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Champs Facing Tough Road Ahead

By ANDREW JOHNSON,

AOL

Posted: 2008-03-24 12:49:11

Filed Under: MLB

Sports Commentary

Traveling halfway around the world isn't the easiest to start a World Series title defense. That's where this week's Three Up, Three Down begins.

On the Road Again

Defending a title isn’t easy, but the Red Sox have drawn an especially tough deck in 2008. The reigning World Series champs are already in Japan, of course. They’ve averted a potentially disastrous blackout that would have given them and Major League Baseball an ugly black eye and played two exhibitions against Japanese clubs.

Koji Sasahara, AP

They’ll play two games against the A’s in the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday and Wednesday, then fly back to the West Coast for a weekend three-game set with the Dodgers. From there they’ll go to Oakland, then Toronto, return to Fenway Park for a six-game homestand, then go on a four-game road trip to Cleveland and New York.

Even without the trip halfway across the world (the Red Sox will cross 18 time zones in their journey to and from the Far East), Boston has easily the toughest schedule to start the season. The Red Sox will play the Blue Jays and Yankees five times apiece, the Angels, Tigers and Rays three times and the Indians twice in April.

Ever prepared, Boston is doing everything it can to mitigate the effects of jetlag. Each player received a handbook before the trip titled “Fighting Jet Lag.” A simple Google search yields plenty of remedies and strategies for dealing with the trip. Don’t drink alcohol. Stay awake for the whole flight. Go to sleep as soon as you arrive. Don’t go to sleep when you arrive.

No matter how the Red Sox try to fight jetlag, they’ll probably be feeling the effects of it at the beginning of the season. “I’m a little bit jet-lagged,” admitted Opening Day starter (and national hero) Daisuke Matsuzaka to Japanese reporters. “Sorry, I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

Combine that with their brutal April schedule and you have to think Boston would be pleased if they finished the first month of the season at .500. That would represent a big change for the Red Sox, who are used to getting out to a quick start. They’ve had a share of first place in the AL East at the end of April in every season since 2003.

Cabrera Cashes In

The Tigers ensured their blockbuster deal for Miguel Cabrera wasn’t just a short-term fix by signing the slugger to an eight-year, $152.3 million deal this weekend. No contract of this length is ever a great idea, but Detroit did pretty well for itself here.

It’s hard to project what type of player Cabrera will be eight years from now, but he’s been an elite hitter since reaching the majors, and most players who reach the big leagues before they can legally buy a drink turn out pretty well.

The third baseman will make just over $19 million a season through age 32. The easy comparison here is Alex Rodriguez, who initially reached free agency at 25, a year later than Cabrera, and received an extra two years and an extra $5 million annually. Of course, Rodriguez was still playing shortstop when he signed his contract in the winter of 2000, but the Tigers paid nearly $100 million less for Cabrera than the Rangers paid for A-Rod.

Latest MLB Photos

Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz, playing for the Pawtucket Red Sox, hits a high fly ball during the first inning of a baseball game between the PawSox and the Toledo Mud Hens, Thursday, July 17, 2008, at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I. Ortiz will play with the PawSox as part of a rehabilitation stint for an injury to the tendon sheath of his left wrist. PawSox spokesman Bill Wanless says all tickets for Thursday's game, including standing room only, have sold out. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz, playing for the Pawtucket Red Sox, steps up to the plate during the first inning of a baseball game between the PawSox and the Toledo Mud Hens, Thursday, July 17, 2008, at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I. Ortiz will play with the PawSox as part of a rehabilitation stint for an injury to the tendon sheath of his left wrist. PawSox spokesman Bill Wanless says all tickets for Thursday's game, including standing room only, have sold out. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz takes practice swings before a baseball game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Toledo Mud Hens, Thursday, July 17, 2008, at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I.. Ortiz will play with the PawSox as part of a rehabilitation stint for an injury to the tendon sheath of his left wrist. PawSox spokesman Bill Wanless says all tickets for Thursday's game, including standing room only, have sold out. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz sits in the dugout before a baseball game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Toledo Mud Hens, Thursday, July 17, 2008, at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I. Ortiz will play with the PawSox as part of a rehabilitation stint for an injury to the tendon sheath of his left wrist. PawSox spokesman Bill Wanless says all tickets for Thursday's game, including standing room only, have sold out. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz waves to fans before a baseball game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Toledo Mud Hens, Thursday, July 17, 2008, at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I.. Ortiz will play with the PawSox as part of a rehabilitation stint for an injury to the tendon sheath of his left wrist. PawSox spokesman Bill Wanless says all tickets for Thursday's game, including standing room only, have sold out. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz jogs in the outfield before a baseball game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Toledo Mud Hens, Thursday, July 17, 2008, at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I.. Ortiz will play with the PawSox as part of a rehabilitation stint for an injury to the tendon sheath of his left wrist. PawSox spokesman Bill Wanless says all tickets for Thursday's game, including standing room only, have sold out. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Fans drop containers in front of the dugout to get autographs from Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz as he sits in the dugout of the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox before a baseball game against the Toledo Mud Hens, Thursday, July 17, 2008, at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I. Ortiz will be playing as part of a rehabilitation stint for an injury to the tendon sheath of his left wrist. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker is seen in this combination file photograph at the 2008 MTV Awards in Los Angeles June 1, 2008 (L) and the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in New York July 15, 2008. A source close to the actress confirmed on July 17, 2008 that Parker, 43, had the mole removed, but could not say why the actress had the operation. REUTERS/Files (UNITED STATES)

Reuters

Chart ranks Washington Nationals' baseball statistics; 1c x 4 1/2 inches; 46.5 mm x 114.3 mm

Detroit gutted its farm system for Cabrera, trading its best prospect, Cameron Maybin, and its best young pitcher, Andrew Miller, for the slugger, so a long-term deal was necessary to justify the deal. The fact of the matter is a player of Cabrera’s caliber commanded this sort of deal. You can debate whether a team should ever give out such a long contract, but he was going to get it from someone. If the Tigers failed to pony up now, they would have risked losing him in free agency in the winter of 2009.

Money Moves

Like it or not, money is often a huge factor in simple roster moves. That’s why Juan Pierre could be the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter in left field and that’s why two consensus top-five prospects are likely to start the season in Triple-A.

It appears Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce and Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria will begin the year in the minors. Both are ready for the majors to varying degrees. Both will have free agency delayed a year if they spend the beginning of 2008 down on the farm.

Bruce could probably use a little more seasoning in the high minors, considering he only has 253 at-bats above Single-A ball, but Cincinnati has a better chance than Tampa Bay of making the postseason this year and could probably use an impact hitter like Bruce. Of course, Bruce’s stay in Triple-A might last longer than a month or two with Corey Patterson blocking him in center field and Dusty Baker managing in the Queen City.

Longoria, on the other hand, is extremely polished. He has nothing left to prove in the minors after hitting 26 homers and posting a .922 OPS last season in Double-A and Triple-A. Despite some rosy projections for the Rays in 2008, this isn’t likely to be the year they break through in the AL East. So they’ll send Longoria back to the minors, at least briefly, and hold onto him for an additional season -- a move that will not only save them money, but also keep their core intact for the better part of the next decade.

Both the Reds and Rays might pay the price (literally) when they try and sign Bruce or Longoria to a long-term deal down the road, but it’s hard to look that far into the future and make serious plans in a game as fast-changing and fickle as baseball.

Line Drives

Randy Johnson threw 63 pitches in his last spring start and appears to be feeling healthy, though he could start the season on the disabled list. Arizona will not (and should not) rush him back. He only needs to make 15 or 20 starts this year to be valuable to the Diamondbacks, especially now that Dan Haren is around.

So Barry Bonds is unlikely to stand trial before 2009. There goes the best excuse a team had for not signing the slugger, though it was a pretty flimsy one to begin with. I still expect Bonds to end up signing a deal in May or June.

John Patterson must really be looking terrible if the pitching-starved Nationals decided to let him go. He was legitimately outstanding in 2005, but it’s been calamity after calamity since then.

You have to wonder if Joe Crede or Brandon Inge could end up in Los Angeles now that both Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche will miss the start of the season.

It’s going to be interesting to see if, when and how the Yankees will stretch out Joba Chamberlain if he’s needed in the rotation at some point this year.

2008-03-24 02:37:31