So what are we talking about here?

San Juan and Detroit agreed to terms on a trade that included one of the games top players. The result? A maelstrom of discussion on the chat that ranged from defenses by the owners and loud calls of "unfair" and "lopsided." In the interest of beating a dead horse (I get that from my mother's side of the family), let's take a look at the numbers.

DETROIT GETS

$3 million cash









Let's take a minute and remember the man in black.

$3 million goes a little ways.

Timo Phillips San Juan Epsteins Age: 32 B/T: R/R Born: Winterhaven, CA Position(s): RF/1B/OF View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Reigning MVP Timo Phillips is arguably the best position player in the world. A five-year vet, Timo is 32 years old and has shown the typical age related decline in his ratings. My scouting shows him the low-to-mid 90s overall, with highly above average speed, contact, power, lefty, righty and batting eye numbers. His fielding numbers are average to above average.

Phillips' impact is unquestioned -- career .356 hitter with a 1.237 OPS, 97 homers and 260 RBI. Disciplined at the plate, he reaches base 46.5 percent of the time and has 174 walks to 38 strikeouts. He's swiped 88 bases. When he pees, liquid gold comes out.

The downside. Well, if you are San Juan and looking to rebuild, he's a burden. pengoman made the comment that he represents 14 percent of the Epsteins season two payroll and there are three more years left at $9.5 million per.

Alfonso Cruz San Juan Epsteins Age: 20 B/T: L/L Born: Elias Pina, DO Position(s): P (SP2) View Hardball Dynasty Profile

A high ceiling, five-pitch guy. Cruz, at age 20, is within arm's reach of his projected potential. My scouting shows him to top out in the 80s. He's a sinker-slider pitcher, with the projections for a dominant curveball and change. He also shows an average fastball. He shows above average numbers against lefties and righties.

He has cruised the levels. He started with Portland's AAA team. Traded to San Juan, he climbed from LoA to AA. This season, he is 9-5 with a 4.03 ERA with a 135-57 K/BB ratio. Cruz holds batters to a .239 OAV and a 1.38 WHIP.

Downside? He loses a lot of games (20-15 over his career) and has the ERA of a finesse guy (4.29). And he's a munchkin at 5-9.

SAN JUAN GETS

Richard Allen Detroit Great Lake St Age: 24 B/T: S/R Born: N Dartmouth, MA Position(s): CF/CIF/2B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

A 24-year-old sophomore with a squirrelly mustache, Allen is projected as a high 70s/low 80s player with strong fielding, speed, batting eye numbers and good contact and lefty and righty ratings.

In 259 games, he is batting .276 with 79 seals in his career. His season one to season two numbers have made great progress -- up 23 points in batting average, up 13 in OBP, up 15 in OPS and nearly matching last year's numbers in steals, RBI and doubles.

Warren Rueter Detroit Great Lake St Age: 25 B/T: R/R Born: Monterey, CA Position(s): SS/IF/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

At age 25, Rueter is within arm's reach of his low-to-mid 80s projection. A great fielder with average to above average offensive numbers. He's currently at AAA after spending a fair successful season in the ML last season.

Last year, Rueter was .286-17-69 with a .806 OPS at the major league level. This season, he has 10 games in the show, going 2-21. At AAA, Rueter is batting .311-19-77 with 32 doubles. His OPS is .927 and he's closing the gap and slowing down the strikeout machine (67 Ks to 46 BB).

The Recovery Room

The triage team reports:

15-Day
Player      Fran      Eligible      Injury
J.J. Lambert     NAS     6/2/2008 PM2     Shoulder, tendinitis
Andrea Cook     ARI     5/10/2008 PM2     Shoulder, strained
Nerio Woods     POR     5/30/2008 AM     Knee, torn miniscus
Banjo Torres     CLB     5/30/2008 PM2     Rotator cuff, strained
Timothy Mills     CH1     5/27/2008 AM     Shoulder, tendinitis
Albie Santos     BUF     5/21/2008 PM2     Back, strain
Wallace McIntyre     PHI     5/31/2008 PM     Hamstring, pull
Haywood Nye     AUS     5/30/2008 PM2     Knee, torn miniscus
Groucho Hunter     BOS     5/31/2008 PM2     Chest, pectoral muscle, strain
Alberto Gonzales     MNT     5/15/2008 AM     Elbow, sore
Michael Lim     POR     5/26/2008 PM     Shoulder, sore
Kevin McEwing     PIT     5/23/2008 AM     Shoulder, inflamation
Bingo Hallman     SEA     5/27/2008 PM     Hamstring, strained/stiff/tight
Brandon Perry     RIC     6/7/2008 AM     Shoulder, sprained
Alan Hines     WAS     5/27/2008 AM     Rotator cuff, strained
Clarence McClain     SJU     5/27/2008 PM2     Finger, Sprained
Joe Hogan     CSP     5/31/2008 PM2     Neck, bulging disk
Mitch Meyers     BUR     5/26/2008 PM     Groin, stiff/strained/tight

60-Day
Player      Fran      Eligible      Injury
Gary Hammond     LA     5/22/2008 AM     Shoulder, tendinitis   
Oswaldo Furcal     ATL     5/31/2008 PM2     Ankle, bone bruise   
Jerry Ruffin     ATL     6/14/2008 PM     Back, bulging disk   
Joey King     AUS     6/19/2008 PM     Elbow, tendinitis   
Vladimir Hernandez     MEM     6/2/2008 AM     Elbow, surgery   
Corey Daly     COL     6/4/2008 AM     Shoulder, tendinitis   
Junior Martin     ARI     6/7/2008 AM     Elbow, tendinitis

Season Over
Omar Cabrera     BOS     AM     Neck, herniated disk   
Norman Davis     ATL     AM     Elbow, tendinitis   
Mark Zhang     MNT     AM     Shoulder, labrum tear   
Craig Beard     AUG     AM     Hamstring, tear   
Julian Nunez     PIT     AM     Shoulder, aneurysm   
Cliff Lilly     SJU     AM     Shoulder, labrum tear   
Walt Wilson     POR     AM     Forearm, nerve irritation   
Jack Callaway     SF     AM     Elbow, surgery   
Weldon Stanley     NAS     AM     Shoulder, labrum tear   

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Top International Signings

These are all of the season two international signings that are over $1 million:

Player      Team    Age    Pos      Bonus 
Lonny Gutierrez     San Francisco    18    P     $23.0
Tony Melo     Chicago    18    P     $15.0
Lonny Taveras     Charlotte    18    2B     $11.7
Tony Trevino     Boston    19    2B     $10.7
Louie Astacio     Los Angeles    18    3B     $8.9
Albert Fernandez     Milwaukee    18    P     $8.5
Michael Martin     Arizona    18    P     $7.7
Carlos Cruz     Burlington    18    P     $6.8
Ramon Choi     Pittsburgh    18    2B     $5.7
Ramon Martin     Kansas City    18    P     $5.0
Pablo Izturis     Buffalo    18    P     $3.5
Ismael Maradona     Detroit    18    P     $3.5
Benito Diaz     Memphis    18    CF     $3.0
Rafael Blanco     Boston    18    P     $2.7
Placido Uribe     Pittsburgh    21    P     $2.6
Ivan Park     Los Angeles    18    P     $2.5
Danys Romano     Detroit    18    P     $2.2
Juan Azocar     Arizona    18    P     $2.1
Bernie Rivera     Boston    18    P     $2.1
Melvin Gong     Atlanta    18    P     $2.0
Manuel Rodriguez     Detroit    19    P     $2.0
Julio Benavente     Minnesota    21    P     $2.0
Yamil Martinez     Santa Fe    18    C     $2.0
Mariano Vega     Minnesota    21    3B     $1.6
Ramon Chang     Milwaukee    18    P     $1.3
Bartolo Serra     New York    18    P     $1.3
Yorvit Velazquez     Augusta    21    P     $1.2
Pepe Rios     Washington    18    P     $1.2
Quilvio Ortiz     Chicago    19    C     $1.0
Lariel DeRojas     Cleveland    18    SS     $1.0
Javy Hernandez     Memphis    19    P     $1.0

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Economics, bitches

Room for growth: These teams have the most salary room.
San Francisco $21.13
Pittsburgh $18.75
Colorado Springs $16.98
Portland $16.07
Monterrey $15.01
Los Angeles $13.50
Chicago $12.60
Austin $10.28

Rationing the office supplies: These guys are about to blow the top off their salary caps.
Santa Fe $0.00 (Actually, $4,334)
Seattle $0.16
San Juan $0.36
New York $0.55
Colorado $0.64
Atlanta $1.06
Detroit $1.10
Milwaukee $1.36

The in between. The rest of the rest.

Kansas City $1.44
Burlington $1.63
Cleveland $1.83
Memphis $1.91
Charlotte $1.98
Nashville $2.14
Arizona $2.17
Augusta $2.28
Boston $2.49
Richmond $3.30
Columbus $3.54
Minnesota $3.66
Philadelphia $6.35
Washington D.C. $7.12
Buffalo $9.64
Cincinnati $9.73s

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A Draft Recap

A couple of notes. First, I assumed that we all drafted from the same list. I was wrong. I also made the assumption that WIS was going to give us a decent draft to work with. Wrong again. My punishment? I let my wife mow the lawn and weed whack today. I've been bad.

Let's take a look at what has risen to the top in what was universally agreed upon as the worst draft in Wailing Onion history. The top 5:

1. Pittsburgh: Boots Waltman, P. Big Boots crosses the Ohio River from Cuyahoga CC to the Steel City. Dashing good looks, combined with nasty control and three above average pitches, Waltman will be a serviceable pitcher in the future. Of course, he locked up $4 million in bonuses.

2. Johnny Wilkerson, C. Wilkerson has already taken his bonus and gone to his RL assignment. If Wilkerson's potentials all work out, he's an all-star. Hits for power and average and calls a good game behind the plate.

3. Jorge Cruz, SS. Cruz came from the only Puerto Rican family in Tamms, Illinois. He's also one of those guys that I can't see because my scouting wasn't that good. Of course...

4. Kirt Karl, SS. rbedwell and his max scouting budget couldn't see this guy. Karl went to junior college, which meant that he spent too much time making fun of people like me and not enough time copying off of me. Karl has five-tool possibilities and a squirrelly looking goatee.

5. Lou Maduro, P. The second pitcher and first Canuck taken, Maduro projects average to above average on four pitches. I don't mean to belittle a man named Boots, but this could be the best pitcher drafted.

A couple of other notes:

• 13 pitchers taken in the first round, with seven more when in the supplemental. 19 pitchers went in the first round last year.
• Last year's top three raked in $17.01M in bonuses. This year's crop of posers have pulled $7.9, with one holdout.

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Time to Get Worried?

We're 47-48 games into the season and it looks like the window is already closing for a few teams. For instance, my Memphis In The Meantime squad. We're 7.5 games out and playing sub-.500 ball. Are we out of it? You hate to say yes, but it looks like a reality.

Let's take a division-by-division look as we near the 30 percent mark of the season:

AL NORTH
Detroit has taken nearly 64 percent of its games, but zar's squad is not invincible. Milwaukee and Cleveland are within four games of first and both teams are making a case for playoff bids.

AL EAST
Augusta leads the weakest AL division with a sub-.500 record. It's a toss-up, really, with the entire division separated by 4.5 games.

AL SOUTH
Richmond shocked the hell out of me and streaked into first place and holds a 1.5-game lead on Nashvegas. Memphis. God, we suck.

AL WEST
Kansas City has competition this year from Arizona. ohiopirate has done a great job with this club, back only five games. This will be a fun division to watch.

NL NORTH
Cincinnati has great pitching and a six-game lead over Columbus. Insurmountable? No. But, Columbus needs something to make a chase with.

NL EAST
Philadelphia has a 6.5-game lead over two decent squads. The wild card chase from last year could rear its head here.

NL SOUTH
Take Santa Fe out of the South and it is the leader in two of the other three divisions. Atlanta, though, is slaughtering the competition. 10 losses and a .792 winning percentage. It's a bloodbath at first pitch.

NL WEST
Wow. This division could be as bad as the AL East. Hell, even San Francisco is still in the running. Ha!

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Control Your Stick

Interesting stat.

Al Mendoza -- 64 at-bats, 11 home runs, 11 walks and,

3 strike outs.

I'm impressed.

Back to writing syllabi.

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Early Season Exits

The season is three days old and we already have three season ending injuries.

Jack Callaway, SF: elbow surgery

Cliff Lilly, San Juan: torn labrum

Julian Nunez, Pittsburgh: shoulder aneurysm

Six players in total are on the 60-day. The others include:

Ralph McCullough, Colorado: elbow surgery

Roscoe Street, Atlanta: elbow tendinitis

Vlad Hernandez, Memphis: elbow surgery

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Through Saturday Morning...

The season is only 2-3 games old, but why not begin the overanalyzation that you have come to expect from the OnionBall.

• Pittsburgh a division leader? Is bent the second coming or is it just REALLY early?
• KC's Al Mendoza caught the Nerio Fever. Four home runs in 13 ABs.
• Speaking of Nerio, he has a pair in three games. That's one every six at bats, which means if he takes 600 ABs then...never mind.
• KC has scored 23 runs in three games.
  
• Apparently, being patient at the plate wasn't a focus during spring training. 18 pitchers tallied at least seven strikeouts in their season debut. Four pitchers -- Dustin Keagle//AUS (11), Gordon DiSarcina//RIC (10), Ugey Neruda//KC (9) and Santos Bautista//MEM (9) struck out 9+.
  
• Seattle's Len Heiserman signed for $15.4M in the off-season. He's 0-for-7 with two walks and an RBI.
• J.J. Lambert got $6m per from Nashvegas. He gave up eight hits, five runs and four homers in a loss.

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The Two Faces of Mad Muldoon

It's occurred to us here at OnionBall (now posting from our front porch in sunny Syracuse...how about that, it's April in Syracuse and it's not snowing!) that madmuldoon is in need of a prescription for Seroquel or some shock treatment. With reigny taking time to deal with all things real, madmuldoon has stepped in to assist on all things pretend.

Actually, it didn't occur to us until mully trade chatted a message this morning that read "This is so confusing."

So, mully gets high marks for helping out reigny and being all Jekyll and no Hyde. Although, thank God we have a trade veto system so there aren't any Sammy Gonzales-for-cash trades.

I just hope that running two teams doesn't take the many faces toll on mully as it has on another superstar...

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Today In The National

Your National League previews, in order of my semi-deluded predicted order of finish.

NL North
Cincinnati
What we know: Easily the NL's best pitching staff is tuned up and ready for 2008. And, the offense seems recharged.

What we don't know: If they have gelled enough to make the next step in the playoffs.
 
Burlington
What we know: jjirish took $10 million off its payroll, which immediately signals "rebuild."

What we don't know: The regulars look strong in camp. Will that translate into regular season success.

Columbus
What we know: Pretty much the same team as last year, although they are clearing out some salary right now, presumably to build for season three.

What else we know: Give them two season because, right now, Cinci owns this division.

Chicago
What we know: Even in pretend baseball, Chicago gets slapped around. They seem to have a lot of good parts, but it just didn't click last year.

What we don't know: Health. Jack Pulsipher has already gone down this spring and has found himself on the trading block. And all of the pitchers carry # signs, which either means that the GM can't decide between the lesser of evils OR it's going to be a long year with young pitching.


NL East
Phila
What we know: Last year, they had a great rotation and won the games on their backs. The pitchers are back.

What else we know: They add a couple of new bullets to the chamber in Jerome Clontz and Lefty Hodges.

Washington
What we know: They've hit 34 home runs in spring training. Their pitchers have given up 26.

Buffalo
What we know: They peeled $16m off their player budget and enter the season with a $20m prospect line. See also, "Future, Building for the".

What we don't know: How competitive they will be and whether the farm replaces the fire power lost during free agency.

Charlotte
What we know: They cut nearly $20m off their payroll and put it into operations.

What we don't know: If the spring training lineup is any indication of this season's offensive abilities. If it is, they could sustain. If not. Eek.

NL South
Atlanta
What we know: Atlanta was the hottest team in the NL at the end and they made it to the World Series.

What else we know: They increased payroll by nearly $20m.

One other thing we know: The pitching is Cincinnati/Kansas City good.

Santa Fe
What we know: This team has a lot of offensive weapons.

What we don't know: The pitching staff is plodding along at a 5.73 clip. Are they more than Dunwoody-Fultz?

Austin
What we know: The backend of the rotation seems to have issues right now.

What else we know: These guys collapsed at the end of the season and snuck into the playoffs.

What we don't know: Whether the offensive slumber during spring training breaks.

San Juan
What we know: They have a nice little nucleus of power with Timo Phillips, Olmedo Tarasco, Devon Gentry and Efrain Cheng.

What else we know: The pitchers have a team ERA of 16.14 in spring training. Ouch babe.

NL West
Colorado Springs
What we know: This lineup lacked a prolific hitter in season one. They have candidates to take that marquee role.

What we don't know: Who's going to step up? Somebody? Anybody?

Los Angeles
What we know: This team won't finish any lower than second place.

What we don't know: The tools are there to jump ahead, but can the hitters make it happen?

Portland/San Francisco

What we know: These two teams are basically the same. They are biding time, racing for 120 losses this season, only to emerge as 110-game winners in seasons 4 and 5.

What we don't know: How many international prospects they will scoop up? Over/under is (combined) 8.5.

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Hey, Ice Fishing Season is Over!

shynent sends in this dispatch from the Great White North.

Management in Minnesota knew they would have to open the checkbook to compete in the high-spending AL North. So they did just that, approving a $102 million payroll, and gave new GM shynent a simple mandate: sign Len Heiserman.

He couldn’t get it done, so now he has to hope his Plan B - free agent signings Steve Austin and Glendon Mercedes and young trade acquisitions Bunny Stoops and Don Harris - are enough to help fans forget about last season’s 94-loss nightmare.

Even if it’s not, shynent is hoping the name change to the North Stars will at least help move some merchandise.

“It’s a name with a lot of history up here,” he said. “Granted, that history was in another sport, but maybe we can fool some hockey fans into coming out and buying a few jerseys.”

If they do, they should be treated to a team that will score some runs. The rookie GM thinks his team should “hit a little bit” thanks to Austin, re-signed veteran 1B Don Foster and a fairly balanced lineup.

What he doesn't know is if the North Stars will be able to keep the opposition from scoring. Mercedes should provide solid starts, but the rest of the rotation is a crap shoot, and closer Del Holtz may get bored from a lack of save opportunities. Harris could use another year of seasoning in the minors, but Minnesota may not have that luxury.

“If he’s one of our top four guys, we’ll pretty much be forced to think about keeping him with the big club,” shynent said.

The offseason trade with San Francisco that brought Harris and Stoops into the fold raised a few eyebrows, as it came at the cost of top position prospect Harpo Dunn. But even in the cold of Minnesota, shynent knows that if he doesn’t find a way to guide the team to respectability soon, he’ll be feeling the heat.

“Look, we all know that Dunn is going to be a star, but it might be three seasons before he makes his first All-Star team,” he said. “If we keep losing 90-plus games a year, I’ll be run out of town on a rail before then.”

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It's Pronounced "Chee-Chah-Koes"

mully submitted this preview of the New York franchise.

The New York franchise is in year 2 of their 3 year plan.

"If only that damn owner would give me some ML arms we could win some games," said Coach MO Mercedes [not to be confused with his cousin Les Volkswegen] with one hand clinching a bottle of Blanton's Kentucky Bourbon, and the other feverishly working the remote, viewing last year's game tapes.

When this question was posed to GM Madmuldoon, his reply was "First, the owner Hank Steenburguon tells me who to bring up and pitch now I have this German Boozehound (No relation to Sante Fe). Telling me my Bizzness."

Madmuldoon states that next year or the year after, he plans to bring up AA Pitchers Will Rhodes, Wiki Andjujar, Kyle Crawford, and Closer Kurt Hill to the major and fill-in holes with blue chip FA'S.

When contacted later at his suite at the Marriott Marquis, Coach Mercedes replied to Mr Muldoon's statement: "There are gonna be alot of souvenier baseballs this year so you fans out there buy your tickets now." He then raised his glass of whiskey and proclaimed, "I'd rather have a Bottle in Front of me than a Frontal Labotomy."

This reporter sees a light at the end of the tunnel for this historic franchise, but whether they make it to the World Series depends on the health of the farm system.

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I Do LOVE Me Some Maple Syrup

Did you know that Vermont produces 450,000 gallons of maple syrup each year? Think about the shit you learn while reading this blog.

In addition to creating one-third of America's maple syrup output, Vermont also produced one of last season's largest collapses. Last season, the Burlington Pitch Factory was in the hunt for the NL North title before a historic flop over the last 20 games of the season.

GM jjirish70 is stuck between rebuilding and winning now. " We are in a rebuilding mode but the owner still wants to win games. Therefore we find ourselves maybe bringing talent up a lil earlier than we should and making some trades in season one that now have me raising my eyebrows."

The farm is stocked, with irish pointing to a stacked AAA squad. But, he feels that the pitching staff will be the foundation of the franchise for season two. "Our pitching will be our strong suit and that we have healthy players with speed.

"Now if the GM can ever decide if he wants to win now or rebuild and not go back and forth we might be okay."

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Life Imitates Art...Or the Other Way Around

Drawing parallels between pretend baseball and real baseball is often difficult. But, in the case of the Steel City, it's not that tough.

The Pittsburgh Pirates? Suck.

The Pittsburgh Diamond Kings? Not much better.

Even the owner said so when discussing his starting pitching options. "My starting pitching sucks and right now, I only have three legit starters," bentschnride said

The difference is that the pretend offense looks like it might be more successful than the real one. "My team has a lot a power. I wouldn't be suprised if all nine of my starters hit at least 35 home runs."

bent was optimistic though.

"All in all, its gonna be another long year in Pittsburgh."

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The Known Unknowns and the Unknown Knowns

My team-by-team preview of each division in (my) predicted order of finish. And yes, I picked myself to win my division.

AL North
Cleveland
What we know: A scary lineup packed with offense from leadoff to number nine. Donovan Milligan, Jason Carlyle, Nerio...they all scare me. And they've infused the pitching staff with a much needed starter in Pat Rizzo.

What we don't know: I'm convinced that, while Nerio Turner is a good power hitter, that last year might have been an anomaly. Can he keep the greenies down and the numbers up? But, are Barnes-Flanagan-Rizzo-Lovullo and Lee enough to topple Kansas City?

Milwaukee
What we know: To channel my inner Rick Pitino, Len Heiserman is not walking through that door. Mikey Hall is back and so is Yoo-Nah Kim. Their pitching scares me more than Cleveland's hitting.

What we don't know: Andy Porter, Wayne Jones, Earl Clontz, Felipe Hernandez...all absolutely raking in spring training. Can they make it happen in the regular season?

Detroit
What we know:  Chui Tabaka is going to steal a lot of bases. Gio Coffie is going to do the lion's share of producing runs. And, so far, Mel Petersn and Troy Shumaker are thawing nicely.

What we don't know: Stud catcher Eli Reynoso looks to make his everyday debut in season two. Is he up to it and can he set the table for Coffie and Warren Rueter? 

Minnesota
What we know: Took a big step by signing Stone Cold Steve Austin to a nice little deal. Certainly amounting a nice offense.

What we also know: Del Holtz looks great and so does Henry Ramirez. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the red of the staff.

AL East
Boston
What we know: The champions of the weakest division in the AL won last season by a 12-game margin. The starting pitching looks tuned, as does Jim Rice.

What we don't know: Is the rest of the machine ready to win? And, can they do it more than last year's 84 times??

Augusta
What we know: Jamie Rollins. Nuff said.

What we don't know: There pitching looks quite nice. Can they keep it together and make it down the stretch without picking up another arm?

New York
What we know: This team will not lack for runs. And from first glance, they have a lot of young guns that will power them through the season.

What we don't know: Are there enough proven veterans to make this season work? Or will season three be the year for the Chechakos? I have flip flopped twice New York and Augusta.

Pittsburgh
What we know: It can't get worse than last season. Besides, they have a player named Hulk Holt.

What we don't know: How much better it will get in season three. Are we talking 50 wins better or 70 wins better?

AL South
Memphis
What we know: Yeah, because I'm going to pick against myself. My pitching is good from the first through the sixth innings and great in the ninth. The lineup is good 1-6.

What we don't know: The seventh and eighth innings have me a little unsure. My infield holes have spackle. They need some drywall. Will we collapse like balsa wood again and go on another 13-14 game losing streak?

Nashville
What we know: I love picking on Nashville. Their my divisional rival, of course I'm going to dump on them. But, with 113 runs scored and a team batting average of .301, they are pounding the ball in spring training. And, the starters look midseason.

What we don't know: Is this a Dave Winfield "Mr. May" situation? Or can the Saints capitalize on mistakes and repeat in the South? This is another gone that could go either way.

Richmond
What we know: This team will not lack for offense. The problem is that the other team probably won't either.

What we don't know: Can the pitchers keep up with the hitters or will it become the game of who scores more runs?

Monty
Given that reigny had some bigger fish to fry and lost out on free agency, I'm going to cut him some slack. We'll bag on him later this season when he's back.

AL West
Kansas City
What we know: The day that the Yankees call to offer me the general manager job, I'm going to bring braddavis in to build the organization. 114 wins and a completely ripped pitching staff, plus they reloaded the offense. They scare me.

What we don't know: Am I just full of shit and pumping the Monarchs up?

Seattle
What we know: Louis Paul is a stud and leads a pitching staff that will set the pace for this team. The Len Heiserman signing is worth the four-game gap from last seaon.

What we don't know: Will the lineup gel around Heiserman, or leave him with no one to drive in?

Colorado
What we know: They bring back a hit machine lead by Edwin Underwood and Tanner Howard.

What else we know: They only have 10 pitchers in camp and only one has an ERA under 4.00.

Arizona
What we know: ohiopirate inherited an 88-loss club with good pitching.

What we also know: ohiopirate inherited an 88-loss club that hits like my grandmother (and both of them are dead).

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New Look...New Season

Season two is upon us. These are the six stories we're watching here at OnionBall 2.0. We'd watch more buy we don't have much of an attention span...:

1) Big Contracts, Big Expectations: Len Heiserman and J.J. Lambert hit the flippin' jackpot this off-season. The duo will account for more than $72 million over the next three seasons. The question is whether these guys will be more Jamie Rollins then, say, Albert Belle.

2) Cleveland Cash Cow: $93 million in major league salary (and another $9.9m at AAA). Last year, they posted 112 wins. Can they keep up the pace and take it a step further?

3) Nerio. Federal prosecutors confiscated the passport of Nerio Turner, preventing trips to Mexican pharmacies. And his mail is under daily inspection by FBI agents. Will Cleveland's slugging rightfielder get it done in season two?

4) Desert Shift. Las Vegas is now Arizona. From Sin City to Sun City. The Cha Chings are no longer, which means a change to the dynamic of the ballpark. Cashman Field carried -2 ratings for 1B, 2B, 3B and 0s for LF and RF. Arizona plays in Chase Field with a 1, 1 and 3 for hits and 0s for LF and RF. Can Lance Kubinski build on a .291 average? Will starters Alvin O'Brien and Quinton Logan give up more than 195 and 239 hits, respectively?

5) Repeat? KC certainly looks like an odds-favorite for a second title. They maintained the team. They picked up a couple of high-achieving prospects. Does the best team in season one translate to the best team in season two?

6) Philadelphia's changes. Al Ward, Sherm Goodwin, Alan Morrison...gone. Lefty Hodges, Jerome Clontz...in. Ouch babe. Talk about a reload.

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Returning Owners

If you missed the boilerplate stat today, then let's recap the list of owners who have reupped for season two. Allow me to be mark3313 for a second and remind everyone to lock in their team for next season.

Franchises secured for season two include:

AMERICAN (7 of 13 committed)
Augusta
Boston
Memphis
Monterrey
New York
Pittsburgh
Seattle

NATIONAL (10 of 13 committed)
Austin
Burlington
Chicago
Cinci
Columbus
LA
Portland
San Fran
Santa Fe
San Juan

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