Hitting The Cutoff Man

Imagine this crazy All-Star scenario: a team for each division, creating a six-team tournament. Will it happen? No. Should it happen? Also, no.

But if it did, theoretically, I decided to see what the teams might look like. It was an exercise in curiosity about division strength, and also boredom.

Here is a glimpse at each team, ranked in ascending order of perceived strength. Note: I only picked an abbreviated roster for each squad, because that felt like plenty under the circumstances. Another note: Selections are based on 2011 performance only.

AL Central
Starting lineup: 1. Denard Span - CF, 2. Alex Gordon - LF, 3. Miguel Cabrera - 1B, 4. Paul Konerko - DH, 5. Brennan Boesch - RF, 6. Jhonny Peralta - SS, 7. Alex Avila - C, 8. Wilson Betemit - 3B, 9. Gordon Beckham - 2B
Bench: Asdrubal Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Carlos Quentin, Travis Hafner.
Starting pitchers: Justin Verlander, Justin Masterson, Edwin Jackson, Scott Baker, Phil Humber.
Relievers: Sergio Santos, Glen Perkins, Al Alburquerque.

Comments: It’s going to be super awkward when Beckham walks into the team clubhouse and Miguel Cabrera is all like, “What are you doing here? You have a .291 wOBA as of July 7.” And then Beckham gets all defensive because he wasn’t the one who picked the team, and besides, it’s not his fault the other options at second were Chris Getz and Alexi Casilla. What, does Miguel want to cover the whole right side of the infield by himself? No? That’s what I thought.

AL West
Starting lineup: 1. Howie Kendrick - 2B, 2. Michael Young - DH, 3. Josh Hamilton - LF, 4. Nelson Cruz - RF, 5. Adrian Beltre - 3B, 6. Justin Smoak - 1B, 7. Mike Napoli - C, 8. Peter Bourjos - CF, 9. Elvis Andrus - SS
Bench:Ian Kinsler, Bobby Abreu, Coco Crisp, Erick Aybar
Starting pitchers: Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Felix Hernandez, C.J. Wilson, Michael Pineda.
Relievers: Jordan Walden, Brandon League, Scott Downs.

Comments: This team obviously has the misfortune of drawing from only four organizations. With two of those being the A’s and Mariners, it’s not surprising the offense is a little underwhelming. Luckily, with the Angels not being defending division champs, Mike Scioscia is not this team’s manager, which means he can’t find a way to play Jeff Mathis (even though he’s not on the roster anyways).

NL West
Starting lineup: 1. Carlos Gonzalez - CF, 2. Matt Kemp - LF, 3. Pablo Sandoval - 3B, 4. Troy Tulowitzki - SS, 5. Andre Ethier - DH, 6. Justin Upton - RF, 7. Miguel Montero - C, 8. Todd Helton - 1B, 9. Jamey Carroll - 2B
Bench:Chris Young, Stephen Drew, Cameron Maybin, Chase Headley
Starting pitchers: Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Daniel Hudson, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner.
Relievers: Heath Bell, Mike Adams, Sergio Romo.

Comments: Frank McCourt is suing this team for using his players without his permission. This has Helton all bent out of shape, but Ethier just looks at him and is like, “Welcome to our world.” Anyways, this lineup has good thump, something the starting pitchers here are confused but excited about. Luckily the clubhouse is stocked with some helpful brochures titled, “Run Support and You: A Guide To Feeling Loved.”

NL Central
Starting lineup: 1. Andrew McCutchen - CF, 2. Rickie Weeks - 2B, 3. Joey Votto - 1B, 4. Matt Holliday - RF, 5. Prince Fielder - DH, 6. Ryan Braun - LF, 7. Aramis Ramirez - 3B, 8. Yadier Molina - C, 9. Starlin Castro - SS
Bench:Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman, Brandon Phillips, Michael Bourn
Starting pitchers: Jaime Garcia, Chris Carpenter, Shaun Marcum, Zack Greinke, Matt Garza.
Relievers: Joel Hanrahan, John Axford, Sean Marshall.

Comments: “Look at all these good players!” Castro says to Ramirez. “They’re on OUR team now!” Ramirez sighs deeply and nods. Memories of the old days flood his head and push a single tear down his weathered cheek. It’s hard to think about but impossible not to. “Live in the moment and enjoy it,” he advises Castro. “People in our situation must savor the good times, fleeting as they are.” Castro looks at his older teammate, sees how the years in Chicago have beaten him down. “Sure, Aramis,” he says. “I got ya.” But he doesn’t truly understand -- not yet.

NL East
Starting lineup: 1. Jose Reyes - SS, 2. Shane Victorino - CF, 3. Gaby Sanchez - 1B, 4. Carlos Beltran - LF, 5. Brian McCann - C, 6. Mike Stanton - RF, 7. Mike Morse - DH, 8. Danny Espinosa - 2B, 9. Placido Polanco - 3B
Bench:Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Daniel Murpy, Martin Prado
Starting pitchers: Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Jair Jurrjens, Jordan Zimmermann.
Relievers: Craig Kimbrel, Jonny Venters, Ryan Madson.

Comments: The great thing about an all-star team is getting to imagine what it would be like if a bunch of great players got thrown together and could join forces. Like, imagine a one-two punch at the top of a lineup of Jose Reyes and Shane Victorino. What energy! Or, imagine if you could field a starting rotation with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels AND Cliff Lee! Why, that would be insane!

AL East
Starting lineup: 1. Jacoby Ellsbury - CF, 2. Curtis Granderson - LF, 3. Jose Bautista - RF, 4. Adrian Gonzalez - 1B, 5. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, 6. David Ortiz - DH, 7. Ben Zobrist - 2B, 8. Yunel Escobar - SS, 9. Matt Wieters - C
Bench:Mark Teixeira, Dustin Pedroia, Matt Joyce, Brett Gardner
Starting pitchers: CC Sabathia, David Price, James Shields, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester.
Relievers: Mariano Rivera, David Robertson, Jonathan Papelbon.

Comments: “Hey Zobrist,” Shields says, “Did you hear the exciting news? ESPN is going to broadcast all of our all-star team’s games! That’s some great exposure!” Zobrist looks down at his shoes, feeling awkward. James is so clearly thrilled, and it would be a shame to bring him down. But it’s just like his grandpa always said: Tell the truth, even if it hurts. He closes his eyes and steels himself for the task ahead. “Yes, I heard,” Zobrist says. “But there’s something you should know. When nobody on the Red Sox or Yankees is either pitching or batting, they are going to cut to a reel of Jeter’s career highlights.”

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SI.com’s Joe Lemire had a fun piece the other day about ballplayers’ at-bat music that naturally got me to daydreaming about my own hypothetical walkup tune for my professional baseball career. It’s a no-doubter for me:



Just one great song in a brilliant catalogue, which is why yesterday’s news is such a disappointment.

But this is a baseball blog, not a music blog, so in honor of The White Stripes, here is a little something on duos in baseball.

Duos in history
There are so many good ones. Gehrig and Ruth. Koufax and Drysdale. Mays and McCovey. Trammell and Whitaker. Bagwell and Biggio. Those are just a handful. And then there were the pairs whose actions went above and beyond the game, like Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson.

That new/old duo down in Florida
The Rays recently signed former Red Sox Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez. You may remember them from such hits as, “Unnecessary but oh-so-awesome diving cutoff of a throw from left field.” Their introductory press conference indicated this could be a fun year to follow the Rays, for reasons other than the AL East pennant race.

The duo that makes the mute button your best friend
There are lots of terrible baseball announcers out there, but there is something special about Joe Buck’s mayonnaisesque style combined with Tim McCarver’s complete lack of insight and special ability to talk to you like this is your first baseball game.



The double duo
The 1-2 starting rotation punch is a valued commodity, and the Phillies got one at the 2009 trade deadline when they acquired Cliff Lee to pair with Cole Hamels. Then in the offseason they changed duos, swapping Lee for Roy Halladay. The duo became a trio at the 2010 deadline with the acquisition of Roy Oswalt, and then in this offseason, the team resigned Lee as a free agent. Most franchises would be thrilled to have a duo made up of any two of those four pitchers, but the Phillies don’t have to chose. Much has been made about where this rotation will stack up historically, and it’s certainly one of the big storylines of the upcoming season.

The duo that thankfully does not exist
Vin Scully and …. anyone else. The one-man broadcast booth is a thing of the past, but fortunately not in LA, where Scully continues to be the best. And he doesn’t need some mouth-breathing former player to sit next to him reliving his glory days and criticizing the guys today for not being “gamers.”

The duo that should be readily available in every baseball stadium
There are certain distasteful truths you must accept when attending a baseball game. You are going to have to take out a second mortgage if you want to buy a beer. At some point, the PA is going to start blasting Ke$ha or some other form of lyrical diarrhea. There might be some idiot behind you yelling in your ear, and he might even blow chunks all over you. I don’t like it, obviously, but it’s the price of spending a day at the ballpark. But I don’t think it’s too much to ask for every stadium to carry grilled Hebrew National hot dogs (the best) and deli-style brown mustard (not that neon yellow crap). If I’ve got a quality, appropriately condiment-topped meal, I can deal with everything else -- except maybe the vomiting.

The most entertaining duo in baseball
This is a tie between Ozzie Guillen and a microphone, Ozzie Guillen and a video camera, and Ozzie Guillen and a tape recorder.

A duo that doesn’t make much sense
It’s a famous one from the famous song that happens during every seventh-inning stretch. But why do you say, “Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,” when cracker jack already include peanuts? Why would you want both? This has always puzzled me.

The duo that is a godsend for any baseball fan
An RSS feed and Twitter. No more having to filter through junk looking for pearls of baseball wisdom. Technology gives the baseball hype a needle of the pure stuff straight into the veins.

Duo that needs to shut up and go away The McCourts. We’ll let the Stripes speak for Los Angeles … play ‘em out, guys.



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Kent Bottenfield pitched nine largely forgettable seasons in the big leagues as a starter and reliever but stumbled on some pixie dust in 1999, when he had an 18-win all-star season that accounted for slightly more than half of his career value. A classic one-hit wonder, Bottenfield was never much good before that season – or after.

This list, however, is about the reverse-Bottenfields, players with stellar careers who suffered through a severely sub-replacement level season. Using Baseball-Reference, I looked at the worst seasons by wins above replacement (WAR) in baseball history, then picked out guys who I considered “good.” This obviously is subjective to some degree, but my standards were a sizable career (10-plus years) and solidly above average performance (OPS+ of at least 110; ERA+ of at least 110).

Here’s the list, ranked in descending order of WAR during the nightmare season.

10. Ken Singleton, 1984 Baltimore Orioles
Singleton was the third overall pick of the 1967 amateur draft, made his big league debut with the Mets in 1970 and went on to play 15 seasons in the majors. He collected 2,029 hits, 246 home runs, a 132 OPS+ and 40.6 WAR. Singleton enjoyed several terrific seasons, including in 1979, when he finished second in AL MVP voting. In 1983 he was a well above average hitter who helped the Orioles win the World Series, but he fell off a cliff the next season, hitting .215/.286/.289 for a 62 OPS+ in 403 plate appearances – all as a designated hitter. That performance resulted in -2.3 WAR and Singleton’s retirement after the season.

9. Andruw Jones, 2008 Los Angeles Dodgers
Jones, who just signed with the Yankees for his 16th big league season, burst onto the scene at age 19 in the 1996 playoffs. Since then he’s racked up 59.9 WAR on the basis of superb fielding in centerfield (third all-time in fielding WAR) and some very good offensive seasons (such as 2005, when he hit 51 HR). But after signing with the Dodgers as a free agent before the ’08 season, he showed up built like a marshmallow, batted an astounding .158/.256/.249 in 238 plate appearances, played subpar defense and hurt his knee. The end result: -2.3 WAR and his release.

8. George Bell, 1993 Chicago White Sox
Bell was a fearsome slugger for the Blue Jays in the late 80s, winning the AL MVP in 1987 and finishing fourth two other times. He moved from the Blue Jays to the Cubs in 1991, then was sent to the South Side before the 1992 season in a deal for some guy named Sammy Sosa. By 1993, Bell was a fulltime DH and was suffering from knee problems. He hit .217/.243/.363, accounted for -2.4 WAR and was released after the season, ending his career.

7. Hippo Vaughn, 1921 Chicago Cubs
James Leslie “Hippo” Vaughn was a big southpaw for the Cubs during the dead-ball era who recorded some fantastic seasons, including 1918, when he led the NL in wins, ERA, strikeouts and shutouts. He also has the distinction of throwing one half of the famous “double no-hitter” against the Reds and Fred Toney in 1917, in a game in which neither team had a hit through nine innings. He was still good in 1920, but his career ended bizarrely in 1921, when he was rocked for a 6.01 ERA in 109.1 innings and was worth -2.7 WAR. After a bad outing on July 9, he went AWOL from the team, and his family, and would up being stabbed by his father-in-law. He survived, and while a major league comeback never worked out, Hippo pitched effectively in minor and semi-pro leagues until he was 49.

6. George Scott, 1968 Boston Red Sox
Boomer made the AL All-Star team as a rookie in 1966 and was 10th in MVP voting in 1967. He went on to play 14 seasons in the big leagues with a 114 OPS+ and accumulated 30.9 WAR. Scott also possessed a good sense of humor, once responding to a reporter’s question about his shell necklace by saying it was made of second basemen’s teeth. But there was nothing vaguely funny about Scott’s 1968 season. That was one of the most pitching-heavy seasons in baseball history, but even considering offense was tremendously depressed, Scott’s output was anemic. He hit .171/.236/.237 in 387 plate appearances, good for a 39 OPS+. He actually won a gold glove at first base that season but still collected -2.9 WAR.

5. Ted Simmons, 1984 Milwaukee Brewers
Simmons was an excellent player and probably a borderline Hall of Fame candidate who never got the consideration he deserved for said honor. He certainly was one of the most productive offensive catchers of all time, although he migrated to first base and other positions later in his career. In 21 seasons, Simmons posted a 117 OPS+ and 50.4 WAR. But in 1984, he cost the Brewers 2.9 WAR. Playing DH, first base and a little third base, Simmons got 532 plate appearances and hit .221/.269/.300 for an OPS+ of 61. Surprisingly, at age 35, Simmons actually bounced back to play decently for the Brewers in ’85, then spent three more seasons as a part-time player with the Braves.

4. Roy Halladay, 2000 Toronto Blue Jays
Doc has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past 10 seasons – look no further than 2010, when he won his second Cy Young and threw a perfect game and a postseason no hitter. But 11 seasons ago, he was one of the worst pitchers in baseball history. The Blue Jays’ first-round pick in 1995 had tasted a little success in his 1999 rookie season but in 2000, he posted a 10.64 ERA in 13 starts and six relief appearances. Halladay gave up 14.2 hits per nine innings and walked 42 batters while striking out 44. He was so bad the Blue Jays sent him all the way down to Class A to start 2001, before pitching instructor Mel Queen revamped his approach and resurrected his career. Halladay has collected 54.3 WAR in his career, but in 2000, he was worth -3.2.

3. Bob Feller, 1952 Cleveland Indians
Rapid Robert enjoyed a Hall of Fame career (66.0 WAR) that would have been even greater had he not missed almost four full seasons of his prime fighting in World War II. In 1940, Feller won 27 games, completed 31 of his 37 starts, led the league in strikeouts and ERA and racked up 9.4 WAR. In his first full season back in 1946, he collected 10.1 WAR, making it one of the 20 best seasons for a pitcher ever. But Feller was fading by 1948, and in 1952 he turned in a -3.5 WAR campaign. Feller made 30 starts for the Indians that season and finished last among qualified pitchers in the AL in ERA, last in hits per nine innings and sixth-worst in K/BB ratio.

2. Jack Chesbro, 1909 New York Highlanders/ Boston Red Sox
Happy Jack pitched in an era that bears little resemblance to today. For one, the Highlanders had not yet become the Yankees. For another, take a look at his 1904 stat line: 55 games, 51 starts, 48 complete games, 454.2 innings, 41 wins. The wins total is the most by a pitcher since the turn of the 20th Century, and certainly is unrepeatable considering pitchers don’t even start 41 games in a season anymore. Chesbro was good for 8.8 WAR in ’04 and 33.2 in his career, but he didn’t exactly ride into the sunset gracefully. In 1909, he made 10 appearances (five starts) for New York and was rocked for 70 hits in 49.2 innings. He was waived and picked up by Boston but pitched just one game. Overall, he posted an ERA+ of 42 for the season and -3.6 WAR.

1. Brian Giles, 2009 San Diego Padres
Giles never was a great outfielder, that one tremendous home-run robbing catch in the left field corner in Pittsburgh notwithstanding. But he possessed an excellent blend of power and patience as a hitter, posting at least a 120 OPS+ every season from 1998-2005. In 2002 for the Pirates, he hit .298/.450/.622, and for his 15-season career, he accumulated 42.7 WAR. He was still going strong in 2008, when he hit for a 137 OPS+ and collected 3.9 WAR for the Padres. But in 2009, his age 38 season, Giles fell into that cave I’ve seen in the trailers for Sanctum. Perhaps due largely to an arthritic knee that ended his season in June, Giles posted the third-worst season by a position player in baseball history, with -3.9 WAR. His defense in right field was poor, but Giles also hit .191/.277/.271 for a 52 OPS+. He went to camp with the Dodgers the next spring but quickly retired.

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2009: 93-69, 1st in NL East (lost in World Series). Pythagorean record of 92-70.
Key Additions: SP Roy Halladay, 3B Placido Polanco, C Brian Schneider, RPs Danys Baez, Jose Contreras, IB/OF Ross Gload
Key Losses: SPs Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, 3B Pedro Feliz, RPs Chan Ho Park, Scott Eyre and Brett Myers, PH Matt Stairs, C Paul Bako
2010 Projections: PECOTA – 90-72, 1st in NL East. CHONE – 87-75, 2nd (Wildcard). CAIRO – 91.7-70.3, 1st.

Pitching: 2009 – 4.36 FIP (17th in MLB), 4.46 for starters, 4.17 for relievers
2010 – Halladay is an upgrade over Lee, but not a huge one. Cole Hamels should have a better season than he did in 2009, although J.A. Happ will have a hard time repeating his rookie numbers. Brad Lidge, looking to rebound from an awful season, will begin this year on the DL.
Hitting: 2009 – .340 wOBA (5th in MLB)
2010 – The Phillies have one of the best, most dynamic offenses in the game and will benefit from subtracting Feliz in favor of Polanco. The Yankees might be the only team with a better offensive infield.
Fielding: 2009 – UZR of 27.9 (8th in MLB)
2010 – Feliz was a solid defensive third baseman, while Polanco hasn't played the position since 2005. Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins form a great middle infield, while Jayson Werth is superb in right field.

Reasons to Watch
1. Jamie Moyer: It looks like Moyer is going to be the Phillies' No. 5 starter to begin the season. As Rob Neyer points out, this puts him in basically uncharted territory for a 47-year-old. It's not likely Moyer will be very effective at his age, but then again, the odds were strongly against him being around at all at this point. It's a unique situation and definitely one to follow.
2. Brad Lidge: Lidge, who has undergone surgeries on his knee and elbow, is not going to be ready for the beginning of the season (along with fellow reliever J.C. Romero). The question is how he will pitch one he's back. Philly's closer has been on a roller coaster in recent years, going from a 1.95 ERA and 41-for-41 in saves in 2008 to 7.21 and 31-for-42 last season, when his knee apparently bothered him a lot. Lidge at the top of his game would be a boon for the Phillies' bullpen, but it's far from clear he will get back to that point.
3. Roy Halladay: Doc has enjoyed a long and successful career already, with a Cy Young Award, a pair of 20-win seasons and a 3.43 ERA, among other accomplishments. Yet in all his years in Toronto, the Blue Jays finished better than third in their division once. That was in 2006, when they finished 10 games behind the Yankees and eight behind the Tigers in the wild card race. If things go according to plan though, Halladay will finally get to pitch in the playoffs in 2010, a just reward for a great pitcher.

Paint By Numbers: Chase Utley, with his combination of elite hitting and stellar fielding at a premium position, put up the fourth-highest wins above replacement total in 2009. For good measure, Utley led the majors in HBP, with seven more than anyone else, and stole 23 bases without being caught. Nobody else swiped more than 12 bags while having a perfect percentage. ... Ryan Howard had the second-highest rate of home runs per fly ball even though his 25.4 percent mark was the lowest he has put up in a full season. ... Cole Hamels' ERA jumped from 3.09 to 4.32 last season, but his FIP was 3.72, exactly the same as the year before. His BABIP jumped from .270 to .325, but if it comes back down in 2010 as it should, Hamels should return to something like his 2008 performance.

Blog Jog: Crashburn Alley's Bill Baer previews the Phillies for The Hardball Times. Included is a deeper explanation of why Hamels is due for a rebound. ... At Crashburn Alley, Baer takes Eric Polsky's work with "DVORP" -- Dollar Value Over Replacement Player -- and puts a Phillies spin on it. ... Dash Treyhorn of The Fightins discusses Moyer as the team's fifth starter and what effect that would have on the rest of the pitching staff. ... The Good Phight has an in-depth look at the Phillies' options regarding the contract situations of Ryan Howard and Jason Werth.

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First off, sorry for the long delay between posts. I’ve taken a new job that involved moving across the country, and things got a little hectic on me.

But now I’m operational again, and it’s coming at the perfect time, as pitchers and catchers start reporting to Spring Training Feb. 17 (although some teams wait until the 21st). To mark the occasion, I’ll be posting a different list looking ahead at the new season every day between now and when the first camps open.

Since there are six days left until Feb. 17, today's list is "6 Most Interesting Off-Season Moves." These aren't necessarily the biggest or most important moves, just the ones that caught my attention the most.

Phillies acquire Roy Halladay from Blue Jays and deal Cliff Lee to the Mariners
This was the biggest deal of the offseason and also the most interesting because of the Phillies' decision to swap aces. Philly could have gotten Halladay and still kept Lee, but apparently felt that would have left their farm system in bad shape. Still, the prospects they gave up for Halladay are more highly regarded than those they picked up for Lee, and you have to wonder whether the difference between the two pitchers is big enough to make it all worthwhile. The Phillies still look like serious World Series contenders this season, but this pair of trades was a little puzzling.

Red Sox sign Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre
Neither Cameron nor Beltre has a particularly bigtime reputation, and they're both low batting average hitters. But both players are productive at the plate and superb with the glove -- Cameron in center field and Beltre at third base. These signings indicate Boston's newfound dedication to run prevention, something the organization shares with other cutting-edge teams like the Mariners and A's. Beltre and Cameron figure to be difference-makers in what could be a very tight AL East race.

Cardinals name Mark McGwire hitting coach; Cubs name Rudy Jaramillo hitting coach
Putting aside the hubub of McGwire's PED admission, his hiring and that of Jaramillo are interesting as they relate to the issue of a batting coach's real impact on a team. The importance of these coaches at the big league level tends to be overstated in my opinion, making them easy scapegoats during tough times. But it will be fascinating to see how these two guys do. The Cubs' offense is poised for a rebound regardless of coaching, as it's hard to believe players like Geovany Soto and Alfonso Soriano will be as bad as they were last season, but Jaramillo has a sterling reputation and could provide an extra boost. McGwire has gotten glowing reviews from players who have worked with him privately and might make a difference for Cardinals hitters not named Albert Pujols.

Royals sign Jason Kendall to a two-year contract
The Royals have made a litany of baffling moves recently, but this signing stands out. How does a team that figures to be nowhere near a playoff race justify not only signing the aging Kendall, but to a two-year deal? Of course, the easy answer is some mythical combination of "veteran leadership" and "grit," but the fact is that Kendall hasn't managed an OBP above .331 or a slugging percentage above .324 the past three seasons. In other words, he's an offensive liability, even for a catcher. The Royals could have signed someone younger and cheaper to do just as poorly, but if they did that, they wouldn't be the Royals.

A's sign Ben Sheets
Sheets missed all of last season after having elbow surgery and has started 25 or more games only once since 2004. But the small-market A's, looking to compete in what figures to be a rough-and-tumble AL West, outbid the competition for his services, inking Sheets to a one-year deal worth $10 million plus incentives. Will Sheets help keep Oakland in the playoff race, or at least stay healthy long enough to get flipped for prospects at the trade deadline? That remains to be seen.

Cubs trade Milton Bradley to Mariners for Carlos Silva
This was one of those classic "our problem for your problem" deals. Bradley had worn out his welcome in Chicago, to put it mildly, having been suspended from the team late in the season. Silva was making a lot of money and pitching terribly in Seattle. Basically this trade boiled down to the Cubs taking on the final two years of Silva's horrid deal in exchange for getting rid of Bradley plus acquiring some cash, which went toward signing Marlon Byrd. But while Bradley's situation in Chicago probably was untenable, he figures to produce a lot more than Silva this season and could be a real asset to the M's.

Tomorrow: 5 Intriguing Players to Watch in '10

There’s not usually much reason to talk about Roy Halladay and Jason Marquis in the same breath.

To put it in simple terms, one is an elite pitcher, while the other is an average hurler who has some value as a back-of-the-rotation innings-eater. But both pitchers now have changed teams this off-season, and it’s interesting to note that movement for one reason: These two guys are going in complete opposite directions.

Halladay has pitched 12 seasons in the big leagues, all with Toronto, and made the same amount of postseason appearances as I have. Such is life in the AL East. Marquis, on the other hand, has pitched 10 seasons for four different organizations (Braves, Cardinals, Cubs and Rockies) but never been on a team that didn’t make the playoffs.

Of course, Halladay is now headed to the back-to-back NL champion Phillies in a blockbuster trade, while Marquis inked a free-agent deal with the moribund Washington Nationals. If Marquis makes the playoffs again, it means either he was dealt to a contender at the trade deadline, or Stephen Strasburg cloned himself three times and brought his four selves up to The Show early to team with Marquis.

Halladay’s story is nothing particularly new. In all sports, great players who have been stuck on bad or mediocre teams have jumped to contenders later in their careers and finally gotten a sweet taste of the postseason. It’s Marquis’ story that is more interesting.

Despite pitching on a lot of good teams, including two that made it to the World Series, Marquis actually hasn’t pitched much in the playoffs. As a result of smaller postseason rotations and his common second-half slides (career 4.88 ERA in the second half, compared with 4.16 in the first half), Marquis has made a total of 11 playoff appearances and three starts. He didn’t pitch at all in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006 or 2007. Last season with Colorado, he made the All-Star team and then made just one relief appearance in the NLDS against the Phillies.

So while Halladay desperately wanted to make his mark in October, perhaps Marquis just wanted to avoid the stress of getting squeezed off another playoff roster.

Mission accomplished.