MLBTR Podcast: Fantasy Edition
MLBTR’s owner Tim Dierkes joins Jeff to talk fantasy strategy as the trade deadline approaches, with a particular focus on relief pitching (including how you can use @closernews to boost your saves). Jeff then discusses some strategies for maximizing DL slots to add production the rest of the way.
Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.
The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.
MLBTR Seeking Photoshop Experts
As you may have noticed, MLB Trade Rumors has launched a brand new Instagram account: @TradeRumorsMLB. As the trade market heats up, MLBTR is looking for talented photoshop artists who can expertly (and quickly) make a jersey swap photo.
Are you the kind of photoshop expert we’re looking for? If so, we want you to create a sample photo of Cole Hamels pitching in a Yankees jersey and email it to MLBTRonInstagram@gmail.com. The position is part-time and compensated. Good luck!
Podcast: Talking D’Backs And Trades With Jonah Keri
Grantland’s Jonah Keri joins the show to talk about the Diamondbacks’ recent decision making, as well as trade deadline possibilities for several other teams.
Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.
The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.
Darryl Hamilton Killed In Shooting
In a tragic piece of news, former Major League outfielder and current MLB Network analyst Darryl Hamilton was found dead in his Texas home today as the victim of an apparent murder-suicide, according to the Houston Chronicle. Just 50 years old, Hamilton suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to the report. Monica Jordan, 44, was said to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Players, coaches and media members alike are mourning the loss of Hamilton today, with those who knew and worked with him praising his consistently positive personality and recalling the joy that he brought to all those around him. Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement:
“All of us at Major League Baseball are shocked and saddened by this tragedy. Darryl followed a successful 13-year career on the field by assembling a multifaceted career in our game, working for MLB Advanced Media and in our Baseball Operations Department before moving on to MLB Network. He was a talented and personable individual, and we were proud to call him a member of the Baseball Family. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest sympathies to Darryl’s family and his many friends throughout our game.”
Hamilton spent parts of 13 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Brewers, Mets, Rockies, Giants and Rangers. Following his playing days, he did broadcasting work for the Angels and Brewers in addition to his fine work with the MLB Network. We at MLBTR express our deepest condolences to Hamilton’s family as well as those who had the good fortune to work alongside him and the privilege to call him a friend.
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New Commenting System At MLBTR
You may have noticed that MLBTR now has a new commenting system. If you had commented at all in 2015 under the old system, you should have received an email with a link to register. If you did not receive an email, feel free to go into the comments section of a post and click the register button. It might take a little while for your first-ever comment to be published, but after that it should be instant.
We’re using Gravatar for avatars now. You can go here to sign in or sign up and upload an image for yourself.
I apologize for any short-term bugs or missing features in this new commenting system. In the long-term, an in-house commenting system is the right move for MLBTR, Hoops Rumors, Pro Football Rumors. With a third-party system, we had no control over any aspect. Now, we can integrate and customize as we wish. Development is underway to add comments to our Trade Rumors app, by the way.
We love the discussions you create in the comments section of each post. Please let me know about any bugs with the new system and/or features you’d like to see added. You can leave a comment on this post, send an email through our contact form, or tell me on Twitter @timdierkes. Thanks for your patience and happy commenting!
Podcast: Barry Enright, Joe Sheehan
Right-hander Barry Enright joins the show to talk about his journey through the game, which took him to the big leagues (with the Diamondbacks and Angels) and has most recently brought him to the Mexican League’s Tijuana Toros. Then, Joe Sheehan of Sports Illustrated and the Joe Sheehan Newsletter jumps on the line to discuss the Red Sox and the selling side of the summer trade market.
Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.
The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.
$250K MLB Fantasy Contest At DraftKings
It’s time once again for a big-money fantasy baseball contest from DraftKings! Click on the link and take a shot at a total $250K prize pool. The top prize is a cool $100K, and the best 18,230 entries will win cash! The entry fee is just three bucks, but you get a free roll with your first deposit. Click here to enter!
Make a run at the real cash prizes and challenge your baseball IQ by constructing a lineup from this evening’s matchups. You’ll have $50K of salary to allocate to eight position slots and two starters.
The “Swing For The Fences” contest is live tonight at 7:05pm EST, so head to DraftKings right now and get started. It’s quick, easy, and fun. Here are my selections for tonight’s action:
Sign up for this $250K contest right now!
$300K MLB Fantasy Contest At DraftKings
Get in on the action with a huge fantasy baseball contest from DraftKings! Follow that link to take your chance at landing among the 25,930 top finishers who will share a $300K prize pool. If you really knock it out of the park, you could score the $100K top prize. It’s only $3 to enter, or you can take part for free if you make your first deposit. Click here to enter!
Putting together a daily lineup is always a great time. Take a shot at the cash by making the best possible use of $50K in salary cap space for eight position players and two pitchers. (Note that the daytime game is not part of the contest.)
The contest goes live Wednesday evening — that’s May 20th at 7:05pm EST — so get your selections made right now! Here’s the lineup I’m rolling with:
Sign up for this $300K contest right now!
Atlantic League, MLB Reach Player Transfer Pact
The independent Atlantic League and MLB reached an agreement this offseason that established rules governing the transfer of player contracts to MLB organizations, Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper reports. Cooper notes that, in practice, the agreement hasn’t had much of an effect on player transfers between the Atlantic League and affiliated ball — a number of players have gone from the former to the latter this season, like Trayvon Robinson (Diamondbacks) and P.J. Walters (Dodgers).
The agreement is significant for the Atlantic League, though, because it’s the first time it’s been officially acknowledged by Major League Baseball. “It signifies that we occupy a place within the professional baseball hierarchy. That’s meaningful to the league,” says Atlantic League’s Rick White.
“Since 1998 the Atlantic League has been a great resource for experienced players looking to extend their playing careers,” said MLB in a statement. “With our new agreement MLB is looking forward to continuing our relationship with the Atlantic League.”
Cooper notes that the Atlantic League has long sought to strengthen its ties to MLB. For example, it hired former Rangers, Indians and Tigers GM Joe Klein to be its executive director and former MLB Properties president White to be its president. MLB, meanwhile, follows the Atlantic League to see which types of rules changes it might be able to emulate — Cooper writes that MLB’s pace-of-game changes this season were based in large part on rules that had already been implemented in the Atlantic League.
The Atlantic League has, of course, featured any number of MLB luminaries, like Rickey Henderson, Roger Clemens, Tim Raines, Jose Canseco, Carlos Baerga and Edgardo Alfonzo. Jered Weaver and Stephen Drew briefly aligned themselves with the league after being drafted by MLB teams but before signing.
More commonly, the league serves as a springboard for marginal players to make it to the big leagues or make it back to the big leagues. Jerome Williams of the Phillies, who played with the Lancaster Barnstormers in 2011, is a prominent example. Some of the top players in the league this season include former MLB players like Lew Ford, Sean Burroughs, Mickey Storey and Sean Gallagher.