The Silly Season ……. Well It’s Baseball Isn’t It ?

The Silly Season ……. Well It’s Baseball Isn’t It ?

By tophatal ………

The MLB — postseason and many fans were in awe of the St Louis Cardinals — fifth — World Series title as they defeated the two time defending ALCS champions , in the Texas Rangers . Now with that in mind the offseason now enters its silly phase as the plethora of MLB sports agents and general managers around the game seek to sign many of the high profile agents that will the prized possession of any team seeking to bolster their respective rosters .

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Slide show for your perusal .

Both the St Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers have their issues to deal with concerning a number of impending free agents on their payrolls. Most notably for the Cardinals they will seek to retain their All Star first baseman Albert Pujols . For GM John Mozeliak , he and the front office must be at their wits’ end as to how best to maneuver themselves while not wanting to burst the bank or simply alienate the faithful Cardinals’ fans who passionately attend the games at Busch Stadium in St Louis , Missouri . Pujols’ agent Dan Lozano we’re told is not intent on giving the organization a home team discount by way of the the long term contract being sought by his client .

It’s hard to determine what Pujols is said to be worth where stats simply dictate everything about the game rather than the intangibles that a player brings . We know that Alex Rodriguez is the highest paid player in the game but by way of postseason productivity the Yankees’ third baseman simply isn’t in the same class as the Cardinals’ three time MVP . And while both have resumes` that will undoubtedly see one , if not both enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame . For for the moment it is all about the here and now . Granted, with Rodriguez’s admitted guilt , as to his use of anabolic steroids , I am not so sure that the BBWAA will still be kind to the player at the time of his meeting the Hall’s eligibility criteria.

Having now seen the team in consecutive — seasons come up short in the game’s postseason finale it has to be hard on Texas Rangers’ team president Nolan Ryan as well as general manager Jon Daniels to have seen the team flounder in the way that it has . The bullpen of the Rangers came up short when it mattered most during the postseason I am quite sure that the coaching staff and general manager will do what’s best to bolster the ballclub’s rotation . Jon Daniels knows however that the team can ill afford to lose starting pitcher C J Wilson . And though the player is not amongst the most highly paid pitchers the game but his performances this season has undoubtedly been the envy of some the general managers and managers within the game , seeking to bolster their pitching rotations.

The Texas Rangers are not starved for cash but herein lies the caveat with regard to the team and the thought process that may well be involved . Do they reward a player simply based upon a year and a half of stellar productivity or do they allow C J Wilson to seek his future elsewhere ? There’s no doubt in my mind that the pitcher played his part in the team’s success this season from a pitching standpoint .

So many teams fell by the wayside not only during the regular season but also during the postseason . But such has been the waywardness of these teams and the proclivity of the team owners , managers and general managers to simply overpay for moderate talent , that it has me wondering when will baseball’s league hierarchy simply wake up to the fact that they cannot continue down this route while seemingly think that they’re in a good enough position to carry down this route . One simply has to look at the egregious behavior of Frank McCourt the team’s front office while running or should I put that more aptly ruining the Los Angeles Dodgers ? The beleaguered owner simply ran amok by plundering the coffers of the ballclub while apportioning blame elsewhere for his own malfeasance . And I hear assholes simply espouse the fact that through their own experience of having insight into the game they can tell you that the issues that a number of teams face is not that all severe . Have you ever heard any such fucking bullshit in your life ? Is it any wonder that the MLB hierarchy and the owners are simply looked upon as buffoons and simpletons ? If only Bud Selig had a fucking brain to begin with !

The Detroit Tigers who won the AL Central with limitless ease only see their postseason foray derailed in the ALCS by the Texas Rangers have now made the decision that they will not be bringing back seasoned veterans Magglio Ordonez and Ozzie Guillen . Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski alongside Jim Leyland made that bold choice to jettison both of these seasoned veterans in order to assess what they now have within the organization by way of their overall talent. The team also looks as if it will retain Delmon Young while looking to simply go younger while having Justin Verlander as the fulcrum of this organization.

We are all aware no doubt as to the seismic meltdown during the final month of the Boston Red Sox’s season as they went 7-20 during the month of September and thereby costing the organization the wildcard berth in AL . In the aftermath of that all Terry Francona did not have his contract extension taken up by the front office while general manager Theo Esptein seemingly resigned his position with the organization to accept an offer from Tom Ricketts to become the Head of Baseball of Operations for the Chicago Cubs. The Red Sox have since promoted Ben Cherington to succeed Epstein but the new incumbent will now have to assess the roster and look to get rid of the “dead weight” on this team . It would be a safe bet to suggest that John Lackey , Johnathan Papelbon , Erik Bedard and David Ortiz might well have played their last games of their careers for this organization . If anything the real issues behind the team’s downfall in the latter part of the season was the complete lack of leadership and activity from the players who were deemed to seasoned veterans . Josh Beckett who simply failed to deliver when it mattered most still finds himself being handsomely being handsomely rewarded by the Boston Red Sox . It remains to be seen what moves will be made by the front office during the offseason.

Epstein have engulfed himself in assessing the needs of the Chicago Cubs has already made several moves within the front office , having hired Jed Hoyer and to become the general manager and Jason McLeod as the assistant general manager of the ball club. Both individuals are former front office executives with the San Diego Padres . With those hires , Theo Epstein has assigned himself with a group of like minded executives whose beliefs are building from within , in terms of player personnel . Along with the hiring , Epstein has since fired the Chicago Cubs’ manager Mike Quade , a decision that in reality shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone , given the team’s dubious record (71-91) this past season within the NL Central .

During the winter months when the agents and general managers seemingly keep in contact with each other while seeking to make the moves that will best benefit their clients , agents such as Scott Boras , who if anything has become the bane of the managers , owners and general managers within the game. Suffice to say , that Boras will be able to dupe many of these executives and lure them into overpaying for a number of his clients.

The Philadelphia Phillies by their own estimation had a season that if anything completely show what complacency can do to a team . Now in the aftermath of Charlie Manuel’s players wilting like a shrinking violet in the NLDS to the St Louis Cardinals . It is back to the drawing board the manager and GM Rueben Amaro Jr as they once again seek to assess the flaws on this roster . The organization has seen fit not to extend the contracts of both Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt .

If C J Wilson is said to now be the most prized free agent pitcher on the market during the offseason , then the curiousity factor surrounding Japanese player Yu Darvish could really pique the interest teams such as the New York Yankees , Chicago Cubs , their crosstown rivals the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels could all very well be interested in both Wilson and the Japanese major league player.

I know that the intent of baseball is to seek a competitive balance and one could attest to the fact that the game now has that , but that clearly is not the case ! . There hasn’t ever really been parity within Major League Baseball because the league hierarchy in conjunction with the MLBPA (union) would rather not see that scenario arise . Instead , Bud Selig with his rather idiotic notion that divisional realignment would be the best way forward for the teams . If the commissioner simply can’t rein in the egregious behavior of owners such as Frank McCourt , Bob Nutting , Jeffrey Loria , David Glass , Lew Wolff and Fred Wilpon . Owners who have simply at the largess of the commissioner have acted like chickens running around the their coop without an idea as to what the hell they’re meant to be doing . This has now become the “silly season” as it relates to the offseason as we’re invited to observe the maneuvers of the teams after their season finale .

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Picture gallery for your perusal .

What thoughts if any do you have concerning the offseason as the teams around baseball seek to make their moves in order to bolster their rosters ? Simply leave a comment as you deem fit .

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Picture and slide show details below .

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(1) FILE – In this Dec. 13, 2000, file photo, then-Boston Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette smiles during a news conference at Fenway Park in Boston. A person familiar with the deal say Duquette has signed a three-year contract to become the Baltimore Orioles’ president of baseball operations . The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Orioles haven’t announced the deal, says Duquette signed the contract Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. AP Photo/Elise Amendola ….

(2) FILE – In this Sept. 23, 2011, file photo, Cleveland Indians’ Jim Thome bats against the Minnesota Twins in a baseball game in Cleveland. Thome and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a $1.25 million, one-year contract. AP Photo/Mark Duncan ….

(3) Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers , left, shakes hands with manager Kirk Gibson during a news conference after Gibson was named permanent manager of the team Monday, Oct. 4, 2010, in Phoenix. Hired as the interim manager after a midseason shake-up, Gibson was given the permanent job Monday, signing a two-year deal with a team option for 2013. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin …..

(4) Justin Verlander (35) of the Detroit Tigers throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning of Game Five of the American League Championship Series at Comerica Park on October 13, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. Verlander has been named Player of the Year and American League Outstanding Pitcher during the 2011 Players Choice Awards by Major League baseball players on November 3, 2011. Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images ….

(5) Baseball player Albert Pujols speaks during the dedication of a 10-foot, 1,100-pound bronze statue of the St. Louis Cardinals slugger Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, in Maryland Heights, Mo. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson ….

(6) National League baseball players who won Gold Gloves for the 2011 season are shown during spring training in 2011, at various locations. In the top row from left are Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips and Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. In the bottom row from left are Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco, Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Gerardo Parra, Los Angeles center fielder Matt Kemp, and Los Angeles right fielder Andre Ethier. AP Photos ….

(7) Yu Darvish of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters is seen here pitching for the team. The player who’s now an unrestricted free agent is thought to be someone who will one of the more highly prized free agent pitchers this off-season . AFP/Getty Images/ Toshifumi Kitamura ….

(8) Texas Rangers’ starting pitcher C J Wilson , whom , the organization may well allow to test the free agency market rather than re-sign the player to a long term contract . AP Photo / Chris Blackwell ……

(9) General Manger Mike Rizzo , Bryce Harper (34) of the Washington Nationals and Scott Boras talk to the media during a press conference at Nationals Park on August 26, 2010 in Washington, DC. The young phenom was drafted by the organization in 2010 and signed to an extraordinary deal negotiated by his agent , Scott Boras . The uber-agent also happens to have Harper’s teammate Stephen Strasburg as a client . The pitcher like Harper was a number one overall pick by the Washington Nationals in 2009 Greg Fiume/ Getty Images North America …..
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