The first thought in my mind after hearing that the Orioles traded away closer George Sherrill for two minor league baseball players was “what in the world are they doing?!”. It seemed like the team was burying itself by giving away a key piece in exchange for some scraps.

I’ve looked at the players they’ve received in consideration for Sherrill, and I must say I’m a little more pleased after analyzing the stats and the roles that each player (Bell and Johnson) will fill. They won’t do anything for the team in 2009, and may not do much in 2010, but a few years down the line, these could be key players on the Orioles team.

Sure, the season’s obviously done in Baltimore. There’s no way in the world they can think about catching the Yankees or the Red Sox, let alone the Rays. Maybe Toronto, but that’d get the team nowhere anyway.

It makes sense to build some more toward the future. The team certainly has some pieces in place (i.e. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis) to build around.

The Orioles will most likely lose 36-year-old Melvin Mora to free agency after season’s end. If they don’t lose him, he’s aging anyway and he’ll soon need a replacement.

Josh Bell could easily fill his shoes, as his .296 batting average, 11 home runs and 52 RBI with Chattanooga are all solid 2009 numbers. Johnson’s posted very respectable numbers at the starting pitcher position for the same team, with a 9-5 record and a respectable 3.61 ERA. Both players have bright futures and could be key contributors to the Orioles in the years to come.

Sure, they’ve lost a reliable closer in Sherrill, but now the Orioles have two more young players to look forward to that add to an already promising young core (Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and more). Maybe this will turn out to be the right move here.

We’ll have to wait and see from here!

Nicholas McMillan is an eternal MLB zealot, and is thrilled to see signs of improvement on the Orioles’ part. He often adds to his thoughts at this Baltimore Orioles forum, and lurks at their sports forum whenever he needs a break from baseball.

Many people would look at the records of the 2009 season and shake their heads and say that it was just more of the same. However, we see some hope on the horizon as this ballclub should build on the limited success that they saw last season and look to get back over .500 in 2010. Their division will be competitive, but they should be right in the mix.

The fans need look no further than the very bold signing of Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman to see how serious this team is about winning not only in the here and now, but in the future as well. Getting this talent away from other teams was not going to be easy, but the Reds stayed aggressive and ended up with what may be the coup of the season.

Even in the worst of seasons, the Cincinnati bullpen has always held their own. The closing duties will be anchored by Cordero who should once again be a stud coming into games in the late innings. He is going to get a lot of help from Burton and the two of them together will lock down a lot of wins if the starters can get into the 8th inning.

The challenge is of course for the starters to get the ball to the bullpen with a lead. This has been something that Cincinnati has struggled with and is hoping that Aaron Harang can take care of this season. This kid is loaded with talent, but for some reason is continuing to struggle. If he can get some confidence early, 15 wins is not out of the question.

One of the keys of the offense is going to rest on young Jay Bruce. There was quite a bit of hype about him when he first came up in 2008 and after starting off hot, he tailed off and finished the season with a .254 AVG and 21 HRs. He still hit 22 HRs last season, but his average tailed off dramatically. He is flat out going to have to step it up for this club to be successful.

Hopefully, he is past the sophomore jinx and will put up huge numbers this season. He has made several appearances throughout the off season and looks be relaxed and ready to get back on the baseball field. If his production level matches his attitude, Cincinnati fans are going to have plenty to cheer about this season.

One way to make sure that the Reds get off to a quick start will be to get into those seats and show them a lot of support right from day one. A team this young is going to need a little support and the only way to do that is to be there in person and keep them pumped up. Who knows, that little push may be all they need to start a huge run.

By Heather Maxwell, sponsored by Stub.com. Stub.com sells Cincinnati Reds Tickets, MLB Tickets, Sports Tickets and more to just about any event in the world.

After years and years of suffering, the Boston Red Sox fans have been living the high life. While they did not get to the World Series last year, their team once again had a huge season and saw action in the post season. However, we all know that once you get a taste for success, the only thing that satisfies is winning that ring.

The Red Sox rattled off 95 wins last season, but fell short of the incredibly hot New York Yankees and their 103 win season. They easily captured the wild card spot, but that was hardly good enough. While there was no need to retool the team, some small tweaking took place to once again get them atop the American League East.

The big change for the Boston Red Sox comes at short stop as they welcome former Toronto Blue Jay Marco Scutaro to the team. Along with his glove, he brings a .282 average, 12 HRs and 100 runs. This shores them up over the middle and once again guarantees that they are putting one of the best teams in baseball out on the diamond every night.

Red Sox fans have to love the lineup that is going to be on the field every night. Ellsbury makes it extremely exciting as any single might as well be considered a double. Pitchers can simply not hold him on and there is a better chance of him stealing than not. If he gets on, pitchers are going to have nightmares.

While the offense is surely enough to put fans in the seats, Boston’s pitching will once again dominate the American League. There are maybe a handful of teams that put the quality of starters on the mound night in and night out that Boston can. Leading the way of course is Lester, who is once again expected to nudge 20 wins and throw over 200 innings.

It is going to be fun and exciting as soon as the regular season gets started this year. The Yankees are on the schedule early and expect the ballpark to be packed. If Boston does not come out of April with 17-20 wins it would be very surprising as the schedule is very kind to them early.

You want excitement? Well this season is going to have plenty of it! The ballpark should be packed every day and if tickets aren’t secured soon, they are going to be awfully hard to come by. Fan support will be like having an extra man on the field and that may be all they need to knock the Yankees around in Fenway.

Written by Heather Maxwell, sponsored by Stub.com. Stub.com sells Boston Red Sox Tickets, MLB Tickets, Sports Tickets and more to your favorite events around the world.

The New York Yankees climbed to glory once again and have set the bar in the American League East. The Baltimore Orioles struggled a bit last season and have made some moves to once again compete for the division. While they will have to have a few players put up some career numbers, it is not out of the question that they sneak in for the wild card in 2010.

One of the secrets to success over the past few seasons has been a stud bullpen. Pitchers are going less innings because of the new ballparks and without a solid bullpen, teams have no chance. The good news for Baltimore Orioles fans is that this is probably the best part of their team.

To say that Baltimore has the best bullpen in baseball is not stretching the truth. They are going to have players that get cut from the major league club that will fill in holes for just about every other team in the league. This is a great problem to have and one that will ensure that they keep only the best. It may just be the secret to their early success.

It is no secret that starting pitching suffers in the beginning of the season. Most big armed pitchers start slow and take a month or so to get into their groove. It is not uncommon for starters to get yanked after five or six innings in the early going. If the Orioles bullpen holds serve and their offense can take advantage of the weaker clubs pitching, they will put up some wins.

The early season schedule has a chance to be a blessing for Baltimore. They have some very winnable games and then get to face off against the big boys of the division. They have a stretch of 16 games that are played over 16 days that could be quite a momentum builder. How they handle this stretch will probably dictate their season.

The bolster the starting rotation, Baltimore signed Kevin Millwood. He is coming off a very nice year and looks to be back to the form that had Philadelphia drooling over him years ago. With him taking over the role of the number one starter, every pitcher in this rotation will benefit and should see better matchups.

If Baltimore fans were looking for a reason to get back to the ballpark, they finally have it. This team will contend and fan support will be what they need to get them over the hump. How can you not get excited about seeing the Yankees and Red Sox come to town in April? Get loud because this is their chance to make a mark and set the tone for the entire season.

By Heather Maxwell, article sponsored by Stub.com. Stub.com sells Baltimore Orioles Tickets, MLB Tickets, Sports Tickets and many more tickets to just about any event in your area.

The Chicago Cubs finished in second place in 2009, but one could hardly call that a successful season. They scary thing is that they finished more games out of the wild card than they did out of their division. The National League is sporting some heavy favorites once again and if the Chicago Cubs are going into the playoffs, they have to get past St. Louis.

One of the things to be most excited about is the addition of Greg Maddux to the front office of the team. Being one of the most dominant pitchers of his time, one can only imagine the impact that he will have on this pitching staff. He was one of the best control pitchers in recent history and should be able to improve the performance of every person on that team that takes the mound.

While everyone is surely excited to have him there, imagine the young pitchers knowing that they now have Maddux to go to for advice. Even the coach has said that he wants to sit him down and talk to him! Looking back at the success that Piniella has had over the years, that is a pretty hefty compliment.

As exciting as the Maddux news is, the product that is going on the field is even more exciting. Imagine having to face the power of Soriano, Lee and Ramirez and then having to deal with the speed of Fukudome, Theriot and Byrd. It does not bode well for whoever takes the mound against the Cubs.

Pitching will also be very impressive in 2010 if Lilly returns from his surgery in good shape. Between him and Zombrano, the Cubs have a pretty powerful one and two punch. These two starters could lead the way and if the bottom half of the rotation pitches .500 ball, the wins are going to be rolling in.

The Cubs are starting the new campaign out on the road, but after two quick road trips, they head home for some games that they should win. Playing a split series against Milwaukee and then another three against Houston should allow them to gain some confidence going into their second road trip of the young season.

One thing is for sure, Cubs games are going to be exciting in 2010. The key for them always seems to be health as they have had some horrific luck in this department in past seasons. If this team stays healthy, they are going to give St. Louis a run for the division. With the strength of the East and two contenders in the West, they will need this division crown to get into the playoffs and have every right to expect to get it.

Written by Heather Maxwell, article sponsored by Stub.com. Stub.com sells Chicago Cubs Tickets, MLB Tickets, Sports Tickets and more to just about any event in your area.