Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Another season under the belt and now we look forward to 2017.
While it seems apparent that Theo Epstein has built the Cubs to be competitive for the foreseeable future, what about Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Both took severe dives this season, the Royals finishing at .500 and the Pirates returning to their sub .500 ways after three successful seasons.
Does this mean that the competitive windows for these clubs have closed and they must go into rebuilding modes before they are once more relevant in the race?
What about the Braves? They came thundering down the stretch with a 16-10 September. Is that reflective of how they will play in 2017 or was it just a seasonal fluke?
I like the Royals & Pirates to rebound. KC has a Giants-like core to compete in the playoffs years down the road. They're just missing a starter who did what Cueto did in '15 and the Moustakas injury hurt them in '16. The other contenders in the AL Central also have a ton of question marks around. The Pirates just have too much of a talented core (Cole, McCutchen, Marte, Polanco, Taillon) still so they'll have a few more years.
An obvious window that might be closed is the Blue Jays with EE moving on.
I'm very interested to see what these larger payroll teams with deep farm systems such as the Yankees & Boston and what trades they make. The Yankees have been on a roll since June/July stockpiling & rebuilding. The process quickly went from 3-4 years away to maybe 1-2. They're too large of a market to just sit back and not make a trade. Dombroski is notorious for trading prospects to keep his team competitive. I'm very interested to see who Boston's trade targets are.
FWIW the Pirates were still in the wild card hunt into September so even if they ended up below .500 I'd still call it a successful season in terms of keeping fans interested and engaged. But really I don't see them or anyone else in the NL Central challenging the Cubs for the foreseeable future.
FWIW the Pirates were still in the wild card hunt into September so even if they ended up below .500 I'd still call it a successful season in terms of keeping fans interested and engaged. But really I don't see them or anyone else in the NL Central challenging the Cubs for the foreseeable future.
I wouldn't count out the Cards either. Their organization keeps developing enough talent to keep them pretty competitive. Still sad though what could've been with an emerging Oscar Taveras in this lineup.
I'm just happy that the Tigers will be returning to Arizona this coming season. It will probably cost me some paid or unpaid time off but it's two games I will be looking forward to.
Angels really needed an OFer. Tigers get back pitcher Victor Alcantara. Alcantara is a hard throwing starter who hasn't been successful.
More to come
Maybin has been a disappointment in Miami, in San Diego and in Atlanta. Last season in part time play, he finally came through with a decent performance (.315/.383/.416 3.1WAR) for the Tigers.......and they get rid of him.
Of course it is more logical to assume that Maybin is the .694 career OPS player he had been until posting an .810 OPS for Detroit. Before that, Maybin's greatest claim to fame was the big name players who have been involved in trades that sent Maybin elsewhere. Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis and Craig Kimbrel have all been players traded for Maybin at various times.
Maybin has been a disappointment in Miami, in San Diego and in Atlanta. Last season in part time play, he finally came through with a decent performance (.315/.383/.416 3.1WAR) for the Tigers.......and they get rid of him.
Of course it is more logical to assume that Maybin is the .694 career OPS player he had been until posting an .810 OPS for Detroit. Before that, Maybin's greatest claim to fame was the big name players who have been involved in trades that sent Maybin elsewhere. Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis and Craig Kimbrel have all been players traded for Maybin at various times.
Angel LFers hit .204/.271/.313 about 40% (OPS+) worse than a league average hitter last year.
Maybe can be pretty bad and still be an improvement.
Indians status quo + left hander out of the pen should do.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
