TUCSON, Ariz. - Spring training is winding down but questions remain.
What were they thinking?
Texas is a team that has a high-octane offense but a pitching staff that forces parents to cover their children's eyes, and so what was the big off-season move? Trading its best young pitcher, Edinson Volquez, to add a bat, Josh Hamilton. No knock on Hamilton. He's a legitimate offensive force. But guess what the biggest concern is in Texas? Right. It's pitching. Guess what's up with Volquez? He's in the Reds rotation. The White Sox trade a pitcher who is good for 15 wins and 200 innings, Jon Garland, to the Angels for shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who is a nice player, but he doesn't have the range, arm strength, hands or power potential of Juan Uribe, who the White Sox already had, and who is now playing second base. Wouldn't it seem that a team that has a quality arm to deal would fill a major need? Pitchers Kyle Lohse and Josh Fogg, who both passed on solid offers to remain with teams that appreciated their value, spent the winter searching the free-agent market, and wound up being bargain signs — Lohse in St. Louis and Fogg with the Reds.Who's flying under the radar?
Atlanta. Yeah, it's hard to ignore a team that won 14 consecutive division titles, but the Braves seem quickly dismissed after back-to-back third place finishes and all the hype about the Mets and Phillies. That doesn't bother the folks in Atlanta. Manager Bobby Cox has never been big on pub. The Braves have their pitching staff back in order, and a better balance to their lineup this year, which has them primed to climb back to the top of the division. Cincinnati. In the wide-open NL Central, the Reds have made some interesting moves. With young arms stepping into voids in the rotation, a gamble that closer Francisco Cordero isn't a baseball meteor about to crash to the ground, a run-scoring offense and the energy of new manager Dusty Baker, don't sell the Reds short. Minnesota. OK, Johan Santana is now with the Mets, and Torii Hunter is making his home in Anaheim. But the Twins do still have an offensive nucleus, and quality arms for the rotation. They have a primo closer in Joe Nathan. They sent a message during the spring by signing Nathan that they aren't going to just clean house. And they have beefed up the infield defense. And it's not like there aren't potentially fatal flaws in the bullpens of Detroit and Cleveland.Why so shocked?
Tampa Bay sent out 3B prospect Evan Longoria. There is teeth-gnashing over the fact the Rays want to delay starting the clock on Longoria by having him spend a couple of months at Triple-A, which means he won't be ready for arbitration until 2012 and won't have potential free agency until 2015. Does the name Ryan Braun sound familiar? It's not a new idea. Randy Johnson hasn't bounced back as quickly as the Diamondbacks were hoping. The man is 44. He underwent two back operations in a 10-month period. He has a rather violent snap to his delivery. He's been Superman so long that suddenly appearing to be mortal has many wondering what is wrong. It's called aging. B.J. Ryan will open the season on the disabled list. Did the Blue Jays really believe their off-season talk that Ryan would be ready on Opening Day? The man underwent Tommy John surgery last May. That's 10 months ago. That's an injury that takes more than a year for full recovery. Remember when?
The Bay Area was a baseball hotbed. Looking at the A's and Giants this spring, it's hard to believe that the two teams made a combined eight postseason appearances this decade, including both teams being involved in postseason play in 2000, 2002 and 2003. Houston had hope. Owner Drayton McLane's refusal to spend money on scouting and player development is beginning to show at the big-league level. New GM Ed Wade spent his off-season trying to patch holes. There's not enough darn to fix this mess.Could it be?
Baltimore is getting set for a revival. New president Andy MacPhail has finally convinced owner Peter Angelos to take a deep breath and allow for a major rebuilding. MacPhail fleeced Houston and Seattle in trading Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard, providing a foundation upon which to rebuild after a decade of wasted money and efforts for quick fixes. Dodger general manager Ned Colletti is on thin ice. The McCourts have not shown patience with upper management since they bought the Dodgers. And there is concern that not only has the team struggled, but there's a lot of money being spent on the likes of Juan Pierre, who finds himself the odd man out in the Dodgers outfield, and Jason Schmidt, whose physical breakdown came as no surprise to the folks in San Francisco. The biggest shock is that the Giants former trainer, Stan Conte, is now with the Dodgers along with Colletti, the Giants former assistant GM. Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds all find themselves on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in five years? Schilling wants to keep pitching but odds are this time he's not going to heal. Bonds wants to keep playing but odds are no team is going to break down and sign him. Clemens wants to wake up and find all this steroid mess forgotten, but it isn't going away.Tracy Ringolsby is entering his 33rd year of covering major league baseball. The 2005 winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, and enshrined in 2006 into the writers wing at the Baseball Hall of Fame, Ringolsby and his wife live with their four horses outside of his native of Cheyenne, Wyo. He can be reached at ringolsbyt@rockymountainnews.com.
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