RBI Magazine To Preview All Teams For 2009 Season

Welcome to RBI Magazine’s first annual Season Preview Edition. Over the next two weeks RBI Magazine will focus on previewing each individual team for the upcoming 2009 Season.

The previews will include; Key Additions, Key Subtractions, and in-depth looks at the lineup and pitching rotations.  We will also be including a season outlook along with predictions of what we expect from each organization.

Please feel free to comment and share these fantastic articles written by our finest authors at RBI Magazine. As each preview is posted, a link will be provided below. You will also be able to view each preview from our homepage.

Atlanta Braves Season Preview

Seattle Mariners Season Preview

Oakland A’s Season Preview

Dodgers Sign Orlando Hudson

The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached a 1-year agreement with Orlando Hudson. The deal is believed to be worth $3.4 million with incentives that could add as much as $4.6 million to that, which could bring the deal to a total of $8 million for the year.

What a great pickup for the Dodgers. Hudson hit .305 with eight homers, 41 RBIs and a .367 on-base percentage in 107 games with the Diamondbacks in 2008.

He adds a versatile switch hitting and speedy duo at the top of the Dodgers lineup. This really improves the team as a whole, espcially on the defensive side. I look forward to many dazzling plays and double plays between Furcal and Hudson this season! Here would be the projected batting order.

1.    Furcal
2.    Hudson
3.    Ethier
4.    Kemp
5.    Loney
6.    Blake
7.    Martin
8.    Pierre

Of course it could look alot better like this:

1.    Furcal
2.    Hudson
3.    Ethier
4.    Ramirez
5.    Kemp
6.    Loney
7.    Blake
8.    Martin

Sorry, I had to do it.

Now the Dodgers lose their first-round Draft pick in June, No. 17 overall but Los Angeles will receive an additional sandwich pick between the first and second rounds, as well as the Atlanta Braves’ second-round pick as compensation for the signing of Derek Lowe. And IF Manny Ramirez decides to sign with another team the Dodgers would be in line for another draft pick as compensation.

So the way I see it this was masterful because whether or not the Dodgers sing Manny they win. Its a win-win situation!

Bobby Abreu Makes A Smart Move and Signs with the Angels

This offseason in MLB has been chalk full of talented young and old players looking to sign for big money. Not many of these big name MLB free agents have stayed loyal and just signed with the club they played with last season. Professional baseball is becoming more and more ruled by which team can shell out the dough opposed to players staying loyal to their teams.

So far we have seen the New York Yankees pretty much corner the free agent market by locking up three of the best free agents this off season had to offer. First it was the huge $161 million dollar deal to get arguably the best pitcher in the game right now in CC Sabathia.

Personally, I hoped he would come back to California. He grew up there as a Dodger fan and his is family lives there. The Dodgers were even favored to get him at one point and he wanted to play in LA, but no team can compete with $161 million dollar offer, especially the Dodgers who are trying to sign an increasingly greedy Manny Ramirez.

Then the Yankees wrapped a deal to have another pitching ace AJ Burnett playing in pine stripes for about $80 million. As that wasn’t good enough for the Yanks they go out and somehow pull Mark Teixeira away from his former team the Angels and his hometown team the Washington Nationals for an eye popping $180 million dollar deal.

Money is king in baseball. With no salary cap and teams like the Yankees with seemingly limitless funds to sign anyone they it has been almost unfair for other teams especially with the economy in the state that it is.

Even though those three big name free agents are off the board and the New York Yankees look like they are done signing players, there are a few good players that have flown somewhat under the radar like former Yankees outfielder Bobby Abreu.

After the Angels lost Mark Teixeira to the Yankees for a ridiculous amount of money, they were in of a big bat to replace the first baseman slugger. At first there were rumors flying around Anaheim that they would pursue Manny Ramirez, but they were quickly squashed with the team saying they had no interest in signing Manny.

After Manny there weren’t many big bats left on the free agent market. There was Adam Dunn in Arizona who the Los Angeles Dodgers were courting as a back up plan if they couldn’t sign Ramirez and then there was Bobby Abreu.

Somehow Abreu has seemed to slip through the cracks in this free agency market and land right on the Angels front door step. He isn’t a big money free agent like the Teixeira, Manny or even Adam Dunn, but he is a solid outfielder and the best the Angels could have done in replacing a much needed big bat in the lineup.

Reportedly the deal is only for one year for about $5 million dollars which is an absolute bargain in my opinion for a proven veteran like Abreu. The outfielder was looking for something a bit more long term like a three year deal, but settling for a one year deal with title contender in the AL was a smart move for both the Angels and Abreu.

Manny Deal With The Dodgers In The Bag

The Washington Nationals announced that they have signed Adam Dunn to a 2 year deal today. Also announced was the signing of Bobby Abreu by the Angels to a 1 year deal. Wow! What does that mean for the Dodgers?

Adam Dunn was speculated, with good cause, to be the top target for the Dodgers after Manny Ramirez, and Bobby Abreu were believed to be third in line on the wish list. So if the Dodgers did not sign Manny Ramirez to a deal they would go after Dunn, and if they could not sign Dunn, they would then go after Abreu and Dunn have already signed and the Dodgers still do not have Manny signed to a deal! Oh my, that really throws a wrench in the Dodgers plans. Or does it? Boras will really have a lot of ammo to force the Dodgers to give up the dollars and the years. Or does it?

I am going to call it here right now. Manny Ramirez has already signed a deal with the Dodgers! Yes, I said it.
I have to believe that the only reason that Abreu AND Dunn have both been able to sign, and on the same day mind you, is because they are no longer blocked by Manny Ramirez. I am also guessing that the Dodgers are not dumb enough to allow them both to sign if they did not already have Manny signed. That being said, my educated guess is that the Dodgers have already signed Manny but have yet to announce anything.

This is the only scenario that makes any sense to me. Dunn had been courted by the Nationals for a while now and everyone knows that Bowden loves Dunn, he drafted originally with the Reds. So the Nats have been courting Dunn all off season. But Dunn has been holding out for the Dodgers. He made it very clear that he favored the Dodgers over the Nationals.

Now I have not heard much about Abreu’s desire to play anywhere but it is actually a really good fit for him with the Angels, it totally makes sense. But for both of the obvious backup plans for the Dodgers to be off the table all of a sudden, on the same day? Something smelled odd about that.

Well, so what do you have to say about that? I want to know who disagrees or agrees and why. Only time will tell though.

Nationals Reach Agreement With Adam Dunn

Everything is beginning to fall into place as the 2009 offseason free agent list begins to dwindle. Today’s lucky signee- Adam Dunn! According to various news sources free agent outfielder Adam Dunn has reached an agreement with the Washington Nationals.

The deal has been said to include a two year contract that will most likely land the power hitter scooping balls out of dirt at first base.

Miguel Salcido reports, Adam Dunn is a great power hitting left handed run producer.  It has been reported that the Nationals and Jim Bowden may make a run at Dunn but the Dodgers have also listed him as a fall back option if they do not land Manny.

Miguel was definitely right about the Dodgers and Nats. As the Dodgers move closer and closer to reaching a deal with Manny, the Nats most likely had the upper hand.

More to follow…..

Teams To No Longer Draft Boras Clients?

As Agent Scott Boras continues to develop his over bearing reputation with his players currently in the league, many are beginning to wonder if he is really painting the wrong image for his clients!

In an article written by ESPN’s Peter Gammons, Gammons describes the Manny Ramirez standoff and the pressure that Manny’s agent Boras has been inflicting on the Dodgers. According to Gammons, The L.A. scouting department has been told it will not draft Boras clients come June. If that statement alone does not speak voluble measures, I am not sure what does.

If you know anything about baseball you’ve heard the name Scott Boras. Boras has managed and represented more than a few of the highest paid players in Major League Baseball. A few names to mention include Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Derek Lowe, Carlos Beltran, Barry Zito, and of course Manny Ramirez.

As one of the most epic offseasons in baseball history begins to wind to a close, Boras has definitely set a “higher than high” profile for his clients. Some like the L.A. Scouting Department would say too high! In the month of January alone, the infamous agent has signed Derek Lowe with the Braves, Jason Varitek to the Red Sox, and probably the most notable- Mark Texieira to the Yankees with a deal worth an estimated $180MM. No joke, he knows how to get it done, at least for now.

Ok, enough with the stats that we already know. How about something we don’t know? Will teams begin to say “no” to the players associated with Boras? Teams will be certained to hesitate, but completely avoiding Boras clients may be a tad bit impossible! Here’s why.

MLBTR’s has kept a current list of all the players involved with Scott Boras. He is currently employed by “count em” 90 players currently in Major League Baseball. Just in case you were wondering, that’s an average of 3 players per team! With future 2009 MLB prospects like Stephen Strasburg, Andy Oliver, Donovan Tate, Grant Green, Dustin Ackley, Kentrail Davis, and Jacob Turner already beginning to utilize Boras’ services, the list will only continue to grow along with the pressure that ball clubs will face by dealing with the “tyrant” and his tyrantees.

There is no question that teams will try to avoid Boras as much as they can, especially with the troubled economy that only looks to be getting progressively worse. Not only will team officials need to weigh talent vs. dollars, they will also need to take into consideration what the future will hold for that particular Boras player. Teams will either “break the bank” or send their talent packing when it comes time to negotiate. Not exactly a solid investment.

Just ask the Dodgers, they know exactly what I mean.

The REAL Reason Your Team Is Not Shopping This Offseason

Wondering why your team is not making a mad last ditch run to shore up a needed position on your team via free agency? Well, the economy is the overwhelming issue at hand, but that is not the only reason.

First we’ll examine the overall economic factors. Just look at the current free agent class, (most) teams are just not as willing to shell out big money and especially not big contracts for fear of how the economy will affect their market. The fact that Manny has not yet signed is a big testament to that, as well as the many free agents like Derek Lowe, Francisco Rodriquez (K-Rod), or Pat Burrell who all had to sign well below what they might have before the recession.

But the REAL reason, for the time being, is arbitration. Most teams have many arbitration hearings, or contracts, to work out as we approach spring training. This means that as team budgets shrink the potential money that will have to be paid via arbitration hearings or contracts will have a greater impact. Sure, typically 20 million dollars in payroll at this time of year wouldn’t be as big a deal. But with the economic uncertainty that teams are facing in their respective markets the money that teams might have to pay out in the coming weeks has become a bigger issue.

No one is really saying this of course, teams want to downplay the economy at some times and rightfully so. But I guarantee you that teams are waiting to find out what budget they will have left to work with before they start to go after big free agents before spring training. It makes sense, I mean let’s all find out what we will owe our current employees before we go out and hire any new ones.

Most teams have many arbitration hearings to go through. Shoring up young talented players like Andre Ethier, Russel Martin, or Cole Hamels is definitely a priority for teams. Especially since most teams are getting a great deal for these players. And most teams have more arbitration eligible players than not. Now I understand that not all arbitration eligible players make it to an arbitration hearing. Clubs try to do all that they can to avoid this and you can see this by a flurry of smaller contracts being worked out right now in order to avoid arbitration.

After all of these contracts get worked out you will start to see teams get more aggressive with their signings, albeit at the 11th hour. I’ll bet that we see a Manny deal after the Dodgers have finished dealing with all of their arbitration eligible players that they have left. And after Manny goes, so will Dunn, Abreu, and others. The same will go for pitching; clubs will make stronger offers to pitchers like Oliver Perez, Ben Sheets, Randy Wolf, and Jon Garland after they finish hammering out salaries for their existing staff.

I’m not sure why this is being treated like such a white elephant and I am also not aware of anyone else that has pointed this out. It seems pretty clear that clubs are holding back on contracts for good reasons.  Other than the overall economic situations, which are all relevant to each team’s specific market, currently it is the uncertainty over what clubs will have to pay via arbitration or new contracts for arbitration eligible players.

Brewers Trash Idea Of Adam Dunn, Priced Too High?

After chasing down Trevor Hoffman and winning the bidding war against the Dodgers, the Milwaukee Brewers recently signed the well needed pitcher for two seasons that included a club option in 2010. Now a few weeks later, the rumors about the Brewers being interested in free agent Adam Dunn have been shot down right out of the sky. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy who spoke to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, says that Melvin stated in an interview that the Brewers are no longer interested in the slugger.

Fox Sports recently discussed the possible idea of the Brewers trading Prince Fielder, signing Dunn to replace him, and stretching the budget to acquire another pitcher. However, recent reports have surfaced about Red Sox showing possible interest in Dunn. According to the Chop-N-Change Dunn is seeking more than just an average salary. It is estimated that he will sign for no less than 4 years and $56MM. The Chop-N-Change also reports that Dunn is indeed out the Braves’ price range and for every other team in baseball.

The left-fielder tallied 100 total RBIs for the Diamondbacks last season and banked almost $13 million dollars of the D’backs payroll in 2008. Dunn ranked second in the National League home run totals last season tailing a total of 40.

Phillies Looking At Nomar Garciaparra

According to multiple MLB sources The World Champion Phillies may be interested in signing right-handed hitter Nomar Garciaparra if the infielder is willing to continue his career. Garciaparra who played with the Dodgers last season hit .264 and tallied 8 homeruns total with 25 RBI’s in his plate appearances off the bench.

The Phillies lefthanded hitting brigade currently includes Geoff Jenkins, Matt Stairs and Greg Dobbs, but sources say the Phillies are currently in need of a righthanded bat to stablize the offense in the late stages of a game.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that Nomar would see a dramatic paycut if he does indeed sign with the Phillies. Rosenthal also reports that the Phillies interest in right-handed pitcher Derek Lowe was more serious before they signed Ibanez.

The Phillies are also showing interest in outfielder Gabe Kapler as a potential righthanded bat. No offers have been made as of yet, but a few could come very soon if either player does show interest.

Brewers Hoffman Deal Very Close

Breaking News: 11:26 P.M. EST: Multiple reports have now said that Hoffman and the Brewers have agreed on a 1-year deal.

The Milwaukee Brewers have apparently surpassed the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offer and a deal is in the making with ace closer Trevor Hoffman. The deal with the Brewers would most likely be for one year including an option for 2010.

Hoffman, 41, has tallied over 552 total saves for the San Diego Padres over the course of 16 seasons and is considered one of the best closers in the game.

ESPN reports that “Hoffman had a bitter separation with San Diego management in November, when the team withdrew a $4 million contract offer”.

The Padres have claimed they “just do not have the money”.

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