Post by Free Agent GM on Nov 6, 2008 1:00:49 GMT -5
With the Trade Deadline just 2 weeks away teams will be looking to solidify their needs and add that extra player to put them over the top. The Texas Rangers thought they were the first ones to do this, but sometimes it's a lot harder then it looks to find the right player. The combination of hired guns Pete Harnisch and Doc Gooden haven't seemed to find their groove yet. While not suffering a loss yet, they have not been a help to the team giving up 17 earned runs in 28 innings. Sneaking past the Rangers for second place is the Anaheim Angels. The New Angels GM has done a great job so far of making subtle changes and tweaks to the lineup and rotation to do something that the former Angels GM couldn't do...help them win some game. Yet the division leader is still Seattle. Quit frankly I'm not sure how they are doing it. In my honest opinion I still think Texas is the team to beat there. They just have too much talent to lose this thing.
Elsewhere in the AL the races look to be almost over. Unless the Red Sox can make a run, it looks like the Indians, Twins, and Blue Jays are just playing for home field advantage. I hate to pick sides, but I'm pulling for Minnesota to win the World Series this year. An old cy young member who always knew how to work a small budget and make good things happen.
In the senor circuit a lot can still happen. Sure St. Luis may already be counting down the magic number, but the rest of the league is still wide open. In the East it's the Marlins holding on to a 5.5 game lead over Atlanta. I don't know if I'm under estimating Florida or just trained to think that Atlanta winning is an automatic, but it just looks backwards to me. Atlanta has a tough road ahead of them. They just lost their two best starters this year for a good amount of time. It would be interesting to see if young phenom Damian Moss, who has been lights out in the pen, gets the call to fill in.
The West has been up and down. Seems every few weeks one team goes on a tear and another struggles. San Francisco is this editions hot team. Winners of 12 of the last 20, they have taken hold of the top spot, but for how long? Arizona and Colorado are breathing down San Fran's back. Heck even at 8 games out I would not consider the Dodgers out of this yet. In the Wild Card Pittsburgh looks to be the odds on favorite to win the "4th division". Atlanta and the GM-less Mets are within sight, but they both have an easier path to the division.
So who is it going to be? Who is going to win this crazy game? The next few weeks(days) are going to prove important to many teams even if they are out of the race. The trade deadline is going to be 8pm this Sunday. Just one more sim in between here and then. Time to go out and get that big name player so your name can be etched in history as a world champion or be the GM to pull of the deal of the century bringing back Hall of Fame prospects for your moderately effective veterans. This time of year makes or breaks GM, so what's it gonna be?