It's time to take a look back at the week that was..
- The Cards got a bad break this week when they learned that pitcher Adam Wainwright will miss the 2011 season after undergong Tommy John surgery. St. Louis will try to find a solution from within for now, but could start looking for an answer via trade or signing soon. Recently, Chris Carpenter said he wouldn't get in the way of a trade if the club wanted to move him, but its unlikely that they would part with another pitcher under the circumstances.
- If the Cardinals decide to use reliever Kyle McClellan to fill Wainwright's spot, they could use some extra bullpen depth to offset the move. This week they took a look at Kiko Calero.
- White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle said he would be willing to approve a trade if the White Sox were looking to deal him, provided that it is the right fit.
- BoSox president Larry Lucchino assured fans that the Red Sox will extend Adrian Gonzalez before he hits free agency after the season.
- Agent Casey Close will leave CAA Sports when his his five-year contract expires at the end of the month. The high-profile agent represents Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard, Michael Cuddyer, and Derrek Lee, among others.
- The Braves signed GM Frank Wren to a two-year contract extension through 2013.
- The Mets received a $25MM loan from Major League Baseball to help ease their financial troubles.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is downplaying the trade talk surrounding Joe Blanton.
- Former Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth said that he believes the team could have had him and Cliff Lee if they had planned things out better.
- The Indians have reached agreement on a deal with Chad Durbin. The right-hander hoped to join a contender, but couldn't pass up the Major League contract.
- Soon after bringing Nick Swisher aboard agent Dan Lozano added Manny Machado, Yonder Alonso, and Danny Valencia to his stable of clients.
- Veteran infielder Mark Grudzielanek decided to retire this week. The 40-year-old appeared in 30 games with Cleveland last season before being released in June.
- Jose Guillen will consider retirement if he doesn't have a deal soon.
- The Pirates are "in a great position" financially and are willing to spend money, owner Robert Nutting says.
- The Mets signed three players to minor league deals on Sunday.
Jose Guillen needs to retire, not just consider it. The guy is a joke already, but being left off the playoff roster because of an HGH case is the icing on the cake.
Doesn’t look like much good happened in the past week. How about we just scrap the whole week, and we will see ya in camp Monday morning Waino?
Too bad for Wainwright. Not a Cards fan, but I hope he comes back as good as he was in a year or two. Let’s start the season already…when Mark Grudzielanek retiring is one of the top stories in any week it’s time to start the regular season.