Dayton Moore continued his assault on the free-agent market by signing right-handed pitcher Kris Medlen, who sat out all of 2014 following his second Tommy John surgery. The talented 29-year-old will earn $2 million in 2015 and $5.5… Read more »
COMMENTARY
Royals GM Dayton Moore remained active this month, signing free-agent starting pitcher Edinson Volquez to a 2-year, $20-million contract. The 31-year-old Dominican Republic native will fill the spot previously occupied by James Shields in the rotation, joining… Read more »
Twenty-seven signifies completion in baseball, and the wild week that began with the Winter Meetings included 27 notable transactions among Major League Baseball’s 30 clubs. That’s a funny little coincidence. It means nothing, especially because the… Read more »
Scrapping the bottom of the third base barrel
“Only four days after inking switch-hitting DH Kendrys Morales to a two-year, $17-million deal, Kansas City GM Dayton Moore has signed 34-year-old right fielder Alex Rios to a one-year, $11-million contract. The Texas Rangers bought out Rios’s $13.5-million option for $1 million earlier this fall.”
Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi certainly seem to be enjoying their first ever tastes of financial flexibility.
Batting champ for sale! Batting champ for sale!
The Chicago White Sox have had an active winter so far. It’s hard to say, and much too trivial to bother sussing out, whether they’ve had the most impactful, most interesting or best winter of… Read more »
“It’s interesting that, despite multiple examples of players exercising these clauses and either re-upping for more money with their current team (Rodriguez, Sabathia) or heading for greener pastures (J.D. Drew, A.J. Burnett), teams don’t seem to be wavering at including these options in contracts.”
“’We are evolving as an organization. We’ve got a little more to spend now. For the right guy, we can go a little bit beyond our comfort zone.’ This quote from Pirates GM Neil Huntington was in reference to the team’s efforts to upgrade its bullpen, but it could also apply to the rotation and might as well be the team slogan heading into 2015.”
“Earlier today, a friend of mine asked me about the ideal starting lineup for the Cincinnati Reds I would make if I could use anybody, from any year. And, as I was thinking about outfielders that I would use, I decided that Vada Pinson would be one of my starting outfielders, but you hardly ever hear anyone talk about him nowadays.”
“The Texas Rangers have a lot of holes left to fill in their 2015 roster, and an uneventful week of Winter Meetings brought the team no closer to addressing those needs. After unfruitful discussions with the Padres about Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross, and talks with Arizona about Wade Miley ending with the lefty heading to Boston, Evan Grant encountered a “grumpy” Jon Daniels on Tuesday clawing at a tangerine.”
It has become a popular meme among Cincinnati Reds fans to make fun of GM Walt Jocketty due to his lack of aggressiveness in the trade or free agent market. Many a trade deadline or… Read more »
There are a few items the Marlins must address if they are going to reap the full benefit of acquiring Dee Gordon from the Dodgers. First, the Marlins, and manager Mike Redmond, will need to… Read more »
“Earlier this season, the slugger formerly known as Kendry was said to be seeking ‘Billy Butler money’ after ‘Country Breakfast’ signed with the Athletics for 3/$30 million. Now Morales replaces Butler, signing with the Royals and ending the possibility of Kansas City using a platoon at DH, à LA the 2014 Oakland Athletics.”
The Tigers upgraded the lineup and their bullpen, but was the price too great?
If you ever wondered what a succesful small-market GM could do with a big-market team with deep pockets, then buckle up: Wednesday, Andrew Friedman and company unleashed the hottest and sexiest GM porn anyone has… Read more »
If you’re a Los Angeles Dodgers fan—Hell, if you’re a baseball fan, or a sports fan, or even a ceiling fan—the last 24 hours have been bedlam. When Jon Lester agreed to sign with the… Read more »
Dale Scott is news, and worth celebrating.
“On Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Reds are open to trading Aroldis Chapman. Most people assumed that if the Reds made a move it would involve one of their starting pitchers. However, could dealing Chapman provide a big enough return to help the Reds boost a slumping offense?”
“Tim Dierkes tweeted that the Royals had interest in free agent Asdrubal Cabrera, the long-time shortstop of the division-rival Indians who finished the 2014 campaign playing second for the Washington Nationals. While the Royals may be looking to move their 2014 second baseman to make room for Cabrera, the Royals also have two players on their 40-man roster who could replace Infante themselves.”
“There have been examples of Rule 5 draftees finally figuring it out and becoming great players, either for the team that selected them, or another club in the future.”
“Fresh off the back of Monday’s Brandon Moss for Joe Wendle deal, Billy Beane moved again by flipping Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa for Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt, Josh Phegley, and Rangel Ravelo. So how do we feel about this as A’s fans? Some places would have you believe that this is a complete rebuild, but is that the case? First, let’s look at the players involved.”
“Has Billy Beane lost his mind? I mean, really. For years, the baseball world thought he was crazy, just, you know…like a fox. But after unloading three of his best players in the span of about a week for seemingly nickels on the dollar, you have to start wondering if these are the machinations of an evil genius, or a lunatic. Or maybe just a desperate man who went all-in and lost.”
After a flurry of rumors Monday night, the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks completed a trade on Tuesday. Catcher Miguel Montero, 31, became a Cub, and Chicago sent minor-league pitchers Jeferson Mejia and Zach Godley… Read more »
In 2008, the Chicago Cubs won their second straight division title. It wasn’t like its predecessor, though. That 2008 title was a matter of course. That Cubs team was dominant. They won 97 games, led… Read more »
“In this series, I’ll take a look at contenders who didn’t make the playoffs as well as tankers who never came close to see if it really is possible to turn failures into contenders with some reasonable adjustments through free agency.”
What the Mets have done, and where they could be headed.
“I’m not sure when it began—maybe the picture I saw was the very first—but I saw visual evidence of cement being poured in the Chicago Cubs’ off-season bleacher reconstruction project on Monday. After weeks of striking pictures of the stadium’s long-time horizon line being demolished, and a fair few pictures where nothing seemed to be happening, and nothing was left, Monday was the first concrete reminder that there will be bleachers there again, and soon, at least for me.”
“Brandon Moss is now on the wrong side of 30, and he’s a left-handed DH. If the team is trying to become more well balanced and fit for a long term run, then moving Moss seems fairly self-evident. Moss was moved to Cleveland in exchange for 24-year-old 2nd base prospect named Joseph Wendle. Is that fair market value for Moss? Let’s take a look at Moss’ performance first in order to evaluate his value.”
