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Trade Debate: A day of wheeling and dealing

By Charlie Saponara | July 3, 2009 | Fantasy Baseball 365

I've made a few trades here and there throughout the season dispersed amongst my different leagues. But then came yesterday. I had been getting a rush of offers from a couple different teams in my ESPN 10 team auction league. After a little back and forth two deals went down involving trading away 4 and receiving 4 players. Here are the deals. Received Chipper Jones for Jorge Cantu. My offense if fine, but could use help mostly in AVG and despite his current slump Chipper should help in that area. Even if he misses a few games here and there (more like when) I still would rather have Chipper over Cantu. I also have Aramis Ramirez on my DL, so I'll be able to put one of the two at CI or UTIL when he comes back. I was getting some serious interest in Zack Greinke. Aside from Greinke my starting pitchers consists of Jon Lester, Yovani Gallardo, Matt Cain, Edwin Jackson, John Danks and Max Scherzer. As you can see, pitching is pretty solid. Since the offers were coming back fairly aggressive, I decided to see how high I could sell on Greinke as I have already had a half seasons worth of great production. The deal ended up like this... My team traded: Zack Greinke, Shane Victorino and Frank Francisco My team received: Alex Rodriguez, Matt Kemp and Chad Qualls The way I see it: A-Rod has started to find a little groove. While I don't think he'll be the A-Rod of old for the rest of the season, he should be a great addition to Chipper/Aramis at 3B/MI/UTIL and makes one of them expendable should I want to try and deal for another position. To me Matt Kemp>Shane Victorino. They are the same type of player, but Kemp has more power and more speed. Frank Francisco for Qualls is basically a wash at this point. Francisco has not looked sharp since returning from the DL and Qualls is a low end closer. My other closers include Jose Valverde, Kevin Gregg and Kerry Wood. Not the best closer group in the world, but it's holding me above water. All in all these are the players I gave up and received: I got: Chipper Jones Alex Rodriguez Matt Kemp Chad Qualls I gave up: Jorge Cantu Zack Greinke Shane Victorino Frank Francisco How do you think I did in my day of wheeling and dealing? P.S. have a great 4th of July weekend!!!!...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Chad Qualls, Chipper Jones, Fantasy, Fantasy Baseball, Florida Marlins, Frank Francisco, Jorge Cantu, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Kemp, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Shane Victorino, Texas Rangers, Zack Greinke

Swing and a Miss: Ariza > Artest According to Plaschke

By joshb | July 3, 2009 | Celtics 17

This is the start of what I hope to be a series on Celtics 17. I will find stupid basketball columns and show them to you.The first is a column by Bill Plaschke of the LA Times. You know, the guy with the egg-shaped head on "Around the Horn" who thinks the Dodgers are better without Manny Ramirez. This is his opinion on the Lakers' Ron Artest signing."Less than three weeks after the parade, the NBA champion Lakers have already met the biggest threat to their throne. Themselves.What are they thinking? What are they doing?" Well, I'm just a blogger so what do I know? But from the looks of it I'd say that the Lakers are trying to improve."They just won a title that would not have been possible without the strong defense and stunning shooting of a 24-year-old kid with a limitless ceiling."Plaschke is referring to Trevor Ariza,...

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Adam Morrison, Bill Plaschke, Derek Fisher, Dodgers, Dwight Howard, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Kings, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Lamar Odom, Manny Ramirez, Michael Jordan, NBA, Pacers, Pau Gasol, Pistons, Randy Johnson, Robert Horry, Rockets, Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Spurs, Steve Kerr, Tracy McGrady, Trevor Ariza, Yao Ming

So... Anything Going On Today?

By Mike Scioscia's tragic illness | July 3, 2009 | Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness

No? Good to see we have a quiet holiday weekend going on. Look, tonight's going to be a circus clusterfark of epic proportions. We know that. Just look around the media - you've got the Los Angeles Times practically needing a change of pants, (and it's not just me who's pointing that out) FOX ready to break into the national games to show his at-bats tomorrow, and most of the mainstream establishment taking the Plaschke line of "well I never!" disgust that most fans won't be burning effigies of Manny. Plus, there's whatever the hell it is that Kurt Streeter is doing. As I said yesterday, I don't think we're viewing this situation through blue-colored glasses. We know that Manny's a jerk for a variety of reasons, and none of us deny that. I just think the mistake here is viewing the reaction to Manny's return as some sort of referendum on the moral fiber...

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Manny Returns Today

By Zach Sanders | July 3, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Manny Ramirez will return to the Dodgers lineup today, fresh off his 50 game suspension.Not much to say here, but my fantasy team is sure glad he's back....

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Home Run Trot's June All-Star Team: Pitchers

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 3, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Choosing the pitchers for June's team was just as tough as making some of the decisions for the position players. Some of the players below, like Zack Greinke and Jason Frasor, are making their third straight appearance on the team. Others, like Josh Johnson, are making the team for the first time. Take a look and leave your comments. I think it's a great pitching staff. *Stats as of 7 PM EST July 2STARTERS:SP: Zack Greinke, Kansas CityYes, Greinke had a tough June going 2-2 with a 4.05 ERA and .290 batting average against. Yet he still leads all starters...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Andrew Bailey, Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, Francisco Rodriguez, Heath Bell, Home Run Trot All-Stars, Jason Frasor, Jonathan Broxton, Josh Johnson, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Cain, MLB, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Ramon Ramirez, Ramon Troncoso, Roy Halladay, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum, Toronto Blue Jays, Zack Greinke

The Rockies are angry, determined

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 2, 2009 | MLB Notebook

As Ricky noted earlier today, the Rockies and Jason Hammel suffered a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday that essentially came down to one at-bat. Thus, the Rox left Los Angeles stung, losing the series two games as they attempt to carry their scorching June into July. Colorado is 2-10 against the Dodgers this season. The Rockies are angry at the series outcome, but are still a confident team. That is quite a change from where this team was at the beginning of June. Colorado was a team looking for a way to get back to the promise they showed in...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Jason Hammel, Jim Tracy, Los Angeles Dodgers

Manny Returns Today

By Zach Sanders | July 2, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Manny Ramirez will return to the Dodgers lineup today. Hooray, Manny!...

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A Strange At-Bat Gives Hammel The Loss In The Best Game Of His Career

By theraysparty | July 2, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Looking for something to write that is non-Rays related, I wanted to a quick pitch f/x on someone. Then I found former Ray Jason Hammel pitching arguably his best start of his career, going eight innings of one run ball and only five hits allowed at Los Angeles. And unfortunately for him, Hammel lost the game 1-0 as that run came in the bottom of the eighth as the Rockies offense cooled off against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers pen. Nothing to talk about in the pitch f/x except for a 40 mph pitch he threw. Wait, 40 miles per...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Colorado Rockies, Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, Pitch Fx, Rafael Furcal

MLB Stock Market - Nut Hut Edition

By Kurt Evans | June 29, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Have you ever listened to one of those morning zoo nut-hut talk radio shows? I'm sure you have, and yet you managed to change the dial before slitting your wrists. Often times these extremely boring people will go to excrutiating lengths to have a compelling talk segment. Right about now they're probably talking about how we are now over the hump - the days are getting short again (but they were so long for a while there, ha-ha! Can you beileve how long the days were? Blah blah, I couldn't go to sleep some nights the sky was so bright! Haw!) - and how winter is already on its way. As much as I detest those jabrones, I can't help but think about the same sort of thing -- the year is flying by. We're coming upon the All Star Break -- aka the most boring week in sports...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, MLB Outsider, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers

MLB Great Debates: Which Playoff Contender Needs a Trade to Stay in the Race?

By Staff Report | June 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

MLB Outsider's Jaymes Langrehr and Kurt Evans debate the issue: Which contending team most needs to make a deal before the July 31 trade deadline in order to stay in the race? Jaymes Langrehr argues that the Brewers desperately need starting pitching:As we get closer to the trade deadline, a good number of teams are developing clear needs that need to be addressed if they're going to stay in playoff contention. Some teams will be able to cope with their weaknesses and still make the playoffs due to their other strengths. Other clubs will need to make a move if they have any chance at contending in the second half.The Milwaukee Brewers are a prime example. Heading into this season, they knew that their pitching wouldn't be as good as it was down the stretch last season. Given the strength of their offense, however, they figured to be in okay...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: MLB

MLB Top 10: Rox Still Hot

By Jaymes Langrehr | June 22, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Sure, the Colorado Rockies may not be on an insanely long winning streak at the moment (they're back to a merely above-average 5-game streak), but they're still playing the best baseball outside of Los Angeles or Boston at this point. For that reason, they hang on to the #1 spot in this week's Top 10 list. But who takes the #2 spot? With quite a few teams piecing together winning streaks lately, there are plenty of contenders -- there are seven teams who have won at least three games in a row, so there's no shortage of teams playing well, unlike in previous weeks.1. Colorado Rockies (36-33)Sure, it may not be an 11-game win streak, but after dropping a game to the Rays to snap the streak, Colorado has won five straight. For those of you keeping track at home, that's 16 wins in their past 17 games, and it's...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, MLB Outsider, MLB Top 10, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays

MLB Top 10: Will the Rockies Ever Lose?

By Jaymes Langrehr | June 15, 2009 | MVN Outsider

For most teams, the MLB season includes multiple peaks and valleys. Ultimately, you're never as good as you are when you're playing at a peak, and you're never as bad as when you're playing in a valley. Right now, the Colorado Rockies are riding a peak that's a mile high (har har), winning eleven games in a row. Whenever the "L10" column in the standings reads "10-0", you know you're playing really good baseball. It's no surprise that the Rockies take the top spot in this week's top ten list, but who else has been putting together hot streaks while the Rockies steal the headlines?1. Colorado Rockies (31-32)At this point, there's really no one else you can put at the top of this list. I always thought that their run in September two years ago was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and would never be repeated, but it looks like the 2009...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, MLB Outsider, MLB Top 10, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays

MLB Top 10: Yanks Enter Week Hotter Than Boston -- Will it Stay that Way?

By Jaymes Langrehr | June 8, 2009 | MVN Outsider

It was an interesting week in baseball -- Randy Johnson won his 300th career game in front of about 12 people in Washington, the Dodgers stole a couple wins from Philadelphia in walkoff fashion, the Rangers proved their worth with a brutal East Coast road trip, and the Rockies started slugging the tar out of the ball...and they weren't even playing at home. So who heads up this week's Top 10 list as the team playing the best baseball?1. Philadelphia Phillies (33-22)The Phillies had a pair of tough walkoff losses in Los Angeles over the weekend, but prior to the late-game collapses the Phils were winners of seven straight. With the Mets running into serious injury problems, Philadelphia has a hold on the NL East -- they have a chance to expand that three game division lead starting Tuesday night when they travel to New York for a three game...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, MLB Outsider, MLB Top 10, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers

MLB Stock Market - Meeting our Expectations Edition

By Kurt Evans | June 8, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Things are starting to play out as we thought they would. Not that anybody can ever be completely right -- even the experts rock a far-less-than 100% accuracy rating -- but there are fewer and fewer surprises as the season wears on. Take the AL East for example. As expected, the Yankees and Red Sox are battling it out for first place. The Jays have descended to third in the division while Tampa is struggling to get over .500. And the Orioles? Let's just say "not so good," because we don't want to hurt peoples' feelings.But that doesn't mean we can roll over and go back to sleep until September. Some pretty impressive things are happening right now -- not necessarily record-breaking things, but good baseball is happening none the less. And even if things are starting to play out like we would have assumed they would, there is plenty of time...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, MLB Outsider, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays

MLB Stock Market - June Already Edition

By Kurt Evans | June 1, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Another week gone by and ... holy crap it's June already? Wasn't it just last week that we were laughing at those poor northern teams playing in the snow? And I could've sworn it was just yesterday that the Nationals weren't the laughing stock of baseball.Nevertheless, the season is getting a move-on. Surprises abound, perhaps none more than the ace-like outburst of Zack Grienke, but he's hardly "rising" at this point. Let's take a closer look at this week's movers, shakers, and bonehead-play makers.RisingJohn Smoltz's chances of a returnWhen he signed an incentive laden contract with the Red Sox, the general tone of those who "know" baseball was that the Sox were nuts to respond to the Yankee signings of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett with "project players" like Smoltz, Rocco Baldelli, Brad Penny, and Jason Varitek*. Or maybe they were so crazy that it just might work. Either way,...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, MLB Outsider, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays

MLB Top 10: No Clear Number One?

By Jaymes Langrehr | June 1, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The past few weeks, it's been pretty easy to pick out baseball's hottest teams -- we've seen ridiculously long win streaks, surges to the top of divisions, and outstanding performances catapult teams to the top of these rankings. This week, however, was a bit more difficult. Heading into Monday, no team had a win streak longer than three games. So who do you turn to in that case? How about baseball's best team to this point?1. Los Angeles Dodgers - 35-17Two things remain constant in LA -- the Dodgers are still hot, and Bill Plaschke is still outraged (OUTRAGED, I SAY!) that Manny Ramirez is allowed to disgrace the city...you have to wonder how he'll react if the Dodgers win the World Series with Manny's help once he returns. Will he demand that they hand the trophy back? They had a solid week, getting Clint Hurdle fired in Colorado after...Read more

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