Jackson is a nice 4th outfielder, but not an everyday CF. The Giants still need to bring in a guy that can play center every day, probably by trade as they are very close to the luxury tax threshold.
The deal Manfred will have to implement will not be as favorable to the players as this one is. He is going to do something to speed up the games, as the average game is about 15 minutes longer than it was just a few years back. Mound visits are good in strategic situations, but having the...
The Pirates got some good talent, certainly, but the Astros did not give them their best prospects to bring Cole into camp.
The Astros are giving some good players a real chance to play in the bigs and improving their rotation at the same time. It is a good deal for both teams.
Not sure the arbitration process needs to go away. It might need some tweaking, but it still is a good thing. Clubs have control over their players for 6 years -- 3 years pre-arb and 3 years of arbitration. If they are really good, and the team can afford to pay them what they are worth, they...
Boras has denied the Sox offer is accurate. He won't say what has been offered, however.
This year's free agents are not going to get the $$$ that they would have last season. The Dodgers and Yankees are not playing, so the really big money is not in the market.
I like this deal. Cole can learn from a couple of the best in the game (Keuchel and Verlander) and a great coach.
He has great stuff and a new set of eyes will help him bring it out.
The date to exchange figures is today. Some teams are "file & trial" teams, meaning that they do not negotiate further after numbers are exchanged, where others will continue to negotiate to avoid the trials. Trials are very contemptuous events, as the team tells the arbitrator what is wrong...
This move really doesn't make a lot of sense to me, either. The Mets do need offense, but (as was previously said) the Mets need a CF much more than a corner OF. He could have done a bit better signing with a few other teams.
I can agree with this expansion, re-alignment plan. As you said, it keeps the natural rivalries together and cuts down on travel, especially for the West Coast teams. Seattle has the most travel of any team in either league. The only problem with the the AL West is that the city of Portland...
As I have said before, those who used steroids (Bonds, Clemens) should be included in the Hall. Their plaques should be written to indicate what they did.
The Hall is, after all, a museum and the steroid era is part of baseball's history. They were the best players of their era and should be...