CarterHud

      Every NHL team needs a puck-moving defenseman. The New York Islanders have one of them. The 26 year old Nick Leddy has turned into a 40 point d-man, with exactly 40 points in 71 games so far in the 2016-17 season (he has 11 goals, a career high, and 29 assists). The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native was drafted 16th overall in 2009 by his home town Minnesota Wild. Before he made his NHL debut, the Wild traded Leddy\’s rights and defenseman Kim Johnsson to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Cam Barker on February 12, 2010. He then signed a 3 year, $2.7 million contract. In 4 seasons with the Blackhawks, Leddy scored 93 points (20 goals and 73 assists) and won the 2013 Stanley Cup. But at the end of the 2014-15 season, Leddy would become a restricted free agent, and the Blackhawks didn\’t have cap room for him. On October 4, 2014, the Blackhawks traded Leddy and goalie Kent Simpson to the New York Islanders in exchange for defensemen Ville Pokka, T.J. Brennan and goalie Anders Nilsson. On February 24, 2015, Leddy and the Islanders agreed to a 7 year, $38.5 million contract extension. He has 26 goals and 91 assists in 3 seasons since joining the Islanders. At his teammate Anders Lee\’s Kan Jam event, I was able to meet Nick. Here\’s what I asked him.

        Me: \”How has the team changed since December to now?\”
        Leddy: \”Every point counts, especially at this point in the season. Hopefully we\’ll get back on the winning track.\”
  
        M: \”Has the main reason the team has changed being the firing of coach Jack Capuano, or did the team just wake up?\”
        L: \”I think we\’ve emphasized on a few different things. We\’re trying to stick to our game plan every night. A lot of the ways Cappy wanted us to play, we\’ve kept that. We\’ve emphasized on a few more things.\”
 
        M: \”What do you think Joshua Ho-Sang has brought to the team in his 10 games?\”
        L: \” I think he brings an element to the offense, where he\’s got a lot of skill, amazing hands and has that pull away speed. He\’s obviously a great playmaker. We\’re definitely happy to have him.

        M: \”What do think of this event Anders Lee is running?\”
        L: \”I think it\’s awesome. Anytime we can support a teammate and something he truly believes in, it\’s something we want to help with.\”

     With a record of 69-93, the Oakland Athletics, or A\’s, finished last in the AL West, 26 GB of the first place Texas Rangers. The A\’s are rebuilding, and want to exit the hard years either this year or next year. To do that, GM Billy Beane needed to do things in the offseason. Let\’s look at what Beane did.
 
      Key additions: 3B: Trevor Plouffe, RP Santiago Casilla, OFs Rajai Davis, Matt Joyce, Alejandro De Aza, SS Adam Rosales, C Ryan Lavarnway, 1B Chris Parmlee.
      Key subtractions: 3B Danny Valencia, OF Brett Eibner, SS Arismendy Alcantara.

      Biggest move: The A\’s signed a couple of players to cheap, one year deals to try to find a steal. The biggest name is 3B Trevor Plouffe who was signed to a one year, $5.25 million deal. Injuries forced him to 84 games, but he hit 22 HRs and 86 RBIs the year before. It\’s a real solid pickup for Oakland.
      X-factor: With the biggest bounce back (below) starting the season on the DL, SP Kendall Graveman was named opening day starter. Graveman finished last season with a 4.11 ERA in a career high 186 IP. He had some really bad months, like May (5.87 ERA in 30.2 innings), and some where he looked like an ace, like July (2.68 ERA in 37 innings). It would be nice for Graveman to have a really good 2017.
     Biggest bounce back: 2016 was only his third full year in the MLB. In \’14 and \’15, he had an ERA of 3.08 or lower in 200 or more innings. Injuries limited him to just 117 IP in 2016, and he had a bad ERA of 5.69. His name is Sonny Gray. He\’ll start the season on the DL (that\’s why he\’s not mentioned in the rotation in the roster part below), but the A\’s will need Gray to bounce back in 2017.
      Biggest breakout: In 269 ABs last season, his first taste of the MLB, Ryon Healy played really well, with 13 HRs and 37 RBIs, along with a .305 average. With the A\’s roster not as good as it was years ago, Healy can crack the starting lineup as a part time DH. I\’m sure he\’ll excel there.
      Guaranteed star: A year ago, I would have picked Gray here. But LF Khris Davis hit very well in his first year in Oakland. He had career highs in ABs (555), HRs (42) and RBIs (105), just to name a few. He can put up at least 30 HRs in 2017, and remain a star.
      The A\’s\’ lineup should look like this.

1. CF: Rajai Davis
2. SS: Marcus Semien
3. LF: Khris Davis
4. C: Stephan Vogt
5. 3B: Trevor Plouffe
6. 1B: Yonder Alonso
7. DH: Ryon Healy
8. 2B: Jed Lowrie
9. RF: Matt Joyce
          Their rotation will probably be this.

1. Kendall Graveman
2. Sean Manaea
3. Jharel Cotton
4. Jesse Hahn
5. Chris Bassitt

            SS Adam Rosales, C Josh Phegley and 1B Mark Canha will be on the bench.
            Sean Doolittle will be their closer, with Santiago Casilla and Ryan Madson setting him up.

            Finally, for my prediction. I think the A\’s will finish last in a half good, half bad AL West division. As long as they can have a developing year for youngsters, they can take a step closer to being contenders again.

     With a record of 84-78, the New York Yankees finished 4th in the AL East, 9 GB of the first place Boston Red Sox. They also missed the playoffs. Close to the 2016 trade deadline, the Yankees traded star relievers Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, and watched them play in the WS, with Chapman winning. The prospects they received in those trades, especially SS Gleyber Torres look to be good MLB players one day. If the Yankees wanted to be contenders in 2017, GM Brian Cashman needed to make some moves. Let\’s look at what Cashman did.

       Key additions: RP Aroldis Chapman, OF Matt Holliday, 1B Chris Carter, SS Ruben Tejada, RP Jon Niese.
       Key subtractions: C Brian McCann, 1B Mark Teixeira (retired), SP Nathan Eovaldi, DH Billy Butler, RPs Nick Goody, Kirby Yates, Anthony Swarzak, Blake Parker, Richard Bleier.
    
       Biggest move: The Yankees got Aroldis Chapman back, after trading him to the Chicago Cubs midseason. It was a record breaking deal for a reliever, at 5 years, $86 million. They now have two-thirds of last years three headed monster (or no run DMC, or whatever you want to call it) in Chapman and Dellin Betances (Andrew Miller was the third). If the Yankees are good, Chapman could reach the 40 save mark in 2017.
       X-factor: He may have only played in 53 games in 2016 (201 ABs), but C Gary Sanchez hit 20 HRs and an average of .299, finishing second in the AL ROY voting. The Yankees need him to avoid a sophomore slump in 2017 if they want to be competitive. At least 30 HRs seems ideal, but as a Yankee fan, I\’m still setting the bar a bit lower for Sanchez.
        Biggest bounce back: There\’s 3 guys who share this spot, so I\’ll talk about them all. First, SP Michael Pineda was supposed to be a really good MLB player, especially after his 1.89 ERA in 76.1 IP in 2014. But 2016 was rough for him. He had an ERA of 4.82 in 175.2 IP. With the Yankees rotation in shambles after Masahiro Tanaka, they\’ll need Pineda to pitch way better in 2017.
       Second, in 2011, CF Jacoby Ellsbury hit 32 HRs, with 105 RBIs, and 39 SBs for the Red Sox. He continued to be very good in Boston. But after signing a 7 year, $153 million contract with the Yankees in 2014, things changed. Ellsbury is now barely a 20 SB threat. He needs to turn around quickly, because $153 million is a lot to pay a below average player.
       Finally, LF Brett Gardner dropped off in 2016. His homers dipped from 16 to 7. It was also the first full season of his career in which he did not steal at least 20 bases. He passed his almost 50 steal days, and the power surges in 2014 and \’15 are gone, too.
      Biggest breakout: In his 84 ABs in 2016, RF Aaron Judge struggled with an average of .179. Judge is supposed to be a huge prospect, especially when it comes to power. But his season high HRs in the minors is just 20 HRs, which aren\’t that significant. It would be nice for the Yanks to get a nice first full season out of Judge in 2017.
      Guaranteed star: Since coming to America in 2014, SP Masahiro Tanaka has been pretty good. He was an out away from his first 200 IP season last year, and had a solid ERA of 3.07. Tanaka is definitely their ace this season, and for a couple more years guaranteed, as long as he doesn\’t opt out of his contract after this year.
      The Yankees lineup should look like this.

1. LF: Brett Gardner
2. CF: Jacoby Ellsbury
3. C: Gary Sanchez
4. 1B: Greg Bird
5. 2B: Starlin Castro
6. DH: Matt Holliday
7. RF: Aaron Judge
8. 3B: Chase Headley
9. SS: Ronald Torreyes
          Their rotation will most likely be this:.

1. Masahiro Tanaka
2. C.C. Sabathia
3. Michael Pineda
4. Luis Severino
5. Chad Green

          SS Didi Gregorius (injured), 1B Chris Carter, RF Aaron Hicks and C Austin Romine will be on the bench.
          Aroldis Chapman will be their closer, with Dellin Betances and Tyler Clippard setting him up.
         
          Gregorius will be out a month, but when he comes back, he\’ll hit second, with Ellsbury moving to ninth. Torreyes will then be on the bench.

           Finally, for my prediction, I think the New York Yankees will test out some new methods in 2017, but miss the playoffs.

    

With a record of 87-75, the New York Mets finished second in the NL East, 8 GB of the first place Washington Nationals. The Mets qualified for the NL Wild card game, but lost to the San Francisco Giants. GM Sandy Alderson must of thought his team was good for next year, making virtually no moves. Let\’s look at what Alderson did.

     Key additions: P Tom Gorzelanny.
     Key subtractions: SPs Bartolo Colon, Gabriel Ynoa, Logan Verrett, RP Jim Henderson, 1B James Loney, OF Alejandro De Aza, 2B Kelly Johnson.

      Biggest move: The Mets did not acquire anything this offseason but a depth pitcher in Tom Gorzelanny. So, I\’m going to break my own rule and put a re-signing as my \”biggest move\”. The Mets signed one of their stars, OF Yoenis Cespedes to a new 4 year, $110 million deal. Cespedes is a key part of this Mets lineup, and retaining his services really helps their organization.
       X-factor: David Wright used to be a top 3B in the league. But injuries have hurt him recently. He hasn\’t played in at least 39 games in a season since 2014. He hasn\’t hit 20 HRs in a season since 2012, and hasn\’t hit 30 since 2008. Wright will likely start the season on the DL (that\’s why I put him on the bench at the bottom). But when he comes back, he needs to perform well to save his career.
       Biggest bounce back: Injuries limited 1B Lucas Duda to just 47 games in 2016. In 153 2016 ABs, Duda hit 7 HRs, with a lousy average of .229. It would be nice for Duda to have a healthy 2017.
       Biggest breakout: With the Mets having 5 solid outfielders, LF Michael Conforto might start the season on the bench, but if the Mets trade Curtis Granderson or Jay Bruce, then Conforto will need to play well. He\’s yet to play up to his potential, and 24 years of age is a nice number to breakout. Maybe Conforto will do it.
        Guaranteed star: He may only have 2 years of MLB experience under his belt, but 24 year old SP Noah Syndergaard is already a top pitcher. He had a 2.60 ERA in 183.2 IP last year. The best of \”Thor\” is yet to come, which is scary for hitters.
        The Mets\’ lineup should look like this.

1. CF: Curtis Granderson
2. 2B: Neil Walker
3. LF: Yoenis Cespedes
4. 1B: Lucas Duda
5. RF: Jay Bruce
6. SS: Asdrubal Cabrera
7. C: Travis d\’Arnuad
8. 3B: Jose Reyes
9. Pitcher
          Their rotation will probably be this.

1. Noah Syndergaard
2. Jacob DeGrom
3. Matt Harvey
4. Steven Matz
5. Zack Wheeler

           LF Michael Conforto, 3B David Wright, CF Juan Lagares, C Kevin Plawecki and 1B Wilmer Flores will be on the bench.
           Jeurys Familia will be their closer, with Jerry Blevins and Fernando Salas setting him up.

           Finally, for my prediction, I think the Mets will once again be in the NL Wild card chase, but lose to the St Louis Cardinals. I think this not because the Mets are bad, because the Cardinals offseason moves make them better than they were in 2016.

  New York Islanders captain John Tavares is one of the best players in the NHL. The Mississauga, Ontario native was drafted first overall in the 2009 NHL draft by the Islanders. Tavares, 26, has 532 points (234 goals and 298 assists) in 581 career NHL games, all with the Islanders. His teammates appreciate playing with him. \”He\’s one of the best players in the league, and in the world. He\’s fun to play with every night,\” his linemate, Josh Bailey told me. At his teammate Anders Lee\’s Kan Jam event, I was able to catch up with Tavares. Here are the questions I asked Tavares.
  
    Me: \”How do you feel the team has changed this season from December to right now?\”
    Tavares: \”As a team, we were a little disappointed with the way we started. It\’s a tight group in a locker room, and there was still a lot of hockey left to play, around 40-50 games. I think there was a lot of belief that we\’re a lot better than we played, and we\’ve come together and given ourselves a good chance to make the playoffs.\”
  
     M: \”Do you feel a little extra pressure as the captain of this team to lead them into the playoffs?\”
     T: \”I don\’t think I try to add any pressure. I think the expectations are always high, and there\’s a lot that people expect from a captain, or from your teammates, or for myself. I just try to be myself [and I] feel like that\’s what has gotten me to this point, and why the team has felt that I\’ve been deserving of captain. So, I just try to be myself and play as hard as I can.\”
 
     M: \”In the last 10 games, Joshua Ho-Sang has come in and has 6 points. How do you feel like he\’s changed the team?\”
     T: \”Josh is very skilled, very talented. He is playing hard, being very responsible with what the coaching staff is asking him to do but they want him to play his game and [that\’s] what has gotten him to this point in his hockey career. He\’s gone out and he\’s created a lot of very good offense for us, creating chances and obviously he\’s been capitalizing on them. It\’s great to see him get rewarded, he\’s obviously very talented, he\’s a good kid.\”

     M: \”What do you think of this event that Anders Lee is running?\”
     T: \”As a teammate, you want to support that and obviously it\’s for a great cause, to fight cancer. No question, we all love being here, supporting Anders, and the cause he\’s fighting for. It\’s great to be here, we\’re all having a lot of fun. It\’s always great to be around your teammates and our great fans.\”
 
     M: \”Do you have any long term plans to stay here on Long Island?\”
     T: \”I want to play with the Islanders for my whole career, that would be great. Obviously I can\’t negotiate a new contract until some point this summertime, so I just want to worry about helping this team make the playoffs, and hopefully be here for the long [run].\”