Baseball

Originally, I was a little disappointed on Christmas morning to discover that one of the requests on my free agent wish list, Carlos Delgado, was not fulfilled.

A few weeks back, I profiled why a swap of Eric Byrnes for Luis Castillo would make sense for both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Mets.

by Caesar Cliffius

Dontrelle Willis had one of the most promising baseball careers of anyone in MLB when he was the National League's Rookie of the Year in 2003.

He helped lead the Florida Marlins to their second World Series Championship in 10 years. He was 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA and averaged eight strikeouts every nine innings. He also threw two shutouts in his rookie year.

It seems like it has been an eternity.

It seems like a different time, a different place, and a much different team. Once upon a time, there was hope in Queens, and while it certainly seems like that was an eternity ago, it has actually only been five years.

Think about what it was like to be a Mets fan during the fall and winter of 2004.

Shortly after the season ended, Trevor Hoffman and the Brewers came to terms on a one year/$8 million contract that kept Hoffman in Milwaukee through 2010 and potentially even 2011, thanks to a mutual option.

We all know what Dan Uggla can bring to the table—a lead pipe for a bat and a lead glove to match it.  With the rumors swirling of a possible trade that would land the All-Star second baseman in Atlanta, many concerns have arose, mainly about his defense, or lack thereof.

Is Uggla's defense as bad as it is perceived to be?  The simple answer is no. 

Although he has never been or will never be a Gold Glove caliber defender, he is far from having the "lead" glove eluded to earlier.  The fans misconception of Uggla started back in 2008. 

As I continue to fine-tune my pitching projections, there is a major shakeup in the rankings.  Names like Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez and Javier Vazquez saw a major change in their rankings from the first time around. 

Let’s take a look at how things currently stand, but again keep in mind that these still have plenty of room to change as draft day grows closer.

Every year, I choose two MLB teams, one in each league, and hop onto their bandwagons in March.  Now, I do not confuse my loyalties, as I always remain a Rays and Braves fan, but bandwagon teams make the season more fun.  This year, I have hopped onto the bandwagons of Cincinnati and Seattle.

(For the record, I had hopped onto Seattle's bandwagon after the Chone Figgins signing, before the Cliff Lee trade.)

As we go on during this offseason, we can see that certain teams are going to go through rebuilding stages. One of these teams is the Cleveland Indians.

Fausto Carmona is not necessarily on the trading block, but it is said that the Indians are open to listen to offers for him in order to help their rebuilding process.

The Indians may be hesitant to move him, but he has had two lousy seasons, and the asking price for him shouldn't be that high.

All right, I'm "hosting" a "Salary Cap Summit."

Let's work out the numbers; how's this going to work?

I'll lay out the criteria we MUST arrive at (hey, it's my article) and then moderate.

ONE : The cap must not unduly penalize the currently rich. That means that (sorr, Goon) there's no trying to punish the Yankees, etc., for their CURRENT or PAST sins. Only Samuel Jackson is allowed to be vengeful.

Please check your past frustrations at the door.