters still has a ton of potential, but after his 2010 season, potential has to be just about all he's being ranked on in cracking the Top Ten.
MLB Network's Top 10: Pitchers
The MLB Network, also known as God's gift to man during the off-season, recently ranked the Top 10 at each position in the league. The Phillies fared well, ranking in all by two positions, right field and relief pitcher. Let the analysing begin.
Starting Pitcher: The Phillies are the only team to boast two starters in the top ten, with Roy Halladay ranking first and Cliff Lee coming in at number seven. Some may consider that a low ranking for Lee, but it seems fair in comparison to the names ahead of him. Here's the list:
10- Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins
9- Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
8- Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
7- Cliff Lee, PHILLIES
6- David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
5- Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox
4- CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
3- Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
2- Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
1- Roy Halladay, PHILLIES
Remember, with the exception of his Cy Young season in 2008, Lee has not been an outstanding regular season pitcher. The post-season is certainly where he's done his real damage. But the top five on that list are absolutely the most dominant pitchers in the league at all times.
It's a little surprising to see Wainwright fall so far. Not that eighth is anything to sneeze at, but in his last two seasons, he went 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA and 20-11 with a 2.42 ERA respectively with more than 200 strikeouts and less than seventy walks in each season. He's just about as dominant a pitcher there is and could easily be placed in the top five. I'd certainly take him just ahead of David Price.
It's very impressive to see that the Phillies, as we all know, truly do have two aces. Most teams would be happy to have Wainwright, Verlander or Johnson as their top pitcher. The Phillies have two ranked higher. It's absolutely unreal.
The list of the top ten relief pitchers is:
10- Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds
9- Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers
8- Rafael Soriano, New York Yankees
7- Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics
6- Heath Bell, San Diego Padres
5- Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs
4- Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
3- Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
2- Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants
1- Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Pretty remarkable for the Yankees to have two pitchers from this list at the back-end of their bullpen. It's been a disastrous off-season for them, but acquiring one of the game's best closers in Soriano and making him the set-up man is a strong move. Sometimes closers have a difficult time transitioning into other roles though. Watching Soriano attempt to switch to the eighth inning, and if New York's talent as the back-end of the bullpen has many leads to save will be an interesting storyline in 2011.
Starting Pitcher: The Phillies are the only team to boast two starters in the top ten, with Roy Halladay ranking first and Cliff Lee coming in at number seven. Some may consider that a low ranking for Lee, but it seems fair in comparison to the names ahead of him. Here's the list:
10- Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins
9- Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
8- Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals
7- Cliff Lee, PHILLIES
6- David Price, Tampa Bay Rays
5- Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox
4- CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
3- Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
2- Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
1- Roy Halladay, PHILLIES
Remember, with the exception of his Cy Young season in 2008, Lee has not been an outstanding regular season pitcher. The post-season is certainly where he's done his real damage. But the top five on that list are absolutely the most dominant pitchers in the league at all times.
It's a little surprising to see Wainwright fall so far. Not that eighth is anything to sneeze at, but in his last two seasons, he went 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA and 20-11 with a 2.42 ERA respectively with more than 200 strikeouts and less than seventy walks in each season. He's just about as dominant a pitcher there is and could easily be placed in the top five. I'd certainly take him just ahead of David Price.
It's very impressive to see that the Phillies, as we all know, truly do have two aces. Most teams would be happy to have Wainwright, Verlander or Johnson as their top pitcher. The Phillies have two ranked higher. It's absolutely unreal.
The list of the top ten relief pitchers is:
10- Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds
9- Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers
8- Rafael Soriano, New York Yankees
7- Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics
6- Heath Bell, San Diego Padres
5- Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs
4- Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
3- Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
2- Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants
1- Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Pretty remarkable for the Yankees to have two pitchers from this list at the back-end of their bullpen. It's been a disastrous off-season for them, but acquiring one of the game's best closers in Soriano and making him the set-up man is a strong move. Sometimes closers have a difficult time transitioning into other roles though. Watching Soriano attempt to switch to the eighth inning, and if New York's talent as the back-end of the bullpen has many leads to save will be an interesting storyline in 2011.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Francisco avoids arbitration, signs one year deal
Ben Francisco avoided salary arbitration today when he agreed to a one-year $1.175 million contract.
Francisco will have every opportunity during Spring Training to compete for the starting job in right field, while most people expect a platoon of Francisco and Ross Gload to get the bulk of the playing time.
We are pleased to have come to terms with Benny," Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "Our goal in this process is to come to equitable deals. Benny, as we've stated, will have an opportunity to play more regularly in right field this year and I am looking forward to the competition beginning this spring."
The signing leaves Kyle Kendrick as the only salary arbitration eligible player left; Phillies fans are sure to be holding their breath of that one.
Francisco will have every opportunity during Spring Training to compete for the starting job in right field, while most people expect a platoon of Francisco and Ross Gload to get the bulk of the playing time.
We are pleased to have come to terms with Benny," Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "Our goal in this process is to come to equitable deals. Benny, as we've stated, will have an opportunity to play more regularly in right field this year and I am looking forward to the competition beginning this spring."
The signing leaves Kyle Kendrick as the only salary arbitration eligible player left; Phillies fans are sure to be holding their breath of that one.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
2011 Phillies Shaping Up
The Phillies are shaping up to not only be just contenders in 2011, but will enter the season as the favorite to reach the World Series from the National League, if not the favorite to win it all.
Over the years, the face of this franchise has changed so drastically. As the team transitioned into a winning ball-club, they mostly got it done with their bats. During 2006 when Ryan Howard won the MVP, 2007 when Jimmy Rollins took home the award and even in 2008 when they captured their first World Championship, the offense was potent and the pitching was certainly secondary. The team watched the top of their rotation change so drastically, from Kevin Millwood to Jon Lieber, none of whom lived up to expectations. But the offense was among the top of the league every year, producing enough to make up for the lack of quality arms in the organization.
Things are shifting once again. The team went into a prolonged offense slump last season. They still finished among the top of the league in offense, but just about every regular player had a down season. Rollins is aging and has trouble staying healthy and consistent, Howard and Chase Utley struggled through long stretches and Jayson Werth had his struggles while striking out at a very high rate. The only consistent offensive contributors were Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz.
Now that Werth is gone, the Phillies' offense stands to be much less effective. Werth's departure not only forces the Phillies to be adequate players in right field, but Charlie Manuel is going to have to figure out a way to protect Howard in this lineup. If someone like Raul Ibanez or a struggling Rollins bats fifth, Howard may not see a fastball all season.
The Phillies still have a potentially potent offense. They can still score runs in bunches. But one has to think that with the Cliff Lee signing, Ruben Amaro Jr. figured they might not need to score too many runs to win ballgames.
Call them what you want: R2C2, the Philthy Phour or just simply Four Aces, but we should be treated to something unprecedented in Philadelphia. Not only have the Phillies been acquiring good pitchers, but the three and four spots in their rotation are occupied by men who would pitch one or two on another team. Roy Halladay, Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels could be talked about as one of the best rotations of all time.
Sure, they look great on paper, but we know that things don't always go according to plan. They'll have to stay healthy and focused to pitch anywhere close to expectations. No one will be concerned about Halladay, but the other three have some question marks. Lee has gone through some bad stretches in his career, especially during the regular season. He wasn't tremendously impressive last season, and after dominating the Yankees in the ALCS, he got hit by the Giants in the World Series. Oswalt is aging but still appears to be close to top form, and Hamels seems to alternate between good and bad seasons. He was very good in 2008, horrendous in 2009 and back to dominant in 2010. Hopefully, that doesn't make him due for a clunker.
The bullpen didn't get any better, in fact, to this point they've gotten worse. Chad Durbin, one of their most consistent arms the last two seasons, remains unsigned.
People will speculate about this team like crazy leading up to the season. Everyone is excited and full of anticipation. But, no one can really predict how this season will unfold. It has the potential to be a fun ride with the quality arms the Phillies will put on the mound in 2011, and for most, it can't come fast enough.
Over the years, the face of this franchise has changed so drastically. As the team transitioned into a winning ball-club, they mostly got it done with their bats. During 2006 when Ryan Howard won the MVP, 2007 when Jimmy Rollins took home the award and even in 2008 when they captured their first World Championship, the offense was potent and the pitching was certainly secondary. The team watched the top of their rotation change so drastically, from Kevin Millwood to Jon Lieber, none of whom lived up to expectations. But the offense was among the top of the league every year, producing enough to make up for the lack of quality arms in the organization.
Things are shifting once again. The team went into a prolonged offense slump last season. They still finished among the top of the league in offense, but just about every regular player had a down season. Rollins is aging and has trouble staying healthy and consistent, Howard and Chase Utley struggled through long stretches and Jayson Werth had his struggles while striking out at a very high rate. The only consistent offensive contributors were Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz.
Now that Werth is gone, the Phillies' offense stands to be much less effective. Werth's departure not only forces the Phillies to be adequate players in right field, but Charlie Manuel is going to have to figure out a way to protect Howard in this lineup. If someone like Raul Ibanez or a struggling Rollins bats fifth, Howard may not see a fastball all season.
The Phillies still have a potentially potent offense. They can still score runs in bunches. But one has to think that with the Cliff Lee signing, Ruben Amaro Jr. figured they might not need to score too many runs to win ballgames.
Call them what you want: R2C2, the Philthy Phour or just simply Four Aces, but we should be treated to something unprecedented in Philadelphia. Not only have the Phillies been acquiring good pitchers, but the three and four spots in their rotation are occupied by men who would pitch one or two on another team. Roy Halladay, Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels could be talked about as one of the best rotations of all time.
Sure, they look great on paper, but we know that things don't always go according to plan. They'll have to stay healthy and focused to pitch anywhere close to expectations. No one will be concerned about Halladay, but the other three have some question marks. Lee has gone through some bad stretches in his career, especially during the regular season. He wasn't tremendously impressive last season, and after dominating the Yankees in the ALCS, he got hit by the Giants in the World Series. Oswalt is aging but still appears to be close to top form, and Hamels seems to alternate between good and bad seasons. He was very good in 2008, horrendous in 2009 and back to dominant in 2010. Hopefully, that doesn't make him due for a clunker.
The bullpen didn't get any better, in fact, to this point they've gotten worse. Chad Durbin, one of their most consistent arms the last two seasons, remains unsigned.
People will speculate about this team like crazy leading up to the season. Everyone is excited and full of anticipation. But, no one can really predict how this season will unfold. It has the potential to be a fun ride with the quality arms the Phillies will put on the mound in 2011, and for most, it can't come fast enough.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Shocker: Lee back to Phils
The Phillies shocked all of MLB by sweeping in and signing Cliff Lee to less money and fewer years than he'd be offered by New York and Texas, the two considered contenders.
Lee really fell in love with Philadelphia during his time here, and jumped at the opportunity to come back in agreeing to a five-year deal in the area of $100-120 million with an option for a sixth year.
His signing forms the best rotation in the league, which could even be entered into conversations of the best rotation in the history of MLB.
Yankee fans treated Lee's wife poorly while he was in attendance of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium by spitting, pouring beer and verbally abusing her. Lee and his agent claim this had no bearing on Lee's decision, but that's a bit hard to believe.
New York is in a bit of panic today. The Yankees aren't used to failing to sign all of their targets (Carl Crawford signed with Boston). They're still sure to try to acquire someone to improve an aging team that was knocked out of the post-season by Lee and the Rangers last season.
The Phillies and Giants would have been considered favorites in the NL heading into the 2011 season if not for the Lee deal. The Phillies now should be considered the clear favorites again.
Lee really fell in love with Philadelphia during his time here, and jumped at the opportunity to come back in agreeing to a five-year deal in the area of $100-120 million with an option for a sixth year.
His signing forms the best rotation in the league, which could even be entered into conversations of the best rotation in the history of MLB.
Yankee fans treated Lee's wife poorly while he was in attendance of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium by spitting, pouring beer and verbally abusing her. Lee and his agent claim this had no bearing on Lee's decision, but that's a bit hard to believe.
New York is in a bit of panic today. The Yankees aren't used to failing to sign all of their targets (Carl Crawford signed with Boston). They're still sure to try to acquire someone to improve an aging team that was knocked out of the post-season by Lee and the Rangers last season.
The Phillies and Giants would have been considered favorites in the NL heading into the 2011 season if not for the Lee deal. The Phillies now should be considered the clear favorites again.
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