Bleacher Report - Articles by Brandon Mitchell

Manny Ramirez on the Move...to Philly?

Brandon Mitchell — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:17:55 -0400

After all the controversy that has surrounded Manny Ramirez this year, it seems as if the Boston Red Sox are finally ready to get rid of the distraction. It seems they are ready to part with their 36-year-old left fielder and potential future Hall of Famer.

But at what price will they trade him? What would a team have to give up to get him?

Ramirez is a 10 to five player—he has been in the Majors for 10 years and the same team for five—so he has the ability to veto any trade made. And the rumor is that there is only one team to which he would agree to be traded...

The Philadelphia Phillies.

Manny has been extremely close to Phils skipper Charlie Manuel since their days in Cleveland and Philadelphia seems to be the perfect fit.

With their offense in what has been a month long slump, the Phillies are in the hunt for a big impact bat. With catching troubles looming in the near future for the Red Sox, they would love a nice, top catching prospect.

It just so happens that Manny Ramirez is a big impact bat and the Phils have a solid catching prospect, hitting .319 in AA Reading with a .857 OPS named Lou Marson.

So with only five days to go until the non-waiver trade deadline, don't be surprised to see Manny be Manny out in left field at Citizens Bank Park.

Hundred Wins: Which Teams Have a Shot in '08?

Brandon Mitchell — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:25:01 -0400

Every now and then we'll see a team that will finish with a 100-win season. We saw the Cardinals in 2005, the Cardinals and Yankees in 2004, and we'll even see a team with 100 losses, or 105 like the D'Backs in 2004.

Through about a month of this year's season, here's a list of teams to look out for as possible 100 game winners.

Boston Red Sox:

On pace for 101 wins so far, the Sox are leading the AL East by 3.5 games and are 2008's best shot at a 100 win team. They have an offense that can hit and a pitching staff that can pitch--not to mention that they have no competition in the AL East if the Yankees keep playing the way they are.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:

The team from two cities also has a very legitimate shot at 100 wins. The Angels have the second highest batting average in the league (behind the Red Sox.) The only thing that could hamper their effort is their pitching; the Angels' staff ERA sits at a mediocre 4.30 right now.

St. Louis Cardinals:

Its hard to go against a team that's done it two times in the past five years and is on pace to do it again. The Cards boast the 3rd best batting average in the league (behind the Braves and Diamondbacks) and the third best staff ERA in the league (also, behind the Braves and the Diamondbacks.)

However, you need to look at the teams they've played. The only team they have played that, as of the writing of this article, has a record of above .500 is the Houston Astros. If the Cards can prove that they can beat good teams, they can put forth a 100 win effort.

Colorado Rockies:

Last year's NL Champion is now on pace for 103 losses. As a die hard Phillies fan, I just feel it necessary to point that out.

Players Association Launches Investigation Into Free Agency

Brandon Mitchell — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:48:53 -0400

The MLB Players Association announced that they have opened an investigation into the free agent market. They are attempting to find out why older players like Barry Bonds and Kenny Lofton still remain unsigned.

At the end of this investigation, should the Players Association find that things don't quite add up, they could file a grievance on the issue of collusion. Collusion occurs when two or more MLB teams cooperate for their mutual benefit, and by doing so, infringe upon the rights of another.

What the MLBPA might not realize, however, is that the answer to their question is staring them right in the right in the face.

Did it ever occur to the players association that Barry Bonds could be going to jail and that 29 out of the 30 teams are in markets that hate Barry Bonds and would likely boo him?

Did it ever occur to the players association that Kenny Lofton has played on nine different teams in the past six years? Or that he hasn't played a full season since 2001? Or maybe they're just overlooking the simple fact that the man is about to turn 41 years old?

There is no conspiracy going on between the owners of the Major League Baseball teams. Teams, for some odd reason, just don't want to sign convicts and old outfielders. The Players Association needs to stop trying to find things that MLB is doing wrong and start working on building a relationship to help keep our sport in one piece.

Detroit Tigers 0-5: OK, What's Your Point?

Brandon Mitchell — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:54:45 -0400

In the history of Major League Baseball only two teams have started off the season 0-5 and still been able to make the playoffs, though neither team won the World Series.

Putting it bluntly, after this year that statistic will include a third team. It will be tough competing with the Indians, but look at what Detroit has to offer.

They have a pitching staff that includes Dontrelle Willis, Kenny Rogers, and Justin Verlander, and they have a solid offensive core that is going to hit.

Dave Dombrowski added Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria to give the lineup an extra pop, and Jacque Jones and Magglio Ordonez are going to hit, too.

Do you really think that the Orioles and Royals, who are now leading the AL East and the AL Central, are going to win their respective divisions?

The offense is in a slump right now. But every MLB offense is going to go through slumps at many different points during the season.

The Phillies, who hold one of the most potent lineups in the Majors, are hitting .246 right now.

The bottom line is that there are 157 games left in the 2008 Major League Baseball season.

The Tigers are going to hit, and they're going to keep pitching well. The Tigers are going to go to October.

And don't be surprised if they surprise a few people there.

The Instant Replay: Is It Really Needed in Baseball?

Brandon Mitchell — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:29:24 -0400

Let's go back to high school. You're sitting in a room with fifty other kids and you're taking the SAT.

Which does not belong? Football, Basketball, Hockey, Tennis, Rugby, Cricket, Rodeo, NASCAR, or Baseball?

Now, generally on a test you wouldn't have nine answers, but for the sake of our current topic, just live with it. Obviously, baseball does not belong.

All of the above named sports utilize some form of instant replay—except baseball.

In November of 2007, the general managers voted 25-5 to explore the use of instant replay in baseball. This would be used only to determine fair and foul home runs, and home runs that are in or out of the park.

Regardless of what type of instant replay, if any, is actually implemented, the question will always be asked, "Do we actually need this?"

Many instant replay critics feel that due to the length of the season (162 games), the safe/out calls and fair/foul calls that are called incorrectly, will eventually balance themselves out.

You know what? These critics are probably right. But what happens when the Red Sox and Yankees are playing in the AL Championship Series?

Bad calls aren't going to "balance themselves out" in a seven-game series. We all know that one call or one home run can change the momentum of an entire series.

So, we shouldn't implement instant replay in the regular season. We have four umpires that can confer and, most of the time, they get the calls right. Leave it up to them.

But when it really counts, when teams only have five or seven games to make or break their season, we need to make sure these teams aren't robbed.

We need to make sure these calls are right, and the true champions are rewarded.

From the MLB to the NBA: Major League Salary Problems

Brandon Mitchell — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:29:32 -0400

The Dallas Mavericks have the highest payroll in the NBA at $105 million. The lowest payroll belongs to the Charlotte Bobcats at about $53 million. That is a $52 million dollar difference.

In the NFL, the New York Giants have the highest sitting at $125 million. The lowest belongs to the Buffalo Bills at $67 million. Here there is a $58 million dollar difference.

Now the fun begins.

In Major League Baseball, the highest payroll belongs to the Yankees at $209 million. The lowest belongs to the Marlins who put up a fight at $22 million. That is a $187 million dollar difference.

In fact, Alex Rodriguez's 2008 salary is $28 million. Let me put that in other terms. Alex Rodriguez's 2008 salary is $6 million dollars more than the payroll of the entire Florida Marlins team.

Baseball has tried to keep the competitiveness level the same through revenue sharing, luxury taxes, etc., but this doesn't seem to work. The eight playoff teams last year averaged a $107 million payroll. The non-playoff teams averaged $67 million.

The only restriction set forth by Major League Baseball is the luxury tax, which taxes teams if they spend over a set payroll amount. This is commonly referred to as a soft cap.

But this doesn't stop teams like the Yankees and Red Sox who traditionally pay this luxury tax year after year. What MLB and MLBPA don't realize is that if teams can afford paying one player $28 million, they can afford paying the small luxury tax with no problem.

Clearly, the luxury tax does not fill its purpose to maintain competitive balance and avoid overspending. What is balanced about one player making more than an entire team?

So what, if anything, can Major League Baseball do to fix this problem? Obviously, there is nothing that MLB can do that will either get by the owners or get by the MLBPA. They won't even be talking about a new collective bargaining agreement for a couple years.

But something needs to be done, or we'll soon see $300 million payrolls and that $28 million salary will be going to someone like Jayson Werth—nothing against Jason.

Let's take a quick look at the salary program in the NBA.

Fans became displeased because their favorite player left for another team during free agency. This led the league to institute the "Larry Bird" provision of the salary cap.

It gives the player's current team an advantage over other teams in free agent negotiations, thus increasing the chances that the player will stay with his current team.

Now there is also a soft salary cap. There is no penalty for being over the cap. However teams over the limit are prohibited from signing free agents for more than the league minimum.

The NBA also has a luxury tax system which is triggered if average team payroll exceeds a certain number higher than the cap.

In this case, the teams with payrolls exceeding a certain threshold have to pay a tax to the league. This tax money is then divided and distributed amongst the teams with lower payrolls—not to a "league advancement fund" like what we see in the MLB.

All of this talk won't do a thing because it won't come up in conversation until 2011 when the collective bargaining agreement ends. Until then, we'll just have to live with the $30 million player salaries and, in some cases, $30 million payrolls as well.

MLB Paradox: Attendance Up, Popularity Down

Brandon Mitchell — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:33:39 -0500

Major League Baseball often prides itself on its increasing attendance record year after year.

But MLB's main mistake is that they see increasing attendance as increasing popularity, which is not the case at all.

Fifty years ago, you would drive down the streets of New York, Detroit, and Philadelphia and see sandlot baseball being played. Kids of all ages loved baseball and baseball quickly grew to be America's past time.

Those kids that were playing that sandlot baseball are today's fans.

They are bringing their families to the ballpark everyday and increasing the attendance.

What MLB is not realizing though is that today's youth are not liking baseball as much as their parents.

A recent study conducted by MLBAmerica.com showed that baseball did not rank number one on the list of favorite sports for 13- to 17-year-olds.

It didn't rank second either. Or third. Or fourth. It is ranked fifth.

Behind basketball, football, soccer, and hockey respectively, baseball is slowly but surely falling behind in the ranks of other sports and with lacrosse quickly ascending.

Sixty-eight percent of youth said that the main reason they don't like baseball is because it’s boring.

What a surprise.

If this rate continues, the youth of today aren't going to bring their kids to the ballpark fifty years from today, and attendance will surely drop.

Who knows where baseball will be in 50 years?

One thing that we do know is that if MLB doesn't step in and make the game more appealing to today's youth, baseball will slowly fall down the totem poll of sports until there are as many people watch baseball as there are ESPN bowling.

Baseball's Drug Problem: Has the Mitchell Report Helped or Hurt MLB?

Brandon Mitchell — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 03:30:08 -0500

"Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball."

Sounds official doesn't it?

But does the "Mitchell Report" really help solve baseball's drug problem—or was it just a ploy by the Commissioner's office?

Bud Selig knew he needed to do something about steroids or his legacy would go down the drain. The day before the report was released to the public, Selig commented, "I haven't seen the report yet, but I'm proud I did it."

He's proud he did it. Right.

Wouldn't it have made more sense for Selig to say that he hadn't yet seen the report but was anxious to review the findings and recommendations of Senator Mitchell?

The Mitchell Report contains 409 pages of information regarding steroids. But we need to remember that it isn't evidence of anything.

Aside from the few cases in which evidence was produced, there's no proof that anyone took steroids.

Brian McNamee told Senator Mitchell he injected Roger Clemens with steroids a few years back. But there's no proof. Senator Mitchell said he had complete confidence in the accuracy of McNamee's testimony—but excuse me if that doesn't make me feel all better.

I would hope that Mitchell would feel "confident" before publishing a report that could ruin players' careers with no hard facts.

When Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Brian McNamee, among others, testify before Congress later this year, it's possible that we'll get more information. But until then, keep in mind that the Mitchell Report hasn't helped Major League Baseball nearly as much as it could potentially hurt it.