Baseball

There are a few impending events that will affect the Toronto Blue Jays and, therefore, us fans.

I'd like to present some crystal ball musings - since these events don't really seem connected, some "big-picture" tying together is needed.

First, Roy Halladay is going to either the Yankees or Red Sox.

Notice I didn't qualify this statement: If someone (like the Angels or Dodgers) is going to win the Doc, then there is going to have to be an offer made that's so monumental that NOBODY could have predicted it.

Few teams have dominated a World Series the way the Los Angeles Dodgers dominated in 1963.

The Dodgers won 99 games during the season, and faced the defending World Champion Yankees in the Series for the first time since they abandoned Brooklyn.

Outstanding Los Angeles Pitching

Sandy Koufax had the first of his four outstanding years, going 25-5 with a minuscule 1.88 ERA, a 159 ERA+, and an 0.875 WHIP.

While Derek Jeter may have missed out on winning the American League MVP Award to Joe Mauer, this is one award no one can take away from him.

It was announced today that Jeter will be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year.

2009 stats: 1.35 ERA, 53.1 IP, 42/4 K/BB, 0.675 WHIP at GCL (Rook)
Last year’s rank: Not ranked
Acquired: Sixth round selection of the Minnesota Twins in the 2008 draft

The Boston Red Sox need a shortstop.

It’s as simple as that.

It’s time for the club to forget about acquiring ace Roy Halladay or a slugging first baseman like Adrian Gonzalez or Miguel Cabrera.

Type A free agency must be an incredible power that changes a man because it sounds like the temptation of playing for big money with a perennial playoff contender might be going to Marco Scutaro's head.

MLBTR recently reported that Scutaro's preferred destinations are the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers because they give him the best chance of playing in the postseason.

Young shortstops are getting a lot of focus these days, but the names generally mentioned are Alcides Escobar and Elvis Andrus.  There’s a third speedster who belongs to be included in that group, the Padres’ Everth Cabrera.

Before we get into too much detail, let’s take a look at his line from last season:

377 At Bats
.255 Batting Average (96 Hits)
2 Home Runs
31 RBI
59 Runs
25 Stolen Bases
.342 On Base Percentage
.361 Slugging Percentage
.328 Batting Average on Balls in Play

Edgar Martinez has made the final list of eligibility for the 2010 MLB Hall of Fame, and it’s a deserving achievement.

Martinez is deserving to be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and when the voters sit down to decide if he should have their vote, they should make the correct decision and induct him.

He won't turn 26 until January, but Josh Johnson might be one of the better pitchers to become available this winter.

Johnson stands to receive a substantial raise from his 2009 salary of $1.4 million after posting a 15-5 record with 191 strikeouts in 209 innings pitched. Standing 6-7 and weighing 240 pounds, Johnson is physically intimidating and backs it up with phenomenal stuff.

While every one now is pondering why Roy Halladay is needed on the Yankees (he isn't), I want to focus on the first important deal that Brian Cashman will attempt to get done.