It's About Goddamn Time

So it's finally here. Spring training has begun with pitchers and catchers report and its very fitting that it was on Valentine's Day. Let's have a look at some story lines to prep us for this awesome 2011 campaign.

First off, the biggest topic is the deadline Albert Pujols has set with the St. Louis Cardinals. As of today, The Machine is set to hit the Free Agent market if no deal is reached by noon on Wednesday. There's no doubt that in either case Pujols will be raking in a 9-figure deal no matter which team signs him. I can't stress enough how fucking awesome this guy is with a career triple slash line of .331/.426/.624 and 408 HR in his 10 year career in St. Louis. The latest news indicates that talks have all but broken down and it looks like The Machine will be testing the FA waters come the end of the 2011 season. 

This brings us to our next topic- Jose Bautista. His arbitration talks have been postponed to Friday which allows for more negotiation time to pin down a long-term deal. Originally, Jose asked for $10.5 million and the Jays front office countered with an offer of $7.6 mil. The general consensus among teammates is that they would like him to stay. Input from second basemen Aaron Hill gives us a look into the mind of Jose,  “He’s probably looking for a four- or five-year deal and it just depends if Alex and the ownership want to work out that kind of money,” Hill said. “I can imagine he’s looking for a good penny – make that a good bill." The problem is quite obvious - will he be consistent in the coming years if he does in fact sign a multi-year deal? Well my friends, if you can answer this, then you would be the most profitable GM in professional sports history. 

There is also the concern that signing the relatively "old" slugger (30) would not fit into the overall plans of AA to build a younger team for a long-term haul. Although on the upside, it seems that pitchers still haven't figured out a way to pitch around him. In 2010, he hit 30 of his MLB leading 54 home runs after the All-Star break. Obviously this is something to take into account for AA during his contract talks.  Now I'm not saying he's going to be a 50 Hr threat every year, but still...how awesome would that be? 

Finally, a quick look at the rotation. I think its safe to say that the first 3 slots are set with Romero, Cecil and Morrow. The real x-factors lie in the remaining fourth and fifth slots. Familiar names like Scott Richmond, Jesse Litsch and Mark Rzepczynski seem more likely to fill the gaps. But our young guns aren't as far behind as you would think.

 Brad Mills (25) posted a 3.71 ERA with 7.7 K/9 on the New Hampshire Fisher-Cats (AA) . Teammate Zach Stewart  (24) had a 3.62 ERA with 7.0 K/9, and highly touted prospect Kyle Drabek (23) went 14-9 (including a no-hitter) with a sharp 2.94 ERA and 7.3K/9.

All in all, this is season is going to be a near acid trip as we will see a shitload of ups and downs. But it's definitely a welcome change from the monotonous 80 +/- 3 win season with low hopes for the future back in the days of J.P. Ricciardi. We will be keeping a close eye on contract and arbitration talks in the coming days. In the meantime, here's a list of non-roster invitees for the 2011 Spring Training workouts in Florida to keep you busy.