Mike D'Ambrosio - Baseball Analysis

Piazza brings a nice veteran presence to the Padres clubhouse and is able to instill fear into the minds of opposing pitchers. The switch to pitcher-friendly Petco Park will definitely hurt the future Hall of Famer?s numbers next season. Read more »

Wade Miller possesses a strong sinking fastball that can touch the mid-90s. He also throws a deceptive curveball and hard slider. Pitching at Wrigley Field will definitely benefit Miller, who is historically able to keep the ball inside the park. Read more »

Moving to Baltimore will be a nice change of pace for Kris Benson. He still features a low-90s fastball along with a good slider and changeup. While switching to the American League has traditionally hurt NL pitchers, pitching at Camden Yards will help Benson. Read more »

Primarily a groundball pitcher, the 32-year-old Tavarez should not have much trouble pitching in Fenway. The only downsides to Tavarez are his well-documented temper tantrums and mood swings that can affect his command and cause him to relinquish leads. Read more »

Switching to a more hitter-friendly park will help Patterson post better numbers in 2006. I expect the outfielder to hit 20-25 homers along with 20-25 stolen bases next season. The Cubs acquire two minor-leaguers with potential; both players, however, are years away from the Major Leagues. Read more »

Preston Wilson, though possessing good power, is very streaky and often a victim to the strike out. He chases balls that are outside of the strike zone and is always among the league leaders in strikeouts. Various groin and knee injuries have limited his once great foot speed. Read more »

This signing has both positive and negative aspects. An encouraging reality is that the Rangers add a much needed starter to run out there every five days. The additions of Millwood and Adam Eaton should help bolster a pitching troubled staff. Read more »

General Manager J.P. Ricciardi continues to improve the Toronto Blue Jays. The addition of Troy Glaus gives the Jays a powerful middle-order hitter. Toronto?s lineup now features a solid corps of hitters including Glaus, Vernon Wells, and Lyle Overbay. Glaus is also capable of playing solid defense. If he can silence his injury woes, the former Angel should provide a great season at the Blue Jays hot corner. Read more »

Johnny Damon is a great signing for the Yankees; a true case of addition by subtraction. Not only does New York add a great hitting, speedy center fielder to the top of their order, they steal the catalyst of the Red Sox lineup. This move also allows Derek Jeter to drop back to the # 2 spot in the batting order. Read more »

New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman continues to add quality arms to the bullpen. Octavio Dotel has a murderous fastball and is able to shut down left-handed hitters. If able to recover from elbow surgery, Dotel will be a valuable asset to a Yankee bullpen that has struggled mightily over the past few seasons. Read more »

Jarrod Washburn brings a solid 2-3 starter to the Mariners pitching rotation. Though he has been known to give up the home run, the slick-fielding southpaw still possesses a solid fastball and a good moving slider. Read more »

This signing is certainly a downgrade from Milton Bradley. Kenny Lofton does give the Dodgers a solid # 2 hitter after Furcal. Lofton still possesses good (not great) speed and can play solid defense the field. Read more »

This is a respectable move by new GM Ned Colletti; he continues to reshape the Dodgers. Garciaparra is a great contact hitter with the ability to hit the long ball. He does lack speed and will be playing first base for the first time in his baseball career. Read more »

Signing Bill Mueller is a solid move by the Dodgers. The veteran gives Los Angeles a great glove and impact at the hot corner. Mueller is able to slap the ball for base hits and provides a potential home run threat at third base. Mueller should compliment a Dodger lineup that includes Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew and Rafael Furcal. Read more »

Matt Morris is a great addition to the Giants pitching staff. In Morris, the club obtains a # 2 starter to follow Jason Schmidt and precede Noah Lowry. Morris has great control and solid command of the strike zone. The only question marks for Morris are his slow delivery and his inability to demonstrate postseason consistency. Read more »

Franco will provide the Mets with a solid veteran to mentor the younger players ? especially Jose Reyes, David Wright, and even Carlos Beltran. The 47-year-old veteran can still get the job done with the bat and is solid in the field. He will likely see most of his playing time as a pinch hitter. Read more »

Rogers will likely deteriorate as the season moves along. Though he pitched well for the first half of 2005 with Texas, I do not expect him to repeat that performance due to a decrease in velocity. If Rogers gets injured early on, this signing could be a disaster. Read more »