Wednesday, I previewed the Red Sox as part of the A.L. East and league preview. Really, this is a team that would be the odds-on favorite to win any other division in the game. They have excellent pitching, a fan base that takes over nearly every visiting park and a patient offense that will put plenty of runners on base.

Ah, but they rue this day, for they must contend with those omnipotent Yankees not only 18 times a year, but in the race for a division title, as well. This is hardly an enviable position. Fortunately for Boston, the wild card provides a bit of a security blanket. Many would pencil the Red Sox in for a playoff spot right now, but with games to be played, all we can do is see just how good they might be, and wonder if they could truly contend for a seemingly locked-up division title.

2009 Roster

C1: Jason Varitek (1.3 WAR)
C2/1B: Victor Martinez (4.9 WAR)

1B: Kevin Youkilis (5.7 WAR)
2B: Dustin Pedroia (5.2 WAR)
3B: Mike Lowell (1.2 WAR)
SS: Nick Green (0.4 WAR)
DH: David Ortiz (0.8 WAR)
INF: Julio Lugo (-0.2), Alex Gonzalez (0.5), Casey Kotchman (1.0 WAR)

OF1: Jason Bay (3.5 WAR)
OF2: J.D. Drew (4.8 WAR)
OF3: Jacoby Ellsbury (1.9 WAR)
OF4: Rocco Baldelli (0.2 WAR)

SP1: Josh Beckett (5.3 WAR)
SP2: Jon Lester (6.2 WAR)
SP3: Brad Penny (2.5 WAR)
SP4: Tim Wakefield (1.9 WAR)
SP5: Clay Buchholz (1.2 WAR)
SP6: Daisuke Matsuzaka (0.5 WAR)

CL: Jonathan Papelbon (1.9 WAR)
SU: Ramon Ramirez (0.4 WAR)
RP: Hideki Okajima (0.6 WAR)
RP: Manny Delcarmen (0.2 WAR)
RP: Takashi Saito (0.4 WAR)
RP: Daniel Bard (0.8 WAR)

2009 Total WAR: 53.1

Getting 17.6 WAR from your starting rotation is an excellent way to be a contender. That tops the Yankees by a solid 3.4 wins, and their bullpen added an additional 4.3 wins. Sadly, that’s two wins shy of New York, and we’re left with just a one-win advantage before we even get to the offenses. It isn’t difficult to see how the Yankees end up being 6.7 wins better.

Surprised that J.D. Drew was better than Jason Bay? Don’t be. I know we’ve tried to repress it, but J.D. Drew is a really good offensive player. Boobirds notwithstanding. Anyway.

Knowing that they had major work to do and holes to fill, the Sox went out and improved their offense, defense and pitching in one year by snatching up Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron and John Lackey. Signed to a five-year, $82.5 million deal, Lackey now joins Beckett and Lester to create one of the no-doubt best rotations in the game. Beltre and Cameron provide some offensive pop – Beltre especially should outperform Mike Lowell’s 2009 comfortably – but their true value lies in run prevention. Beltre is one of the best defenders at third in all of baseball, and Cameron is notoriously well-lauded for his work in center field. So confident in Cameron’s defense are Boston that they’ve moved Jacoby Ellsbury to left.

Ellsbury, while quick, takes poor routes and has difficulty reading balls off the bat. His speed is the only reason he is able to catch up to some plays in the field*. Diving catch highlights on SportsCenter can be a bit deceiving.

* This still does not mean he is a great fielder. Instincts and sight stay with you long after the wheels go by the wayside, and if Ellsbury can not improve his route-running and reads, he will never be a true center fielder.

How will Boston’s offseason moves affect their WAR projection? Let’s take a peek.

2010 Projected Roster

C1/1B: Victor Martinez (4.5 WAR)
C2: Jason Varitek (1.1 WAR)

1B: Kevin Youkilis (3.7 WAR)
2B: Dustin Pedroia (4.7 WAR)
3B: Adrian Beltre (2.3 WAR)
SS: Marco Scutaro (3.0 WAR)
DH: David Ortiz (2.3 WAR)
INF: Mike Lowell (2.2 WAR), Bill Hall (-0.7 WAR), Jed Lowrie (1.4 WAR)

OF1: Mike Cameron (1.9 WAR)
OF2: J.D. Drew (2.5 WAR)
OF3: Jacoby Ellsbury (3.7 WAR)
OF4: Jeremy Hermida (1.3 WAR)

SP1: Josh Beckett (4.7 WAR)*
SP2: Jon Lester (5.6 WAR)*
SP3: John Lackey (3.7 WAR)*
SP4: Tim Wakefield (1.3 WAR)*
SP5: Clay Buchholz (2.4 WAR)*
SP6: Daisuke Matsuzaka (2.0 WAR)*

CL: Jonathan Papelbon (2.3 WAR)*
SU: Ramon Ramirez (0.5 WAR)*
RP: Hideki Okajima (0.5 WAR)*
RP: Manny Delcarmen (0.4 WAR)*
RP: Michael Bowden (0 WAR)
RP: Daniel Bard (1.3 WAR)*

2010 Projected Total WAR: 58.6

Notable IN: Beltre, Cameron, Hermida, Lackey, Scutaro
Notable OUT: Green, Saito

Adding five-and-a-half wins to an already impressive squad makes the Red Sox that much more dangerous. At least this gets Pat Gallen off the hook for picking the Sox to take the East from the Yankees.

In approaching 60 WAR, the Sox can absolutely be considered “elite.” Great pitching, very good offense and great defense all contribute to form a scary team, and that’s with Lester and a couple others expected to take a step back. Depth is a bit of an issue, but if Lowell ends up having as good a season as he’s projected to have (.273/.328/.429), he’ll be a top bench bat.

The only thing standing between Boston and another playoff berth is injury, because, when healthy, this team is a near lock for the postseason.

Nice thought, right?

The Red Sox feature a patient, talented offense and powerful pitching staff. The Rays are young, improving and graduating a number of high draft picks almost regularly. The Orioles sport some talented hitters and an arsenal of prospect starters nearly ready to try and alter the balance of power in the division. The Blue Jays, while clearly not in contention this year, have restocked their farm with solid prospects on a team that could already compete for the N.L. wild card.

The 2009 Season

New York Yankees (103-59, 1st)

It sort of leaves a bitter taste in the mouth to say it, but no team uses the current economic situation in baseball to its advantage better than the Yankees. A team with an impossibly large revenue stream in a league with no salary cap is a recipe for success, and the Yankees have, essentially, been a perennial powerhouse forever. They signed Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia out of free agency and won their 27th title. It’s no accident; good players means a good team.

So, of course, like any good team, the Yankees made improvements to a team that, even if left alone, would have been a favorite to repeat in 2010. They traded for Curtis Granderson. They signed Nick Johnson. They traded for Javier Vazquez. They retained superprospect Jesus Montero in spite of all that wheeling and dealing. And at the end of the day, they’re an even heavier favorite to emerge from the American League once more.

The only hope for the anti-Yankee is that this team is aging and their pitching is a bit suspect (except for that Rivera dude). Unfortunately, no one has really shown any signs of slowing down, so at least for 2010, it appears age won’t really be a problem.

The pitching is pretty good. The offense is unbelievable. The Yankees are a true force.

Boston Red Sox (95-67, 2nd)

If you’re going to face this team, try to catch them in your home park or they’ll bludgeon you. Hitting a combined .284/.365/.498 at Fenway, as opposed to a more middling .257/.340/.414 on the road, the Red Sox hitter have a true home field advantage. Pitchers also performed better at Fenway – at least in terms of ERA – by more than half a run. In any other division, the Red Sox were division champions in 2009.

Instead, they get the glorious designation of having to play second fiddle to the Yankees once more. That isn’t to say they’re acting like subordinates, though; the Sox made plenty of moves of their own in an effort to keep pace with New York. Bringing in Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron and John Lackey should help, and with a pitching staff superior to New York’s and an offense that can swat a few baseballs in its own right, the Red Sox are an excellent team.

Tampa Bay Rays (84-78, 3rd)

Winning 84 games in this division is quite the feat, even if missing the playoffs is a disappointing result for the 2008 A.L. Champs. Finally reaping the rewards of high draft picks accumulated from years upon years of losing baseball, the Rays have shaped a young, talented nucleus into a winning team, yet still find themselves at a disadvantage.

The Rays ranked second in all of baseball in team WAR in 2009 – behind only those pesky Yankees – at 34.4, nearly five wins ahead of third-place Anaheim. The bulk of that came on the shoulders of breakout star Ben Zobrist, who put together a wonderful season that didn’t garner nearly the attention it deserved.

Behind Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and Zobrist, the Rays have a bumper crop of young pitchers looking to move into their primes. They also added Rafael Soriano to bolster an already tough bullpen. Like the Red Sox, the Rays would be a definite division title contender anywhere else, but such is their lot in this life.

Toronto Blue Jays (75-87, 4th)

Roy Halladay is gone, Alex Rios is gone and Vernon Wells has a franchise-hamstringing contract. Scott Rolen was traded, and lame duck G.M. J.P. Ricciardi was canned. Things are not looking bright for Toronto in 2010, but some shrewd trading from new G.M. Alex Anthopolous and top prospect graduation has the offense at least featuring a couple bright spots in Adam Lind and Aaron Hill. Former Philly prospect Kyle Drabek could contribute at the M.L. level as soon as this season, and newly-acquired Brett Wallace could see time at third and first this season.

There is a core taking shape, but Toronto is still some ways – and years –  away from making serious noise in this division. Keep an eye on Travis Snider, a LF/1B/DH type who is only 22 and projects to have a big, powerful bat. He and Lind should form a powerful punch in the middle of the Toronto order for years, hopefully for long enough to allow a competitive core to mature around them.

Baltimore Orioles (64-98, 5th)

Oh, there is a light on that horizon. Nick Markakis is a solid hitter, Adam Jones is a budding superstar – revisit that Erik Bedard trade with Seattle sometime, and marvel at that horde of talent Baltimore pilfered from the unknowing hands on former Ms GM Bill Bavasi – and three stud prospect starters are inching ever closer to the Majors.

Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta have the potential to be the next “Big Three” of starters, in the ilk of bygone days of Zito/Hudson/Mulder  in Oakland. With Tillman already on the roster, Arrieta and Matusz aren’t far behind. Expect the Orioles to catch a few people by surprise this year, but don’t expect a winning season. They just aren’t quite at that point. Yet.

Predicted Standings

Now, to wrap up the American League, each writer was surveyed for their projected playoff results and league awards, as well as highlighting a player to keep an eye on that you may not already pay a great deal of attention to. With that, the prognosticating begins!

Playoff Predictions

Michael Baumann

Red Sox over Twins
Yankees over Mariners

Yankees over Red Sox

Paul Boye

Yankees over Twins
Rangers over Red Sox

Yankees over Rangers

Pat Gallen

Red Sox over Twins
Rangers over Yankees

Red Sox over Rangers

Amanda Orr

Red Sox over Twins
Yankees over Mariners

Yankees Over Red Sox

Corey Seidman

Yankees over Mariners
Angels over Twins

Yankees over Angels

Nick Staskin

Yankees over White Sox
Red Sox over Mariners

Red Sox over Yankees

American League Awards

Michael Baumann

MVP: Mark Teixeira, NYY
Cy Young: Justin Verlander, DET
Rookie of the Year: Chris “Disco” Hayes, KCR or Brett Wallace, TOR
Player to Watch: Ben Zobrist, TB

Paul Boye

MVP: Evan Longoria, TB
Cy Young: Jon Lester, BOS
Rookie of the Year: Brian Matusz, BAL
Player to Watch: Denard Span, MIN

Pat Gallen

MVP: Kevin Youkilis, BOS
Cy Young: Jon Lester, BOS
Rookie of the Year: Austin Jackson, DET
Player to Watch: Gordon Beckham, CWS

Amanda Orr

MVP: Alex Rodriguez, NYY
Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, SEA
Rookie of the Year: Brian Matusz, BAL
Player to Watch: Max Scherzer, DET

Corey Seidman

MVP: Evan Longoria, TB
Cy Young: Jon Lester, BOS
Players to Watch: Matt Wieters, BAL and John Lackey, LAA

Nick Staskin

MVP: Alex Rodriguez, NYY
Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, SEA
Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, TEX
Player to Watch: Cliff Lee (who?), SEA

—

That finishes off our preview of the Junior Circuit. Team-by-team previews for the National League start soon, starting with those in the N.L. West.

See? We SHOULDN’T have kept him! Ed Price of FanHouse.com broke the news on Twitter.

This raises an interesting debate: should beanballs in Spring Training result in regular season suspensions?

In a mini-conversation with Matthew Leach, Cardinals beat reporter for MLB.com, Leach raised a valid point, arguing that concussions in March are the same as they are in June. He noted that if the suspension is for the commission of a dangerous act, the act itself is just as dangerous in Spring Training as it is in the regular season. I’d love to see your opinions on this.

The question I posed to Leach was, if Lee can be suspended for hitting Chris Snyder, why wasn’t Barry Zito suspended for hitting Prince Fielder in Fielder’s first Spring Training at-bat? Sure, the pitch was aimed at Synder’s head, while Fielder was hit in the back with an offspeed pitch, but pre-meditation is pre-meditation regardless of the speed or location of the pitch.

If MLB truly cares about preventing pre-meditated beanballs, ban them all, not some. That sets an absurdly weak precedent.

Once again, sound off in the comments section.

Ron Washington = Tyrone Biggums?

In other AL West news, Rangers manager Ron Washington, who looks like a 70s porn version of Dave Chappelle, reportedly tested positive for cocaine during the 2009 season, leading fans to ask, “managers get tested too?”

Washington will remain the Rangers manager as of now, but common sense would dictate that if the Rangers are struggling by the midpoint of the season, he’ll be shown the door. Imagine if you found out your teacher or boss tested positive for cocaine. Wouldn’t it be, I don’t know, hard to listen to anything they say?

(For those that didn’t understand the reference, Tyrone Biggums was a character from Chappelle’s Show.)

Phils Beat Yankees

The Phillies beat the Yankees 6-2 today, in case anybody cares about meaningless games in March. Jayson Werth went 2-for-3 with a jimmy-jack and three stakes. (If you were born after 1910, this means a homer and three RBI.) Here’s a video from the game to make you jealous.

With all this Ryan Howard-to-the-Cardinals-for-Albert Pujols nonsense going on this week, I think it’d be fun to ask for some submissions from the audience on the following: Let’s say you suddenly become empowered with the ability to possess (like a demon) another human being’s body, and you now control Ruben Amaro, Jr.’s consciousness. I wouldn’t stay long because he’s a pescatarian and I’d need to stop out for a burger, but you get the idea. What trades do you pull off? Here are some ground rules:

1) It has to be something that would actually be accepted by the other team. Much as I’d like to trade Kyle Kendrick and Juan Castro to the Nationals for Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg, the Nats wouldn’t accept that trade.

2) It has to keep the Phillies competitive in 2010 without completely blowing up the future, and vice-versa.

3) Salary matters. You can get a big contract, but you have to dump some salary in return or get someone who would sell enough jerseys to pay for an eight-figure salary.

4) No one’s untouchable. Now’s the time to indulge those Utley-for-David Wright fantasies you’ve always had.

5) And before some smartass thinks this up, no undoing the Cliff Lee trade.

My suggestions, if you care, are after the jump.

OF Shane Victorino to the Nationals for OF Nyjer Morgan and SS Danny Espinosa

I love to fantasize about trading Shane Victorino, but this trade isn’t just about getting rid of a certain center fielder. Nyjer Morgan is a pretty darn good player, and he’s flown under the radar. He plays mid-bendingly good defense—one gets the impression that Morgan obviates the need for at least one, if not both, of the corner outfielders. And maybe the second baseman, too. Among people who know a lot more about advanced defensive metrics than I do, Morgan ranks second only to Franklin Gutierrez in breathless exultations of praise.

And while he doesn’t walk much or hit for any power, Morgan hits .300 and almost never strikes out. The only worrying bit about him is his basestealing. Morgan swiped 42 bases last year, but it took him 59 attempts to get there, a rate every bit as bad as Victorino’s, and just staggeringly bad. Morgan’s 71 percent is right around the break-even point for basestealers—he’d almost be better off not running at all.

Espinosa is a high-A shortstop with decent speed and power. I’d ask for him because the Phillies might need an heir presumptive to J-Roll in about two years, and the Nationals are higher on Ian Desmond as a shortstop prospect.

So why would the Nats give Morgan up for Victorino? Victorino, as I’ve said, is the test case for being overrated. He’s a flamboyant, charismatic specialist who plays for a good team in a big market. Ask about his speed—people will ignore his inability to read fly balls in the outfield and his alarming propensity to get thrown out stealing. All people know about his defense is his spate of diving catches and his rocket throwing arm.

Morgan has also, at age 30, never played a full major league season. His reputation as a career minor leaguer/journeyman (he was, after all, deemed so special that both the A’s and Pirates cashiered him last year) doesn’t make him seem as valuable to the Nats as, say, Adam Dunn or Ryan Zimmerman.

I’d take Morgan’s under-the-radar effectiveness, but a team as badly-managed over the years as the Nationals might not.

1B Ryan Howard, OF Jayson Werth, RHP Trevor May, and OF Anthony Gose to St. Louis for 1B Albert Pujols and 2B/OF Skip Schumaker

The trade rumor that inspired this would-be deal (Howard-for-Pujols straight up) is ridiculous. In fact, I think this trade would piss off both fan bases. Howard and Werth are two of the Phillies’ most popular players, and the Phillies would hate to lose them, even considering their impending free agency.

But Albert Pujols literally puts up the production of two all-stars. Let’s couch this in terms of WAR, my new favorite statistic. For a baseline, replacement-level players (interchangeable AAA homunculi) get 0 WAR, competent full-time players get about 1.5 or 2, good players get 3, All-Stars usually get close to 5, and anyone who gets 6 or more is usually in the MVP discussion.

Pujols has been in the league since 2001. FanGraphs has data for WAR back to 2002. Pujols’ worst season since 2002 was 6.1 WAR, an MVP-quality season. Last year he posted 8.5. Howard’s career-high was that ridiculous 2006 season, a 7-win season that was worthy of the MVP he won. That would have been Pujols’ second-worst season ever.

Werth and Howard were both rather uncontroversial All-Star picks last year and they combined for 9.5 WAR. So let’s say you lose the combined production of Werth and Howard, both excellent players, and replace them with Pujols and another right fielder. The new right fielder would need to be worth 1 WAR in order for the Phillies to break even. Here are some of the outfielders who posted 1 WAR last year: Cody Ross, Randy Winn, Chase Headley, and Jack Cust. I’m sure Disco Francisco or Greg Dobbs could handle that, and if not, 1 WAR outfielders almost literally grow on trees.

Ideally, the Phils would get back Skip Schumaker, a player with two employable skills: hitting for average and the ability to play multiple positions. He could fill the void until Dom Brown was ready to take over in right and be Chase Utley insurance once the Domonator takes over.

As for Gose and May, no prospect short of Stephen Strasburg, Jason Heyward, or Jesus Montero ought to keep a team from trading for a plalyer like Pujols. That’s why this package works for Philadelphia.

From the Cardinals’ side, I asked PN’s Paul Boye what he thought, and he said, “The Cardinals wouldn’t even listen to you without Howard and Dom Brown.”

Then, I asked my buddy Klump (yes, that’s his real name), the only Cardinals fan I know, what Phillies he’d want in return. I expected something like Utley, Hamels, Howard, and prospects. Here’s his response (via text): “He’s not tradeable to the Phillies. Albert is ours ”

Ok. Well, then, I’d up the offer. There are three players in the Phillies’ organization I would not include in a package for Pujols: Chase Utley, Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels (at least not with another regular contributor). So if the Cards want the longer-term cost control of Victorino, plus another top prospect, instead of Werth? Fine. Want Brown instead of Gose? Fine, I’ll hope that one of him or Tyson Gillies pans out. Want to replace Schumaker with another throw-in player? Go ahead.

For Pujols and, let’s say, David Freese, here’s the maximum that I’d offer the Cardinals: Howard, Werth, Brown, their choice of May or J.C. Ramirez, and their choice of Joe Blanton or J.A. Happ.

With two top-line starters and Pujols, you can contend for and win pennants with little else—the Cardinals have proven that. With another MVP-level player (Utley) and the rest of the Phillies’ parts, you can do more.

LHP J.A. Happ to San Diego for 3B James Darnell and OF Jaff Decker

Full disclosure on this one. The first trade would be feasible, the second would be exciting, and this one I just came up with because I was bored and needed a third.

While the value on most Phillies position players will never be higher, Happ is probably the only pitcher who’s overrated even a little. His BABIP and numbers with runners on base last year suggest that he’ll be an average to above-average pitcher going forward, not the 2.90 ERA, rookie-of-the-year-runner-up we saw last year. That’s fine. For the next three years, he’ll never have to be anything more than a No. 4 starter anyway, with Halladay, Hamels, and Blanton all wrapped up for the foreseeable future.

But if you can get a decent haul for him, why not?

Darnell’s a big-hitting third baseman who won the Padres’ minor league player of the year award last year. He’s probably due to start this year at AA.

The Padres would let him go because of their surfeit of minor league third basemen, and the Phillies would want him because he plays a position they’re going to need to fill in a couple seasons, as well as second base and the corner outfield positions. In a year and change in the minors, Darnell’s OPS is .970.

Darnell played his college ball at the University of South Carolina, on a team with Phillies pitching prospect Mike Cisco and eventual first-round picks Justin Smoak and Reese Havens, at the same time I was going to school there.

Now I find college baseball tremendously boring (during my time as a student reporter and fan mostly attending soccer and football games), but the one time I actually went to a game (I was a freshman and I didn’t know any better) a skinny, 19-year-old version of Darnell started at second and gave a thoroughly Dan Uggla-like performance in the field and booted pretty much everything that came to him.

I’m not sure what this says, except bully for Darnell that he learned how to field his position and hit well enough to be in a good position make it as a pro at age 23. Though he did make 30 errors at third base last year in A-ball.

I don’t know much about Jaff Decker, and neither do the Padres. He’s a fire hydrant-shaped outfielder who turned 20 last month who has decent (but not great) speed and phenomenal plate discipline (142 walks in 683 minor-league plate appearances). All signs point to a corner outfielder who doesn’t wow you in the field but is constantly on base. But going into his age-20 season, it’s impossible to know anything for sure about the guy.

Here’s what I do know about Jaff Decker. If I had a name like his, I’d have artfully-tousled hair, a five-o’clock shadow, and work as either a private eye or a bounty hunter. Why, Jaff Decker, would you waste a name like your own on a baseball player? Shouldn’t you be exploring the Serengetti with a horse, a fedora, and an elephant gun? Or chasing mob snitches through post-apocalyptic Glasgow with a stogie between your teeth and a crotch rocket between your legs?

I’d kill for a name like Jaff Decker. And I’d trade J.A. Happ for an outfielder like Jaff Decker.

All of the reasoning in the world cannot lead me to believe that this front-page headline on ESPN.com was anything but a way to generate baseball traffic on an otherwise slow news day.

We all know the background: Buster Olney reported early Sunday morning that the Phillies were “internally discussing a swap of Howard and Pujols.” Internally discussing. Verbatim. Take a brief moment and ask yourself how YOU would define the phrase “internally discussing.”

I’ll offer my interpretation: it means either A) a source informed Olney or B) he heard – with his own ears – two or more members of the Phillies organization utter the words “Howard,” “Pujols,” and “trade,” in the same sentence. I don’t believe Olney reached for his quill and wrote a piece of fiction – after all, he is the face of ESPN.com baseball, for better or for worse.

ESPN has standards. They don’t turn rumors into front page headlines and they don’t confuse hearsay with gospel. Recently, they have refrained from participating in the “breaking news race,” preferring instead to accumulate a full, detailed story. Websites such as MLBTradeRumors and HoopsHype provide quicker transaction information, and non-ESPNers like Ken Rosenthal, Jon Heyman, Bob Glauber, et al. often break stories before a member of the worldwide leader adds their two cents. Some stories are directly posted from the Associated Press wire, but not before fact-checking is done.

It is important to make note of ESPN’s journalistic standards because these standards are why this story was so strange – it was completely out of character.

What is an “internal discussion?” Why wasn’t it clearly defined so that every reader could fully comprehend what they were looking at – that is, after reaching down to pick up their jaw? Why was a line like “it is unclear whether the Phillies have contacted the Cardinals about such a trade,” glossed over so quickly that it could easily have been missed? Why was such a dynamic, earth-shattering, game-changing topic reported so sloppily, with little clarification or explanation?

The answer to all of these queries: it was written lazily because it was a lazy story. It had no legs.

Olney could unscathingly get himself off the hook by saying “I heard two members of the Phillies brass discuss this trade,” or “A trusted source informed me that word was spreading around the office of a potential Howard-for-Pujols blockbuster.” Olney could shield himself with either of those comments and none of us would have much to gain from asking a follow-up.

As I wrote on Twitter, the actual members of the Phillies organization that were discussing this trade could have been Ruben Amaro and one or more of his trusted colleagues, but it just as easily could have been Mick Billmeyer and a bullpen catcher engaging in a conversation of, “Hey, that Pujols is gonna be a free agent after next season. Cards might be willing to move ‘em. Think Howard would entice ‘em?”

Another problem with this story is that it sets a terrible precedent. As many baseball scribes and analysts have noted the past few days, discussions such as these take place all the time. I’ll further this point by adding that Pujols in unquestionably, undeniably better than Ryan Howard. It is not close.

Sure, Howard goes through scorching stretches and makes the monster numbers of other power hitters look like friendly ghosts, but Albert Pujols is the best offensive player in one of the toughest eras in the history of Major League Baseball. If I knew it wouldn’t take away from the overall point of this article – which is bad journalism from the professionals – I would declare right here that Pujols is the best baseball player of all time.

(Why? Because, just like every other sport, baseball features more athleticism, tutelage, and talent now (as a whole) than it ever has. The post-steroid era has been the most offensively impressive clean era the game has ever seen, and Pujols has stuck out – just as he would had he played in the 1920’s, 1950’s, or 1980’s. We can discuss this more another day, but suffice to say, Pujols is a mega-talent. If Ryan Howard’s a 9 out of 10, Pujols is a 14 out of 10.)

Back to the topic-at-hand. If these discussions take place all of the time, and Pujols is better than Howard, does that mean that we’re going to be subject to stories like “Skip Schumaker for Utley?” or “Is Happ Enough for King Felix?” or “Mathieson for Greinke?” Yes, these are exaggerations, but they are being made to illustrate the point that OF COURSE the Phillies would internally discuss Howard-for-Pujols, whether it was an in-depth meeting or one sentence from Mick Billmeyer. Of course the fantasy would be imagined.

Any of us who has ever played any baseball video game has packaged a role player and a minor leaguer for a superstar, or turned a stud into a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer. Do those scenarios deserve their own articles, from the Worldwide Leader in Sports, no less?

…

Stephen A. Smith broke the story about Allen Iverson ten months after Smith was fired by ESPN. He was able to re-obtain his old job with the Philadelphia Inquirer some time later, but the former shouting-head was nowhere near as visible or relevant as he had become accustomed to. The article demeaned Iverson’s lifestyle, effectively tarnishing what was left of the controversial guard’s reputation.

Smith cited one piece of evidence.

The use of one piece of evidence in damaging an athlete’s reputation is suspect enough, but news quietly began to seep out that Smith’s evidence was either exaggerated or completely false.

The evidence for Iverson’s CURRENT chronic alcoholism and addiction to gambling was that Iverson was “banned from casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City.” Just as the uncertainty of the Phillies approaching the Cardinals about a Howard-for-Pujols deal was not expanded upon, the nature of this or these “ban(s)” represented an extremely important piece of information, central to its article’s point, that offered no further explanation or clarification.

Which casinos? What kind of ban? What exactly did he do that resulted in a ban? When did this ban take place?

Sure enough, many NBA athletes and writers close to the situation later reported that the “bans” were blown out of proportion and that Iverson’s days of drinking and gambling were tame compared to what they had been in the past. They asked why, if Smith felt this was so newsworthy, did he not report on it years earlier, when Iverson was actually living on the edge of the precipice?

Most importantly, the widespread claim became that Iverson was not, in fact, officially banned from either casino.

When faced with this, Smith responded (paraphrasing) that Iverson was in casinos and bars everyday and owners of these establishments were expressing concern to the teams in those respective cities. That rebutall had “backtrack” written all over it.

Extremely famous worldwide sportswriter. One piece of exaggerated evidence. Lead story on ESPN.com.

Here is where I should note that Smith’s article effectively boosted him back into the spotlight, back into the mainstream, back into relevance. Now, we all remember that Stephen A. Smith exists, even if it turns out someday that his story was exaggerated or unfounded. Great work.

…

Buster Olney was probably telling the truth. Stephen A. Smith’s story probably had a hint of truth in it as well. But neither did enough research. Neither provided enough background information and explanation for his respective sensational story. Both were front-page material but both lacked actual substance.

Other than the author’s laziness, the stories of Allen Iverson’s spiraling decay and an exchange of the aforementioned sluggers have another thing in common: they’ve both been beaten, bludgeoned, and bloodied. Nobody wants to hear talk of either story ever again. But, ironically enough, the true story in each has been missed.

These aren’t tales of fast-living athletes and blockbuster trades. They are stories of two professional writers retreating to levels beneath them as men-of-the-pen.

I, and many of my fellow “non-professional” writers (sorry, I loathe the term “blogger,”) will likely never reach the stature of a Buster Olney or a Stephen A. Smith. Jealousy didn’t write this article.

Ethics did.

I don’t pretend to know everything about the inner-workings of a baseball club, but conversations like this one can’t take place as often as prevailing wisdom says.  Are the Kansas City Royals huddled in Kauffman Stadium mapping out a way to steal Alex Rodriguez from the Yankees?  Should the Pittsburgh Pirates be scouting David Wright because they can make a play for him?  This type of thinking is reserved for only a handful of franchises.  The Phillies happen to be one.

The thought process behind this deal is not as laughable as one would think.  The non-issue is that there is a 99.8% chance it will not happen.  St. Louis would burn to the ground if Pujols were to be traded well in advance of his contract ending.  To slam the writer of this rumor, ESPN’s Buster Olney, is also a mistake. The guy is simply doing his job, and if that means wrestle up more hits by using two of the biggest names in sports, then so be it.

On the surface, this would seem like a ridiculous trade, however, the Phillies are attempting to find a soft spot in the Cardinals organization.  It’s impossible to tell how deep the discussions became regarding such a blockbuster, but the fact is, the Cardinals are going to have a hard time affording the mammoth contract Pujols will likely garner in free-agency a few years down the road.

You can’t blame the Phillies for “talking” about this.  Also remember that the Phillies are one of the few teams that could actually pull off this type of deal.  Maybe not this exact trade, but they have the resources to make big moves, which not all teams do.  That’s what sets this rumor apart from the rest.

Olney says the Phils are talking amongst themselves – and has reiterated that they have not talked to St. Louis – as they figure out if they can pry Albert Pujols away from the Cards for Ryan Howard.  The Phillies first baseman is a St. Louis native, but Pujols is their native son, so a trade of this magnitude is unlikely to occur.

Listen to the entire Buster Olney interview:  Buster Olney on 97.3 ESPN FM