Suzuki is Japanese for Traded

Rightfielder Off to Twin Cities in Surprise Deal

The Seattle Mariners Thursday traded rightfielder Ichiro Suzuki to the Minnesota Twins for that franchise's 2006 first-round selection in the Molson Baseball League Draft. Although a press conference was originally scheduled for Thursday night, an interpreter could not be located and forced rescheduling to this morning.

With all due respect, why did you trade Ichiro?

After reading the Capitol Division preview, it became clear to the organization that the Florida Marlins are the class of the division and that we needed to deal from strength to address some weaknesses. With J.D. Drew and several others on the roster capable of playing outfield, plus Furcal's ability to hit leadoff, we felt we could put his cap space to better use.

Is it true the San Francisco Giants expressed interest?

Yes, we did get a feeler from them, but talks never really got off the ground.

Which other teams were in the hunt?

We discussed Ichiro with the Padres and Indians, but both of those teams decided to move ahead with their selections. We offered him to the Mets, but that team didn't respond.

So, where will Seattle go with this pick?

Tune in tomorrow at 1200 Eastern.

Does this mean the Mariners are not planning to compete this season?

Not at all. Although Ichiro is an all-star caliber player, we felt we had depth at his position that could, with the application of the new cap space to draft choices, make us a better team overall.

Pistol's MBL Preview - Gateway Division

As you can see, I've been working overtime to finish Pistol's MBL Preveiw before this weekends' draft. I look forward to bantering/trading/bashing with you as we set the season for 2006.
Special thanks to my agents, whose lack of auditions for me this week allowed me the time to crank this stuff out. Want a season-end prediction? A replay of the 2003 Giants/Marlins MBLWS. (with the A's and Bums playing in the consolation game) Let's hope for the same outcome as '03. Gonna be real tough, though....

Good luck to one and all and welcome to the new ownerships in Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Da Bronx.


LOS ANGELES DODGERS - 1st place
Da Bums were one game away from the MBLWS and are still the cream of the Gateway Division. But the cream may sour in the LA with the Mariners AND the Marlins
looming large in 2006.

Strengths - Starting staff is terrifc, nos. 1-4 all over 200 inn. and 33 starts apiece, Adam Eaton and John Thomson share slot #5; Jones and Sheffield and Bay, oh my, ball goodbye!;

Weakness - No dominant closer; Adrian Beltre's career year has passed; Jack Nicholson hates baseball.

Draft Needs - Not much. 2b/ss backup, third sacker, lefty out of the pen.

Prediction - 1st place with not much competition until the playoffs.


TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS - 2nd place
No, I don't have sun stroke, the former also-ran Detroit franchise was given a reprieve from the warden/commish by moving out of the Rivalary Division. Good pitch, poor hit will only entertain the fans for so long, though.

Strengths - Strong starting 5 and that's without Zach Greinke; Izzy in the pen; Did I metion the staring pitching?

Weakness - Offense is fairly offensive; Graveyard for 1B: Palmiero, Tino, Darryl Ward. No power, little speed.

Draft Needs - Power hitting and lots of middle relief; All those real life TB outfielders.

Prediction - With their good young starting pitching, they will sneak by the Jays for 2nd, but it will not be good enough to make the playoffs this year.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS - 3rd place
Unca Joe likes to hoard Blue Jays. The MLB Jays just went nuts in the free agent market.
Somethings gotta give. Can ya believe Kerry Wood is gonna be 29 this summer?

Strengths - Lots of young arms for the future, Jon Garland rise to staff ace; Delgado, Green and Vernon Wells can/must carry the club.

Weakness - Only 2 starters over 25 starts; Expensive 19 starts for Roy Halladay. No closer.

Draft Needs - None until round six. Gonna dance with who ya brung.... but listen who's on the move....

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - 4th place
Owner Chuck Engle once wrote to me, "Mike Piazza dies a St. Louis Cardinal!" Services for Mr. Piazza will be held at the Danny Klasssen Funeral Home. Oh, yeah, the Cards are getting better.

Strengths - Power With Pujols, Giambi, Floyd and Morgan Ensberg (36 HR's!) Brian Roberts and Rondell White set the table nicely, TYVM.

Weakness - Giambi will play only in DH games with Luis at 1b; Los Tres Amigos Stinko at catcther; Bruce Chen's gopher; Josh Fogg says he's healthy.

Draft Needs - The three C's - Centerfielder, Closer, Catcher - Say, I wonder if Mike Piazza is available?

Prediction - Holy Busch, they're finally out of the cellar!!!!

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - 5th place

Strengths - Some good bangers and mash boys in Abreau, Kent and Burrell; We likey Brandon McCarthy; Jimmy Rollins speed; middle relief.

Weakness - Catcher a priority; Scott Rolen only 196 AB; another team without a closer. Say, isn't BJ Ryan available in SF?

Draft Needs - Starters, closer, catcher and future 1B. Say, maybe Jim Thome is available in SF?

Prediction - Bring a sweater, it gets chilly down there....

Pistol's MBL Preview - Capitol Division

Pistol, here! (pictured here with my "staff" outside Giants HQ)
I've been asked to assess the National League for the Home Plate Press. The Boys in Research and I have worked tirelessly to gather information, and much like the "real" Capitol division, disgard it whenever and wherever it serves me most. So, here's what we think the Capitol Division of MBL's NL will look like in 2006.

Will the M's repeat? Can 2 teams play in D.C.?
Was Helen Reddy? Is Shecky Greene? Did Lucille Ball?

Let's find out.....

FLORIDA MARLINS - 1st place
Here's how scary this team may be. If they didn't draft anyone, they still proably win it all.
Their accountant better be in mid-season form. They don't have much cap room.

Strengths- Florida's staring 5 pitchers average 200 innings and may account for all but 1 start; The Four M's - Manny Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera, Michael Young and Mark Kotsay will slug this team to a pennant. Oh, I forgot to mention Jeremia Heridia and Brian Giles.

Weakness- Not much on paper. I could make one up.

Draft Needs - A closer and a LH relief specialist. Then order the champagne.

Prediction - What champagne goes well with Marlins?

SEATTLE MARINERS - 2nd place
If only Ichiro coulda pitched, the Mariners might have won the MBLWS. The M's come to camp with the same good team, but find themselves not favored even repeat as division winners. Ouch.

Strengths - Speed and power. And speed. Great young arms and a tough bullpen. Gets to play 18 games vs. the Nationals.

Weakness - Third base and LF are the two areas where the M's need more production. Will Beckett and Sheets rebound after their WS meltdown? Can Buchanan juggle his sore-armed
staff to victory? Why the hell do I ask so many questions?

Draft needs - An innings eater; Ricky Bottalico's phone number. Quentin McCracken.

Prediction - Heavyweight playoff bout with Marlins at season's end. Torch will be passed.


HOUSTON ASTROS - 3rd place
This team is the MBL version of those old Montreal Expos squads. A great team that hasn't been able to put it all together. Major Tom to Houston: Have Jeff Bagwell Day then spend the 650G's on young pitching. Houston will have to work to make the playoffs again this year.

Strengths - Power and speed. 5 20+ HR guys from last season; Julio Lugo and Willy Taveras could swipe 75 bases; Breakout year for 2b Chase Utley; Tom Gordon, Brad Lidge and Billy Wagner make it lights out after the 7th inning.

Weakness - That being said, their starting pitching is hurting. Oswalt and Hudson then take cover; Erik Bedard is a decent #3 at this stage, but Wade Miller and Gavin Floyd won't cut it
this year.

Draft Needs - A young starter (should always be first on all lists); third base (Sean Burroughs not the answer, but perhaps the question); more starting pitching and LH set up guy.

Prediction - Marlins the kingfish of this division, but the bridesmaid Astros could beat out Seattle for a wild card.


WASHINGTON SENATORS - 4th place
Da Guvnah's been wheelin' and dealin' to make his team a contender this season. They could bash the beisol and be in the wild card mix, but then again....

Strengths - Bashing the beisbol. Real life Rangers Mark Teixeira, Kevin Mench and Hank Blalock with Jhonny Perlata give fans 100 (HR) reason to cheer this year; Chone Figgins speed (62 SB) and versitility; This team can hit...

Weakness - And whiff! 4 guys with over 120 times K'd; No staff ace or top notch closer with Gagne injured; solid but unspectacular starters; stuck in very good division.

Draft Needs - Young starters in the first 2 rounds; a closer;

Prediction - Crap shoot in Capitol Division. Senators better beat up on the weaker teams in the league to have any chance. Probably year away for wild card.


DC NATIONALS - 5th place
The fans better hope the consession food is good or there will be alot of Senators hats in the crowd this season. At least barry Bonds won't have to drive far for any Congressional hearings.

Strengths - Vlad Guerrero and Randy Winn's career year; Ryan Zimmerman's 58 AB's. Chad Cordero's a good young closer.

Weakness - Take your pick. Lots of journeymen. Brandon Inge makes Vinny Castilla look good. When Maddox's arm finally falls off, gonna get real ugly 'round these parts.

Draft Needs - Best young talent available. Period. As unpoular as it would be with the fans, trade Guerrero for as much as you can get, and hope a plague hits the pitchers of all the other teams in this division.

Prediction - The basement.

2006 Draft Preview: American League

In the first of a four-part series, The Home Plate Press evaluates the needs of American League teams entering Sunday's 2006 Molson Baseball League Draft.

Arizona Diamondbacks. The Snakes find themselves in unfamiliar territory this season, picking outside the top five for the first time in recent memory. Arizona's most-pressing needs are in the infield, where Todd Walker, Cesar Izturis, and Alex Cintron are the only options for secondbase and shortstop; Cintron is the only player on the 25-man roster that can play third. I would not expect to see a centerfielder chosen with Carlos Beltran and Aaron Rowand on the roster. On the mound, the top of the rotation is set and KRod returns as the closer, although the pen could add some depth. Assuming Scott Kazmir is in the rotation, Arizona has no southpaws to bring into the game in the late innings.

Atlanta Braves. The Braves find themselves in the opposite position of the Snakes, choosing third in a year rich with team identity talent. McCann and Francouer provide immediate help at need positions, but expect growing pains with each over the next few seasons. Atlanta surprised this author selecting Zach Duke in the first round; I would have gone with Rickie Weeks as the heir apparent to injury-prone Adam Kennedy at secondbase. Duke joins a rotation with only slightly fewer lefties than your usual Screen Actors Guild meeting, contributing to our grade on the pick. The Braves have only six roster spots open and will need to focus on outfield and bullpen depth.

Boston Red Sox. Is this the year for the Sox? This team has absolutely nobody on its 25-man roster that can play catcher, unless they can wheel Dallas McPherson's wheelchair behind the dish. This team has more 'holes than Virginia Tech. Look for the Beaners to draft anything but a thirdbaseman, secondbaseman, and rightfielder. The pitching staff is horrid also, with the only player in the league older than Peter Spellos--homophobe Todd Jones--as its closer. Strike that--Jamie Moyer is on this team, too. At least the BoSox can look forward to a deep draft.

Cleveland Indians. If you could run an offset-I, the Indians would be a strong offense with Sean Casey, Richie Sexson, and Travis Hafner in the backfield. Unfortunately, there are only so many places to play these men, and the MBL has no plans to adopt a second DH per game. The Tribe will gap some losses by playing Felipe Lopez out of position at secondbase in favor of the ageless Omar Vizquel at shortstop, and needs to add to the Crisp-Sizemore outfield tandem. Fortunately for northeast Ohio, the situation on the mound looks reasonably good with enough rubber arms to pitch throughout the season, but Cleveland would be well-served adding a more dominant closer in the pen. Jhonny Peralta would sure look nice at Jacobs Field, wouldn't he?

Minnesota Twins. The relocated Chicago Cubs have a lot of work to do with their ten selections Sunday, most notably finding a secondbaseman and shortstop to replace Eric Young and Damion Easley. Could the Twins use more help in the outfield? You betcha! Jim Edmonds and Geoff Jenkins are still above average, if aging, outfielders, but would prefer to settle on one partner in left. Minnesota has some talent on the mound, but the starters may be betrayed by a very shallow pen. If you wave your hankies, make sure the tears have dried.

New York Mets. February's optimism is always the strongest in Queens, and 2006 is no different. The Mets revamped their lineup this offseason, trading for Alfonso Soriano and promising to keep him in the infield. New York has young talent on the left side of the infield, and is three-deep at first base. The outfield, however, is one of the worst in the league, and should receive attention on draft day. The rotation is deep, but may need to throw complete games to preserve wins this season. Consider these New Yorkers to also be in the market for a closer.

New York Yankees. The Yankees join the American League after several years playing against the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Blue Jays, hoping to make a statement early in their new division. The Bronx Bombers should feature a potent offense, with Dan Johnson being a possible target to upgrade at firstbase. The pitching may be serviceable enough to keep the Yankees in playoff contention, but New York will need to add middle relief help.

Oakland Athletics. The A's have never met a middle infielder they didn't like, drafting B.J. Upton last year with Bobby Crosby in the fold, and opting for Rickie Weeks this year with Marcus Giles onboard. Although the middle infield looks secure, especially if you can redshirt, waiving Dan Johnson forced Adam Dunn to firstbase where he is less valuable. The catching is average, and the outfield needs an offensive upgrade, especially with Dunn's position change. The rotation is young and deep, but the A's will need to improve their pen to bridge the plate appearances between the starters and rookie Huston Street.

San Diego Padres. The Padres have been afflicted by injuries to Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon on an annual basis. Given the age of this roster, San Diegans are clamoring for a push to the top or, alternately, a salary dump. The Padres could use some offensive help. On the bump, the core exists for a pennant contender in the near term, but Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield, and "The Roaster" aren't getting any younger. Unfortunately, this draft isn't deep in top-end pitching prospects, likely forcing the Padres to focus on improving their bullpen depth.

San Francisco Giants. If there is a money bet in the draft, it is that the Giants will draft for this year. They always do. How else can you defend taking Quinton McCracken in the first round? San Francisco can cover all their positions, but should look to upgrade at third, centerfield, and rightfield, even if Aubrey Huff is on the roster. The Giants pitching is aging, and Cain and Lowry could use some support from the draft. If I didn't know better, I'd think George Allen was secretly running the Giants franchise ... with a bad comic speechwriter.

2006 Draft Underway

Liriano Heads to the Gateway City
The St. Louis Cardinals began the 2006 Molson Baseball League draft by selecting 21 year-old southpaw Francisco Liriano with the first overall selection, surprising some owners that felt the Redbirds would opt for a more-proven commodity. St. Louis owner Chuck Engle, however, was not concerned by the questions, even though the Redbirds have an unbalanced rotation.

"Screw those guys," Engle said through his interpreter, Bob Biermann. "I don't care if I do already have Mark Mulder, Brandon Claussen, and Bruce Chen. Jimmy Gobble is still on my roster, for Christ's sake."

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, formerly known as the Detroit Tigers, then made their first selection in franchise history, choosing firstbaseman Prince Fielder. Fielder will serve 2006 under the tutelage of Tino Martinez and crank pill spokesman Rafael Palmeiro. Ironically, Palmeiro once told Congress that he had never taken performance-enhancing drugs.