Offseason trades with plenty of teeth - MLB

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Biggest Impact Deals So Far
Published 5/8/2008 by Andrew Beaton at Hot Foot
In an article for ESPN, Jayson Stark lists the top 10 most influential trades from this winter.  Ranking 1st is the Diamondback’s trade for ace Dan Haren, but ranking 2nd is the Mets’ trade for Johan Santana. Stark writes: True, this deal hasn’t propelled the Mets into first place. Also true: Santana is “only” 3-2, with a 2.91 ERA. But he’s also tied for the league lead in strikeouts. And his bullpen has already blown two saves for him. And he left one of those two losses trailing the Braves, 1-0, in the eighth inning. So he ought to be 6-1. But even at 3-2, he’s still been a ...

EVEN MORE NEWS
Published 5/9/2008 by noreply@blogger.com (mondesishouse) at Mondesishouse.com
--Papa Bad Golf gets his own Deadspin post. Yes, it was a proud day for the family. --The Big Lead has a lengthy post on Mark Madden that I'm guessing he'll dislike. The new Smizik article is prominently featured. --The quest for the World's Biggest Pirate Fan looks like a three-horse race right now. Still a few days to vote! --Pierogis N'At has a ...

[THE HANGOVER] Shawn Bleepin' Camp Repays The Rays
Published 5/9/2008 by noreply@blogger.com (The Professor) at Rays Index
THE GOOD: Edwin Jackson. 112 pitches, 73 strikes. His 112th pitch was 97 mph. One pitch in the 8th registered 99 (although we are skeptical) and he was consistently 95+ in the 8th inning. No runs. 6 hits, no walks. Great game, even if the Jays bailed him out on a number of occasions. But that is the benefit of a 95 mph fastball. It is much more difficult to lay off a pitch out of the zone. He only had 3 Ks, but his strikeout of Shannon Stewart leading off the 6th was a perfect example of just how good Jackson can be. After falling behind 2-0, he followed that up with a 93 ...

Stark's Latest: Griffey, Daniel Cabrera, Lidge
Published 5/9/2008 by Tim Dierkes at MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com
ESPN's Jayson Stark has a new column up; it's a must-read. Stark examines the impact of ten deals made last offseason; check it out. Because of last year's surprise playoff clubs, teams may wait extra long this year before throwing in the towel and trading veterans. As Peter Gammons has noted, Ken Griffey Jr.'s 2009 option will be an ...

Miguel Cabrera in 150 words or less
Published 5/13/2008 by billfer at The Detroit Tiger Weblog
In case you hadn’t heard the Tigers traded for Miguel Cabrera this off season. They then signed him to a record contract. Cabrera then felt a lot of pressure to perform, but started to hit better when Jim Leyland told him to relax. While he hit better his defense was a concern so the Tigers moved him over to first base. A position that is a natural fit for him, but Leyland is personally working with him to make sure it’s a smooth transition. Meanwhile, his offense was coming around when Leyland said Cabrera could be even better if he focused on every at-bat. Since being challenged Cabrera has gone 161/235/161. The slump has columnists ...

Rosenthal's Latest: Lidge, Daniel Cabrera, Bonds, Edmonds
Published 5/13/2008 by Tim Dierkes at MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up.  I put the Griffey info in a separate post; let's discuss the rest. Rosenthal suggests that Brad Lidge would be harder to replace than Pat Burrell, and for that reason the Phillies will make a bigger effort to re-sign him.  I imagine Phillies fans would prefer that course of action.  ...