Blue Jays, Astros Interested In Marcus Stroman; Astros Interested In Cody Bellinger
2023/07/blue-jays-astros-interested-in-marcus-stroman-astros-interested-in-cody-bellinger.htmlIt simply isn't a rotation that looks like it can contend for another championship, and even making the playoffs might be difficult for Houston given the Rangers' lead in the AL West and the crowded nature of the wild card race. … Unless the Northsiders go on a real hot streak over the next two weeks, it looks like the Cubs again be looking to sell some veteran players at the August 1 trade deadline.
AL East Notes: Rays, Mullins, Mountcastle, Romano
2023/07/al-east-notes-rays-mullins-mountcastle-romano.htmlTrading promising right-hander Joe Ryan for Nelson Cruz ahead of the 2021 trade deadline, extending Wander Franco on an 11-year deal that offseason, and pursuing Freddie Freeman in free agency are all signs from the relatively recent past that the Rays could be willing to take bigger swings in their pursuit of a World Series championship, and there's no acquisition that would move the needle more than Ohtani. … While the club certainly has the pieces necessary to swing a deal for Ohtani between a farm system that ranks 8th in the majors per Fangraphs and a deep group of position players at the big league level, Topkin cautions that the Rays are highly unlikely to enter a bidding war for Ohtani as the club wouldn't be able to retain the superstar in free agency.
Red Sox Notes: Bloom, Deadline Plans, First Base, Sale
2023/07/red-sox-notes-bloom-deadline-plans-first-base-sale.htmlWe feel like we’re making a lot of progress and we just want keep layering on more and more positive…… "I think the this bigger picture of how we’ve gotten here and how it’s come through a lot of progress from a lot of good performances from our long-term core — whether that’s young players or veteran players — is really encouraging in terms of where the arrow is pointing," Bloom told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.
Follow NBA Free Agency At Hoops Rumors
2023/06/follow-nba-free-agency-at-hoopsrumors-2.htmlOne of the hot names on the market is Nuggets guard/forward Bruce Brown, who helped Denver win its first championship earlier this month. … While this free agent class may not have as much top-end talent as some previous years, it's deep with quality players and features several highly accomplished veterans, including Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Khris Middleton and Fred VanVleet, among others.
The Orioles May Have Found The Lefty Bat They Wanted
2023/06/the-orioles-may-have-found-the-lefty-bat-they-wanted.html"If a Player is optionally assigned for a total of less than 20 days in one championship season, the Player shall be credited with Major League service during the period of such optional assignment(s)." O'Hearn therefore won't be dinged for that brief option in May, getting service time from his April 13 selection to the end of the year. … They signed players like Nomar Mazara and Franchy Cordero to minor league deals.
Max Scherzer Reportedly Open To Waiving No-Trade Clause
2023/06/max-scherzer-reportedly-open-to-waiving-no-trade-clause.htmlIndustry sources suggest to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com that Scherzer would be amenable to waiving the provision in the right circumstances -- presumably one that'd see him shipped to a team with legitimate 2023 championship aspirations. … Even if the Mets were to consider moving veteran players, parting with Scherzer would represent a much bigger decision than relinquishing pure rentals like David Robertson and Tommy Pham.
Missteps In Minor Trades Hurting The Cubs In 2023
2023/06/missteps-in-minor-trades-hurting-the-cubs-in-2023.htmlAfter ending their century-long championship drought in 2016, the Cubs struggled to maintain that level of competitiveness despite their talented roster, resulting in a massive sell-off at the 2021 trade deadline that is currently yielding promising results as the club works its way back towards contention. … Though the club added quality players like Marcus Stroman, Seiya Suzuki, and Yan Gomes ahead of the 2022 season, it was nonetheless a clear rebuilding year for the Cubs as they looked to turn the page on the previous core and begin to build around younger players like Nico Hoerner and Justin Steele.
MLB Hires Albert Pujols As Special Assistant
2023/06/mlb-hires-albert-pujols-as-special-assistant.htmlHe was named to 11 All-Star teams and was also the MVP of the 2004 National League Championship Series. … We are excited for Albert to join other former players who are doing important work for our sport, and we…
The Rangers’ Quietly Excellent Catcher
2023/05/rangers-catcher-jonah-heim-breakout.htmlOn that note, critics of the Rangers often like to scoff at the team's efforts to buy a championship. … It was an exchange of players who'd become lineup fixtures but also had seen their respective contract extensions turn sour for their organizations.
How Much Revenue Does Shohei Ohtani Actually Generate?
2023/05/how-much-revenue-does-shohei-ohtani-actually-generate.htmlMiyamoto is a sports economics expert who has previously studied topics such as the economic impact of championship seasons of NPB teams and the economic damage sustained by the Japanese sports industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. … “For example, this [economic effect] is the equivalent of a championship campaign of a popular NPB team like the Yomiuri…
Rhys Hoskins Diagnosed With Torn ACL, Will Undergo Surgery
2023/03/rhys-hoskins-diagnosed-with-torn-acl-will-undergo-surgery.htmlIn addition to the difficulty of losing an entire season on a championship contender, it's hard to draw up a worse time for an injury of this nature for Hoskins personally. … Utility players like Josh Harrison or Kody Clemens could take some at-bats but aren't likely to hit enough to play there regularly.
The Opener: WBC, Rule Changes, MLBTR Chats
2023/03/the-opener-wbc-rule-changes-mlbtr-chats.htmlTrout and Ohtani battled to a full count before Trout ultimately struck out swinging on a slider, giving Japan their third WBC championship. … Even minor changes would have to be implemented very soon, as with barely a week left before Opening Day, teams and players will want as much time as possible to acclimate to any changes made.
Phillies Interested In Right-Handed Hitting Outfielders
2023/03/phillies-interested-in-right-handed-hitting-outfielders.htmlAdditionally, Guthrie raked in his first taste of big league action last season, posting a whopping 184 wRC+ in his fourteen-game cup of coffee that earned him a spot on the postseason roster during Philadelphia's NL championship run. … All five players have relatively secure spots in the organization headed into the season: Guthrie, Clemens, Cave, and Hall all are on the 40-man roster with minor league options remaining, while Kingery is not on the 40-man roster but is set to remain in the organization during the final year of his ill-fated six-year, $24MM extension he signed with the Phillies ahead of the 2018 season, before he had taken a big league at-bat.
Jesus Alou Passes Away
2023/03/jesus-alou-passes-away.htmlWhile he only got into 132 combined games in green and gold, he picked up a pair of championship rings. … While he never achieved the lofty heights his brothers reached as players, he spent a decade and a half as a major leaguer and won a pair of World Series.
Harrison Bader Open To Extension Talks With Yankees
2023/03/harrison-bader-open-to-extension-talks-with-yankees.htmlHe picked things up in the postseason, connecting on five home runs in only 35 plate appearances to help the Yankees to the American League Championship Series. … The other corner position is more in flux, with players like Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton and perhaps Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the mix for reps.
MLBTR Poll: Who Will Win The AL West?
2023/03/mlbtr-poll-who-will-win-the-al-west-2.htmlEn route to their 2022 World Series championship, the Astros had a phenomenal season, with AL Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander leading the pitching staff while each of Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Alex Bregman received MVP votes for their work in the starting lineup. … That said, the club did lose some key players over the offseason as well: Mitch Haniger and Adam Frazier departed via free agency while Erik Swanson, Kyle Lewis, Jesse Winker, and Abraham Toro were among the players who departed in the club's various trades this offseason.
Mitch Moreland Announces Retirement
2023/03/mitch-moreland-retires.htmlThe 2018 season was a big one for Moreland not only due to his All-Star selection but also from a big-picture standpoint; while Moreland's Rangers fell shy in consecutive World Series appearances in 2010-11, he reached the Fall Classic for a third time with the '18 Red Sox and this time captured the championship that had twice eluded him in the past. … Bradford adds that Moreland is currently in Red Sox camp to work with some younger players after getting an invite from chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and manager Alex Cora.
MLB Completes Mike Clevinger Investigation, No Discipline Forthcoming
2023/03/mlb-completes-mike-clevinger-investigation-no-discipline-forthcoming.htmlI am looking forward to the 2023 season and helping the White Sox win a championship this year."… In regards to the end of the league's investigation today, Clevinger released his own statement, via the MLB Players Association (Twitter link).
Rockies To Sign Mike Moustakas
2023/03/rockies-to-sign-mike-moustakas.htmlThe Moose was named to three All-Star games during that stretch, and he was also a big part of Kansas City's World Series championship team in 2015. … This plan would allow the Rox to keep McMahon at third base, and keep second-year players Nolan Jones and Elehuris Montero (who were lined up to take over at the hot corner) in backup roles.
Offseason In Review: Houston Astros
2023/03/offseason-in-review-houston-astros-14.htmlEven as the Astros were barreling towards the second championship in franchise history, whispers of conflict behind the scenes began to trickle out. … The Astros faced some immediate roster decisions as a handful of key players were headed to the open market.
Liberty Media Releases Braves’ Financials For 2022
2023/03/liberty-media-releases-braves-financials-for-2022.htmlThat's a $20MM jump over 2021's previous franchise-record figure, which the corporation attributed to increased ticket demand and additional retail on the heels of Atlanta's World Series championship. … The club's only other major league acquisitions were relievers Joe Jimenez and Lucas Luetge (combined $4.315MM in arbitration salaries), low-cost free agent deals for outfielder Jordan Luplow ($1.4MM) and reliever Nick Anderson ($875K if in the majors) and trades for pre-arbitration players like Eli White and Sam Hilliard.
The Opener: Dodgers, Rodgers, MLBTR Chats
2023/03/the-opener-dodgers-rodgers-mlbtr-chats.htmlHe won the Choi Dong-won Award in both 2018-19 -- the KBO equivalent of MLB's Cy Young Award -- leading the Bears to a Korean Series championship in the second of those two seasons. … MLBTR is excited to continue our series of live chats with players and other people from around the game as today we welcome right-hander Josh Lindblom.
AL Notes: Alvarez, Torres, Flexen
2023/02/al-notes-alvarez-torres-flexen.htmlThe news that Alvarez should be ready for opening day is surely a relief for Astros fans, as the slugger is among the most important players in the star-studded Astros lineup that took home a World Series championship in 2022.
Phillies, Rhys Hoskins Have Not Had Extension Talks
2023/02/phillies-rhys-hoskins-have-not-had-extension-talks.htmlFollowing the Phillies postseason run in 2022 which shocked the baseball world as they fell just two wins short of a World Series championship, the expectations surrounding the team have changed dramatically. … In addition to external additions, the club has been active in extending both players and personnel.
Offseason In Review: Toronto Blue Jays
2023/03/offseason-in-review-toronto-blue-jays-15.htmlThe Blue Jays will again face stiff competition to return to the playoffs, but just getting into the postseason wouldn't be satisfactory for a team that clearly has designs on a championship. … Only 28 players in baseball had a higher fWAR in 2022 than Varsho's 4.6 number, as he combined excellent defense with strong baserunning and above-average (106 wRC+) offensive production in the form of 27 home runs and .235/.302/.443 slash line in 592 plate appearances.