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Red Sox’ Franklin Morales Starting to Fulfill Expectations
Sometimes, it takes starting pitching prospects with live arms longer to reach their Major League potential than minor leaguers who don’t have overpowering offerings. A prime example is Red Sox left-hander Franklin Morales, who... More of this article »
A’s and Chris Carter – Patience Paying Off for Both
Patience is a rewarding virtue for Chris Carter and the Oakland A’s A highly regarded prospect who was a key part of the haul Oakland received from the Diamondbacks in the Dan Haren trade after the 2007 season, the 25-year-old... More of this article »
Samuel Deduno – Pleasant Surprise in Twins Rotation
Baseball writer Aaron Gleeman, who works for Hardball Talk and blogs about the Twins, tweeted a line that aptly describes the pitcher who has been a bright spot amid what otherwise has been a dismal season in Minnesota. “Nothing... More of this article »
Phillies’ Amaro Says – Lee Not Going Anywhere – Why Not ?
The Philadelphia Phillies put Cliff Lee on, waivers and Lee was reportedly claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. When Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro was asked about the report, he replied, “It is irrelevant because he is... More of this article »
Reds Continue Improbable Run Without Votto
When Joey Votto went down with a knee injury, the Reds were in the midst of a six game winning streak. Not many would have predicted the Reds would continue that success without Votto in the lineup for an extended period of time. Votto... More of this article »
Mets Remain Quiet at Trade Deadline, Appear More Focused on 2013 and Beyond
David Wright is a bright spot in the Mets lineup this year. At 52-54 after Thursday’s win over San Francisco, the New York Mets are in an uncertain position. Are they wild card contenders, and if so should they make moves in... More of this article »
Feliz, Bard, Sale – Converting Relievers to Starters Produces Mixed Results
On separate sides of Chicago, two converted relievers have mowed down opposing hitters as starting pitchers this season. In Texas, a former closer counted upon to emerge as a top of the rotation arm underwent Tommy John surgery on... More of this article »
Will Derek Lowe Return to Boston?
Freshly designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians, 39-year-old right-hander Derek Lowe says he is returning to his Fort Myers, Fla. home to work with his long time personal trainer, Chris Correnti, who worked with the sinkerballer... More of this article »
Phillies Cliff Lee on Waivers – August Waivers Have Begun
With the non-waiver trade deadline passed, teams have begun the process of waiting players, in part to determine the interest level of other teams. Cliff Lee is the biggest name to make the news so far. Players with bulky contracts... More of this article »
Albert Pujols Can Still Hit – Was There Ever a Doubt ?
Back in December Albert Pujols came to the Los Angeles Angels as a free agent, signed a 10 year $240 million deal. Pujols hit his first home run of the 2012 season on May 6th, and the naysayers came out in mass. What was wrong with... More of this article »
White Sox Defying Odds with Productive Pitching
Widely regarded a winner at the trade deadline by many baseball pundits, the Chicago White Sox are defying the odds so far this season. First-year manager Robin Ventura was counting on left-hander John Danks to replace fellow lefty... More of this article »
Braves Trade Analysis – Will Acquisition of Paul Maholm Be Enough
Will Paul Maholm be enough to get the Braves to the post-season? Can the Atlanta Braves catch the Washington Nationals in the National League East, or secure a wild card spot? Braves GM Frank Wren thinks so, especially after trade... More of this article »
Cubs Trade Analysis – Epstein’s Trades are Steps in the Right Direction
Alfonso Soriano and Matt Garza remain on the Chicaco Cubs active roster, at least for now, but first-year president Theo Epstein started his rebuild of the farm system with trades of starting pitchers Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm,... More of this article »
Nationals Trade Analysis – Roster Unchanged after Trade Deadline
Gio Gonzalez has been a valuable member of the Nats rotation with 13 wins to date (Photo by Scott Ableman ) Now that the non-waiver trade deadline has passed, a plethora of Major League players are adjusting to new teams, except the... More of this article »
Red Sox Trade Analysis – Cherington Decides Against Major Deal – For Now
Lester remains with Red Sox (photo by Keith Allison) With Josh Beckett and Jon Lester dramatically underperforming this season, the Red Sox could undoubtedly use a durable and effective starting pitcher. Leading to Tuesday afternoon’s... More of this article »
MLB Trade Deadline Analysis: Grading the NL Central Moves
Dempster, after turning down a move to the Braves, accepted an eleventh-hour trade to the Texas Rangers Tuesday (andysternberg / flickr) The NL Central has become a three-horse race with gap ever-widening between the Reds, Pirates... More of this article »
Phillies Trade Analysis – Pence, Victorino Trades Pave the Way for Success
Less than a calendar year after winning 102 games, the Philadelphia Phillies are counting 2012 as a non-playoff season and planning for 2013 and beyond. That much is evident based the trades of outfielders Shane Victorino and Hunter... More of this article »
Dodgers Trade Analysis – Add Victorino, Ramirez Without Losing Top Pitching Prospects
The future is now for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fueled by the deep pockets and exuberance of a new ownership group that includes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, the Dodgers are not waiting for next year. They want to win it all in... More of this article »
Trade Deadline Passed – But More MLB Trades Will Be Made in August
Prominent names like Zack Greinke, Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino and Ryan Dempster have new homes, but many key players who were featured in rumors leading up to Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline remained with their current team. That... More of this article »
Pirates – Winners on the Field – Winners at The Trade Deadline
The Pirates made a total of four trades in the past week before Tuesday’s 4pm non-waiver trade deadline. Within those trades, the Pirates did not trade any, I repeat any irreplaceable commodities. Many fans are disappointed... More of this article »
Pirates Trade Analysis – Snider for Lincoln Low-Risk, High-Reward
Snider addresses a glaring hole in the lineup for the Pirates (Krustation / flickr) The Pirates traded RHP Brad Lincoln to the Toronto Blue Jays late Wednesday night, acquiring OF Travis Snider to address the lack of power in right... More of this article »
Cubs Epstein Looks to Stock Farm System with Trade Deadline Deals
Rizzo is a building block in Epstein’s plan ( photo by Dave Dorman ) When he took over as general manager of the Boston Red Sox before the 2002 season, Theo Epstein inherited a mostly barren farm system and expressed a commitment... More of this article »
Dodgers Pitching Prospects – Zach Lee, Allen Webster, Chris Reed and More
At first glance, 20-year-old right-hander Zach Lee‘s 2012 minor league numbers are not impressive. In fact, they don’t appear to befit a player who was No. 49 on Baseball America’s 2012 Mid-Season Top 50 Prospects... More of this article »
Indians Should Not Trade Choo or Masterson
Fresh off being swept by the lowly Twins in a three-game weekend series, and lugging a 3-7 record over their last 10 games, the Cleveland Indians are fading out of playoff contention. At 50-52, they are still in the hunt for the second... More of this article »
Five Keys to Pittsburgh Pirates Winning NL Central
The Cincinnati Reds are 14-2 since the All-Star break and now have a three game lead over the Pirates in the NL Central division race. Although the Pirates are a respectable 10-6 since the All-Star break, there is plenty of improvement... More of this article »
Beckett Trade or Not – Could be Win-Win Situation for Red Sox
Though Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington essentially indicated to the media on Friday that it would not make sense to trade Josh Beckett and subtract from the rotation, numerous reporters have written that the club is actively... More of this article »
Taking Series from Yankees Gives Red Sox Hope For Turnaround
Though some baseball pundits and many Red Sox fans believe that this weekend’s results were irrelevant – feeling that this team has no chance to reach the playoffs and that the front office should trade selected veterans... More of this article »
Future Blue Jays Outfield – Rasmus, Gose and Marisnick
By 2014, opposing hitters might have a challenging time finding holes in the Toronto Blue Jays outfield. Chances are, Colby Rasmus, Anthony Gose and Jake Marisnick will be patrolling the grounds. All three are known for their athleticism... More of this article »
Crawford Saga – Valentine Drama Continue for Red Sox
Seemingly never at a loss for providing an entertaining quote, Bobby Valentine said this before Sunday’s Red Sox-Yankees series finale when asked what he believes his team needs as Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline draws... More of this article »
Luhnow’s Moves Give Astros Fans Reason for Optimism
Struggling with the worst record in Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros have a plan that gives their fans reason for optimism. The once-proud ballclub – which entering Sunday’s series finale against Pittsburgh had... More of this article »
Are the Padres Ready to Build a Contender?
Clearly in a rebuilding stage, the San Diego Padres surprised some baseball pundits when they recently announced a three-year, $27 million extension for outfielder Carlos Quentin. It was thought that the budget-conscious Padres would... More of this article »
Chase Headley – Talent and Team Control Valuable Combination
Chase Headley could be headed to Oakland, Philadelphia, or Baltimore. And although the Yankees deny they will add a third baseman, to play while Alex Rodriguez recovers from a broken hand, don’t count them out. Headley is a switch-... More of this article »
Josh Johnson – Careful Risk Assessment Underway For Interested Teams
Josh Johnson finished the 2010 season 11-6 with 186 strikeouts in 28 starts. He was second in the major leagues with a 2.30 ERA. Johnson’s season finished early in September because of back pain. In 2011, Johnson was off to... More of this article »
Dodgers Need Top of the Rotation Arm to Join Clayton Kershaw
Watching their crosstown rivals boast about the acquisition of Zack Greinke, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still in need of a starting pitcher, and that arm might or might not be Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster. The 35-year-old-right-hander,... More of this article »
Greinke Joins Weaver and Wilson – Gives Angels Elite Trio of Starters
Adding Greinke to the rotation should give Scioscia reason to smile Forgive Angels manager Mike Scioscia if he feels a burst of exhilaration. Though his team entered Friday night’s game five games behind the Texas Rangers in... More of this article »
Indians Need Starting Pitching and Offense – But at What Price
In the American League Central, Chicago and Detroit are fighting for first place, but don’t forget about Cleveland. Entering Friday night, the Indians were 50-49 and 3.5 games behind the White Sox in the division hunt. Will Cleveland... More of this article »
How Will the Rangers Answer the Angels’ Acquisition of Greinke?
With the acquisition of Zack Greinke from Milwaukee, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim boast a rotation that include features Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and C.J. Wilson. Will the Texas Rangers respond? Entering Friday night, Texas was... More of this article »
A.J. Burnett Likes Pittsburgh – and Pittsburgh Likes A.J.
A.J. Burnett is liking Pittsburgh, as much as they like him. ( Photo by Keith Allison) A.J. Burnett has pitched for the Marlins, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Pirates. Burnett has had a measure of success with all those teams, but nothing... More of this article »
MLB’s Second-Half Leaders and Losers
The resurgent A’s have won 10 of their last 12 games (Keith Allison / flickr) With just a handful of days left before the trade deadline, the buyers and sellers of the market have come more clearly into focus. The trends have... More of this article »
Has Ryan Dempster Overplayed His Hand
Ryan Dempster wants to play on a contender, as long as that contender is the Los Angeles Dodgers. The now infamous deal that would have sent Dempster to the Braves in exchange for Randall Delgado appears to be but a memory. Demptser... More of this article »
Five Moves That Would Fix the Red Sox
The Red Sox need fixing.This is a ballclub in need of a dramatic change in culture. The Red Sox need fixing. With their 49-50 record alone, that much is obvious. Yet the stench in Boston extends beyond the team’s sub .500 record... More of this article »
Rays Willing to Discuss Pitchers – Except David Price and Matt Moore
Starving for offense, even if third baseman Evan Longoria returns from a hamstring injury, the Tampa Bay Rays are willing to deal any pitcher but David Price and Matt Moore, according to CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler. Since Price,... More of this article »
Phillies Facing Bloated Payroll – Forgettable Season
Boasting a payroll exceeding $172 million entering the 2012 season, the Philadelphia Phillies expected nothing short of a World Series title. Because of injuries and underperforming core players, the Phillies find themselves in the... More of this article »
Andrew McCutchen, Chris Sale and MLB’s Biggest Salary Bargains
Baseball players get paid. Period. North America’s only major team sport to operate without a salary cap has often been derided for the uneven playing field created by its lack of payroll parity, but you’ll hear no complaints... More of this article »
Votto-Less Reds Seek Trade for Outfielder – Lead-Off Hitter
Joey Votto remains sidelined with a torn meniscus, but the Cincinnati Reds continue to win even without their slugging Gold Glove first baseman. At 57-40, the Reds lead the National League Central by two games over the surprising Pittsburgh... More of this article »
Are the Toronto Blue Jays Legitimate Contenders?
Who are the Toronto Blue Jays? Are they legitimate contenders for an American League wild card spot, or will they emerge as a post-season team in 2013 or 2014? Those are the questions that general manager Alex Anthopolous and manager... More of this article »
Red Sox Not Likely to Trade Cody Ross or Ryan Kalish
Still hoping to secure an American League wild card berth, the Boston Red Sox are searching for a starting pitcher according to media reports, and now it appears they would like to add a right-handed bat, according to Nick Cafardo... More of this article »
Tension Between Crawford and Valentine Beginning to Mount ?
Since his arrival in Boston last season, Carl Crawford has not remotely resembled the perennial All-Star outfielder, run producer and base stealer that he was in Tampa Bay. Injuries are partly to blame. Trouble adjusting to the pressure... More of this article »