Category: MLB (Page 154 of 448)

      Yankees to deal for Tigers’ Granderson?

      November 11, 2009 /

      According to a report by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Tigers have let it be known that outfielder Curtis Granderson is available for the right package and that the Yankees might be interested.

      Granderson would be attractive to many teams, with the Yankees near the top of the list. They have long searched for a premium solution in center since Bernie Williams left his prime, but now they also face the loss of the lefty power of free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. Granderson hit a career-high 30 homers last year.

      Brian Cashman met with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski at the now-concluded GM Meetings, but it is not believed the two did any more than discuss needs and available players. However, the two have a good relationship and have done significant trades before, going back to when Dombrowski was in Florida and obtained Mike Lowell from the Yanks to the more recent Gary Sheffield deal and the swap of Kyle Farnsworth for Ivan Rodriguez.

      The Yankees have a touted center field prospect in Austin Jackson, who could be the centerpiece for a deal, though Detroit would have a market outside of just The Bronx.

      Granderson has the talent to be a five-tool player, but he struggles mightily against left-handed pitching. That said, he would offer the Yankees a major upgrade in the outfield, especially if Johnny Damon (who throws like a sissy) leaves via free agency.

      You know the Yankees would have no problem picking up the $25.72 million that Granderson is owed over the next three seasons. But whether or not they could put together the right package is the question.


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      MLB

      Torre might manage in 2011

      November 8, 2009 /

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre has one year remaining on his three-year, $13 million contract. It’s been expected that Torre would retire after next season, leaving the door open for Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly to take his place. Torre will turn 70 next year, but he feels motivated enough to manage in 2011.

      As T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times reports…

      I hear Joe Torre is talking about extending his contract as manager with the Dodgers and remaining beyond next season.

      “Where did you get that?” Torre says, the first time all weekend he seems to care where I’m getting my inside information.

      But it’s true, Torre says, “we’re talking about it.”

      We know this, he’s not chatting with Jamie McCourt about it.

      “We were talking about my coaches and I’ve been thinking about it,” Torre says while mentioning General Manager Ned Colletti’s name and plans to chat again once Torre returns from a charity function in New York.

      “It’s been fun. When I came here, I was curious about how it might go. But the last two years have been invigorating. You see progress and your ego tells you maybe you had something to do with it.”

      The Dodgers made the NLCS in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1985. Given this success, the team signed GM Ned Colletti to a contract extension last month. Torre is still an important piece to the Dodgers puzzle, so I think the Dodgers are willing to keep him as long as he likes. He’s obviously had less to work with than he did in New York, but those 95 wins last season say otherwise.

      Still, the Dodgers need to handle Mattingly wisely. (Mattingly interviewed for the managerial openings in Cleveland and Washington but wasn’t hired.) He says he has no qualms about Torre’s decision to carry on and is willing to wait patiently.

      Torre is sometimes too carefree for my tastes, appearing as if he’s just going through the motions. He claims he still has the desire to win, but I’d like to see him take a more proactive stance in the future. After all, the Dodgers are only a couple starters away from overtaking the Phillies and Torre’s postseason experience is perhaps his greatest asset.

      MLB

      Courts let Tim Lincecum off easy

      November 7, 2009 /

      Lincecum

      I think Geovany Soto put something else in those brownies. Someone help me!

      If you take a good look at Tim Lincecum, you wouldn’t think the 25 year-old is a former Cy Young winner who is possibly the most challenging pitcher in the National League. No, you wouldn’t. You would, however, guess that he liked to hit the pipe every now and then. Tim Lincecum looks like the type of guy that drives 15 mph over the speed limit with 3 grams of weed in his car on Interstate 5.

      Regardless, none of us think any less of The Freak and apparently prosecutors in Clark County, WA don’t give a damn either.

      The Vancouver, Wash., newspaper said Clark County prosecutors have reached a deal with a lawyer for the 2008 Cy Young Award winner that would result in a $250 fine for possessing a marijuana pipe.

      The prosecutor told The Columbian “it could have been the kid next door” getting the same treatment. “The fact it’s a celebrity doesn’t mean he doesn’t get the same deal.”
      Grant Hansen, a Clark County deputy prosecutor, told the newspaper his office is willing to dismiss a misdemeanor charge of possessing 3.3 grams of marijuana.

      Schatzel said police consider the 3.3 grams a small amount for personal use, well below the maximum of 40 grams before possession is classified differently and carries a more severe penalty.

      “It’s not really out of the ordinary. It happens every day,” Schatzel said about the volume of marijuana Lincecum handed over. “It was about the size of a thumb, the whole thumb.”

      Lincecum still faces a $122 fine on the speeding citation.

      I think he has the money.

      Even though 3.3 grams isn’t all that much, he’s lucky to escape with a simple fine. From my understanding, most California courts would order the offender to take some drug classes.

      They obviously run things a bit differently in Washington. Anything under 40 grams is the limit before they enact a harsher penalty? What are they smoking?

      MLB

      Phillies pick up Lee’s $9 million option

      November 7, 2009 /

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      It was a pleasure to watch Cliff Lee during the playoffs. The Phillies left-hander flaunted a studly 1.56 ERA in five starts, finishing 4-0. When the Phillies aquired Lee in late July for four minor leaguers, the former Indian went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA. Given his success, it’s the no wonder the Phillies have decided to pick up his $9 million option for the 2010 season.

      The 31 year-old is a perfect fit for a Phillies club that suddenly lost it’s pitching prowess. Throughout the year, the Phillies dealt with a shaky rotation. Every pitcher on their roster was a risk factor, exluding Lee: Cole Hamels couldn’t find the groove he had in 2008; Joe Blanton lacked confidence in big games; Pedro Martinez couldn’t give you a full nine; Jamie Moyer was hurt; J.A. Happ was a sensation the team couldn’t trust; Brett Myers was still Brett Myers. Cliff Lee brings a calmness and a confidence to a Phillies team with dynasty potential.

      Although Lee’s contract expires after next season, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is open to signing the former Cy Young winner to a long-term deal similar to Yankees zillionaire CC Sabathia. The Phillies have a slew of free agents to juggle, but keeping Lee was obviously a priority. The organization needs to decide what they’re going to do with Pedro Feliz, Matt Stairs, Scott Eyre, Chan Ho Park, Myers, and Martinez. Also of concern are the the expected raises coming to Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz, Chad Durbin, and Blanton.

      I think the Phillies team of next year will look similar to the team that lost to Yankees in this recent World Series. Feliz, Moyer, Stairs, Eyre, and Myers might not be back, but the Phillies should contend for another championship.

      MLB

      Manny exercises option, will return to Dodgers

      November 7, 2009 /

      According to a report by SI.com, Manny Ramirez exercised his $20 million contract option for 2010 and will return to the Dodgers.

      The team said Friday that the slugger exercised his $20 million contract option for 2010. His agent Scott Boras informed Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti of the decision.

      Ramirez hit .290 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs in 104 regular season games. He missed 50 games while suspended for violating baseball’s drug policy.

      In the NL division series against St. Louis, Ramirez batted .308 with no homers and two RBI. Against Philadelphia in the NL championship series, he hit .263 with one homer and two RBI.

      Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers from Boston in July 2008.

      Thank God. I don’t know if I could have gone another offseason talking about Man-Ram and his ongoing contract negotiations. Just thinking about it gives me a migraine.

      Maybe this year he won’t get busted for using women’s fertility drugs in spring training. Hi-yo!

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      MLB

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