SoxInRhody

1. Vincent Jackson
2. Dwayne Bowe
3. Wes Welker
4. DeSean Jackson
5. Marques Colston
6. Brandon Lloyd
7. Stevie Johnson
8. Reggie Wayne
9. Robert Meachum
10. Pierre Garcon
11. Jerome Simpson
12. Laurent Robinson

That's quite a list. After looking at a few websites, most people see Bowe and Welker as the most likely to stay with their current teams, while there is a good chance a few of these guys get franchised.

For Patriots fans, an interesting theory has been put out there by a few sources now: Brandon Lloyd will follow new Pats OC Josh McDaniels to New England, giving the Patriots the deep threat they have been missing since Randy Moss left. The Joey Galloway/Chad Ochocinco experiments didn't work, and both Brandon Tate and Taylor Price flopped.

The Patriots will have little to no shot at Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd or Alshon Jeffrey, so FA will be their best bet to acquire a top wideout this offseason. If they resign Welker and bring in Brandon Lloyd, the Patriots can continue to score enough to cover up the glaring holes on defense and devote draft picks to other areas of need (being mainly DE, OLB, CB and C if Dan Koppen isn't brought back). The Patriots also have BJGE as a free agent but I can see him returning and splitting time with Ridley next year, with Vereen more a 3rd down and special teams guy a la Kevin Faulk in his prime. 

Fellow Pats fans, what do you think? What do the Patriots need to do this offseason?

                The Angels have been NYY-East for a while now. Since 2004, the Angels won 5 division titles and ruled the roost in MLB’s smallest division. The Rangers stole their crown with a deep and plentiful minor league system bearing fruit and spending new ownership’s money. Like most major-market teams with annual expectations to win, Arte Morales’ money always burns a hole in the organizations’ pocket. If they can’t sign Teixeira, Sabathia, Crawford, etc., then they spend that capital on Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, Gary Matthews Jr., Vernon Wells, Brian Fuentes and the like. But by signing Pujols, the Angels in one fell swoop changed their free agency pattern and jumped into the elite super-group of spenders. Pujols’s length of contract will eventually become an albatross to the organization, and his full no-trade clause will hamper any and all attempts to move him when the time comes. This was the price, literally, of getting him to leave St. Louis and turn down sumptuous offers from the Marlins, Cubs, and whoever else thought they had a shot. The addition of Pujols creates a very interesting log jam at the games’ premier power position.

                Let’s take a closer look at the LAA first base depth chart. Former Cuban defector Kendrys Morales (no relation to Arte, that we know of) burst onto the scene in 2009 after Teixeira left for the Yankees. He played in 152 games, hit 34 homers while driving in 108 runs, averaging .306 over the season. But after injuring his leg during a home plate dinger celebration, he only saw action in 51 games in 2010. Mark Trumbo stepped in at first and had a great rookie year. He is still young at age 25 and in his rookie year hit .249 with 29 home runs and 86 RBI’s in 149 games. He could plausibly play third base but his defense isn’t great over there. Mike Scioscia is known as a defensive-minded manager but Trumbo’s thump is too great to leave out of the lineup. If Morales is healthy, he can DH with Pujols at first and Trumbo at third. That’s a scary middle of the order. The odd man out would seem to be Bobby Abreu. He could fetch a little on the trade market for an AL club looking for some solid OBP from the DH spot but can’t spend a bunch. The other option would be for the Angels to move Trumbo, who would bring in a much bigger bounty given his age and early production. Mind, the Angles still have wunderkind Mike Trout and solid prospect C.J. Cron coming up. The Angels are set in the outfield with Hunter, Wells and Peter Bourjos, and seem set up the middle with Howie Kendricks, Macier Izturis and Alberto Callaspo. The Angels certainly have some trade chips to play with.

                The list of teams lining up for Trumbo would be significant. Any team with a hole at first base in need of some pop, and a cabinet full of prospects to move to the Angels would be a good fit. Money wouldn’t be of great concern because Trumbo is so young still. He is eligible to be a free agent after 2011 which would hurt his bargaining a little, but he is slated to make only $414,000 this season, which is a steal for a guy with 30-100 potential. Any team trading for Trumbo would want to ink him to a healthy extension immediately. Let’s assume that teams view Trumbo as primarily a first baseman. Teams already set at first base for the long term at present include the Angles (Pujols), Yankees (Teixiera), Red Sox (Gonzalez), Phillies (Howard), Tigers (Cabrera), Twins (Morneau/Mauer), Reds (Votto) and whichever team signs Prince Fielder. We can also assume some teams that have committed to young players at the position would be out of the running for Trumbo. That list would include the Padres (Anthony Rizzo), Braves (Freddie Freeman), Royals (Moustakas/B. Butler), Seattle (Justin Smoak). Those are elite prospects and young players whose values are arguably as high or higher than that of Trumbo. Any of the teams not listed either need immediate help at first, or have players there currently who wouldn’t stand in the way of a trade for Trumbo. A good example would be teams like the Indians with Matt LaPorta, Giants with Brandon Belt/Pablo Sandoval, the Mets with Ike Davis or the Marlins with Gaby Sanchez.

                Like the list for Fielder, potential suitors will be limited by current 1^st basemen and money. The list of teams vying for Prince’s services looks like a race between the Nationals, Orioles, Cubs, Blue Jays and we could add the Cardinals now that they lost out of La Machina. I believe that money earmarked for Albert would only have gone to Albert, and the Cardinals would not be willing to go nearly as high for Prince. The Nationals/Orioles/Cubs/Blue Jays list is all teams that could plug Prince in immediately without uprooting anyone of substance. The Nats could slide Michael Morse to the outfield, and their lineup could then have Zimmerman/Fielder/Werth/Morse. Not too shabby. The Orioles have had Aubrey Huff at first and Prince would be a big upgrade there. Toronto had been using Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion, and just signed Mark Teahan. Prince brings more to the table than those three combined. And the Cubs would love to scoop Prince from a division rival but Theo Epstein and Co. might want to invest that money into a barren farm system and get that “player development machine” rolling instead of giving one player 8-10 years to the tune of 200+ million dollars. We will know a lot more about the future of Mark Trumbo based on the future home of Prince Fielder and the health of Kendrys Morales.

                If Morales in healthy, Bobby Abreu would likely be on the move. He must remain in the AL because he is only a DH at this point. Let’s make a new list. Teams with DH’s already in the fold include NY (Posada/A-Rod/Jeter/Swisher/etc.), Boston (Ortiz/Youkilis), Toronto (Lind), Chicago (Adam Dunn) Detroit (V-Mart, Carlos Guillen, Magglio) and K.C. (Butler, Kila Ka’aiuhe). Also Minnesota has the Mauer/Morneau/Kubel triumvirate. Tampa Bay, Oakland and Cleveland probably wouldn’t want to spend the money necessary for Abreu (9 million in 2011 and 2012). It’s apparent that Abreu would have trouble finding a home as a full-time DH anywhere, and no one would likely pay a platoon DH 9-million annually. The Angels might be forced to eat some contract in order to move Abreu (assuming Morales is healthy). They won’t allow any AB’s go to Abreu that should be going to Trumbo, Trout, Wells, Hunter, Pujols, Morales, etc. The Mariners are the only team I can think of where Abreu may fit. The Mariners have absolutely no pop outside Justin Smoak, and they need all the offensive help they can get. The Angels couldn’t ask for a whole hell of a lot in return when it comes time to trade Abreu so Seattle could hold on to all their top prospects.

                If C.J. Wilson had stayed with Rangers, Albert Pujols going to the Angels wouldn’t have bumped the Angels ahead of Texas in my mind. The Angels rotation would have been better up top (Haren, Weaver) but the Rangers would have had more solid depth with Wilson, Ogando, Lewis, Feldman, Holland, etc. The Rangers lineup with Hamilton, Beltre, Andrus, Kinsler, Cruz, Napoli, Young, etc. would be the equal of Pujols, Morales, Trumbo, Wells, Hunter. But now that the Angels hauled in Pujols AND Wilson, they add at the Rangers’ direct expense. The Rangers are another team, like the Angels, who have the trade chips to make themselves better either before spring training or at the trade deadline. Michael Young seemingly lives on the permanent trade block, and pieces like David Murphy and Mitch Moreland could be valuable if the Rangers wanted to grab a guy like say, Francisco Liriano, Edison Volquez or Jair Jurrjens. The AL West looks like a two-horse race for years to come, and Houston joining the fray in 2013 won’t pose a threat to this new two-team hegemony.

      After joining the Major Leagues as an expansion franchise in 1993, the Florida Marlins were the quickest expansion team to ever win a world title, accomplishing this impressive feat in only 4 years existence. The 1997 championship team was dismantled as quickly as it had been assembled, stars shipped out to save money. In 2003, the Marlins struck again, upsetting the juggernaut Yankees in the Fall Classic with a mix of homegrown youngsters and veteran free agent pickups. This franchise has won two world titles without ever winning a division title, and lately has been a lot more “potential” than results. Marlins fans have watched a bevy of All-Stars come and go. The 1997 team had Antonio Alfonseca, Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, Robb Nen, Livan Hernandez, Charles Johnson, Bobby Bonilla, Luis Castillo, Jeff Conine, Craig Counsell, Darren Daulton, Edgar Rentaria, Moises Alou, Cliff Floyd, Mark Kotsay, Devon White and Gary Sheffield. When the Marlins won again in 2003, only Castillo and Conine were still there. In 1998 the Marlins became the first team ever to lose 100 games the year after winning the World Series. When Wayne Huizenga sold the team to John Henry and his group, a new era was ushered in, but the principle remained the same. Watch the bottom line. Despite Florida’s reputation as a breeding ground for youth athletic talent, fan bases in the Miami and Tampa areas just can’t seem to get behind their teams.

                The 2003 squad featured Josh Beckett, Brad Penny, Carl Pavano, A.J. Burnett, Ugeth Urbina, Dontrelle Willis, Ivan Rodriguez, Castillo, Alex Gonzalez, Derrek Lee, Mike Lowell, Miguel Cabrera, Juan Encarnacion, Juan Pierre, etc. Marlins fans watched that team win and then be disemboweled as quickly, as Jeffrey Loria, Larry Beinfest and Co. (who had purchased the franchise from Henry in 2002) sold off parts to save money. The Marlins once again became irrelevant, playing in a decrepit stadium and facing an annual uphill climb in the rugged NL East. The Marlins did manage to stockpile good young talent through their drafts and trades. Guys have still come and gone (Matt Lindstrom, Kevin Gregg, Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Dan Uggla, Pavano, etc.) but they have been readily replaced by new crops. Young guns like Logan Morrison, Chris Coghlan, Josh Johnson, Leo Nunez, Mike Stanton, Ricky Nolasco, Anibel Sanchez and Gaby Sanchez have made the Marlins a respectable team. The biggest gem is Hanley Ramirez, pried from the Red Sox in a deal that sent Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to Beantown .

                Now that the Marlins of Florida have become the Marlins of Miami and have secured a brand new stadium, the ante has been upped in South Florida. But will Hanley Ramirez be around to enjoy the new dawn? The Marlins are for real now, signing Mark Buerhle, Heath Bell and speedster Jose Reyes all in a matter of days. According to reports, they were also serious players for the services of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson who both ended up with the Angels. Hanley is openly campaigning for a trade because the arrival of Reyes pushes Hanley to third base, a move he is obstinately refusing thus far. The game is to create possible and plausible landing spots for HanRam.

                Hanley Ramirez is still only 27. He is a three-time All Star (2008,2009,2010), 2x Silver Slugger (’08 and ’09), was the NL ROY in 2006, won a batting title in 2009, joined the 30-30 club in 2008 and is a star at baseball’s thinnest position outside of catcher. In May 2008, he signed a six-year deal worth $70 million, a bargain for one of the game’s young stars. He has three years left on that deal. But Hanley’s image and reputation have been tarnished by instances of laziness, accusations of carelessness and run-ins with managers resulting in benching. Like in all sports, his talent will outweigh any potential baggage should the Marlins be forced into trading Ramirez, which is his stated desire. Who has the goods to trade for Hanley? It’s obvious he will only acquiesce to playing shortstop. What teams have shortstops that would preclude them from trading for Hanley? Not many. The Rockies (with Tulowitzki), Yankees (Jeter), Marlins (Reyes), and Cubs (Starlin Castro) are really the only teams that would be out of the running from the get-go. Other good quality starting shortstops are hard to find. Elvis Andrus, Alexei Ramirez, JJ Hardy, Jimmy Rollins, Yunel Escobar, none of these are Hanley Ramirez and their respective teams wouldn’t hesitate to move them if they felt they could bring Hanley in. If anyone could convince HanRam to move to third, his potential landing spots would increase. So who can trade for him? We should assume only certain teams meet the prerequisites: a hole at short, redeemable trade assets and the money to pay Ramirez through this contract and a possible extension.

                There are certain teams that we just know can’t or won’t pay Ramirez. That list would look like the Rays, Indians, Royals, A’s, Pirates, Reds, Diamondbacks, Brewers, and Padres. Other teams could probably afford him but have long-term commitments that might preclude their spending excess on Ramirez. Teams like the Mets, Dodgers and Astros are undergoing sales and might not be in position to sign marquee free agents for a while. We can safely assume no team within the NL East will be on the list. The Phillies, Braves, Mets and Nationals are out (although as the Dan Uggla deal illustrates, this is not a hard-and-fast rule). The Yankees have a commitment to Jeter at short and a logjam at DH, so DJ might be playing short until his range is even worse than statuesque. The Red Sox cupboard is pretty bare after trading for Adrian Gonzalez and promoting others to the big club, and they have long-term commits to Gonzalez, Crawford, Pedroia, Beckett, Lester, Buchholz and Lackey and need money set aside to sign guys like Bard, Ellsbury, and etc. to deals. Tampa Bay can’t afford Hanley. Baltimore and Toronto are both intriguing destinations. Both clubs could probably afford Hanley’s extension and have young talent to trade. Incumbent shortstops J.J. Hardy and Yunel Escobar are good but not in Ramirez’s class.

                Every team in the AL Central could use a SS upgrade. Alexei Ramirez and Asdrubal Cabrera are the runaway leaders at that position in this division. The Royals and Indians have the prospects but not the cash. The Tigers, Twins and White Sox have the cash but probably not the young players the Marlins would be looking for. White Sox G.M. Kenny Williams is a bold business man, and maybe a package like Gordon Beckham/John Danks plus a blue-chip prospect could get it done. That kind of move would precipitate Alexei moving to third base.

                The Rangers with Elvis Andrus are all set at short and the Angels are stretched to their budgetary limit one would imagine. The A’s pinch their pennies like a 13 year old sister pinches her little brother. Seattle again is hard to get a gauge on. The ownership has money, and not much committed to the current roster. Seattle’s farm system is currently ranked 16^th, but that was with Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda in the system. Now that those two are big leaguers, the system is pretty empty and the M’s probably don’t have the chips to swing back to Miami for a player like Hanley Ramirez. If the Mariners are smart, they will trade Ichiro while he still has some value to a contender. It’s either that or King Felix would have to be moved for a huge haul of prospects. The Mariners will most likely find themselves staring up at Texas and Anaheim all year in 2012, so moving veterans like Chone Figgins, Brandon League, Miguel Olivo and Jason Vargas will be imperative at the trade deadline. Ichiro is a public-relations goldmine both here and in Japan, so he may be in Seattle for good despite the sinking ship and the need to rebuild. Maybe the Mariners can sign Hideki Matsui and Yu Darvish and rake in enough cash in marketing/merchandise to in the future swing deals for free agents like Prince Fielder or Jose Reyes. Reyes in particular would have been a great fit in a big ballpark like Safeco.  

                In the NL Central, the Astros are being sold and moving to the AL, so the new owners might want to make a splash. But the Astros system is notoriously weak right now. The Pirates can’t afford Hanley, the Cubs have Starlin Castro, and the Brewers have money tied up in their core of Braun/Weeks/Hart/Gallardo/Greinke/M
arcum/LuCroy, etc. They don’t have the prospects left after the Sabathia, Marcum and Greinke trades. They couldn’t swap Prince for prospects because they were in contention, so now they get nothing for him. But you have to give the BrewCrew credit for going for it when they knew they had a shot. The Cardinals could use a shortstop, and they apparently had the money to give to Pujols. They also might have the young players to swap to Miami. It’s something to keep an eye on. Hanley would have to readjust his poor attitude to satisfy the sanctimonious fan bases of the Midwest. 

                Out west, the Padres can’t afford him, Tulo and Drew man short for the Rockies and D’Backs respectively. The Dodgers just gave Matt Kemp a big deal and with Monster McCourt on the way out, there could be hope that the new owners flex the muscle of a market like Los Angeles (hey, the Angels just did it!). The Giants under Brian Sabean have to be hesitant to hand out big deals after getting burned by Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand. They will need the cash to keep Lincecum/Cain/Bumgarner together, keep Brian Wilson happy and Brandon Belt, Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval in the infield.

                So there doesn’t seem to be any great fits for Hanley anywhere. With so much talent to be had, a lot of teams that don’t look like good fits might be willing to pony up and shuffle some pieces to accommodate Ramirez. As it stands now, Marlins fans hope Hanley accepts the prospect of winning games as more important to where on the field he plays. South Florida wants him, and they hope Hanley wants them back. We’ve seen players balk at position changes before (Michael Young comes to mind) but hopefully for the good of the game, this diva doesn’t force his way out of town. The new Miami Marlins will be a lot more fun to watch with both Hanley and Jose Reyes running around together. Can’t you just imagine all the fun Ozzie Guillen Spanglish new conferences to come!??!.

What a whirlwind these NHL playoffs have been eh? For the first time in what seems like a long time, a Canadian team (probably the most important one) is left in the final four. I believe, and may be wrong, that when Calgary was in the finals a few years back is the most recent time a Canadian team has gone this far. Montreal surely seems to be the team of destiny, an inexplicable run through the Capitals and Penguins.

This run is posing problems for the NHL I believe. Obviously the networks (Vs. and NBC) would have loved a Washington-Pittsburgh conference finals in the East, and probably something like a Detroit-San Jose or Detroit-Chicago matchup out west. The Sharks-Blackhawks series should be a fruitful one for fans and those that stand to profit. The city of Chicago always supports their teams voraciously and the Blackhawks are a young and exciting group. San Jose is a good story because of their past playoff flame-outs and maybe they have overcome those demons.

But in the East, we have the one, two and three seeds all eliminated in the first round. I am not a one-man Elias Sports Bureau but has that ever happened before? The saving grace was that Pittsburgh is a defending champion, star-studded #4 seed, but now they are out. The league better hope to God that Boston wins Game 7 against Philly. At least then there is a fierce rivalry in the conference finals, even if it's two teams that by all rights shouldn't be there. A Montreal-Philadelphia conference finals? Doesn't do much for me.

Interesting sidenote: I don't remember the exact issue or who wrote the article, but I am pretty sure Sports Illustrated in their pre-season NHL overview predicted a Blackhawks-Bruins Stanley Cup matchup. They could end up being right, and by an interesting road. Overall, these playoffs have seemed a little dull, without the usual star power, especially in the East.