By Mike
Guenther
Sunday, February 29th, 2004
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"Show me the money!" The phrase that was made famous in the movie, Jerry Maguire, has become the unofficial theme of the baseball world during the months of December, January, and February each year.
With all pitchers and catchers in Spring Training and a majority of the position players making their way to their spring assignments in Florida and Arizona, it's time to weigh in on how the latest baseball offseason's player movement will affect the National League in 2004.
Many talented players jumped circuits to the American League during this offseason. Gone are sluggers Vladimir Guerrero (Anaheim) and Gary Sheffield (New York), as well as catcher Javy Lopez, who cashed in on 2003 career highs in home runs (43) and RBIs (109) to sign with Baltimore. Fellow catcher Ivan Rodriguez has taken his golden arm to the American League also and will hunt down would-be base stealers for Detroit to the tune of $40 million over four seasons. With Detroit's woeful pitching staff, Pudge should earn every dollar.
The National League's star-power at starting pitcher was also thinned out as former Expo right-hander Javier Vazquez and ex-Dodger ace Kevin Brown will search for added run support as members of the Bronx Bombers in New York this season. Gone also is Curt Schilling, who left the arguably best 1-2 punch in baseball with Randy Johnson in Arizona's desert to form another dominant tandem with Pedro Martinez in Boston.
Not all has been lost for the National League, though. Let's take a look at how player movement of the latest offseason will affect each National League Western Division franchise for the 2004 campaign.
Even with the addition of some mid-tier free agents, one thing will remain constant in the Bay Area. The San Francisco Giants are still Barry Bonds' team. Joining Bonds and journeyman Marquis Grissom in the Giants' outfield will be free agent signings Dustin Mohr and Michael Tucker, who will compete for time in right field. Mohr hopes that a change of scenery will help him live up to the expectations that he never fully met while in the Twins' organization.
Potentially the best move that the Giants made in the offseason was acquiring catcher A.J. Pierzynski from Minnesota for pitcher Joe Nathan and minor leaguers. With the Twins banking on big things from rookie catching prospect Joe Mauer, the expendable Pierzynski was shipped west and will bring a combination of line drives, bloop singles, and steady defense to a team in search of youth and consistency.
Brett Tomko joins the Giants' pitching staff and will compete for a rotation spot after right-handers Jason Schmidt and Jerome Williams, and left-hander Kirk Reuter. Pitching in Pac-Bell Park should benefit Tomko and allow him to provide another 12-14 wins for San Francisco at the back of the rotation.
With solid additions to both the offense and starting rotation to fit around their star-caliber nucleus of Bonds and Schmidt, the Giants should successfully defend their Western Division Crown in 2004.
The Arizona Diamondbacks greatly upgraded their offense in early December by acquiring first basemen Richie Sexson from Milwaukee for infielders Junior Spivey, Craig Counsell, Lyle Overbay, catcher Chad Moeller, and two minor league pitchers. Sexson brings his 45 homeruns and 124 RBIs south to Arizona and will provide added lineup protection batting behind an aging Luis Gonzalez, who should welcome the former-Brewer with open arms.
Arizona also signed 36-year-old Roberto Alomar to replace Spivey at second base. Alomar, whose numbers have steadily declined in recent stints in New York (NL) and Chicago (AL), will be called on to bat second and help set the table for Gonzalez and Sexson.
Free agent catcher Brent Mayne will apparently take Chad Moeller's place in Arizona's catching platoon. Mayne will team with Robby Hammock, who enters Spring Training still recovering from offseason surgery on his left knee.
While Arizona fans are still feeling the sting of losing ace right-hander Curt Schilling, 2003 rookie Brandon Webb (10-9, 2.84 ERA) will be expected to take his game to the next level. He hopes to pair with the "Big Unit," Randy Johnson, to form another lethal 1-2 punch for the Diamondbacks.
Arizona will find more consistency in their 2004 run production, but the loss of a leader like Curt Schilling will prove to be too difficult to overcome. Look for Diamondbacks to compete with the Giants for much of the season, only to fade down the stretch.
The road to respectability continues on for the San Diego Padres in 2004. With the opening of Petco Park and the revamping of a last-place team, Padres' Management has had a busy offseason. While none of the moves yielded players who can single-handedly turn things around, it is almost assured that the Padres will not come anywhere near to the National League-high mark of 98 losses that they endured in 2003.
While outfielder Jay Payton is probably never going to eclipse the 28 homeruns and 89 RBIs from 2003 that he can attribute to the "Coors factor" in Colorado, he will provide needed speed and defensive help to an outfield that will also include Brian Giles and a healthy Ryan Klesko.
A permanent move to first base by Phil Nevin should ensure better health and a chance to approach his 2001 power totals of 41 homeruns and 126 RBIs. Nevin amassed only 226 at-bats in 2003 after a shoulder injury kept him out until the season's second half.
After failing to land Jason Kendall from Pittsburgh, the Padres might have done one better in acquiring catcher Ramon Hernandez from Oakland. A solid backstop, Hernandez brings a big bat, as well (21 HRs, 78 RBIs in 2003) to San Diego's young lineup.
Veteran starting pitchers David Wells and Sterling Hitchcock join the Padres' staff for 2004. San Diego already has one of the most talented groups of young pitchers in the league in right-handers Adam Eaton, Jake Peavy, and Brian Lawrence, who combined for 31 wins in 2003. That total could approach, and possibly exceed, 45 wins with another year of development and a rejuvenated offense to support them.
The Padres' obsession with signing a big-named free agent pitcher lead them to David Wells, after failing with other higher-profiled hurlers, namely Greg Maddux. While Wells' leadership and character may be in question due to the "tell all" approach he used in writing his recent book, his bad back may be an even larger reason why his signing was a risky move for the Padres.
With the enthusiasm of opening a new ballpark, the Padres will count on their young talent to come into their own. If that happens and newcomers Ramon Hernandez, Jay Payton, and David Wells contribute at the level of their career averages, look for the Padres to finish in the middle of the West this season, a vast improvement over 2003's injury-ridden debacle.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' run production was an area that sorely needed to be addressed during the recently completed offseason. And likely, new General Manager Paul DePodesta will set out on a similar task next winter, as well. Injuries to lead-off man Dave Roberts, underachievement by outfielder Shawn Green and third basemen Adrian Beltre, and a disappointing second half by catcher Paul Lo Duca, all lead to the Dodgers' lackluster output last year.
The answer: Juan Encarnacion. Juan Encarnacion? The ex-Marlin was traded from the World Champions to L.A. during the winter meetings for a player to be named later. Granted, Encarnacion has a valuable combination of speed and power (19 HRs, 94 RBIs, 19 SBs in 2003), but the Dodgers needed to acquire a bonafied power hitter this winter to contend in the West. Look for them to make concerted efforts to bolster their offense in the season's first half.
Ex-Yankee and one-time Tiger Jeff Weaver joins the Dodger starting rotation for the 2004 season. Weaver was acquired in the trade that sent staff ace Kevin Brown to the defending American League Champion Yankees. Weaver will be asked to contribute as a fourth or fifth starter in the rotation. That, combined with pitching in what has generally been perceived as a pitchers' park, should help him contribute and avoid last year's 5.99 ERA and .320 opponents' batting average against.
Brown's departure will affect Hideo Nomo more than any other member of the Dodgers' rotation. He has been tabbed as the unofficial staff ace on a squad that has little room for error if they want to finish anywhere near 90 wins.
Not much changed on a Colorado Rockies' team that finished 26 1/2 games back of the division champion Giants in 2003. As in several recent winters, many high-quality starting pitchers were available on the market. And as usual, none wanted to venture to the Mile High City to take a beating and watch their ERA soar with every blast that ricochets off of the rocks beyond Coors Field's centerfield wall.
The major addition to the Rockies' rotation this season is 24-year-old lefthander Joe Kennedy, who was Tampa Bay's opening-day starter in 2003. That's where his 2003 accolades end. Kennedy brings last season's record of 3-12 with a 6.13 ERA to Coors Field, where things will only go from bad to worse.
The Rockies inked third baseman Vinny Castilla for another tour of duty. Even with the aid of Denver's thin air, Castilla is unlikely to approach the 40 homerun plateau that he reached in three consecutive seasons (1996-1998) during his first stint in Colorado.
Replacing Jay Payton in left field will be Jeromy Burnitz, who should fit in nicely in Colorado. Burnitz, who finished last season with division rival Los Angeles, has had difficulty keeping his batting average above the .250 mark in his career. Even with the lack of contact, he has always been in love with the long ball. Burnitz should enjoy an offensive revival in Colorado batting behind the likes of Todd Helton, Preston Wilson, Larry Walker, and Vinny Castilla.
If you're a Rockies' fan, expect several 12-7, 13-10, and 9-8 Coors' Field final scores ... again. Some things never change. As pitchers have learned from the likes of Denny Neagle and Mike Hampton, Colorado may be beautiful, but it's no place to pitch. The Rockies' inability to land quality help to their rotation means another season near the cellar in the Western Division.
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