Rajah Davis will play 2-3 games in a row and you'll ask yourself "why isn't this guy starting", and then game 4 will come around and you'll say "oh, that's why".

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Athletics&amp;src=hash">#Athletics</a> have acquired minor league OF Billy Burns from the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Nationals&amp;src=hash">#Nationals</a> in exchange for LHP Jerry Blevins.</p>&mdash; Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) <a href="https://twitter.com/Athletics/statuses/410848966205390848">December 11, 2013</a></blockquote>
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NOOOOOOOOOOOO :(

Blevins is my favorite pitcher simply because of his name :(

BUT this only adds to the theme of Natioanlas players having weird names

Jack Z is either on one hell of a hot seat, or ownership gave him a blank check this offseason.

Mariners sign Corey Hart to a 1-year deal. They also acquire Logan Morrison from the Marlins for Carter Capps.

First GM fired in 2014

Mets sign Bartolo Colon. 2-years, $20 mil.

We go live to TPWW's resident Mets fan, Vito Cruz.

Mr. Cruz, your thoughts please?

<font color=goldenrod>I like it. With a guy in his 40s I'd prefer to go with a 1-year deal, but the reality is damn near every pitcher is getting a multiyear deal this offseason, so you're going to have to pony up the extra year if you want somebody good. I'd rather have Colon for 2 years than Bronson Arroyo for 3.

Hopefully he can provide quality innings and help make the transition to Harvey's return in 2015 a bit easier.

Zack Wheeler
Jon Niese
Bartolo Colon
Dillon Gee
Jenry Mejia or Stopgap. Rafael Montero or Noah Syndergaard by June or July

That's not bad at all.</font>

Just read MLB is about to ban home plate collisions. Just needs union approval.

Slides or summersaults are the way to go.

If the union approves it, the rule takes effect next year and if they reject it, MLB can still pass it although are required to wait an extra year to make it official without the union's input.

I dont know how I feel about this.

Fat Bartolo probably missed the pizza in New York.

Where is the catcher supposed to be on a play at the plate?

soooo true

so much raw talent, but mentally he has short comings. great bench guy though, will miss him

The concussion genie/lawsuits is out of the bottle in the NFL and NHL.

So, for example, intentionally running over the catcher might result in an out call. So I think that the enforcement will be on the field as well as subsequent consequences in the form of fines and suspensions and the like.''

The NCAA instituted a rule on collisions for the 2011 season, saying ''contact above the waist that was initiated by the base runner shall not be judged as an attempt to reach the base or plate.''


(from an article on Yahoo)

Yankees turn down on offer to swap Gardner with Brandon Phillips

Joba Chamberlain and Tigers agree on a deal

THE ERA IS OVER!

Guess its back to randomly beaning Youkilis now.

Speaking of Kevin Youkilis, Yankees are interested in resigning him for next season while Youkilis is more interested in playing for a West Coast team. Wants to be closer to home for next season.

Good. I'd rather he put 2000 miles worth of distance between him and New York. Didn't even play a month before his season was over.

yay Boone Logan

Royals signed Omar Infante to a 4-year, $30 million deal.

Well. I guess the Yankees are going to plan b.

<font color=goldenrod>3 years and $16.5 million for a lefty specialist. Jesus H Christ.</font>

Pretty sure the DBacks could have done better than just Addison Reed for Matt Davidson straight up.

Davidson any good? Read up on him and all, but what are your thoughts, Dave?

Brian Roberts to the Yankees. 1 year, 2 million.

Betcha a dollar he ends up becoming this year's Kevin Youkilis. Plays for a month, gets injured, done for the season.

If he makes it out of spring training alive.

He showed real good defense last year. His bat was iffy but he's young so who knows how he'll develop.

I don't think Gavin Floyd's deal has been mentioned yet. Always liked him better than guys like John Danks. He won't be ready until May or June, but if I'm a contender I want him on my team. Could be a valuable 3 or 4 type starter down the stretch.

HOT STOVE:

Brian Roberts tears rotator cuff signing contract, out until May.

Who does he think he is, Nick Johnson?

O's sign Grant Balfour. 2-years, $15 mil.

This one hurts. Wanted the Yankees to get him so we don't have to throw Hi-Sox to the wolves as the closer. Now it seems we don't have a choice.

Dodgers and Yankees end up being the only teams having to pay the luxury tax for this year. Yankees owe $28 million while the Dodgers owe $11.4 million.

In terms of next year, the Yankees right now are $12 million under the $189 million limit but only have half the roster locked up.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10...28m-luxury-tax

$189 is the limit. The $178 figure is operating under A-Rod being suspended right now.

Busy Wednesday.

Rockies aquire Drew Stubbs from the Indians.


Angels sign Raul Ibanez. 1-year, $2.75 mil. That can hit $5 mil. in incentives.


Padres sign Joaquin Benoit to a 2-year, $15.5 mil. pact.

Yankees had a 7-year $140 mil. deal on the table to Shin-Soo Choo even after they signed Ellsbury. But, super agent Scott Boras wanted Choo to get Ellsbury money. So they went with Beltran.

Jacque Jones for HOF.

Oh JJ. So good as a twin. Then sucked balls in Chicago and played the race card. Missed Jeromy Burnitz.

Still can't wrap my head around what Seattle is doing. Fully expecting them to sell the farm and get Price at this point. Cubs should be trying to give them the hard sell on Samardjia since they seem so inclined to "go for it"

Seattle wants to make the AL West its bitch, clearly.

I'd be willing to bet that they are a dysfunctional mess and Jack Z gets fired around the All Star break.

Kevin Youkilis is taking his talents to Japan. Signed a deal with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.




http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NYJjoT-A8C...piven-gtfo.gif

<font color=goldenrod>Grant Balfour fails his physical with the O's and is back on the market.</font>

Rangers win the Shin-Soo Choo sweepstakes.


7-years, $130 mil.

Dodgers signed Chris Perez to a 1 year deal.

Tanaka's going on the auction block.

Let the games begin.

Puig killed in car accident [/in the near future]

never. He is immortal.

<font color=goldenrod>Mark Mulder is back in baseball, having not played the last 5 seasons. 1 year deal with the Angels.</font>

Dodgers expected to sign a contract extension with Don Mattingly keeping him with the team for at least the next 3 seasons.
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/s...ngeles-dodgers


Greg Maddux revealed to have missed out on being a unanimous Hall of Fame selection by at least one known vote.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10...hall-selection

So how does that guy know Morris didn't use? Just because it wasn't widespread doesn't mean it didn't exist. How do we know current Hall of Fame guys didn't use at some point?

Fucking stupid logic, in my opinion.

From what I remember reading in some article last year when this came up according to some players in already, they knew others in there have used but they didn't give names.

Maddux is probably one of, if not, my favorite player of all time, and while I would have loved to see him make it in unanimously just to see him make it in on the first try with the way these writers are treating everyone from his era is pretty awesome.

Still remember his 78 pitch complete game shutout in 1997 with sportscenter showing every pitch.

<font color=goldenrod>Maddux and Glavine are locks to go in. Biggio is a most likely, and I think The Big Hurt will get in first ballot as well but idiots who are unfairly anti-every-steroid-era-hitter will cost him some votes and make it a closer call than it should.

Meanwhile I think those same idiots cause Piazza and Bagwell to miss out again. And I don't think Jack Morris makes it in either.</font>

Fuck Jack Morris. And every person that would vote for him.

So if Bagwell isn't getting in then how can Biggio? How can we be so sure Biggio didn't take steroids?

The whole thing is a joke.

Because he's fucking Craig Biggio. Look at him. He's the size of my cock.

He hit 24 home runs when he was 38 years old, and 26 home runs when he was 39 years old, which are career high. It's not greatly higher any than his normal numbers, but you are going to tell me someone who had as much wear and tear on them as Biggio is going to hit his career highs as a 38 and 39 year old without steroids?

I don't believe it.

Call to the hall in about 10 minutes.

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas got elected to the hall.

Niceeee

Biggio missed election by .02%. Damn.

Bagwell's % actually went down from last year. God I hate these voters.

This is a completely valid argument.

I dont like Biggio because he is an example of why stat thresholds are enough.

He was a GOOD player for 20 years and amassed stats to make him a Hall of Famer. but he was never once in his career one of the 3 best at his position IMHO. He was never a perennial all start or all time great. Just a damn good solid player that was durable.

Meanwhile Pedro Martinez is one of the most dominant players of all time and is going to have detractors because of his "totals".

next year will be interesting.

Randy Johnson
Pedro Martinez
John Smoltz
gary Sheffield

Those are the only 4 legit candidates.

I think Johnson and Smoltz are first ballot guys. Pedro should be but wont (Remember im a Yankees Fan too).

Sheffield will never make it.

*REVEALED* Frank Drebin's Hall of Fame ballot! LOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!


1. Jacque Jones
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Probably more of him being this year's bad luck candidate since something like that always happens whenever there are multiple "lock" picks. Won't get any better next year but after that he'll probably go back up in percentage.

To my knowledge, he was hitting in a great lineup. It's not like teams were pitching around him. Not with Bagwell behind him.

The baseball hof is a joke. Just terrible.

If he played the majority of his career in say, Boston, he would have been a shoe in

Wrong, Dave. It goes like this:

1. Jacque Jones
2. Jacque Jones
3. Jacque Jones
4. Jacque Jones
5. Jacque Jones
6. Jacque Jones
7. Jacque Jones
8. Jacque Jones
9. Jacque Jones
10. Jacque Jones

And not only that, pulling the ball into the Crawford Boxes.

so apparently the one who turned his Hall of Fame ballot over to Deadspin was Dan LeBatard.

http://deadspin.com/revealed-the-hal...lot-1496558341

http://deadspin.com/dan-le-batards-p...ave-1497366704

The following are Hall of Famers to me:

Bonds - duh
Clemens - duh
Maddux - duh
Biggio - duh
Bagwell - duh
Piazza - duh
Thomas - duh
Glavine - duh
Mussina - actually better than Glavine in many ways, similar, overall, to Schilling.
Schilling - lowest K/BB ratio of all time, a bunch of video game seasons
Raines - One of the best players of the 80s, very similar to Tony Gwynn in many respects
Martinez - Best DH ever (if you don't count Thomas as a DH) and one of the best pure hitters ever.
Trammell - Top 5-10 shortstop
McGwire - duh
Sosa - controversial, but the numbers don't lie (completely)

On the fence on Walker, Kent and Raffy (who's off the ballot now)

<font color=goldenrod>I am encouraged that Piazza actually increased his vote total while so many decreased. I'm not sure he'll get into the HOF next year with 3 "locks" (Johnson, Pedro, Smoltz) set to go in plus Biggio probably going over the hump. But 2016 might be his year. Griffey is the only "lock" that year. Wagner should be a lock for 2016 as well but voters seem to be rather stingy with closers.</font>

I doubt it

Wagner definitely won't get in first ballot, but he has a chance. He is probably the best left-handed reliever of all-time.

According to ESPN, Masahiro Tanaka bidding war already has about 1/3rd of the league involved and might top around the 6 years, $100 million range.

Cubs and White Sox are rumored to be the first teams to negotiate with him.

I'm calling bullshit on the Astros , A's , D-Bags and White Sox. I'm crossing the Mariners out. That's unlikely. I gotta believe the Angels have some limit considering all the money they've squander with shit results. So that list is now..

Phillies
Yanks
Red Sox
Cubs
Dodgers
Rangers

Sort of surprised to not see the Tigers on there. Not counting the Pirates out either. This guy could be the piece that takes the Pirates to the World Series.

Probably sitting on a lot of Prince's money still.

Fallout from the Dan LeBatard HoF vote "scandal"

http://deadspin.com/dan-le-batard-lo...ium=socialflow

http://deadspin.com/costas-no-hof-vo...the-1498180751

http://deadspin.com/the-angry-things...f-f-1497810100

http://deadspin.com/the-pti-guys-sai...-le-1497463504

<font color=goldenrod>The BBWAA are a bunch of babies. Funny part is Deadspin's ballot was probably the best one out of all of them.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>I hope the Veteran's Committee lets the Bonds and Clemens' of the world in someday as a middle finger to the BBWAA. Just let the steroid era guys in. The Baseball HOF is meant to be a museum. Last I checked, museums were supposed to chronicle all history, not just the good parts of it.</font>

LeBatard is awesome

Well, the history moments will be in there. They will just not have their jerseys in the room with the people elected to go. The people who deserve to be in there.
I do not know if you have ever been there but it is two separate things. This is basically a big ass room with jerseys of specific players. Everything else is in a different section that has the records and so fourth.

I do agree with it is stupid that people will not be elected in because they used steroids before it was banned in baseball.

Unless I'm thinking of a different committee, they are just as stubborn as the writers when it comes to electing players. On paper they have a better chance but wouldn't be surprised if they never get in without some huge rehaul.

Yankees DFA Vernon Wells.

Angels still paying the guys salary

Alex Rodriguez suspended for the season

<font color=goldenrod>Should just pop a shitton of roids in September and come back for the playoffs.</font>

Suspension includes playoffs.

SWEET! $25 mil. freed up.

<font color=goldenrod>I imagine the Yankees will now throw some extra Tanaka's way. I'd think Michael Young would be the most logical guy for the Yankees to sign for a 1 year stopgap at 3rd. Part of me wonders if they'd re-engage on talks with Stephen Drew after previously ruling him out (before they knew about A-Rod's status), but then again I can't really see why Drew would want to learn to play 3B for a year when there are other teams that would keep him at SS.

Red Sox and Mets are the only teams I've even really heard linked to Drew at this point, and neither is willing to go more than 1 year guaranteed. If Drew decides to take 1 year it's difficult to imagine him not going back to Boston. Mets probably need to throw in a 2nd year guaranteed to get him. I'd be on board with 2 years for Drew. He's not great by any means but he's still a clear upgrade over automatic out Ruben Tejada.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>If the Mets got Drew their lineup would look something like:

LF Eric Young, Jr.
2B Daniel Murphy
3B David Wright
RF Curtis Granderson
1B Ike Davis or a Lucas Duda/Josh Satin platoon
CF Chris Young
SS Stephen Drew
C Travis d'Arnaud

Batting order is still up in the air...especially if Juan Lagares wins the CF job based on his glove. In that case he'd likely supplant EYJ and I have no idea who the fuck hits leadoff then. That lineup wouldn't set the world on fire and they'd still clearly be behind Washington and Atlanta, but it's still way better looking than this time last year. Throw in their solid looking rotation and bullpen filled with young arms and they might at least be able to stay in the Wild Card mix.</font>

Dodgers are gonna land Tanaka. This rotation is sttacckkkeeedddd

So Tony Bosch on 60 Minutes. Telling the truth, or whole lot of bullshit?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Still figryuing out how 2 tyype with these big pawz. Will gett lessons from <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs">@Cubs</a>. Come back soon!!</p>&mdash; Clark the Cub (@ClarktheCub) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClarktheCub/statuses/422835268727500800">January 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Go Cubs Go

A-Rod has officially filed a lawsuit against MLB over the reduced suspension claiming it should have been even lower or nothing at all. Also is suing the Players Union claiming they worked with MLB to ensure a suspension would happen and didn't do enough to fight it.

He tried to get parts of the evidence and ruling from the arbitrator's case to be sealed from the public and MLB for this lawsuit but got denied by a judge.

Wadding is creaming his pants

MLB should change it's acronym to A-ROD