Monthly Archives: March 2012

2012 MLB Preview: New York Mets

06 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in MLB

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

The New York Mets as an organization have massive financial problems. Fred Wilpon, the Mets owner, was involved in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. There are currently lawsuits against the Wilpon family which has raised concerns that the family may not be able to support the team financially. The Mets’ payroll has decreased dramatically from a season ago. The payroll last season exceeded $140 million; this season it will probably be just over $90 million. A $90+ million Major League Baseball payroll is not necessarily cheap but it is a significant drop off for the organization. The decreased payroll coupled with improvements from the rest of the rest of the teams in the division will make 2012 a difficult year for the New York Mets. The organization faces an uncertain future. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Oakland Athletics

05 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in MLB

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The 2011 Oakland Athletics finished the season 14 games below .500, third place in the American League West Division. The team was also 22 games out of first place and had its fifth consecutive season in which it did not finish over .500. Under General Manager Billy Beane the Athletics has not been afraid to hit the reset button. In the offseason, the organization did just (*). The Athletics are rebuilding and looking to strike a few years down the road. There is no reasonable scenario in which the Athletics are in the hunt for the division crown in 2012. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Colorado Rockies

02 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in MLB

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Coming into 2011 the Colorado Rockies were a trendy pick for a playoff spot (or at least to compete for one). The Rockies certainly didn’t live up to expectations as the team struggled, finishing in fourth place in the National League West, 16 games below .500. The front office made a lot of moves during the offseason; the team will be counting on several new players in 2012. Still, the team will be led by a core group of players from last season. The Rockies will be looking to move forward from 2011 by rebounding this season. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Miami Marlins

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in MLB

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last year’s Florida Marlins finished the season in last place in the NL East, 30 games out of first place. 2011 is not 2012 for the Marlins. The organization has a new name (Miami Marlins), a new stadium (Marlins Park), a new logo, a new manager (Ozzie Guillen), and new players (Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, etc.). No team went through more change over the offseason than the Miami Marlins. The Marlins are on a similar path as the two times the team won the World Series. Spend on players to build up the team for a run and then bring payroll back down. This is the third time in the organization’s short history it is on this route. I’m not saying the team is going to win the World Series in the next few years (partly because I wouldn’t say any team would), but it is going for it. Continue reading →