WTF: Heath Bell & Sean Gallagher
Norway Is Not Impressed
It’s spring training time in baseball and that means a pitchers days is usually finished before noon and that allows them to spend most of their time on the golf links.
Somebody should have stopped San Diego Padres pitchers Heath Bell and Sean Gallagher before they left their hotel rooms and that those pants are hideous. It reminds me of when your a kid and you try to do things to prove your not a kid anymore like dressing yourself.
That’s never a good idea and there should be some parental supervision because then you have that as the finished product.
WTF: Jayson Werth
Grizzly Adams?
You go from looking like WWE wrestler Edge to looking like Grizzly Adams. That must have been one hell of an off season. Johnny Damon’s Jesus look has nothing on this.
MLB Banns Guns Weapons In Clubhouses & Ryan Franklin Isn’t Happy
Shave Your Face
Major League Baseball took a preemptive strike against weapons in clubhouses over the weekend and banned deadly weapons in the baseball clubhouses.
Signs have been placed in spring training locker rooms stating “individuals are prohibited from possessing deadly weapons while performing any services for MLB.” The rules apply to employees of the commissioner’s office, other central baseball businesses and to teams, including players.
MLB felt it need to react in with incidents like Plaxico Burress and Gilbert Arenas become a little more common. While baseball is doing the right thing here not all are pleased like St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin. Franklin an avid outdoorsman, doesn’t like the ban on firearms in the clubhouse.
“If you grew up around it, being in the outdoors and stuff, I was taught as a young kid how to respect firearms,” Franklin said. “First of all, you don’t get stupid with it. Always treat a gun like it’s loaded. That’s what I taught my son and daughters. There’s a place for them.”
Franklin needs to stop worrying about bringing in his hunting rifle or bow into the clubhouse and instead worry about not blowing leads in game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Black History Month: February 5th
Hall Of Famer
On this day Hank Aaron, one of baseballs elite on and off, was born. The man they called “Hammerin’ Hank” career spanned the from the years 1954 through 1976, played for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves in the National League, and his last two years (1975–76) with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League.
His most notable achievement was setting the MLB record for most career home runs with 755, which he held for 33 years until being surpassed by San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds on August 7, 2007.
He is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times. He is also one of only four players to have at least seventeen seasons with 150 or more hits. Aaron made the All-Star team every year from 1955 until 1975 and won three Gold Glove Awards. Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (2,297), the most career extra base hits (1,477), and the most career total bases (6,856). Aaron is also in the top five for career hits with 3,771 (third) and runs with 2,174, which is tied for fourth with Babe Ruth).
In 1957, he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award and helped the Milwaukee franchise to a World Series victory.
Black History Month: February 3rd
First African-American To Hold High Executive Position In Sports
When Former New York Giants/San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bill White was named president of the National League. He became the first African American to head a major sports league. White served as president of the National League from 1989 to 1994.
In his playing career White was a 7 time Gold Glove Award winner, 5 time All-Star, and was a vital piece to the Cardinals winning the World Series in 1964.
Mark Grace Prefers Sex To Steroids
Slumpbuster
Former Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks star Mark Grace has a very simple explanation for why he never considered taking steroids, and it’s one every man can relate to.
“I like my sex life,” Grace said on the Dan Patrick Show today.
“I want to be able to perform,” Grace added. “It’s kind of funny, but it’s not. That stuff will tear you up as far as your manhood is concerned.”
Grace said it would have been easy to use steroids during his playing years, from 1988-2003.
“At the time there was no drug testing for that kind of stuff,” Grace said. “You knew it, but it was just common knowledge and you didn’t think twice about it. Mark (McGwire) wasn’t the only guy. Trust me.”
He also said steroids clearly affected performance.
“Guys were just missing balls and they’re still home runs. It’s not fair,” Grace said, adding that McGwire’s contention that steroids didn’t boost his homer totals was “a baloney cop-out.”
But the one thing that Grace and guys like John Kruk fail to mention is that they benefited financially from the era of steroids as the pay scale for Major League Baseball players sky rocketed. How come the guys that want to take you to church because they never want to talk about the greed?
I’m just saying Gracey.
Andre Dawson Elected To The Hall Of Fame
The Hawk
First let me say that I’ve seen some of the ballots and being a person that subscribes to the religion of baseball it makes me absolutely sick on how some of these writers who get admission into the Baseball Writers Association of America actually voted or in some chases choose not to file one single vote. Absolutely disgusting.
Back on November 29, I posted a detailed run down of who I thought deserved admission into the Baseball Hall of Fame as well as those I would not vote for, if I was lucky enough to have a vote, and today the results from the Baseball Writers Association of America told us the 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame class would only have the inclusion of outfielder Andre “The Hawk” Dawson.
Dawson a five tool player was a 8-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove outfielder, was also the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1987 NL MVP. In 21 season he finished with 2,774 hits and 438 home runs as well as 1,591 RBI’s among many more baseball accomplishment’s. Dawson played for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins. The Hawk on his ninth try received 420 out of 539 votes for 77.9%, 2.9% more than the 75% needed to be inducted.
Dawson, whose fielding prowess earned him the nickname “The Hawk,” will be honored along with manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, who were elected by the Veterans Committee, will be inducted into the Hall July 25 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.
I hate to take away from Hall of Famer Andre Dawson moment but when you see that the BBWAA had 5 blank ballots, in what I am going to assume was pure laziness,just infuriates me considering guys like Bert Blyleven missed by 0.8% or that Roberto Alomar missed by 1.3%. While my blood is still boiling I would like to dot trademarks around the writers eyes that used their votes to tell me that Kevin Appier, Pat Hentgen, David Segui and Ellis Burk need to have a plaque of enshrinement next to Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Bob Gibson, Mickey Mantle, Ozzie Smith, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays just to name a few.
Players may remain on the ballot for up to 15 years provided they receive five percent of the vote in any year. There were 11 candidates who failed to make the cut this year, all among the 15 players who were on the ballot for the first time. The first-year candidates who received sufficient support to remain other than Alomar were shortstop Barry Larkin with 278 (51.6%), designated hitter-third baseman Edgar Martinez with 195 (36.2%) and first baseman Fred McGriff with 116 (21.5%). Other holdovers who will remain on the ballot are pitchers Jack Morris and Lee Smith, first basemen Don Mattingly and Mark McGwire, shortstop Alan Trammell, outfielder-DH Harold Baines and outfielders Tim Raines, Dave Parker and Dale Murphy.
Once again congratulations to you Hall of Famer Andre “The Hawk” Dawson.
Randy Johnson Retires From Major League Baseball
No, THANK YOU
Am I a Randy Johnson stan? Yes. Is Randy Johnson a Hall of Famer? Yes. Will Randy Johnson be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot? Yes. Again Am I a Randy Johnson stan? Yes.
Now that those questions are out of the way, it’s time to say goodbye to an extraordinary 22 year Major League Baseball career. The Big Unit finished with 303 wins on his career, good enough for 22nd all-time, 5 Cy Young Awards with another 3 in which he finished 2nd place and 1 3rd place finish, he struckout 4,875 batters to put him second all-time behind Nolan Ryan and first among left-handers, 10 time All-Star, 2 time 20 game winner, a World Series champion, and to not to be forgotten is that he pitched a no-hitter and a perfect game.
You can call those the major accomplishments but here’s just a few more to add to the resume a 2001 World Series co-MVP, earning four ERA crowns, nine strikeout titles, and the ability to boast having beaten every single big league team at least once.
Johnson’s career began in Montreal with the Expos and included stops in Seattle, Houston (where he was the CC Sabitha before there was a CC Sabaitha going 10-1 after being traded down the strecth to push the Astros into the playoffs), Arizona, New York and finally San Francisco. Johnson overcame wildness early in his career to become a dominant starter that included a 10-year stretch between 1993 and 2002. During that span, he struck out 2,928 batters in 2,188 innings to go with a 2.73 ERA and 175 wins.
Thank you Randy Johnson for the memories and allowing me to say I witnessed perhaps the most dominant left handed pitcher of all time.
Matt Holliday Re-Signs With St. Louis For $120 Milli
Matt Holliday is still taking balls off his nuts just at a hefty cost now to the St. Louis Cardinals as they have agreed on a contract of 7 years worth $120 milli that includes a full no trade clause.
When the Cardinals traded for Holliday it seemed as if I was the only one voicing displeasure about it and today is no different. The cost to obtain and keep a guy that has been an All-Star but nothing more is ludicrous. The Cardinals gave up prize prospect third baseman Brett Wallace to acquire and now have strapped themselves in those future negotiations for the likes of outfielder Ryan Ludwick, starting pitchers Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and that doesn’t include finally acquiring a bat in front of Albert Pujols. That’s the key, for if no one gets on base in front of Pujols, why pitch to him? Just take the best bat in all of Major League Baseball out of the lineup.
So Holliday today you’ll hear all the cheers about your signing but not from me because you and your agent Scott Boras backed St. Louis into a corner and screwed us again, just like you did in Game 2 of the National League Divisonal Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Chan Ho Park Sues Former Teammate For Failing To Repay Loan
Chan Ho KICK
Former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Chad Kreuter has been messing with former teammate Chan Ho Park money and Park is taking Kreuter to court over it, accusing him of failing to fully pay off a $460,000 loan..
Back in 2005 Park loaned backup catcher Krueter some cash and he assured him he would have no difficulty paying it back, but Krueter had already been out of Major League Baseball since April 27, 2003. Krueter signed a promissory note for the debt and made only one payment of $290,000.
So it Krueter the deadbeat for failing to makes payments or is Park terrible at evaluating who he should lend out cash to? I mean Krueter was already out of baseball going on two years so his income would never be anywhere close to what he was making in the big leagues talent and second he was a lifetime .237 hitter, who gonna pay for that autograph?
Milton Bradley Says Goodbye To The City Of Chicago
Chicago Tribune
Quite the opposite from Roy Halladay’s goodbye letter to the people of Toronto. The city of Chicago will probably celebrate knowing that a man who represented their city to the world now calls Seattle home.
Roy Halladay Says Goodbye To The City Of Toronto
Class Act
The city of Toronto tears will be a little more heavier tonight knowing that a man who represented their city to the world now calls Philadelphia home.
Jason Marquis Signs With Washington Nationals
Diamond Stud
The Washington Nationals have signed right-hander Jason Marquis wit a two-year contract for $15 million. He made the All-Star team for the first time, setting a career high in innings pitched and posted a 4.04 ERA and matched a career high with 15 wins.
For the Nationals this gives them an established veteran to throw atop their rotation while the promising youngsters look to grow, like Stephen Strasburg, John Lannan,Craig Stammen and J.D. Martin. His true value lies in being able to take pressure off the bullpen, as he’s pretty much always around 200 innings pitched.
During his 10-year career which has included stints with the Braves, Cardinals, Cubs and Rockies he has won 94 games with a 4.48 ERA. An interesting note with Marquis is that in that 10 year career he has never missed the playoffs.
Javier Vazquez & Boone Logan Traded For Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, Arodys Vizcaino & Cash
Moving Day
The New York Yankees where just hit with $25.69 million in luxury taxes and then turned around and traded for right hander Javier Vazquez from the Atlanta Braves and left handed reliver pitcher Boone Logan for centerfielder Melky Cabrera, lefty prospect Mike Dunn, right-handed Arodys Vizcaino, and half a million dollars. This move for the Yankees might actually go against all recent signs and have the Yankees keep Johnny Damon.
Cabrera set career highs with 13 homers and 68 RBIs last season for the Yanks while batting .274. Vazquez, 33, enjoyed one of his best seasons in the major leagues in 2009, with career bests in ERA and across the board. Logan was touched for a 5.19 ERA in 20 appearances out of the pen. He’s expected to replace Phil Coke as a lefty out of the pen.
Cabrera, 25, was long touted as a prime Yankee prospect, and enjoyed a solid year at the plate in 2009 with a .274/.336/.416 line. Cabrera plays capably at all three outfield positions. Dunn, 24 made four appearances out of the pen for the Yanks in 2009. The lefty posted a 3.31 ERA in 73.1 minor league innings with a gaudy 12.2 K/9. Vizcaino made ten starts for Staten Island in the NY-Penn League as an 18 year old and had a 2.14 ERA.
The move makes sense for the Braves as they are to replenish with youth in the outfield and on the mound for priced, aging pitcher that has trouble keeping the ball in the park. It even allows the Braves to be flexible with one of the many outfielders for an extra bat or even more youth on the mound.
Yankees: Losers/ Braves: Winners
Nick Johnson Signs With New York Yankees
"Private Pyle I'm gonna give you three seconds to wipe that stupid looking grin off your face"
The New York Yankees have signed sorry ass Nick Johnson, signing a one-year $5.5 million contract. Johnson is expected to disappoint Yankees fans by filling the vacated designated hitter spot when Hideki Matsui signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last week.
Johnson is pretty much always hurt and doesn’t seem to have the kinda pop that is expected from a platooning first baseman or DH. Johnson split last season with the Nationals and Marlins, hitting a combined .291 with eight homers, 62 RBIs and 99 walks. He only played 38 games in 2008 because of a torn ligament in his wrist and he didn’t play at all in 2007 because of a broken femur. He’s also missed time with a broken hand, back problems, and a broken cheekbone.
Johnson has already played for the Yankees playing for them from 2001-2003 before being traded to Montreal.
Mike Gonzalez Signs With Baltimore Orioles
$12 Milli
The Baltimore Orioles have left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez, signing a two-year contract worth $12 million but his 2011 wage can increase by $1 million if he’s Baltimore’s team leader in the Rolaids relief standings. Gonzalez can also earn $50,000 in incentives for being an All-Star and $100,000 for being named the Cy Young Award winner.
Gonzalez spent the past three years with Atlanta, two of which were shortened by an elbow injury.
The southpaw underwent Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery in 2007but proved he was back last season when he set career highs in 80 appearances, innings pitched with 74 1/3 and strikeouts at 90.
Baltimore has had a busy winter, first adding Kevin Millwood and then signing Gonzalez and a deal set in place with third baseman Garrett Atkins, pending a physical examination.
Phillies, Blue Jays, Mariners, Athletics Finally Complete Blockbuster Trade
All For You
We’ve all heard about the trade for the last couple of days now but today all the teams and players involved where finally finalized and that’s how come your finally seeing the first post regarding the blockbuster trade here on Sports Grind Entertainment.
A four-club, nine-player mega trade, with the Toronto Blue Jays sending 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies, who in turn dealt 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners while a total of seven prospects changing hands and Oakland also part of the mix.
The 32-year-old right-hander Halladay, who also signed a three-year contract extension worth $60 million with a fourth year option worth $20 million based on innings pitched and not being on the disabled list at the end of 2013, was sent to the Phillies for three minor leaguers: catcher Travis d’Arnaud, right-hander Kyle Drabek and outfielder Michael Taylor.
Philadelphia dealt Lee to Seattle for three prospects: right-hander Phillippe Aumont, outfielder Tyson Gillies and right-hander Juan Ramirez.
Toronto flipped Taylor to the Athletics for minor league third baseman Brett Wallace.
The Phillies have wanted Halladay for some time as they tried hard to get him in July, but found working with Toronto’s former general manager J. P. Ricciardi a difficult task, instead, they sent prospects Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Lou Marson to Cleveland for Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco.
But the opportunity arose again to acquire Halladay with new Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos, and Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. moved in after believing Lee would be difficult to lure into a contract extension. The Phillies made the trade for a couple of reasons as they needed salary relief and get that with the Blue Jays sending the Phillies $6 million. Lee makes $9 million next season and subtract his salary and add the $6 million from Toronto, and the Phillies are paying just $750,000 more for Halladay, who makes $15.75 million next season. The Phillies also traded Lee because they felt they needed to restock a farm system that has seen Amaro trade seven top prospects since July. Whether Aumont, Ramirez and Gillies develop in talents comparable to what the Phillies gave up to get Halladay and Lee remains to be seen, but the Phillies clearly believed they needed to take the opportunity to replenish and keeping the organization competitive beyond next year.
Lee went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in his 12 regular season starts for the Phillies, but he came through when they needed him most. In five postseason starts, Lee went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA, striking out 33 batters in 40 1/3 innings and allowing less than one baserunner per inning. Halladay posted a 2.79 ERA in 239 innings and completed nine games and tossed four shutouts.
Lets take a look at the rest of the players involved who do not have a Cy Young award in their trophy case.
- Tyson Gillies, CF (Going to Phillies): 21, the left-hander hit .341 last season and led the California League with 44 stolen bases at Single-A High Desert. He scored 104 runs and had a .430 on-base percentage. Watching him at this year’s Futures Game, I was not only moved by his inspiring story but by his phenomenal raw tools and athleticism.
- Phillippe Aumont, RHP (Going to Phillies): 20, went a combined 2-6 with 16 saves and a 3.88 ERA for High Desert and Double-A West Tennessee last season. A first-round draft pick in 2007, he pitched for Canada in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Baseball America list his pitches as a 92-95 mph heavy sinking fastball, a four-seamer at 94-98 mph and a breaking ball at 79-83 mph.
- J.C. Ramirez, RHP (Going to Phillies): 21, was 8-10 with a 5.12 ERA for High Desert.Baseball America list his pitches as a 92-94 mph fastball but not much else possibly seeing his future as a late inning pitcher.
- Kyle Drabek, RHP (Going to Blue Jays): 22, was a combined 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA at Single-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. He was the Phillies’ first-round draft pick in 2006 and his father is former NL Cy Young winner Doug Drabek. Baseball America list his pitches as a 91-94 mph fastball, a downer curveball, and a changeup that is still progressing.
- Travis d’Arnaud, C (Going to Blue Jays): 20, hit .255 with 13 home runs and 71 RBIs at Single-A Lakewood.
- Brett Wallace, 3B (Going to Blue Jays): 23, was acquired by Oakland last season as part of the trade for Matt Holliday. He figures to be a perennial .300 hitter with 25-homer power due to his short, compact stroke and solid plate discipline. The left-handed Wallace hit a combined .293 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs for three teams.
- Michael Taylor, OF (Going to Athletics): 23, hit a combined .320 with 20 home runs, 84 RBIs and 21 stolen bases at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He joined a relatively small group of players who have been traded twice in one day. He appears ready to start in the majors coming out of spring training in 2010.
| Who Got What? | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillies | |||||
| Roy Halladay, RHP Phillippe Aumont, RHP Tyson Gillies, OF Juan Ramirez, RHP |
|||||
| Mariners | |||||
| Cliff Lee, LHP | |||||
| Blue Jays | |||||
| Travis d’Arnaud, C Kyle Drabek, RHP Brett Wallace, 3B |
|||||
| Athletics | |||||
| Michael Taylor, OF | |||||
Phillies: Winners/Blue Jays: Losers/Mariners: Winners/Athletics: Winners
Mike Cameron Signs With Boston Red Sox
Diamond Stud
The Boston Red Sox signed outfielder Mike Cameron to a two-year contract in the range of $15.5 million
Cameron, who turns 37 next month, batted .250 with 24 homers and 70 RBIs last season for Milwaukee. A three-time Gold Glove winner in center field, could switch to left as the Red Sox already have speedy Jacoby Ellsbury in center.Cameron isn’t without his offensive merits. He has decent pop and draws walks, although he does strike out a lot and his lifetime average is .250. His main value, though, comes from his glove.
I bet there are Red Sox fans out there than do not agree with this move simply because Mike Cameron is not a sexy name Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. While Cameron is not nearly the offensive force of Bay and Holliday, he does hit for some power, get on base, play splendid defense, and provide good leadership in the clubhouse. Mike Cameron is a good role player on a playoff caliber team.
Juan Pierre Traded To White Sox
Diamond Stud
The Chicago White Sox traded for outfielder Juan Pierre and cash from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for two Minor Leaguers, starter John Ely and reliever Jon Link.
By adding Pierre, the South Siders found their leadoff hitter and basically severed ties with Scott Podsednik. Pierre, 32, hit .308 with 30 stolen bases, 57 runs scored and a .365 on-base percentage in 145 games with the Dodgers in 2009. He ranked fifth in the National League in stolen bases, despite starting just 76 games. The left-handed-hitting Pierre started in left field in each of the Dodgers’ 50 games from May 7-July 1 while Manny Ramirez was on the suspended list, batting .318 with 21 stolen bases and a .381 on-base percentage during that time frame.
The White Sox reportedly are only on the hook for just a total of $8 million of Pierre’s remaining two-year contract, leaving the Dodgers to pick up a remaining $10.5 million. The deal marks Pierre’s first full-time foray into the American League, as he previously played for Colorado, Florida, the Cubs and Dodgers. The career .301 hitter has collected 200-plus hits four times and has stolen 30 or more bases in nine consecutive seasons.
In 2003, Pierre formed a perfect one-two punch with Luis Castillo at the top of the Marlins’ order on a team that became World Series champions. Pierre has great familiarity with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who was the third-base coach on that Florida team.
White Sox: Winners/Dodgers: Losers
Brad Penny Signs With St. Louis Cardinals
105-84
The St. Louis Cardinals signed right-hander Brad Penny to a one-year, $7.5 million contract, with incentives that could take the total value of the deal up to $9 million. In addition, the Cardinals agreed that if Penny is a Type A free agent after the 2010 season, they will not offer him arbitration.
Penny isn’t Roy Holliday or John Lackey but does bolster a Cardinal rotation that has 2009 Cy Young candidates Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, as well as veteran Kyle Lohse, in the starting five.
Penny, who will turn 32 next season, saw his career rebound dramatically after nearly two seasons of struggles when he returned to the National League this summer. Penny struggled in four months with the Red Sox but after Boston released him, Penny signed with the Giants and thrived, going 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA in six starts. He likely benefited from getting out of the American League East, but he also showed a new approach, with a greater willingness to turn to offspeed offerings.
As a result, he not only pitched effectively, but differently. Penny struck out fewer batters with the Giants than usual, but he also walked fewer and induced more ground balls. That’s the sort of pattern that appeals to the Cardinals, who hold an organizational belief in the value of quick outs and letting the defense work.
As recently as 2007, Penny was one of the game’s best starting pitchers. He went 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA for Los Angeles in ‘07, allowing nine home runs all season while garnering an All-Star berth and finishing third in the Cy Young balloting. For his career, he’s 105-84 with a 4.14 ERA, 1,141 strikeouts and 526 walks in 279 games with the Marlins, Dodgers, Red Sox and Giants.
Pedro Feliz Signs With The Houston Astros
Pedro Did You Forget Something?
The Houston Astros have signed third baseman Pedro Feliz to a one-year $4.5 million contract.
Feliz joins the Astros after they traded three Minor Leaguers to the Florida Marlins for reliever Matt Lindstrom and reached a contract agreement with reliever Brandon Lyon.
Feliz, 34, played the previous two seasons with the Phillies, helping them win the World Series in 2008 and return in 2009. He hit .266 with 12 homers and 82 RBIs in 158 games last year for Philadelphia. Feliz spent the first eight years of his career with the San Francisco Giants and is a career .254 hitter with 135 homers and 558 RBIs.
Feliz is known for more for his defense except when he had a mental lapse in the World Series and forgot to cover third base which allowing New York Yankees Johnny Damon to get into scoring position in the top of the ninth of Game Four of the World Series. An inning in which the Yankees would score three and eventually win 7-4.
Brandon Lyon Signs With The Houston Astros
$15 Overpaid Milli Man
The Houston Astros have signed reliever Brandon Lyon a three-year contract worth $15 million. Lyon will get $4.25 million next year, $5.25 million in 2011 and $5.5 million in 2012.
He was 6-5 with three saves and a 2.86 ERA last season for Detroit. Overall, he is 27-34 with a 54 saves and a 4.20 ERA in eight major league seasons. Lyon had a career-best 26 saves for Arizona in 2008 and has continued to disappoint me ever since.
J.J. Putz Signs With The Chicago White Sox
Putz Is A Putz
The Chicago White Sox signed reliever J.J. Putz to a one-year, $3 million deal that includes up to $3 million in bonuses based on his performance. The 32-year Putz had gone 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA, serving as a set up man for Francisco Rodriguez in the New York Mets bullpen. In his first six big league seasons, Putz pitched for the Seattle Mariners, with whom he racked up 101 saves and made the AL All-Star team in 2007.
That’s as far as I’ll go because I strongly believe Putz blows and I wont let him use the excuse of his recent arm surgery to use as a crutch.
Rich Harden Signs With Texas Rangers
50-29
The Texas Rangers have signed Rich Harden to a one year deal with a base salary of $6.5 million contract for 2010, he could add as much as $2.5 million in incentives. Harden gets $500,000 more if he pitches 155 innings and another $500,000 each at 165, 175, 185 and 195 innings. There is a mutual option for 2011 worth $11 million with a $1 million buyout.
Harden has battled injuries as of recent, being on the disabled list seven times in the past five season, and hopes to pitch at least 200 innings this year, if he does he could be the dominating starter and replace recently traded ace Kevin Millwood, who they gave up for cash and to help them cut cost. Since 2003, Harden has struck out 9.35 batters per nine innings, the most by any Major League pitcher with at least 125 starts.
Harden was 9-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 26 games and 141 innings for the Cubs in 2009 and 10-2 with a 2.07 ERA in 25 games and 148 innings for the Athletics and Cubs in 2008. He has not pitched more than 150 innings since his second season in the Majors in 2004, when he was 11-7 with a 3.99 ERA in a career-high 31 starts and 189 2/3 innings with the Athletics.
If Harden touches the 200 inning plateau, he will be a steal but anything less 165 innings it will be the same Rich Harden we have become accustomed to.
