Interviews Rumors

Brian Bannister Q&A, Part 3

Royals starter Brian Bannister recently answered some questions for MLBTR readers. This post concludes the series; also check out Part 1 and Part 2 Q&A. Brian clearly took extra time out to answer thoughtfully, and we thank him for it. MLBTR: Since you originally went to college as a position player, how do you use your experience in the batter's box and in the field to your advantage when you're pitching? Playing in the AL, do you miss hitting? Bannister: I think it is as important to know how a hitter thinks and operates as it is to be able...   Continue Reading

---

Brian Bannister Q&A, Part 2

Royals starter Brian Bannister was kind enough to answer questions for MLBTR readers. Check out Part 1 and Part 3 of the Q&A, also. MLBTR: What's the most misunderstood aspect of succeeding in baseball by typical fans, sportswriters, and announcers? Bannister: There are two things that make baseball unique from other sports. One, baseball is a game of skill that is accentuated by the physical tools of the person performing those skills. Most people superficially judge a position player solely on size, strength, and speed, when his eyesight, balance, rhythm, hand-eye coordination, and mental makeup are much more influential factors...   Continue Reading

---

Brian Bannister Q&A, Part 1

We've done some Q&As with players before - Curtis Granderson, Jason Hirsh, and Michael Barrett. This time, for our Brian Bannister Q&A, we had readers submit the questions. Brian really went the extra mile to accomodate, providing thoughtful and elaborate answers. Great stuff - many thanks to him for participating. We'll break this up into several parts. (UPDATE: Read Part 2 and Part 3). MLBTR: What was your initial reaction when you heard that the Mets had traded you to the Royals? Where were you when it happened, and who told you? Bannister: As baseball players, all we want is...   Continue Reading

---

Keith Law Q&A

I realized recently that I don't know a lot about how trades and discussions between GMs actually go down. Fortunately, ESPN's Keith Law was able to fill in the gaps for me in our Q&A below. Keith was formerly the assistant GM in Toronto under J.P. Ricciardi. What steps does a team take to ensure that trade discussions don't leak out to the media or to other teams? You limit the number of people who are know the details of the discussions. There's not much more you can do, and you're always trusting the other side to keep offers and..   Continue Reading

---

Mike Plugh On Koji Uehara: Part 2

Have you heard about 32 year-old righthanded starter Koji Uehara? He's a free agent likely to come over from Japan to MLB this winter (no posting fee). I wanted to learn more about him, so I consulted the authority on such matters: Mike Plugh. Mike runs the Uehara Watch blog. He also has Matsuzaka Watch and writes for Baseball Prospectus. You can read Part 1 of our Q&A here; a few additional questions are below. Do you know of any specific teams that are expected to pursue Uehara? I've read that the Angels like him. I think the Angels are..   Continue Reading

---

Mike Plugh On Koji Uehara: Part 1

Right fielder Kosuke Fukudome is going to be a big deal this winter. He's the next big thing from Japan, and you can scroll through multiple posts on him here. But there's another name surfacing on the radar: 32 year-old righthanded starter Koji Uehara. He's a free agent likely to come over to MLB this winter (no posting fee). I wanted to learn more about him, so I consulted the authority on such matters: Mike Plugh. Mike runs the Uehara Watch blog. He also has Matsuzaka Watch and writes for Baseball Prospectus. Our Uehara Q&A ran long so I'm breaking..   Continue Reading

---

Curtis Granderson Interview

Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson was kind enough to answer a few questions for MLBTradeRumors.com. He seems like a smart guy; I was impressed by the content and honesty of his answers. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing him in a Cubs uniform ten years from now. Curtis writes an MLBlog and has a MySpace page as well. On to the Q&A: When did you first realize that you might one day play in the Major Leagues? Honestly the first time was when I got called up in 2004 after our final game in AA Erie. Up until that point, I..   Continue Reading

---

Jason Hirsh Interview

Rockies starter Jason Hirsh was recently ranked the 42nd best prospect in baseball by Baseball America. Recently, he was kind enough to answer some questions for MLBTradeRumors.com via email. Jason and his brother Matt maintain a website called Brothers In Arms; check it out. It appears that you were nearly traded to the White Sox in early December for Jon Garland. Did that possibility take you by surprise? What are your feelings on the city of Chicago? I had heard about the ChiSox rumor and then it was finally in USA today and I really didn't think anything of it...   Continue Reading

---

Michael Barrett Interview

Yesterday, Cubs catcher Michael Barrett kindly answered some questions for MLBTradeRumors.com. Michael has a new website up called Barrett Baseball; check it out. What's it like working with Lou Piniella? Any major differences compared to years past? Lou is a professional. He expects a lot of stuff from everyone and that's a good thing. It's too early to talk about the differences between this year and last year, but everyone is really excited for the year to begin. What do you see as the Cubs' biggest obstacle in making the playoffs this year? Staying healthy. Do you have any preference..   Continue Reading

---

Troy Renck Interview Part 2

Troy Renck is the Rockies/MLB beat reporter for the Denver Post. You see his name here often with exclusive rumors and info from his columns for that paper. Troy was kind enough to answer a bunch of my Rockies-related questions for MLBTradeRumors. Below is the second half of the interview; you can read the first half here. Which pitcher is more likely to be traded this spring, Josh Fogg or Byung-Hyun Kim? This will play out slowly, not unlike how the Rockies originally ended up with Kim two years ago just as camp broke. Kim is cheaper and his funky..   Continue Reading

---

Top Stories

Search MLBTR

Lijit Search

MLBTR Features

Recent Posts

MLBTR Mailing List

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Rumors By Team

Monthly Archives

Live Chats

Tuesdays at 2 p.m. CST