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In the first two months of this 2010 season, a few dazzling pitching performances have stole the headlines and caught the attention of many baseball fans. Through June 2nd, baseball fans have been treated with 2 perfect games from the likes of Oakland A’s lefty Dallas Braden and Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay, along with one no-hitter from Cy Young candidate Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies. It is rare enough to see these kinds of pitching performances over the course of one season, but in a two months span it is simply remarkable. Earlier today, Armando Galarraga (RHP) of the Detroit Tigers almost became the 3rd pitcher this season to throw a perfect game as he was a mere [...]

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• Category: Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Teams
• Tagged as Armando Galarraga, Dallas Braden, Jason Donald, Jim Joyce, miguel cabrera, roy halladay, Ubaldo Jimenez

Previously, I took a look at the top 25 position players under the age of 25 currently in the major leagues. Since I compiled that list, the highly-rated Justin Smoak of the Texas Rangers has received the call to the big leagues, where he joins Jason Heyward and Ike Davis as the next wave of sluggers in the game. Today, I want to take a look at the top 25 pitchers under 25 that are currently in the big leagues. Currently, their is an exciting crop of young pitchers in the game with the list to soon see the likes of Stephen Strasburg, Drew Storen, and Aroldis Chapman. With apologies to those pitchers, let’s take a look at the list [...]

• 7 Comments
• Category: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Fantasy, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Teams, Texas Rangers
• Tagged as Aroldis Chapman, Brett Anderson, Brian Matusz, Chris Perez, Chris Volstad, Clayton Kershaw, Dan Haren, Daniel Bard, David Price, Drew Storen, Felix Hernandez, Franklin Morales, Homer Bailey, Ike Davis, Jaime Garcia, Jair Jurrjens, Jason Heyward, Jenrry Mejia, Jhoulys Chacin, Joba Chamberlain, Johnny Cueto, Josh Johnson, Justin Smoak, Kerry Wood, Mark DeRosa, Mat Latos, Mike Leake, Neftali Feliz, Phil Hughes, Rick Porcello, roy halladay, Ryan Perry, Stephen Strasburg, Tommy Hanson, Wade Davis, Xavier Nady, Yovani Gallardo

Respected ESPN baseball insider Buster Olney created quite a buzz in the Phillies and Cardinals’ camps this past weekend. Olney reported his sources were telling him that the Philadelphia Phillies were having internal discussions about a blockbuster trade of Ryan Howard (1B) for Albert Pujols (1B). While Olney said the Phillies were not prepared to approach the Cardinals with the proposal, the mere thought of these internal discussions being reported has raised some eyebrows in both camps. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was adamant that these discussions have not taken place and questioned who Olney was getting his information from. When questioned by reporters on the topic, both Pujols and Howard didn’t put much stock into the rumor and expected to [...]

• 1 Comment
• Category: Fantasy, Free Agents, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Rumors, St. Louis Cardinals, Teams, Toronto Blue Jays
• Tagged as Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Buster Olney, Matt Holliday, roy halladay, Ruben Amaro, Ryan Howard

The National League prides themselves on on being more defense oriented. Where pitching and fielding are more highly regarded then with their DH/pound you into submission younger siblings in the AL. The NL East has plethora of different management strategies. The Mets spend money like it is going out of style and the Marlins are such tight wads that both MLB brass and the MLBPA forced them to loosen up the purse strings in the coming seasons. So who is doing it right? Which team has spent their money wisely on their pitching and which ones are just using their dollars as kindling? Philadelphia Phillies: Historically the Phillies are one of the least successful organizations in baseball with dubious honor [...]

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• Category: Atlanta Braves, Fantasy, Free Agents, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Teams, Washington Nationals
• Tagged as Anibal Sanchez, Chien-Ming Wang, Chris Volstad, Cole Hamels, Derek Lowe, Fernando Nieve, Garrett Mock, Greg Maddux, Hisanori Takahashi, J.A. Happ, J.D. Martin, Jair Jurrjens, Jamie Moyer, Jason Marquis, Joe Blanton, Johan Santana, John Lannan, John Maine, Jon Niese, Jordan Zimmermann, Josh Johnson, Kenshin Kawakami, Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, Phil Neikro, Ricky Nolasco, roy halladay, Scott Olsen, Sean West, Steven Strasburg, Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Warren Spahn

The second installment of the MLB Network’s Prime 9 players of the decade list focuses on starting pitchers. In my opinion, this list contains a few obvious omissions and one pitcher that shouldn’t find his name on the list. Here are your top 9 starting pitchers of the decade in descending order: 9. Javier Vazquez – Vazquez is a surprising choice for the No. 9 spot on the list. Over the decade, he went 128-116 with a 4.01 ERA for 5 different teams. Vazquez led the majors in “quality starts” for the decade and finished second to only Randy Johnson for the most strikeouts with 2,001 in 2,163 IP. He was selected to the All-Star Game in 2004 and enjoyed [...]

• 4 Comments
• Category: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Teams, Toronto Blue Jays
• Tagged as Andy Pettitte, C.C. Sabathia, Curt Schilling, Greg Maddux, Javier Vazquez, Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, roy halladay, Roy Oswalt

SI.com’s Jon Heyman tweeted that the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, and Seattle Mariners have agreed to a blockbuster three-team trade involving aces Roy Halladay (RHP) and Cliff Lee (LHP). As part of the trade, the Phillies would receive Halladay with Lee going to the Mariners.  Todd Zolecki of MLB.com verifies Heyman’s report and says it is not known yet what each team will receive in the deal. I expect the Blue Jays will receive a few top prospects in the deal in return for a pitcher of Halladay’s caliber. The Phillies are rumored to be working on a contract extension with Halladay, as he is due to become a free agent after this upcoming season. Ironically enough, the Phillies were interested [...]

• 2 Comments
• Category: Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Rumors, Seattle Mariners, Teams, Toronto Blue Jays
• Tagged as Alex Anthopoulos, Chone Figgins, Cliff Lee, Felix Hernandez, Hideki Matsui, John Lackey, roy halladay

The 2009 Winter Meetings came to an end on Thursday. The last day of the meetings is typically the slowest as teams head back home after the Rule 5 Draft is held in the morning. However, there were still a few noteworthy items that made their way through the league on Thursday. Roy Halladay Update – Jordan Bastian of MLB.com says that trade discussions are ongoing for Roy Halladay with the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies the current leaders for Halladay. SI.com’s Tom Verducci sources tell him that the Phillies are “very aggressive” and even willing to find multiple teams to meet the Blue Jays asking price. The Phillies pursued Halladay last July but eventually landing Cliff Lee (LHP) [...]

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• Category: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Free Agents, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Rumors, San Francisco Giants, Teams, Toronto Blue Jays
• Tagged as Barry Bonds, Bengie Molina, Brett Gardner, Chris Iannetta, Cliff Lee, Curtis Granderson, Hideki Matsui, Jason Bay, Johnny Damon, Mark DeRosa, Mark McGwire, Melky Cabrera, Miguel Tejada, Pablo Sandoval, Pedro Feliz, roy halladay, Yorvit Torrealba

Day three of the Winter Meetings was filled with plenty of activity. Many rumors and signings were reported on Wednesday as teams started to accomplish things before heading home tomorrow. Here is a rundown from a busy day from Indianapolis. Astros sign Brandon Lyon – Ken Rosenthal tweeted that Brandon Lyon (RHP) has agreed to a 3-year deal worth $15 million with the Houston Astros. Lyon is a possible option for the closer’s role  for the Astros should Jose Valverde leave via free agency. Roy Halladay Update – According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the Los Angeles Angels sent the Toronto Blue Jays a trade proposal on Wednesday for ace Roy Halladay (RHP). The Angels offer is rumored [...]

• 2 Comments
• Category: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Free Agents, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Rumors, Tampa Bay Rays, Teams, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays
• Tagged as Adrian Beltre, Andy Pettitte, Bengie Molina, Brandon Lyon, Chris Ray, Dan Uggla, Derek Lowe, Erick Aybar, J.J. Putz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jesse Chavez, Joe Saunders, Johan Santana, John Lackey, Jose Valverde, kenny williams, Kevin Millwood, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Lindstrom, Max Ramirez, Michael Young, Mike Lowell, Milton Bradley, Peter Bourjos, Rafael Soriano, Randy Wolf, Rich Harden, Roberto Clemente, roy halladay, Rule 5 Draft, Shane Victorino, Taylor Teagarden, Trevor Hoffman

The first day of the 2009 Winter Meetings is officially in the books. Day One was relatively quiet as there weren’t many noteworthy trades or signings to report as of yet. However, there were a few rumors and signings that made their way around Indianapolis on Monday. Blockbuster 3-way trade? – According to Foxsports.com, the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Detroit Tigers have discussed a possible three-way trade that would be the biggest news of the meetings’ so far. While the teams are still discussing which players are part of the deal, the biggest names being discussed in the proposed deal are Tigers’ Curtis Granderson (CF) going to the Yankees, Tigers’ starter Edwin Jackson (RHP) going to the Diamondbacks, [...]

• 2 Comments
• Category: Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Free Agents, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Rumors, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Teams, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals
• Tagged as Adam Everett, B.J. Upton, Brad Penny, Curtis Granderson, Edwin Jackson, Gil Meche, Ivan Rodriguez, Joel Pineiro, Max Scherzer, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Randy Wolf, roy halladay, Stephen Strasburg, Wade Davis

The most exciting time in the baseball offseason is upon us with next week’s annual Winter Meetings (December 7-10, Indianapolis, IN). The Winter Meetings is where we start to see teams shape their rosters for the upcoming season. The meetings are filled with plenty of rumors as general managers and agents from all of baseball convene and discuss free agents and trade possibilities. Last year’s meetings were rather slow compared to previous years. The biggest talk of last year’s meetings was the near trade of San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy (currently of the Chicago White Sox) to the Chicago Cubs. The state of our economy played a big role in teams not being as aggressive at last year’s meetings, [...]

• 3 Comments
• Category: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Free Agents, Los Angeles Angels, Rumors, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Teams, Toronto Blue Jays
• Tagged as Bobby Abreu, Curtis Granderson, Edwin Jackson, Jake Peavy, Jason Bay, Jim Hendry, Matt Holliday, miguel cabrera, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, roy halladay, Scott Boras