Braves Get Their Man

After losing out on A.J. Burnett and seeing their long time starter/closer John Smoltz head north to Boston, the Atlanta Braves came to an agreement today with free agent starter Derek Lowe. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that terms are 4 years and $60 million.

The Braves offer for Burnett fell short of the money the Yankees came up with and they weren't willing to guarantee enough money for Smoltz's liking. So while they talked to Lowe along with teams such as the Mets (Seriously Omar and the Wilpons, how could you not make a comparable offer? Tim Redding?), they bided their time by bringing in Japanese starter Kenshin Kawakami.

Lowe will be playing for his 4th team in his 13 year career, the last 4 of which were spent with the LA Dodgers. He's coming off a solid 14-11, 3.24 campaign and has tough 200 innings in 5 of the last 7 seasons (he missed out on a 6th by just 2/3 of an inning).

Breaking News: Mets Get Their Closer

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Mets have indeed reached a contract agreement with free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez. The deal is reportedly worth $37 million over 3 years, and has a vesting option for a fourth year at $14 million.

Breaking News: Mets Get Their Closer

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Mets have indeed reached a contract agreement with free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez. The deal is reportedly worth $37 million over 3 years, and has a vesting option for a fourth year at $14 million.

Around the Horn - 6/24

Limited schedule last night, but some interesting match ups none the less.

Felix Hernandez belted a grand slam off of Johan Santana, but sprained his ankle one out shy of 5 innings. The bullpen did its his job in his place and the Mariners beat the Mets 5-2.

Another duel in Fenway between the Diamondbacks Dan Haren and the Red Sox Josh Beckett. Chris Young and Chris Snyder each drove in a run in the 7th to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 win. The Red Sox also lost 1st baseman Kevin Youkilis in the game when a between inning warm up throw from Mike Lowell resulted in a black eye.

John Lackey missed the beginning of the season with arm trouble, but he looks like his old self on the mound. Last night he dominated the Nationals over 8 innings in the Angels 3-2 win. K-Rod picked up his 31st save after Garrett Anderson's 8th inning single snapped a 2-2 tie.

The Royals are loving interleague play. They're now 10-3 after beating up on the Rockies 8-4. Mark Teahen's 1st inning, 3-run home run got KC off to a fast start. Brian Bannister allowed 3 unearned runs in 7 innings for his 6th win.

The American League now holds a 99-77 advantage in this year's play.

In intralague play, Mike Cameron belted a 2-run home run to lead the Brewers over the Braves 4-1. Ben Sheets tossed a complete game 4-hitter and struck out 7.


News

Looking to beef up their squad, the Indians signed veterans Tony Graffanino and Juan Rincon to minor league deals.

Poor Nick Johnson's season is done again. The Nats 1st baseman will have surgery on his wrist to repair a torn ligament.

Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard may be headed back to the DL with a bad back, according to the Seattle Times.

It was done under the radar, compared to the Willie Randolph firing, but the Mets may have made a significant move when they hired Wayne Krivsky as assistant GM. Owner Fred Wilpon said GM Omar Minaya is doing a "great job", but ya never know.

Around the Horn - 6/24

Limited schedule last night, but some interesting match ups none the less.

Felix Hernandez belted a grand slam off of Johan Santana, but sprained his ankle one out shy of 5 innings. The bullpen did its his job in his place and the Mariners beat the Mets 5-2.

Another duel in Fenway between the Diamondbacks Dan Haren and the Red Sox Josh Beckett. Chris Young and Chris Snyder each drove in a run in the 7th to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 win. The Red Sox also lost 1st baseman Kevin Youkilis in the game when a between inning warm up throw from Mike Lowell resulted in a black eye.

John Lackey missed the beginning of the season with arm trouble, but he looks like his old self on the mound. Last night he dominated the Nationals over 8 innings in the Angels 3-2 win. K-Rod picked up his 31st save after Garrett Anderson's 8th inning single snapped a 2-2 tie.

The Royals are loving interleague play. They're now 10-3 after beating up on the Rockies 8-4. Mark Teahen's 1st inning, 3-run home run got KC off to a fast start. Brian Bannister allowed 3 unearned runs in 7 innings for his 6th win.

The American League now holds a 99-77 advantage in this year's play.

In intralague play, Mike Cameron belted a 2-run home run to lead the Brewers over the Braves 4-1. Ben Sheets tossed a complete game 4-hitter and struck out 7.


News

Looking to beef up their squad, the Indians signed veterans Tony Graffanino and Juan Rincon to minor league deals.

Poor Nick Johnson's season is done again. The Nats 1st baseman will have surgery on his wrist to repair a torn ligament.

Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard may be headed back to the DL with a bad back, according to the Seattle Times.

It was done under the radar, compared to the Willie Randolph firing, but the Mets may have made a significant move when they hired Wayne Krivsky as assistant GM. Owner Fred Wilpon said GM Omar Minaya is doing a "great job", but ya never know.

The Daily Yankeeland - 6/18

We're still up against since we're off tomorrow. Where will be? Yankee Stadium for the first time this year. WOooooooooooooHOooooooooooooo.

Al Aceves is blipping on our radar like crazy. The lefty the Yankees plucked from the Mexican League was outstanding at Tampa and has brought his 'A' game to 'AA' in Trenton. Last night he threw 1-hit ball over 8 innings in a 7-0 win over the Harrisburg Senators. Between the two stops, he's 6-3, 1.88 with a 5.5:1 strikeout to walk ration. Austin Jackson is getting his bat going too. He's had a pair of 7 RBI games this year. Last night he had to settle for 4 RBI, 3 of them coming on his 7th home run of the season. He's not hitting .283 with 33 walks and 45 RBI.

Willie Randolph will always be a Yankee at heart and that's maybe why a lot of us are even angrier at how his firing was handled by the Mets. Omar Minaya's interview with Mike and the Mad Dog yesterday is a must listen.

We're in the midst of reading Bobby Murcer's "Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes ". It's a good read to pick up. Some good stories about Thurman, Sweet Lou, and the Scooter, among others.

Chien-Ming Wang told Mike Puma of the NY Post that he's confident he'll be back by September. From the Wanger's mouth to God's ears.

The Daily Yankeeland - 6/18

We're still up against since we're off tomorrow. Where will be? Yankee Stadium for the first time this year. WOooooooooooooHOooooooooooooo.

Al Aceves is blipping on our radar like crazy. The lefty the Yankees plucked from the Mexican League was outstanding at Tampa and has brought his 'A' game to 'AA' in Trenton. Last night he threw 1-hit ball over 8 innings in a 7-0 win over the Harrisburg Senators. Between the two stops, he's 6-3, 1.88 with a 5.5:1 strikeout to walk ration. Austin Jackson is getting his bat going too. He's had a pair of 7 RBI games this year. Last night he had to settle for 4 RBI, 3 of them coming on his 7th home run of the season. He's not hitting .283 with 33 walks and 45 RBI.

Willie Randolph will always be a Yankee at heart and that's maybe why a lot of us are even angrier at how his firing was handled by the Mets. Omar Minaya's interview with Mike and the Mad Dog yesterday is a must listen.

We're in the midst of reading Bobby Murcer's "Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes ". It's a good read to pick up. Some good stories about Thurman, Sweet Lou, and the Scooter, among others.

Chien-Ming Wang told Mike Puma of the NY Post that he's confident he'll be back by September. From the Wanger's mouth to God's ears.

Mets Fire Willie, Disgrace Themselves

Imagine our surprise this morning when we woke up and found out that Willie Randolph was fired by the Mets. The last thnig we saw last night was the Mets clinging to an 8-6 lead in the 8th inning. They held on for a 9-6 win, but Willie along with pitching coach Rick Peterson and 1st base coach Tom Nieto were axed after the game. At 3:14 A.M. EST. After the newspapers had gone to bed on the East coast the Wilpons and Omar Minaya pulled the plug. In considerably gutless fashion.

They had Willie fly to the West coast, manage one game, and then as if that game mattered, they fired him. The right thing would have been to fire him on Sunday. But the Mets front office clearly didn't want to face the press. Maybe they'll say they didn't want to fire him on Father's Day. What a load of crap. We'll find out more this afternoon when Minaya holds a press conference at 5:00 EST.

In the mean time, bench coach Jerry Manuel will take over. He compiled a 500-471 record in 6 seasons in Chicago as White Sox manager. It included a division title in 2000 and 4 second place finishes in the AL Central. Chris Russo will go on ad nauseum this afternoon on how Manuel was run out of town in Chicago. But he'll be right when he rips the Mets for doing wrong.

Mets Fire Willie, Disgrace Themselves

Imagine our surprise this morning when we woke up and found out that Willie Randolph was fired by the Mets. The last thnig we saw last night was the Mets clinging to an 8-6 lead in the 8th inning. They held on for a 9-6 win, but Willie along with pitching coach Rick Peterson and 1st base coach Tom Nieto were axed after the game. At 3:14 A.M. EST. After the newspapers had gone to bed on the East coast the Wilpons and Omar Minaya pulled the plug. In considerably gutless fashion.

They had Willie fly to the West coast, manage one game, and then as if that game mattered, they fired him. The right thing would have been to fire him on Sunday. But the Mets front office clearly didn't want to face the press. Maybe they'll say they didn't want to fire him on Father's Day. What a load of crap. We'll find out more this afternoon when Minaya holds a press conference at 5:00 EST.

In the mean time, bench coach Jerry Manuel will take over. He compiled a 500-471 record in 6 seasons in Chicago as White Sox manager. It included a division title in 2000 and 4 second place finishes in the AL Central. Chris Russo will go on ad nauseum this afternoon on how Manuel was run out of town in Chicago. But he'll be right when he rips the Mets for doing wrong.

Not Ever Lastings

The Mets finally gave up on highly touted prospects Lastings Milledge, sending him to the Washington Nationals yesterday for catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church. Milledge's name had been mentioned in the past for 'A' list players such as Dontrelle Willis, but on- and off-field transgressions upset GM Omar Minaya and manager Willie Randolph.

The final straw may have occurred during the 2nd to last game of this past season, when the Mets were battling the Phillies for 1st place. Milledge and Jose Reyes went over the top in home run celebration dances and the next day the Mets were clobbered by the Florida Marlins, eliminating from a chance at the playoffs. While it obviously wasn't a cause and effect situation, there was thought that Milledge didn't take things seriously enough.

Nat's GM Jim Bowden is certainly not afraid of taking on players with questionable or bad reputations. Dmitri Young was released by the Tigers during their run to the World Series in 2006 and won the comeback player of the year award for the Nats in 2007.

If Milledge can still show off all of the tools rather than being a tool, Bowden will have gotten him and given up next to nothing. Schneider is a very good defensive catcher, but hit just .235 this past season. Church is an average hitter, who is most likely best suited as a 4th outfielder.

Not Ever Lastings

The Mets finally gave up on highly touted prospects Lastings Milledge, sending him to the Washington Nationals yesterday for catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church. Milledge's name had been mentioned in the past for 'A' list players such as Dontrelle Willis, but on- and off-field transgressions upset GM Omar Minaya and manager Willie Randolph.

The final straw may have occurred during the 2nd to last game of this past season, when the Mets were battling the Phillies for 1st place. Milledge and Jose Reyes went over the top in home run celebration dances and the next day the Mets were clobbered by the Florida Marlins, eliminating from a chance at the playoffs. While it obviously wasn't a cause and effect situation, there was thought that Milledge didn't take things seriously enough.

Nat's GM Jim Bowden is certainly not afraid of taking on players with questionable or bad reputations. Dmitri Young was released by the Tigers during their run to the World Series in 2006 and won the comeback player of the year award for the Nats in 2007.

If Milledge can still show off all of the tools rather than being a tool, Bowden will have gotten him and given up next to nothing. Schneider is a very good defensive catcher, but hit just .235 this past season. Church is an average hitter, who is most likely best suited as a 4th outfielder.