Raf – And, who was the 5th starter on those teams? Someone reliable, or, was it a patchwork of nobodies?
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Yeah, sorry bout that, been bouncing around all day…

MIN: Started the season with Scott Baker as the #5
DET: Started the season with Justin Verlander as the #5
AZD: Started the season with either Rick Helling or Todd Stottlemyre as the #5
SFG: Started the season with Kurt Ainsworth as the #5

Baker, Ainsworth & Verlander were in their 2nd year, Stottlemyre & Helling were established ML’ers.

As for the “25 starts and 150 quality innings” criteria, only Helling & Verlander fit it. IIRC, they were also the only two to make it through a full season.

That we have to drill down this far to find anything, says that the concerns (for lack of a better word) you and Pete Abe have aren’t that serious. More often than not, there have been teams that have made the playoffs, and succeeded with a “patchwork of fives.”

~~AL Central – 2006; MIN, DET & NL West – 2002; AZD, SFG~~

Raf – And, who was the 5th starter on those teams? Someone reliable, or, was it a patchwork of nobodies?

I’ve pretty much roasted Cashman in the past for the Dotel signing – for being a waste of money. And, would have done the same here too, FWIW.

Saito is throwing at 150 feet with no pain, and went through two days of intensive tests before they signed him.

Dr Andrews certainly did not say that Smoltz has the labrum of a 70 year old. He had damage consistent with that of a pitcher who has thrown as many innings as he has. He’s come back from every prior surgery and by any measure is ahead of schedule from this one.

Yeah, nobody knows for sure, but I’m betting that if Cashman had made these signings and you learned about their current health status, you’d pretty excited for their chances to be difference-makers.

Not unless you can answer my question. How many teams have made the post-season when they played in a DIV with two other “super teams” and where they had a big “?” for their 5th starter to start the season?
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Define “super team,” and we’ll take it from there? Are you referring to 2 teams that have won 90+ games? Using that criteria, we come up with the following teams;

08: 4 (TB, BOS | CHC, MIL)
07: 4 (BOS*, NY | AZ, COL)
06: 3 (MIN, DET, CWS)
05: 4 (NYY, BOS | CWS*, CLE)
04: 8 (NYY, BOS* | ANA, OAK | STL, HOU | LAD, SFG)
03: 6 (NYY, BOS | OAK, SEA | ATL, FLA*)
02: 8 (NYY, BOS | OAK, ANA*, SEA | AZD, SFG, LAD)
01: 6 (SEA, OAK | HOU, STL | AZD*, SFG)
00: 6 (CWS, CLE | OAK, SEA | ATL, NYM)
99: 6 (NYY, BOS | ATL, NYM | HOU, CIN)
98: 4 (NYY, BOS | HOU, CHC)
97: 4 (BAL, NYY | ATL, FLA*)
96: 2 (SDP, LAD)
95: 0

* World Champions

I cut it off at 95, because we have more teams to play with (and I have only so much time… lol)

But to answer the first part of your question (How many teams have made the post-season when they played in a DIV with two other “super teams”), it would have to be 4 (AL Central – 2006; MIN, DET & NL West – 2002; AZD, SFG).

~~When you lay down to sleep, are there any sudden thoughts “God I hope Smoltz and Saito don’t help the Sox”?~~

Smoltz is 42 and has the labrum of a 70-year old. I’m not sweating him.

Saito is 39 and his elbow blew on him last year. I don’t think he’s a lock to rebound.

They’re not bumping Jolie & Biel from my nighty-nighty thoughts any time soon…

~~kinda disproves the theory, doesn’t it? ~~

Not unless you can answer my question. How many teams have made the post-season when they played in a DIV with two other “super teams” and where they had a big “?” for their 5th starter to start the season?

When you lay down to sleep, are there any sudden thoughts “God I hope Smoltz and Saito don’t help the Sox”?
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No, not really…

In that Pete Abe entry was an explicit claim that the Red Sox have more depth in the rotation … any worries about that in Yankeeland?

When you lay down to sleep, are there any sudden thoughts “God I hope Smoltz and Saito don’t help the Sox”?

In terms of recent teams, off the top of my head…
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9 playoff teams in 23 years (out of a possible 136 teams, unless my math is off), kinda disproves the theory, doesn’t it?