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I hate to speak for everyone (but I will) when I say we all believed GM Brian Cashman and the rest of the Yanks brass when they said there would be no major changes to the club for 2012.
Well, there were.
The mega-prospect swap of Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda is a dice roll of sorts, if only for the fact Montero appears destined for stardom and pitchers inherently carry a certain risk factor with them. But let’s be clear: if you have a chance to trade a high-ceiling hitter for a potential top 3 pitcher in the game (Pineda certainly has that type of ceiling), you should probably do it. And, with the free agent signing of ex-Dodger Hiroki Kiroda, it says here the Yanks could be the best team in baseball.
The Toronto Blue Jays swung and missed on Yu Darvish, and to a lesser extent, Gio Gonzalez and Mat Latos, have not added a new offensive weapon and have spent the offseason shoring up their bullpen — Segio Santos, Darren Oliver, and reacquiring Jason Frasor — more than anything else.
Improving the bullpen, and not overpaying to do so, was a wise move. But it won’t be a revamped ‘pen that catapults the Blue Jays back into contention.
More than anything else, Toronto needs another starting pitcher — ideally, a mid-to-front-of-the-rotation arm if the team is committed to making a playoff push in 2012, something that is still very much up for debate. Youngsters such as Henderson Alvarez, Kyle Drabek and Brett Cecil (who is still just 25) are suitable for the backend spots of the rotation, while Rickey Romero and Brandon Morrow are locked in as the two mainstays of the staff. That’s a rotation Toronto should be content with unveiling on Opening Day, despite the uncertainty that lies within it. However, another frontline arm would do wonders in bolstering its playoff chances for 2012.
If the University of Maine Black Bears are going to build off the success they had in 2011, expect Canadian Jeff Gibbs to be a big reason why.
Last year, the Black Bears were crowned America East champions and earned a berth in the NCAA regionals with Gibbs anchoring the staff. Head coach Steve Trimper is expecting him to thrive in that role again in 2012.