Yankees Refuse To Win - Fans Angered Everywhere

It's the type of late evening loss that is usually reserved for the New York football Giants on a Sunday, Monday, or occasional Thursday night. A prime time defeat to the Cowboys, Redskins, or an AFC team that has played the rude host. The type of game that keeps those of us on the east coast from falling asleep right away. The type of game that replays "what ifs" over and over in your head. The one that keeps you from tuning in to sports radio the next day and from reading recaps in the newspaper or on the internet.

Only this time it was the New York baseball Yankees (not the football Yankees that played from 1926-1928 in Yankee Stadium) that provided the dose of insomnia and bitterness. It was a 7-2 loss that turned into an 8-7 victory that turned back into a 9-8 loss to the Boston Red Sox in 10 innings. Though nothing was lost in the standings (Tampa Bay lost to the Los Angeles Angels so the Yankees remain 2.5 games back of the second wild card), it knocked another game of opportunity off of the schedule. Though Joba Chamberlain gave up the game winning hit to Shane Victorino after Jacoby Ellsbury reached on a one-out single and stole second, there was plenty of blame to go around.

It started with Ivan Nova, the American League pitcher of the month of August, who tossed his first complete game shutout last Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. Thursday night he was removed after only four innings and 92 pitches. He gave up a pair of runs in the 3rd inning that Robinson Cano got back with a 2-run double in the home half of the inning, but an inning later Nova gave up a go ahead gopher ball to Will Middlebrooks.

Next up on the hit parade was Preston Claiborne, who gave up nothing but hits, runs and a walk. Claiborne was a revelation early in the season, but has struggled since the All-Star Break. He was greeted in the 5th by a Shane Victorino solo home run and moments later Mike Napoli singled  in a run (at least I believe it was Napoli; all of the bald headed, beard faced, white supremacist looking dudes on Boston look alike.) with a third coming in on a fielder's choice. Clairborne was officially charged with 3 ER in 0 IP.

Ryan Lavarnway tacked on an RBI single against Adam Warren for a 7-2 lead when God Bless America commenced in the middle of the 7th.

Jake Peavy breezed through the first six innings with just Cano's ribbies on his sales receipt. Above 100 pitches to start the 7th, Peavy walked Ichiro Suzuki and gave up a pinch-hit single to Vernon Wells. John Farrell went to his pen, but the inning's die had been cast.

Brett Gardner greeted lefty Matt Thornton with an RBI single. The Yankees felt they could run at will, a thought that would later come back to bite them, and sure enough Wells swiped third. (Though replays showed he might have been out.) A walk to Derek Jeter loaded the bases for the Yankees best hitter, Robinson Cano.

The Yankees second baseman pulled an outside pitch, but was fortunate that hopped high enough to avoid a rally killing double play. With the lead cut to 7-4, Farrell sent for right-hander Junichi Tazawa and put three infielders on the left side of the infield for Alfonso Soriano.  The move backfired when Tazawa threw a pitch towards the outside of the plate and Soriano slapped it through the vacant right side of the infield.

Curtis Granderson followed with a smash off of the base of the right field wall to trim the lead to one. Lyle Overbay, who had many big hits over the season, came through again with a single to right that plated Cano and Soriano for an 8-7 Yankees lead. David Robertson dominated the 8th inning and all seemed right with the world.

Mariano Rivera got in on David Ortiz's hands just enough to cause a line out to Overbay, who then scooped up Daniel Nava's weak grounder for the second out of the inning. Unfortunately, Rivera hung a pitch to Napoli, who stroked it to right for his second hit of the night. Recently acquired Quentin Berry pinch-ran and immediately took off for second. He had the base stolen easily, but to compound matters, Austin Romine's throw came up about 5-6 feet short of second and ricocheted off Jeter into left field. Berry raced to third and trotted home with the tying run when Rivera hung another pitch, this time to Stephen Drew, that resulted in an RBI single to right.

The Yankees could have turned the disappointment back into celebration had Soriano not gotten too cocky in the bottom of the 9th.  The veteran had already gotten a break in the inning when he drew a one-out walk and was picked off by left-hander Craig Breslow. Soriano reached second when the pitcher's throw was low to first and handcuffed Nava. With one out, a man in scoring position and Granderson and Alex Rodriguez coming up, the Yankees had a golden opportunity. That is until Soriano got overly aggressive.

With six stolen bases already in the books for the Yankees, Soriano looked to nab third and widened his lead off of second. It was so wide that Breslow easily picked Soriano off again and the Red Sox erased him after a short rundown.

So take your pick - Rivera, Chamberlain, Soriano, Nova, Claiborne,  Ichiro Suzuki (looked horrible at the plate all night), Romine..plenty of goat horns to hand out. It doesn't really matter, because it translated to another crucial loss for a team that at times looks like the worst in baseball.

Red Sox Snare Peavy in 3 Team Deal

Peavy going from the outhouse to the penthouse

Several reports late tonight have Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy going to the Boston Red Sox in a three team deal that involves the Detroit Tigers as well.

Peavy is guaranteed $14.5MM next season and has a $15MM option for 2015 if he meets certain goals over the 2013-14 seasons.  The Red Sox sent shortstop Jose Iglesias, who has played third base in a number of games for Boston, to Detroit.  With Jhonny Peralta's name mentioned in the Biogenesis scandal, Iglesias may soon be the Tigers starting shortstop. Iglesias has a great glove, no hit reputation, but batted .330 with an OPS near .800 for Boston.

The Tigers sent highly touted outfielder Avisail Garcia to Chicago. So far Garcia's minor league success has not translated to the Major Leagues in the 53 games he has played.

Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reported that 2-3 lower level prospects will also be heading to Chicago. No word so far if they will all come from Boston.

The move could also mean that Will Middlebrooks will be recalled to play third base for Boston.

Peavy, Rios, and Lee and Lots of Phone Calls

The Chicago White Sox have been miserable all year and are having a semi-annual clearance sale. Alex Rios, Jake Peavy, and Alexei Ramirez are among the sale items that have been marked down (or up). Rios and Peavy are among the most sought after veterans as Major League Baseball nears the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.(4 pm EDT)

Peavy was scratched from his scheduled start this evening and is the subject of trade talk between the White Sox and a number of teams. Boston, St. Louis, and Oakland are among those showing interest.

Rios is a conundrum, tagged early in his career as the next Dave Winfield, his career has been a roller coaster.  He made back to back American All-Star teams as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2006-2007, which lead to a seven year, $64MM contract. While his production dipped slightly in 2008, the 2009 season led the Blue Jays to cut salary.

Rios was putting together a decent season with 62 RBI and a .744 OPS in 108 games when the Blue Jays placed him on post-deadline waivers. The White Sox claimed him and the Blue Jays said you could have him. Suddenly, Toronto had a lot less payroll.

Rios meanwhile didn't adjust well to his new surroundings - a .530 OPS in 41 games. Thus began the rollercoaster for Rios' career. The 2010 season saw a resurgence with 21 HR, 88 RBI, 34 stolen bases and a .791 OPS. A year later though, back down came the coaster; a .613 OPS with just 13 HR and 44 RBI in 537 at-bats. 2012? You guessed it, 850 OPS, topped .300 in his batting avg., 25 HR, 91 RBI and a 15th place finish in the AL MVP voting. Rios still has one year left on his deal, but his OPS is about 100 points less than last season and his HR and RBI pace is down again. I would stay away from him unless you have to give up little in return. He's still guaranteed $12.5MM next year.

Teams in play - Pirates, Yankees (Rios willing to waive his no-trade per NY Post's Joel Sherman); Rangers appear to be out of it for now.

Cliff Lee seems to be in this position every year. In 2002, prior to the deadline he was part of a package (Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, Lee Stevens) that sent Bartolo Colon from Cleveland to Montreal. The '09 deadline saw him and Ben Francisco shipped to Philly for four players. He was sent to the Seattle Mariners that winter and was up for grabs at the 2010 deadline. After it appeared he was going to the Yankees in a Jesus Montero led deal, the Mariners sent Lee to the Texas Rangers for highly touted prospect Justin Smoak and three others.

Lee returned to Philly again as a free agent in 2010 for five years guaranteed (over $100MM) and an option for a sixth year.  It was one of the many recent mistakes GM Reuben Amaro Jr. made that boosted Philly's payroll significantly. Amaro tonight stated that there is "very little chance" that Lee gets dealt" and chances are "remote" that Michael Young does.

The rest of the field:

Ian Kennedy - Angels are going hard after him, willing to deal Howie Kendrick (Ken Rosenthal)

Marc Rzepczynski- A deal is in place that would send the lefty to the Indians (Derrick Goold, St. Louis-Post Dispatch)

Oliver Perez - Yeah, that guy. Multiple teams are said to be interested in adding Perez to their bullpen. (Jon Morosi)

Bud Norris - Astros are getting calls on Norris who would be a middle to back end of the rotation starter.

Peavy Preps to Pack

Jake Peavy, one of the top prizes at this year's MLB trade deadline, has been scratched from tonight's start against the Cleveland Indians. There have been trade rumors for several days with a number of suitors being annointed as the front-runner to land the 12-year veteran.

If the White Sox aren't comfortable with what they can get in return for Peavy, they can simply hold on to him since he's under contract for 2014 ($14.5MM). Peavy has made 13 starts this year after he sat out over six weeks with a fractured rib. It was less than a day ago that the White Sox said they were going to hold on to Peavy and build around him. Apparently, the "threat" got someone to up their offer.

It remains to be seen though where Peavy will land.

Jeff Passan @JeffPassan

Red Sox very much in Jake Peavy sweepstakes. Wouldn't exactly say they're favorites but between motivation and prospects in strong position.

Twitter

Ken Rosenthal    @Ken_Rosenthal

#Athletics off Peavy, moving onto other pursuits - bullpen, middle IFer. Will dangle some of players they would have traded for Peavy. 

Hughes and Kuroda Gain Split With Chisox

The Yankees couldn't have much uglier losses than they did Thursday and Friday nights, but thanks to Saturday's starter Hiroki Kuroda and Sunday's mound man Phil Hughes, the Yankees ended up with a split of their four game series with the White Sox.

Thursday's bullpen meltdown loss was forgotten in Friday's embarrassing 14-7 final. Rookie Adam Warren, outside of the 1st inning, was clearly overmatched. As YES analyst Lou Piniella pointed out, Warren's delivery was smooth and without deception. That allowed the White Sox hitters to easily pick up the baseball and mash it.

Unfortunately, Warren was sent down after the game and didn't get a chance to watch Kuroda on Saturday. The veteran put on a pitching clinic; Kuroda limited the White Sox to three hits and a walk over seven innings, and struck out 11 in the Yankees 4-0 win. He threw 107 pitches, 68 for strikes, and K'ed Alex Rios to strand the bases loaded in the 1st inning.

That was the start of 15 batters in row that Kuroda retired before he hit Kevin Youkilis in the 6th, perhaps in retaliation for White Sox starter Jake Peavy hitting Derek Jeter in the prior inning. The win improved Kuroda's record to 8-7, 3.17 as the right-hander has allowed just nine earned runs in his last 49 innings. After a rough start to the season, Kuroda is 5-1, 1.65 over his last seven starts.

Phil Hughes' start on Sunday didn't look to promising when the Yankees fell behind 2-0 in the 1st, but Hughes was fantastic after that in front of an Old Timers' Day crowd. He was at his best from the 4th through 8th innings when he retired 15 of 16 batters.

Hughes scattered six hits, walked one, and struck out eight in a 106 pitch effort. He's now 9-6, 4.29 and 5-1, 2.59 in his last six starts. Outside of his debacle against the Braves on 6/20 (4.1 IP, 6 ER), Hughes has allowed six earned runs in 37.1 innings pitched.

Home Run Derby continued in the Bronx to help both starters out. Robinson Cano, who hit 11 home runs in June, hit one on the month's final day and added another on the 1st of July. Curtis Granderson and Dewayne Wise added home runs for Kuroda, and Eric Chavez, who only had two home runs last year, hit his sixth of the year on Sunday.

BD Spring Training Report: Doctor Doctor, Gimme The (AL) News | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: Doctor Doctor, Gimme The (AL) News | Baseball Digest

With opening day just two weeks away it is time to take a look at the injury situation around Major League Baseball, starting with the American League. First though, well wishes to Atlanta Braves coach and former Major Leaguer Luis Salazar, who lost his left eye after being struck by a Brian McCann line drive last week.

Salazar, who played for the 1984 pennant winning San Diego Padres, was leaning on the railing at the top of the dugout when he was struck. Thankfully, no brain damage occurred, but his left eye was removed Tuesday after undergoing three surgeries in attempt to save it.

AL East

Baltimore: What would a season be without Brian Roberts having some kind of physical issue? This spring it’s been his back acting up after a head first slide into 1st base tweaked something. Buck Showalter told MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli that Roberts has a 50/50 chance of playing this weekend. First year Oriole Derrek Lee has yet to see game action due to tendinitis in his right wrist, but may also play this weekend. Pitcher Koji Uehara (sore elbow) is scheduled for a bullpen session, while catcher Craig Tatum’s fight to be the back up to Matt Wieters continues to be delayed by a sore oblique. Free agent pick up Justin Duchscherer is still a couple of days away from throwing as he continues to recover from hip surgery.

Boston: J.D. Drew was considering retirement earlier this year, but his nagging left hamstring inury feels great now and he’s ready to split outfield time with Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron.

New York: Joba Chamberlain is out indefinitely, but Sergio Mitre has begun to throw again after both suffered strained obliques. Francisco Cervelli has, for the moment at least, lost the back up catching job after he fractured his foot on March 2. He’ll be out until mid-April.

Tampa Bay: Reliever J.P. Howell is not expected back in the majors until May as he continues to rehab from shoulder surgery. Shortstop Reid Brignac missed some time last week with a sore groin, but is back in action. Jeremy Hellickson finally pitched in a game last Friday after missing time with a bad hammy.

Toronto: It’s slow and steady for possible closer Frank Francisco after his right pec tightened up on him while throwing. Having thrown in only two games this spring it is not likely Francisco will be ready for the season opener. That means Jon Rauch or Jason Frasor could open the season as closer. New manager John Farrell told the Toronto Sun, “While warming up in his last scheduled outing he felt some tightness in his right pec. He came in yesterday, threw long toss and another 15 pitches off the mound. He improved as far as the feeling goes but we’re going to work him through some long toss and continue on the flat ground.”

“We feel like if we can get him three or four games (additional) before we leave camp he’ll be fine. He’s not overly concerned or overly alarmed. He feels this is a spring training aches and pains type thing that he’s going through. The red flag is not up per se with Frankie.” The Blue Jays could also be without reliever Octavio Dotel who has been shutdown with a bad hamstring. Farrell also announced that former starter Dustin McGowan will work out of the bullpen when, and if, he’s ready to come back from a pair of shoulder surgeries. The one time highly regarded prospect hasn’t thrown in a Major League game since 2008. 2nd Baseman Aaron Hill has been slowed by a quad injury, but should be ready for opening day.

AL Central

Chicago: Jake Peavy continues his come back from last year’s surgery to repair a torn latissimus dorsi muscle. After his last start on Monday, Peavy told ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla that he would be ready to go when the season starts. He may miss his next start though with a virus. Dayan Viciedo suffered a broken thumb when he was hit by a pitch on March 10 and is likely out a month.

Cleveland: Grady Sizemore hopes to make his spring training game debut this weekend or Monday. Sliding is the final piece of the puzzle in his recovery from microfracture knee surgery. Since that’s how he hurt the knee, he is concerned. “It’s probably the last thing we’re going to try out,” Sizemore told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. “Obviously, it’s a little bit of a concern — since that’s how I hurt it, and the fact that it’s the leg that I’ll be landing on. We’ll want to do what we can to protect that in any way we can.”

Catching sensation Carlos Santana seems to be full recovered from his left knee surgery, but the Tribe is playing it cautious just the same. It has included playing Santana at 1st base, something the The Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes spoke to manager Manny Acta about. “It’s all about Carlos getting more at bats,” said manager Manny Acta. “We wanted get him as many at bats as possible, but with him coming back from surgery, you can’t throw him back behind the plate every day.

Outfielder Trevor Crowe has been bothered by a fatigued rotator cuff all spring, but hopes to test it out by throwing tomorrow. The injury has already cost him an extra outfield spot on the Major League roster. Pitcher Anthony Reyes made his spring debut this week after having Tommy John surgery back in 2009.

Detroit: The Tigers official website reported Monday that both infielder/outfielder Carlos Guillen and reliever Joel Zumaya will start the season on the DL. Guillen is still recovering from knee surgery, while Zumaya has been slow in coming back from elbow surgery.

Kansas City: Jason Kendall continues his rehab from off-season right shoulder surgery; he’s played in a couple of games, but is likely to start the season on the DL.

Minnesota: Closer Joe Nathan continues his comeback from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He’s appeared in six spring games so far, and although the results have not been good (5.1 IP 6 H 6 ER), he’s feeling good. If Nathan’s struggles continue into the regular season, manager Ron Gardenhire will simply go to Matt Capps to close. 1st Baseman Justin Morneau is seeing regular time after returning from lingering concussion symptoms. Catcher Joe Mauer appeared in his first spring game yesterday as the DH after sitting out due to off-season left knee surgery. The Twins M&M boys are expected to be ready to go on opening day.

Michael Cuddyer could play in his first spring game tomorrow after having a wart removed from his foot three weeks ago.

AL West

Los Angeles: Free agent Scott Downs was supposed to bolster the Angels bullpen, but he’s out indefinitely after breaking his toe on Saturday. The injury occurred while he was playing with his kids. 1st baseman Kendry Morales, who infamously broke his leg last season after hitting a game winning home run, has yet to play in a game this season. In fact, he’s yet to run the bases and is not likely to be ready for opening day. “He’s going to get his work in here and tomorrow he’s back out there on the progression,” Mike Scioscia told the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett on Wednesday. “He’s moving forward. He still has some things he has to do before he gets in games and running the bases is one of them.”

Oakland: A’s closer and former AL Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey is out indefinitely with a strained elbow. Bailey left Monday’s game in excruciating pain and paid a visit to renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Bailey and the A’s were relieved to find out it was just scar tissue that was causing the pain and the reliever should be able to begin throwing again next week. It’s unknown though if he’ll be ready for the season opener. If that’s the case, manager Bob Geren would use Brian Fuentes as closer.

Oft-injured Rich Harden has been out with a strained lat, but according to the SF Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, is scheduled to resume throwing tomorrow. Harden will start the season on the DL as will infielder Adam Rosales who is out until May after having foot surgery. Lefty specialist Craig Breslow is also questionable for opening day as he recovers from a hamstring strain.

Seattle: Closer David Aardsma has thrown on flat ground three times in his rehab from hip surgery, but has yet to step on a mound. Brandon League is expected to be the interim Mariners closer once the season start, though skipper Eric Wedge hasn’t announced his decision. New starting catcher Miguel Olivo missed two weeks with a strained groin, but caught a bullpen session yesterday, and barring a setback, should be ready for the M’s opener. Lefty NatE. Robertson will be out a month after hvaing arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow yesterday.

Texas: Nothing significant to note; a nice way to start 2011 for the defending AL champions.

BD Spring Training Report: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots | Baseball Digest

The Chicago Cubs have a growing reputation as a mixed martial arts squad rather than a baseball team. There was the Carlos Zambrano-Michael Barrett tiff in June, 2007. Last season it was Zambrano and 1st baseman Derrek Lee going toe to toe. And 2011 is no different..except it wasn’t Zambrano this time around.

On Tuesday pitcher Carlos Silva allowed five runs in the 1st inning thanks in large part to three Cubbie errors. Silva got into the face of 3rd baseman Aramis Ramirez, who had committed one of the gaffes. No punches were thrown, no hair pulled, but the two had to be separated after shoving one another. Silva was eventually escorted back to the clubhouse and order was restored.

Mike Quade (in his first full year as manager) didn’t mind the fight, but did hold a team meeting on Thursday to clear the air and straighten things out. Quade is under enough pressure as a rookie skipper without his players getting out of hand. Veterans Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena helped out by calling a players only meeting to stress unity. Somewhere Steve Bartman is shaking his head.

Across town the White Sox Jake Peavy is doing battle with his surgically repaired shoulder. Peavy makes his first start today since having the latissimus dorsi muscle in his right posterior shoulder reattached in a July procedure. His surgeon told the Chicago Trib’s David Haugh that Peavy is making good progress. “His motivation has been exactly in the right spot in that he understands this surgery and his recovery is not for him just to play this year, 2011, but beyond so he can meet expectations of him since he came here,” Romeo said on the phone from Vail, Colo. “Things are progressing well.” You should still be wary in your fantasy drafts.

Rumors are persisting that Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg or some of the team’s partial owners have an interest in the NY Mets. According to the Tampa Tribune Sternberg has denied any interesting in owning part or all of the Mets, but the NY Times reported that minority owner Randy Frankel has a definite interest.

Youngster Jason Castro was set to be the Houston Astros starting catcher this season, but a torn ACL will probably cause him to miss the entire season.

The Boston Herald is reporting that outfielder J.D. Drew is likely to retire after this season. The 35-yr old has been bothered by a series of injuries the last few years and has a lingering hamstring issue from last season. “I don’t really know what I’m going to do, I’m leaning both ways. I guess, I don’t really know,” Drew said. “It depends on how the year goes. I don’t know what I’ll do. There’s benefits to both sides, but I have to think it out, pray about it, talk with my family, see how my body holds up over the year, and go from there.”

The Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones played 3rd base Thursday for the first time since injuring his knee last August. Afterwards he felt, well, pretty Chipper about it. “I just want to play,” Jones said. “Once you get on the field instinct takes over. That’s what you need to worry about. I wasn’t expecting to be playing by now and I don’t know what to expect.”

Get That Bum Outta There

"No Coke, Pepsi" (recap from Baseball Digest)

Outside of Mariano Rivera and Phil Hughes, there isn't one reliever that Joe Girardi can totally depend on to come out of the bullpen and give a solid effort. Brian Bruney, Phil Coke, Al Aceves, and others have all had good stretches followed by equally poor ones. This afternoon's game was a perfect case in point. Coke and David Robertson turned a 3-2 deficit into a 7-2 game enabling the Rangers to takethe rubber game of the three game series.

The Yankees lack of hitting and poor relief also overshadowed a good outing by A.J. Burnett. It might have been an overpowering or dominant performance if not for Burnett's 4th inning. After retiring the first 11 men to start the game, Burnett issued back to back walks to Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz, and then left a BP fastball over the middle plate to Ian Kinsler. The Rangers' 2nd baseman hammered it into the left field seats for a 3-1 Rangers' lead. Burnett got back on track after that and finished the game with a season high 12 strikeouts. Nonetheless he was saddled with his 4th straight loss, dropping to 10-8 overall.


Mark Teixeira drove in both Yankees' runs, including an RBI single in the bottom of the 4th against starter Dustin Nippert. But unlike their counterparts, the Rangers' bullpen tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings to seal the win. That included the 4th inning when, with two on and two out, Jason Grilli retired Alex Rodriguez on a weak comebacker to end the Yankees threat.

Girardi went to Coke to start the 7th after Burnett tossed 105 pitches. He gave up back to back hits to David Murphy and Taylor Teagarden to start the inning and then a back breaking a 3-run shot to Chris Davis for a 6-2 Rangers' lead. Kinsler added his 2nd home run of the game off Robertson in the 8th to account for the game's final run.

Game Notes

Jake Peavy will not pitch in the Chicago White Sox series at the Stadium this weekend. It was originally thought that he might face Joba Chamberlain on Sunday, but he's not ready to be activated after all.

The Yankees were limited to six hits, two each by Teixeira and Johnny Damon.

Andy Roddick threw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to the game.

Big Day for White and Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox weren't able to land Doc Halladay, but they did shore up their lineup with the acquisition of Cleveland catcher/1st baseman Victor Martinez. V-Mart came, in my opinion, for a song. The Indians received pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein must have held a gun to the head of Indians GM Mark Shapiro to get away with this deal. Boston held on to Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, and Michael Bowden. There's no way Epstein felt any pain in making this deal. Masterson is nothing special. Price is from Rice, a school with a reputation with good, but injury prone, pitchers.


The Chicago White Sox countered Detroit's acquisition of Jarrod Washburn by finally acquiring Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres. Peavy had balked at earlier attempts to go to Chi-town, but this time went along with the move that brought pitchers Clayton Richard, Aaron Peroda, Dexter Carter, and Adam Russell.

The White Sox are taking a gamble that Peavy can pitch in the AL, but giving up 4 prospects isn't a bad thing, especially when one is the soft tossing Richard. It would be no surprise if he had success in the NL, but it's not likely he would have had long term success in the AL.

Around the Horn - 6/3

It has been a while. It's also been a while since Randy Johnson made his major league debut. But tonight he can reach a new level of stardom as he goes for his 300th career win against the Washington Nationals. And don't think this one is a cake walk- the Nats put 10 on the board against the Giants last night.

There was speculation that Jake Peavy's start against the Phillies last night was an audition. If that's the case, Peavy won't even be in the chorus. He lasted one inning, 33 pitches, and gave up four earned runs. The Padres claimed Peavy's right ankle hindered his performance and caused the early exit.

Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay continues to amaze. Another complete game win and a 14 K night..and that was without his best stuff!

Phillies reliever J.C. Romero completed his 50-game suspension for P.E.D. use.

The Rangers lost Josh Hamilton to a sports hernia for a minimum of 15 days. If surgery is required, Hamilton could miss two months.

The major's top RBI man, Evan Longoria, is day-to-day with a bad hamstring.

A producer on the Mets' SNY broadcast crew was diagnosed with the swine flu, but doctors have ruled it out for the ill Carlos Beltran and John Maine.

The Indians lost their center fielder Grady Sizemore to the DL with a bad elbow and now shortstop Asdrubel Cabrera may join him with a dislocated shoulder.

Breaking News: White Sox-Pads Agree to Peavy Deal

The Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres have agreed on the terms to a deal that would send Jake Peavy from the west coast to the city of big shoulders. Now it's up to Peavy to decide if he'll go along with it.

The deal is said to center around top White Sox prospects Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda, both left-handed pitchers.

World Baseball Classic - 3/7

Team USA gained some revenge from 2006 when helped off Team Canada earlier today, 6-5. The US team powered up with home runs by Kevin Youkilis, Brian McCann, and Adam Dunn all went deep and J.J. Putz got out of a jam in the ninth inning to preserve the win.

Former Yankee LaTroy Hawkins picked up the win after starter Jake Peavy allowed two runs in three innings of work. Canada scored a run in the ninth off of Putz and had the tying run on second base. But the new Mets set up man retired Jason Bay on a fly out to right to retire the side. Derek Jeter went 2-3 before giving way to Jimmy Rollins.

Datuske Matsuzaka allowed a couple of runs over four innings in Japan's 14-2 blow out of Korea. Norichika Aoki and Shuichi Murata drove in 3 runs each, and Murata and Kenji Johjima each homered.

The Netherlands pulled off a major upset, upsetting the Dominican Republic 3-2. The Netherlands picked up all 3 unearned runs in the first inning as the Dominican played poorly in the field. An Edinson Volquez wild pitch and a Hanley Ramirez throwing error put the visiting team in the lead for good.

Miguel Tejada homered and Ramirez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, but the D.R. lost despite their pitchers allowing just 3 hits and striking out 12. Sidney Ponson pitched four innings for the win.Blogger: My Pinstripes - Create Post

Puetro Rico blasted Panama 7-0 as Ivan Rodriguez added to his free agent resume. The 37-yr old catcher, who spent last season with the Tigers and Yankees, is still in search of a team with opening day less than a month away. He may have opened some eyes this evening when he homered twice, doubled, singled, walked, and drove in 4 runs in five plate appearances.

Carlos Delgado also homered and Javier Vazquez tossed 4.1 scoreless innings for the win. Bernie Williams drew a pinch-hit walk in his one plate appearance.


Italy and Venezuela are just underway.

Hump Holiday Hot Stove

The Big Unit has found a new home to call his own. Randy Johnson agreed to a one year, $8 million deal on Friday to join the San Francisco Giants. Perhaps the Giants are hoping he can help Barry Zito suck less.

Willy Taveras has also found a new home. Taveras, who was non-tendered by the Rockies, has a new 2 year deal with the Reds.

Padres GM Kevin Towers says he'll still listen to offers for Jake Peavy, but is no longer shopping him. If so, that means the likelihood of Trevor Hoffman returning to San Diego is even less.

The Orioles have been in contact with Ivan Rodriguez and Greg Zaun as they look for a catcher to pave the way for Matt Wieters. Offers for Pudge and Jason Varitek are few and far between.

If you can believe anything Scott Boras says, the A's are interested in long time Angel Garrett Anderson. The A's have also had some preliminary discussions with former Yankee Bobby Abreu, but aren't close to a deal as of yet.

Roger Clemens' name took another blow, this time at Houston's Memorial Hermann Medical Center. The Roger Clemens Sports Institute for Medicine will no longer have the Rocket's name attached. We understand it, but at the same time Clemens donated $3 million to the hospital's pediatric wing.

UPDATE 9:07 EST

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Red Sox are close to signing free agent starter Brad Penny.

Hump Holiday Hot Stove

The Big Unit has found a new home to call his own. Randy Johnson agreed to a one year, $8 million deal on Friday to join the San Francisco Giants. Perhaps the Giants are hoping he can help Barry Zito suck less.

Willy Taveras has also found a new home. Taveras, who was non-tendered by the Rockies, has a new 2 year deal with the Reds.

Padres GM Kevin Towers says he'll still listen to offers for Jake Peavy, but is no longer shopping him. If so, that means the likelihood of Trevor Hoffman returning to San Diego is even less.

The Orioles have been in contact with Ivan Rodriguez and Greg Zaun as they look for a catcher to pave the way for Matt Wieters. Offers for Pudge and Jason Varitek are few and far between.

If you can believe anything Scott Boras says, the A's are interested in long time Angel Garrett Anderson. The A's have also had some preliminary discussions with former Yankee Bobby Abreu, but aren't close to a deal as of yet.

Roger Clemens' name took another blow, this time at Houston's Memorial Hermann Medical Center. The Roger Clemens Sports Institute for Medicine will no longer have the Rocket's name attached. We understand it, but at the same time Clemens donated $3 million to the hospital's pediatric wing.

UPDATE 9:07 EST

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Red Sox are close to signing free agent starter Brad Penny.

Vegas Update - Day 3 - 11:40 EST

Things should start to fall into place now that CC Sabathia has set the bar for this year's free agent contracts. Trade talks are still in the works too. The Twins are reportedly now part of the Jake Peavy talks as they seek to acquire Mark DeRosa from the Cubs.

According to the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays have talked to the Astros about Ty Wiggington.

Scott Boras is still looking for a 5 year deal for Manny Ramirez according to the LA Times. The Times is also reporting that the Nationals are willing to offer Mark Teixeira an 8-year, $160 million deal. We find this hard to believe.

Vegas Update - Day 3 - 11:40 EST

Things should start to fall into place now that CC Sabathia has set the bar for this year's free agent contracts. Trade talks are still in the works too. The Twins are reportedly now part of the Jake Peavy talks as they seek to acquire Mark DeRosa from the Cubs.

According to the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays have talked to the Astros about Ty Wiggington.

Scott Boras is still looking for a 5 year deal for Manny Ramirez according to the LA Times. The Times is also reporting that the Nationals are willing to offer Mark Teixeira an 8-year, $160 million deal. We find this hard to believe.

Vegas Update - Day 2 8:20 AM EST

Jon Heyman of SI and Joel Sherman of the NY Post expect the Mets and free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez to work out a 3-year deal, worth app. $37 million, before the end of the winter meetings.

Rodriguez's agent, Paul Kinzer, said, "I am more optimistic than I have ever been" about finalizing a deal between the single-season save leader and the Mets.

It's hard to believe the Angels wouldn't match such an offer or bump it up a bit to keep K-Rod.

One team rep feels the Red Sox will sign Mark Teixeira. Why does that count any more than what we think?

These updates from Fox's Ken Rosenthal:

The Braves and Cards are trying to work out a deal that would send Rick Ankiel to Atlanta, but thus far the Cards are asking for Mike Gonzalez, and that's a no-go for Atlanta.

The Blue Jays are meeting with shortstop Rafael Furcal's agents, but the chance of signing the free agent are slim.

The Phillies are still looking at Delmon Young of the Twins, and have jumped into the Jake Peavy trade talks.

The Rangers are quietly shopping shortstop Michael Young according to an AL executive, so says Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown.

The Dodgers inked veteran Mark Loretta to a one year deal, meaning that Nomar's days in LA are numbered.

Vegas Update - Day 2 8:20 AM EST

Jon Heyman of SI and Joel Sherman of the NY Post expect the Mets and free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez to work out a 3-year deal, worth app. $37 million, before the end of the winter meetings.

Rodriguez's agent, Paul Kinzer, said, "I am more optimistic than I have ever been" about finalizing a deal between the single-season save leader and the Mets.

It's hard to believe the Angels wouldn't match such an offer or bump it up a bit to keep K-Rod.

One team rep feels the Red Sox will sign Mark Teixeira. Why does that count any more than what we think?

These updates from Fox's Ken Rosenthal:

The Braves and Cards are trying to work out a deal that would send Rick Ankiel to Atlanta, but thus far the Cards are asking for Mike Gonzalez, and that's a no-go for Atlanta.

The Blue Jays are meeting with shortstop Rafael Furcal's agents, but the chance of signing the free agent are slim.

The Phillies are still looking at Delmon Young of the Twins, and have jumped into the Jake Peavy trade talks.

The Rangers are quietly shopping shortstop Michael Young according to an AL executive, so says Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown.

The Dodgers inked veteran Mark Loretta to a one year deal, meaning that Nomar's days in LA are numbered.

Vegas Update - Day 1 10:40 PM EST

Tony Jackson of the LA Daily News is reporting that the Dodgers and Casey Blake are close to an agreement that would pay the free agent $17 million over 3 years. The Dodgers became Blake's main suitor after the Twins refused to give him a third year.

Padres GM Kevin Towers says it's up to the Cubs if a Jake Peavy deal is to go down. Reportedly a deal is in place, but the Cubs have to sign off on it. Towers also said there's a greater possibility of bringing back Trevor Hoffman if Peavy is dealt.

Blue Jays G.M. J.P. Ricciardi denied that he had any talks with the Mets concerning B.J. Ryan.

A Rangers official feels that the Rays and Royals are in the lead in the race for Milton Bradley. If the Rangers want him back, Bradley should stay and continue to play for Ron Washington.

Jason Giambi apparently thinks he's going back to Oakland, but Billy Beane isn't moving too quickly.

Vegas Update - Day 1 10:40 PM EST

Tony Jackson of the LA Daily News is reporting that the Dodgers and Casey Blake are close to an agreement that would pay the free agent $17 million over 3 years. The Dodgers became Blake's main suitor after the Twins refused to give him a third year.

Padres GM Kevin Towers says it's up to the Cubs if a Jake Peavy deal is to go down. Reportedly a deal is in place, but the Cubs have to sign off on it. Towers also said there's a greater possibility of bringing back Trevor Hoffman if Peavy is dealt.

Blue Jays G.M. J.P. Ricciardi denied that he had any talks with the Mets concerning B.J. Ryan.

A Rangers official feels that the Rays and Royals are in the lead in the race for Milton Bradley. If the Rangers want him back, Bradley should stay and continue to play for Ron Washington.

Jason Giambi apparently thinks he's going back to Oakland, but Billy Beane isn't moving too quickly.