this site did a red sox outlook and it's pretty good.  predicts 95 wins.  

it has good insight on all the players, especially the minor league info on the young guys and the scouting report on the prospects.  Has a good feel for the team.

great read.  check it out.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/03/18/the-2008-boston-red-sox-dynasty/

good preview of the pirates below.  predicts a .500 finish based on improvements in gorzellany, snell, maholm.  and a resurgence of duke. offensively, predicts monster year out of laroche, which i tend to agree with. also good insight on bay.  good read.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/03/06/the-2008-pittsburgh-pirates/

Edes is reporting that the Sox are trying to lock up papelbon.  

No details other than that.  this piece says a 5 year deal are the likely terms - that would buy out Pap's first year of free agency.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/02/19/red-sox-trying-to-extend-papelbon/

i would say 5 years, $50 million would make sense for both sides?  anyone else?

Pretty good read over at fleece factor on the 08 mariners.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/02/11/the-2008-seattle-mariners-false-hope/

some notable quotes:

4. Carlos Silva (R) - .310, .290, .324, and .287. Those are opponents batting averages against Carlos Silva over the last four years.  Yes, they hit .324 against him in 2006.  Sickening.  Silva's average opponent has hit .299/.333/.458 against him over his career.  Yes, he's a ground ball/contact pitcher that eats up innings. I  get that.  But for those of you who think he'll fare better on grass, read this: Silva's ERA on grass over the last three years combined is 5.24 and batters have hit a whopping .327 against him - well above his turf numbers (3.92, .279).   Simply put, he's just not that good and certainly was not worth $48 million over 4 years. Prediction: Seattle will regret this one before Memorial Day.

1B. Richie Sexson (R) -He was AWFUL last year, hitting .205/.295/.399 with just 21 homeruns and 100 strikeouts. Every single aspect of his offense was offensive and was known to cause many Mariners fans to barf. And the worst part about Sexson is that he's typically a slow starter so the team (and fantasy owners) felt compelled to stick with him the whole season waiting for that turnaround. The Mariners even had a chance to dump him during the waiver period in August but didn't pull the trigger because they thought he could contribute to a stretch run which never materialized (partly because Dick Sexson never turned the corner in 2007). He was terrible and turned in one of the worst offensive seasons by a regular last season. Dick.

How good are the Detroit Tigers?

Yes, the lineup is great and I don't doubt that they will lead the league in runs.  Even before Cabrera, they had a great lineup.

But what about the pitching?  The top 3 guys (as per the article linked below) have logged WAAAY too many innings for their ages.  I worry about them. The other two guys are Rogers and Robertson - who have issues of their own.  

And then there's the bullpen.

Anyway, the poll in the article has 72% of respondents saying they'll win the Central.  I find this number a bit high?  Are they really that good??

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/21/the-2008-detroit-tigers/

Apparently, Chuck James has a small tear in his rotator cuff and has been rehabbing all winter.

As the piece below points out, this adds a little curiosity to the Chuck James/ David DeJesus rumor.

At the time, it looked like KC was winning that deal.  Guess not.   Poor ethics on ATL's part.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/15/did-braves-try-to-fleece-royals-with-a-damaged-chuck-james/

Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia are too risky names that the Mets could add.  Why not sign them both to 1 year, incentive laiden deals, and hope you get a combined 175 innings out of them instead of mortgaging the future for Santana?

Link below:

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/11/updates-on-bartolo-colon-and-freddy-garcia/

There was an interesting blurb in the paper today about the DBacks watching Keith Foulke throw next month.  Apparently, Qualls will set up and either Lyon or Pena will claim the closer's job.  Foulke may be brought in for depth.  Good story below:

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/09/diamondbacks-have-interest-in-foulke/

At first, I thought it was a terrible idea.  But look at FOulke's numbers from his hey day.  If he truly is over the knee and elbow problems, he may worth the risk of a one year deal.  No?

The Reds are apparently interested in Josh Fogg.
Story here:

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/08/report-reds-interested-in-fogg/

This is a horrible idea, in my opinion.  Fogg's career ERA is almost 5!  Krivsky will have gone from teasing Cincy with Haren, Willis and Bedard to ruining Cincy with Fogg.  

I hope this rumor is false.  you?

It looks like Patterson may have priced himself out of the market and may have to come crawling back to the Orioles on a short term deal.  Here's the link:

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/07/orioles-may-keep-patterson/

The article names a few other possible destinations but says they're limited.  I look for the O's to bring CP back on a cheap 1 year deal, maybe $7M.  Not a bad deal for his defense alone.  Thoughts?

Last Week, it was reported that the Bucs were a finalist for Matt Clement (and that they were interested in Kris Benson). The report said that Clement's new home in Butler had made the Pirates a favorite.

Today, that rumor is refuted by the Post Gazette.

In the Gazette, GM Neal Huntington says that he's all set with the rotation.  He may look to add an arm , but it will probably be a bullpen piece or a minor league project.  Runelyvs Hernandez has been mentioned before.

Story below:

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/03/pirates-gm-quells-clement-rumors/

Didn't exactly know where to post this, but the link below is worth checking out.

It is a review of Drew's first year in boston. And you get to vote on how awful it was.  pretty good...check it out.  

I voted for "small fleece".  Not only did he have that ALCS homer, but people forget how hot he was in September.  Granted, he didn't deserve such a large contract, but if Sept/Oct is a sign of what's to come, this deal isn't nearly as bad as we once thought.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2007/12/30/a-look-back-jd-drew-year-1/

Not sure this is good news for the tribe, but a pittsburgh paper names them and the pirates as the two finalists for Matt Clement.

It notes that Clement would like to stay close to his home in Butler.  Pittsburgh, however, may not be willing to offer him a major league candidate, whereas Cleveland might.

I'm not sure he'd be a good fit for Cleveland unless a Cliff Lee trade is made, at which point it would be nice to add depth.  Thoughts?

  Story below:
http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2007/12/30/pirates-rumors-clement-benson-runelvys/