Andrew Johnson Posts

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

Since the moment they were swept out of the 2007 NLCS, the Diamondbacks have been waiting. Waiting on their impressive collection of young talent. Waiting on their dynamic rotation duo of Dan Haren and Brandon Webb to deliver a playoff spot. Waiting for everything to come together.

It hasn't happened yet. Arizona was passed by the Dodgers in late 2008 after holding the NL West lead for much of the season. Then, this past year -- one filled with calamity, including a major shoulder injury to Webb that limited him to one start -- saw the Diamondbacks dip all the way to last place.

Arizona is still waiting. There is still promising young talent on hand, including the terrific Justin Upton. There is still hope. It's just tempered by all the work that needs to be done to get the Diamondbacks back in contention.

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Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The Nationals bottomed out in 2009. Their season began with the ouster of general manager Jim Bowden in the beginning of March after he was implicated in a bonus-skimming scandal in the Dominican Republic that drew the attention of the FBI. And it ended with 103 losses, giving them 205 losses in the last two seasons.

In between, they fired manager Manny Acta and watched attendance fall by more than 6,000 fans a night in the second year of Nationals Park.

So no, it's not all sunshine and roses on the banks of the Anacostia River, but, then, it's not all doom and gloom either. After all, the Nats managed to lock up phenom Stephen Strasburg in August, and with a stable front office and a permanent manager now in place, they can get to the task of building around him.

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The Yankees haven't told Joba Chamberlain whether he'll be a starter or reliever next year, but the right-hander says he'll be ready to do anything to help his team repeat as World Series champions when he reports to spring training in February.

"We haven't talked about [my role for next year]," Chamberlain told FanHouse this week, in an interview promoting his charity work with New York foster children."It's not going to affect my preparation [for the season] at all. ... I'm gonna go out and work hard and get in the best shape I can to help us win again."

Chamberlain, who burst onto the scene in 2007 as an electrifying setup man, has shuffled back and forth between the bullpen and rotation as the Yankees have tried to manage his innings and find the best role for him. All but one of his 32 regular season appearances in 2009 came as a starter, but once October rolled around, he was converted to relief, both because he struggled some down the stretch and because the schedule allowed the Yankees to use just three starters throughout the postseason.

It's a baseball podcast. The math is easy, right? BaseCast. Let's rock.

The American League Cy Young Award winner, Zack Greinke, was announced Tuesday and the National League Cy Young winner will be announced Thursday, so what better time for the MLB FanHouse crew to discuss both pieces of hardware.

In this edition of BaseCast, Jeff Fletcher, Ed Price and I discuss the implications of Greinke capturing the award, both for the voting body and for the team he plays for, before trying to wrap our head around the intriguing NL race, which features three excellent pitchers (Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Tim Lincecum), but no clear favorite.

Listen in after the jump.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

It's been quite a decade for the Red Sox, who flipped an 86-year-old script in 2004 by winning a World Series and a second in 2007, but they enter this offseason behind a very familiar eight ball.

Yes, Boston made the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons in 2009, but after getting swept by the Angels in the American League Division Series and watching the Yankees win their 27th World Series just weeks later, it is once again the chaser.

The Red Sox have redefined success at Fenway Park over the last few years. Now the trick is to keep duplicating it, a task that's harder than ever with their more monied rivals to the south apparently rejuvenated.

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Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

Thanks to an infusion of young talent, there are some good vibes floating around Camden Yards -- no small feat considering the fact that the local nine hasn't had a winning record since 1997.

Of course, an infusion of young talent won't be enough on its own in the enormously challenging AL East. The Orioles need immense improvements on the corners of their infield and especially in their pitching staff -- which ranked last in the American League in ERA in 2009. That can't all come from the maturation of a select group of youngsters groomed on the Baltimore farm, though, so there will be plenty on general manager Andy MacPhail's plate as he tries to take the next step in turning the O's into legitimate challengers.

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This isn't about Derek Jeter. Repeat that three times to yourselves, Yankee fans, and then continue reading.

Rawlings has been awarding its Gold Gloves to nine players in each league since 1957. It has become as much a part of the baseball lexicon as Cy Young and Cooperstown, and far exceeds the gravitas of something like the Silver Slugger, the hitting equivalent of the award.

When announcers go through a team's defensive alignment before every game, they highlight the Gold Glovers around the diamond, and if a prospect is known for his glove and he's not described as a plus defender, he's called a future Gold Glover.

So, other than tradition and alliteration, why do we give so much credence to them?

Four of the nine Gold Glove winners in the National League were recognized for the first time when Rawlings announced the 2009 awards Wednesday afternoon.

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, Astros outfielder Michael Bourn, Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright were the first-time honorees.

Two members of the NL champion Phillies -- center fielder Shane Victorino and shortstop Jimmy Rollins -- were recognized for their defensive excellence. Victorino was a Gold Glover for the second straight year, while Rollins won it for a third consecutive time.

Long considered one of the worst defensive shortstops in baseball by those in sabermetric circles, Derek Jeter won the fourth Gold Glove of his career on Tuesday, proving that no matter what statistically-oriented folks think of Jeter's glovework, he enjoys a good defensive reputation among those within the game.

Joining Jeter on the AL Gold Glove team is Yankees teammate Mark Teixeira, who was recognized for the third time, as well as outfielders Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners) and Torii Hunter (Angels), who both won the award for the ninth time.

The Red Sox made a flurry of contract decisions on Monday as they hurtle headlong into the Hot Stove season. Boston picked up its 2010 option on Victor Martinez, and declined options on longtime catcher and captain Jason Varitek and knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield, renegotiating a two-year extension with Wakefield at a low average annual value.

There's little surprise about Martinez or Varitek.

The former, a catcher/first baseman who will make $7 million next year, was acquired at great cost in talent from the Indians at the trading deadline this year, and he excelled in the Boston pressure cooker, hitting .336 with 41 RBI in 56 games. The latter, a New England fixture and the heart and soul of two championship teams, has seen his production dip over the last few seasons.

The Red Sox declined a $5 million team option on Varitek, but he can still return in 2010 if he picks up his $3 million player option, and there are indications that he will.