Category: Fantasy Baseball (Page 21 of 48)

      Giants sign Big Unit to one-year contract

      December 27, 2008 /

      The San Francisco Giants signed pitcher Randy Johnson to a one-year, $8 million contract.

      The 45-year-old Walnut Creek native and Livermore High School alumnus comes home needing five victories to reach the magic 300-victory mark; he could become the final pitcher in a generation to achieve the benchmark.

      But the Giants have had ample chances to celebrate milestones amid four consecutive losing seasons. They’re counting on Johnson to provide more than a platform for the marketing department.
      “He can still pitch,” Giants General Manager Brian Sabean said earlier this month. “He’s an intimidating force. The opposition knows who he is, and if he’s on your side, the team knows you’ve got a chance to win every time he goes out.”

      A five-time Cy Young Award winner, Johnson joins a Giants rotation that already boasted two Cy winners; Barry Zito won the A.L. award with the A’s in 2002 and Tim Lincecum captured the N.L. trophy last season. The 2002 Atlanta Braves (Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz) were the last major league team with three Cy Young winners.

      This was a nice signing and if the Giants could add a couple of hitters to give their lineup more pop, they’d have the makings of a club that could compete in the NL West. Their top three pitchers are solid, Zito might succeed more at the back of the rotation and the Big Unit is solid as a fourth or fifth starter.

      But this team is so void of hitters that they probably won’t be able to compete for a couple of years unless they surprise people and add a bat like Manny, which is highly unlikely.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Nationals outbid Yankees for Mark Teixeira

      December 26, 2008 /

      The Washington Nationals apparently had a more lucrative offer on the table for free agent Mark Teixeira – more lucrative than the one he eventually signed with the New York Yankees.

      Mark TeixeiraAnyway, just one more note on Mark Teixeira: I’ve heard from a reliable source that the first baseman turned down about $5 million more from the Nationals to sign with the Yankees. And the Nats would have gone higher, but were never given the chance. Teixeira jumped at Brian Cashman’s first offer.

      I guess it wasn’t ALL about the money – just mostly about it. Being on a contender every year also brings a certain appeal.

      Those greedy Nationals are always trying to one-up everybody by throwing their money at every free agent that walks by. Makes me sick.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Report: Yankees agree to 8-year deal with Mark Teixeira

      December 23, 2008 /

      According to ESPN.com, the New York Yankees agreed to an eight-year deal with free agent first basemen Mark Teixeira.

      Mark TeixeiraThe agreement, which is subject to a physical, includes a signing bonus of about $5 million and a complete no-trade provision, The Associated Press reported.

      The Yankees had made an offer to Teixeira weeks ago, but then withdrew it; their intention all along was to make an offer, which they did formally on Tuesday, if it fell within parameters acceptable to the organization. The contract will pay Teixeira, who made it clear he wanted to make a decision on where to play next season and beyond by Christmas, an average of $22.5 million per season.
      The Yankees had $88.5 million coming off the books (included in that total — $23.4 million on Jason Giambi, $16 million on Bobby Abreu, and $11 million to both Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano), and even with the Teixeira contract, they expect their payroll to fall below $200 million. New York has committed $423.5 million in salary in the last month, with $161 million going to left-handed pitcher CC Sabathia ($23 million over seven years) and $82.5 million to right-hander A.J. Burnett ($18.5 million over five) last week alone.

      The deal also virtually eliminates any chance that free-agent outfielder Manny Ramirez has a landing place with the Yankees. New York does have money left to add another starting pitcher, most likely veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte at $10 million if he agrees to terms soon.

      I think I just heard the collective heads of every Boston Red Sox fan explode at the same time.

      I would say that this news is unbelievable but it’s very much believable. If the Yankees want a player, there’s nothing that’ll stop them from acquiring said player. Other than signing Manny, the Bombers essentially accomplished what they wanted to accomplish this offseason by acquiring pitching, as well as the desire to get younger.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Red Sox, Teixeira close to a deal?

      December 23, 2008 /

      According to the Washington Times, the Boston Red Sox are on the verge of landing free agent first basemen Mark Teixeira.

      Mark TeixeiraWhile the source declined to discuss specifics, there are strong indications that the Red Sox will announce that they have landed the highly-coveted slugger, who has been courted this off-season by several major league clubs, including the Angels, Orioles and Nationals.

      The Red Sox have been considered one of the lead contenders in the Teixeira sweepstakes, but it was unclear whether the team would be able to meet the asking price from agent Scott Boras, who had hoped to land a contract for as much as $200 million over ten years. Last week, Red Sox owner John Henry told reporters that the team was no longer pursuing the player, but the statement was widely seen as a negotiating maneuver.

      The Orioles and Nationals had hoped to sign him in part because he is a Severna Park, Md. native, and the Nationals were reportedly willing to bid especially hard.

      It is still unclear how much the Red Sox offered Teixeira, but there were reports last night that the Nationals had boosted their bid in a last-ditch effort to sign him.

      That’s quite a turn of events from the end of last week when it was announced that the Red Sox had pulled out of the running. Maybe Teixeira crapped himself when he realized that he had chased away the Red Sox and Angels with demands (or at least, rumored demands) of a $184 million contract, and he decided to return back to earth. The thought of having to play for the Nationals or Orioles will do that to a man.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Is Manny Ramirez set to become a Yankee?

      December 22, 2008 /

      Manny RamirezA Dominican site called Impactodeportivo.com.do is reporting that Manny Ramirez is set to sign a three-year, $75 million contract with the New York Yankees soon.

      This is from Rotoworld.com:

      Doubtful, extremely doubtful. Still, everyone else will picking up on the Dominican-based report soon enough. Manny to the Yankees is a definite possibility, but it’s highly unlikely that the two sides are this far along. On the off chance that it is, a more legitimate source will pick up on it soon.

      Agreed. If the Yankees and Manny were this far along, a reporter for ESPN, FOX or SI would be all over it. I don’t doubt that there’s a great chance that Ramirez signs with the Bombers soon, but I doubt it’s going to happen within a day or two. Especially not after the Angels and Red Sox just pulled out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB, Rumors & Gossip

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