Sharks 2009 Wrap Up

Every once in a while I leave the diamond for the ice, and as we get ready to flip the old page on the calendar once again, I thought now would be a great time to review how my hometown team San Jose Sharks, are doing so far in 2009.

Overall, the Sharks are leading the Pacific Division with 47 points, the second best total in the Western Conference (the Blackhawks lead the way with 49 points). However, the club is just 4-3-3 in their last 10 games as they have struggled to win at home for the first time since Todd McLellan took over the club at the start of last season (they have still lost only two of 16 home games in regulation going 9-2-5 despite the recent rough stretch).

Now on to the player report cards.

Joe Thornton – Grade A: Leads the NHL with 39 assists and 48 points. He could shoot the puck more frequently, but why quibble with greatness?

Dany Heatley – A: Tied for fourth in the NHL with 21 goals, he is second with 10 on the power-play in his first season in SJ.

Patrick Marleau – A: Stripped of the captaincy, he has lit it up this season with 21 goals (tied with Dany H.) leading to 37 points in 35 games

Dan Boyle – A: A fiery leader, Boyle has been beat up all year but still has 29 points in 35 contests.

Scott Nichol – A: A putrid fantasy performer with only four points and a (-7), his effort has brought the right amount of spunk to a team in need of energy. He is also dynamic in the face-off circle with a 61.9 percent mark, the second best total in the league.

Ryane Clowe – B: Started out very slowly but rounding into shape nicely with 19 points in his last 21 games.

Evgeni Nabokov – B: The .920 save percentage is great, and the 2.35 GAA isn’t too shabby, but his 17-5-7 record could improve if he limited the cheap goals a bit more.

Joe Pavelski – B: Limited due to injury, “Little Joe” is death to goalies in the shootout and not to bad during the regular game either with 15 points and a +7 in 20 contests.

Manny Malhotra – B: Not much offense to speak of (13 points) but he was signed for his two-way play and face-off prowess.

Jason Demurs – B: An undrafted rookie, he has spent some time in the minors but he brings a nice right-handed shot to the power-play (13 points, six with the man advantage, in 28 games).

Douglass Murray – B: Seven points, +7 and 37 PIM. Those numbers don’t come close to striking the fear in opponent’s hearts like his thundering checks do.

Rob Blake – C: Hard to judge his first year effort at Sharks’ captain given injury, but his on ice production is down (2g, 6a, +2 in 24 games).

Devin Setoguchi – C: With nine goals in 23 games his scoring pace is that of a30-goal man over the course of a full season, but the young scoring star has only one goal in his last 11 games.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic – C: Rarely makes a mistake or gets caught of position while playing big minutes.

Kent Huskins – C: You don’t usually recognize that he has played, not necessarily a bad thing for a mostly stay at home defenseman.

Jed Ortmeyer -C: One of those grinders every successful teams need, Jed has chipped in four goals and four assists for the club.

No matter what the grade is for any of the players that I’ve mentioned, the only thing that matters in San Jose this year is getting a chance to win the cup. If the club fails to advance in the playoffs it won’t matter if every guy on this list ends the regular season with an “A” next to his name. This team will be judged by the number 16 – the total number of victories needed to hoist the cup.

By Ray Flowers

Moving Money: Bradley for Silva

Peanut butter and jelly. Ham an eggs. Eggnog and rum.

All of those thing go together almost as well as a deal in baseball where teams swap a couple of players with big-time salaries around their necks. Just such a deal was worked out on Friday as the Mariners sent their deadweight – Carlos Silva – to the Cubs in exchange for volatile outfielder Milton Bradley. I never thought I would write the following sentence, but here it is – I love the Milton Bradley portion of this deal. I know, shocking huh? Let’s break down each guy.

MILTON BRADLEY
The Contract: Bradley has 2-years and $21 million left on his contract. The Mariners will be Bradley’s eighth team.

The Quote: “Obviously, in this case, it did not work out how we planned, which was also the reason I sent Milton home,” Cubs’ GM Jim Hendry said. “(That’s) not going to be tolerated, to treat our fans, teammates and members of the media the way he did.”

The Numbers: I’ve written these facts time after time, but here they are again. Despite all his skills, Bradley has:

* One 20-HR season (22 in 2008).
* One 70-RBI season (77 in 2008).
* One 75-run season (78 in 2008).
* One season of more than 415 ABs – one (516 in 2004).

Doesn’t matter how talented you are skill wise if you can’t stay on the field long enough to flash those skills. To further illustrate this fact, here is a look at his pace, per 162 games, in his career:

.277-20-76-86-13

That is certainly a fine season, but it’s no better than the kind of work the world witnessed from Mark DeRosa last year (.250-23-78-78-3) and no one was overly excited by that performance were they?

The Fit: The Mariners could certainly use a middle of the order presence as they have yet to bring back Russell Branyan or sign a big bat like Jason Bay, so the addition of Bradley is a good one. Still, if the Mariners are expecting on Bradley making it out onto the field more than 120 times in 2010 they are deluding themselves.

CARLOS SILVA
The contract: Silva has 2-years and $25 million left on his contract. The Mariners will send $9 million to the Cubs to help cover the cost of this contract.

The Numbers: Three times Silva has won at least 11 games, and in 2005 he posted a 3.44 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Alas, things haven’t gone well, at all, since that point. In 2006, Silva went 11-15 with a 5.94 ERA, he followed that up with a 13-14 mark with a 4.19 ERA in ’07, and then things really got ugly. Silva, in his first year in Seattle, tossed 153.1 innings, won four games against 15 loses, and posted a 6.46 ERA. Things got even worse in 2009 as injuries limited him to 30.1 innings and a 8.60 ERA. Think of it this way. Over his last 34 starts, a full season of work for a top of the rotation arm, Silva has gone 5-18 with a 6.81 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and a 1.84 K/BB rate. If you posted numbers like that in high school you’d be on the bench, but in the world of major league baseball you make millions for it.

The Fit: Terrible. Silva first has to prove he is healthy, and even if he does that the fact is that he simply isn’t anything better than an average major league pitcher – at best. With an inability to strike anyone out (3.78 K/9 in his career), and a HR/9 rate of 1.13 (far too high for a guy who will try to pitch in the Windy City), this doesn’t look like a good fit at all.

THE VERDICT

Again, no matter how much I dislike Bradley and his tired, worn out act, there is only one player here who could be an All-Star in 2010. Furthermore, there is only one player here who appears to even have a chance to be better than replacement level. I know the Cubs wanted to rid themselves of the headache that is Bradley, but they really, and I mean really, took a huge chance here in trading the talented Bradley for a guy who hasn’t resembled a big league pitcher since 2007, and even that is being kind.

By Ray Flowers

More of the Same

Today is more of the same, and by that I mean I’m going to break down a handful of the players whose names are in the news as free agents looking to strike it rich.

The Braves need to move salary, and their goal is to move Derek Lowe and the 3-years, and $45 million left on his deal. As you might expect, they haven’t found any takers on the contract so they are apparently considering moving Javier Vazquez and his $11.5 million deal, potentially to the Angels. This would be a bad baseball move for the Braves. Sure Vazquez is coming off a career best season of a 2.87 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and 238 Ks, but he was their best pitcher last year and is about as consistent an arm as you could ever hope to find once you leave the ranks of the superstars. The move might make financial sense, especially since the Braves appear highly unlikely to sign him to an extension when his deal runs out at the end of the 2010 season, but on the field, not so much. As for Lowe, here is what he said when asked by the media about the Braves apparent desire to move him after his worst season since 2004 (4.67 ERA, 1.52 WHIP). “I don’t think it’s a matter of if anymore. It’s just a matter of when… “Nobody made them give me a four-year, $60 million contract. There wasn’t a ransom or anybody holding a gun to their heads… I would have never even considered going there if I knew that ultimately this was going to happen.” I don’t know if I believe that, we are taking about $60 million, but Lowe certainly has a point. If the Braves were going to bail on him if he had a rough couple of months, why did they bother signing him in the first place?

Some other rumors —

Looks like Nick Johnson will be headed to the Yankees. The latest report says that he is on the verge of signing a one year deal for about $5.5 million. As I wrote on BaseballGuys’ Twitter page today – “Yankees want a DH that can play the field, show athleticism. Of course, my first thoughts go to Nick Johnson.” It’s a bit of an odd signing and one that might signal that Johnny Damon will be in a new uni in 2010.

After apparently losing out on Johnson, the Giants are still in need of a corner infield bat. A name that continues to be linked to them, more because of need than because of the probability of a deal actually being struck, is Adrian Beltre. Though his stick failed last season (.265-8-44), Beltre can still hit .270 with 20 homers, and he plays a fine third base. Problem is he wants something like 4-years and $40 million, and though I have no inside knowledge of the Giants front office, I can’t think they would get within $10 million of that figure.

The Cardinals likely won’t be able to bring back utility man Mark DeRosa. Seems like the player, and his agent, have grown a bit weary of waiting for the Cardinals to decide what they are going to do with Matt Holliday. In an odd twist, the Cardinals appear to be tiring of the delay with Holliday who continues to dry to squeeze them for more dough. Is it possible that they could end up with neither player in 2010? Looks possible at this point. Could DeRosa end up with the Giants? Certainly could happen if they are willing to give him the $30 million I suggested as a potential figure with Beltre.

Ricky Nolasco signed a 1-year, $3.8 million deal to remain with the Marlins. This is a good singing for a guy who was really unlucky last season (.336 BABIP despite a 9.49 K/9 mark and a 4.43 K/BB rate). Now the club will turn its sights to Josh Johnson who wants something like $42 million, basically double the $23 million that the Fish have reportedly offered. That’s a pretty wide gulf to cross.

By Ray Flowers

Some Halladay Cheer

I wrote a couple of baseball articles today that if you haven’t read them, you might be interested if you have a few moments to spend. Just what were they about? So glad you asked.

The first piece was on THE DEAL as I’ve grown to call it at BaseballGuys’ Twitter Page. Obviously I’m talking about the massive deal that included Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, and you can find that analysis at
Hallady, Lee Switching Leagues.

The second article is my breakdown of the Juan Pierre to White Sox move. The short of it? He should be a strong fantasy option in 2010.

Brett Wallace can flat out rake. Unfortunately he looks like he never skipped a helping of cake (that must have come from reading “The Night Before Christmas” early today). As a result of concerns about whether or not he will ever be able to handle the hot corner the Athletics, flush with options at first base, turned around and traded Wallace – who was picked up in the Matt Holliday deal – to the Jays for outfielder Michael Taylor (he was a member of the Blue Jays for about five minutes after being picked up in the Halladay deal with the Phillies). Wallace will have a chance to open the year with the Jays, he has hit .302 in 734 minor-league at-bats and only has Lyle Overbay in his way (the Jays have reportedly been shopping Lyle around for a while now). As for Taylor, he could start at a corner spot with the A’s as early as opening day. “He has a chance to be a superstar in the outfield,” A’s assistant GM David Frost said. “He’ll come into Spring Training with a chance to prove he is Major League-ready.” Standing 6’6″ and weight about 250 lbs, Taylor has hit .312 during his minor league career and last season he hit .320 with 20 homers, 84 RBI and a .977 OPS in a season spent mostly at Double-A (he also saw action at Triple-A). Both players deserve attention in league specific formats this season.

The Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox rumors just won’t die despite most pundits belief that a deal simply won’t get done. After all, the Padres hold all the cards with their run producing first baseman who has two years left on a deal that pays him just over $10 million the next two seasons. You’re going to have to give up one hell of package to land that slugger, and even with a deal highlighted by Clay Buchholz may not be enough to cause the Padres to send their slugger east.

Delusional quote of the day, courtesy Mike Cameron who told the Boston media that he could steal 20 bases in 2010, and the only reason he didn’t last year was because the Brewers held him back on the base paths. Uh, Mr. Cameron, you haven’t stolen 20 bases since 2006, and at 37 years of age in January, that really doesn’t seem like a statement you should have made. I wish you luck, you’ve been a 20/20 weapon four times in your career, but with all of 24 steals in your last 269 games played, I’m thinking you’re gonna fall a bit short with the Sox.

At this point, are you wondering what the photo that accompanies this piece has to do with the article? Nothing of course. I was just listening to some Christmas tunes while writing this and “Baby it’s Cold Outside” was on the radio, so I thought to myself – how could I best warm people up? A pretty lady in a bikini may or may not get the motor running, but it should remind you of the time you spent on the beach a few months back and that might help.

By Ray Flowers

The Little Things Matter

With all the big deals in the game of baseball the past couple of days, I wanted to make sure I didn’t neglect a couple of the lesser names on the market, either those that have signed or those that are on the brink of inking a new deal.

Why is Marlon Byrd such a hot option? I know he had a nice season with a .283 average, 20 homers and 89 RBI for the Rangers, but does any of that really excite anyone in fantasyland? Maybe not, but the Cubs certainly appear to want to add the 32 year old to their outfield for next season, that if they can ever rid themselves of malcontent Milton Bradley. As for Byrd, I know last season was his first full year in the bigs 9at-bat wise), but he has been over 400 at-bats in each of the past three seasons. Still, he has only one season with more than 10 homers, and he owns a career line of .279/.340/.422, and that ain’t much better than average folks. BY the by, here is how he has done per 162 games in his career: .279-12-69-78-8 with a .762 OPS. Don’t know about you, but I don’t think anyone should be too excited about adding that bat, especially the Cubs since they already have a virtually identical batter in Kosuke Fukudome who hit .259-11-54-79 with six steals last season.

Mike Cameron is a Red Sox. What can we expect from him in 2010? Glad you asked. You can read my thoughts in Breaking Down: Mike Cameron.

Jeff Francoeur hit .319 over his final 36 games last season, and overall he .311 with a .498 SLG in 75 games with the Mets, a marked improvement over his early season work with the Braves (.250, .352 SLG in 82 games). With late season numbers like that you would think that he was fully healthy at the end of the year. In fact, you might think he was injured earlier in the year given the struggles with the Braves. Well if you thought that you would be wrong. Turns out Frenchie had left thumb surgery after the season, and the thumb was so jacked up that the doctors needed to replace a ligament (one was taken from his forearm). He should be fully healed by the time the season starts, and he is clearly one tough cookie.

Matt Holliday was reportedly offered an 8-year deal for $128 million by the Cardinals. However, Buster Olney of ESPN refuted the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report and said the team doesn’t want to go beyond five years. No matter what the offer is, it doesn’t seem likely to be enough to entice Matt Holliday, at least for the moment. To read more about the whole Holliday saga give Ryan Boyer’s Is it five years or eight years for Holliday?

I gave my thoughts on the outlook of Hideki Matsui in his new home with the Angels in Breaking Down: Hideki Matsui.

John Lackey and the Red Sox continue to hold off on officially ratifying the 5-year deal that is thought to be worth $85 million. Looks like the Sox want to have the contract include some language in it to protect themselves from any previously suffered injuries, should the arise again. It’s really just semantics – don’t worry, the deal will get done.

Seems like Ben Sheets is still angling for a one year deal worth $12 million. Of course that includes a boatload of bonuses built into the deal, but after missing all of last season is there really a team out there that is crazy enough to offer him that much even if its almost entirely incentive based?

By Ray Flowers

Halladay, Lackey, Lee on Move

Huge news today all over the ball field highlighted by three of the top-15 arms in the AL switching rosters while a national icon nicknamed Godzilla also switched his address.

Lackey Joins Red Sox

My thoughts on the John Lackey to Red Sox deal? A great move that gives the club the best top of the rotation in the AL as Lackey will team with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. To read more about the move (a reported 5-year, $85 million deal) and what can be expected from Lackey in 2010 click on the link to Breaking Down: John Lackey.

My Twitter account was blowing up all day with updates on the above deal, as well as those that I’m about to discuss. You can sign up to follow me at the BaseballGuys’ Twitter Page. Come say hi, it’s really a great source to check in with all day for updated info while I’m busy plowing through feature length articles.

Did you catch the Fantasy Buffet Podcast this morning by the way? I think I’m pretty darn good answering the questions, at least better than running the show and asking them. Ted Carlson joined me on Monday, Kyle Elfrink was unavailable, and the show went well, but I’m clearly more effective at blabbing answers than pushing buttons. Luckily I’ll be returning to my more familiar an effective role on Tuesday. The show is Monday through Friday, 8-9 AM PST, for those of you that want to give it a listen.

Matsui to Angels

I wrote a breakdown of the Hideki Matsui to Angels’ deal that is being widely reported, and it should be posted sometime on Tuesday at Fanball. A quick synopsis follows:

1- Matsui is still a nice bat, though expecting anything more than last year’s .274-28-90 effort will likely lead to disappointment.

2- The move out of Yankee Stadium to Anaheim might not be as negative as you think.

3- The Angels might use the fact that they lost Lackey and only spent $6.5 million on a 1-year deal for Matsui to sign Jason Bay. After all, they have millions left to throw at a player and Bay would look great in the middle of that lineup.

And last but not least, the biggest deal of the day.

Halladay to Jays, Lee to Mariners

This deal has been reported by everyone, but all the details are still a bit foggy and could take another day or two to be ironed out. Here is what we think we know about the 3-way deal.

Phillies receive: Roy Halladay
Mariners receive: Cliff Lee
Blue Jays receive: C Travis D’Arnaud, OF Michael Turner, RHP Phillippe Aumont
(a late report said that Aumont was not in the deal but Kyle Drabek was).

There could be more names added to the deal, we are still trying to lock it down, but it’s a huge deal for the Phillies and Mariners.

So why did the Phillies do this, basically shipping out one top of the rotation ace for another? Here is what we think is the reason: money. Apparently Lee wanted a CC Sabathia-like deal to remain with the Phils, something like 7-years and $160 million. The Phils decided there was no way they would do that. Therefore, they parlayed Lee in the deal to bring in Halladay, who not only is a better pitcher, but one who was willing to sign a more reasonable deal with early reports being that Halladay will sign a 3-year, $60+ million deal with at least one, and possibly two, option years tacked on.

In total, the Phillies upgraded slightly on the hill, kept their payroll at an acceptable level by not giving a massive extension to Lee, and also seemingly held on to their top minor league talent that they were unwilling to move at the trade deadline when they tried unsuccessfully to add Halladay.

As for Lee, he gets to pitch in a nice pitcher’s park in the Northwest, though we’ll have to see if the club is willing to give the soon to be free agent (2010 is his last year under contract) the massive dollar figures he wants to serve as the #2 arm in their rotation behind Felix Hernandez.

All in all this was one hell of a day for the middle of December. I need to take a break now, pull back on some spiked eggnog, and truly reflect on yet another wonderful day at my job.

Cheers.

By Ray Flowers

Feeling Frisky

Today I’m feel, what is that word, frisky? Another way to put it would be to say that I’m acting sassy, at least that’s how my brother’s wife would label it. The bottom line though is that I’m feeling a bit irreverent, so read what follows with a grain of salt.

Didn’t you used to be Jose Arredondo, you know the guy who vultured 10 victories as a rookie in 2008 with a sterling set of ratios (1.62 ERA, 1.05 WHIP)? Well at least we know why your ratios skyrocketed to 6.00 and 1.56 last season – your arm was severely jacked up. On Friday it was announced that Arredondo will miss the entire 2010 season (and maybe half of 2011) as he has Tommy John surgery scheduled for January. I take back all the mean things I said about you last season Jose.

Chan Ho Park has a one year deal on the table from the Phillies for something like $3 million. Two problems with that, well three. (1) LaTroy Hawkins just got a two year deal for over $7 million and Brandon Lyon got a 3-year deal for $15 million. (2) Park is still operating under the misguided belief that he can be still a starting pitcher (he can’t). (3) Why can’t I throw 93 mph?

I touched on many of the hot button questions that are still left unanswered as we head into the weekend in my Friday Five Questions piece.

I’m in California, and I know it’s nearing Christmas, but really, snow?

With all the scumbags in sports including Mr. I’m going to save the world with my golf swing (his name rhythms with a Geiger, as in the counter used to detect radiation, if you don’t know who I’m talking about), it’s nice to know that there are still guys out there that we can all look up to. Of course I’m referring to Derek Jeter who was named Sports Illustrated’s Man of the Year. If you can’t see the picture that accompanies this piece, click on the link to BaseballGuys – you can see it there.

Is it me, or does anyone else ever wonder why when you look at the serving suggestions on the back of a can of soup it always says that it’s two or two and a half servings? Who is their target audience, gnomes?

I’m still in awe of the Rays’ bullpen arms now that Rafael Soriano is in town. You can read more about my thoughts in Winter Meetings Review – Pitchers.

Going to the Sharks game tonight with my pops. Yep, on top of it all I’m also a tremendous son.

The Giants are still trying to land their man to put in the middle of the lineup. Since this entire piece seems to be me simply linking to other articles I’ve written in the past 24 hours why not throw another one in here and send you all to my Five Questions piece where I take the Giants temperature vis a vis Dan Uggla.

Still looking for that last minute stocking stuffer? If you are let me point you toward our 2010 Baseball Preview Magazine that is already on newsstands. If you don’t want to fight traffic to pick one up, just order one from the comforts of your own home in the Fanball Store. That way you can drink some spiked eggnog and not have to worry about driving drunk. See, I’m quite the humanitarian aren’t I?

Oh, and in closing, those of you looking for some really in-depth reporting, check back on Monday. I seem to be spent this week.

By Ray Flowers

Who am I?

I often play this game of seeing if I can lead you down a path to eventually come up with the name of the player before I reveal who I’ve been writing about. I thought today would be a good time to go another round, for reasons that will become obvious as we move forward.

* I finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .266 with 84 runs scored and 24 steals.

* In my third season, at 22 years of age, I had my first All-Star season as I hit .287 with 60 RBI, 80 runs and 24 steals. In fact, this was the first of 12-straight seasons that I made the All-Star team.

* In my heyday, I was a good enough all-round option to place pretty well in MVP voting even though I never won the award. At one point I had a run of 3-straight years that I finished sixth, another time I came in fourth, and once I came in third.

* My best season? It was a doozy. That year I finished third in the MVP voting all I did was hit .323 with 24 homers, 120 RBI, 138 runs scored and 37 steals. Oh, I also posted a rather impressive .422 OBP helping me to produce a .955 OPS. The homers, RBI and runs scored were career bests, but I also scored 132 runs in another season, had two more years where I went deep 20 times, and had four other seasons in which I drove in more than 88 runs.

* In my career I managed to hit an even .300 (thanks to 2,724 hits) while hitting 210 homers as I knocked in 1,134 runs, scored 1,508 (40th all-time), and swiped 474 bags.

* I wasn’t just some offensive minded moron either, I could pick it to. Actually, I was more than just pretty good with the glove, some even called me poetic with the leather, as I won 6-straight Gold Gloves at one point and 10 overall.

Who am I? I’m Roberto Alomar.

Why do I bring up this retired great? Because he is eligible for the Hall of Fame for first time this year, and though I don’t know whether he will be elected on his first go ground, I would like to wholeheartedly through my hat in the ring of his supporters. Sure he has had some off-field incidents and that time where he spat in an umpires face obviously was a low point, but it’s not like every man already enshrined in the Hall of Fame was a good guy (take my word for it). And honestly, I don’t really care if he was a jerk face or not, the Hall of Fame is for great players and it is undeniable that he was just that. You can look at the raw numbers, and they are certainly impressive for any player especially one who played second base (he is one of just five men in history, and the only second baseman, to hit at least .300 with 1,100 RBI, 1,500 runs, 500 doubles and 450 steals. The others are Paul Molitor, Ed Delahantry, Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb). But it’s how he was viewed when he played that really speaks to his greatness, and when you make 12 All-Star teams and walk away from the game with 10 Gold Gloves, you were clearly thought of as the best at what you did during your career.

Will Alomar join other first ballot Hall of Famers when the results are announced on January 6th? I certainly hope so, because whether or not he was a good guy matters not, the man was a fantastic player and arguably one of the five greatest all-around second basemen in the history of the game.

By Ray Flowers

The Hidden Truth

While doing my daily run around the world of sports last week, I came across a very interesting article written by Jeff Passan that you can find at Stimulants Gain Attention. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what the piece was about.

Normally, I avoid all the talk of steroids and performance enhancing drugs (PED). Sure, I sometimes delve into the topic, I can’t avoid it entirely in my line of work, but honestly most of the time I try to pay attention to what is happening on the field and let the legal wrangling and the blowhards deal with PED’s. However, Mr. Passan’s column was so illuminating I thought I simply had to break it down. Here are some of the highlights of the piece.

1- 108 players in 2009 were awarded a free pass for drug use. What do I mean? 108 major league players were granted a TUE or Therapeutic Use Exemption to take drugs on the banned list. These 108 baseball player all were being treated for ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. That’s nearly nine percent of all players, more than double the population at large. “It looks fishy,” said Dr. Ari Tuckman, the VP of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association. “It doesn’t mean it is, but it looks that way.”

2- In 2006 there were 28 players granted a TUE.

3- In 2007 MLB started testing for stimulants.

4- In 2007 the number of TUE’s quadrupled to 103.

You do the math.

5- Though baseball says they have tightened the rules for TUE, in 2008 the number of players on the list increased from 103 to 106. “A healthy percentage of applications for new TUE’s was rejected,” MLB Players Association director Michael Weiner said

6- ADHD drugs are not steroids. However, they do bring a heightened sense of alertness, and an inner calmness, two traits that clearly might have just a wee bit of an effect on a hitter. “In the most general sense, almost everybody does better on a stimulant,” Dr. Tuckman said, “which is something Starbucks and Coca-Cola figured out long ago.”

So what do we have here? Well, approximately 15 percent of all major league players are using prescription medication that could be said, in the least, to give the user a more heightened ability to focus. Given the requirements of the game, a game that goes on day after day for six months, you often hear that players are more mentally tired than physically worn down. Do you think a little pick me up in the form of a TUE leading to medication might help? I’m not saying that there aren’t some players who legitimately might have a medically condition, but double the rate of the general population? To say that seems unlikely would be kind.

In the end, this problem will never go away. Those that want to cheat will likely always be one step ahead of those that are trying to catch them. Those that can skirt by legally will likely do everything they can to gain that little extra edge. And to be truthful, is there really any difference between having a TUE or stealing signs on the field? You might even be able to make a cogent argument that stealing signs is actually worse because it informs you how the play will develop (if you take a drug, you still have to read, react and perform). I don’t know if there is any way to put all of this “drug” stuff behind us, but if there is I’d be 100 percent behind it because for far too long the story hasn’t been about what happens on the field, it’s been about what has happened in the doctor’s office.

By Ray Flowers

Winter Meetings Update

I love the Winter Meetings. In fact, I’ve combined the event with Twitter to form a duo kind of like peanut butter and jelly. I admit it. I’m addicted now. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking ‘I’m sure the readers would love to hear that thought.’ Don’t worry, I keep a pad by my bed to write down the thoughts that hit me when most of the U.S. is counting candy canes in their sleep.

* Still reeling over the Three-team Blockbuster Deal between the Tigers, Yankees and D’backs? You can read my breakdown of the deal by clicking on the link, but there is still something I don’t get – why did the D’backs enter this deal as the third team? I think they will rue the day that they let Max Scherzer go for Edwin Jackson. Maybe I’m wrong here, but honestly, I have a hard time believing that. Whether Scherzer is a top of the rotation arm, or a closer (a potential given his somewhat violent delivery), as long as his arm doesn’t fly off I see this kid being something special.

* John Lackey is regarded by all as the top free agent hurler on the market. However, it doesn’t seem likely that anyone is going to fall all over themselves to throw $100 million his way. In fact, he might have to wait a bit and hope someone gets a bit desperate to hit that figure.

* I wrote yesterday how I thought it was a ruse that Rafael Soriano would accept the Braves arbitration offer in What a Great Monday. Turns out I’ve got that proverbial egg on my face as he did just that. As a result, the Braves are facing the prospect of having to trade Soriano or spend roughly a fifth of their entire payroll on Soriano, Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito. Soriano has already submitted a group of teams he would like to join with one possible destination being the Orioles who have already mentioned their intention to acquire a closer.

Have heard barely a peep dealing with Matt Holliday. The other big bopper, Jason Bay, appears to be on the short list for teams such as the Red Sox, Mariners and Angels, the club from Anaheim emerging in the last 24 hours as a potentially serious player.

I’m still completely blown away by the Cardinals give Brad Penny $7.5 million with incentives that could take the deal to $9 million. My question is a simple one – why?

If Ivan Rodriguez can get a 2-year deal for $6 million from the Nationals to be a part-timer, why are people freaking that Jason Kendall wants $5 to be a full-time starter? In an odd twist, he might get that starting role by joining Pudge’s old club, the Rangers.

Why are the Brewers looking to trade Corey Hart? Here is a direct quote from my Twitter page. “The Brewers seem intent on moving Corey Hart, though I don’t really know why. Haven’t they heard adage – buy low, sell high?”

Milton Bradley continues to have his name involved in more rumors than just about anyone else. Guess teams are really interested in adding a guy who can’t stay healthy, wears out his welcome in about four months, and constantly torments fans and teammates with his off putting attitude. Only in America can a guy like that make more money in a year, over $10 million, than 99 percent of us will make in our entire lives.

The Giants have been linked to names like Adrian Beltre, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Nick Johnson and Orlando Hudson. The club would prefer to have Pablo Sandoval to play third, but he could easily slide over to first if a third baseman is brought to town. The club could also move Freddy Sanchez over to third if they were to sign a second baseman like Hudson, but a year after struggling for any pop, do they really want a third baseman who is likely to hit about 10 bombs in Sanchez?

By Ray Flowers