Royals southpaw Danny Duffy makes his MLB debut tonight against the Rangers, a team that hits lefties well with players such as Michael Young and Mike Napoli. Read about the service time implications for Duffy here, and predict his debut line in the comments. Today's links:
- NPB will review the posting system, reports Patrick Newman. One interesting suggestion from Rakuten is to award negotiating rights to the top three bidders.
- Third baseman David Wright talked to ESPN Radio New York's Mike Lupica about his future with the team, saying he wants to finish his career with the Mets. Listen here and read the transcript here.
- Great article from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, who ranks ugly endings for beloved players, complete with "animosity quotients."
- The Phillies' biggest need is a right-handed bat, writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, and the Twins' Michael Cuddyer could be a feasible fit. Cuddyer, however, is earning $10.5MM this season. Earlier today I tossed the Phillies in as a speculative match for left-handed bat Garrett Jones. It's admittedly a rough gauge, but the Phillies' OPS against righties ranks 13th in the NL while their OPS against lefties ranks sixth.
