Odds and Ends: Botts, Red Sox, McLouth

Roundup of links! According to Jamey Newberg, Jason Botts has cleared waivers. He probably won't get another chance with the Rangers though. Gordon Edes notes that the Red Sox have five picks in the first three rounds of the June draft. Even though they don't start until the 30th pick, the Sox have had much success in recent years. No extension talks have begun with Nate McLouth, but Dejan Kovacevic does expect it to happen. I updated the fantasy baseball closers depth chart over at RotoAuthority. SI.com's Jon Heyman says Freddy Garcia is "progressing nicely" in rehab and will throw...

Odds and Ends: Burrell, Pedro, Fukudome

Today's link collection. Jon Heyman notes that Pat Burrell only wanted to go to the Yankees or Red Sox when the Phillies tried to trade him a few years ago. They're not great fits, but perhaps Burrell will have those two clubs at the top of his list when he hits free agency. Ross Newhan looks at the Dodgers' trade of Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields. He rates it the worst in franchise history. He also names the Brad Penny acquisition as the fourth-worst. Josh Kalk takes a look at Kosuke Fukudome's hot start for RotoAuthority. The Dodgers and Juan...

Odds and Ends: Harden, Bonds, Ramon Hernandez

Time to round up today's linkage. Susan Slusser believes Rich Harden and Joe Blanton will both be traded this season. She sees the Yankees and Mets as suitors for Harden, though he's already having a start pushed back. Jim Caple recently made his case for the Mariners to sign Barry Bonds; his logic is sound. Our Brian Bannister Q&A got a mention in the KC Star. Nice! RotoAuthority has the fantasy take on K-Rod's ailing ankles. Pure speculation, but Ken Rosenthal thinks Ramon Hernandez would be a good fit for the Reds. Not sure if the Reds were looking at...

Odds and Ends: Putz, Byrdak, Graves

Today's linkage. J.J. Putz is out for at least a few weeks; the fantasy baseball world reacts. The Astros inked Tim Byrdak, selling him on an easy path to the big leagues. The 34 year-old southpaw had a 3.20 ERA last year, albeit with poor control. The Twins added former closer Danny Graves to their Triple A club. He's also 34. His peripherals weren't too impressive last year for the Long Island Ducks despite 33 saves. I did a Q&A with Dexter Sports. Unfortunately Corey Koskie doesn't seem anywhere close to coming back. Joe Sports Fan looks at baseball's "bespectacled...

Odds and Ends: Dan Johnson, Baldelli, Soria

Let's round up some linkage. Last Thursday I appeared on WVOX 1460 out of New York with Russell Mafes. You can download the file here (it's about 12 mb and 16 minutes long). Jim Hendry is very candid about the Cubs' desire to add a right-handed hitting outfielder who can handle center. Mike Sweeney's success and good health could mean Dan Johnson is on his way out of Oakland. Jim Salisbury says the Phillies might have taken Rocco Baldelli 15th in the 2000 draft instead of Chase Utley, if they'd had the chance. Would the Mets or Dodgers have taken...

Recently At RotoAuthority

The next two weeks are huge for fantasy baseball, as everyone's having their drafts. Here are some recent articles at my other site, RotoAuthority. I examined last year's Spring Training slugging percentage leaders to see if it carried over into the regular season. The fiercely competitive '08 RotoAuthority Fantasy League drafted last night - check out the rosters and vote for the strongest.

Odds and Ends: Mirabelli, Lohse, Spring Stats

Here are some links I've cobbled together. Surprise move by the Red Sox, releasing Doug Mirabelli. Check out this typically lengthy blog entry from Joe Posnanski. I laughed out loud twice. Read it. Derrick Goold says the Cards are having "continued dialogue" with Kyle Lohse's people. Viva El Birdos considers this a test for ownership. With a hat tip to John Dewan, RotoAuthority attempts to find some meaning in this year's spring training stats. If you haven't already, take a look at my video mailbag from yesterday. We should have one of those MLB Roundup things on the way this...

Recently At RotoAuthority

Fantasy baseball is in full swing. I'm in five leagues, personally. I also run a free daily fantasy baseball site called RotoAuthority. Here are some recent posts you may want to check out. '08 Sleepers: Hiroki Kuroda Catcher Sleepers First Base Sleepers

Odds and Ends: El Duque, Rays, Botts, Cruz

Today's linkage... RotoAuthority tries to decide what to do with the fourth pick in a fantasy draft. The rumor about the Royals moving to the NL seems unfounded. Sean McAdam says the Red Sox will keep an eye on the free agent pitching market, but don't intend to spend much. El Duque has all sorts of problems, which I won't go into. Maybe he's just down on his luck, but he indicated a 50/50 chance of this being his last season. He'll earn $6.5MM, and PECOTA calls for a 4.08 ERA in 98 innings. DRays Bay talked to team owner...