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Archives for March 2012

Free $400 March Madness Contest (Sponsored Post)

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Is your bracket busted?  Try DraftStreet, where you can put together a college basketball team this week and compete against other users for real money.

Right now DraftStreet has a college basketball freeroll for MLB Trade Rumors readers, meaning you can take a shot at a chunk of the $400 prize pool for free, with no strings attached.  Here's how it works.

The March Madness freeroll begins Friday at 7:15pm eastern time, so you have until then to create your team.  You're given a $100K salary cap, and each player is assigned a price by DraftStreet.  Your roster will cover these positions: 3 forwards, 3 guards, and 2 utility players.  You get points based on how your team performs through Friday's games in points, rebounds, and assists.  The teams with the most points get the prize money.  Below is a screenshot of a sample roster: 

Draftstreet

If you're interested, sign up and create a roster prior to Friday's games (7:15pm eastern time).  It's quick, easy, fun, and the MLBTR league gives you a free chance to win some of the $400 prize pool.  If you enjoy the competition you can try other leagues for free and earn credits, or deposit real money.

Spanish Links: Abreu, Pedro, Tejada

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Don't expect Pedro to pull a Pettitte. Links are in Spanish…

  • Bobby Abreu doesn't put a whole lot of stock in manager Mike Scioscia's prediction that the 38-year-old will get 400 plate appearances this season. "I've learned not to have much confidence in these people, but I hope they live up to what they told me," Abreu told Billy Russo at Lider en Deportes. "How long am I going to have to continue proving to people what I am, and what I'm able to do? At times it's like the work one does doesn't get appreciated, but here I am, and we'll continue the fight." Likewise, he said not knowing how much his time will be split between right field and DH has altered his preparation for the season. "It's clearly affected me, because I'm not used to that, and I don't know why they did it, but whatever; I'll keep on keeping on." Abreu said a month ago that he'd prefer being traded to playing off the bench. 
  • Pedro Martinez said in December that he would soon make his retirement official, but almost four months later, an announcement hasn't come. Martinez recently appeared on the television program El Despertador in his native Dominican Republic and said an official statement is nevertheless on the way. "We're working, and we're going to send out a press release," he said (as transcribed by Panorama Diario). "We're going to pick a date where we'll make an official announcement, and at the same time, give the Dominican public the opportunity to see it." 
  • Miguel Tejada still hasn't received any offers this offseason, but he has no plans to explore options in other leagues, the veteran infielder told the Dominican radio show Grandes en los Deportes (Twitter links.) "I play baseball because I like it. I don't have economic problems," Tejada said. "I believe there's still a lot of playing for me to do in the US."

Latest On The Phillies’ Search For Infield Help

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Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he’s inclined to acquire an infielder from outside of the organization, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The GM hinted he wouldn’t part with starting pitching depth to make a move.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wonders if the Phillies might look to acquire Chris Getz or Yuniesky Betancourt of the Royals to shore up their infield (Twitter link). It's hard not to wonder if Alberto Callaspo could appeal to the Phillies despite the fact that he last played second base regularly in 2009. Elliot Johnson, Chris Nelson, Eric Young Jr., Emmanuel Burriss, Luis Valbuena and Donnie Murphy are out of options and could be available in trades later by the end of the month.

Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Michael Martinez and Placido Polanco are each dealing with injuries, which prompted Amaro's search for depth. Freddy Galvis and Ty Wigginton project to start at second and third until Utley and Howard return.

Tigers Claim Kelvin De La Cruz

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The Tigers announced that they claimed left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz off of waivers from the Indians. The Tigers have optioned the 23-year-old to Double-A.

It's been a busy few months for De La Cruz, who has been traded to the Rangers, re-acquired by the Indians and then designated for assignment. He posted a 4.19 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 86 innings as a starter and reliever at Double-A last year. The 6'5" lefty has typically walked and struck out lots of opponents, as his career rates of 8.9 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 indicate.

Joe Torre Rejoins MLB

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Joe Torre has rejoined Major League Baseball as its executive VP of baseball operations, MLB announced on Twitter. The longtime player and manager had stepped down from his duties at the league office to join a group bidding for the Dodgers.

Joe Garagiola Jr., Kim Ng, and Peter Woodfork had assumed Torre's responsibilities at MLB while Torre was away. MLB said it would search for a replacement, but never found one. Torre joined MLB as executive VP for baseball operations last February.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Chipper, Cohen, Pelfrey

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Three years ago today, Miami-Dade County commissioners approved the final documents necessary for the Marlins to move forward with the construction of their new ballpark. The 37,000-seat retractable roof stadium and its unique home run sculpture will open its doors this season. Here's the latest from the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Beeston Talks Fielder, Rogers, Rays, AL East

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Blue Jays president Paul Beeston recently discussed the Blue Jays’ path to contention with Stephen Brunt of Sportsnet.ca. Here are some highlights from their conversation, which touched on many off-field topics:

  • Beeston says Rogers Communications, the telecommunications company which owns the team, intends to invest in the Blue Jays. “As much as they were maligned for not giving money for Yu Darvish or not giving money for Prince Fielder, the fact of the matter is: where we've needed a lot of money in the farm system and scouting, they've never held back,” Beeston said.
  • Fans can count on Rogers reinvesting money into the team, even if they don't fill the Rogers Centre every night, Beeston said. “That's the difference between us and the Tampa Bay Rays,” Beeston continued. “They're looking to bring their salaries down. We're looking to take our salaries up, because we know we have the resources to do it.”
  • Beeston intends to be more open with fans at times, though he and GM Alex Anthopoulos agree that leaking information to the public via the media is a competitive disadvantage.
  • The AL East features its share of contenders, but Beeston says he prefers the division to all others because it’s so competitive.

NL West Notes: Theriot, Padres, Diamondbacks

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Jamie Moyer pitched four perfect innings against the Giants last night, and the 49-year-old's teammates were impressed with his approach, even if the opposition wasn't intimidated by his 80mph offerings. "To be able to move and get on the field, much less compete, is amazing,'' Michael Cuddyer told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Here are some more notes from the NL West…

  • Ryan Theriot’s $1.25MM contract becomes guaranteed if the Giants don’t remove him from the roster by March 29th, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. If they cut the infielder within the week, they’ll only owe him $312.5K, but the decision’s about more than the bottom line. Freddy Sanchez may start the season on the disabled list, and the Giants may want to bench Brandon Crawford against tough lefties. In other words, having Theriot on the roster could prove useful.
  • Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres offers a Q&A about the Padres' leadership in light of Jeff Moorad's decision to step down as the club's CEO. Krasovic hears that the Padres "are headed to another owner" than Moorad or current owner John Moores.
  • Yahoo's Tim Brown makes the case that the next Dodgers owner would do well to keep manager Don Mattingly in place.
  • Manager Kirk Gibson says the Diamondbacks are "underdogs" entering the season, Mike Bauman of MLB.com writes. "That's just the kind of attitude you've got to take. You can't anything for granted," Gibson said. The Diamondbacks won the NL West with 94 regular season wins in 2011 and seem poised for another strong season.
  • Rockies third base prospect Nolan Arenado should be at the Major League level before long, even though he probably won't be on the Opening Day roster Heyman tweets.

AL East Notes: Cook, Red Sox, Pettitte, Orioles

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Earlier today, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine told reporters that Daisuke Matsuzaka could be back in the rotation as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.  In the meantime, another BoSox pitcher is making a strong case for breaking camp with the club.  More on that and other links out of the AL East..

  • Right-hander Aaron Cook can opt-out of his deal with the Red Sox on May 1st if he isn't on the big league squad, but the veteran might punch his ticket well before that, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  Cook's deal with Boston is worth $1.5MM if he is put on the major league roster.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman is keeping tight-lipped when it comes to the makeup of the club's rotation, but he is preaching patience when it comes to Andy Pettitte, writes Jeff Bradley of the Star-Ledger.  For his part, the 39-year-old says that he plans on keeping to his schedule and joining the team around May 1st.
  • MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli likes Ryan Flaherty's chances of making the Orioles.  The Rule 5 pick must be returned to the Cubs if he is not on the O's Opening Day roster.

Offseason In Review: St. Louis Cardinals

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The defending World Champions lost a pair of franchise icons this offseason, but they appear poised to contend for another title after signing Carlos Beltran and promoting Mike Matheny as manager.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Scott Linebrink, Alex Cora, Koyie Hill, R.J. Swindle, Eugenio Velez.

Trades and Claims

Extensions

Notable Losses

Draft Picks Gained or Lost

  • Obtained 19th overall selection from Angels for Albert Pujols. Also obtain supplementary first round pick, 36th overall.
  • Obtained 52nd overall selection for losing Dotel. 
  • Obtained 59th overall selection for losing Jackson.

No Albert Pujols. No Tony La Russa. The Cardinals team that takes the field on Opening Day will look a whole lot different than the club that won the 2011 World Series. But GM John Mozeliak's offseason moves have the club ready for another run at the postseason.

There's no replacing Albert Pujols, who has been nothing short of baseball's best offensive player for the past decade. The Cardinals appear to have made a substantial bid for the first baseman, but he left for the Angels' $240MM offer. Even at 32, he's one of the best hitters in the game, as his postseason performance showed. The short-term blow to the Cardinals' lineup is undeniable even though they may be applauding themselves for bidding cautiously five or six years from now when Pujols starts declining significantly.

Former Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny took over as the team's new manager following Tony La Russa's retirement. The 41-year-old Matheny inherits a team that's as strong as any rookie manager could hope for. In another significant off-field development, the Astros hired Jeff Luhnow, the Cardinals' longtime VP of scouting and player development, as their new GM.

Carlos Beltran represents the Cardinals' biggest offseason investment and he'll join Jon Jay and Matt Holliday in a strong projected outfield that could include Allen Craig at times. Even at 34, Beltran does a lot of things right and the Cardinals did well to obtain him for two years and $26MM.

The signing shifts Berkman to Pujols' former position, first base. Berkman doesn't come close to matching Pujols' defensive ability, but the 36-year-old is probably better suited for first base than the outfield at this point in his career.

The Cardinals dealt with their middle infield by re-signing Rafael Furcal, locking Skip Schumaker up for two years, non-tendering Ryan Theriot and letting Nick Punto leave via free agency. Furcal, always an injury risk, wasn't much worse than league average at the plate, even during a down season. He has some offensive potential if he can stay healthy and the Cardinals' investment suggests they believe Furcal can stay on the field in 2012-13. However, $14MM seems like an over-aggressive commitment for a 34-year-old who's missed an average of 70 games per season since 2008.

Even though the middle infield doesn't project to add much to the offense, the Cardinals should score enough runs. They led the National League in scoring last year and figure to be among the league leaders again, even after losing Pujols.

The Cardinals' rotation may be better than the group that led last year's team to the World Series, since Adam Wainwright is back from Tommy John surgery (exercising his options was an easy call). They entertained the idea of signing Roy Oswalt, and pursuing the free agent right-hander may become increasingly appealing if the injury currently sidelining Chris Carpenter proves serious. Oswalt's intriguing, especially on a one-year deal, so he figures to be on the Cardinals' radar even as Lance Lynn opens the year in the rotation. Top prospect Shelby Miller will start the season in the minors and could be a mid-summer callup. 

The Cardinals essentially left their bullpen alone this offseason. They've developed and acquired lots of quality relievers over the years and so contented themselves with the signings of J.C. Romero, Scott Linebrink and R.J. Swindle to low-risk deals. The Cardinals' young bullpen looks good on paper, and Mozeliak can add a reliever at the deadline if it falls short of expectations. A major addition to the bullpen wouldn't have made sense for this team.

The Cardinals also locked up Yadier Molina to a five-year, $75MM extension. It's a sizable contract for someone whose knees have been through 1,000 innings per season since 2004, but Molina is emerging as a premium player. Finding an All-Star catcher is difficult, and Molina is just 29, so the deal makes sense for both sides. Back when the Cardinals’ postseason hopes seemed faint, Mozeliak locked up Carpenter and Berkman to deals worth mentioning, even if they technically occurred before the offseason began.

It was an offseason unlike any other in St. Louis. The celebration of a championship, the retirement of a Hall of Fame manager, the departure of one of the greatest hitters in history. But now that the chaos has ended and another season is upon us, the Cardinals are contenders once again.

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