In the 2008 draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected a player they envisioned would lock down third base for years to come and more importantly the cleanup spot in the batting order for years to come. It has been a work in progress, as Pedro Alvarez has yet to do the latter, but in reality, Alvarez is right on schedule when compared to other power hitters and could become the new Adam Dunn. The Pirates select ...

Baseball is a tradition. It's a religion. Baseball is history. It's family. All of these terms get tossed around and when you're not into the sport it gets treated like a bad love letter full of sappy romantic rhetoric and a lack of foresight. But when you are a fan? It's life. I started following baseball at the tail end of the 1993 season. Being a Yankees' fan was a lot different then. My Dad taught me th ...

The number "42" has always been a weird little subtlety of the game of baseball for a Yankees' fan. In late 1993, I started following the Yankees. The first season I can remember in any detail from start to finish was the great (and first) wildcard race of 1995. Fresh off a strike, the Major Leagues had a new realignment to divisions and allowed the first ever team to not come in first place still reach the ...

Forget about just baseball owners. Jeffrey Loria is the worst owner in all of sports. In fact Loira is such a bad owner it seems fair to draw conclusions he's a bad person too. How else can he be so comfortable spending everyone else's money for nothing but his own profit? How else could he be so out of touch, not only did he take out full one page ads all around Miami, but he did it in a newspaper, which p ...

Baseball is a sport, and I treat it as such. I don't get “mad” when the Giants go on a losing streak.  I don't get “mad” when players are in slumps.  I don't even get “mad” when the Giants drop a series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  In fact, rarely do I get “mad” at a player or even the team. I am a fan of the team and will cheer for anyone on the roster.  For the past three seasons, management has put on th ...

LaRoche's destination could be tied to Napoli's contract situation Boston Editor’s Note: Across the Diamond: Hot Stove League Edition is a new weekly column that appears on Baseball News Source every Friday and details free agent and trade talk at every position. Cody Ross signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks,  A.J. Pierzynski joining the Texas Rangers, and Cleveland Indians reaching an agreement with free ...

Bourn is the premiere center fielder left on the free agent market Editor’s Note: Across the Diamond: Hot Stove League Edition is a new weekly column that appears on Baseball News Source every Friday and details free agent and trade talk at every position. Seemingly more than ever, Major League Baseball teams are coveting their first round draft picks. The preference to keep these selections is shaping free ...

The market for high salaried closers is shifting Once upon a time, closers like Rafael Soriano were in high demand. Draft picks carried less clout, the ninth inning was critical and it took a special kind of attitude to record those specific three outs. Nobody used to intentionally create a closer, so finding an already established one was especially useful for a team looking to contend. When the Red Sox lo ...

The signing of Josh Hamilton was big news this week Editor’s Note: Across the Diamond: Hot Stove League Edition is a new weekly column that appear on Baseball News Source every Friday and details free agent and trade talk at every position. Even with his documented track record of substance abuse and injuries, Josh Hamilton was in demand this offseason because he is one of the most productive sluggers in Ma ...

How long can the Rays hold onto an arm like Shields Editor’s Note: Across the Diamond: Hot Stove League Edition is a new weekly column that appear on Baseball News Source every Friday and details free agent and trade talk at every position. Following the annual Rule 5 Draft, the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings ended on Thursday with many teams heading home with items on their "to do" lists checked off ...

Causing panic among Yankees' fans is not very difficult Unlike actual New Yorkers, overreacting is the status quo. When it comes to sports, fans can become irrational and impulsive in general. When you root for a team expected to be wildly successful every season, each move often gets scrutinized and magnified. This is why until today I had no feeling whatsoever the Steinbrenner family was planning on selli ...

Trade Ellsbury ? The debate is rampant among Red Sox fans With the addition of Shane Victorino, the Boston Red Sox outfield is seemingly set for the 2013 campaign with the right-handed hitting Jonny Gomes and perhaps the left-handed hitting Ryan Kalish in left, Jacoby Ellsbury in center and Victorino in right. Or will the club make more moves? Over the last couple days, speculation has spread about Boston t ...

Baltimore's Mark Reynolds was among the list of non-tendered players today Editor’s Note: Across the Diamond: Hot Stove League Edition is a new weekly column that will appear on Baseball News Source every Friday and detail free agent and trade talk at every position. This week we are adding the list of non-tendered players. Today was the day teams had to make decisions on whether to tender contracts on arbi ...

Blue Jays moves are aggressive and the team will be relevant again Editor’s Note: Across the Diamond: Hot Stove League Edition is a new weekly column that will appear on Baseball News Source every Friday and detail free agent and trade talk at every position. Championships are not won on paper. If they were, the New York Yankees would have significantly more World Series rings than the 27 they possess. Keep ...