BaseballObsessed

Drown Me In The Charles

2011-09-26T23:26:00.008-04:00

I'm going to do my best to try to annunciate and make any of this make sense to you readers out there....I can't f%*#$^*^ believe it.....am i dreaming? Did I die and this is purgatory? How did the Boston Red Sox, who were the best team for 4 1/2 months of the season and were unquestionably headed to the postseason without Dice-K, Buchholz, and J.D. Drew for most of the season manage to blow the biggest wild card lead in major league history? Some say it was poor pitching, some say inconsistent hitting, a lower talented minor system, poor coaching and staff, a GM inability at the deadline, not winning games against sub .500 teams and even just bad luck.

What is bad luck? When something doesn't go your way? Sure. Does that explain 6 wins in the month of September? No way. I was at the last Sox-Rays game this season in Boston and quite frankly this was a team that had already thrown in the towel(and that was Sept. 16). 0 energy and the crowd was dead. People were more concern about the Patsies game that day then staying hoping for a famous rally in the Fens. For fleeting moments, I saw RSN unlearn everything from 2004. The impossible becoming possible when we believed. Like a fool, I did that up until today, wearing all my Sox stuff with gusto feeling a turn-around was imminent especially after Ellsbury game winner Sunday night. Then tonight happened....

Tomorrow morning, I will wake up, put my Buchholz shirt on with my Red Sox fitted hat, no pep in my step and a tear down my face knowing my postseason, my passion, my team will go down to a sub .500 team with Erik Bedard inflicting the final wound...

Maybe next season, maybe some clarity or some answers. And hopefully not another Yankees WS, my heart can't handle that.

How Stupid Can You Be?

2010-12-05T21:40:00.000-05:00

This post comes to you via Steelers/Ravens rage and MLB idiocy. Let's start with my beloved Red Sox...YOU DON'T TRADE THE FUTURE AWAY W/O A GUARANTEED EXTENSION, NO MATTER WHO YOU'RE SIGNING. Casey Kelly( who will be blanking a scoreboard near you), Anthony Rizzo, Raymond Fuentes, and PTBN have been shipped off to SD to get 1B All-Star Adrian Gonzalez. While San Diego and former Sox staffer turned GM Jed Hoyer pumps their fists for what they got, Red Sox fans should be angry that the team didn't get a guaranteed player to stick around while ushering out the Adrian Beltre era. Will Adrian Gonzalez put up inhuman numbers in Boston? Hell yes, he will. David Ortiz may even see more favorable pitches to him. The Sox address the issue of losing Victor Martinez's power in this deal, but have failed to lock it up much like Jason Bay and V-Mart. Another issue the Sox brass will deal with is the fact that Gonzo has a "surgically repaired" shoulder which in its recent tenure doesn't deal well with such( see Curt Schilling and Jason Bay). Gonzalez seeks a Mark Texiera/Ryan Howard type deal, which if the Sox are continuing to compete at such a high level won't have enough money to stay that competitive by committing such. Should also mean no Carl Crawford which we need another OF because Mike Cameron is so unreliable and the scrubs only provide so much production. In all reality, is the power and money worth it? I think not in the instance the deal was done. Had an extension been met, I'd have been a little less critical, but I'm not buying into the hype to see another great player leave and the Sox wander onto the next hype/high priced investment. The plan of course is to sign him towards the beginning of the season so they won't get hit with the luxury tax.

Did anybody think the Nats had the money to offer and sign Jayson Werth? I sure didn't. I don't think Werth should get $126M either as his production went down considerably this season. The Nats taking the Sox initiative of needing power in the line-up because Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn were just "too expensive". So let me get this straight-- you let two guys go for price cuts to buy some players in the off-season, but spend it all on one guy and still need more players. Seven years? He will be 38 and won't have that kind of power by 34 guaranteed. Way to be Scott Boras, another inflated contract that a player won't live up to.

None of this probably made sense because I'm so flustered and when I get that way I tend to jabber on without much fact-based truths, but here's to a better tomorrow when I don't have to think if I will ever buy a new Gonzalez Red Sox jersey or a Jayson Werth shirt.

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The Things I'll Never Understand

2010-11-26T13:40:00.000-05:00

I've had numerous friends come up and bust me about the contract saga with Derek Jeter and the Yankees. I shoot them down by one by one assuring them Jeter will be back in a Yankees uniform, and not a Boston one. After all this is the face of the Yankees. He's what makes us Sox fans jealous. The thought of him leaving the Yanks is just simply un-American! The Yanks have offered Jeter a three year/$46M contract which will roughly pay out to $12M/yr. Not bad for a SS who can still play the game at an above average level when age 36 is considered the decline period. Jeter is looking for six years/$90M. GM Brian Cashman gave Jeter's agent a basic "Go pound sand." Is Jeter worth $90M? I don't think with his diminished power stroke and coming off a down season in production, but should get more money for three years? Yes. Why you ask? He's still an elite SS, which is hard to find this off-season. Do the Yanks have a comparable SS in the wings? Not in my eyes and most certainly not in any Yankees fans eyes. So pony up and offer more money, it's not going to break the bank. Derek bleeds pinstripes and will take a discount if the price is right. He's committed to winning and that's what the Yankees are supposed to be committed to doing. Jeter's batting average and OBP dropped significantly this season, but he's kept pace with the last two seasons in just about every other category. This is your leader, your Mr. Postseason, legend and HOFer. Trying to settle and deal for Jose Reyes doesn't make the team any better. Pony up Steinbrenners, or you'll regret it.

In terms of other large contracts, Adrian Beltre makes me throw up. He's a contract year type of player, nothing else. The year in Boston is no different. Why did he do so well? Contract year and the advantage hitters have in Fenway Park. Don't believe me? Look at his numbers, they consistently go down and then up as a new contract approaches and then right back down once a new contract is signed. The best part is the A's are willing to pay his price and I can guarantee his numbers won't be nearly as good. Someone should give him Jason Bay's number and ask him how things are going in NY. When Boston signed Beltre last season, I can say I was hardly enthused, but got excited when I saw the player give effort. Needless to say, I knew this would be his only season in Fenway because he'd go chasing the money as he nears 35. Good luck Adrian, you'll need it.

By now, everyone has seen that Victor Martinez has signed a hefty new deal with the Tigers. Crazy money for a guy who is a dynamite on offense, but middle of the road on defense. As a Sox fan, I was disappointed to see him go offensively, but knew we had to get better defensively. Problem is the catching market is very thin now. Martinez will make the Tigers a much better team in the long run, but I feel the Tigers overpaid by about $10M.

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More off-season cuts

2010-11-06T18:47:00.001-04:00

Despite the short amount of time since the end of the World Series, the baseball world is still turning as team's are cutting down their rosters to make a run for the hot stove in December. Here's a few players who survived the first day of cuts, but weren'l so lucky:
Bill Hall, UT; Felipe Lopez, 2B - Red Sox
Kevin Gregg, RP; Miguel Olivo, C - Blue Jays (after he was traded from the Rockies)
Edgar Renteria, SS - Giants - considering retirement.
Scott Podsednik, OF - Dodgers
Jesus Feliciano, OF; Omir Santos, C - Mets
Casey Kotchman, 1B - Mariners
Jeff Francis, P - Rockies

The Red Sox have picked up David Ortiz's option, but Ortiz is less than excited about fearing job security. Also, sub-par reliever Scott Atchinson was retained. The Marlins have offered 2B Dan Uggla a four year contract with the financials undisclosed, but would receive $8M for 2011. Uggla is seeking five years.

Rumors: Juan Uribe and Aubrey Huff may be offered contracts soon from the champion Giants. The Giants aren't sure if they will keep Pat Burrell or Mark DeRosa.
The Yankees and Derek Jeter have begun discussing a new contract.
RP Hasanori Takahashi is looking for a three yr. deal
A few teams are already calling about Brandon Webb.
Lance Berkman "won't be an Astro again" according to GM Ed Wade.

Bring On The Offseason!

2010-11-03T23:28:00.000-04:00

The season is over and congrats to the Giants on a well-deserved championship. Now we made it to the exciting part of the season( especially if your team has been sitting for awhile). Before the hot stove heats up, teams are making decisions on whose coming back already. Here's a list of players who aren't returning to their teams currently:
Adam Kennedy, 2B - Nats
Chris Young, P; Jon Garland, P; Yorvit Torrealba, C - Padres
Octavio Dotel, RP; Jeff Francis, P - Rockies
Willy Ayber, UT; Dan Wheeler, RP - Rays
Vladimir Guerrero - Rangers
Adrian Beltre, 3B - Red Sox
Orlando Cabrera, SS; Aaron Harang, P - Reds
Erik Bedard, P; Russell Branyan 1B, 2B Jose Lopez - Mariners
Eric Chavez, 3B; Boof Bonser, RP - A's
Rick Ankiel, OF; Kyle Farnsworth, RP - Braves
Jhonny Peralta, SS - Tigers
Adam LaRoche, 1B - D'Backs
Greg Zaun, C; Trevor Hoffman, RP; Doug Davis, P - Brewers
Mark Hendrickson, P - Orioles

Meanwhile, the Mets exercised Jose Reyes option, the Padres have exercised Adrian Gonzalez's option, The A's have exercised Coco Crisp and Mark Ellis's options, and finally the Reds pick up Bronson Arroyo and Jonny Gomes options. Aramis Ramirez exercised his player option with the Cubs.

End of 2010: Philadelphia Phillies

2010-10-24T18:05:00.000-04:00

As I and many others watched the end of game six of the NLCS, the look on the Phillies fans faces said it all leading up to the final nonchalant Ryan Howard strike-out( who amazingly finished second in strike-outs for the team). This was not the same Philadelphia team that thundered into the playoffs pushing the Braves to the brink of play-off elimination touting a formidable pitching rotation. While the rotation did their their job, the offense sputtered through the young, but talented Reds and completely fizzled out against the Giants. Was the writing on the wall it was not to be? Yes, I seen it in game four. J-Roll and Victorino weren't effective as lead-offs in the least. Ross Gload did nothing at the plate and Ryan Howard failed to drive in an RBI. Ruiz gave us what we expected and Jayson Werth gave us one last memorable plate appearance before he rides off into the sunset. Utley had a down post-season, but it would be hard to replicate last year's performance. Ultimately, the Phils relied too much on a strong rotation.

The 2011 Phils will be much different as Domonic Brown will replace Jayson Werth and platoon with Ben Francisco(should he be offered a contract). There is also a possibility Jose Contreras will cost the Phils too much. Jamie Moyer, Mike Sweeney, J.C. Romero and Greg Dobbs will almost certainly be axed and Kyle Kendrick maybe non-tendered. In oder to remain competitive, Howard should take a pay-cut and free up some money to retain talent. Another scenario brought up a few ago, is if the Phils could trade Joe Blanton and Raul Ibanez and make a pass for Cliff Lee. Still won't solve their offensive woes, but will help buy someone to fix such.

This will conclude my 2010 season writings, but be on the look-out for the 2010-11 off-season posts.

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End of 2010: Boston Red Sox

2010-10-14T22:03:00.000-04:00

It didn't take us Sox fans long to bang our heads. Mike Cameron provided plenty of that before the Sox had lost most of its guts by mid-summer. Then the drama with Jacoby Ellsbury took the rest of the summer along with the losses of Youk and Pedey. Josh Beckett was barely on the mound and when he was, wasn't very effective. John Lackey was the biggest bust the Sox have spent on in years(even despite the wasted signing of Carlos Delgado who never saw the light of the majors). Dice-K continued his streak of inconsistency( please trade him) from the 2008-2009-2010 season. I'm still unsure if I should hate Bill Hall, but it's looking like he won't be back next season from the rumblings I've heard. We saw the end of a fine career by "Iron" Mike Lowell and quite possibly the final time for Jason Varitek. I don't even wanna talk about Paps, let's just leave it at that.

The silver lining is in all..could you ask for better performances by Jon Lester(who should be the AL Cy Young winner) or Clay Buchholz? Everytime they took the mound, RSN smiled with joy and on the offensive side hoped to see Beltre or a revived Ortiz go long over the Monstah. Marco Scutaro wasn't bad either(which I had really doubted him along with Lackey). The cast of characters in the OF (Nava, McDonald, Kalish, Drew) gave us a break when we we're hurting and helped us win some games. Best of all though, we gave the Yankees and Rays a run for their money until the bitter end.

2011 will be much different. Catcher has yet to be decided with Victor Martinez seemingly inching closer to FA, Varitek may not be back and Saltamacchia was just re0signed to a minor league deal. The power will return to the Sox line-up with healthy Ellsbury's, Youk's, and Pedroia's. Missing from this maybe Adrian Beltre who hits the open market and will sign somewhere else. Who knows though? Werth or Crawford could be in the cards for us. The Sox will need to re-build the bullpen, which was a glaring weakness and decide if Jonathan Papelbon can be trusted to close em out. Here's to 2011!

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End of 2010: New York Mets

2010-10-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

It's now a reality the Mets will once again be looking to a new season for redemption. While many fans gave up weeks ago, the reality is today is the final day of 2010 regular season and yet another Mets loss 2-1 to the Nats. The Mets really never got off the ground losing Johan Santana, trading away a re-surgent Jeff Francoeur, the K-Rod "incident", endless Oliver Perez incidents, What is Jerry Manuel thinking?, and the is Mike Pelfrey for real? Carlos Beltran came back after what seemed like a decade out of the line-up. However, the rumor is that he and two other members of the team are causing trouble in the clubhouse.

The Mets did have some bright spots though mainly on the pitching side. R.A. Dickey turned out to be one of the biggest bargains of the year and Jon Niese was another stand-out. The Mets can hope they re-sign Hasanori Takahashi, who pitched admirably this season. Jose Reyes provided some flash in hopes of receiving a new contract and David Wright was the offensive MVP.

The future is uncertain at this time. Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel(possibly) won't be back. Rumored by the great Peter Gammons, the Red Sox maybe interested in trading Daisuke Matsuzaka for Carlos Beltran. Jose Reyes's future is undetermined until a new GM is installed, despite desiring a long-term deal. Pedro Feliciano has a potential for a new home, as well as K-Rod. More on this as it unfolds and be on the look-out next for the Red Sox 2010 wrap-up.

Summer's Last Swan Song

2010-09-28T12:04:00.000-04:00

It's almost the worst time of the year, when the baseball regular season ends and the post-season begins. This post-season my attention will be on the Phils who have the BEST 1-2-3 punch pitching rotation in all of baseball. Can I say I was bummed out about my beloved Sox missing the playoffs? Totally, but I for the first time in years gave up on watching and paying attention to them. Did they give it a good run? I think so given the fact they still a .8% chance of making it. The regular season though, was great. I went to a few games this season (Is four considered a few?). My final game of the season took place on Saturday at PNC Park where believe it or not, I saw the Pirates win. Pedro Alvarez smacked a 3 run shot over the RF wall and the Pirates gave Zach Duke the support he needed to get his 8th win of the season. It was a fundamentally horrid game( 4 errors and a few pitches in the dirt). After all was said and done, I left with a retro Roberto Clemente jersey at a great price, plenty of pics, and a happy note to end my baseball trips for 2010.

Already looking forward to next season, but for now Go Phils! ....and here's to hoping the Yankees choke.

Trying To Keep The Faith

2010-08-31T22:40:00.001-04:00

Whether you're a Phillies fan or Red Sox fan, you're close to the edge of your seat with 30 games left in the 2010 regular season( Sox fans like me are past the edge and have fell off curled up like a fetus with every passing game). At least Mets fans don't have to worry about this..(sorry, had to throw it out there). The Sox are about 8 games out of first and 6 of the wild-card( after dismally losing to the O's tonight). The Phils meanwhile as I blog, are up 3-1 to the Dodgers in the 2nd inning (off a Brian Schneider 3 run HR). The difference between these two teams is of course health. Both teams were ravaged by injuries to crucial players like Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and etc. However, the Phils have those players back and just aren't hitting. The Red Sox would kill to have Youk and Pedey back (Fans would kill, too). Fact of the matter is, they're done and the Sox hopes die every day, unlike the Phils who are just stuck in an offensive slump.

I'm pulling for both teams, (even if the Mets could make an improbable run I'd be stoked), but I know more than likely my beloved Sox will be home watching the post-season hoping for a better( and healthier) 2011 season. So keep believing Phils fans...

(Mets fans should hope that in a freak event R.A. Dickey wins the NL Cy Young Award lol).

P.S. my reaction to the Delcarmen trade....Not sure how this helps the Sox out. He wasn't the best reliever, but Robert Manuel has yet to reach his effectiveness.

Mike Cameron: Goat

2010-08-18T22:20:00.000-04:00

I may not be right about much this season as most of my predictions have bombed at this point, but there is one thing I was certainly more than right about: Mike Cameron was a waste of time and money for the Boston Red Sox. Cameron called it a season earlier citing an abdominal tear that has hurt him since the early portion of the season. This deals the fledgling Red Sox another blow at a crucial time when it appears they're trying to turn their season around and make the playoffs. Can Nava, McDonald, Kalish, and the rest of the scrubs crew get it done? My answer is yes--but by a miracle. That miracle of course, the Yanks falter(unlikely) or the Rays choke up(more likely, but still unlikely). One player doesn't impact an entire team as evidenced by the play of the Sox without Youkilis.

The problem is the Red Sox locked themselves into an unnecessary contract (2yr/$15.5M) with a limited range OF in his decline. Had this been pre 2007, Cameron would be the value he's currently being paid to ride the pine. Worse off is the fact Cameron has hurt since spring training. The Sox never thought, "Maybe we should cut ties now?" Manager Terry Francona credits Cameron with "fighting an uphill battle to return" and help the beleaguered Sox. Cameron did nothing in the first two weeks before injury and was less impressive in spring training. Nothing redeeming have I seen in him. Pedroia is doing more even though he's struggling to get back in the swing of things. Ellsbury in his short return did more. Youk stated earlier this week, "I'd love to return if we can make the post-season." Meanwhile, Francona and Cameron are worried about 2011. Cameron should be gone by 2011 and Francona and Epstein should be discussing a new OF.

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Trade DeadLine thoughts 2010

2010-07-31T18:10:00.000-04:00

By now, you've scoured every source you could and waited patiently or impatiently for your team to make the necessary move they need for a post-season run. If you're me, you've watched your team(s) fail miserably. So let's begin:

- What can I say about the ill-thought Roy Oswalt trade that hasn't already been said? J.A. Happ will be a consistent 15 game winner given enough run support in Houston. Roy Oswalt will be a higher priced Joe Blanton for the Phils.

- Did anybody inform the Mets today was the deadline?

- Typically, when the team leading your division makes several moves to bolster their reinforcements and the team ahead of you deals for a decent reliever/closer, you should probably make a really good move considering the underachieving done thus far in the second half. Theo Epstein felt none of this mattered after dealing Ramon Ramirez to the Giants. Thankfully, he tried redeeming himself by getting Saltamacchia from Texas, but designate their best reserve OF instantly shrugged that progress off.

- The Rangers are freakin' stacked! This could be their year if the Yanks or Rays bow out early.

- I'm still confused what the Pirates were trying to accomplish today.

- The Dodgers were about the most active team aside from the "Skanks", but I don't see them working out as well as the Yanks move.

- The Cards TOTALLY overpaid for Jake Westbrook, just saying.

- Disappointed Adam Dunn didn't move as well as Josh Willingham, but I see the Nats building a contender finally.

- The Royals weren't properly compensated for Rick Ankiel.

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Sox And The Phils: The Great DL Race

2010-07-08T14:02:00.000-04:00

By now if you're a Red Sox or Phillies fan (or both), you're just praying that one more person doesn't go down. It's been rough for both teams with the highest of expectations to be in third place. Who knew all the hitters we're going to get injured in Philly? Who knew the hitters and some pitchers were going to go down in Boston?

Current DL status for Phillies:

Antonio Bastardo (P) -- Could be a long time before we see him again
Chad Durbin (RP) -- rehab assignment Sat.
Ryan Madson (RP) --ready to be activated supposedly
Placido Polanco (3B) (sore elbow; could see baseball activities resume Saturday)
Chase Utley (2B) -- optimistic for an early return, but early Aug still looks like target.
Carlos Ruiz (C) --saw a concussion specialist Monday
Brian Schneider (C) --DTD (thumb sprain)

Having Utley and Polanco hurts the Phils for a big bat leaving Ryan Howard unprotected. Ruiz not being in the line-up hurts them by not bringing in runs and him getting on base. Ryan Madson can hopefully return to closing duties because Brad Lidge has just been terrible in close games. The bullpen is also hurting without Chad Durbin whose been a steady arm in 29 games this season with a sub 4 ERA. Things are looking up post All-Star Break for the Phillies, they just can't get too far behind the Braves and Mets (who are semi-injured).

As for the Sox, they've overachieved as an injury-plagued team in the AL East. A few days ago, the Yankees were sweating bullets as the Sox pulled within half a game for first place. The bullpen couldn't get it done for them against the Rays and the bats came too late after the Rays built up a lead. No need for the Sox to panic, though. Right after the AS break expect to see Clay Buchholz back in the rotation, Jacoby Ellsbury could be back, and Victor Martinez.

Current Red Sox DL:
Josh Beckett (P) --threw 64 pitch simulated game; rehab assignment discussion
Clay Buchholz (P) --threw an aggressive side session yesterday
Junichi Tazawa (P) -- done until 2011 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April
Manny Delcarmen (RP) -- late July return after MRI revealed forearm strain
Jacoby Ellsbury (LF) -- resuming baseball activities very soon
Jeremy Hermia (OF) -- Takes BP; late July return
Jed Lowrie (SS) -- Rehab assignment
Mike Lowell (3B) -- ready, but on personal leave as per Tito
Victor Martinez (C) --Thumb sprain; surgery not needed
Jason Varitek (C) - broken right foot; out 6 weeks
Dustin Pedroia (2B) -- early august return after broken left foot
Kevin Youkilis (1B) --playing through ankle pain
**Hideki Okajima battling back issues

There's a lot of season to play for both teams and both play their best ball after the All-Star break. No need to get alarmed, but expect trades to add temporary depth until these stars come back.

Rumored Trade Targets for Phils:

Jeremy Guthrie (SP) Orioles
Ty Wigginton (2B) Orioles
Miguel Tejada (3B) Orioles
Cliff Lee (SP) Mariners
Dan Haren (SP) D'Backs
Ben Sheets (SP) Athletics
Mike Lowell (3B) Red Sox

Rumored Targets for The Red Sox:

Chris Snyder (C) D'Backs
Scott Downs (RP) Blue Jays
Kerry Wood (RP) Indians
Will Ohman (RP) Orioles

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Happy 4th

2010-07-04T21:10:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July all! It's been awhile since I typed up anything as I been preparing for my new job( which will mean I'll be posting even less) and such. However, I did attend last Sunday's Mets game against the Twins. Phenomenal game and a great time with my buds. For the first time ever live, I witnessed back-back HR's (courtesy of David Wright and Ike Davis) and a shut-out. Jon Niese pitched 7.2 innings of four hit ball on a sweltering New York afternoon. Lucky for me, that was before the Puerto Rico trip, but the Mets still trail Hotlanta by a few games with the injury-depleted Phillies two games back.

Ironically enough, next Sunday I may be in Philly for the game against the Reds. I'm hoping to catch Mike Leake pitch after watching him pitch against the Phils earlier this week. Let's hope the Phils can squeeze out a win against the red hot Reds.

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Here Come The Sawx!

2010-06-19T03:30:00.001-04:00

In what's gone from a pip-squeak of a mouse has turned into a full-fledged roar as the injury battered Red Sox have gone on an ass-kicking mission and slimmed a once 8.5 game deficit to pull within a game of the Yanks and Rays. All this while missing Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Cameron, Jeremy Hermida, and Adrian Beltre at points(And signs aren't encouraging with J.D. having left the game with a strained hammy). The Sox were lead to victory on the left-handed arm of Felix Doubront last night and look to keep on the streak tonight against Vincente Padilla. Doubront, called up from AAA, won his first ML game going five innings giving up 3 runs, 2 walks, and 2 K's. With the heart seemingly gone at the beginning of the season, the Sox were streaky at best through the first two months and are seemingly finding their groove now. Why? The bench and David Ortiz.

Darnell McDonald, Daniel Nava (.444, 1HR, 6 RBIs), Bill Hall (.230, 5HR's, 30 RBI's) have all come up big for the Sox on defense and offense. After seeing Nava(what a debut against the Phils!) in some action the past week and McDonald(.277, 3 HRs, 10 RBIs, 5 SB) for about a month, I'm a believer that the Sox can trade Jacoby Ellsbury and get a reliever or middle of the rotation guy seeing as Beckett won't be back for at least another week and Dice-K's time-table is unknown. I know you're wondering why Bill Hall is in the category. Hall had crucial hits in rallies and games that outweigh his low batting average, but look at his OBP. It's his 2nd best. He caters to the small game played with stats. Meanwhile, David Ortiz is making a strong case for the Sox to re-sign him after bopping #15 last night. He's currently batting a .266 with 43 RBIs, a far cry from his sub .190 average to begin the season. Do I see Ortiz coming back? No, the Sox don't have the patience to wait for him to heat up again next season. The offense seems to be clicking much better and Adrian Beltre has been hot at the plate finally validating he's a good fit at Fenway. Pedey's had a average year, but look at him to turn it up and Marco Scutaro has gotten some key hits.

The starting pitching looks like the formidable rotation it was expected to be despite Beckett, Matsuzaka, and Wake's numbers. Clay Buchholz is making a strong bid to appear in his first all-star game with Jon Lester right behind. I've been disappointed with Lackey, but expected the numbers he's put up. Despite the constant circus in the bullpen, it's remained steady and gotten through the innings which it struggled to do in May. Daniel Bard s getting very acclimated to Johnathon Papelbon's role, which could signal a changing of the guards should Paps not become more dominant.

This looks like a good season again for the Sox, but it's going to take a lot more to beat a talent-loaded Yankees team and a consistent Rays club.

Phils bats have gone silent

2010-06-10T03:55:00.001-04:00

What is wrong with the NL champs? Only 20 runs in 10 games? They've a few points on team batting average and lost about 2 runs a game since. The Braves have proven to be quite a surprise with the rest of the NL gaining on the Phils coveted second place.Now that Steven Strasburg has hit the majors, I'm sure the Phils are praying they don't face him after his dismantling of the Pirates. Ryan Howard's monstrous HR's are few and far between, Jayson Werth is far from having a huge season, Chase Utley has scattered singles and doubles, but not many HR's lately. Poor Raul Ibanez can't get a hit to have an argument in his favor. Placido Polanco has been getting quite banged up for a thirty-five year old guy this season, so it's hard to stay ina rhythm. Ruiz has never been a prime-time/average contact hitter to argue that he's been hurting them. I credit J-Roll being hurt as a big problem for the team. The bench isn't exactly lighting the field on fire either.

So what to do? In my opinion, Howard is cutting down on his strike-outs, but has to be more aggressive at the plate...maybe crowd it a bit for opposing pitchers to draw walks if he can't get a hit. Utley is some minor adjustments in his swing to get those extra bases. Werth needs to get his mind off the pressure of a new deal, he's flat-out giving away money now. The Phillies shouldn't be in a rush to sign him, nor should he be to. Raul is just an aging mess. Some time in extra BP would do him great to compensate for the loss of bat speed. The bench needs to do something. Castro has been the most productive member in Rollins's absence.

From a manager's stand-point where are the steals and hit and runs? Getting more quality starts and committing less errors would help on the defense side of the ball. The Phils aren't in danger yet of this season slipping away, but they should be taking advantage of the scheduled teams they have coming in under .500.

Ollie Perez and The Meaning Of No

2010-06-01T17:55:00.001-04:00

Coming soon to a theater near you, the biggest summer blockbuster of them all: Oliver Perez vs. The Mets. Watch as the two sides slug it out over who is the supreme commander of their destiny. Yep, that's how I see it billed. The Mets are most certainly going to roll over for this clown on two legs. I can't understand why the Mets keep him around...he's dead weight. The guy can't pitch. He's had two "good" seasons (if you enjoy just over .500 win decisions and a career ERA of 4.60) with the Mets and the rest of his career in Pittsburgh and San Diego were abysmal numbers. Even then, what did the Mets see in this guy?

This week after so much speculation, "Queen Perez" refused a minor league assignment because it's a slap to his ego...nothing more, nothing less. Ollie, you got command issues, the minors is where you can get back on track. You think Dwight Gooden enjoyed going back to the minors before re-proving his worth to the Yankees and Indians during the 1996-1999 stretch? No, he was scared he'd never make it back, but he took the assignment for his shot and look what it got him-- A World Series ring among a few post-season appearances. Now, by no means am I saying Ollie can become a fire-baller like Gooden was, but he can become a serviceable middle rotation guy if he'd be more accommodating. The Mets NEED to release this guy or force to change his mind. He's hurting the organization and the fans. The Mets could go after a guy like Dontrelle Willis (who will not be a Met) that may be able to help the team out. Joel Sherman of The New York Post says "Fans shouldn't blame him for not accepting, but blame the team for a bad contract." Ok, fine I do blame them for a bad contract, but a player has a duty to the team and Perez isn't doing such.

So if my overall point of this entry was anything, it's that the Mets have a big decision to make and it can't wait much longer.

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Mets questions at pitching

2010-05-18T19:20:00.001-04:00

Recently, starter Oliver Perez was demoted to the bullpen after an 0-3; 5.94 ERA start. Seems fitting right? This all comes a brief time ago after signing a three year/$36M contract. The Mets didn't send him to the minors due to him not accepting that kind of demotion and more than likely having to shred the contract and eat the money. Writers say Perez doesn't pitch as well in the cold, which is plausible if you think of Pedro Martinez, but hardly an excuse for lack of velocity. Oliver Perez and Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen can surely commiserate such a problem as Delcarmen has struggled to get his velocity back after an injury. Interestingly, the two are the same age (28) and neither should be hitting a "dead-arm" age yet. Both have been extensively injured throughout their careers.

The real problem for the Mets is the fact who is the person to replace Perez. Jon Niese has been diagnosed with a mild strain of his right hamstring after exiting Sunday's game. Two pitchers are needed now. Johan Santana has yet to win, John Maine is having command issues, while Mike Pelfrey continues to showcase himself as the number one guy for now. Hisanori Takahasi (3-1; 3.12ERA) will take Niese's start on Friday, but rumor has it that Perez's replacement will be R.A. Dickey, whose been added to the roster while they await word on the extent of Niese's hamstring. Dickey hasn't played in the bigs since last season, but sports a 4-2; 2.23ERA at Triple A Buffalo.

The question is are Hisanori Takahashi and R.A. Dickey be the replacements to keep the Mets afloat? At least, Chris Carter is exciting to watch while Jeff Francouer took his mental health day.

Baseball reflects life sometimes....

2010-05-08T18:17:00.000-04:00

I apologize for my brief disappearance, but I've been busy getting ready for graduation, figuring out how I'm gonna pay my bills on my limited income, and relationship issues. Quite simply, it hasn't been all roses here, a lot of questions that need answers.

The season is underway and in full swing. Some teams have found their identities and others, like my Red Sox haven't. It's hard to pin-point the exact problem because every night it's something different. Is it me or since Josh Beckett signed the new contract he's sucked? Wake is angry he's been relegated to the bullpen, but has little to show he deserves to be in the rotation. Buc has been dynamite and in another start mediocre. Lackey had one bad start. I'm still re-visiting my disgust for Dice-K..how many more years do I have to put up with him? Pedey's mini-slump has hurt the offense with it being crippled by injuries to Cameron (possibly beginning a minor league assignment this week), Ellsbury, and now V-Tek is sore, but not expected to miss much time. V-Mart STILL can't throw runners out. The OF positions are in constant shuffle with one really getting accommodated to playing consecutive days aside from J.D.

Meanwhile, the Phils and Mets continue to excite. I've been watching a lot of Phillies games as of late including the fantastic Hamels outing against the Cards, when the other idiot jumped onto the field. The Mets win streak ended a week ago today, but who knew Mike Pelfrey would be this good?!? It's been a refreshing change to watch when I've had the time instead of banging my head against the wall with the Sox. The Phils look like a well-oiled machine mowing through their competition without J-Roll in the line-up. Don't fret about Blanton's outing today, he'll come around. The Mets got into a funk after being dismantled by the Phils last weekend, dropping games to the Reds, but the dugout has never looked that good in years..finally, the Metsies look like they're havin fun. Ike Davis is electrifying on the field.

Still, for all the bad, at least we've gotten some surprises (Darnell McDonald, Ortiz's bat is starting to come alive, and Hermida). The Sox are far from consistent, but should the pitching and hitting become more consistent, we'll see the Sox team we've been hoping to see....just like I'm hoping to get my first REAL job interview in a very inconsistent job market.

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Ryan Howard extension

2010-04-26T21:10:00.001-04:00

By now you've heard the Phillies have locked up 1B Ryan Howard to a five year contract worth $125M. If you're a Phillies fan, you thought you'd never see the day when the team spent money to keep up competitively, but if you're not a fan, you probably think the Phils made the worst financial deal of all time given Howard's age and contract length. Let's be honest, Howard hasn't reached a decline point yet, but how will he respond to age. He's a smaller David Ortiz (and Ortiz hasn't aged well). Howard is thirty this season which is typically where analysts and fans begin to jump off hte wagon on a guy, and how can you blame with a league like the NL without a DH? Howard will basically become un-trade able should he decline (which I'm generously giving him until 34).That point, the Phils are on the hook for one more year under contract and he's free to walk. I don't see the problem here. Boston fans have watched Big Papi slip for almost a season and a half. The biggest reason the Phils did this deal without flinching is the fact of the team they have currently. Victorino, Halladay, Ruiz and etc. are all under contract to make consecutive runs. Sure, Raul Ibanez could retire and Jayson Werth & J-Roll could be gone, but still looking at them on paper, they still look like a first place team. This is why Ryan's deal make sense. It's more than enough incentive to take a small risk of decline. Maybe the analysts need to lay-off saying it's overall bad (excluding Jon Heyman and Ken Rosenthal partially). If anybody needs to leave, it's Cole Hamels. He's been inconsistent to a "t" and when Joe Blanton comes back should be sent to AAA to work out his issues. In the meantime, don't knock a guy who knows how to bring in runs and swings a good bat getting a big contract. Wait until the years go away (with or without WS championships) and see how Ryan Howard continues to play the game.

As a society, we tend to evaluate decisions quickly without giving things time to work out. Look at Alex Rodriguez's sky-high contract. Great in the regular season, but leaves much to be desired in the playoffs when it counts (don't argue that 2009 validates him, because one season doesn't). Howard is just as consistent come play-offs ( excuse his hiccup last season hitting an abysmal .174). A-Rod's playoff resume is longer than Howard's and his BA only outranks Howards by .23. Yankees fan would agree that A-Rod has been worth despite his struggles would they not?

Ryan Howard may not be the HR leader of all-time, multiple-time world champion, or best 1B of all-time, but he provides a solid bat for a solid team that has multiple bats. Just like A-Rid, just like pre- 2008 David Ortiz, etc.

Reactions to Gordon Edes column

2010-04-22T13:45:00.002-04:00

If you click my title, it will take to Edes's column. Here's the link if that's a problem: http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/columns/story?columnist=edes_gordon&id=5124562

Upon making my daily stop at ESPNBoston.com, I found a somewhat scathing story about slugger David Ortiz. If you've been under a rock the past few months, you'd think Ortiz was still a god at the plate...he's quite the opposite in fact. I'm sure some are feeling that Wednesday's lifting of Ortiz in favor of Mike Lowell at DH is a signal of an end. Baseball is a business as most of the population knows, but being a fan doesn't exactly equate to the economics of the game. For a fan, it's about when your team is laying it on the line to get the win, the hero stepping to the plate, the player that you adore, and the pride you show even when the team/hero doesn't get it done. While anyone can understand that David Ortiz isn't what he once was despite his valiant efforts in training himself to adapt, the progress has been less than impressive. Ortiz is batting .146 with two RBI's fifteen games into the season. The start is reminiscent of last season when he was under .200 at the All-Star break. He's already been benched for tonight's game. Could Ortiz benefit from more at bats? Maybe. Is it possible Boston isn't working for him anymore? Maybe. Is David Ortiz done? Maybe. We don't know until we find out these things.

Ededs goes on to say, "And few people would disagree with Francona's decision to look to someone other than Ortiz for deliverance. The number of people still professing belief in Big Papi can probably be comfortably seated at a table for one." Economically, yes most people including myself, would agree because he's simply not hitting the ball especially with being offered fastballs which he'd destroy before 2008. The number of people who still believe is doubtful to be just one, Mr. Edes...My girlfriend sits at the table with me. She is nowhere near the maniac I am about the Sox, but she loves David Ortiz. She hates seeing him struggle just as much as I, or any other caring Sox fan does. I think what people forget is the good times. Where would we be without David Ortiz? 2004 would've never happened. Maybe not even 2007. The Red Sox waited 86 years to erase a World Series drought and we complain because the guy struggled five months out of the last nine months of baseball season. People died before seeing a Boston championship and we'd die before Ortiz gets another shot at baseball? That's being a fan, suffering through the tough times, accepting failure (bitterly or not), and continuing to support. Yet, we can't forget about the past--the towering shots Ortiz hit to keep our playoff dreams alive, the plaque given to him by John Henry (Most Clutch Hitter of All Time), and easily the most memorable and productive DH in Red Sox history. Our bitter rivals never forget the past 27 championships they won (never shy to speak about it when around a Sox fan such as myself).

So to close this up, keep up the faith (so to speak). We are fans, not owners or business partners of the team. We will always be loyal to the Sox until death (I hope I can see one more World Series in the next seventy years I hope to live)
Hope the best for David, no matter what happens. Most of all never forget he was the guy who ran away (Man-Ram), the guy who got away (JayBay), controversial (Jim Rice), or the sale of one of the of the greatest to ever play the game (Babe). He just came out to have a good time and play the game, maybe he just needs to find that fun again...but I could be completely wrong. Until we figure it out, there's always seats at the table to hope Ortiz can turn it around.

Mets Notes

2010-04-22T02:00:00.001-04:00

- Recently, the Mets have really come along. The pitching is solidifying and the hitters are getting on the ball. And excitement--how about the twenty inning marathon with the Cards? This may indeed be the season to believe.

- Prospect Ike Davis finally got his promotion after the team DFA'd Mike Jacobs. Davis got a hit in his debut. Davis is currently batting .286 with 1 RBI in.

- On the injury front, Carlos Beltran is still not participating in baseball activities despite optimistically stating he;d be running by now. The organization seems less than excited about the news. Reliever Ryota Igarashi is taking an MRI on his hamstring after feeling discomfort fielding a bunt in Tuesday night's affair with the Cubs. It's been announced he is placed on the 15 day DL (hamstring strain) and Manny Acosta has been called up from Buffalo.

- Oliver Perez has looked better and better in his last two outings. Granted last night's three runs over five wasn't near his performance against the Cards, but Perez looks like the servicable arm he was.

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Phillies Notes

2010-04-21T02:05:00.000-04:00

- Anybody else bummed out for Kyle Kendrick? The kid threw eight scoreless frames last night only to see Ryan Madson blow the game. Don't get down on Kendrick, he's warming up, as is Cole Hamels. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the win on Sunday either, but his confidence should be built back up after struggling at the beginning of the season.

- In other pitching related news, J.A. Happ may be ready to go by the weekend if he makes it through a bullpen session Thursday. Happ has missed his last two starts due a to a mild flexor pronator muscle strain in his left arm. both J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge are stopping in Lehigh Valley this week. Romero gave u a run and three walks Monday in an innings work for the IronPigs. Romero was slated to be in last night's game, but it was suspended in the top of the second due to weather.

- Jimmy Rollins is on the mend still, but it's unlikely he'll be ready to go April 28 when he is eligible to come off the DL. A minor league stint is in order upon his return.

- The Doctor is in today against Tim Hudson and the Braves.

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State Of The Red Sox

2010-04-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

Who are the Red Sox you ask? My answer is....who the hell are these guys? After considerably disappointing series against both the Twins and Rays and a - record, there are more questions than answers left with the team. Sure, we're only 12 games into the season, but in the AL East no team can afford to get behind because the rest will put you away. First impressions of the Sox were a pitching dominant team with some bats. They have not lived up to this expectation if you exclude John Lackey, Josh Beckett, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. Sure, Buchholz pitched a decent a game Saturday, and other guys have gone long (Martinez, Varitek, etc.), but simply everyone needs to contribute. The bats aren't as anemic as people thought they'd be. They blow chances with advancing runners and scoring opportunities. It hurts not having Ellsbury's (who figures to be back mid-week) speed on the basepaths. I have yet to be excited that Mike Cameron (.233) and Marco Scutaro (.286) are Red Sox. Beltre (.300) started off good, but has tapered off as of late. Drew hasn't hit since his stiff neck incident ( a paltry .132). David Ortiz probably won't be around much longer to watch strike out continuously. Mike Lowell should be a good DH as a replacement. Victor Martinez can hit the ball well, however, defensively he makes me cry. Seriously, he's like 1/24 against base-stealers. The writers at MLBtraderumors.com think the Angels and Sox could work out a deal for C Jeff Mathis. It would involve Lowell going there, which I'd be less than excited about getting a guy whose known only for his defense (I'd rather get Mike Napoli). Youk and V-Mart would be able to switch days at first though as a solution.

The pitching from the starting five leaves some to be desired. Jon Lester is lost and needs to find himself. Wakefield can spin a fantastic game and can have a total melt-down the next. Buchholz needs to be consistent and he would be a good pitcher. The bullpen is abysmal. I curl up in a ball every time Manny Delcarmen comes on in a close game. Bard is great, but can get himself into trouble. Okajima and Paps are fine with me, but I wonder what happened to the Ramon S. Ramirez of last season (Ramon A. Ramirez was released yesterday). Bonser's addition to the pen should be good and Alan Embree has extended the deadline another 15 days for the Sox to get him a spot in the bigs (yet, he's thrown 3.1 sub-par innings of relief in AAA).

We'll have to see what happens in the coming months, but for the one thing Theo Epstein knows it's hard to come from 15 games back in June when they Yankees are getting very hot. Trade chips include Delcarmen (please trade him), Junichi Tazawa, Clay Buchholz, and Mike Lowell. Pretty sure at least two out of four of these guys won't finish the season in Boston.

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Mets, Phillies, Red Sox Notes

2010-04-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

- The Sox got lit up in the finale against the Twins 8-0 with Wakefield taking the loss and the offense rendered non-existent. Next is a series with the Rays for the weekend.

- Reliever Alan Embree has decided not to opt out of his contract with the deal according to WEEI, but doesn't necessarily mean he's sticking around in Boston.

- Mike Cameron sat out the finale with an abdominal strain. He seen a doctor in Minneapolis and will have tests in Boston today. Jacoby Ellsbury is still out from the collision in Tuesday's game and is a long-shot from starting. The Sox may look to AAA to bring someone up.

-Daisuke Matsuzaka threw six scoreless frames in Pawtucket and feels "ready to pitch in the bigs."

PHILLIES

- The Phils were denied a sweep by the Nats in a 2-1 heartbreaker when Nats 3B Ryan Zimmerman went long.

- Brad Lidge says "He's 100% healthy, but not 100% ready to re-join the club." I'd agree looking at his peripherals (0-1; 16.87 ERA) in A ball. He thinks a late April return. J.C. Romero is only a step ahead in his rehab. Joe Blanton will throw a pen session today before his first start in Clearwater Tuesday.

- Juan Castro's bat sure is hot these days. The hot Marlins are coming to town, so his bat will be important.

METS

- Mike Pelfrey looked like Tim Lincecum yesterday as the Mets beat the Rockies. Jeff Francoeur is still hot at the plate having a hit in the last 9 games.

- Manager Jerry Manuel would love to move Jose Reyes in the batting order while the SS is still rusty. The three spot is where Reyes maybe this weekend against the Cards.

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Phillies Notes

2010-04-15T02:00:00.003-04:00

- According to Todd Zolecki, the Phils have been in contact with Pedro Martinez. Can't hurt to have him around. Cole Hamels is still out in la-la land and Blanton isn't due back for a couple days still.

- The team made a decision today to put Jimmy Rollins on the DL for his right calf. He'll be out of service for two to four weeks. J-Roll is hitting .391 and has an OBP of .516 so missing him would hurt the Phils. On the same day (Monday), Jayson Werth left the game with a sore left hip. His status is day-day, but took BP and pinch-hit duties. Wilson Valdez has been called up.

- Washington must hate playing Philly. They've won just one game against them in five meetings. The series finished out today with Kendrick struggling, but Victorino and Utley having huge days to propel the Phils to a 14-7 win over the Nats. The Phils are off to their best start since '93.

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New York Mets Notes

2010-04-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

The season hasn't started off as hoped. Santana was roughed up for five runs a few days ago, which was simply un-Santana like. Mike Jacobs is 1 for 12. Castillo has been injured and Reyes is still rusty.

-Reliever Sean Green hit the DL retroactive as of April 8th.

-Holy cow, has anyone been paying attention to Jeff Francoeur's bat?!? Suddenly, the Church-Francouer swap sees some return.

-Mets were .189 batters with RISP this past week, another reason why the wins are few.

-2B Luis Castillo (sore calf) returns tonight as the Mets take on the Rox.

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Red Sox Notes

2010-04-11T23:55:00.000-04:00

- The bullpen faltered Friday night giving the Royals a late game rallying win 4-3. Flamethrower Daniel Bard took the loss after Tim Wakefield pitched a great game. Rick Ankiel's broken bat RBI single off Bard in the bottom of the eighth. David Ortiz was ejected after arguing a strike-out in the sixth. J.D. Drew's HR provided the only gem of the game.

-Saturday's luck turned around as the Sox crushed 5 HR's off the Royals giving Josh Beckett his first win this season. The bench played a crucial role seeing three of the five HR's come off it, Hermida with one and Varitek with two. Youk and Pedey supplied insurance HR's late in the game.

- The final tilt with the Royals went to the Sox by a score of 8-6. We had thought this game was put away by the sixth, but of course the bullpen scared us again. Buchholz got the win pitching in five innings giving up three runs.

- Mike Lowell is considering retirement as his contract runs out at the end of the season knowing A) Boston isn't interested in his services to remain on the bench. B) He can't stay healthy enough to play everyday. However, Iron Mike made a beautiful backhanded grab Saturday night.

- Boof Bonser and Alan Embree have been making progress in the minors. Embree's has been going much better than Bonser's, but Embree must be on the ML roster by Thursday or he can opt-out of his contract. J.D. Drew sat out Sunday's game with a stiff neck. He should return to action against the Twins. Can't complain, Jeremy Hermida has been hot at the plate.

- Ellsbury and Beltre collided in the ninth inning with one out remaining trying to catch a foul ball. Beltre's knee hit Ellsbury's ribs causing him to briefly lose air and leaving him day-to-day with a contusion.

- Nick Cafardo speculates the Sox making a run at Carlos Pena in the off-season.

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Phils/Nats & Mets/Marlins games 2 & 3

2010-04-09T02:15:00.000-04:00

The Phils continued their dominance of the Nationals in game two. The Nats did put more runs up on the board and show a little life defensively this time. Cole Hamels gave just enough and the bullpen did the rest over the final four frames. Ryan Madson came in to close it out and earn a save. Hamels line read five hits, three runs (two earned) and five K's over five innings of work. He lacked control and command. Ryan Howard blasted his second home run of the season in the fifth off of Jason Marquis, who had a considerably rough outing with his new team. Placido Polanco picked up where left off adding three runs and Chase Utley had two as well an RBI. The Phils officially claimed Nelson Figueroa.

Going for an opening series sweep, Kyle Kendrick lasted just four innings giving up six hits and five runs, including a HR. Despite the rough outing, the Phils managed to stage a rally only to fall short in a 6-5 loss. Nelson Figueroa (and took the loss) gave up the tying run Phils still take the series two game to one. The top of the order had a great day with most batters going 2/4 or 2/5 and counting as a run. Jayson Werth went 3/5 with a run. Raul Ibanez continued his slow start going 0/4 with two strike-outs. The Phillies head to Houston next with J.A. Happ starting the series off.

The Mets didn't have the kind of luck the Phils did. They rallied to tie the game at six before falling in extras 7-6 on a Ronny Paulino RBI grounder to center in the tenth. John Maine lasted five innings giving up two HR's and four runs on eight hits. The bullpen wasn't much better giving up another three between Mejia, Green, and Takashi. K-Rod and Feliciano pitched a combined two innings of scoreless ball on two hits(noth given up by Rodriguez). Jason Bay had the best day going 1/3 with two runs. A plsu was the Mets drawing nine walks out of the Marlins, but the pitching still appears to be the problem carried over from last season.

Jon Niese dueled against new Marlins pitcher Nate Robertson and came up on the losing end giving the Marlins the series. Niese worked six innings on eight hits and three runs striking out three. He looked good despite giving up the hits, but the offense simply wasn't there. Once again, the blame goes to the bottom of the order. Jeff Francouer and Angel Pagan were solid offensively. The thing about this game was seeing the upside Niese and Francouer are bringing to New York, both men looked like the investment they were thought to be. The Mets face the Nationals today with Mike Pelfrey going against Garrett Mock.

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Boston-New York: Games 2 &3

2010-04-08T01:50:00.002-04:00

Game two was another classic thought to be unachievable after the epic battle Sunday night ending in a classic comeback by the Sox. Tuesday nights affair seemed to follow the same script until Marco Scutaro's throw found itself not in Kevin Youkilis's glove to end the eighth. The Yanks came in and swooped a run out of the air( to be precise a walk given up by reliever Hideki Okajima). The next inning, Cano put it away with a bash to right field. Both Burnett and Lester showed great stuff followed by bouts location and command issues. The Yanks bullpen was stellar, while the Sox looked average. At the plate, the Sox showed a lot of muscle, which was great considering most sports analysts were worried that the offense would still be anemic. Victor Martinez went off for 3 RBI's and a HR. Ellsbury looked more comfortable in left than he did opening night and not to mention that nice catch in left. Still for what the Sox showed, the scoreboard read Yankees 6 Red Sox 4 at the end of nine.

Game three showcased new pitcher John Lackey against Andy Pettite. What followed was possibly the best performance in the young season by both starters lasting six innings each. However, just like the night before, the Sox let another one fall through the cracks despite Lackey's three hit no run effort. You can blame it on the bullpen again (which seems to be MLB.com, sports writers, etc. as the reason why they lost), but the the true reason was not because of Granderson's HR in the tenth or the run that came before courtesy of Teixeira's ground-out RBI. The blame lies in the Sox inability to limit runners on the basepaths. The Yanks converted all, but one steal attempt in the entire series. Victor Martinez's bobble on a perfectly field-able relay from right field and tag out Jorge Posada at the plate. Martinez was easily ahead of him and had more than enough time to snare the ball in his glove. Had he done so, no run and no extras ending in a Red Sox 1-0 win. The trio of Granderson, Swisher, and Cano doomed the Sox combining for over 10 hits and 5+ rbis. On a positive note, the Sox squeezed out seven hits and David Ortiz made contact with the ball bringing in a run.

Next up, the Sox take on the Royals Friday sending Tim Wakefield to the mound against Kyle Davies. Hopefully, the bullpen works itself out and Martinez works on his defensive skills.

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NL East Opening Day : Phils/Nats and Mets/Marlins

2010-04-05T18:30:00.001-04:00

For the Phils and Mets, Opening Day was a huge success. Both starting pitchers looked sharp and both offenses had no problem breaking out their bats. The Phils beat the Nationals(thought to have re-vamped nicely) 11-1 while the Mets fried the fish 7-1. Both teams jump out to an early lead(Braves are currently winning 8-5 in the 7th) in the division.

The Phillies won their game solely by two players: pitcher Roy Halladay and 3B Placido Polanco. Halladay threw seven innings giving up a run and six hits with nine k's. Not only was he brilliant on the mound, but brought in a run and advanced runners in his at bats. Polanco had a six rbi day including his seventh inning grand slam. Ryan Howard added a two run shot in the fourth. Every position player had at least one hit.

Philadelphia AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Rollins, SS 4 2 2 1 2 1 2 .500
Polanco, 3B 5 1 3 6 0 0 2 .600
Utley, 2B 3 1 1 0 3 0 1 .333
Howard, 1B 6 1 2 2 0 0 8 .333
Werth, RF 5 1 1 0 0 0 3 .200
Ibanez, LF 4 2 1 0 1 1 1 .250
Victorino, CF 5 1 1 1 0 1 2 .200
Ruiz, C 2 2 1 0 3 0 2 .500
Halladay, P 4 0 1 1 0 1 4 .250
Bastardo, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Baez, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-Dobbs, PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Herndon, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 39 11 13 11 9 4 26 .333

Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Halladay(W, 1-0)7.0 6 1 1 2 9 0 1.29
Bastardo 0.2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0.00
Baez 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Herndon 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
Totals 9.0 9 1 1 3 11 0 1.00

Meanwhile, the rival Mets had a fantastic outing from Johan Santana, who returned from off-season surgery to pitch one run with four hits and five k's over six innings of work. David Wright was the bright spot in the top of the order belting a two run shot in the first. The mid-bottom of the order( Bay, Matthews, Francoeur, and Barajas) really paced the team combining for seven hits and three rbis. Nieve pitched two innings of relief before K-Rod got his first outing of 2010.

NY Mets AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Cora, SS 4 0 0 1 0 0 3 .000
Castillo, L, 2B 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 .000
Wright, D, 3B 3 1 1 2 1 0 1 .333
Jacobs, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .000
Tatis, 1B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Bay, LF 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 .500
Matthews, CF 3 2 2 0 1 0 1 .667
Francoeur, RF 2 0 1 2 1 0 0 .500
Barajas, C 4 1 2 1 0 1 1 .500
Santana, J, P 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000
a-Pagan, PH 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.000
Nieve, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-Catalanotto, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
Rodriguez, F, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 32 7 9 7 4 5 14 .281

NY Mets IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Santana 6.0 4 1 1 2 5 0 1.50
Nieve 2.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00
Rodriguez, F 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Totals 9.0 6 1 1 2 7 0 1.00

The Phils take on the Nats again with Cole Hamels opposing Jason Marquis and the Mets send John Maine to face Ricky Nolasco. A rumor to consider the Phils may pick up Nelson Figueroa(released by the Mets last week) to fill the injury void and have an eye on Pedro Martinez as he beings to get back in shape.

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Clash of the Titans: Boston v. New York

2010-04-05T01:00:00.002-04:00

As hyped up as the game was, it wasn't perfect. For a Sox fan like myself, it ended splendidly. Red Sox beat the Yankees 9-7 on Opening Day in America's oldest ballpark. Still as I settled in, I couldn't help feeling the anxiety of the new season. How would Beltre play at third? Is Scutaro the answer? Jacoby in left? Will Ortiz make contact? A few of these burning questions were answered tonight. Beltre did just fien and was even better at the plate bringing in a run. Scutaro was ok, missed a ball in middle of the game setting up a Yankee run, but bounced back at the plate helping secure a win. As for Jacoby, he angered me more than Beckett's piss poor 4.2 innings. Ellsbury is not comfortable in left and is hopefully using more time to get acquainted with it. His relay throws were abysmal and clearly doesn't have the arm for it. I know it's easy to be critical of him with it being the first game and he needs time to acclimate himself, but it was down-right ugly to the point. As for Ortiz, I wasn't surprised his cold streak continued at the plate. In another month, he'll come around.

As for the game itself, the MVP is definitely Dustin Pedroia. 2 for 4 with 3 RBI's and accounting for two runs himself was a bigger statement despite Youkilis having a fantastic night as well(3/4 2 RBI's). The new guys all notched a hit at least with Beltre bringing in two. Once again, Ellsbury was the goat going 0 for 5 with 2 K's.

Ellsbury, LF 5 0 0 0 0 2 5 .000
Pedroia, 2B 4 2 2 3 1 1 0 .500
Martinez, V, C 5 1 1 0 0 0 2 .200
Youkilis, 1B 4 3 3 2 0 0 0 .750
Ortiz, D, DH 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 .000
Beltre, 3B 3 0 1 2 0 1 1 .333
Drew, J, RF 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 .250
Cameron, M, CF 3 1 2 0 1 0 1 .667
Scutaro, SS 3 1 2 1 1 0 1 .667
Totals 34 9 12 8 4 5 13 .353

Pitching wise, Daniel Bard, Johnathon Papelbon, and Scot Schoenweis were pleasing to watch. Ramon Ramirez, Beckett, and Okajima were off on another planet I think. Beckett was not hitting his spots at all, despite liking to get the ball down.

Boston IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Beckett 4.2 8 5 5 3 1 2 9.64
Schoeneweis 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
Ramirez, Ramon S. 0.1 2 2 2 1 0 0 54.00
Okajima(W, 1-0) 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
Bard, D(H, 1) 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00
Papelbon(S, 1) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Totals 9.0 12 7 7 6 2 2 7.00

A win is a win. It can be debated that it's early in the season. Was I a hundred percent pleased, no, but satisfied I got to watch an early season tug of war. Oh and someone please stop that Curtis Granderson guy. He was taking advantage of the Sox on offense and defense. The Yanks showed the hig power offense is raring to go, the rest of the league needs to keep up. Hopefully, we'll get a pitching duel come Tuesday with Burnett and Lester.

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Close of Spring Training: Boston Red Sox

2010-04-02T14:05:00.001-04:00

While I'm admittedly behind on this(seeing as the Sox concluded spring on Wednesday in a thumping 14-6 win), some developments took longer. Firstly, the final two bullpen spots have been won by Scott Atchinson and Scott Schoenweiss. Joe Nelson will begin the season in the minors if he elects to stick around as well as Alan Embree. Unfortunately an exciting arm to have in your organization will be shut down for 2010 -- Junichi Tazawa. Tazawa has had season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

It appear Mike Lowell isn't going anywhere after weeks of speculation that the deal between the Rangers and Sox would be re-visited. The Rangers claimed Ryan Garko yesterday which would render Lowell useless on their bench. The only possible suitor that makes sense is the Mets.

The bumps and bruises crew include Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia. All are expected to be healthy and ready to go for Sunday's opener.

Rumor through various news outlets says the Sox and Josh Beckett are close to a four year $68M contract. I'll believe it when I see it. After reviewing the list of FA pitchers the next two years, the Sox must re-sign Beckett.

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Close of Spring Training: Philadelphia Phillies

2010-04-01T13:00:00.002-04:00

Like the Mets, the Phils had some injury issues before Opening Day. Pitcher Joe Blanton tweaked an oblique in a bullpen session Wedensday after coming off an abysmal performance in an intrasquad game. His return to make his 2010 debut Apr. 8 is jeopardy. Kyle Kendrick would take his place if he's not ready to go. Closer Brad Lidge received a cortisone shot in his right elbow Tuesday. Last we heard was that Lidge's velocity wasn't back which most certainly spells trouble.

In efforts to combat these injuries, the Phils agreed to minor league deals with Josh Fogg and Ty Taubenheim. Fogg made one start last season for Colorado, while Taubenheim spent his season at AAA Indianapolis going 7-9; 3.65ERA. The bullpen is right now the biggest weakness for the Phils.

Jamie Moyer pitches the finale for the Phils today against the Pirates.

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The Close of Spring Training: NY Mets

2010-04-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

For the Mets, the close of spring training ended very bittersweetly. Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy will both start the season on the disable list. Reyes, despite looking very good in his action as of late, will miss the first six games of the season at least. Manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya wanted to play it safe and not rush Reyes back from the hyperactive thyroid. Daniel Murphy has a grade one right knee sprain that will keep him out two-six weeks. His injury ensures Mike Jacobs a roster spot(Opening Day 1B) and Chris Carter or Frank Catalanatto could make the team as well. "I didn't really think it was that bad, to tell you the truth. I just felt it tweak at third base," said Murphy, who acknowledged the knee stiffened Wednesday.
"It's bad timing," Murphy said. "To get hurt, it's unfortunate, but it's a good ballclub and we have some pieces in place, so I just look forward to getting healthy here over the next couple weeks and getting back to New York and helping the team win, (from ESPN.com - Adam Rubin)."

Johan Santana(much to no ones surprise) will get the ball for Opening Day against Florida followed by John Maine, Jon Niese, Mike Pelfrey, and Oliver Perez. john Maine pitches the spring finale today against the Nats.

Fernando Martinez's hot bat and play will see him in AAA Buffalo at the beginning of the season. Don't be too bummed out though, he'll be back before you know it! Maybe even Ike Davis as well.

The Mets claimed Manny Acosta from the Braves to strengthen the bullpen. They recently released Pat Misch.

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Red Sox, Phillies Notes

2010-03-30T09:00:00.001-04:00

RED SOX

-Six man rotation? It's a possibility. I still like the traditional five man more because it promotes a regimen. If you got the arms though, it might not hurt to try it out.

- Beckett didn't pitch masterfully in his last spring training game(possibly with the Red Sox) giving up 3 runs over six innings of work. Mike Lowell went 2-3 with Texas scouts watching. No word if a deal is coming of this.

- Dice-K and Boof Bonser will not be available Opening Day due to injuries. Dick-K is progressing though having pitched a simulated game today. At the end of the week, he will start a game in the minors. Bonser participated in drills with a brace and pitched a simulated game. Word is a bullpen session on Wednesday. Junichi Tazawa is seeing a doctor to look at his elbow(tightness). Tazawa will be opening the season more than likely in AAA. RP Manny Delcarmen's velocity is still down as he's adjusted his mechanics, but remains optimistic that he's getting back to his old self. Only two spots remain for the bullpen and four guys battle for a slot: Scott Atchinson, Scot Schoenweis, Alan Embree, and Joe Nelson.

- The Sox sent C Dusty Brown and INF Kevin Frandsen down to Pawtucket and assigned C Gustavo Molina and 3B Jorge Jimenez to minor league camp trimming the roster to 35. The Sox still must eliminate 10 players by Saturday.

PHILLIES

- Kyle Kendrick makes his final bid for the last spot in the rotation today against the Astros. He'll need a hell of a performance after Jamie Moyer's gem last weekend.

- The Phils cut 10 from camp today including Brad Wilkerson.

- J.C. Romero pitched his first inning today handling AAA-AA guys well. Today was a big step for me," Romero said in the clubhouse at Bright House Field. "I was very pleased with the outcome today. The good thing is that I was throwing a lot of strikes. My arm speed was outstanding."(T.Zolecki interview)

BOS, PHL, NYM Notes

2010-03-27T13:05:00.002-04:00

Red Sox

- Brian Shouse has been released despite holding opponents under a run an outing. The 41 year old will be looking for employment and the Phils could use another arm in their pen. The Sox signed Scott Schownweis a short time later to a minor league deal. He has until April 15 to opt out should he not make the bigs. Only two spots remain in the pen leaving Alan Embree, Joe Nelson, Scott Atchinson, Boof Bonser, and Schoenweis. My odds are Bonser and Atchinson are on the outside looking in.

- The Red Sox acquired 2B/SS Kevin Frandsen from the Giants for a player to be named. Frandsen hit .240 for the Giants last year. Frandsen can be sent down this year to AAA (which is very likely given the roster spots left).

- Mike Lowell has a knee contusion and on top of that the trade talks have begun again as of Friday.

- The 2010 goes: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, john Lackey, Tim Wakefield, and Clay Buchholz will start the season. Dice-K may slide in when someone goes down after his return from the DL.

METS

- Jon Niese and Nelson Figueroa are inching closer to grabbing a spot on the ML roster. Niese would be a starter and Figueroa would be in the bullpen. Manager Jerry Manuel made it clear that Fernando Nieve is headed for bullpen duties where's needed which should practically hand Niese the job. Figueroa has looked impressive this spring and could be the long man in the pen.

- Pedro Feliciano wants to be K-Rod's set-up man. Feliciano's competition is Kiko Calero, Ryota Igarashi, and possibly Jennry Mejia. Feliciano has been one of the most reliable relievers on the Mets staff as of late. "I see [J.J.] Putz is gone, and nobody's set up as the setup man," Feliciano said. "I want to get that position. I want to win it. I'm working with the righties like I'm doing with the lefties. And I just want to leave Spring Training as the setup man." - interview with MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez

PHILLIES

- Did someone turn up the heat on Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer. The two are having a battle for the ages in hopes of attaining the fifth spot in the rotation. Kendrick threw 5.2 innings giving up 1 earned run over five hits, two walks and a K. Moyer meanwhile gave up one hit, six K's and no walks against the Yanks in 6.2 innings. Moyer wins this race in my mind despite how strong Kendrick has been.

- Raul Ibanez has struggles since returning from off-season surgery, but will be playing in minor league games to find his rhythm. The organization isn't worried about his struggles. "He's having trouble finding his timing," manager Charlie Manuel said. "When he gets it, you'll see. It's hard to explain. Sometimes you have a hard time really finding your swing. And you try, and you try, and you try, and it seems like forever you're not hitting. The worst thing you can do is really start thinking about digging a big hole for yourself. All of a sudden, one day you might walk out there and a guy throws a ball and you hit a couple right on the nose, and you're right back to square one and you start hitting good again. I've got all the faith in the world in him. I know he can hit." -interview with Todd Zolecki of MLB.com

Red Sox notes

2010-03-25T16:40:00.001-04:00

- Dustin Pedroia left a game earlier this week after taking an awkward landing while diving to stop a Denard Span single. X-rays taken today yesterday came back negative. "I rolled my wrist," Pedroia said. "I'll take BP tomorrow and then play the next day. That's it. I'm good. There's nothing. It's more spring training [precaution]. It hurt at the time and then they just took me out of the game. So, no big deal." (ESPNBoston.com)

- Should Alan Embree make the team, either Brian Shouse or Joe Nelson will be released. Shouse can bail as early as April while Nelson has until June.

- While it's not confirm 100%, Gordon Edes writes, "Signs point to Josh Beckett opening the season against the Yanks on April 4th."

- Alan Embree had a strong outing in his minor league game throwing 12 pitches, 11 for strikes. He'll pitch in a big league game this weekend.

- Daiskue Matusuzaka has been "ruled out" for the first few few weeks of the season to give him more time to to rehabilitate and train according to manager Terry Francona.
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BOS, NYM, PHL Notes

2010-03-23T08:00:00.005-04:00

RED SOX

- The Sox are looking for a back-up SS due to Jed Lowrie's unfortunate health issues. Bill Hall tried out yesterday, but committed two errors. Marco Scutaro is the primary, but coming off his late season injury is still a concern. Will we hear of talks of Dustin Pedroia backing him up and maybe a back-up 2B?

- If reliever Brian Shouse doesn't make the team, there's a possibility he may retire rather than report to Pawtucket where Scott Atchinson and Joe Nelson may find themselves. Alan Embree is said to have the inside track to be the lefty specialist behind Hideki Okajima, but may not be ready for Opening Day. He can opt out of his contract on April 15th.

- After the shelling Boof Bonser took (5 runs, 6 hits) in his start yesterday against the Rays, he looks like he could be headed to the pen if he decides to stay with Boston. A few teams have interest in acquiring him. According to Gordon Edes, Bonser has a groin issue.

- Jorge Jimenez was returned to the organization by the Marlins. The Red Sox gave 25K back to Florida.

PHILLIES

- Placido Polanco returned to the line-up on Sunday after spraining his knee earlier last week.

- The Phils plan on twelve pitchers on the Opening Day roster. Roy Hallday, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ round out the penciled in starters. Kyle Kendrick and Moyer are still battling for the last slot. Moyer had a strong outing against the Orioles. Whoever loses, goes to the pen with Antonio Bastardo, Jose Contreras, Danys Baez, Chad Durbin, Ryan Madson, and David Herndon. Mike Zagurski was sent down to AAA, but expect to see him make an appearance at some point this season.

- The Phils aren't the only ones that want Jayson Werth. The Yankees are looking at him and Carl Crawford as possibilities next off-season.

METS

- Catching is a hot topic in NY these days. The team has five catchers available to them. Josh Thole is almost certainly headed to Buffalo and Omir Santos maybe as well. With Barajas and Blanco on the roster, doesn't leave much room for Chris Coste unless one of the two go down very soon. Santos and Thole will battle season round to get the call-up and will more than likely happen due to the aging catchers ability to play.

- 1B Ike Davis made enough of an impression that he will almost certainly get the call in mid-season to join the Mets. As for Daniel Murphy, this is not good news.

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Mets notes

2010-03-20T14:07:00.001-04:00

- Marty Noble (Mets beat writer) says that Alex Cora will be the primary SS while Jose Reyes recovers. Rueben Tejada will be his back-up.

- Fernando Martinez is beginning to live up to the expectations the team had when he was acquired in the Santana deal and is less likely to be traded now.

- Expect Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez, Chris Carter and Jennry Mejia to start the season in the minors despite their strong springs.

- P Pedro Feliciano is ok after taking a liner to the knee in Thursday night's game. Expect him back on the mound soon.

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Phillies Notes

2010-03-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

- Brad Lidge threw 16 pitches in an inning of work in AA game. J.C. Romero is back on the mound throwing bullpen sessions. He threw 20+ today and said in an interview with Todd Zolecki, "Right now, I'm good. I'm going through everything I need to do with no pain. I'm happy with everything that's going on right now." Both Lidge and Romero won't be rushed back for Opening Day.

- Chase Utley has been sitting out with an upper respiratory infection since Monday. He took some BP and fielding practice today, but probably won't play until Friday if he's up to it. Placido Polanco feels better after his sprained knee over the weekend. He may get some time in Friday's game.

- Prospect OF Domonic Brown was sent down to minor league camp after he went 3-3 with 2HRs and 4RBIs against the Tigers on Tuesday. Easily one of the most exciting prospects currently in the Phils system, Brown should make some appearances later this season given what he's shown Charlie Manuel.

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Red Sox notes

2010-03-18T15:00:00.001-04:00

- Dice-K's rehab continues to progress as yesterday he took the mound against minor leaguers. He threw about 40 pitches yesterday and is scheduled for a bullpen session Friday and two innings of a minor league game Saturday according to pitching coach John Farrell.

- SS Jed Lowrie has been diagnosed with mononucleosis. He complained of extreme fatigue and went through a battery of tests. He's working lightly now.

- John Lackey continues epic numbers during this spring posting four scoreless innings yesterday in a Red Sox loss.

- The Red Sox are considering bringing back old friend, reliever Alan Embree. Embree, a vital part of the 2004 bullpen, has worked out for Sox officials a few days ago. The Sox sent down Dustin Richardson.

- Manny Delcarmen and Terry Francona aren't worried about Delcarmen's low velocity.
"It's still not where it will be,'' Francona said of his velocity. "Part of that is, you can get out there and your mechanics are a little off, so you go and have an extended side, which they did about a week ago. So you're going to have a little dead arm, dead body.

- Clay Buchholz will pitch a minor league game Friday while the rest of the team has a day off.

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Phils and Sox Notes

2010-03-16T04:15:00.002-04:00

Phillies

- Ryan Howard is unfazed by the rumor of being traded for Albert Pujols.

- 3B Placido Polanco left yesterday's game early with a sprained knee after stumbling on the pitcher's mound fielding a pop-up. Polanco isn't worried about it. "When it first happens, you really get scared," Polanco said. "You don't know what's happening. It doesn't feel right. But now that the doctor took a look at it, it's nothing big at all. ... It's getting better now already after the icing and all that. It's just the back of the knee," Polanco said in an interview with beat writer Todd Zolecki. "It's probably hyperextended a little bit -- irritated."

- Jamie Moyer's bid for the final rotation spot took a serious turn after he was pounded by the Jays in "B" game giving up five runs on eight hits. Kyle Kendrick is still wowing all and looks to be the fifth starter at this point.

Red Sox

- Mike Lowell saw his first action this spring surprisingly at first base going 1-2 in three innings of play.

- After having neck issues backtrack him, Daisuke Matsuzaka will pitch batting practice on Wednesday.

- Jed Lowrie is undergoing tests to find out the cause of his "extreme fatigue." Lowrie has had so much trouble staying healthy and being productive that at this point I think he's a lost cause for the organization. Lowrie's gone 2-9 in limited action this spring and hasn't played in the last three games.

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Mets, Phillies, Red Sox Notes

2010-03-14T14:21:00.001-04:00

METS

- With Jose Reyes sidelined, David Murphy, Jason Bay, and David Wright look to be the most likely to bat third in the line-up.

- Alex Cora and non-roster invitee Rueben Tejada are in heated competition for the final bench spot. Cora should win because of his experience and Tejada should be headed to the minors to work on his defense (21 errors in AA).

PHILLIES

- The Phils sent 14 down to minors camp: Pitchers - Phillipe Aumont, Yohan Flande, Scott Mathieson, J.C. Ramirez, Drew Naylor, Joe Savery, Jesus Sanchez and Bill White. Positon players include: Catchers Tuffy Gosewisch, Joe Sumoi and Kevin Nelson, INF Freddy Galvis, and OF's Tyson Gillies and Quintin Berry.

- Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero are hoping to make Opening Day, but the organization doesn't want to rush their return.

RED SOX

- Josh Beckett was scratched from his start due to illness today. Ryne Miller will take his place and Jason Varitek will make his first start this spring training.

- The Sox sent 14 down to the minors including young studs Casey Kelly and Jose Iglesias. Both had successful springs, but have more work to put in. Other players sent down are: Pitchers Adam Mills, Kris Johnson, Kyle Weiland, Radnor Bierd, and Robert Manuel, OF's Ryan Kalish and Che-Hsuan Lin, catcher Luis Exposito, and INF Yamaico Navarro.

- OF prospect Ryan Westmoreland will have brain surgery this week to fix a rare vascular disease diagnosed as a "cavernous malformation." It is unclear if this is detrimental to his career, but it can be deadly if left untreated.

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Red Sox, Mets, and Phillies notes

2010-03-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

METS

- Jose Reyes is lost for 2-8 weeks after being prescribe rest for his thyroid imbalance. This is a big blow to the team considering Beltran is out until May.

- The Mets fell to the Red Sox 8-2 Thursday. Mike Pelfrey struggles to get going and Ryota Igarashi wasn't much better. Pedro Feliciano pitched a scoreless frame. J-Bay was 0-2 against his old team.

- Kelvim Escobar could be thinking about retirement if his arm doesn't get better. Escobar has only pitched five innings total in two years because of various injuries. Currently, he's awaiting to have an MRI unless the pain fades away.

RED SOX

- John Lackey dazzled again on the mound Thursday.

- The Red Sox and Josh Beckett could have a "pact within the next few weeks," according to Ian Browne.

- Jason Bay endorsed the Red Sox offense and says "They'll be fine."

PHILLIES

- Joe Blanton was fantastic as the Phils tamed the Tigers 4-0. Blanton threw four scoreless frames. Raul Ibanez went yard which was a sigh of relief after his off-season surgery.

- Placido Polanco wanted to come back to Philly so much, he skipped staying in Detroit and going to arbitration.

- Right now, the Phillies pitching staff looks stronger than expected. David Herndon, Yohan Flande, and Joe Savery just may make the bullpen this season.

Thank you

2010-03-10T17:55:00.002-05:00

Nomar Garciaparra signed a one day minor league deal with the Red Sox today and promptly retired. After thirteen seasons, the 35 year old decided he "had nothing left in the tank." Given his last two seasons performance, I can see why. His celebrity status around the majors had almost left as soon as he was traded from Boston mid 2004. The Sox fan had soured of Nomar's tantrums and knew it was his time to go. He left and we won a World Series. In an odd way, Nomie was responsible for the first title in 86 years. Today, we got our chance to thank him for his sacrifice. He leaves the game with a career .313 BA, 229 HRs, 963 RBIs, .361 OBP and .521 SLG percentage in 5,586 at bats. He wasn't a slouch in the playoffs hitting 7HRS, 24RBIs, .321 BA, .361 OBP, and a .589 SLG. He leaves with a career .975 FLD percentage. He had numerous all-star nominations and appearances. The only thing Garciaparra didn't achieved was a coveted WS ring. Will Nomar make the Hall of Fame? I'm sure, but he'll have a bit of wait with the current guys trying to make it. As for now, he'll start his new job as baseball analyst at ESPN on Baseball Tonight and color analysis on some games.

By mid 2004 before his surprising departure, I had grown weary of him and his attitude in the clubhouse. You could sometimes feel his anger through the t.v. screen if they panned a shot of him sitting in the dug-out. You forgot about the acrobatic finesse he displayed on the field rivaled only by Derek Jeter. Fans forgot how important he was in the line-up. The day when they traded him to the Cubs, and we we're shocked....shocked seeing a franchise icon we all were sure was retiring in a Red Sox uni. The feeling of anger dissipated and the questions arose if Orlando Cabrera or any other Red Sox SS could measure up. Well, today that day came....and an entire nation tipped their hats and said, "Thank you."

Red Sox, Mets, Phillies Notes

2010-03-10T00:04:00.000-05:00

- Derrick Turnbow is feeling good after his first bullpen session and is likely to see action this weekend.

- Josh Reddick ripped the Marlins for three hits and Tim Wakefiled pitched three shut-out innings in a 9-0 win.

METS

- Jose Reyes does have an overactive thyroid. He will be staying in New York to figure out a course of treatment.

- K-Rod is back. Although, he's considering wearing glasses on the mound. Dorky? Not a chance when the opposing batters can't touch you (see five year stats with Angels).

- Johan Santana made his debut looking healthy throwing 47 pitches in a Mets win. Ike Davis and David Wright homered for the Metsies.

PHILLIES

- Despite pitching well this spring, pitching coach Rich Dubee says, "Kyle Kendrick must take the spot from Jamie Moyer."

- Roy Halladay continues to dazzle. He's got 8 K's in five innings of work.

Red Sox, Mets Notes

2010-03-07T12:03:00.000-05:00

- John Lackey pitched 2 scoreless frames on Saturday for the Sox with a strike-out in his debut. The question was presented to him about being the Opening Day starter was handled diplomatically by him. In Ian Browne's article on redsox.com Lackey says, "I'm not worried about that at all," Lackey said. "If the roles were reversed, and I would have stayed in Anaheim and those guys had come over there, I would expect to still be going first. I think those guys have earned the right. They've won a lot of games for [manager Terry Francona], and to go in front of me, I'm all right with that."

- From Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, "talks with Josh Beckett have been amicable, but not productive yet. Look for the Sox to base a deal like they did with J.D. Drew and John Lackey contracts in regards to medical history."

- Clay Buchholz gets the start today @ 1:05PM against Baltimore.

- Dice-K first side session(bullpen mound) was productive tossing 58 pitches, but only 10 of those were with the catcher crouched. Matsuzaka feels his back issues are gone.

METS

- Jose Reyes is being tested for a thyroid imbalance (hyperactive). Reyes has yet to start in a spring game, and won't be tested until tomorrow morning back in New York.

- F-Mart? Holy crap the guy lit the Nats up on Saturday?!?! Two solo HR's and two singles in the game and he left early! Great looking chance he makes the team, watch out Gary Matthews Jr., you may be headed to the Reds after all.

- Jon Niese and Fernando Nieve are "duking out it out for the fifth rotation spot," according to manager Jerry Manuel and MLB.com's Marty Noble.

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Doc Vs. CC; Mets V. Cardinals; Sox v. Twins

2010-03-05T00:05:00.001-05:00

So the Phils pulled out a 13-6 win yesterday and the Metsies beat the Braves again 9-5 on the arms of Pat Mistch and Fernando Martinez. Today the Mets conclude their series with the Braves, but all eyes will be on the World Series rematch featuring Roy Halladay against C.C. Sabathia. What can be more epic than this? A World Series rematch I guess. This time the Phils prevailed 3-2 with a strong performance by Halladay and the Phils relievers. The Phils one by the small game and by guys like Paul Hoover, Ozzie Chavez, etc. in the small game. Hallday pitched 2 inning of no significant damage baseball with 3K's. Cole Hamels will start against the Blue Jays Friday.

The rival Mets squeaked out a win over the Cards 17-11. Mid-way through the game didn't look promising for them, but they battled back and overtook the Cards in a see-saw affair. David Wright and prospect Ike Davis(who is having a fine spring training already) went long and the top of the order combined for 4-4 with 5 runs scored and 2RBIs. The offense looked fantastic. Jason Bay went 0-2 in his debut. R.A. Dickey's knuckleball danced nicely, but got him into trouble in the third. Tobi Stoner came into stop the bleeding surrendering only another run, but putting the Cards ahead. Jack Egbert had two shut out innings and Sean Green checked in before surrendering two more runs. Johnathan Niese will be starting Friday and in a split squad Fernando Nieve will start the other game. Word is Johan Santana will pitch on Tuesday.

The Red Sox won a nail-biter over the Twins in their Grapefruit League debut 2-1. Dustin Pedroia had two hits including the tying RBI in the sixth. Catching prospect Mark Wagner knocked in the winning run in the eighth. On the mound, Josh Beckett allowed 2 hits and a run over 2 innings of work. The bullpen shined including Ramon Ramirez, Daniel Bard, Hideki Okajima, and Johnathon Papelbon all pitched scoreless innnings. Jon Lester will face the Twins at 1:05 tomorrow with Tim Wakefield backing him up. It will also be Mike Cameron's debut.

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Sox and Phils play their first exhibitions

2010-03-03T21:00:00.008-05:00

Today, the Phillies are taking on Florida State University while not too far away the Sox are playing Northeastern U. J.A. Happ will get the ball for the Phils on Wedensday. The next day is a rematch of the World Series pitting Roy Halladay against C.C. Sabathia. For a Pillies update though, Shane Victorino will not be playing Wedensday and possibly Thursday due to some soreness in his shoulder. J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge have begun throwing off the mound making steady progress in their returns. Lidge says he's "pain-free, but still slow moving in the right direction." Lidge plan to throw off the mound every other day until he's ready to face live hitters. Romero on the other hand will throw every third day.

As of right now the Phils are down 6-4 against FSU in the bottom of the 5th. Rollins, Ransom, Schnieder, prospect Domonic Brown, and Ibanez lead the with Phils hits and RBIs. Phillipe Aumont has been blasted to the tune of 5 runs, 2 hits, 3 walks, and a HR. Yohan Flande followed giving up another. Happ pitched two scoreless innings with 1 walk and 1 K. To this point, the Phils have left too many guys on base.

Wedensday is the culmination of over a year of the arrival of Casey Kelly. He'll pitch the Northeastern game and Boof Bonser will pitch the B.C. night game. Daisuke Matsuzaka threw from 180-200 ft Tuesday in efforts to return from his injury beleaguered 2009. Manager Terry Francona said, ""That was about as good a day, I think, as you could have. I don't think you can throw the ball like that and not be totally healthy. So probably start thinking about toward the end of the week, getting him some real mound work where he's throwing some sides and throwing to hitters and going through that progression. But that was a real, real good day." As of tonight, it's been confirmed by MLB Network that Dice-K will throw a regular side session on Friday. Mike Lowell got his first hacks in today. His status is yet to be seen, but Francona is confident he can be an asset to the Sox. Francona also mentioned Mike Cameron is progressing from his groin injury.

The Sox pounded Northeastern U today 15-0. Casey Kelly pitched one inning--but had two K's, no hits, no runs. Gil Velazquez had two hits with 2RBIS in a Sox 3 run 2nd. Jed Lowrie was 1-1 with an RBI as well. C Luis Esposito went 1-1 with 2 RBIs and David Ortiz went yard for 2 more.

Against BC a few hours later, Boof Bonser picked up the win. Ryan Kalish, Jose Iglesias, and Kevin Youk starred on offense while Michael Bowden and Junichi Tazawa dazzled on the mound.

Mets Report

2010-03-02T21:00:00.003-05:00

The Mets have survived the Jose Reyes drama. Reyes denies using HGH, but going with a platelet-enriching therapy process. You'd have to be stupid to think Reyes was on HGH ever. I mean Reyes isn't too small of a guy, but he doesn't look like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, etc. One thing no one will argue is that Reyes looks ready for 2010. He ran out a triple and felt good after and intrasquad games Monday before the Mets first exhibition today against the Braves. Evidently, Carlos Beltran is now talking with agents about a treatment in Canada.

The Mets have been dealt a blow with setup man Kelvim Escobar going down. Escobar is feeling some fatigue in his right shoulder, but what can expect after having not thrown in a year. Now, Ryota Igarashi, Bobby Parnell and Sean Green will battle it out for the role until Escobar returns. My money is on Parnell, but look out for Igarashi. The team is still hoping to sign Joe Biemel or Ron Mahay. As of Saturday, Biemel has been holding out for $2M which the Mets aren't going to offer. Also, K-Rod has a bad case of pink eye, so he is currently unavailable.

The Metsies won their exhibition game four to two over the Braves. Elmer Dessens left the game after taking a Brian McCann liner to his knee. Starter Nelson Figeroua pitched nicely bailing them out of tight situations with K's. Bobby Livingston finished up the game. At the plate, Jesus Feliciano was the offensive spark with 2 singles and a sac fly to bring in a run. Russ Adams hit a home run. 1B prospect Ike Davis went 2-3 with a RBI. Jason Pridie and Ruben Tejada brought runners in. The fifth innning was huge for New York bringing in three runs. Castillo, Reyes, Bay, Francouer and Wright were out of the line-up due to field conditions.

Red Sox Report; Ruiz to Sox?

2010-03-01T12:45:00.000-05:00

The pitchers have been throwing batting practices getting this velocity back and endurance back up from the months off. The Sox haven't had any pitcher casualties yet, but Adrian Beltre missed two days of practice after misplaying a ball and stepping on twisting his ankle. Beltre has been taking BP, but should step out onto the field today. Dice-K is throwing from 150 ft away which is good news.

Casey Kelly has debuted at spring training throwing off the mound. He wasn't fazed by the big league experience impressing manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farell. “He has a very professional approach,” Farrell said. “He’s got genuine confidence in himself, and I mean that in the right way. He’s not cocky by any means. He’s very respectful. When you see him go about his work, he’s not in a rush.
He carries himself with a very good air about him, like one who genuinely is comfortable with himself, even being in big league camp for the first time." Kelly didn't have a problem hitting either. Kelly will make his pitching debut in spring training against Northeastern U on March 4th. Boof Bonser will get the nod against BC the next day followed by Beckett, Lester, Wakefield, and Lackey against Minnesota and Buchholz against the O's on Saturday.

Gordon Edes says, "David Ortiz's days could be numbered if he gets off to the start he did in 2009." The Sox have the option to pick him up for 2011, but given the depth at minor league level with Lars Anderson and Anthony Rizzo, Ortiz is definitely in trouble. What could spell more trouble is if the Red Sox sign Cuban defector Jose Julio Ruiz. Ruiz is similar to Ortiz (only and inch shorter) and a lefty bat which the Red Sox love to have. Ruiz could come at a much cheaper price than Ortiz and possibly more effective if he makes the team upon signing. Ruiz has been compared to Carlos Delgado in his prime before and is just twenty-five.

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reports if Mike Lowell doesn't wind-up sticking around, the Twins may be very interested. The Sox do want to keep his bat. The Sox would have to pay Lowell's $12M salary before the Twins would bite.

RP Manny Delcarmen is hoping to get back on track after his case of right shoulder fatigue last season. Evidently, when I cringed last season seeing him on the mound, he was cringing on it as well. Delcarmen didn't report any strangeness last season despite seeing his velocity slow down. He has promised to be more open about injuries even if he doesn't know he's suffering from them.

According to WEEI, Mike Cameron cut his workout short on Sunday with a sore leg. Turns out it's a groin. Cameron is doubtful to play in the first two games this week to prevent further injury and let his body catch up with his age.

Re: Phillies Pitching report

2010-02-27T13:30:00.001-05:00

After stumbling upon this report about the Phillies, I found it quite interesting that Cole Hamels pitched "with anger at himself" last season. They've begun to question "Who is Cole Hamels?" Cole Hamels is the young phenom who had an unfortunate turn of events last season...not a lost puppy people feel he is. I'm not going to let him off the hook that the curveball hasn't been working and he basically quit on the Phils in the post-season. You can easily get down on yourself after going from 14-10; 3.09ERA to 10-11; 4.32ERA. What about the fact he slipped from a 15-5;3.39ERA to that same 2008 14-10; 3.09ERA. Players vary from year and sometimes having a lower ERA is better than the record despite the fact 9 times out of 10 it determines how much you win(When you give up a load of runs it's a lot harder to win). Hamels hasn't faced adversity like he did last season. He was a dominant minor league pitcher and quickly rose to stardom and all-star status. Everyone is bound to take a fall sooner or later (Ask any Yankee or any other ML'er about that). Hamels just has to get back to his roots and develop his curveball. We have yet to see if he's mentally and physically here yet seeing as no major stake games have been played yet.

Hamels made a huge mistake by saying, "I can't wait for the season to be over." It was blown out of context, but the media does that for reader and viewership. Hamels never wanted the season to end the way it did. Hamels loves pitching for the Phils and wanted to deliver a WS as quickly as possible. Cole should keep his mouth shut during spring training and focus on being that all-star he was. No doing press tours, commercials, appearances, etc that burned him out after the World Seris season. Instead, Cole should be saying to the media, "I'm born again, feeling great and am ready to part of the best 1-2 punch in the N.L. and deliver the great people of Philadelphia another October to remember."

Delusions of Grandeur

2010-02-25T19:20:00.000-05:00

As everyone has made it to St. Lucie, FL. , a lot of focus will be placed on hitting. I mean a lot of HITTING. That's something the Mets didn't do last season. The Mets brought in 671 runs while giving up 757. Obviously, you don't win games that way. Only one regular (Carlos Beltran, who missed a good portion of the season) had an OBP of over .400! As for the bench, they were abysmal( Andy Green was the only over .400 and had a total of four at bats). The good news is Carlos Beltran will be back. David Wright came to camp looking jacked and focused. Many criticized Wright for his loss of power last season, but could you blame him? He had no protection. Wright and Luis Castillo were the only ones moving around the bases combining for a total of 47 steals. Eleven players had zero long balls. If Angel Pagan didn't show up, there'd be almost no triples. CitiField is no picnic to hit in, but c'mon when half your bench can't get at least ten doubles where's the excuse?

I've noticed online on various sites that Jason Bay has become the second coming of Christ to Queens and the Mets are going to "bounce back." Now I'm a avid supporter of "JayBay" having played for my beloved Red Sox, but he had a load of protection. Bay played in a fantastic hitter's park enabling him to put up the numbers he did last year. His numbers show statistically lower from his Pirates days, but he halfed his numbers in two seasons with the Sox compared to the six with the Bucs. While Bay excelled with not much production in Pittsburgh, it won't be the case in New York where fans are rabid about the Amazins performance compared to the care-free Bucs fans. Should Beltran and Wright go down, Bay could slip up. While analysts and baseball professionals find Bay is impervious to pressure while playing, I find the constant clamor of a failing franchise to be a lot to hold unlike the successful period he had in Boston.

While Daniel Murphy had his test run last year, he certainly better not take this season as one or Ike Davis will be in the line-up come 2011. He was second in strikeouts last season. A .266 BA and .296 OBP is unacceptable for a regular. He did bat a lot of runs in and scored enough, though. What about Jeff Francouer? He needs to show the spark he brought after being traded from Atlanta. If he tanks the first half, don't think Angel Pagan or Gary Matthews Jr. won't be the starter and he will be dumped.

The catcher position is the other biggest concern the Mets should have. Omir Santos and Josh Thole probably won't make the majors unless someone gets injured. The fact that Rod Barajas is signed give the fans some relief because of the credibility that comes with the brand. But what about the back-ups Henry Blanco and Chris Coste? One blogger I read compared Blanco as "the Adam Everett of catchers." Really? This is what you shoot for? Coste runs his mouth right after he signs "that my heart will always be a Phillie." What no love for the 'Stros? The catcher position behind Barajas is down-right ugly.

I'm not even going to start on pitching. Obviously it needs to get better, but the Mets need to HIT and give RUN SUPPORT. So please Mets fans believing this the season everything turns around , curb your enthusiasm for this season.

Red Sox Prospects

2010-02-24T15:00:00.009-05:00

The Red Sox have considerbaly used their minor league system to their advantage the last decade seeing the likes of Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Dustin Pedroia, Johnathon Papelbon and Kevin Youkilis to name a few. The Sox certainly haven't stopped stockpiling talent for the beginning of this decade. Here's a look at some names to know.

If you have heard of SP Casey Kelly, you shouldn't call yourself a Boston fan. This shortstop turned pitcher has been turning heads everywhere he goes. Kelly has a fantastic curveball and a slower fastball(86-90mph) with a deceptive change-up. He's confident and looks more like a guy whose been pitching for years.

We've been waiting years for the arrival of 1B Lars Anderson. Sure, he's been significantly blocked on his path to the majors, but he should put some time in this season as this will more than likely be David Ortiz's last in Fenway. He needs to stay healthy and hope Anthony Rizzo has a down year.

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Another guy similiar to Casey Kelly's status is OF Ryan Westmoreland. In single A, he hit .296 with 7HRs and 35RBIs and swiped 19 bases. Even better is his OBP(.401) and SLG(.484). He's developed patience at the plate very well. Defensively, he is sound and exceptionally fast and strong.

With Ryan Westmoreland following behind him, OF Ryan Kalish should be making his debut in Boston very soon. He's a year younger than Josh Reddick, but is much more astute at the plate. His fielding has gotten significantly better from A-AA. He could break AAA at the beginning of the season. In combined A and AA for 2009, Kalish hit .279 with 18HRs, 77RBIs, and 21SB's.

SS Jose Iglesias has been a hot topic in Boston this off-season. He's billed as the "future SS for Boston", but he's got a ways to go. He's got a great glove and movement to the ball, but he can't hit as well. Iglesias hit .275 with 2HRs and 12RBIs for Mesa in the Arizona Fall League.

Other notables:

OF Josh Reddick (.169, 2HRs and 4RBIs in 27 games for Red Sox in 09)
SP/RP Junichi Tazawa (2-3; 7.46ERA for Red Sox in 09)
RHP Michael Bowden (1-1;9.56ERA for Red Sox in 09)

Phillies Prospects

2010-02-22T16:00:00.001-05:00

Let's not get down em yet because they traded away Drabek, Taylor, and D'Arnaud to get Halladay (on top of Marson, Carrasco, and Knapp for Lee previously), the Phils still got some firepower left in their system. An if you think they don't have pitchers left you're wrong, they could field an entire rotation with what they've got. First up is a guy you've probably heard of OF Domonic Brown.

Brown put on a show last season with consistency at the plate and below average fielding. He combined between Rookie, A, and AA a .288, 14HRs, 64RBIs, and 23 swipes. However, his combined fielding percentage is a .953( and he struggled at Reading fielding a .929). At major league level, he figures to be an average hitter and will replace Jayson Werth in the event the Phillies don't get him back/ and don't make a blockbuster move for a RF). For the Phillies, they hope that Domonic can transition success to make it AAA this season, but it's better not rush this guy. He's a quick learner.

Another exciting OF to watch will be Tyson Gillies who was acquired in the Cliff Lee-Hallday blockbuster. It's rumored he'll be starting at Reading(AA) after blazing through the A league to the tune of a .341, 9HRs, 42RBIs, and 44 SB's. I like this kid better than Domonic Brown because of the speed he has and his wider batting stance. Tyson is years off from seeing the majors while he works on his power and hoping Shance Victorino moves on or moves to left when Ibanez goes( don't think that's very likely).

Coming over in that same deal was SP Phillipe Aumont. Aumont is excited to be in Philly and hopes he can transition well from his 6-10; 3.29ERA campaign between A and AA. He does limit his walks and home runs very well, while averaging 9.2 K's a game. While it sounds like a future arm in the starting rotation, I like what PhillyFriar thinks about him being a reliever. His 6'7 frame is very imposing and may be able to use that to his advantage like Randy Johnson did. Needs work on his slider and a another pitch would help him out aside from his mid 90s sinker.

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LHP Yohan Flande made some noise last season tearing up Clearwater and making an average transition to AA (11-5;3.48ERA combined). The Phils added him to the 40 man roster for the playoffs. Flande's fastball is a low 90s offering and his change-up peaks around 80. His curveball is a "work in progress". He's still got a lot to learn before we see him at Citizen's Bank, but let him fly under your radar.

SP Trevor May had a decent A season going 4-1;2.56ERA in Lakewood last season. That 11.1 K/9 rating was fantastic as well. Looks like this kid will be starting in Reading this season. His changeup needs work in order to get his walks down. If he keeps up his progress, he could be a middle of the rotation guy.

Other Notables:

LHP Antonio Bastardo (2-3;6.46ERA starting in the bullpen as GM Ruben Amaro claims for 2010)
LHP Sergio Escalona (1-0; 4.64ERA in 14 games for Philadelphia in 09).

Mets Prospects

2010-02-21T13:34:00.001-05:00

After previewing the season for the Mets, here's a look at the upcoming stars within the organization. First up is OF Fernando Martinez, who you may remember from last season. Martinez can hit (despite his .176 ML debut), field, and steal bases. His drawback is his injury-proneness. He'll certainly be someone to watch at spring training, but the chances of him making the team are more than likely limited to the bench with how deep the outfield is. In the minors, he's a career .282 hitter with 30HRs, 132RBIs, and 19SB's. With consistent play and patience at the plate, Martinez can develop into a .260 hitter immediately at major league level. Below is a video of the power he can exude.

A guy you probably didn't miss in 2009 was LHP Jon Niese. He was exciting to watch until an injury cut short his effectiveness and season. He's projected as a back of the rotation guy for 2010. Niese went 1-1 with a 4.21ERA in five starts. He needs to keep the ball in the park. Jon has an excellent curveball and average fastball, but appears to throw harder in the beginning of the game and drops off. Getting the changeup to work for him could solidify his spot on the roster. I coudln't find a stand-out video of him(which is nuts for the internet?!?), but i got a quick bullpen throw.

A very exciting youngster who will probably start the season in AA or AAA will be 1B Ike Davis. The first round draft pick by the Mets in 2008 slugged his way through the AZ Fall League with a .341 BA. At single A St. Lucie, he hit .288 with 7HRs and 28RBIs before hitting .309 with 13HRs and 43RBIs. It seems he adapts well as he moves up and grows accustomed to the game. He won't make the team this year, but 2011 Davis could be the Mets starting 1B. Look for more power (especially when he pulls to the left) from him. He needs to work on his running and energy in general.

SS Wilmer Flores is high up with Beckett Media. His A ball at Savannah go .264, 3HRs, 36RBIs, 3SBs, and a .305 OBP/.332 SLG. Still very young and needs work on patience at the plate(72 K's in 125 games). He's very big for a SS (6'2 180lbs) which should hit for power, but we have yet to see it. He's got a great arm, but an average runner. Expect him to be in A, but make a push for AA early.

Lastly is RHP Jennry Mejia signed out of the Dominican Republic in 07 and quickly rising to AA at age nineteen. He was fantastic in A ball posting a 4-1; 1.97ERA, but fell apart at AA going 0-5;4.47ERA. One his large problems was giving up so many free passes (39 in 19 games between A and AA). Mejia needs more time in the minors and should start at AA and break AAA by the end of the season. Through it all has a very good strikeout ratio.

Other notables:

C Josh Thole (.321, 9 RBIs with NYM in 09)
SP Brad Holt (12-10; 3.63ERA between A and AA)
SP Kyle Allen (9-6; 3.45ERA at A)

Red Sox 2010 Spring Training

2010-02-20T13:00:00.005-05:00

Finally, it's here. The Sox are in Ft. Myers now preparing for another season full of of hope for another title. First, here's a look at the roster there (courtesy of Monozygotic and MLB.com).

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

61 Randor Bierd R/R 6-4 190 03/14/84
53 Fernando Cabrera R/R 6-4 225 11/16/81
83 Kris Johnson L/L 6-4 170 10/14/84
93 Casey Kelly R/R 6-3 195 10/04/89
82 Adam Mills R/R 5-11 190 11/19/84
84 Edwin Moreno R/R 6-1 220 07/30/80
46 Joe Nelson R/R 6-1 205 10/25/74
55 Brian Shouse L/L 5-10 190 09/26/68
36 Jorge Sosa R/R 6-2 220 04/28/77
97 Kyle Weiland L/R 6-4 195 09/12/86

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

91 Luis Exposito R/R 6-3 210 01/20/87
72 Gustavo Molina R/R 6-1 245 02/24/82

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

78 Lars Anderson L/L 6-4 215 09/25/87
96 Yamaico Navarro R/R 5-11 170 10/31/87
62 Angel Sanchez R/R 6-2 205 09/20/83
60 Gil Velazquez R/R 6-3 190 10/17/79

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

87 Zach Daeges L/R 6-4 225 11/16/83
92 Ryan Kalish L/L 6-1 205 03/28/88
85 Che-Hsuan Lin R/R 6-0 180 09/21/88
54 Darnell McDonald R/R 5-11 210 11/17/78

Without question, the Sox have the deepest rotation in the whole league with six candidates vying for one spot. Josh Beckett and Jon Lester lead the charge in what could be Beckett's last in Boston as the 1-2 punch. Beckett needs to limit his long balls this season and pitch with a little less emotion after giving up one. Behind them, is newly acquired ace John Lackey who should provide the oomph for a 1-2-3 combo. Clay Buchholz could be penciled in for the number four slot if he has a good spring training beating out Daisuke Matsuzaka. This is Buc's year to break-out as many forecast and I think he can win 15 this time around. Matsuzaka has claimed to be improving his relations with the organization and working towards a better 2010 than the disaster that was 09. His key will be keeping his pitch count down by throwing more strikes. It wouldn't hurt if he varied himself with off-speed stuff to righties. On the outside looking in (unfortunately) is Tim Wakefield. Wakefield had various back issues the second half of last season, but was undoubtedly their ace in the first half. Wake should fare well in limited starts and be a monumental asset to the bullpen which was re-vamped after FA departures.

The hitting is something the Sox need to work on. Jason Bay's departure really widened that gap. David Ortiz can't be so sluggish this season and Adrian Beltre has to prove that '09 was a fluke. Mike Lowell's time in Boston is uncertain leaving Jed Lowrie as 3B coverage in the event Youkilis is playing first that day. Victor Martinez should continue where he left off last season after hitting .303 and even higher when first acquired. Dustin Pedroia should rebound this season not swinging at so many balls he has no business trying to make a play out of. Marco Scutaro is a better offensive player than A-Gon was, but defensively not so. I expect Scutaro's 2009 not to repeat this season. Kevin Youkilis will need protection from Ortiz and Pedroia to remain the top hitter/home run contributor. The outfield is what really concerns me. Jacoby Ellsbury has been moved to left for Mike Cameron to play center and J.D. Drew in right. Ellsbury was criticized for his play in center, but left field with the "Monster" is a whole different ball game. Look for a few errors on his part. Cameron is solid, but age is slowly starting to sap his bat. Drew will contribute when he can, but he's so injury-prone Jeremy Hermida or Bill Hall will be getting decent playing time.

Outlook: The Sox will dominate this season and win it all. The Yanks simply aren't as deep bench wise or rotation wise to stop them. This could be the last hurrah for guys like Beckett, Ortiz, Papelbon, and if Lowell is still around (which I'm sure he won't).

Philadelphia Phillies 2010 Spring Training

2010-02-18T14:15:00.002-05:00

Clearwater, here's your defending NL champs. Will the Phils make it 3 trips in a row to the big one? They've got the fielding, bench, starting rotation, and hitting covered, but their drawback is a much weaker bullpen which will make or break them. Here's a look at all the non-roster invitees (courtesy of Monozyogtic and MLB.com):

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Phillippe Aumont L/R 6-7 220 01/07/89
– B.J. Rosenberg R/R 6-2 215 09/17/85
– Joe Savery L/L 6-3 215 11/04/85
– Ryan Vogelsong R/R 6-3 215 07/22/77
– Ehren Wassermann S/R 6-0 190 12/06/80
– Bill White L/L 6-3 225 11/20/78

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Tuffy Gosewisch R/R 5-11 190 08/17/83
24 Paul Hoover R/R 6-1 210 04/14/76
– Kevin Nelson R/R 6-3 215 04/08/81
– Dane Sardinha R/R 6-0 215 04/08/79
– John Suomi L/R 5-11 200 10/05/80

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Ozzie Chavez S/R 6-1 160 07/13/83
– Freddy Galvis S/R 5-10 170 11/14/89
– Cody Ransom R/R 6-2 190 02/17/76
33 Andy Tracy L/R 6-3 240 12/11/73
– Wilson Valdez R/R 5-11 170 05/20/78

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Domonic Brown L/L 6-5 204 09/03/87
– Chris Duffy L/L 5-9 185 04/20/80
– Tyson Gillies L/R 6-2 190 10/31/88
– Dewayne Wise L/L 6-1 190 02/24/78

The 2010 Phillies are going to look much like the 2009 version, but with a much deeper bench and the arrival of Jayson Werth as a super-star. I think it's easy to say after all, the Phils can make it three World Series appearances in a row...should the bullpen not falter. The rotation looks about the same aside form acquiring Roy Halladay. Look for Halladay to win 20+ games(it's gonna happen). Cole Hamels needs to bounce back after his abhorrence last season. Hamels needs to re-introduce his curveball effectively to become the dangerous '08 Hamels. Behind him will be under-rated Joe Blanton who is more than just an "innings-eater." Blanton has improved on his free passes and strikeouts a game and has lowered his opponents BA. Behind him should be J.A. Happ, who I feel may have a sophomore slump. The fifth spot is up for grabs between Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick, but I think Jose Contreras could make a run at it. Starting rotation looks good for the Phils. The pen is a bit more concerning. Brad Lidge needs to be confident and re-find himself or he won't be around by All-Star Break. Ryan Madson is capable of being a closer, but is a much better set-up man. The Phils main problem was closing games last season. Will Danys Baez help? Can Chad Durbin be good? How about the impact of J.C. Romero when he returns in May? These are the most important questions the Phillies need to answer.

As for the hitting, I expect the tandem of Utley and Werth to go on an ass-kicking mission. Not to say I've forgotten about Ryan Howard( he'll certainly be important), but look for Werth to have a monster season. Jimmy Rollins will continue to bat lead-off, but he's really declining at this point ans the Phils need to start thinking about his replacement. His numbers should stay about the same. As for Polanco at third, I don't understand why the organization didn't go after Mark DeRosa or Miguel Tejada. Polanco is a great 2B, but third I'm undecided on. He's an upgrade offensively over Pedro Feliz. Ruiz can expect a similar season, but I cringe with Brian Schnieder on his off days. Victorino is rumored to be dropping lower in the order to strengthen the bottom, but I wonder how much of an impact it will make? Victorino has no problem getting around the bases, but someone has to bring him in. Maybe Ibanez drops down? His age may catch up with him this season especially after the hernia.

Outlook: Phils win NL East again no doubt. No problems to NLCS if anyone can challenge them (Rockies are the only I can think of). Should be another trip to the series. If the Yanks make it for the AL, Phils get revenge on them, but if the Sox make it I don't think the Phillies are deep enough in the bullpen to beat them.

New York Mets 2010 Spring Training

2010-02-17T14:22:00.001-05:00

The Mets have arrived in Port St. Lucie, FL in a quest to erase the stenches of the past three seasons in Queens. Here's a list of all the invitees(courtesy of Monozygotic and MLB.com):

Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Travis Blackley L/L 6-3 200 11/04/82
64 Elmer Dessens R/R 5-11 200 01/13/71
– R.A. Dickey R/R 6-2 215 10/29/74
– Josh Fogg R/R 6-0 205 12/13/76
– Bobby Livingston L/L 6-3 205 09/03/82
– Carlos Muniz R/R 6-1 190 03/12/81
– Eric Niesen L/L 6-1 180 09/04/85

Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Francisco Pena R/R 6-2 230 10/12/89

Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

– Russ Adams L/R 6-0 200 08/30/80
– Jolbert Cabrera R/R 6-1 215 12/08/72
– Mike Cervenak R/R 5-11 200 08/17/76
– Ike Davis L/L 6-5 195 03/22/87
29 Andy Green R/R 5-10 180 07/07/77
– Luis Hernandez S/R 5-10 180 06/26/84
– Mike Hessman R/R 6-5 215 03/05/78
– Ruben Tejada R/R 5-11 165 09/01/89

Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB

2 Frank Catalanotto L/R 6-0 205 04/27/74
– Jesus Feliciano L/L 6-0 174 06/06/79
– Kirk Nieuwenhuis L/R 6-3 210 08/07/87
- Jason Pridie L/R 6-1 205 10/9/83

What to look for:
The Mets really need pitching badly. Behind Santana and Maine, the pack really thins out. Jon Niese and Fernando Nieve got their first tastes of major league ball last season. Nelson Figueora is up in the air. If he doesn't make the team, he will more than likely not accept a minor league demotion. I think Josh Fogg, Elmer Dessens, and R.A. Dickey will make the team, but be pushed into the bullpen which isn't as strong either. The Mets are definitely two starters short of a rotation.

The outfield look very good and deep. Signing Jason Bay will increase the homers and RBIs of a team that hurt from production last season. Gay Matthews Jr. is a decent pick-up as well, but needs to prove he can be an everyday player instead of a bench guy. Angel Pagan was a pleasant surprise last season and I expect to see more of similar numbers from him should he get the playing time which I believe(and hopefully most Mets fans did) he earned. Francouer will probably not live up to what he should, but will get the start in right. Having Carlos Beltran healthy will be the key to the outfield dominance. Frank Catalanatto will be a good back-up in the event of an injury.

The infield will rely on David Wright NOT having to carry the team all the time and Jose Reyes getting on base and playing 3/4 of the season. Luis Castillo is still frustrating to watch defensively and maybe the Mets will spring for Felipe Lopez who is still un-signed. Daniel Murphy needs to put similar or better numbers this season as Carlos Delgado won't return. If not, Mike Jacobs will try and best him. Catching wise isn't a good situation for the Mets. I expect Blanco to start and Santos to back him up. Thole and Coste will be sent down. Coste may try and opt out of his contract in fact in that event. Really, catching I feel is a weakness offensively for the Mets with the inability to get Bengie Molina.

Outlook: Still very bleak in CitiField. They should improve both offensively and defensively from last season and make some moves before the deadline, but I can't see them finishing higher than third. The Mets need hitters and a reliable bullpen, instead the rumors today are still going after another catcher. The Phillies are simply still too good and the Nationals went crazy upgrading. The Braves may even slide in for third and you can never predict the Marlins, despite their quiet off-season.

Valentine's Day part 2

2010-02-15T23:32:00.001-05:00

Well boys and girls, it's about time the fat lady sings. The 2009-2010 off-season/"Hot stove" is coming to a slow grinding halt. There's still a few great names on the market that will hopefully find work this season. This off-season provided us with the rich getting richer( Yanks, Red Sox, Phils, Cardinals), the poor getting poorer (Blue Jays, Astros, Padres), some pleasant surprises along the way (Nationals, White Sox, Twins, Orioles) and then of course the head scratchers( Mets, Royals, Braves). Surely, we'll get to see what's in store for us once spring training begins. So here's the final coverage of the MLB "Hot Stove."

The Nationals busy off-season should conclude with the signing of Willy Taveras to a minor league deal. The odds are stacked against him, but he may sneak in to a fourth OF option. Taveras hasn't found a home yet since the off-season.

The Rays have signed RP Joaquin Benoit to a minor league deal. Benoit hopes to bounce back after having rotator cuff surgery in January of 09.

According to NESN, Orioles SP Brad Bergesen strained his right shoulder during a commercial shoot. The pitcher will miss at least the first ten days of spring training.

The Rangers have signed OF Endy Chavez to a minor league contract. SI's Jon Heyman reports Chavez could make $1M if he makes the team and will get an option for 2011. Chavez last played for the Mariners batting .273 with 2HRs and 13 RBIs in 54 games. Chavez is most remembered for his home-run robbing catch for the Mets.

My next post will be a preview of the 2010 NY Mets spring training (probably be posted Wednesday night). Next will be the Boston Red Sox preview (Friday) and finally the Philadelphia Phillies preview (Sunday). From there, I will strictly be covering those three teams, so I apologize for any inconvenience to my readers if you enjoyed my coverage of the entire MLB. It will return around trade deadline and playoffs.

Rumors and Notes:

Mark Mulder may retire? Mulder tells Susan Slusser of the S.F. Chronicle it's not completely true. He's shutting his arm down this season, but wants to return at a later time.

C Victor Martinez wants the Red Sox to re-sign him and "finish out his career in Boston," as reported by The Boston Herald.

The Rangers may have interest in FA C Jose Molina with Jarrod Saltamacchia recovering from injury according to J.P. Morosi.

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No love for Scott Boras; V-Day Weekend pt.1

2010-02-14T01:48:00.001-05:00

Happy V-day to all, unless of course you're Scott Boras. Boras is having a record off-season with not getting his clients jobs. Felipe Lopez has just fired him, but Angels 1B Kendry Morales has added him. Should Johnny Damon? Damon will get a deal by next week more than likely with the Tigers. Lopez hit .310 last year, but is still unsigned. The Cardinals had vague interest in him. He's a multi-position defender with a .975 field percentage and former all-star. So why doesn't he have a deal? I can't explain it. I can tell you it wouldn't hurt the Athletics, Astros, Mets, Phillies, or Padres to sign him with their available depth. I believe Lopez's price tag is probably what's inhibiting him from getting a deal. Scott Boras needs to evolve with the changing economy of baseball. Teams are more inclined to invest in their system providing cheaper talent. Free agency has given way to previous big spenders to get the best players, but now you're down to what's left and teams who have little room to work with on their rosters. Look at the past five years of World Series competitors and you'll see more young talent than previously before to begin the decade.

Biggest news of the weekend thus far is the Giants coming to terms with SP Tim Lincecum on a 2yr/$23M contract. Lincecum was offered 3yr/$37M which is a good deal for both sides, but walked away opting for less. It leads me to believe the young phenom has had enough of the bay. Lincecum went 15-7 with a 2.48ERA on his way to a 2nd consecutive Cy Young.

Pedro and Smoltzy may have a buddy waiting to get a deal. Carlos Delgado will be waiting into mid-season for a team, but don't rule out the Mets from bringing him back. Look at how the Pedro Martinez deal worked out for the Phillies. Delgado could bring potential to bat .300 and club at least 20 balls in a half season.

The Mariners(who I'm shocked still have oodles of money) re-signed Mike Sweeney to a minor league contract. He hit .281 with 8HRs and 34 RBIs for them last season. The only thing that sucks is that he will be fighting five other guys for the DH spot. He claims, "Seattle was his first-choice," this off-season. Sometimes, first choices aren't the best buddy.

Accoring to ProSportsDaily.com, Blue Jays pitcher Scott Richmond is injured (shoulder) while getting ready for spring training. No timetable has been set for his return. Richmond went 8-11 with a 5.52ERA last season for the Jays.

Rumors and Notes:

If the Tigers get Damon, they may have to dump Ryan Raburn and Clete Thomas. Not a good idea for dumping 2 of your OF's for an aging one (Have they considered Raburn's production at all?). Nate Robinson and Carlos Guillen could be moved according to James Schmel of MLive.com.

The Nats have not committed to the notion of signing SP Kris Benson yet.

The Brewers lost their arbitration case with Corey Hart. Hart is set to make $4.85M.

The Orioles avoided arbitration with SP Jeremy Guthrie.

The Marlins have no interest in Carlos Delgado as previously reported by various news circuits. They may not bring back RP Kiko Calero due to his shoulder.

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Mets go far east; A week away

2010-02-11T23:59:00.002-05:00

The Mets have ended the speculation that 35 year old Hasanori Takashi will have a surfboard and lots of bikini clad women surrounding him on the west coast. Today, Takashi agreed to a $1M contract plus $2M in incentives. He will more than likely begin in AAA. This is the second big name Japanese pitcher the Mets picked up this off-season (Ryota Igarashi was first). This all but rules out John Smoltz signing with the Mets. Lucky for Smoltz, the Braves are interested in a pool of many other clubs. The Mets signed back-up catcher Shawn Riggans to bring competition. He batted a .143 with the Rays last season. So how does this bring in competition?

The Reds signed P Kip Wells to a minor league deal today. Wells pitched to the tune of a 2-5; 5.33ERA last season between Washington and Cincinatti.

The Marlins signed 3B Mike Lamb. Lamb spent most of his season at AAA Buffalo last season and will need to hit considerably better to make the team. Unlikely with what the Marlins have to work with.

Finally, a week before spring training begins, The Big Hurt is calling it a career. Frank Thomas last played at major league level in 2008 with Oakland. The former number 1 pick in the 1989 draft finished with a career .301, 521HRs, 1704RBIs and easily has been one of the greatest righty hitters of all time. Happy trails Frank!

Rumors and Notes:

Jermaine Dye was offered $3M by the Cubs, but feels he can get more than that.

The Giants have offered SP Tim Lincecum a 3yr/$37M contract.

The Tigers have offered Johnny Damon a deal worth almost $7M for 1 year after incentive, otherwise it tops the Braves bid by $500K.

The Astros have offered Willy Taveras a minor league deal according to Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle.

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Shoring up Part Duex

2010-02-10T23:59:00.002-05:00

Teams seem to be making flurries of moves to sign pieces of their team like the snowfall on the east coast. Few prime-time free agents are available including Russell Branyan, John Smoltz, Carlos Delgado(who may retire), and etc. The real story is the little guys though. The Mets have made Mike Jacobs official and appear to be not done with their interest in bringing back OF Endy Chavez (few teams are looking at him also). Chavez has limited offensive skills, but has made some fantastic plays in both NY and Seattle. However, coming off knee surgery doesn't look good for him.

The Giants have won the Todd Wellemeyer sweepstakes. Wellemeyer(7-10;5.89ERA) gets a year with a possible $1M if he makes the team. I expect Wellemeyer to give up a lot of runs like he did in St. Louis, but I figure he comes out with at least 11 wins.

The Red Sox have claimed Gaby Hernandez off waivers from the M's. The Sox seem to have an affinty to deal with the M's this season. At the end of the season, they calimed AAA pitcher Robert Manuel. Later, they traded 1B Casey Kotchman for OF Bill Hall. Robert Manuel was designated for assignment to make room for Hernandez. I don't like this move.

The Mariners meanwhile signed RP Jesus Colome to a minor league deal. Despite having great outing at AAA level last season, Colome (1-1;7.59ERA) was horrid at the major league level. I don't expect him to make the team.

Rumors and Notes:

The Braves have offered OF Johnny Damon a total of $4M for one year. Damon is still looking for two years according to Tyler Kepner of the NY Times.

The Dodgers are out on SP Chien Ming Wang tweets SI's Jon Heyman.

FA DH Gary Sheffield is waiting just like Jarrod Washburn for the right offer.

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Shoring up

2010-02-10T02:26:00.000-05:00

As we are nine days away from the holy grail, teams are scrambling to find players they need. Johnny Damon is probably sweating bullets right now. Jermaine Dye and Jarrod Washburn should start panicking soon.

The Brewers signed journeyman Scott Schoenweis to a minor league contract. Schoenweis (1-2; 7.12ERA) struggle last season, but his wife passed away so I can't blame him. I think Schoenweiss will come back and be dominant in relief this season.

The O's finally brought back Mark Hendrickson and got reliever Will Ohman. Hendrickson (6-5; 4.37ERA) got a year at $1.4M and is expected to be a reliever. Ohman, another lefty, was let go by the Dodgers. Ohman posted a 1-0 record with a 5.84ERA. The ability to get through innings is good, but he has to limit his baserunners.

Jacque Jones is making his curtain call in Minnesota where he had some of his best seasons. Jones signed a minor league deal today. Jones had a terrible 2008 campaign with a .147, 1HR, 7RBIs between Detroit and Florida.

The Indians signed reliever Jamey Wright to a minor league deal. Wright went 3-4 with a 4.33ERA for the Royals last season, but had a great groundball ratio.

The Mets appear close to an agreement with 1B Mike Jacobs on a minor league deal. I can't see why he wouldn't make the team and I expect is insurance should Daniel Murphy falter. Jacbos hit .228 with 19HRs and 61RBIs. His drawbacks are his inability to get on base and his decreasing fielding percentage from not playing 1B as much. the Mets didn't stop here, though. They avoided arbitration with OF Angel Pagan, too. Pagan hit .306 with 6HRs and 32RBIs in 88 games. I expect Pagan to be as solid as he was last year. The Mets should score a lot more runs with a healthy Reyes and Pagan on base. The organization has been talking with the D-Backs about obtaining C Chris Snyder again, but talks have gone nowhere. I really don't understand the need for a fourth catcher. The Mets really need help in the bullpen and rotation, they should be pursuing RP Mike MacDougal.

Rumors and Notes:

Willy Taveras is a free man after being released by the A's. GM Ed Wade has hinted at making a run at him.

The Indians have added Hank Blalock to their wishlist according to Ken Rosenthal.

According to MLB.com's Corey Brock, the Padres are "highly unlikely" to sign pitcher Hasonori Takashi.

MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes, "Nats aggressively pursuing SP Chein Ming Wang. However, they have not yet made an offer as far as we know. Count the Dodgers and Mets out on him."

The Rockies aren't going to sign RP Joe Biemel and probably not SP Todd Wellemeyer. These were broke by Tony Renck of The Denver Post and ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.

The O's have interest in Jarrod Washburn, but it's unlikely he'll be signed due to low financials. They'll be settling for Smoltz, Wellemeyer, or Looper as per J.P. Morosi.

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Rest of SB Sunday and Monday

2010-02-08T23:52:00.000-05:00

Recently reunited Oriole Miguel Tejada will likely be playing 3B for the O's this season. Best part of the job you ask? How about being endorsed by Cal Ripken Jr. and Brooks Robinson? The two agree Tejada has a learning curve, but feel his previous work at SS and his hands will do him well.

The Yankees finalized the Randy Winn deal today. They also signed Marcus Thames to a minor league deal today. I find it hysterical seeing as he was traded away years ago for Ruben Sierra. Thames hit .252 with 13HRs and 36 RBIs in 87 games. Thames is a good player that is now stuck unfortunately on the bench for the Yanks. If the Yanks are smart, he'll get in a lot of games on base seeing as his percentage .777.

Rumors and Notes:

Japanese pitcher Hashanori Takashi has turned down offers from the Orioles and Mets. Next to decline should be the Red Sox leaving the Dodgers and Giants to battle it out for his services. Takashi prefers the west coast.

The Indians may have their eyes set on Jermaine Dye, Russell Branyan, or Jonny Gomes according to Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer.

The Cardinals have avoided arbitration with OF Skip Schumaker.

Don't expect to see Livan Hernandez back in D.C. unless the Nats don't find a quality arm.

Check out: http://www.sportsjabber.net

SB Sunday

2010-02-07T11:10:00.001-05:00

I would like to thank anybody whose read my blog in the past and especially anybody who read it today. It's Super Bowl Sundya and most people are only caring about football's finale. I, myself, haven't cared since the Steelers were knocked out, but I'm cheering for the Saints today.

Now that Erik Bedard is officially back with the M's, Yusmiero Petit got the cut. He was picked up from D-Backs earlier this off-season hoping to rebound after his abysmal '09 campaign (3-10; 5.82ERA).

The Nationals signed Shawn Estes to a minor league deal today. I hope for the sake of Nats fans, he stays in the minors. The last time we seen Estes, he was getting shelled in San Diego. The Nats have made big strides to be better this season with the signings they made. Estes can't set back the process. Estes is a career 101-93; 4.71ERA and really hasn't been good since '02 (he did go 15-8 for Colorado in '04 though).

The Blue Jays have just acquired SP Dana Eveland from the A's from a player to be named later and cash. Eveland didn't have much success at all last season posting 2-4; 7.16ERA in 13 games prompting the A's to designate him for assignment. Eveland is still a young guy in the works and has the ability to develop into a mid-bottom spot in the rotation, but needs to learn at least one more pitch.

The Dodgers have signed Brian Giles to a minor league contract worth $750K if he makes the team, otherwise the Dodgers cut him. Giles had a down season hitting only .191 with 2HRs and 23RBIs in 61 games for the Padres. I know he can produce more in LA with the hitters surrounding him in the limited action he will probably get.

Rumors and Notes:

The Reds, Rangers, and Mariners trucks have left the facilities and headed for their spring training destinations.

The Red Sox will use Roy Halladay's contract as a guide to re-sign Josh Beckett. Speculations say if he doesn't sign back with them, the Sox may pursue Cliff Lee, Rich Harden, or Ben Sheets (provided Harden and Sheets show up this season).

The Orioles are targeting a lefty, preferably Will Ohman, but they'll settle for Joe Biemel or Hasanori Takashi.

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Torrealba; Bedard and more

2010-02-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

C Yorvit Torrealba has a place he can call home...Petco Park. He signed a one year/$1.2M deal with the Padres. Torralba split time with the Rockies last season posting a .291 with 2HRs and 31RBIs . The Rockies opted to go younger and start Chris Iannetta and picked up Miguel Olivo. Torrealba will split time with C Nick Hundley. I can't see this benefiting the Padres too much.

Sources say SP Erik Bedard and the Mariners have agreed on a 1yr/%1.5M with the Mariners. Incentives make the contract worth $7.5M. That's just plain ridiculous for an average guy. Bedard (5-3; 2.82ERA) has been short of amazing with the M's thus far posting an 11-7; 3.24ERA in 30 starts for the club in two years. He's just not durable enough.

Rumors and Notes:

Steve Gilbert of MLB.com says, "D-Backs and Mark Reynolds are discussing a multi-year deal." Edwin Jackson hasn't made progress towards avoiding arbitration.

Blue Jays are out on 1B Carlos Delgado.

J.P. Morosi expects Jermaine Dye to sign with an AL club.

MLB.com's Mark Sheldon says "Reds and Jonny Gomes aren't near a reunion."

SP Todd Wellemeyer is getting looked at by the Rockies, Mets, and Giants. Tony Renck of The Denver Post says, "Rockies in the lead."

Hudson pulls a quick one; Rest of the Day

2010-02-05T02:10:00.001-05:00

You may want to halt the Orlando Hudson to the Nats notion. It appears Hudson is headed to Minnesota. Bill Ladson of MLB.com broke the news. The Twins were in the market for a 2B because Nick Punto (.228, 1HR, 38RBIs) is not that everyday man. Hudson hit .283 with 9HRs and 63 RBIs last season for the Dodgers. Hudson is an upgrade for the Twins that should get them into the play-offs again and maybe deeper. I'm wondering if the Twins dump Punto now? He's basically useless.

Now with Hudson off the market, the Nationals jumped to sign Adam Kennedy. Kennedy overachieved last season upping himself in most categories. Is he on his upside at age thirty four? Kennedy in my eyes should beat out Alberto Gonzalez at second base.

The Phillies have signed RP Oscar Villarel to a minor league deal. Villarel was shut-down by the Royals needing Tommy John surgery. He's painful in ERA, Walks, and earned runs, but on the bright side his career ERA is 3.86 (because the past two seasons his ERA jumped up). Not a good signing if he makes the team.

Rumors and Notes:

Mets and C Rod Barajas? Plain stupid when you have 3 catchers already?

Dana Eveland back to the D-Backs?

Johnny Damon and and agent Scott Boras are looking for two years instead of the Tigers offered one at seen plus million according to Lynn Henning of The Detroit News.

SP Erik Bedard is close to a one year deal to return to Seattle according to J.P. Morosi. Jarrod Washburn is considering playing for them also.

The Cubs avoided arbitration with closer Carlos Marmol.

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Rumors and Notes; Extensions

2010-02-03T22:47:00.001-05:00

The Tigers have successfully agreed to a 5y/$80M extension with SP Justin Verlander. Verlander has previously been wanting a sixth year, but the team wouldn't give it and opted for guaranteed money (sound a bit like the bank and auto execs?). Verlander (19-9; 3.45ERA) has been a consistent performer in his career with the Tigers and deserves this kind of money. He can't be arbitration-eligible again now and his deal is worth more than King Felix's.

Speaking of extensions, Joe Strauss of the St.Louis Post Dispatch claims The Albert Pujols talks have begun. The organization denies such. Albert will get a fat contract no doubt. If you ask me, he should be making A-rod's money instead of A-rod. A-Rod head to head statistics is almost the same as Pujols, but has been around the league way longer. Pujols leads a lot of categories like overall batting average, slug & OBP percentage, and fielding. So it's no surprise A-Rod leads HRs, runs, RBIs, and hits, but "Phat Albert" is going to catch him at his current rate.

Not so good extension talk is centered in San Diego as 1B Adrian Gonzalez is not expected to sign according to CEO Jeff Moorad. Moorad knows Gonzo's worth is more the cash-strapped Padres can pay. Gonzo will be traded for great prospecs, but don't expect him to join teams like the Cards, Phils, Yankees, Brewers, or Reds. He was rumored of going to Boston, but Epstein refused to pull the trigger to send Buchholz there. I can't blame him with the projections Buc is getting this season.

Rumors and Notes:

The Nats are "monitoring" Chien Ming Wang according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com

Corey Brock of MLB.com says "Padres and C Yorvit Torrealba are close to a deal."

Giants and Tim Lincecum arbitration talks aren't going well according to Mychel Urban of CSNBayArea.

MLB.com's Jim Street thinks the Mariners may re-up SP Erik Bedard. 1B Casey Kotchman avoided arbitration with the club today.

Nelson Figueroa hopes to return to the Mets, but probably won't settle for a minor league stint if he doesn't make the team.

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Dodgers and Jays; More NL East

2010-02-02T15:46:00.007-05:00

The Dodgers have finally stared to feel the pressure of the impending spring training report date without a full pitching staff. First, they re-signed Jeff Weaver to a minor league deal worth $900K after incentives. Weaver (6-4; 3.85ERA) wasn't dynamic, but could work out of the bullpen which gives Joe Torre versatility he needs this season. Next, they have made steps to sign UTL Alfredo Amezaga. Amezaga was limited to 27 games and outplayed by Marlins bench last season batting only .217 with 5RBIs. Upside of Amezaga is his career NL numbers are better than AL, but his injuries have piled up over the years. I don't understand why he got more than Weaver (like $400K more), but I'm not Ned Coletti. While Dodgers fans probably aren't ecstatic over the off-season, it most certainly relieves a lot of anguish of putting togehter a team under a tight budget that lost a load of production.

The blue Jays appear to have gotten RP Kevin Gregg. The deal is worth $2.75M but with incentives could total upwards of twelve mil. This deal is preposterous. Yes, Jason Frasor and Scott Downs have been ineffective, but Kevin Gregg is the same thing. His save number have gone down since 07 when he posted 33 for the Marlins with an 0-5 record. While his record improved (5-6), his ERA ballooned to 4.72ERA from the previous 3.41ERA. I'm not saying he's completely to blame because the Cubs didn't exactly have the greatest defense. This is a Jays team trying to build a core of young talent to combat the mighty AL East...Kevin Gregg isn't the answer.

Rumors and Notes:

The Marlins have made a low-ball offer to 1B Russell Branyan according to ESPN's Jayson Stark. Branyan would have to supplant Gaby Sanchez and Logan Morrison for the starting job. I think he could do it.

Bill Ladson of MLB.com says, "Money is holding up 2B Orlando Hudson from signing."

The Phillies auditioned RP Noah Lowery according to The Philly Daily News.

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Some Deals

2010-02-01T22:04:00.001-05:00

Shortly thereafter posting my blog last night, I found in fact that Orlando Cabrera had signed with the Reds already. The deal is worth $4M for one year as Yahoo's Tim Brown broke the news. This the best offs-season move the Reds have made. Cabrera is a solid player who can hit and field. I wished the Sox kept him after 04 campaign. Cabrera hit .284 with 9HRs and 77RBIs between the A's and Twins and was an instrumental player in the Twins playoff-push. The Reds then traded Willy Taveras and Adam Rosales for Aaron Miles and a player to be named later to the A's. The Reds saved some cash on this deal, but overall not really a spectacular trade. The A's spent some of thir fortunes on signing OF Gabe Gross to a 1yr/$750K. The A's dumped Taveras followed by SP Dana Eveland.

Ken Rosenthal reports the Rockies and Melvin Mora have reached a one year/$1.3M contract. The deal comes as no surprise after Cabrera chose the Reds over the Rockies. I really do like Melvin Mora, but his usefulness is vanishing as his numbers decline every year. He hit .260 with 8HRs and 48RBIs for the O's last season and will most likely play third for the Rox.

The Dodgers have closed a deal with OF Reed Johnson. Last year for the Cubs, Johnson hit .255 with 4HRs and 22RBIs , but only saw 65 games of action due to an injury. Not a bad addition for bench depth and a better choice than Garrett Anderson. The Dodgers need guys to get on base and that's something Johnson is good at doing consistently posting over .300 every season.

The Cubs have signed 1B Kevin Millar to a minor league deal. He hit .221 for the Jays last season. Millar (.223, 7HRs, 29RBIs) is clearly there to smooth over the broken clubhouse atmosphere because his numbers have consistently went down.

The Mariners have signed 1B Ryan Garko. Garko (.268, 13HRs, 51RBIs) didn't live up to expectations in San Fran and probably won't in Seattle. Garko's deal is worth up to $1M if he achieves x number of plate appearances.

The Red Sox have sgind another former Rays reliver in Joe Nelson. Nelson went 3-0 with a 4.02ERA for the Rays last season. He should be a good addition. The Sox I believe are still one reliver shy of a good enough bullpen.

Rumors and Notes:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweets the Marlins have offered RP Kevin Gregg his job back. Gregg was a bust in Chi-town. The Marlins may be close to an agreement with RP Seth McClung, tweets MLB.com's Adam McCalvey.

FA OF/DH Gary Sheffield is considering from two unidentified teams.

Chien Ming Wang a Phillie? Not really according to Scott Lauber of the News Journal. SI's Heyman says he expects the east or west coast for Wang.

Mariners assistant GM says, "They are seeking a right handed bat and pitcher."

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Slow Saturday

2010-01-30T13:26:00.012-05:00

Frank Catalanatto has elected to accept a minor league contract with the Mets. The Brewers and Marlins were in on him as well. Catalanatto hit .278 with 1HR and 9RBIs in 73 games. While it looks like a low total, he played off the bench mostly. This will be a valuable asset for the Mets and he can also hit lefties well. This most certainly should resolve the Carlos Delgado problem. Catalanatto can still 1B and OF.

Rumors and Notes:

The Pittsburgh Penguins may make a run at buying the Pirates franchise. Can they save the bumbling Bucs? Yes, it'll take some patience and a star player. Associated Press cites the previous talks have all been declined.

The Reds and Orlando Cabrera are "close to a deal as Cabrera leans towards the Reds," says Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. ESPN says Jonny Gomes is also close to a deal with the club.

Nats 1B/DH Adam Dunn says, "Orlando wants Washington as his destination, but the sides aren't close to an agreement."

With Cabrera likely headed to Cincy, the Rockies have shifted their attention to Melvin Mora.

Rumor has it that Joe Crede will not be coming back to the Twins.

The Giants avoided arbitration with closer Brian Wilson.

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More "meaningless" Acquisitons; NL East responsible

2010-01-29T21:31:00.017-05:00

So more names came off the FA board Thursday and Friday. The question is: Does anyone care? Most of these deals familiar names, but with implications. The first was the Yankees signing of Randy Winn. Johnny Damon was simply TOO much money for the Yanks to want to spend. They gave Winn the last $2M for a year they had. Winn is a sure-fire bargain at that price, but comes nowhere near Damon's production. The Yankees should be looking to call someone up for 2011 as Winn probably won't return. Winn put up a .262 with 2HRs and 51 RBIs.

No reunion will be necessary in STL for Jim Edmonds. He came to terms with the Brewers on a minor league deal. He's had a season off since playing with Cubs and Padres in 08. Edmonds will be an extra OF if he makes the team. The odds aren't in his favor his declining numbers in every category and the Brewers OF options.

The Nationals signed RP Miguel Batista to a minor league deal. Last we knew, he was making an insane $9M with the Mariners. His numbers (7-4; 4.04ERA) weren't that good either, but considerably better than his god awful 2008.

The Marlins not to be outdone by Washington's spending spree this off-season signed RP Jose Veras (4-3;5.19ERA), who've they've been targeting to a minor league deal. After signing Derrick Turnbow earlier, the Marlins should have servicable relievers, but the bullpen is very weak still.

The Mets signed Fernando Tatis ending a week's speculation he'd return. Does this mean the end of Carlos Delgado? I doubt it. Tatis hit .282 with 8HRs and 48RBIs in 125 games for the Mets disaster-season. He was on base decently enough and his slugging percentage didn't hurt either(.438). The organization also added SP Josh Fogg (0-2;3.74ERA) to a minor league deal. I hope they don't think this is their fifth man?!? Sure he eats up innings, but gives up hits and runs galore. Omar Minaya has waited too damn long for pitching which should've been their 1st/2nd priority this off-season. As stated by SI's Jon Heyman, their falling behind in pursuit of John Smoltz.

The Mariners, who've quieted down as of late, signed OF Eric Byrnes. Byrnes hit .226 with 8 HRs and 31 RBIs after signing a previous contract with $30M. Byrnes is in sharp decline and it's a wonder they didn't pursue Randy Winn for the bench or retain Bill Hall.

Rumors and Notes:

Johnny Damon a Blue Jay?

The Angels have avoided arbitration with SP Joe Saunders. The Rangers finished their last arb-eligible player Scott Feldman.

The Reds are waiting on an answer from Orlando Cabrera on a potential deal. They offered SP Jonny Gomes a minor league deal.

The Nats are talking extensions with Adam Dunn. The Tigers are looking "long-term" with SP Justin Verlander. Jeff Passan of Yahoo says "Verlander is looking for $75M over six and the Tigers have offered five years thus far."

the Mets and two other teams are looking into INF Frank Catalanatto.

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Crawling Along

2010-01-27T13:21:00.010-05:00

That's how it feels this stage of the off-season. When baseball season ends, football is there to cushion the blow. Now football is practically over( it's really been done for me since the Steelers were eliminated). Hockey has even reached the midway point to be interesting. Basketball? I can't stand it. That essentially leaves the sports horizon bleak until spring training. We're at the worst point of the year where baseball fans begin to lose sight and feel depressed. The big names have gone( with the exception of Damon). Now most teams are filling their needs with whatever lesser role players they need. The excitement of December is long gone as the dog days of January are underway. The weather is so cold in the northeast that you can't imagine any player getting out to practice and shake off the rust. The only way not to go mad is believe the season will start soon. I've already begun looking at bus trips to games, season schedules for games, and occasional trips to the sports store to see what new merchandise I can get my grubby hands on. The merchandise hasn't come in yet and the bus trips aren't listed yet, but I can prospectively start picking out trips (so far Camden in the summer). As I look, I'm renewed with a sense of hope.

I can smell the hot dogs at Camden, excited to go to CitiField for the first time, McFadden's bar before the Phillies game, and of course raucously cheering for the Red Sox. the thought just brings chills down my spine. Whose going to break out this season? Who will retire after this season? Who will be the 2010 Champs? These are the wueations racing through my mind right now. Far more important than almost any of yesterday's signings (Sorry, Thome, Garland, etc.) If there's thing that shamed me about baseball it was Ben Sheets new deal yesterday ($10M for damaged goods?!?). Thank god, it's only 26 days til spring training.

Rumors and Notes:

Cubs sign Chad Tracy and Xavier Nady.
Twins sign Jim Thome.
Dodgers re-sign Brad Ausmus and Ronnie Belliard.
Padres sign Jon Garland.
The cardinals sign Rich Hill
Angels signed Maicer Izturis to a three year contract worth $33M.
The Orioles have offered Will Ohman a minor league contract.

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Weekend in Review

2010-01-25T17:30:00.012-05:00

I think this will have everything I missed over the weekend, or so I hope. A lot of high profile players reached deals. One of the first deals was a throwback with SS Miguel Tejada signed a 1yr/$6M contract with the O's. He will be playing 3B for the frist time there in his career. Tejada couldn't live up to the expectations of his $72M contract so they dumped him and he ended up with the Astros. Tejada batted .313 with 14 HRs and 86 RBIs. He fielded .970 which isn't great, but at third he shouldn't see as much action.

The Rockies have re-signed DH Jason Giambi to a 1yr/$1.7M contract. Giambi wa between Oakland and Colorado last season barely playing over 100 games. He hit a combined .201 with 13 HRs and 51 RBIs. He was much better with Colorado posting a stronger OBP and SLG.

The Phillies re-signed C Carlos Ruiz to a 3yr/$8.8M deal. Ruiz was the last Phillie arbitration eligible. He played in his second lowest total games (103), but was overall more productive than in any other season in most categories.

One Phillie not returning is DH Matt Stairs. The 42 year old signed a minor league deal with the Padres. He has a chance to make the majors, which shouldn't be a problem unless his bat has gone cold for good. He batted .194 last season with 5HRs and 17 RBIs, but was decent getting on base and play the OF in three different positons.

Rumors and Notes:

Mark Loretta has officially hung it up.

The Astros have agreed to a deal with arb-eligible OF Hunter Pence. The Brewers got one arb-eligible payer off their list by re-signing SP Dave Bush.

Ken Rosenthal and J.P. Morosi say, "The Cubs have engaged negotiations" with RP Kiko Calero. It's been ruled out SP Ben Sheets.

The A's are looking at OF Johnny Damon as a "Plan B." "Plan A" is Ben Sheets.

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Dodgers staff; Phillies

2010-01-22T21:19:00.001-05:00

The Dodgers got the pitcher they so desperately needed. The question is can he make up for his off-season bumble? Vincente Padilla signed a 1yr/$5M contract with the Dodgers Thursday afternoon ending weeks of speculation who was the Dodgers capable starter. Padilla (12-6; 4.46ERA) came in last season and pitched great after being dumped by Texas. Will he be able to keep the ball off the batters? And will he be able to forget about the gun problem he had? The Dodgers have no room for distraction this season.

After spending the money to retain SP Joe Blanton, the Phils locked up an important part of their line-up by re-upping OF Shane Victorino. Victorino got a similar deal as Blanton (3ys @ $24M, Victorino's only $2M less). C Carlos Ruiz is the last arbitration-eligible Phillie left. Victorino posted a .292 average, hitting 10HRs and driving in 63 RBIs. The only downside of these deals is there' not a lot of money to retain OF Jayson Werth, whose due for a big payday. The Phils have committed $130M dollars of payroll for 2011. If I had the choice between Blanton and Werth, I'm picking Werth easily. He's a great fielder and had great production this past season accompanying his good seasons before hand. The Phils are also ready to pull the trigger on a one year deal with SP Jose Contreras. Contreras (6-13; 4.92ERA) pitched horridly for the White Sox last season, but was slightly better in Colorado. More than likely, Pedro Martinez will probably not return now. I would've picked Pedro over Contreras because Martinez is more consistent and has a desire to win.

Remember when OF Rick Ankiel was a pitcher trying to make his way into the Cardinals rotation? The ugly outings filled with wild pitches and runs & bases galore for opponents? How about the demotion back to minor leagues where he struggled again. For Ankiel (.231, 11HRs, 38RBIs) it was probably hell. Luckily, he hadn't had enough suffering and signed a 1yr/$3.2M contract with the Royals. Seems an awful lot of money for a guy who underachieved previous numbers.

The Mets appear to be on the brink of a trade for Angels OF Gary Matthews Jr. for RP Brian Stokes. Not a good trade for the Mets, Stokes is no superman, but Matthews has not lived up to expetations in LA. He was a poor defender and batted only .231 with 4HRs and 50RBIs. Stokes posted a 2-4 record and 3.97ERA. The Angels are sucking up some salary and sending %500K the Mets way. Angels get the better part of this deal I think.

The Reds have signed RP Jose Arredondo to a minor league contract. Arredando (2-3; 6.00ERA) was cut by the Angels during arbitration period because of his impending surgery which will cause him to miss all of 2010. The Angels will regret this in 2011 when Arredondo pitches like he did in '08.

Rumors and Notes:

The Nationals are interested in 1B Mike Jacobs.

The Twins are interested in Jim Thome. Thome is interested in Chicago(AL).

Jayson Stark says the Rockies should actively be pursuing Orlando Carbrera, Orlando hudson, and Miguel Tejada.

The Mets have interest in Chein Ming-Wang, Ben Sheets, and Chad Tracy. This comes from multiple sources including Post's Ken Davidoff, Alan Nero(Wang's rep), and Anthony McCaron of the New York Daily News. Mike Puma of the Post hears Fernando Tatis could be in the fold if Carlos Delgado doesn't return.

SI's Jon Heyman reports, "The Yankees and Johnny Damon have talked or met, no progress made though."
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Last of the Arbs: Big Deals

2010-01-20T16:02:00.014-05:00

Well the arbitration period came and went, 70 players avoided it. Notables include: Johnathon Papelbon, Ramon Ramirez, Manny Delcarmen, Tim Lincecum, Joe Blanton, Justin Verlander, Wandy Rodriguez, Francisco Liriano, Mike Napoli, Reggie Willits, Howie Kendrick, Josh Willingham, Josh Hamilton, and Zach Duke.

The Mariners have agreed to a 5yr/$78M extension with SP Felix Hernandez. Hernandez (19-5; 2.49ERA) simply blew the competition away last season and this one should be no different with Cliff Lee on board. Look out AL West, this is the team for the next few years. Hernandez's contract also has a no-trade clause with it.

Cheer up Rockies fan, your bullpen is back. Houston Street and Rafael Betancourt have re-signed multi-year deals to stay with the Rox. Street (4-1 ;3.06ERA; 35 saves) was good after coming over in the Matt Holliday trade. Betancourt (4-3; 2.73ERA) signed for 2yr/ $3.7M with a third year option. Street's deal is worth 3yrs/$22.5M with a fourth year option. The Rockies have signed C Paul Lo Duca to a minor league contract. Lo Duca has really bounced around the league after being injured and admitting to use steroids. Not a lot of promise there, but maybe Coors Field could be used to his advantage.

The Dodgers did what they needed to do to keep attendance and a fan base by signing Andre Ethier (.272; 31 HRs; 106RBIs) and Johnathon Broxton (7-2; 2.61ERA; 36 saves) to two year deals. Aside from Matt Kemp, these signings have been the only bright spot in the Dodgers offseason. Ethier's is worth $15.2M and Broxton's totals $11M.

The Brewers have reached an agreement with RP Doug Davis. Davis(9-14; 4.12ERA) agreed yesterday to a 1yr/$5.2M(which seems a bit overpaid for a sub .500 winner and career 4.31ERA). Somehow, Davis was very sought after, but will be in Milwaukee for his second stint with the Brew Crew.

Joel Pineiro has a team and it's no the Mets. Pineiro agreed to terms on a 2yr/$16M contract to fill John Lackey's void. He's no Lackey, but is serviceable. Piniero went 15-12 with a 3.29ERA in 32 games for the Cardinals.

The Pirates may have their man in RP Octavio Dotel. Dotel is slated to accept a 1r/$3M contract with a 2011 option. Dotel (3-3; 3.32ERA) has really bounced around the league since 2004, but has been good-serviceable. I expect Dotel to be the anchor of the Pirates bullpen. They just need to give him run support.

The Phils have extended SP Joe Blanton for 3yrs/$24M. Blanton, oft-criticized, went 12-8 with a 4.05ERA last season in Philly. He's a mediocre pitcher at best, but is serviceable which most people forget. Twenty-four million is too much in my opinion.

Finally, the Bengie Molina drama is over. Molina (.265, 20HRs, 80 RBIs) agreed to a 1yr/$4.5M deal to stay with the Giants. Bad move for San Fran, good for Mets. The Mets can now focus on Yorvit Torrealba if they really need a third catcher, but I'd worry more about pitching for them. Molina is in a cramped infield already as well as catching position. If he doesn't play well this season, it's going to hurt him next year trying to sign a contract. The Mets were prepared to hand him the starting job at $5M over two years.

Rumors and Notes:

RP Eric Gagne is going to try-out for the Phillies, Rockies, Dodgers, and Blue Jays. "We don't expect much," says GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. Why bother?

D-Backs are out on the Ben Sheets sweepstakes citing, "Broke."

The Cards may sign OF Jim Edmonds by week's end. The organization is looking at SP Chien Ming Wang's medical records.

Jay Payton has signed on with the Rockies.

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A Swap and More Arbs

2010-01-18T18:23:00.001-05:00

So the biggest news other than Bobby Jenks arbitration deal over the weekend was the A's-Padres swap of 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff( now an A) and minor leaguer Erik Sogard for OF Aaron Cunningham and OF Scott Hairston( now Padres). Um, so let's get this straight--the Padres swapped a decent fielding/hitting player for a guy that use to play for them and a guy I've never heard of? They couldn't do any better?!? Dump Heath Bell and be done being a baseball club San Diego. Disgrace everything Tony Gwynn brought to your organization. Billy Beane may as well be described as "King of The West" for this deal (It's not spectacular, but it looks freakin good when you dump two meaningless players for an average star 3B). Sure, you can argue Kouz's average at the plate (.255) and OBP (.302) weren't fantastic, but do Hairston or Cunningham compare? Hairston has a better batting average when he' a Padre, but that's it.

The Pirates came to terms with RP Brenden Donnelly on a contract worth $1.5M/1 year. Donnelly pitched for the Marlins last season posting a 3-0; 1.38ERA and was targeted by the Pirates a few days ago. He's really come on since Houston Triple-A before he signed with the Marlins last season after having surgery in 2007( Tommy John).

The Padres came to terms with INF Jerry Hairston, Jr. on a 1yr/$2.1M deal. Seems a bit expensive for a player who didn't produce very much last season, especially with the Yankees. Hairston (.251, 10HRs, 39 RBIs) does have the opportunity to play alongside his brother Scott, who was acquired in the Kouzmanoff deal.

Arbitration avoids:
Rangers SP/RP Dustin Nippert, White Sox RP Bobby Jenks, P Tony Pena, and OF Carlos Quentin, Blue Jays SP Shaun Marcum, Giants RP Brandon Medders, Marlins 2B Dan Uggla, Brewers OF Jody Gerut, and Reds RP Nick Masset.

Rumors and Notes:

Cards Skip Schumaker claims "The Cards and I are close to a deal." GM Mozelik is rumored to say Ryan Ludwick will have a new deal, too. Rick Ankiel, probably not.

RP Octavio Dotel could be a Pirate very soon.

"Don't rule out RP Kiko Calero returning to Florida," says ESPN's Buster Olney.

The Rays may be tied up trying to deal with pending arbitration's with B.J. Upton, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and J.P. Howell, but they could be interested in DH Jim Thome (from MLB's Scott Merkin). Not really an upgrade over Pat Burrell.

ESPN's Buster Olney says, "Rockies are staying in contact" with Jason Giambi.

J.P. Morosi writes, "The Cubs are interested in OF Xavier Nady." Nady or Dye? That's an interesting contest.

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Must Be Payday(even for the Dodgers)

2010-01-15T06:22:00.015-05:00

That's probably what Josh Johnson and his agent woke up thinking today. Luckily for both them and the Marlins, that rang true as Johnson will remain a fish for the next four years. Johnson was stellar last season posting a 15-5; 3.23ERA season where he pitched more innings than gave up hits(also and All-Star)! The total contract is worth $39M which is a steal for a young guy like him. If this rate continues, he's due for $100M+ payday in 2014.

The Diamondbacks have signed 1B Adam LaRoche (.277, 25 HRs, 83 RBIs) to a 1yr/$7.5M(plus option) contract. This move makes Eric Byrnes an overpaid liability and he was designated for assignment today. LaRoche, 34, bounced around the MLB last season with the Pirates, Red Sox, and Braves, but spent a good portion of time injured with a hammy problem. This is quite a gamble for the D-Backs, who are only saving about $3M.

The Red Sox have agreed to sign reliever Brian Shouse. This was rumor yesterday that no one could seem to find info on. Shouse went 1-1 with a 4.50ERA in 45 games last season. I'm glad the Sox picked up him to shore-up the bullpen and also take from the Rays. I'm concerned that his oblique strain limited him at age 40. Shouse will be around for his second tour of duty with the Sox (1998 - (0-1, 5.62ERA) along with Tim Wakefield, who were teammates back in Pittsburgh. The Sox have also signed six players( most notably Jorge Sosa -Nationals and Gil Velazquez (AAA Pawtucket last season with short stint in Boston). All are invited to spring training for a shot at a roster spot.

The Tigers have agreed on a two year/$14M with a $9M option contract with closer Jose Valverde. Valverde (4-2; 2.84ERA; 25 saves) was with the Astros last season. Bet Joel Zumaya isn't going to be happy with his new teammate.

OF Matt Kemp will officially be a Dodger for the next two years. It only cost the cost-cutting Dodgers $11M. Kemp (.297, 26 HRs, 101 RBIs, and 34 SBs) has been a force in the line-up alongside, Man-Ram, Ethier, etc. The only concern is after those two years are up has Frank McCourt solved his monetary issues because Kemp(as well as Ethier) won't come cheap? This move will only matter if he signs a new deal in 2012. The Dodgers avoided arbitration ($3.85M) with Chad Billingsley today.

Rumors and Notes:

The M's are making "small progress" with a Felix Hernandez extension....Jeff Z doesn't sleep...he signs.

The Giants may be interested in reliever Kiko Calero.

The Dodgers, Rangers, Angels, Cardinals will be watching Ben Sheets session today in an attempt to re-start his injury -plagued career. Buyer-beware.

The Braves are not interested in OF Johnny Damon and the Tigers have not expressed interest in him either. Detroit should play this up to drive down his cost.

Arbitrarion avoiders: Red Sox RP Hideki Okajima, Padres RP Heath Bell, D-Backs C Miggy Montero and OF Conor Jackson, and Rangers Brandon McCarthy.

The Mets have contacted Jerry Hairston Jr. No word on how it went.

The Yankees and OF Rocco Baldelli have "mutual interest" , says Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com. Only NY, Toronto, and Baltimore to get the rest of the AL East, buddy.

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Delgado; Rumors

2010-01-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

The White Sox came to terms with C Ramon Castro on a 1 year $1M contract with an option for 2011. Castro hit .219 between the Mets and White Sox last season. However, he was abysmal at the plate with the Sox posting a .184 average. I don't understand this move with Pierzynski as starter and Flowers as a promising young backstop. If they really needed a third catcher, why not go with a Jose Molina or Brad Ausmus?

The Mets have been watching 1B Carlos Delgado in Puerto Rico. AOL Fanhouse's Ed Price says, "Delgado is not moving around well." Can you blame Delgado for the punishment of the weight he's placed on himself playing the field for the Mets? The perennial choke artists along with the reputation of being the team's storied hitter when he was traded for in 2006 has run its course on poor Carlos. Gone are the years of youth when he slugged 30+ HRs for 11 straight seasons, .556 slugging in the AL, and .392 OBP (AL). His points dropped a teeny bit after coming to Florida and then the Mets, but how much does he have left in the tank? I can't forsee him being useful to the Mets at his age and with this report by Price. He's suited for a AL DH role and it looks like Toronto may take their man back after being gone for almost six years. On top of that, OF Carlos Beltran will miss 12 weeks after surgery.

Rumors and Notes:

The Dodgers are working on a multiyear extension with OF Matt Kemp, RP Johnathon Broxton, and OF Andre Ethier. If the Dodgers can get this done, it locks up a core of important players for the struggling economic situation in LA. The Dodgers are also focusing on signing either SP Joel Piniero or Vincente Padilla.

J.P. Morosi says "Tigers are in the lead" for reliever Jose Valverde. The Tigers avoided arbitration with RP Joel Zumaya. Zumaya (3-3; 4.94ERA) signed a year deal.

The Padres are eyeing OF Jermaine Dye. Why I don't know, for a club cutting financial corners as tight as the Dodgers. In order for this to happen, a veteran will have to move. Morosi says, "Kouzmanoff and Bell are most likely."

The Rockies have talked with 3B/OF Fernando Tatis about a bench role.

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Ardolis Has A Home

2010-01-12T13:40:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's true...Ardolis Chapman has landed with a MLB team. The thing is I don't think most people realize who he signed with or the fact the team spent the money to get him. Chapman signed a deal today worth five years and $25M with a sixth year option with.....catch your breath.....seriously, I'm not responsible for heart attacks....the Cincinatti Reds. Yes, the team that is like the god-father of "fire-sales," the team that doesn't spend much money, the team that trades away anyone decent for a bunch of prospects that never produce. I'm stunned. Chapman was expected to sign with the Red Sox, Yanks, Mets, Blue Jays, or any other big market team you can think of. Is this an upgrade for the Reds? Totally. Even if this guy tanks (see Jose Contreras), the Reds can still be better than they are with the sad rotation they have. If they could just get some run support! Rumor has it Chapman may see the big leagues with the Reds and could be a good reason why he signed with them because the other suitors projected starting him in AAA first.

The Giants and 1B/DH Aubrey Huff (.241, 15 HRs and 85 RBIs) have come to an agreement on a 1yr/$3M deal pending a physical. The move doesn't make a whole lot of sense becasue the Giants have 1B covered(unless Sandoval figures to be the starting catcher) and a plethora of bench players for reserves and DH. Sure, his more than likely means Adam LaRoche isn't coming to town, but how does this upgrade the Giants?

The Dodgers came to terms with SS Nick Green on a minor league deal. Green (.236, 6HRs, and 35RBIs) was servicable for a good portion of the season with the the Red Sox batting and fielding wise. He slumped towards the end and had surgery on his back in November. Green will probably be the back-up for Rafael Furcal.

The Royals have signed reliever Matt Herges to a minor league deal. Herges was (3-1 ;3.38ERA) between the Indians and the Rockies last season. Can't say this is much, but for the Royals I guess it's something. Let's hope he doesn't have an abysmal decline at age forty.

The Pirates have agreed to a deal with oft-injured OF Ryan Church. He'll get a one year deal plus an arbitration option for 2011. Church hit .273 with 4 HRs and 40 RBI between New York (NL) and the Braves.

Rumors and Notes:

The Orioles are said to be interested in 1B Adam LaRoche. Mets may get in the mix, too.

The Mariners may be interested in 1B Ryan Garko.

Reliever Doug Davis has interest in joining the Nationals. I believe the Phillies need him desperately and can't afford to let him sign with the Nats. Rumor also has it that 2B Orlando Hudson would be willing to accept a two year deal if "the money's right".

J.P. Morosi says "Indians have not shopped Jhonny Peralta". The club signed INF Mark Grudzielanek (.299) as well to a minor league deal. Grudielanek's physical play should add some backbone to the struggling Indians.

The Cubs are making a run at SP Ben Sheets.

The Dodgers and Mets are making pitches to SP Joel Piniero. The Mets have offered 2yr/$15M.

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Say What?!?

2010-01-09T20:09:00.012-05:00

The Rangers are in the process of scooping up Vladimair Guerrero. The deal is rumored to be worth 1 year with $5M dollars worth of incentives and a 2011 option( I'm assuming the base is worth $7M). I really thought the Rangers were too low-balled to get this deal done, but evidently I thought wrong. Vlad has declined in the outfield a lot and his power really showed its fade last season. Guerrero had his second lowest number of home runs, hits, and RBIs this season(3 if you count 1996 when he played in 9 games). Is this a good gamble for the Rangers? Why not? I mean it's $7M they lost, not $77M like the Angels contract (Up to last year, he was worth that money). This could turn-out much like the Andruw Jones experience did. The real question is: Does this put the Rangers over the hump and into the playoffs?The Rangers also signed SS Khalil Greene (.200, 6HRs, 24RBIs in 77 games). Greene won't get the opportunity to start, but at least it's a contract (1yr/$750K) and a chance to come back after his meltdown last season.

The Royals have signed OF Scott Podsednik to a 1yr/$1.7M contract. Podsednik was very under the radar in terms of power and RBIs, but his batting average (.304), slugging (.412), and OBP (.353) were fantastic. Why this move is good for the Royals is who wants Mitch Maier or Brain Anderson as your starting OF? Certainly, not me. The opportunities he creates for extra bases won't hurt either.

Sound the alarm Phillies! Brett Myers has just left a VERY beleaugered bullpen. Myers has really slumped the past two years with Philadelphia being shuffled through all parts of the rotation and even demoted to AAA. Myers (4-3; 4.84ERA) gets a year to prove himself in Houston ($5M with an option for 2011). I can't see Houston resurrecting his career( Remember Randy Wolf's stint there?).

Rumors and Notes:

The Yankees are in "serious talks" with Jerry Hairston Jr.
The Twins made an offer to SP Jarrod Washburn. He rejected it.
Could Carlos Delgado end up in San Fran?
The Dodgers have signed SP Russ Ortiz to a minor league deal.
The O's may end up re-signing Mark Hendrickson if they don't get Erik Bedard or Ben Sheets.

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Hinske, Holliday, Beltre and more

2010-01-06T18:36:00.015-05:00

I'm at a loss for words....Adrian Beltre (.265, 8HRs and 77 RBIs) has signed a 1yr/$10M contract with an option for another year with the Red Sox. Why did we go after a hitter who was mostly noted for his horrendous slump last year? How will we dump Lowell might be the better question. On top of that, the Sox announced CF Jacoby Ellsbury will move to left and Mike Cameron will take his place in center. Are you kidding? This is a guy{Ellsbury} who was knocked for being a poor CF (.994% FLD) last season and he's gonna play the Monster (his last left field numbers were 1.000% in 24 games in 2008) ? Where's the logic? Ellsbury is far more athletic than Mike Cameron now. I don't see Cameron in CF working out very well. To add to my debate, Elssbury's fielding was .04% higher than Cameron's fielding. There's a talk of trading 1B Casey Kotchman to the M's for UTL Bill Hall and possibly minor league catching prospect Hassiel Jimenez. This deal is fairly stupid as far as I'm concered because of Bill Hall's $8.4M contract to basically be a reserve and Jimenez has even reached Single-A ball yet.

The Cards officially have the NL Central wrapped up and possibly a World Series appearance(I'm re-thinking my Phillies prediction) after coming to terms with OF Matt Holliday on a 7yr/$120M contract.

The Phillies lost another bullpen arm as of yesterday. Clay Condrey (6-2; 3.00ERA) has agreed to terms with the Twins. Condrey pitched 42 innings because of an oblique strain last season, but his 55.2% groundball is a best among free agent relievers. this is quite a shot to take after Scott Eyre retired Wedensday for Philadelphia.

The Braves signed UTL Eric Hinske(is this guy always on the move?) to a 1yr/%1M contract. Hinske hit a combined .242 with the Yankees and Pirates last season. It's a solid option for the Braves offensively and defensively, but there maiun problem is pitching.

The Mariners have re-signed OF Franklin Guiterrez to a 4 year, $20M extension. Guiterrez was phenomenal after coming over from Cleveland hitting .283. His CF defense was the best in the najors last season. Seattle is back baby!

The seemingly quiet Rays have signed C Kelly Shoppach to a 2yr/$5.5M deal. Shoppach hit .214 last season in a shortened seasoned, but his overall numbers are very productive. I wish the Sox never let him go. Shoppach proveds a solid option at the plate over Navarro, but Navarro has a better defensive skills.

A team I literally forgot about (Sorry to your fans) was the Indians. They signed OF Austin Kearns to a minor league deal. Kearns was abominable last season in the time he got to play. His career numbers go up and down consistently, but 2009 was an all-time low for him. Thankfully, there's a bright spot Indians fans--Shelley Duncan. This is the smartest move the organization has made towards rebuilding. I've gotten the pleasure( or maybe displeasure) of watching Duncan with the AAA Yankees. The guy has a nice swing and is insanely productive. His fielding isn't bad either. It's going to be a long road in Cleveland, but Duncan will be a fixture there in the years to come.

Another move that makes me wonder why is the A's re-signing Jack Cust. The team, opposing hitters and fans alike know this guy can't play D worth a dime. Offensively, he's consistently low-mid .200's and has a huge number of strike-outs. So why did he get a 1yr/$2.5M? Ask Billy Beane or your Prozac bottle.

Rumors and Notes:

Jose Valverde has four offers to choose from (Tigers,D-Backs and two mystery teams).

The Rangers offered DH Vlad Guerrero a 1yr/$7M contract. My guess is he turns it down.

Russell Branyan most likely will not return to the M's with the impending Kotchman-Hall deal.

John Smoltz is drwaing interest from 3/5 of the NL East(Phils, Nats, and Mets). i wish he'd hang it up already. Speaking off, congrats to Randy Johnson on a fantastic career.

Congratulations to Andre Dawson for making the HoF.

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2010: Fire It Up!

2010-01-02T17:55:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year to all. We're getting so close to spring training I can smell it. only 90+ days to Opening Day! The Hot Stove isn't done yet either. Bay's physical has passed, so, it's a done deal basically. The official announcemnet should be coming. Interesting note with football and baseball, Florida Gator senior WR Riley "Coooooooooooooop" Cooper was drafted by Texas, but hasn't been contacted by the club. He may go for the NFL instead. Either way, best of luck Coop, your years as a Gator were fantastic.

My 2010 predictions:

Phillies Own the NL East again, with the Mets as wild card.
Giants win the NL West
NL Central goes to the Cards.

Yanks win AL East, Boston wild card
AL Central is the White Sox
AL West is the Mariners.

World series has Boston against Phillies. Boston takes it in 7 dramatic games (and I'm not being biased cuz I love the Sox).

Rumors and Notes:

The Blue Jays are pursuing Ardolis Chapman. Guess there gonna need someone to replace Halladay?

The Dodgers are working on a multi-year deal with OF Matt Kemp.

Rumor has it that 3B Adrian Beltre is close ot a deal with either the Red Sox, A's, or a mystery team reports MLBtraderumors.com

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Bay gets a deal; Holliday?; 2009 In Review

2009-12-29T15:55:00.009-05:00

Well, the dream of Jason Bay returning to Fenway has officially died today. He's accepted an offer from the Mets for 4yr/$66M with a fifth year option. Boston was only short six million dollars that would push the organization into the luxury tax category. Bay was nothing short of stellar in Fenway and should be a phenomenal at CitiField. Bay hit .267 with a record 36 HRs and 119 RBIs. I expect nothing short of this from him in Citi.

OF Matt Holliday could be close to a return with the Cards. It's rumored to be a 7-8 year offer worth $100+M. The talks have heated up in recent days by both sides. Where does this leave the cap for bringing back Albert Pujols? With both back for 2010, I think it's safe to say the NL Central is wrapped up.

The Phillies have announced their "mystery reliever": Danys Baez. Baez (4-6 4.02ERA) didn't have very much luck last season in the O's bullpen, but he did pitch 71.2 innings. The Phillies don't have a strong bullpen right now and this certainly doesn't strengthen it.They signed minor leaguer Tagg Bozied as well. Bozied has had surprising numbers in the minors throughout his career, but has had some major injury setbacks.

The Giants have signed back utilityman Juan Uribe. Uribe hit .289 with 16 HRs and 55 RBIs in 122 games. He won't be getting that much playing time, but should still be able to produce effectively. In playing multiple positions, his fielding percentage wasn't under a .960. The Giants have a great loooking team for 2010 and I think will be the wild-card definitely. They did it without acquiring Dan Uggla, who I'd be stunned if he didn't end up with the Braves.

The D-Backs ended speculation and agreed to terms with 2B Kelly Johnson on a 1yr/$2.3M deal. Johnson (.224, 8HRs, 29RBIs) had a rough 2009 spending time on the DL and losing the starting job to Martin Prado. Arizona should be a chance to redeem himself and get a better deal in 2011(if he doesn't choose arbitration) or 2012. Nick Piecoro of the Arizon Republic thinks this could make Augie Ojeda expendable.

The Cubs said no to Scott Posedenik and Rick Ankiel and yes to Marlon Byrd. MLB.com's Carrie Muskrat finds the deal worth over $15M @ 3 years. Byrd hit .283 with 20 HRs and 89 RBIs last season in Texas. This should play out well in 2010, but expect the next two years for his numbers to drop-off. Looking at his batting records, he consistenly goes down in most categories the longer he's with a team.

Rumors and Notes:

The Mets aren't close to signing C Bengie Molina. Torralba could be the solution with Miguel Olivo's impending Rockies agreement. They havent given up hope on 1B Carlos Delgado either. Joel Piniero could be the next deal the Mets make?

Johnathan Frasor is on the Cubs radar.

2009 was a season full of everything a baseball could hope for(minus another Yankees WS). There were big deals at the deadline (Jake Peavy, Matt Holliday, Cliff Lee etc.), big performances ( Utley's 5 HRs in WS, Burehle's perfect game, Sanchez's no-hitter, etc), milestones ( Ichiro's hits, Ellsbury steals, Randy Johnson's #300, Pudge passed Carlton Fisk in games at catcher postion, Jeter passes Gehrig), and memories of games we attended. 2009 showed us the bad in baseball, too. Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games with performance enhancing drugs (female fertility, really?). If that wasn't enough, a report linked he and David Ortiz (many have wondered where his swing went?) to PED's. There were the lowly Pirates and Indians who fire-saled the entire team (The Reds werent in on this?!?). Josh Hamilton's feel-good story curbed this season. Nick Adenhart was tragically killed in a car accident after his ML debut. Countless old-timers of baseball died this year.

We had pleasant surprises this season ( see Florida Marlins, Angels ALDS, Royals first month of the season, Juan Pierre, Rockies late-season surge to make the play-offs, Texas Rangers). To counteract those, we had some let-downs ( see Tampa Bay Rays, Royals season, Pirates,Indians, and Mets). opefully, 2010 can provide us with another great season and memories like Eric Bruntlett's unassisted triple play! Happy New Year!

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Relief: Going, Going, Gone

2009-12-27T15:06:00.014-05:00

Some teams in the MLB used Christmas as a time to re-fill their bullpens. Fernando Rodney got thing started off by signing with the Angels. Rodney (2-5;4.40ERA) was targeted by many teams including the puzzling Phillies, who I'm not sure where they're at right now with Park and Eyre. The deal is worth 2yrs/$11M pending a physical. Rodney saved 37 games last season for the Tigers.

Matt Capps is gone now. The Nationals have scooped him up for 1yr/$3.5M pending a physical. I wasn't surprised that he ended up there given the Nats problem ending games, but why only a year. He was intriguing, despite his struggles last season and could be a talented asset in the years to come.

Another NL East team, the Mets, have agreed to sign Kelvim Escobar. Escobar hasn't pitched much due to "wear and tear" and surgeries. The Mets plan to use him as a set-up man for K-Rod. I like the idea because I felt Escobar was at the end of the line since 2006, so bidding low was a win.

The D-Backs have agreed to a 1 year deal with reliever Bobby Howry. Howry (2-6;3.39ERA) was nothing special in San Fran last season and I don't really see much of an upside of signing him for a team that has struggled with reliable pitching.

The A's have signed back starter Justin Duchsherer to a 1yr/$5.5M deal depnding on if he can stay healthy. The Red Sox were considered his prime destination outside of returning to Oakland. I'd rather him go back there than come to the Sox because the bullpen is more of a pressing concern for the Red Sox. Also, the Yanks are forced to look at Ben Sheets now, who is still too injury prone.

The Giants have agreed to sign versatile INF Mark DeRosa to a 2yr/$12M contract. DeRosa took his physical today and an official announcement is due tomorrow. DeRosa hit a combined .250 and 23 HRs and 78RBIs between Cleveland and St. Louis.

The busy Mariners signed C Josh Bard and RP Chad Cordero to minor league deals.

Rumors and Notes:

The D-backs are keeping their eyes on Jose Valverde

Would Atlanta be getting 2B Dan Uggla? GM Frank Wren says "It's costly, but not ruled out."

The Rangers could be looking into SP Jon Garland and OF Jermaine Dye. The Rangers were rumored to be after DH Vladimir Guerrero. Dye can play the outfield, but not much better than Guerrero. Dye would be the cheaper and more productive choice.

The Red Sox have clared $48M of payroll off the books for 2010 which leaves the door open for Bay, whom they could pay easier after this season. What about the Beckett extension and V-Mart negotiations though? Has that been factored in?

The Tigers are looking for a new lead-off after dumping Curtis Granderson? Hello, Johnny Damon?

The Athletics are said to be "the only serious bidders" on 3B Adrian Beltre according to ESPN.

The Cubs are looking into reliever Kiko Calero. ESPNChicago.com thinks SP Jose Contrearas and OF Ryan Spilborghs won't be in Wrigley next season.

Things I Missed

2009-12-21T14:09:00.013-05:00

I go away for a bit and things happen. I didn't go away by my choice either. So 3B Scott Rolen was extended through 2012 should he not fall apart by then with the Reds. I can see they signed him for the sake od leadership in the clubhouse, but that bat and fielding will be in rapid decline as he's about to hit 35. Last season between Toronto and Cincy, Rolen hit .305 with 11 HRs and 67RBIs. I'm not discrediting him for that amazing showing last season, but he's very injury-prone and he can't stay gold forever.

The Pirates signed reliever Javier Lopez(0-2 9.26ERA). Lopez was HORRIBLE in Boston last season. It was no surprise between injury and his pitching he only made 14 appearances. The previous few seasons he's proved to be a servicable reliver keeping his ERA under 3 for the most part. Amazingly, he's the only lefty in the Pirates pen now. The deal is worth $775K.

Reliever Darren Oliver has agreed to re-join the Rangers for a year worth $3.5M with an option for 2011 making the deal worth $6.25M altogether. Oliver was highly dependable and dynamite for the Angels. He holds a 15-3; 3.10ERA the past three seasons with them. Oliver attracted attention from a few teams and relatively was quiet up until his signing. I'm surprised more teams didn't make a push for him. He's seemingly become better with age. With this departure, the Angels should sounding the alarm as everything the organization has built is falling apart quickly.

OF Coco Crisp is nearing a 1yr/$5M contract with the A's. Crisp, who has struggled in roles in both Boston and Kansas City, would be getting the CF job outright. Crisp only played 49 games for the Royals last season batting .228 while batting .283 the season before in Boston before being replaced by Jacoby Ellsbury. I would agree with you that Crisp didn't get his chance fairly in KC, but basbeall in a buisness.

The Blue Jays continued their re-building spree by acquiring Brandon Morrow from the M's for reliver Brandon League (4.09ERA)and prospect Johermyn Chavez. I'm still undecided if the Jays have a legit team to make a run at the wild card, but leaning towards no.

The Yankees have finally dealt Melky Cabrera (.274, 13HRs, 68RBIs) to the Braves for Javier Vazquez (15-10; 2.87ERA). this will be Vazquez second stint with the Yanks after his first one didn't end as well(referring to the game 7 loss to the Sox). Also in the deal, the Yanks got reliever Boone Logan (1-1; 5.19ERA). The Braves received prospects Mike Dunn and Ardoys Vizcaino. As usual, the Yankees are trading away their young talent for aged veterans, so it's only a matter of time before a 2004 season repeats itself.

The Nationals have formally signed SP Jason Marquis (15-13; 4.04ERA) to a 2yr/$15M contract. Hopefully for the Nats sake, he'll be more than servicable and give them an all-star worthy season. I wasn't surprised that Marquis signed with them. Good pick-up for Washington, but they need more reliable starters to challenge anyone int he NL East. They may be signing Eddie Guardardo to a 1 year deal. Guardardo (1-2; 4.46ERA) battled injuries last season and considered retiring. This is too much of a gamble for the Nats unless the deal is coming in under $2M.

The Royals kept it cheap in replacing Coco Crisp by signing Brian Anderson (.227, 4HRs, 18RBIs). Anderson is a decent hitter and his OBP has been on the rise in recent years, but I don't think the Royals are going to see this guy become a star with everyday play.

Rumors and notes:

The Marlins have offered SP Ardolis Chapman a five year contract worth $13M. Relievers Matt Capps, Jose Veras and Tyler Walker on their Christmas list.

With the signing of Jason Marquis, The Nats appear to have a strong chance of getting Matt Capps, but the Cubs won't let them get him so easily. The cubs are also looking into SP Kei Igawa.

SP Justin Duchsherer shouldn't be ruled out returning to the A's.

The Braves are attempting to sign Troy Glaus. Glaus is coming off a lost season with the Cards and will definitely have to prove he can still be a good hitter. Hw ould be playing 1B.

Happy Holidays all and I will see you after Xmas!

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Another Big Trade?

2009-12-18T13:42:00.015-05:00

This week seems to be a catalyst for baseball trades. First the blockbuster Lee-Halladay deal, now various sources report the busy Mariners are ready to send SP Carlos Silva to the Cubbies for OF Milton Bradley. This is great for the Cubs even though Silva is costing them $3M more beacause of the added depth to their pitching staff and a better clubhouse enviornment. Can the M's be a winner with Bradley? I think so. Bradley should be the hitter recieving protection so he can get some good balls to hit. Don Wakamatsu and Jeff Z. seem like the saviors of the franchise and should win the AL West this season with the moves they made. They won't tolerate Bradley's antics. Silva was out all of last season practically making only eight starts and going 1-3 with an 8.60ERA. I'm concerned for the Cubs because Silva's performance the past four year hasn't been all that good( not a single winning season or ERA below 4.19). Is it worth it for the Cubs to do this trade? Yes, Bradley is that much of a distraction to Piniella and Co. The deal is now pending a Bud Selig approval because of the money.
The M's didn't stop there either. They re-signed Ryan Langerhans to a one year contract(financials undisclosed). There is a rumor going aroudn they're shopping Brandon Morrow for a corner INF or DH. An extension is in the works for OF Franklin Gutierrez (.283 18HRs, and 70RBIs) for three-four years. His agent says they are "making progress."
If the deal goes down, ESPN's Jayson Stark says Cubs look at Rick Ankiel, Marlon Byrd, and Scott Podsednik. I like Marlon Byrd most of the bunch as a fit in Chi-town. Although having Ankiel's D at Wrigley wouldn't hurt?

The Yankees swooped in today and offered 1B Nick Johnson a 1yr/$5.5M contract. This would be Johnson's second stint with the team. He was a combined .256 hitter from '01-'04 with them. Johnson shuffled around the NL East last season and played in 133 games batting a combined .273. Where does he fit into the puzzle? I don't see where. I believe the Yankees did this to prevent other teams from picking him up(namely Boston). George King of the NY Post says if he signs the deal, "Damon's return is unlikely."

The Phillies have exercised SS Jimmy Rollins 2011 option ($8.5M) today. Rollins hit 2.50 with 21 HRs and 77 RBIs and stole 31 bases in '09.

Before Lackey was signed with the Red Sox, the team offered OF Matt Holliday a five year $82.5M contract. I'm glad we got Lackey instead, but something needs to be done about the outfield. Mike Cameron is not the answer. The Sox claim to still be active in trading for 1B Adrian Gonzalez. More than liekly, the deal doesn't get done and they settle for 3B Adrian Beltre. They still haven't jumped on the Mark DeRosa bandwagon and it came out today the Yankees will not pursue him.

Rumors and Notes:
The Braves agreed to terms with Cardinals INF Joe Thurston(.225).
The Brewers signed SP Kameoron Loe to a minor league deal.
The Dodgers are interested in Ronnie Belliard and Felipe Lopez.
The Padres and FA OF Coco Crisp are in serious talks about a one year deal.
The Reds have re-signed Laynce Nix to a minor league deal.

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Bay; Atkins;

2009-12-16T16:29:00.011-05:00

Finally, the Lee-Halladay trade is done. Thank god because I coudln't take anymore confusion with it and it also disgusted me. Phillies fans will regret this sooner or later. Here's a final breakdown from mlbtraderumors.com:

The Phillies get Roy Halladay, Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, Juan Ramirez, and $6MM. The Phillies will give Halladay a three-year extension plus vesting options.
The Mariners get Cliff Lee.
The Blue Jays get Kyle Drabek, Brett Wallace, and Travis d'Arnaud.
The A's get Michael Taylor.

The Mets have offered Bay a 5yr/$75M deal Wedensday in hopes of signing him. It's the amount of years he wants, but the money is a little under what he requests. He should be grateful whatever her gets because he's been nothing but a snot since the end of the Red Sox season. Talks with Bengie Molina have stalled as well. If Bay doesn't sign, the Mets are going after Matt Holliday. Former Mets reliever Lance Broadway signed a contract with the Blue Jays today. Bad deal because his numbers weren't very encouraging (5.87ERA in ML; 6.17ERA in AAA). The Mets have signed pitcher Ryota Igarashi.

3B Garret Atkins has three "mystery" teams interested in him. Atkins slumped heavily last season (.226) after being dynamite the previous season. The speculation says "he's more than likely headed to an AL team." It was confirmed this morning that a 1yr deal @ $4.5M with an option worth $8.5M for 2011. The Orioles struck gold with reliever Mike Gonzalez as well today. Gonzalez went 5-4 with a 2.42ERA and 10 saves for the Braves last season. Two good pick-ups for a club that seems stuck in neutral.

The Tigers signed SS Ramon Santiago today to a 2yr/$2.5M contract. Santiago hit .267 last season I see a trend of cheap, forgettable players coming into Detroit this off-season, no big splashes.

The Marlins reached a deal with arbitration-eligible SP Ricky Nolasco on a 1yr/$3.8M contract this afternoon. Nolasco went 13-9 with a 5.06ERA last season for the Marlins. Now if they could could get something done with that Josh Johnson guy?

The Dodgers had a brief, cheap spending spree today. The club signed 1B Doug Mintkiewicz, SS Angel Berroa (both got minor league deals), and 2B/3B Jamey Carroll. Carroll is the only one of this group who will see lots of time on the field. Carroll hit .276 with the Indians last year. Th contract is worth 2yrs/$3.85M. Carroll is a guy whose in decline and this is no way to begin replacing Orlando Hudson. He played only 93 games last season and he can play three different field positions, so this is a case of durability. Will he last an enitre Dodgers season?

Rumors and Notes:
Johnny Damon won't accept a new deal under $13M. Expect him to head west.

Cuban defector Ardolis Chapman had a great workout for 15 teams Tuesday. He needs brush-up on mechanics, but is otherwise sound.

The Red Sox are said to be "pushing hard now" to acquire Adrian Gonzalez. With the signings of Lackey and Cameron, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury have become expendable. I think I will snap if they trade them. Buchholz can work out of the pen and Cameron really doesn't have that much left in the tank.

The Padres and A's are looking into OF Coco Crisp.

Spoiled brat SP Josh Johnson is looking for a deal bigger than Zach Grienke's current one. Call us back when you win a Cy Young.

The Dodgers are exploring a trade with the Reds for starter Aaron Harang. The Reds would do it for two of the Dodgers starting players and they'd be picking up part of his salary as per Tim Dierkes of mlbtraderumors.com.

The M's, Giants, and Yankees are looking at 1B Nick Johnson (.291 between Washington and Florida).

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Red&White Sox; Hallady-Lee

2009-12-15T15:42:00.017-05:00

Both pairs of AL Sox made deals today. The Red Sox have agreed to a 2 yr/$15.5M with OF Mike Cameron. This move is the worst move I've ever seen. Why when Matt Holliday is still on the market would you sign a 37 year old outfielder? Gordon Edes reported this morning that the organization cut ties with Jason Bay as of today, which was the first stupid move they made. What are the Yankees thinking after they traded for Granderson? They're probably laughing. Cameron will play LF, Ellsbury in CF and Drew in RF.

The White Sox acquired speedy OF Juan Pierre from the Dodgers for two pitchers John Ely and Jon Link. The Dodgers are hoping for these two pitchers(who I've never heard of) to contribute in the majors in the upcoming season. The Dodgers had to eat $10.5M of Pierre's contract and the White sox will be paying the other $8M. This is a poor deal for the Dodgers. Poor Frank McCourt. Pierre hit .308 and stole 30 bases in 145 games last season. The White Sox seem primed for a World Series run this season with all the bats they've acquired.

Once the Hallday-Lee deal is done, the Jays will ship OF Michael Taylor(from Phillies) to Oakland for 3B Brett Wallace. Taylor was between AA and AAA this past season hitting a combined .320 with 20HRs and 84 RBIs in 116 games. Wallace was the same leagues, but hit .302 with 9 HRs and 28RBIs. If those streaks hold steady, we should see both of them in the majors by mid-season.

The Mets are closing in on a deal with RP Ryota Igarashi. He would be setting up for K-Rod.

News and Notes:
The Lee-Halladay deal is still being worked on with more names added in. It gets more and more confusing as it goes along. No resolution is expected today.

The Yankees are rumored to be "very interested" in SP Ben Sheets and won't be going after Jason Bay.

No new progress with the Matt Holliday-Cards offer.

The Cubs are in pursuit of OF Marlon Byrd with Mike Cameron off the market.

Jason Marquis would prefer the Nationals to offer him a deal.

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M.O.A.D.

2009-12-14T17:32:00.010-05:00

Holy Friolies!!!! Today is the mother of all deal days! Big Names! Big Price Tags! This has by far eclipsed anything done at the winter meetings. Lets' get down to it.

Firstly, I'm excited and thrilled to report the Red Sox appear to have agreed to terms with SP John Lackey. The deal is worth $85M over 5 years which is significantly less than the expected $100M I thought Lackey would get. This move should make the Red Sox arguably the deepest pitching staff in the majors. Another bonus is it comes off of the pesky Angels, who always seem to meet the Sox in the opening round of the playoffs most seasons. The Sox would be giving up another draft pick to the Angels which would bump the Jays pick down for picking up Marco Scutaro. The team is having trouble negotiating with Josh Beckett, so this cushions the blow in the event, he elects free agency next season. Lackey was 11-8 with a 3.83ERA in the regular season and 1-1 with a 3.12ERA in the postseason. The Red Sox can now concentrate on getting an OF. Rumor has it Mike Cameron (who sure as hell is no Jason Bay) is in the mix.

The next biggest news is the 3 team swap including pitchers Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. The Phillies before the trade are trying to lock up Halladay. The Phils get Halladay and two prospects from the M's. The M's get Cliff Lee. The Jays get Phillies catcher prospect Travis D'Arnuad and another to be named(OF Michael Taylor maybe?), and Seattle pitching prospect Phillipe Aumont. SP/RP J.A. Happ and Joe Blanton took physicals as well as other desired prospect Domonic Brown, who could be part of the deal. This is a bad deal for Philly, who depleted their talent to acquire Lee and now they want to do it again? Happ is going to be better than serviceable in the years to come. The Jays are looking towards the future and suppose these prospects don't produce? I looked at the numbers and these guys are all nowhere near the majors yet. How much longer will Toronto wait?!? Seattle makes off with immediate return.

The Angels have reached an agreement with DH/OF Hideki Matsui. It's a 1yr/ $6.5M deal which is far less than the $77M they doled out for Vlad Guerrero. Vlad's days are over if this deal goes through. Can Matsui play the OF if need be? This is an almost $7M dollar pay-cut from his previous Yankees contract. The Angels are said to be looking to the possibility of acquiring SP Derek Lowe from the Braves.

The Brewers re-signed 3B Craig Counsell at $2.1M plus $500K in incentives for one year. The deal is a steal for the Brewers looking at Counsell's salivating numbers last season (.285, 4 HRs, 39RBIs, 61 runs in 130 games).

The Nats brought back SP Scott Olsen to a 1yr/$1M deal with incentives that could make it up to $5M if he makes x number of starts. Olsen struggled last season before getting injured (2-4; 6.03ERA).

The Mets have offered SP Kelvim Escobar a minor league deal. Escobar is looking to work out of the bullpen for the preservation of his shoulder. No terms to report.

News and Notes:

The Astros, D-Backs, Pirates, and Cardinals all want a piece of 2B Kelly Johnson. My guess is the Cardinals or Astros get him.

The Nationals, Cardinals, Rangers, Rockies and Marlins have set their eyes on Matt Capps. I expect the Cards or Nats to get him unless he gets the multi-year deal he's looking for and is willing to be a set-up man for the other clubs.

Jason Michaels will be back next year in an Astros uni. Claudio Vargas is returning to the Brewers as well.

The Blue Jays signed C Ramon Castro to a 1yr/$1M deal.

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The Aftermath Weekend

2009-12-12T17:19:00.017-05:00

The winter meetings ended somewhat quietly this off-season leaving many big names on the board still. One reliever took himself off, J.J. Putz (1-4;5.22ERA in 29 games) signed Friday with the White Sox to a 1yr/$3M deal. This is relatively cheap for Putz, who suffered through injuries last season in a plagued stay with the Mets. The white Sox made a good move here, but it leads me to believe GM Williams is pushing Bobby Jenks out the door. I like Jenks way better as a closer than Putz. Jenks was tendered a contract Saturday.

The Royals got their man in C Jason Kendall. Kendall signed to a similar "Pudge" Rodriguez deal. This new Royals team plan is kind of bizarre. Trade away talent for minimal talent or aged vets.

Saturday was tendering day. Unfortunately that meant a few players didn't make the cut: Yanks SP Chien Ming-Wang, Brewers SP Seth McClung, Rox 3B Garret Atkins,all-purpose Marlin Alfredo Amezaga, Nat's pitcher Scott Olsen, Phillies reliever Clay Condrey, Angels reliever Jose Arredondo, Giants 1B Ryan Garko Braves 2B Kelley Johnson and OF Ryan Church,Reds OF Jonny Gomes, Atheltics DH/OF Jack Cust, and surprisingly Pirates closer Matt Capps.

The Blue Jays signed OF Joey Gathright, C John Buck, and RP Raul Chavez.

News and Notes:

The Lowell-Ramirez deal is being held-up because of Lowell's thumb injury as per Nick Cafardo's report.

ESPN's Jayson Stark(via Twitter) reports the Angels are making a significant push at retaining John Lackey now.

The Red Sox completed the Boof Bonser trade by sending Chris Province (2-4;2.60ERA in AA) to the Twins. Bonser was signed through 2010 by the Sox Saturday.

SI's John Heyman says "The Mets will go to five years to get Jason Bay if need be," while Gordon Edes says for "Sox fans not to give up on Bay." Meanwhile, Luke Adams of mlbtraderumors.com reports Bay's agent Joe Urbon says "my client is ready to move on after seeing other offers."

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Bit of Yesterday and The Final Day of Meetings

2009-12-10T14:19:00.011-05:00

The Rangers were making a flurry of moves and I thought for a second they were the New York Yankees. Rich Harden was signed to a 1yr/ $6.5M contract, Chris Ray was acquired from the Orioles, and then they agreed to trade minor league catcher Max Ramirez to the Red Sox for 3B Mike Lowell pending physicals. The Red Sox ate Lowell's contract to deal him, where he'll more than likely be a DH in the Texas line-up. By doing so, I have believe Theo is going to pursue Adrian Gonzalez or another high profile infielder. After saying "they{Red Sox} weren't going to make a deal at the meetings," the Sox have acquired reliever Boof Bonser from the Twins for a player to be named later. Recently, the Twins designated him for assignment. This is the 3rd reliever the Sox have picked-up in 2 days.

Another team that's hot is the Astros. They got Brandon Lyon (6-5; 2.86ERA) late last night for 3yrs/$15M and a draft pick goes to the Tigers. As I'm typing this, Houston has just signed 3B Pedro Feliz to a 1yr/$4.5M contract. All Feliz .266, 12HRs, 82 RBIs) could could get was $4.5M? That puzzles me. His numbers are for the most part steady in production and he doesn't commit a lot of fielding errors. It's a bargain for the Astros.

The Royals continue their revamping craze by releasing 1B Mike Jacobs and reliever John Bale. With this move the Royals can make two selections in the Rule 5 draft today. Getting rid of Bale was good, but why Jacobs? He did have a down year in 2009, but the Royals line-up isn't exactly full of production. Wouldn't it have been possible to slide Jacobs into another position since the coming of Billy Butler?

The Rockies have come to terms with C Chris Iannetta (.228, 16 HRs, 52 RBIs) on a 3 year deal worth over eight million. Good move for the Rockies since they're still unsure if Torrealba will return. The team has made 2yr/$4M+ to C Jason Kendall. If Kendall doesn't sign, the Royals may pursue Rod Barajas.

The Rays and Braves swapped relievers. A expected the Rays get their man in Rafael Soriano and send the Braves Jesse Chavez(1-4; 4.01ERA). Chavez is rough around the edges still, but is expected to progress into a great reliever. The Rays are working on a 1yr/$7M deal with Soriano and will be official once the physical is in the books.

News and Notes:
Ian Browne and John Heyman report the Mets have offered OF Jason Bay a 4 yr/$65M contract. Bay is looking for a fifth year.
The White Sox have made an offer to J.J. Putz(undisclosed).
With Brandon Lyon, Raffy Soriano off the market and the Sox jumping on Putz, where does this leave the Phils for bullpen help? Reports say GM Amaro is looking hard at John Smoltz.
Will the Red Sox pursue Adrian Beltre now? God, I hope not. Spend the money and get DeRosa. The Giants are looking at DeRosa today. Maybe Adam LaRoche comes back and Youk moves to third thinks Ian Browne.
ESPN's Jayson Stark says "Disregard any Adrian Gonzalez rumor."
Reliever Darren Oliver is receiving attention from the Mets, Red Sox, Angels, Rays, rangers, and Mariners. His agent is about to speak with the Texas tonight.

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Winter Meetings: Day 3

2009-12-09T09:27:00.022-05:00

I'm still recovering from yesterday as today has more heavy-hitting news. The Granderson deal huge. Boston should strike back today or tomorrow to counter the Yankees. They could've gotten Granderson if they traded SP Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury, but thought the price was too high. I agree with the front office. This probably means the Yankees have no trade chips to get Roy Halladay. The Yankees did get Andy Pettite after all, who signed for just under $12M despite not origianlly liking the number. Rumor has it the other New York(Mets) team has its eyes on Joel Pineiro, Doug Davis, John Lackey, Jon Garland, and Jason Marquis. I think they get Garland or Davis.

The Brewers have closed the deal with SP Randy Wolf. They get him for 3 yrs @ $29.75M with a fourth year option. As a bonus, they picked up reliever LaTroy Hawkins (1-4; 2.13ERA) for two years at $7.5M. Good moves by the Brewers, although I think they overpaid for Randy Wolf. Hawkins was a steal because of his abilityto get batters and baserunners out.

The Orioles and Rangers appear to be trading pitchers. The Orioles will get Kevin Millwood (13-10; 3.67ERA) sending Chis Ray (0-4;7.27ERA). What are the Rangers thinking? Ray hasn't had a winning season in 4 ML seasons? His ERA jumped almost 3 points from 2007 to this year?!? If I'm Texas, I'm praying someone's physical comes back with a defect (more than likely Millwood's). If I'm Baltimore, I'm thinking about pulling off a possible deal of the century. The money saved by Texas would allow them to pursue a cheaper starter. As of 6:34PM, it;s a done deal and Texas gets a player to be named later.

The Rockies are close to re-signing C Yorvit Torrealba(.291, 2HRs, 31 RBIs in 64 games). The deal would be worth $5.5M/2yrs. That's a lot for a backup catcher who doesn't even play half the season. Torrealba is looking for $6M.

The Astros appear close to receiving closer Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins reports Ken Rosenthal. It is unsure of who the Marlins will receive. Lindstrom (2-1; 5.89ERA) lost the closer job to Leo Nunez after injuring himself mid-season and never returning to form. As of 4:33PM, this deal is done and Lindstrom is on his way for a physical in Houston. The Marlins get pitcher Robert Bono,INF Luis Bryan and a player to be named.

SS Bobby Crosby is now a Pirate. The contract is worth $1M with 5K of incentives. At least they didn't overspend on him.

Rumors:
Multiple teams are interested in SP Derek Lowe (15-10;4.67ERA) and the Braves say they will "eat some of his contract."
The Rays lead the chase for reliever Rafael Soriano.
Rich Harden is on the verge of a contract agreement for an unknown team (Rangers is the rumor now).
The White Sox may take a look at reliever J.J. Putz. Does this mean that Bobby Jenks is on the move? Or will Putz accept a similar role when he was acquired by the Mets?
The Red Sox and Rangers are talking Mike Lowell.
Jayson Stark says the Padres are "aggresively" trying to move Kevin Kouzmanoff.
The Phillies have interest in pitcher Jason Marquis.

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Winter Meetings Day 2; Big News

2009-12-08T18:07:00.013-05:00

First thing that happened today was C Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez agreeing to a 2yr/$6M deal with the Nationals pending a physical. Many fans thought Rodriguez was washed up in 2008, but had a great 2009 season between Houston and Texas hitting a combined .249 with 10HRs and 47 RBIs. The Nats are making some very good moves having just acquired Brian Bruney yesterday. At this rate, they could be contenders if they can hold onto Josh Willingham.

The biggest move probably of the day goes to the three team trade (Yanks, Tigers, and D-Backs). The Yankees will acquire OF Curtis Granderson (.249; 30HRs; 71 RBIs) from the Tigers and they ship OF Austin Jackson (.300BA in AAA) and reliever Phil Coke (4-3; 4.50ERA) to the Tigers and SP Ian Kennedy to the D-Backs. Jackson provides talent for the Tigers, but Phil Coke has a little work to do yet. The Tigers will receive SP Max Scherzer (9-11; 4.12ERA) and RP Daniel Schlereth (1-4; 5.89ERA) from the D-Backs. Scherzer is considered to be the prize of the deal for Detroit, who has just cut their payroll by a lot. The D-Backs meanwhile also get SP Edwin Jackson (13-9; 3.62 ERA) from the Tigers. The Yankees win this deal immediately by adding Granderson's big bat, but the Tigers are close behind with talent locked up for years to come. The D-backs, I have no idea what they were thinking? Jackson is a good pick-up, but won't be as beneficial as a Granderson, Jackson, or the Scherzer to come. With the deal going through, expect Yankees OF Melky Cabrera to be cut loose. Physicals will be taken before it's all set in stone.

The Pirates are reportedly close to signing SS Bobby Crosby (.223BA; 6HRs 29RBIs). He would be competing with Ronny Cedeno for the spot if signed. I think Crosby is the wrong move for the Pirates, not saying Ronny Cedeno is the answer. Crosby is a guy whose consistently underachieved since 2005.

Rumor has it the Angels will deal an infielder and the most likely candidate is Macier Izturis (.300BA, 8HRs, 65RBIs). Why they'd dump a guy with that production who only makes $1.6M is beyond me. They won't be able to replace those numbers that cheap. Also, the teams considering giving Vladimir Guerrero a 1 year deal, but Vlad wants at least two years. If two years is his asking price, he will find a suitor quick.
News and notes:

1B/3B/OF Mark Teahan has been locked up by the White Sox for three years at $14M.
The Braves designated OF Ryan Church for assignment (.260, 2HRs, 18RBIs in his Braves stint). This moves frees up the space for Rafael Soriano to return after he accepted arbitration late last night.
The Twins designated RP Boof Bonser (3-7; 5.93ERA) for assignment to make room for Carl Pavano, who also accepted arbitration late last night.
The Brewers have offered SP Randy Wolf (11-7; 3.23ERA) a three year contract at $27M...The deal screams sign me.
Chone Figgins is officially the Mariners 3B. Brad Penny is officially a Cardinal. The Giants better find someone now. Rich Harden sounds good?
The Phillies have signed multi-position player Ross Gload to a 2yr deal.

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Winter Meetings Day 1

2009-12-07T21:26:00.009-05:00

Let it begin boys and girls. Today owners, GM's, and agents met in Indy for what will be an exciting three days. Let's recap if you were sleeping under a rock.

FA SP Andy Pettite has said he wants to return to pitch a 16th season, but has supposedly rejected the Yankees initial offer. Right now, I'm cheering, but I bet he'll break down like he did last season to return to the Yanks. As of now, though it appears he will be back for the Yanks, as I've just read in Cliff Eastham's blog. The Yanks shipped reliever Brian Bruney off to the Nats for a player to be named. Bruney during the regular season was fantastic going 5-0 with a 3.92 ERA, but broke down in the postseason. This is a solid pick-up regardless for the Nats, who need a lot of help in the bullpen.

The Red Sox came to terms with reliever Scott Atchinson. It's a minor league deal worth $420K, but with $1M+ in options. The Red Sox bought EXTREMELY LOW speculating their saving money for the higher priced relievers/outfield position/starting pitching. Atchinson hasn't pitched a ML game since 07 with the Giants posting a 4.11 ERA. Jason Bay is expected to turn down arbitration.

The Rockies released OF Matt Murton in order for him to pursue a contract with the Hanshin Tigers. He hit .389 in Triple-A last season.

The Tigers have re-signed SS Adam Everett to a 1yr/ $1.5M deal. Everett hit .238 with 3 HRs and 44 RBIs last season in 118 games for the Tigers.

The Cardinals have reached a preliminary agreement on a 1 yr deal with SP Brad Penny. Penny resurrected his career in Boston last season before falling apart and being released. He found his stride again with the Giants (4-1; 2.59ERA). The deal is worth $7.5M with $1.5M in incentives should he pass the physical. This means that John Smoltz's stay in STL is probably over. Penny can help the Cards out greatly if he can be the 2nd half Brad Penny he was this season. Mark DeRosa is expected to turn down arbitration.

The Angels have begun talks with Jason Bay's agent, Joe Urbon. There is nothing to report yet, but sources say the Mariners don't have a shot. Evidently, the Milton Bradley-Pat Burrell swap hasn't been shot down yet. I can't see this trade benefiting either team. Burrell doesn't help the Cubs offense or defense and the Rays don't want distractions in their clubhouse.

Good news for the Twins, Carl Pavano will accept arbitration. Pavano went a combined 14-12 with a 5.10ERA between Cleveland and Minnesota in '09.

SP Justin Duchsherer has declined arbitration with the A's. For him to go anywhere, the team that signs him will have to give up draft picks. With the Sox already having to deal picks to Toronto, I expect that to shoot down Duchsherer coming to Boston.

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A Tidbit

2009-12-06T20:01:00.010-05:00

Sources say 3B Chone Figgins takes his physical tomorrow and will be a Mariner by the evening. Also, don;t be surprise if the M's target John Lackey and Jason Bay.

Reliever Rafael Betancourt is going to finally accept the Rockies arbitration offer.

The Marlins are exploring dealing closer Matt Lindstrom. Lindstrom went 2-1 with a 5.89 ERA. He struggled mid-season closing for the Marlins. The Rays are rumored to be the interest.

If the Yanks choose to non-tender SP Chien Ming-Wang, the Dodgers will be interested in signing him, says Ken Davidoff. The Red Sox fan in me wants Wang to stay around after watching his meltdown last season.

The Mets have interest in OF Josh Willingham. Maybe that would be a move worth making, Omar?

The Royals are attempting to strike a deal with Cuban defector Noel Arguelles. The deal would be worth $7M/5yrs. Arguelles has a great fastball (94MPH).

This week should pick up with winter meetings starting tomorrow. I'm hoping for my Sox to make some big strides in the pen and outfield. I think the Phillies may get a reliever, but that would be it. The Mets should be poised to get something big because signing Coste and Blanco sure as hell didn't make the team any better.

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Scutaro;Zaun; Figgins and more

2009-12-04T18:53:00.009-05:00

It's a deal. Boston's new SS is Marco Scutaro. I don't agree with the signing. I was more open to Pedroia moving over to SS and being able to sign a Brandon Phillips, Orlando Hudson (which the Rox claim they're not pursuing) or a 2b of those natures. The Sox don't trust Jed Lowrie because of his health, but Scutaro is coming off an injury, too. Sure, he hit .282 with 12 HRs, 60 RBIs and 100 runs for last season, but why do I feel like he won't come near those numbers again? Now the Sox mus tackle the OF and bullpen which are far more important a this point in my eyes.

C Greg Zaun has signed a deal with the Brewers. It's woth $1.9M this season with a $2M+ option for next season and a $250K buyout. Zaun split time between Baltimore and Tampa Bay last season playing 90 games hitting a combined .251.

The rumor is Chone Figgins is close to a deal, but don't rule the Angles out yet says Jayson Stark of ESPN, with the Mariners. This news may no break until tomorrow if it's true.

The Orioles have re-signed C Chad Moeller to a minor league deal. The Orioles backstop is now crowded behind Matt Wieters. Moeller will be battling Craig Tatum and Michel Hernandez for the spot. Moeller hit .251 in 30 games last season.

Other news, The Rangers claimed Joe Inglett of the Jays. Inglett hit .281 last season for Toronto and .360 in Triple A ball. The Dodgers signed reliever Justin Miller to a minor league deal. If he makes the majors, he'll make $850K. Last season before going down with arthroscopic elbow surgery. Miller posted a 3.18ERA for the Giants last season.

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Attack of the NL East part deux

2009-12-03T21:59:00.009-05:00

The Phils got a 3B now; his name: Placido Polanco. The former Tiger signed a 3 yr/$18M deal to play for the Phils. The door is still open for Pedro Feliz to return at a cheaper price, but he probably won't with Polanco starting. This will be his second stint in Philly after joining them in 2002. I don't understand why the Phils didn't see if they could get Chone Figgins beforehand.

Another Brave signing and another Red sox departure today as reliever Takashi Saito joined Atlanta for a 1yr/$3.2M deal with incentives. Saito had to prove his worth to teams last season after coming off surgery and joined the Red Sox where he went 3-3 with a 2.56ERA. Most definitely, the Sox can add relievers to their wishlist after losing Wagner yesterday and Saito today.

After some speculation, the Mets have signed C Henry Blanco to a 1yr/$1.5M deal.

The A's traded pitcher Jeff Gray (0-1; 3.76ERA) and two minor leaguers for 2B Aaron Miles (.185 with 5 RBIs) and Jake Fox (.259 11HRs and 44RBIs).The A's got a good deal(also got $1M) even if Miles was terrible at the plate. Fox can play many positions as he did in '09 with the Cubbies. Gray should develop into something for the Chicago organization, but I don't see return immediately.

According to J.P. Morosi of Fox Sports, The M's are the frontrunners for 3B Chone Figgins. The deal could be worth 4yr/$30M.

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