Welington Castillo suspended 80 games for EPO

           Chicago White Sox catcher Welington Castillo has been suspended 80 games without pay after testing positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), a PED that is in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The 31-year old veteran catcher released the following statement through the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Player's Association):

              "I was recently notified by Major League Baseball that I had tested positive for EPO, a substance that is prohibited under MLB's Joint Drug Agreement. The positive test resulted from an extremely poor decision that I, and I alone, made. I take full responsibility for my conduct. I have let many people down, including my family, my teammates, the White Sox organization and its fans, and from my heart, I apologize. Following my suspension, I look forward to rejoining my teammates and doing whatever I can to help the White Sox win."

            Castillo, a first year White Sox player, was signed by the club this offseason to a two year, $15 million deal with an $8 million option for 2020. He was brought in to help young pitching prospects like Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Michael Kopech and Carson Fulmer develop. The White Sox are struggling mightily this year, and are tied with Kansas City Royals for last in not just the AL Central, but the MLB as well. When Castillo returns from the suspension, there will be 35 games remaining in the season. An 80 game period is a long run, and could give the 4 catchers on the 40 man right now (Omar Narvaez, Kevin Smith, Alfredo Gonzalez and Dustin Garneau) a chance to shine, or prospects that are a little lower down, like Zack Collins and Seby Zavala a very small chance, but still a chance, to be called up to the show.

             Castillo, 31, has a .267 batting average, six homers and 15 RBIs in 123 Plate Appearances for the White Sox this year. In his career for the White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks, Castillo has a batting average of .259, with 86 homers and 298 RBIs in 2392 Plate Appearances.

Mets trade Matt Harvey for Devin Mesoraco

            The Cincinnati Reds have acquired RHP Matt Harvey from the New York Mets in exchange for C Devin Mesoraco.

         

   For the Reds, they get Harvey, a player who has struggled to be productive the last three years, and make another all-star appearance since starting the game for the hometown Mets in the 2013 game. Partying and breaking team rules have been recent issues for Harvey, who was DFA'd after declining an AAA option. Going to a weak Cincinnati team pushes Harvey out of the New York spotlight, which could help him regain success.

            Harvey, 29, has a 7.00 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 27 innings this season for the Mets. In his MLB career, all for New York, Harvey has a 3.66 ERA, with a 1.19 WHIP and 612 strikeouts in 639.1 innings.

            For the Mets, they were clearly done with Harvey after his last partying incident, in Los Angeles. They said they were confident they would be able to trade him, and they did. With catcher Travis d'Arnaud out for the year, catching help is needed. Mesoraco, a 2014 all-star, has never played a full season. The closest he has come to one was in '14, where he hit 25 homers in 440 Plate Appearances. But, health has always been an issue for him. He lost the catching job to defensive sensation Tucker Barnhart, so the trade feels right.
 
             Mesoraco, 30, has hit .220 with one homer and three RBIs in 45 Plate Appearances this season. In his MLB career, all in Cincy, Mesoraco has a batting average of .234 with 48 homers and 162 RBIs in 1345 Plate Appearances.

              I think this is an even trade. Both players clearly need a change, and get one here. I think that Harvey has more upside, but Mesoraco has a better chance to help his team.

Yanks acquire A.J. Cole

             The New York Yankees have acquired RHP A.J. Cole from the Washington Nationals in exchange for cash considerations, and have DFA'd RHP David Hale.

             Lacking pitching depth to go behind sort starts, Cole is a starter/reliever they need, and they get him for a decent price. Cole was the 5th starter for the Nats after injuries, and could be a bargain for the Yanks.

             Cole, 26, has a 13.06 ERA with 10 strikeouts and a 2.13 WHIP in 10.1 innings for the Nats this year. In his MLB career, all in Washington, Cole has a 5.32 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 110 innings.

             Hale, 30, made his Yankees and season debut yesterday, pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. In his MLB career for the Yankees, Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves, Hale has a 4.43 ERA, with a 1.46 WHIP and 123 strikeouts in 180.2 innings.

2018 Yankees preview

               With help from Rookie of the Year winner and MVP runner-up Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees finished 2nd in the AL East with a 91-71 record, which was good enough for the first Wild card spot. After beating the Minnesota Twins in that game and the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS, the Yanks fell to the Houston Astros in the ALCS. Needing to add, the Yanks had a productive offseason. Let's take a look at it.

                 Notable additions: OF Giancarlo Stanton, 3B Brandon Drury, 2B Neil Walker, LHP Wade LeBlanc, INF Jace Pederson, OF Shane Robinson.

                 Notable subtractions: 2B Starlin Castro, DH Matt Holliday, 3B Todd Frazier, LHP Jaime Garcia, 1B Garrett Cooper, RHP Michael Pineda, LHP Caleb Smith, 3B Chase Headley, RHP Bryan Mitchell, OF Mason Williams, 1B Ji-Man Choi.

                What they did well: Giancarlo Stanton

                What they did bad: Frazier should of been re-signed, but traded for Drury instead, but that's okay because Drury is much younger.

                Sneaky Sleeper: One of baseball's best relievers, Chad Green had his first full season in the bullpen in 2017 (he gets credit for one spot start early in the season, but it was only about 2 innings of work for him). Green struck out 103 batters in 2017 in just 69 innings, allowing just 14 runs in that time (1.83 ERA). They considered moving him to the rotation in 2018, but it won't happen for now. Green is really good, and not everyone knows it.

               Incoming outbreak: If I told you to name one player who blossomed with the Yankees after an Arizona stint, you'd name Didi Gregorius. The same thing could happen to Brandon Drury. Featured in a late offseason three team trade, Drury hit 13 homers and had a .267 average in 2017, I'd say about league average. Maybe a change of scenery to a better team could help him.

               Unsuspected slump: This will hurt to say as a Yankee fan, but their fourth best reliever is Dellin Betances. It goes David Robertson, Green, Aroldis Chapman, then Betances. Betancces has had late season troubles in his career, and struggled in the postseason. His stats show a career 2.29 ERA, and a 14.4 K/9. His postseason numbers show a 4.76 ERA, and though he still strikes guys out, his ERA has risen the last two seasons. I think he's just slightly overrated.

               Blue-chip Bopper: Though Stanton led the league in homers and was the NL MVP, Aaron Judge is still the team's best player. Judge hit 52 homers in his rookie season, and still maintained a .422 OBP. Judge is one of the best players out there.

                 Astounding ace: In his big breakout season, Luis Severino rebounded big in 2017, with a 2.98 ERA and 230 strikeouts, and finished third in CY Young voting. One of baseball's youngest aces, Severino still has many years to dominate.

             Here's the Yankees' projected roster, starting with their lineup.

 LF Brett Gardner (L)
 RF Aaron Judge (R)
 DH Giancarlo Stanton (R)
 SS Didi Gregorius (L)
 C Gary Sanchez (R)
 1B Greg Bird (L)
 CF Aaron Hicks (S)
 2B Neil Walker (S)
 3B Brandon Drury (R)

                Here's their projected rotation.

 RHP Luis Severino
 RHP Masahiro Tanaka
 LHP C.C. Sabathia
 RHP Sonny Gray
 LHP Jordan Montgomery

  Aroldis Chapman (L) is their closer, with Chad Green (R), David Robertson (R), Dellin Betances (R), Tommy Kahnle (R), Adam Warren (R), Chasen Shreve (L) and Domingo German (R) are in the bullpen.

 C Austin Romine (R), 2B Tyler Wade (L) and INF Ronald Torreyes (R) are on the bench.

   Finally, for my prediction, I think the Yankees, a rising but very good team, will make the playoffs in 2018.

2018 Boston Red Sox preview

            With one of baseball's best outfields, and a young one at that, the Boston Red Sox finished 1st in the AL East with a 93-69 record. But, they lost to the eventual World Series winning Houston Astros in the ALDS. With their rivals, the New York Yankees, improving, the Red Sox needed to improve too. Let's take a look at their offseason.

            Notable additions: OF J.D. Martinez.

            Notable subtractions: OF Chris Young, INF Josh Rutledge, OF Rajai Davis, LHP Fernando Abad, RHP Blaine Boyer, RHP Addison Reed, RHP Doug Fister.

             What they did well: They needed a power hitter after David Ortiz's retirement after 2016. Martinez is that guy, hitting 45 homers in 2017. As a righty, Fenway Park is a very good place to hit. Also, they re-signed Eduardo Nunez because of Dustin Pedroia's injury, and Mitch Moreland because he's better than Hanley Ramirez.

               What they did bad: They didn't add much pitching depth. But, they have lots of depth already. I find it odd how there wasn't one replacement for Reed, Boyer and Abad.

              Sneaky sleeper: with near Cy Young winner Chris Sale, plus winners David Price and Rick Porcello in the rotation, it's very, very easy to overlook Drew Pomeranz. But, Pomeranz has had a 3.32 ERA in both 2016 and 2017, and struck out 360 batters in 344.1 innings over the two year span. He is quietly their second best starter.

                 Incoming outbreak: After being called up late in 2017, Rafael Devers went supernova, hitting 10 homers, 30 RBIs and had a .284 average in just 240 Plate Appearances. That secured himself the starting third base job. Expect even more from the now 21 year old.

                  Unsuspected setback: Well, there's a couple guys who could suffer setback in 2018. Expected to be injured until May, Dustin Pedroia hasn't showed too many signs of slowing down. But, the now 34 year old is in a fight for his job, as Eduardo Nunez will probably be the opening day second basemen. Pedroia needs to step up after he returns. Just a year removed from a Cy Young win, Rick Porcello had another rough year, and led the league in losses, a year after being the win king. With the rise of Pomeranz, Porcello is now just their third starter. The final guy, Hanley Ramirez, will suffer the most from the Martinez signing. Going in to the offseason, he looked like the opening day 1B. Then, they signed Mitch Moreland, moving him to DH. The Martinez signing moves him to the bench. That can't really help his numbers.

                   Blue-chip bopper: despite the Martinez signing, Mookie Betts is still their best position player. He has over 100 RBIs in the last two seasons, and 55 homers in them combined. His career .351 OBP is something to be proud of. Also, I didn't mention he is an amazing fielder.

                   Astounding ace: This past year's Cy Young runner-up, Chris Sale has finished top 6 in the voting every season since 2012. But, he's somehow never won. He's basically the Buffalo Bills of the 90s. In 2017, he reached 300 strikeouts, and a 2.90 ERA in 214.1 innings. If it wasn't for a rocky finish, he would've won the Cy Young.

                Here is the Red Sox projected roster, first with their lineup (injured players aren't named).

 2B Eduardo Nunez (R)
 RF Mookie Betts (R)
 LF Andrew Benintendi (L)
 DH J.D. Martinez (R)
 1B Mitch Moreland (L)
 SS Xander Bogaerts (R)
 3B Rafael Devers (L)
 CF Jackie Bradley Jr. (L)
 C Christian Vasquez (R)

       Here's their rotation.

 LHP Chris Sale
 LHP Drew Pomeranz
 RHP Rick Porcello
 LHP David Price
 LHP Brian Johnson

 Craig Kimbrel (R) is their closer, with Carson Smith (R), Tyler Thornburg (R), Robby Scott (L), Matt Barnes (R) and Heath Hembree (R) also in the bullpen.

 1B Hanley Ramirez (R), C Sandy Leon (S), U Brock Holt (L) and Deven Marrero (R) are on the bench.

 For my prediction, I think the Red Sox will run away with the 1st wild card spot in the American League, and make the playoffs.

2018 Baltimore Orioles season preview

            In a very disappointing season, the Baltimore Orioles finished in last place in the AL East, with a 75-87 record. Only the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers finished with less wins in the AL (they tied with the A's). With their division top two teams getting more competitive (Red Sox and Yankees). To at least try to make their team better, GM Dan Duquette had his work cut out for him. Let's take a look at his most recent offseason.

            Notable additions: RHP Andrew Cashner, OF Colby Rasmus, OF Jaycob Brugman, C Andrew Susac, OF Alex Presley, RHP Jhan Marinez, LHP Josh Edgin.

            Notable subtractions: C Welington Castillo, OF Seth Smith, SS J.J. Hardy, LHP Wade Miley, RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, RHPs Jeremy Hellickson, Tyler Wilson, INF Ryan Flaherty.

             What they did well: Cashner is a nice addition to a falling bullpen. They are also trying to trust the kids, and didn't add too much.

               What they did bad: They let Castillo walk without a substitution. He's a very good catcher. Unless Chance Sisco is ready to catch full time, their catching situation will look ugly with Caleb Joseph starting.

                Sneaky sleeper: You won't see too many middle relievers on these categories, but for the O's they have one, and a lefty at that. In just two seasons for the O's and Yankees, Richard Bleier has posted a 1.98 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. But, there is one thing about Bleier that puts him in a different category than other relievers. He doesn't strike guys out. In his 86.1 innings of MLB time, Bleier has just 39 strikeouts, for a pity 4.1 K/9 rate. Luckily, he's been able to get guys out other ways, and get past many people's eyes, including mine.

                   Incoming outbreak: He may or may not get many ABs in 2018, but with Smith's departure, OF Austin Hays could get a chance to be the opening day right fielder. If he can beat out Joey Rickard, plus non-roster invitees Jaycob Brugman and Colby Rasmus for it. Hays was a September call-up in 2017, but struggled in 60 ABs, with a .217 batting average and .238 OBP. Still, I have faith in Hays.

                     Unsuspected slump: With 26 homers in 2017, Chris Davis wasn't very effective, as his power numbers fell. We all know his contract was a bad one. If a guy has hit under .220 in the last two seasons combined, with over 400 strikeouts in that time, you know his numbers can't be too much more positive in one year.

                     Blue-chip Bopper: Once a top three third baseman, a move back to shortstop, his original position, makes Manny Machado now a top three shortstop. We all know he can play the position. His arm and defensive skills will back that up. Also, you know you're doing well when you've hit over 100 homers and had a stable batting average in each of the last three seasons. Even with a career worst .259 mark in 2017, Machado is still a top infielder.

                        Astounding ace: With a really bad pitching staff, plus all-star closer Zach Britton to be injured for about the first half of the season, it's hard to find an ace here. I'll go with Kevin Gausman, right in his prime. Gausman had a setback year in 2017, with a 4.68 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 186.2 innings. But, his stellar 2016 suggest Gausman isn't too far away from leading a pitching staff, like he'll be forced to do in 2018.

       Here is the 2018 projected roster for the Baltimore Orioles, starting with their lineup.

 3B Tim Beckham (R)
 SS Manny Machado (R)
 1B Chris Davis (L)
 2B Jonathan Schoop (R)
 OF Adam Jones (R)
 DH Mark Trumbo (R)
 LF Trey Mancini (R)
 C Chance Sisco (L)
 RF Austin Hays (R)

           Here's their rotation.

 RHP Kevin Gausman
 RHP Dylan Bundy
 RHP Andrew Cashner
 RHP Chris Tillman
 RHP Alec Asher

  Brad Brach (R) is their closer, with Darren O'Day (R), Donnie Hart (L), Richard Bleier (L), Mychal Givens (R), Miguel Castro (R) and Jimmy Yacabonis (R) also in the bullpen.

  OF Joey Rickard (R), C Caleb Joseph (R), OF Colby Rasmus (L) and INF Ruben Tejada (R) are on the bench.

 Finally, for my prediction, I thin the O's a right handed dominant team in a strong division, will not make the playoffs in 2018, and finish 4th in the East.

MLB news: Lucroy, Moustakas finally sign

         The best player at two different positions on the free agent market were crossed off the board earlier today. Mike Moustakas, a third baseman formerly of the Royals, signed back in Kansas City on a one year, $6.5 million deal, with options that can make it a $22 million deal for the single season Royals home run leader. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who spent 2017 with the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies, signed a one year deal with the Oakland Athletics, with no financial terms announced.

            For Moustakas, this is a horrible deal for him. He could of gotten way more, and a multi-year deal if he signed earlier. For the Royals, they at least were able to return one of their three free agent stars (they were Lorenzo Cain, who signed in Milwaukee, Moustakas and Eric Hosmer, who went to San Diego). It is a cheap deal, and they are lucky that there wasn't a big free agent market.

             Moustakas, 29, hit .272 with 38 home runs and 85 RBIs in 598 Plate Appearances for the Royals in 2017, in his MLB career, all in Kansas City, Moustakas has a batting average of .251, with 119 homers and 379 RBIs in 3318 Plate Appearances.

              For Lucroy, he is coming off a rough 2017, but he still would've gotten more if he signed earlier. I'm surprised there wasn't a big market for him, since most catchers, well, can't hit at all. He won't get too much money, I imagine, but he'll get over a million dollars, at least.

               Lucroy, 31, had a .265 batting average, six homers and 40 RBIs in 481 Plate Appearances for the Rockies and Rangers in 2017. In his MLB career for those two teams, plus the Milwaukee Brewers, Lucroy has hit .281 with 96 homers and 458 RBIs in 3786 Plate Appearances.