Admittedly, we had to rework our weekly roundtable this week after the Mariners decided to finally win a game (against the Yankees in the Bronx nonetheless) and the Mets finally dealt Carlos Beltran to the Giants after a rumored move to the Indians was nixed by the outfielder. We also all learned the name Jerry Meals this week for unfortunate reasons. That discussion and more in this week’s Three Strikes Roundtable…
Strike 1: With Carlos Beltran now in the fold, are the Giants the favorites in the National League once again?
Daniel Moroz: It might move them into the same band as the Braves and the Central winner (Brewers or Cardinals), but I think the Phillies are still the favorites with that rotation.
Garrett Wilson: Favorites? No. I still like the Phillies, but I definitely think the Giants are more of a challenger than they were a week ago. Beltran is a great fit for that team, but at the end of the day, the Phillies rotation is probably a bit better and their offense is a mile ahead. Of course, we all thought that last year too.
Matt Lindner: Favorites in the NL West? Absolutely. At this point, Arizona may as well pack up their ball and go home. Favorites in the entire National League? Beltran’s good but he doesn’t improve their rotation any further. Barring a major collapse, Philadelphia remains the odds on favorite to win the NL. That rotation combined with a stellar lineup and a very underrated manager in Charlie Manuel have them positioned to make a deep run into October yet again this year.
Joe Lucia: They’re not the favorites in the league. But they definitely have made it a lot harder for Arizona in the NL West. I also think they took a step above the Braves in the overall NL pecking order, depending whether or not they make a move.
Ben Duronio: They improved greatly, he’s probably their best hitter now. I wouldn’t say they are the favorites but nobody would be surprised if they win the NL if the other teams stand pat. They iIncreased their World Series odds greatly.
Matt Yoder: I’m going to play the contrarian and say they are the favorites at the moment (after all, I asked the question). Yes, these teams are different this year, but San Francisco beat Philly in the NLCS last year without homefield, so why not again? Even with a healthy Buster Posey, Carlos Beltran is the biggest bat the Giants have had in years. The Phillies are going to have to prove they can beat the reigning champs.
Strike 2: The Rays have fallen way off the pace in the AL East and Wild Card races respectively. What percentage do you give their postseason chances?
Matt L: They’re done. Cooked. Over with. But if I’m a GM, ain’t no way in hell I’m dialing up Andrew Friedman to make a deal. Look at the players he’s dealt away/given up on in recent memory — Scott Kazmir, Matt Garza, et. al. Like a weekend gambling spree in Las Vegas, a great idea at the time but in the long run, an expensive mistake.
Joe: I think the Rays are toast. Boston and NY are just way too good this year, and the Rays don’t have the offensive firepower to compete. It’s time to trade BJ Upton and begin the youth movement once again.
Garrett: 1%. Sorry, I actually really like the Rays, but it isn’t going to happen. Even if they didn’t sell off excess parts like BJ Upton (which seems like a lock at this point) the deck is stacked against Tampa. Picking up 8.5 games on the Yankees is going to be pretty hard, but it isn’t even that simple. Nobody probably noticed, but the Angels have now passed the Rays for second in the Wild Card hunt, leading them by two games and the Angels have a MUCH easier schedule the rest of the way.
Matt Y: 10%. A one in ten chance seems reasonable because they only have to catch one of the Yanks or Sox (and Angels, thanks Garrett) to make the postseason. This team has blown hot and cold so a long winning streak can put them back into contention and there’s still over two months left in the season. I just hope that Tampa Bay doesn’t take this opportunity to blow up the roster.
Daniel: The Rays chances don’t look good at all, since not only are they starting out in a huge hole, but I think they’re a worse team than Boston or New York.
Ben: It’s looking grim. I picked them to win the AL East before the season, so it pains me to say their odds are so low, but its just the truth. They should sell off a few players for some prospects and build for next season, because the division will only get more difficult then.
Strike 3: You are the baseball czar for a day – what do you do about instant replay?
Matt Y: Institute it for all scoring plays at the plate immediately. The fact that a fuller version of instant replay is still ignored by Bud Selig is as damning of his incompetence as a commissioner than turning a blind eye to the Steroid Era. It is mind bottling. Installing it at every base is the next logical step for safe/out calls. Also, I lay down a decree that instant replay can never be used for balls and strikes (at least until robots take over the entire sport). This should have been the case years ago, but not surprisingly, baseball is a bit behind.
Ben: I would rather the umpires be reprimanded more than replay expanded. The system of becoming an MLB umpire is so messed up, there’s hardly any incentive to even try to do a good job. There needs to be more money in umpiring and higher turnover.
Joe: The only thing I’d really do is expand it to include close plays at the plate. Those type of plays are actually tied to runs, as opposed to just hits or ball/strike counts.
Matt L: After the Jerry Meals fiasco, I implement instant replay effective immediately. Especially on calls at the plate. If the Pirates lose the NL Central by one game — something that is entirely possible given how this season is unfolding — Meals will be an eternal scapegoat in the Steel City and a poster child for a long overdue revolution in Major League Baseball umpiring.
Daniel: Institute it, with a 5th ump in the booth. Replay is coming sooner or later… just a question of how long MLB will hold out at this point.
Garrett: The only solution is an eye-in-the-sky fifth umpire. If anyone tries to complain about how replay takes too long, I would love to hear them explain how a few minutes of delay is worse than horribly blown calls and then a further delay when Clint Hurdle comes out to yell about the blown call until he literally turns purple. The technology is there, why not use it?
