Category: MLB (Page 293 of 448)

      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

      Tim Lincecum wins NL Cy Young

      November 11, 2008 /

      San Francisco Giants’ 24-year old starter Tim Lincecum won the National League Cy Young award on Tuesday.

      Tim LincecumThe slender kid with the whirling windup on Tuesday joined Mike McCormick (1967) as the only San Francisco Giants pitchers to win a Cy Young.

      Lincecum received 23 of 32 first-place votes and 137 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks got four first-place votes and finished second with 73 points.

      Well deserved. Nothing against Brandon Webb, but Lincecum was the most dynamic pitcher in the NL this season. Despite pitching for one of the worst lineups in all of baseball, “The Franchise” still found a way to go 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA. Had the Giants had any amount of offense, he would have easily won 20-plus games. I had him ranked No. 3 in my “Best Young Guns Vol. II” article.

      Ironically, the Giants were looking to trade Lincecum in the offseason. GM Brian Sabean (who amazingly still has a job despite several trade gaffs) almost dealt his future ace to the Toronto Blue Jays for Alex Rios.

      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

      Geovany Soto, Evan Longoria win Rookie of the Year Awards

      November 11, 2008 /

      Chicago Cubs’ catcher Geovany Soto and Tampa Bay Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria won the 2008 NL and AL Rookie of the Year Awards, respectively.

      Evan LongoriaFollowing a season of breakthroughs for the AL champion Rays, Longoria became the first Tampa Bay player to win a national award from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The power-hitting third baseman received all 28 first-place votes, becoming the AL’s first unanimous rookie winner since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997.

      Soto, the steady catcher who helped the Cubs win the NL Central title, got 31 of 32 first-place votes. The other went to Cincinnati’s Joey Votto.

      Called up from the minors in April, Longoria batted .272 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs despite missing five weeks after breaking his right wrist Aug. 7. Confident at the plate and splendid on defense, he was a big reason for the Rays’ stunning surge to the World Series after 10 straight losing seasons.
      Chicago White Sox second baseman Alexei Ramirez was the runner-up after receiving 18 second-place votes. Boston outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury finished third.

      Soto hit .285 with 23 homers, 35 doubles and 86 RBIs. He became the first catcher to win Rookie of the Year in either league since Mike Piazza of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1993.

      It was amazing to watch Soto play this year because he really became the backbone of the Cubs’ lineup. And without Longoria’s breakthrough season, the Rays never make it to the Fall Classic. It’s nice to finally see a high draft pick like Longoria finally do something. It seems that top 10 picks in baseball fizzle more than top 10 picks in any other sport, which obviously makes sense considering players are sent to the minors and have to work their way up to the big stage, instead of just starting off in the pros right off the bat.

      MLB

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