Category: MLB (Page 192 of 448)

      Felipe Lopez traded to Brewers

      July 19, 2009 /

      lopez

      The Arizona Diamonbacks have traded second baseman Felipe Lopez to the Milwaukee Brewers for two minor leaguers. The Brewers have been without their second baseman Rickie Weeks since his season-ending wrist surgery. In his place, they’ve looked to veteran Craig Counsell and rookie Casey McGehee. Lopez is a confident leadoff hitter who now finds himself in a much stronger lineup.

      “It’s exciting,” Lopez said from St. Louis. “It’s tough leaving the guys here. At the same time, I’m excited for the opportunity.”

      The 29-year-old Lopez is hitting .301 with six homers, 25 RBIs and six stolen bases in 85 games in his first season with the Diamondbacks. He can become a free agent after the season.

      “Felipe is an accomplished veteran player who gives us versatility at three infield positions,” Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. “He has been a very productive player at the top of the order with respect to both batting average and on-base percentage.”

      The Diamondbacks, who fell to 39-53 after Sunday’s 2-1 road loss to St. Louis, got outfielder Cole Gillespie and right-hander Roque Mercedes from the Brewers in the deal. Arizona began Sunday 18 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West.

      “With our place in the standings, we have to consider trades like this,” Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes said. “Felipe will be a free agent at the end of the year, and we acquired a couple of guys with long-term value.”

      The Brewers will be Lopez’s sixth team in his nine-year career. Apart from the Brewers and Diamonbacks, Lopez has also played for the Blue Jays, Reds, Nationals, and Cardinals. Funny thing is, he’ll probably be on another club next year since Lopez will be a free agent and Weeks will be back.

      MLB

      Red Sox designate Julio Lugo for assignment

      July 17, 2009 /

      No matter where you are right now, if you listen close enough you’ll hear the faint chants of jubilation coming from the Boston, Massachusetts’s area.

      BoSox fans your wish has come true: Julio Lugo has officially been designated for assignment, which means he no longer will haunt your baseball dreams.

      The Red Sox now have 10 days to either trade Lugo, release him or re-assign him.
      The Red Sox have put feelers out for a potential trade partner for Lugo, though they’d likely be on the hook for the most — if not all — of the $13.5 million the shortstop is owed through the end of 2010.

      Such a situation would have seemed unthinkable in December 2006, when the Red Sox signed Lugo off the free-agent market for four years at $36 million.

      Originally signed to be the club’s leadoff hitter, Lugo struggled early in his first season and never fully rebounded to be the sparkplug the Red Sox remember playing against with the Tampa Bay Rays. Lugo has batted in the bottom portion of the order during most of his time in Boston. But the bigger issue was his defense.

      After making 16 errors in the first half of the 2008 season, Lugo tore his left quad and missed the entire second half.

      He came to Spring Training this season eager to try to reclaim his job in a position battle with Lowrie. But that plan ended when Lugo, 33, had to undergo right knee surgery in March.

      Though Lowrie had to undergo left wrist surgery in April, Lugo couldn’t capitalize on the opening once he returned to the roster on April 27. His range was seemingly limited from his leg woes, and he was supplanted by Green for good in late May.

      Playing in 37 games this season, Lugo hit .284 with one homer and eight RBIs. He made seven errors in 97 total chances.

      Lugo was brutal from the moment he signed and what made matters worse was that Boston had to hang onto him because of his inflated salary. There’s obviously no guarantee that a free agent signing will pan out and there have been hundreds of FA busts over the years.

      But Lugo will definitely go down as one of the worst free agent signings in some time, especially considering that Boston once had Hanley Ramirez in its farm system. Granted, the Red Sox got Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell out of that deal with Florida for Ramirez, but still, Lugo wouldn’t have been signed had Boston stuck with Hanley.

      MLB

      Rick Reilly = that annoying ”friend”

      July 17, 2009 /

      Rick Reilly puts together a top 10 list of the best sporting events to see live and I couldn’t disagree more with his top 5.

      5. Tour de France — Like trying to get to 20 Super Bowls in 23 days, but worth it. Pick a climbing stage, bring friends and a bike, ride the course in the morning before the race (you’re allowed), have lunch in a hamlet atop some exquisite Alp, watch the heart-skipping finish, have a bottle of Bordeaux, spend the night, bike down in the morning. Rinse and repeat.

      4. North Carolina vs. Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium — Fans pulling the hair of Tar Heels players as they inbound the ball; students camping out for months in K-Ville for tix; the hilarious chants from the Crazies, who once yelled at Grant Hill’s parents, “One more kid!”; public school vs. private; an electricity that makes the Final Four and its corporate crowd seem like a three-day seminar on bunions.

      3. Wimbledon — There’s nothing in America within a par-5 of it. It’s a Windsor Castle garden party with grunting. It’s queens and cobblers, cheek to cheek, over grounds so huge it would take you and your Toro a month to mow. It’s a phantasmagoria of color — greens and purples and yellows — and that’s just Bud Collins’ pants.

      2. Kentucky Derby — My life’s aspiration was to be Damon Runyon, and the Derby is as close as I’ll get. With its wooden stands, elegant barns, men in seersucker suits and women in hats you could land an F-14 on, it’s 1927 everywhere you look. Don’t miss the fillies the day before in the Kentucky Oaks or the Barnstable Brown Gala or the awful race-day breakfast at Wagner’s Pharmacy, across from Gate 3. If you hear a tip there, book it, because everyone around you is a trainer, an owner or a groom.

      1. Masters — Sneak into the clubhouse for the peach cobbler and steal into the Eisenhower Cabin, where some paintings are actually by Eisenhower. Do the par-3 tourney Wednesday and Arnie’s first tee shot Thursday; see the droop-shouldered cut players driving out Magnolia Lane Friday, Amen Corner Saturday and golf history Sunday. Because Augusta already has most of the money printed in America, it has not sold out an inch. There are no ads, just flowers. No luxury boxes, just $1.50 egg salad sandwiches. Timeless.

      You know that friend that we all have? You know the one – the guy/girl that only likes things that are not in the mainstream? All of his or her favorite bands are underground and all the movies that he or she likes are ones that nobody else enjoyed because they, “just didn’t get it.” We’re okay with these friends, but we know damn well that the only reason they like certain things is because they’re not in the mainstream.

      Yeah, that’s Reilly in this piece.

      I’ve never been to the Masters, Kentucky Derby, Wimlbedon or Tour de France, so as far as I know they’re the most thrilling events of all-time to see live. But I’m more focused on Reilly here. Was he just trying to be different with this list? Is he trying to separate himself from other top 10 lists? Because I find it incredibly odd that he left out the main four (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) out of his top 5.

      If he did so just to be different, I find him more annoying than every before.

      College Basketball, College Football, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Tennis

      Red Sox willing to eat Lugo’s salary?

      July 16, 2009 /

      According to a report by FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, the Red Sox are willing to eat Julio Logo’s remaining salary in a trade.

      The Red Sox, facing a roster bind as they prepare for the returns of shortstop Jed Lowrie and third baseman Mike Lowell, have informed teams that they are willing to assume virtually all of shortstop Julio Lugo’s remaining salary in a trade, according to a major-league source.

      While another source told FOXSports.com earlier Thursday that the Sox were “desperately” trying to move Lugo, the second source offered a different view.

      The Red Sox, he said, recognize that Lugo is a “sunk cost,” and would accept a fringe prospect for him in return. In other words, they are willing to assume the same financial burden that they would if they released him.

      A release could be the ultimate outcome. The Red Sox are likely to designate Lugo for assignment if they are unable to trade him once Lowrie returns.

      The problem with Lugo’s trade value — besides his erratic defense since returning from knee surgery — is his contract. Lugo, 33, is owed the remainder of his $9 million salary this season, plus $9 million next season. The Sox have been trying to move him since last off-season.

      Boston is going to have a tough time moving Lugo, even if they do eat all of his salary. He’s brutal defensively, has zero pop and is already 33. He’s done.

      MLB

      Giants to trade Zito? Fat chance.

      July 16, 2009 /

      Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News is a little delusional.

      Either that, or my man has been getting high on peyote, because in one of his recent articles he actually suggested that the Giants have to trade Barry Zito.

      And the Giants have to very seriously consider trying to trade Zito to any suitable team that will take some of his money (Zito has a no-trade clause); or they have to think about releasing him in the off-season.

      Of course, at the end of this season, Zito will still be owed a guaranteed $83 million. Which is a lot.

      Releasing him in the offseason might be a viable (expensive, but viable) option with Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson tearing up the minor leagues and possibly being ready to join the big league club next year. But what team would be stupid enough to trade for Zito and take on some of his contract as Kawakami is suggesting? Even the win-at-all-cost, spend-at-all-cost Yankees wouldn’t touch Zito, especially with Roy Halladay on the market.

      Truth be told, Zito hasn’t looked as bad this year as he has the previous two seasons. When he’s supplying souvenirs to the fans sitting in the left field bleachers, he can be serviceable as a fourth or fifth starter. Of course, he’ll still be the highest paid fourth or fifth starter in baseball history, but at least the Giants will be getting something back on their brutal investment.

      Either way, nothing is going to happen this year. No team is going to trade for him and with Randy Johnson on the DL the Giants aren’t going to release Zito during the season, no matter how bad he pitches the rest of the way. They could potentially move him to the bullpen (which they tried to do for about a millisecond last year), but don’t forget that he’s typically a good second half pitcher and with the Giants in contention, they’d be better off rolling the dice and leaving him in the rotation.

      Better yet while the Big Unit is on the DL, the Giants could pit Zito against Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Sadowski for the last two spots in the rotation. Loser either goes to the bullpen (Zito/Sanchez) or Triple-A (Sadowski).

      MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑