An untradeable player has been traded

In each of the last two seasons I have included Vernon Wells in one of my How can they trade that untradeable contract? posts.

One for the blog after the 2009 season... one for The Hardball Times after the 2010 season.

Well, it took Adrian Beltre, Carl Crawford and just about every other player in creation to turn down the Angels to do it... but the Blue Jays found a suitor.

Vernon is heading to Los Angeles.
And then drive about an hour south and wind up in Anaheim. But let's for the sake of argument call it Los Angeles.

I personally think it is a terrific move for the Angels.
Wells is a stand up guy with talent. And he should fit in well with the organization and the lineup.

Please spare us all the indignity of breaking down his play and his WAR, VORP and OPS+. That's not what this move is about.

As I wrote before, this is about a change going to do him good.
He signed that gigantic contract to stay in Toronto. And it became his legacy and identity.

He even had to wear the hairshirt and indignity of having to admit he wasn't worth the contract.

It was time for a change of scenery. As much as he clearly loved Toronto, and as much as I thought him having a Todd Helton moment would have been super cool, he had to go.

I had him for two years in a row going to the Cubs. I thought the natural surface and a fresh start with a fan base would be ideal. But now he is off to a model organization with a good pitching staff, Kendry Morales should be back and no doubt Torii Hunter will welcome him with open arms.

He'll be playing for a potential Hall of Fame manager and will no doubt be in a pennant race.

And he won't have the constant reminder that his contract his too big.

Can you say "relaxed"? Can you "rejuvenated"? Can you say "big season for a guy who actually made the All Star team in 2010"?

Not bad for an untradeable player.

What if Dice-K is good again?

Seriously, was ANY Red Sox fan counting on Dice K for squat this year?
Wasn't the consensus that the Daisuke Matsuzaka era in Boston was grinding down to a whimper?

And yeah he had a great game on Monday. But that was a Patriots Day game and most visiting batters' timing tends to be off with the early Patriots Day start.

So I guess it was easy to dismiss 7 innings of 1 hit ball.

But is it so easy to dismiss 8 innings of 1 hit ball on the road?

That's 15 shutout innings where he let up 2 hits total in his last 2 starts.

Couple this with Beckett's unexpected return to form and it is similar to finding a pair of $20 bills in an old jacket.

I wasn't even COUNTING on those two. What if they give the Sox a good year? What if Buchholz finds his stuff again?

And do you REALLY think Carl Crawford will bat .154 all year?
Do you REALLY think Kevin Youkilis is a .217 hitter?

They will start to hit. (Today they both DID hit.)

Suddenly the Sox, 7-1 in their last 8 games, don't look so helpless.

(I made a 7-11 joke about their record. I just can NOT make a 9-11 joke.)

Hisanori Takahashi better be buying drinks after this game

Seriously, Hisanori Takahashi was a whole lot of suck for the Angels in the first two games of their series with the Red Sox.

Aces Jeff Weaver and Dan Haren got the losses, but they actually pitched well.
Jeff Weaver went 6 innings with 3 earned runs on Monday

Dan Haren was throwing a shutout today into the 6th and finished with 7+ innings, 4 runs, 8 strikeouts and no walks.

But Takahashi gave up 2 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning on Monday. Then today he let up 2 more homers and 3 earned runs in a single inning.

That's 5 earned runs in 1 1/3 innings of late relief. Two tight games that turned into blowouts. I am not even including 2 come from behind wins against two of the best pitchers in the AL on my Dodged Bullet/Teeth Grinder ledger because Takahashi made the games no brainers.

Seriously Takahashi. Pick up the tab at the bar.

Sully Baseball celebrates Mike Scioscia’s WTF expression

I see a lot of Angels games because I live in Los Angeles county (unlike the Los Angeles Angels.) And I see a lot of cut aways to the Angels dugout when something goes slightly wrong with the Halos.

His expression tends to be truly awesome… a combination of confusion and disgust.

Scioscia is the best manager in the game, so when he is giving the WTF, it is with good reason.

Thank heaven, the Sox are 7-11

It isn't often that I can mix two terrible jokes into one title.
But you have the Heaven part, which can be tied to the Angels.

And you have the 7-11 joke, which is the Sox record.

And the ONLY POSSIBLE way that 7-11 can be looked on positively is the fact that the Sox were once 2-10. So winning 5 of 6 is always welcomed.

Do you what is ALSO welcomed? Another kick ass Josh Beckett performance. The bats of the Sox somehow averaged 4 runners left of base per inning. But Beckett once again was great, giving the Sox 8 strong before the boys scratched it out in the 11th.

I wouldn't mind seeing Crawford, oh I don't know... HIT!

But I should calm down and have a Slurpie.
The Sox are winning, and that's all that matters.

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 4

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 6

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picke doff, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)

-2.

Nothing can wipe away the stench of a bad start like a good stretch.

And I will NEVER get this kind of corporate synergy again.
Hope you enjoyed the advertising, 7-11!

Heavenly

The Angels were my pre season pick to win the AL Pennant.
They seem like a damn good team.

And yet they are 0-5 against the Red Sox this year.

In Non Red Sox games they are 16-8.

Go figure. This one turned into a laugher and I can't put it into the Dodged Bullet category... even with Weaver pitching a Buchholz looking shaky at times.

The nice fat 6 run 7th took any doubt out of this one.

Next is Lester versus Haren... MY Cy Young pick versus a guy that a lot of other people picked.

I'd like to see my pick go DOWN.
We'll see. The Sox - Angels games have been heaven for me so far.

Who picked Dan Haren to win the Cy Young?

In my official picks for 2011, I had Dan Haren taking home the Cy Young.
My predictions are so often so terrible that one starts to look good, I need to gloat.

4 games in, a 3-0 record with a 0.73 ERA.
Tonight he threw a 1 hitter tonight. No doubt some number cruncher will tell me why he actually sucked in this game, but I'll give him credit.

And while he got a tough no decision in his first start of the season, he picked up a vulture win as a reliever 3 days ago... and then took the mound tonight and went 9.

Sounds like an ace to me.

The reawakening of Vernon Wells - My latest for The Hardball Times

In my latest for The Hardball Times, I speculate about Vernon Wells and the potentially joyful season he might be having for the Angels. My reasons are not based on stats but rather emotions, which means the commenters will probably hate my guts.

Ahh well.

You can read the whole article here.

Sully Baseball's Official 2011 Picks... bet on these at your own risk!

In my entire life, I have predicted the World Series champion accurately a grand total of once in my life.



I picked the 1999 New York Yankees to win it all.

Not exactly a brave pick on my part.



Since then...

I picked the Braves to win the 2000 World Series.

I picked the Yankees to win the 2001 World Series.

I picked the A's to win the 2002 World Series.

I picked the Cardinals to win the 2003 World Series.

I picked the Astros to win the 2004 World Series.

I picked the Twins to win the 2005 World Series.

I picked the White Sox to win the 2006 World Series.

I picked the Angels to win the 2007 World Series.

I picked the Red Sox to win the 2008 World Series.

I picked the A's to win the 2009 World Series.

I picked the Yankees to win the 2010 World Series.



So which team am I giving the Kiss of Death to for 2011?



Here are my Division Picks



AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST - Boston Red Sox



AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL – Chicago White Sox



AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim



AMERICAN LEAGUE WILD CARD – New York Yankees



NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST – Philadelphia Phillies



NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL – Cincinnati Reds



NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST – San Francisco Giants



NATIONAL LEAGUE WILD CARD – Florida Marlins





ALCS – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim def. Boston Red Sox in 7

NLCS – Philadelphia Phillies def. Cincinnati Reds in 4



WORLD SERIES – Philadelphia Phillies def. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 5



Award Predictions



AL MVP – Kevin Youkilis, Boston

NL MVP – Hanley Ramirez, Florida

AL Cy Young – Dan Haren, Los Angeles

NL Cy Young – Josh Johnson, Florida

AL Rookie of the Year – Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay

NL Rookie of the Year – Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati

AL Manager of the Year – Ozzie Guillen, Chicago

NL Manager of the Year – Bruce Bochy, San Francisco

AL Comeback Player of the Year – Grady Sizemore, Cleveland

NL Comeback Player of the Year – Aaron Harang, San Diego



First AL Manager fired – Jim Leyland, Detroit

First NL Manager fired – Jim Riggleman, Washington





So there you have it… Phillies fans, I hope you weren’t hoping for a parade this year. I think your team is going to win, which means DOOM!

Hey Arte! You can still make this biggest splash this off season!

Arte Moreno, I understand you aren't happy that the Angels stayed home this October. Since you took over the Angels in 2003 (when they were still the defending champs), the Angels have made the playoffs in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009... yet have yet to make it past the ALCS under your guidance.

I know that this year with the injuries and Kendry Morales breaking his own damn leg must have killed you.

AND seeing Vlady Guerrero make it to the World Series in a RANGERS uniform must have burned you inside.

And you want to make a splash... like you did with Vlad who won an MVP in Anaheim. And Bartolo Colon who won a Cy Young. And Torii Hunter, who is now the face of the franchise.

And yeah, Carl Crawford would have fit in perfectly with the Angels.
So would have Jayson Werth.

But don't get mad.
WIN THE OFF SEASON!

It's very simple.
Offer Cliff Lee an 8th season.

Get the biggest free agent on the market and bring him to the Angels. Have him pitch with Jared Weaver and Danny Haren and Ervin Santana, giving the Angels the best rotation in the American League.

Yeah, 8 years is nots nuts, but trust me... you want to play in a nutty game right now and with one bold move you can the Angels so much better and pull the rug out of so many other teams.



It would devastate the Rangers... you know the team that actually won the pennant. Remember them? Your chief rivals?

Improving at THEIR expense is a good way to play October ball.


It would continue to take attention away from the Dodgers, who are only in the news in divorce court these days.

The Dodgers should have traded for Cliff Lee in 2009 and it cost them a pennant. Now have him play in Orange County.



Lest we forget that signing Cliff Lee would make this a disastrous winter for the Yankees. They lost out on Crawford and so far all they have to show for this off season is NOT losing Jeter and Rivera (and they could STILL lose Pettitte.)

Everyone and their moose thinks Lee is signing with the Yankees.
Shock everyone. And tell him "You can avoid the New York media and still have a great chance to win a title. And one title is all they need in Anaheim."

And while the Angels have played well against the Yankees in the past, it is a wise policy to try and avoid them in October.

So come on! You know you want to raise a World Series trophy as owner. You can do it by patiently building a team up through the farms system and having the chips fall the right way in the playoffs.

The Angels did that in 2002.

Now it is time for a good old fashioned bought pennant.

Will Cliff Lee still be an elite pitcher in 8 years?
Who knows and who cares?

If he's led the Angels to a few pennants and a World Series title, then it will all be worth it.

So buck up Arte. Make the offer.
You clearly have some dough to spend. Use the cash that was ear marked for Carl Crawford.

Even if you regret it, you'll still be loved in Boston for keeping Cliff Lee out of the Bronx... and that's worth SOMETHING.

Hey! The Angels game is over!

Bobby Abreu finally had enough and hit one out.
I have a question for you Angels fans who were actually still there in the 14th.

Did you get any reward by the Angels for sticking around?
A pin. A ticket. A stuffed monkey.

If you were there to the end, then you don't need to prove your loyalty to the Angels in any other way.

Oh just stop playing, Angels and Mariners!

The Angels and Mariners are in the 13th inning in the town of Los Angeles of Anaheim.

2 dead from the neck up and going nowhere in a hurry playing out the string in mid September are 13 innings into this game.

There must be a rule to just end this game.

I mean if Bud Selig can end an All Star Game as a tie, can't they step in and say "Folks... this won't affect the standings or the history of either team. You saw 13 innings. Get back on to the 5 and go home!"?

They have Defensive Indifference.

Why not "Outcome Indifference"?

A. L. West... you blew it

Back in late June, I pointed out that the history of the Texas Rangers contain one gigantic summer swoon after another as the team melts in the heat.

I said that I wasn't buying them until they make it through the summer.

And guess what?

They had a bad August.

With today's loss (and Cliff Lee's latest meltdown... he had better turn it on in October or else he is costing himself millions of dollars!) the Rangers finished August 13-15.

Guess who else had a lousy August?

THE ENTIRE AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST!!!

Oakland finished 13-15.

The Angels finished 11-16.

Seattle, a non factor, wrapped up the month with a win to improve to 13-14.

The entire division finished below .500 for August. The Rangers started the month with an 8 1/2 game lead, played sub .500 ball and finished the month with an 8 1/2 game lead.

Had the A's or the Angels played winning ball this month, there might be a pennant race in the West. There might be a little suspense.

Instead we are all but certain to have a Division Series in Texas which, by the looks of things, will mean they would get whipped by the Rays or the Yankees... unless of course Cliff Lee turns things around.

Either way, the Rangers gave you an opening... and the rest of the division just stared at their toes.

I don't have a horse in the A. L. West race. I want it to be competitive.

With the A's folding and the Angels trading away their closer, it doesn't seem like it will be.

Thanks... thanks a lot.

I wasn't wrong about the Rangers

Back on June 21, I wrote that I wasn't buying the Rangers.

I had seen this story before... the Rangers get off to an amazing start, everyone starts thinking they are for real. Then the summer kicks in and they wilt away.

In late June as the Rangers finished an 11 game winning streak (and won 14 out of 15) they opened up a 4 1/2 game lead over the Angels and looked for real.

Since then they've had a losing record (23-25) and in August they've lost 10 of 16 games and 8 of their last 11 games... just as they've ALWAYS done in August.

They've lost 4 straight (including a sweep by the Rays) and it's been nearly 2 weeks since they've won 2 in a row.

In other words my prediction was right.

Here's what I DIDN'T predict... the rest of the Division would be such garbage.

Actually the A's have been good. They've played 6 games over .500 since the Rangers winning streak.

Here's the problem... they were 6 games UNDER .500 then.

Meanwhile the Angels have collapsed to a 20-27 record since and the Mariners? Yikes... they are just 18-31 (and a fired manager) since.

It helps to win a Division when the rest of the teams have to have winning streaks to reach break even.

There's about 3 more weeks until Labor Day.

Can the Rangers blow a 7 game lead? Just ask the Mets if that is possible.

It's still hot in Texas, and I haven't been wrong yet.

2 out of 3 isn't good enough

For my friends who think I am being cynical about the Red Sox 2010 chances and that I am already looking towards 2011, let me present today's game.

Beckett was great for 5 then got hammered and the Red Sox not only lost but it wasn't even a teeth grinder.

They took 2 of 3 from the Angels... and it wasn't good enough.

They needed to SWEEP in order to even keep pace with the Yankees.

In trying to make up nearly a week of games with a month and a half to go, they need a 5 or 6 game winning streak... winning series is inadequate.

2 out of 3 might be fine for Meat Loaf, but not for the 2010 Red Sox.