Waiver Deadline

I wasn't planning on posting until after the NFL opener on Sept. 9th but since the MLB waiver trading deadline is tonight I thought it would be worth mentioning two trades that have hit the headlines. Last week, Manny Ramirez was placed on waivers and claimed about a day or so later by the Chicago White Sox. The move is good on both sides because the Chisox are in the middle of a division race and Manny's bat could provide some punch for what is an already better than average roster. I don't think they will catch the Twins in the AL Central however. Consider that the Twins have been one of, if not the best team in baseball since the All-Star break and Joe Mauer, the game's best catcher, has been on a tear hitting over .320 since the break. All of this is being done however without Justin Morneau, on what would seem a nearly annual basis.But you ask me, "What about the Wild Card?" Very true...what about that Wild Card. That ladies and gentlemen is reserved for one of the three teams fighting for 1st place in the AL East. The Yankees and Rays have been deadlocked for the division lead for seven days, a Major League record for this late in the season. And the Red Sox, who despite a massive number of injuries, have managed to stay alive in what would seem to be the most competitive division in baseball. I personally think that the Yankees will win anywhere from 100-105 games this year and win the division, with the Tampa Bay Rays winning the Wild Card.

Now we move to the "just end the season" New York Mets. About 20 or so minutes ago, the Mets traded Jeff Francoeur to the Texas Rangers for infielder Joaquin Arias. Lets get to the point here. Most Mets fans knew that this was going to be Jeff's last season with the Mets regardless of how he played the final month of the season. When I had heard about the Mets dealing Ryan Church to Atlanta for Jeff, I was happy about the trade. Church could play everyday in Atlanta and not have the scrutiny of New York to irk him. Jeff is very young and had a huge upside. The main problem for him is that he is a very anxious hitter. He almost always swings at the first pitch, and in most cases ends up striking out on three pitches. When he broke into the league, he was considered one of the best young hitters in the game, when teams got a scouting report on him, his numbers over the last few seasons have declined. This season Jeff started out as the Mets hottest hitter with an average of over .400 in the very early season. We all knew that it wasn't going to last but to get off to a red hot start could have been an indication of the season to come. However, the REAL indicator came in the 20 inning game on a Saturday night in April against the St. Louis Cardinals. Just about every Mets player who came to bat had a hit. Jeff went 0-7. It dropped his average to about the .350 mark, which by many standards is incredible, but it only turned out to be the inflated numbers of April. After that game, his season has never been the same.

Jeff seemed like a great clubhouse guy and seemed to like New York, but not producing in New York will get you the boot. Personally, I am happy for Jeff because he is now thrown into a pennant race with a division leader. If the Rangers hitting staff could get Jeff to stop swinging so early in the count, as in the first pitch, he could be a very dangerous hitter.

Good Luck Jeff