Category: Fantasy Baseball (Page 28 of 48)

      Yankees acquire Nick Swisher

      November 14, 2008 /

      Nick SwisherAfter sending Jason Giambi packing after the 2008 season, the New York Yankees traded Wilson Betemit and two minor league pitchers to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday in exchange for Nick Swisher, who could be a candidate to play first base next season.

      “We’re excited with the addition of Nick Swisher,” Girardi said in a statement released by the team. “We feel he has a ton of upside. He’s a patient switch-hitter, adds versatility at a number of defensive positions, including first base and the outfield, and will be a positive presence inside the clubhouse.”

      The Yankees are currently looking at a possible outfield alignment of Johnny Damon in left field, a platoon of Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera in center, and Xavier Nady in right. Hideki Matsui is also coming back from knee surgery, and could play left or be a designated hitter.

      Swisher made 69 starts in center field, 47 starts at first base, 16 starts in left and 11 starts in right for Chicago last season. His arrival in New York could lessen the chances of the Yankees offering salary arbitration to right fielder Bobby Abreu, who hit .296 and drove in 100 runs last season.

      This is kind of a strange move considering the Yankees need so much pitching – not too mention Swisher was one of the worst hitters in baseball last year. But obviously the Bombers needed to fill the vacancy Giambi left at first and it doesn’t sound like they gave up too much. (Betemit has never lived up to his potential.)

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Cliff Lee wins AL Cy Young Award

      November 13, 2008 /

      Besides from the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series or the Tampa Bay Rays having the best season in the history of their franchise, one of the best stories from the 2008 MLB Season was Cliff Lee, who won the American League Cy Young Award on Thursday.

      Cliff LeeCliff Lee is a runaway winner for the American League Cy Young Award, capping a dominant comeback season that made him the second consecutive Cleveland Indians lefty to earn the honor.

      Demoted to the minors last year, Lee went a major league-best 22-3 this season with a 2.54 ERA. He received 24 of 28 first-place votes and 132 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Thursday.

      Toronto ace Roy Halladay finished second with four first-place votes and 71 points.
      Lee became the third Indians pitcher to win the award, following Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972 and CC Sabathia last year.

      Good to see Lee, and Giants’ youngster Tim Lincecum claim their respective league’s Cy Young awards this season. Both played on below average teams this season and still had tremendous success. When they pitched, their hapless teams won – and often because of them.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Yankees ready to dole out big to CC Sabathia

      November 13, 2008 /

      Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes what we already know:

      CC SabathiaThe Yanks can begin revealing that answer as today turns to Friday at 12:01 a.m. It has not been the Yanks’ history to brandish a theatric offer at one minute past midnight. Nevertheless, sometime tomorrow you can expect the Yankees aggressively will extend a proposal. It might not be their best and final, but Yankee insiders suggest it will be a number that says this to Sabathia: “Anything they can do we can do better – much, much better.”

      One Yankee executive said, “we have to separate ourselves.” Translation: They must divest Sabathia of his dreams of the Pacific and the batter’s box by going to a financial region relatively quickly that no other franchise would even consider, especially in this plummeting economy.

      That means a bid north of the six years at $137.5 million the Mets bestowed last year on Johan Santana . My gut says six years at $150 million sounds about right to force league-wide surrender before the bidding really even gets started.

      Can anyone else go to that financial area? The Dodgers are probably Sabathia’s dream landing spot. But there continues to be doubt that L.A. owner Frank McCourt has either the money and/or the willingness to offer near that much.

      Where Sabathia winds up will come down to money and whether or not he wants to hit every fifth day. So he’ll weigh the options and then head to the Yankees.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Jake Peavy heading to Atlanta soon?

      November 13, 2008 /

      CBSSports.com is reporting that the San Diego Padres are close to sending ace Jake Peavy to the Atlanta Braves.

      Under terms of the deal discussed by the Braves and Padres, San Diego would receive shortstop Yunel Escobar, Class A outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, one of two starting pitchers — Charlie Morton or Jo-Jo Reyes — and either reliever Blaine Boyer or one of two minor-league left-handers (one of which is believed to be Jeff Locke).

      In addition to Escobar and Hernandez, it is believed that the Padres, if the deal is completed, will opt for Morton, a 25-year-old right-hander who was 4-8 with a 6.15 ERA in 16 appearances — 15 starts — in 2008. They also are said to be leaning toward Boyer, a 27-year-old right-hander who was one of manager Bobby Cox’s chief workhorses last season, finishing tied for ninth in the NL with 76 appearances.

      Though Padres scouts like Locke, he’s only 21 and not yet ready for the majors. The Padres’ bullpen was deeply disappointing last season and, now, with iconic closer Trevor Hoffman apparently having pitched his last game for the Padres, is close to being in complete disarray.

      Regardless of where Peavy ends up, the Padres are going to look like a very different ball club next year, which isn’t a bad thing with how brutal the team was last year.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      10 Burning MLB Offseason Questions

      November 11, 2008 /

      FOX Sports.com has 10 burning questions for baseball’s offseason.

      5 Can Milwaukee hang on to CC Sabathia?
      The Brewers are already facing the loss of Ben Sheets, so they’ll probably need to bring Sabathia back if they hope to win the tough NL Central. Obviously, the Brewers don’t have the resources to hang with the Yankees, Angels, Dodgers, and Red Sox should those teams enter the bidding. But Sabathia loves hitting, and he enjoyed his time in Milwaukee…

      Manny Ramirez4 Where will Manny Ramirez wind up?
      This past season, Manny Ramirez hit .332 AVG/.430 OBP/.601 SLG with 37 bombs. Obviously, that’s an elite level of production. On the other hand, Manny is 36 and an ongoing disaster in the outfield. He’s going to command a big contract, but it’s not certain how big and with whom. Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, is angling for a five- or six-year deal, but that’s probably not going to happen. The Dodgers will certainly push to bring him back, and the Blue Jays may be a surprise bidder…

      3 How will the Yankees spend those dollars?
      The Yankees’ 14-year playoff run came to an end, and that likely means a frantic winter in the Bronx. They’ve got a good bit of money coming off the payroll, and of course they’ll be moving into a palatial new ballpark next season. So expect them to spend with impunity. They’ll likely pass on their option on Jason Giambi, which means they could be in the mix for Mark Teixeira. They’ll certainly be angling for CC Sabathia, and they’ve also got decisions to make on Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte…

      1 Who will be the Phillies’ GM next season?
      Fresh off the third World Series title of his career, Phillies GM Pat Gillick may be bound for retirement (and, eventually, the Hall of Fame). If he goes, then in all likelihood the job will fall to either Ruben Amaro Jr. or Mike Arbuckle, two longtime Philly lieutenants. Or will Gillick have a change of heart and come back to defend his championship?…

      I’ll go ahead and answer the above questions for FOX:

      CC Sabathia to the Yankees.

      Manny Ramirez to the Yankees.

      Yankees will overspend the Yankees dollars.

      The Yankees will be the Phillies’ GM next season.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

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