MLBTR Originals

As the sports world turns its attention to football for the evening, let's recap the original content we posted over the last week…

• Ben Nicholson-Smith gave us five facts about the Elias rankings while Tim Dierkes examined the contracts that the Beverly Hills Sports Council was able to find for their relief pitcher clients this winter.
• Ben also looked at Jeremy Guthrie's arbitration case, the Rays' 2011 draft, and listed the remaining free agent starters by innings pitched. He was on conference calls regarding Gil Meche's retirement and Armando Galarraga being designated for assignment, plus he gathered some thoughts about Joey Votto's new contract extension.
• I went back and listed all of the recent contract extensions signed on January 21st.
• This week's poll questions asked which free agent signing was the most surprising, and if you believe the Cardinals will work out an extension with Albert Pujols.
• The best of the blogosphere can be found in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• Here is this week's chat transcript.
• Remember to check out our team and transactions-only feeds, and don't forget our Arbitration Tracker.

Here's a look back at some of the analysis and reporting MLBTR's writing team delivered this week..

• Mike Axisa brought us two installments of This Date In Transaction History, one for January 15th and one dedicated to Chan Ho Park.
• We asked MLBTR readers to weigh in on where Jim Thome will sign, if Andruw Jones will end up in pinstripes, and who the Rays will sign to DH.
• This week MLBTR confirmed a report that the Mets signed Taylor Tankersley to a minor league deal.  The left-handed reliever will receive an invitation to Spring Training.
• Only a few free agent groundballers remain on the open market, says Ben Nicholson-Smith.  Ben also looked at the potential destinations for the remaining designated hitters.
• Need a refresher course on how to get the most out of MLBTR?  We got you covered.  We also ran down all of MLBTR's regular features.
• This week baseball blogs weighed in on Trevor Hoffman's career, Chris Perez's arbitration case, and much much more.
• Agent Scott Boras will have his work cut out for him as he tries to find a monster deal for Prince Fielder next winter, writes Mike Axisa.
• The Brad Penny deal could affect more people than you think.
• We revisted the free agent arbitration decisions in the American League and the National League.
• Missed our weekly chat?  Don't worry, you can find the full transcript right here.

Here's a look back at some of the analysis and reporting MLBTR's writing team produced this week..

• Want to know what kind of transactions we can expect in early January?  Take a peek at the history of transactions made on January 2nd and January 8th in years past.
• This year's incarnation of the Diamondbacks will likely have fewer strikeouts at the plate, but Mike Axisa wonders what effect that could have on their production.
• This week we discussed the Twins' bullpen and the Angels' offseason while readers weighed in on the Rockies extensions, which blockbuster deal they preferred, and the next landing spot for Orlando Cabrera.
• Speaking of polls, click here to let us know what MLBTR posts you read regularly.
• Want to help contribute to MLBTR?  We're currently looking for team coordinators.
• What an honor for Bert Blyleven!  I'm of course talking about his selection as Howard Megdal's Jack Of All Trades for this week.
• Ben Nicholson-Smith examined the teams that came close to making the playoffs last season.
• The Adrian Beltre deal had a ripple effect on several parties.
• Want the best of the baseball blogosphere in one handy post?  We got you covered with the latest edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• "Odds & Ends" is so 2010.  Get with the times grandpa – these days the cool kids are calling it "Quick Hits".
• On Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith hosted our weekly chat.
• We recently introduced an Arbitration Tracker, which you can find under the "tools" tab at the top of the site.  Under that tab you'll also find our Transaction Tracker and Free Agent Tracker.

With a relatively small amount of baseball news being made during in the last week, we pumped out plenty of original content to help quench your hot stove thirst. Let's recap all of it…

• With 2010 drawing to close, we presented our list of the top 15 stories of the year, led by Cliff Lee's season-long saga. Ben Nicholson-Smith also rounded up the top 15 remaining free agents, and we also looked at each club's remaining needs.
• Tim Dierkes looked ahead to potential impact bats that could be available after the 2012 season, and wondering how long Phillies' four aces could stay together. He also listed the best signings from January 2010, the hardest available throwers, and wrote about all the backloaded deals being given out.
• Ben named five outfielders that could benefit from Jayson Werth's contract, and looked to see if there's a fit between the Rays and Brian Fuentes. He also examined the Mariners' offseason, explained what changed for Orlando Hudson, listed the remaining free agents that will cost a draft pick to sign, and explored outfield options for the Braves. Finally, he spoke to Pirates GM Neal Huntington about his team's rebuilt bench.
• Steve Adams looked at alternatives for Adam LaRoche, Dan Mennella broke down the market for Rafael Soriano, and Luke Adams tried to dig up possible fits for Grant Balfour. Ben did the same for Troy Glaus, Tim for Manny Ramirez. I examined the youngest free agent on the market.
• This week's poll questions asked which DH you'd sign for 2011, where Scott Podsednik will sign, where Adrian Beltre will sign, will Carl Pavano get a three-year deal, and whether or not Andy Pettitte will retire.
• Discussion topics included lefty relief options for the Mets, middle infield options for the Yankees, and Washington's first base backup plan.
• We explored the history of transactions made on December 26th, December 28th, December 31st, and January 2nd.
• Howard Megdal's latest Jack Of All Trades post focused on Esteban Loaiza.
• I rounded up the best the blogosphere had to offer in this week's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• This week's chat transcript can be found here.
• Our Arbitration Tracker debuted, and there will plenty of action for the Angels, Padres, Blue Jays, and Giants. Don't forget to check out our team Facebook pages.

People all around baseball took it easy during the holidays this week, but we here at MLBTR pumped out plenty of original content. Let's recap…

• Tim Dierkes tried to determine if closers fetch more in a midseason trade as opposed to during the offseason. He also listed average free agent prices and named some teams that offer a chance for saves.
• Tim also noted that the ACES agency is leading in multiyear deals, then he looked at potential free agent starters for the 2012-2013 offseason.
• Ben Nicholson-Smith built a 25-man roster out of unsigned free agents. He also listed offseason spending details by team, noting that the AL West lags while the NL East leads, and then he analyzed the offseason's biggest contracts.
• I took a look at how the Padres have been trading from a position of strength this winter, and also listed the remaining important offseason dates.
• Luke Adams examined contract extension candidate Andrew McCutchen.
• This week's poll questions asked if you think the Red Sox should trade Jonathan Papelbon, where Jeff Francis will sign, if Grant Balfour will get a multiyear deal, where Joe Blanton will end up, what Trevor Hoffman will do, who will get the next $100MM contract, who will sign Brandon Webb, and what Joakim Soria's future holds.
• We also discussed the Phillies' search for a lefty reliever, the Orioles' first base vacancy, and Billy Butler's future in Kansas City.
• Howard Megdal's latest Jack Of All Trades post looked at Manny Trillo.
• Mark Polishuk recapped some of the notable transactions that took place on December 23rd.
• I rounded up the best blog posts of the week in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• Here is Tim's chat transcript.
• In case you missed it, we recently unveiled the MLBTR Transaction Tracker. Don't miss out on our iPhone app or our team and transaction-only feeds either.

It was a very busy week on the hot stove, but we still managed to churn out some original content here at MLBTR. We don't want you to miss anything, so let's recap it all…

• First and foremost, we introduced MLBTR's latest and greatest feature this week, the Transaction Tracker. Make sure you check out the post to see all the cool things you can do with it. We also added a new Tools menu button.
• In the wake of the Cliff Lee signing, Tim Dierkes told us what we learned from the deal and also dug up some possible fits for Joe Blanton.
• Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the Dodgers' busy offseason while I examined all of the compensation draft picks the Rays are accumulating. 
• This week's poll questions asked where Carl Pavano will sign, who will play first for the Padres, which team will acquire Zack Greinke, whether or not you'd offer a non-elite reliever a multiyear deal, the top remaining free agent, and whether or not there was a mystery team in on Lee. That last one sounds silly in hindsight.
• Howard Medgal broke down the top five Phillies GMs since 1960.
• I compiled the best from around the web in this week's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• Ben's chat transcript can be found here.
• If you're a new reader, welcome, and here's a handy guide with all the different ways you can use MLBTR.

We didn't have much time for original content this week because of the winter meetings, so make sure you browse the Week In Review in case you missed anything along the way. Here's the original content we did come up with…

• First and foremost, make sure you check out our new Free Agent Tracker.
• Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the catching market, and also listed the remaining players that will require draft pick compensation to sign.
• Ben also rounded up all of the winter meetings acquisitions and told us what it all means.
• This week's poll questions asked if Matt Garza will be traded, where Rafael Soriano will sign, where Magglio Ordonez will sign, where Cliff Lee will sign, if the Yankees need Lee, and the most surprising winter meetings deal.
• I rounded up the best of the blogosphere with Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• Howard Megdal's latest Jack of All Trades post featured Rickey Henderson.
• Make sure you check out our regular features and join our forums.

Let's take a look back at some of the original reporting and analysis from MLBTR's writing team this week..

• Roughly fifty players were non-tendered this week.  Click here for the American League non-tenders and here for the ones from the National League.  Tim Dierkes compiled a list of the most interesting non-tenders.  You can also sort the decisions by team using our non-tender tracker.  
• We asked you if you thought that Russell Martin would be traded.  Roughly 63% of MLBTR readers nailed it: Martin was instead non-tendered by the Dodgers.
• Nick Collias gathered up and translated baseball news from several Spanish outlets.
• We learned a lot from this week's arbitration decisions.
• Let us know how you feel about our new iPhone app!
• Mike Axisa collected some of the best analysis from around the blogosphere in this week's edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• You have questions, we have answers.  Ben Nicholson-Smith answered your queries in our weekly chat on Wednesday.

Let's recap the original content produced by the MLBTR crew this week, shall we?

• Ben Nicholson-Smith explained free agent rankings and draft pick compensation, and then told us what we learned from this week's arbitration offers. He also wrote about how teams build their roster to fit their home stadium, and showed us how the AL MVP candidates were acquired.
• We reviewed the stock of several free agents, including Arthur Rhodes (formerly of the Reds), Miguel Olivo (Blue Jays/Rockies), Matt Guerrier (Twins), Pedro Feliciano (Mets), Mariano Rivera (Yankees), and Kevin Gregg (Blue Jays). We also looked at Russell Martin's non-tender case.
• This week's poll questions asked which relievers will sign multiyear deals, which Type A free agents will be offered arbitration, which Type B's will accept arbitration, whether or not someone will sign Manny Ramirez, who is the top remaining free agent catcher, and if George Sherrill will have to settle for a minor league deal.
• I rounded up the best links from around the web in this week's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• Ben's chat transcript can be found here.

The hot stove finally started to heat up this week, no doubt thanks to the GM Meetings. Here's a look at MLBTR's original content from the last seven days…

• Ben Nicholson-Smith was on location at the GM Meetings in Orlando, and he spoke to Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, Rays GM Andrew Friedman, Padres GM Jed Hoyer, and Pirates GM Neal Huntington. He also provided some general rumors and got quotes from Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski after they signed Joaquin Benoit. 
• When he got back, Ben explained why small market teams time their free agent bids carefully.
• Tim Dierkes pointed out the great start the ACES Agency is off to this winter.
• Among the free agents whose stock we examined: Grant Balfour of the Rays, Scott Downs of the Blue Jays, Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks, and Victor Martinez of the Red Sox. We also looked at non-tender candidates Joel Zumaya of the Tigers and Tony Gwynn Jr. of the Padres.
• This week's polls included questions about Scott Downs' next contract and whether or not the Diamondbacks would trade Justin Upton. 
• My amateur signing bonus series concluded with the Blue Jays and Nationals.
• Steve Adams listed the players that received bonuses based on regular season awards.
• I rounded up the best from the blogosphere in this week's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• Tim's chat transcript can be found here.
• If you're new to the site, make sure you check out our team and transactions-only feeds, team Facebook pages, and then visit the MLBTR forums. Here's a handy guide on all the different ways you can use the site.