Category: MLB (Page 131 of 448)

      Nathan to miss 2010 season? Twins scouting Padres’ Bell

      March 19, 2010 /

      According to Bob Nightengale via his Twitter page, the Twins have been “extensively” scouting Padres closer Heath Bell for a possible trade. If the report is true, then that probably means that Joe Nathan is likely preparing to have Tommy John surgery on his elbow and will miss the entire 2010 season.

      Bell was the National League’s surprise leader in saves in 2009 after he racked up 42 stops, a 2.71 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. Despite the Padres only winning 75 games last year, Bell was given plenty of opportunities to save tight games in the ninth, which he did with regularity.

      It’s no secret that the Padres want to continue to shed payroll and Bell’s name has been mentioned in trades all winter. With the Twins desperate to fill Nathan’s ninth inning spot, San Diego might be able to get a decent prospect in a trade – especially if they wait until after the season starts. Minnesota has a team ready to compete now, but if bullpen woes start to emerge then the Twins might have to overpay a little to acquire Bell’s services. After all, a bullpen can be the difference between a team that makes the postseason and one that comes up short at the end of the season.

      From a fantasy standpoint, a potential trade could be viewed as both a positive and a negative. On one hand, he would be going to a competitive club that should give him plenty of save opportunities and if Nathan were indeed done for the year, Bell would instantly become the closer. On the other hand, he’d be leaving spacious Petco Park and would probably see a spike in his ERA while pitching in the American League. Plus, the lowly Padres were already giving him save opportunities so owners might be wishing he stays put.


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      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Mariners suspended Cliff Lee for first five games

      March 18, 2010 /

      The Mariners suspended ace Cliff Lee for the first five games of the season and fined him an undisclosed amount for throwing at Diamondbacks’ catcher Chris Snyder in a spring training game on Monday.

      From MLB.com:

      Pitcher Cliff Lee of the Seattle Mariners has received a five-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for intentionally throwing a pitch in the head area of Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder during the third inning of Seattle’s Spring Training game on Monday, March 15 at Tucson Electric Park in Tucson, Arizona. Bob Watson, Vice President of On-Field Operations for Major League Baseball, made the announcement.

      Unless appealed, Lee is scheduled to begin serving his suspension on Opening Day, Monday, April 5. If appealed, Lee’s suspension will be held in abeyance until the process is complete.

      At the end of the day, this suspension won’t affect Lee’s season much. He’ll miss one start and it’ll cost him some dough, but this incident will be forgot about soon enough.

      Still, this wasn’t the start the Mariners envisioned when they acquired Lee from the Phillies during the offseason.


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      MLB

      Rangers manager Washington tested positive for cocaine in 2009

      March 17, 2010 /

      According to a report by SI.com, Rangers manager Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine during the 2009 season.

      Washington, 57, has been subject to increased drug testing since his failed test, which was administered by Major League Baseball last July, and he has passed all of his subsequent tests. In deciding to support Washington and retain him as manager, the Rangers accepted his apology as heartfelt and also his explanation that this was a one-time transgression.

      “I did make a mistake and I regret that I did it,” Washington told SI.com by phone from Surprise, Ariz., on Tuesday night. “I am really embarrassed and I am really sorry.”

      Washington declined to discuss the specific circumstances surrounding his decision to use cocaine because he didn’t want his family to hear about it in the media. “Any attempt to try to explain it is going to sound like excuses,” he said. “There is no right way to explain something wrong, and I did wrong. Was it tension? Maybe. Anxiety?”

      Cocaine generally clears the system in 3-5 days after limited use. (Heavy users could take 10-14 days.) After one-time use, a person usually tests positive for cocaine (or technically a metabolite of cocaine called benzoylecgonine) for only 2-3 days.

      Washington called the commissioner’s office shortly after he was tested to notify them that he might fail. He did the same thing with the Rangers’ front office and while using cocaine certainly was a terrible decision, at least he did the responsible thing by giving his superiors a heads up.

      Nobody would have faulted the Rangers had they fired Washington after the test results came back, but they deserve kudos for giving their manager their support and standing by him. We all make mistakes and if this turns out to be an isolated incident, then this shouldn’t be a dark cloud over his fine baseball career.

      But if he’s caught again, then all bets are off and Texas would have recourse to fire him immediately.


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      MLB

      Once again, Huston Street’s health a concern

      March 17, 2010 /

      While he proved to be a nice surprise in 2009 by staying relatively healthy on his way to racking up 35 saves, a 3.06 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, Rockies’ closer Huston Street is once again an injury concern for fantasy owners.

      The Denver Post reports that Street felt tightness in his shoulder while recently playing catch and has been shut down indefinitely. There’s now a good chance that he will start the 2010 season on the disabled list, pending the results of a MRI. With Rafael Betancourt also sidelined due to a shoulder injury, Colorado may have to turn to Manny Corpas to close games to start of the season.

      How will Street’s injury affect your draft? Well, hopefully you weren’t overvaluing him on draft day solely based on his ’09 production. He was a top 10 closer before the injury, but now you might want to avoid him altogether on draft day. And with his early struggles last year, you might want to avoid Corpas until late in your draft as well.

      Given his history and current injury issues, there are plenty of other closers that will be more reliable and offer more upside than Street will. That list includes the Giants’ Brian Wilson, the Cubs’ Carlos Marmol, the A’s Andrew Bailey and the Mariners’ David Aardsma. Any one of those relievers would offer you more value than Street in your draft, with less risk.

      For The Scores Report’s official 2010 fantasy rankings of relievers, click here.


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      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Albert Pujols calls trade talk “stupid”

      March 16, 2010 /

      Cardinals’ slugger Albert Pujols was a little miffed when he discussed the recent trade rumors involving him and Phillies’ star Ryan Howard.

      From FOXSports.com:

      “There’s people, stupid, that like to write something when it’s not the truth, and that’s all I have to say about that,” he said as the Cardinals visited the New York Mets for an exhibition game.

      “If I’m getting traded, they need to come to me. That’s not my job to go to them,” Pujols said. “I’ve been saying all along I want to be here, but whatever, it’s not up to me. I just think somebody tried to be funny, but it’s so stupid when somebody takes something like that serious.”

      Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. denied his team had discussed a trade and used “lies” and “ridiculous” and “irresponsible” to describe the report, which ESPN based on unidentified sources.

      “I really don’t have anything to say about it,” Howard said at the Phillies’ camp in Clearwater.

      “Truthfully, I can go back to all the stuff that happened when I was in Double-A — all the talk about trade rumors. I don’t know anything about anything. I’m not really focused on it. If that were the case — I don’t know if it is or not — it is what it is. You just keep going out there and doing your thing. If you get a call saying you’re traded, then you’re traded. Until that happens, I’m still a Phillie. I’m still here. Let’s ride it out.”

      Per the ESPN report, the Cardinals and Phillies would swap the two stars before each of their contracts are up. But it sounds like an absolutely ridiculous notion and I don’t think fans should get too riled up over the possibilities here.


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      MLB

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