Mlb News

[nyy26 0]

The Mets designated utility man Marlon Anderson for assignment. This move wasn?t really a surprise; it had been rumored because the Mets needed to make room for their fifth starter, Livan Hernandez. Hernandez, half-brother of Orlando Hernandez, will start tonight against the Marlins.Anderson is thirty-five years old and was hitless in his only four at-bats for the Mets this season. He didn?t have that good of a spring either, hitting .208 with poor on base and slugging percentages. I don?t know how much Livan Hernandez can give the Mets, and I don?t think it will be that much. Sure Livan has ?a rubber arm? so to speak, but he really was never all that great, but he is an innings eater and that?s what the Mets are looking for, at least out of the number five slot. And if things don?t work out, they will most likely bring up someone from the minors or make a deal for one of the big names that will be available at the deadline.Or maybe the Mets will bring back Pedro. Apparently, a "longtime friend" of Pedro Martinez said that Pedro "fully expects" to play in 2009. It seems Pedro does not want to budge from his $5MM asking price. Teams, including the Mets tried to offer Pedro an incentive-based deal, but Pedro feels he should not have to pitch for his money because of his track record. His agent said that he already attracted interest from a number of teams and he's expecting more calls when holes appear in rotations around the league. I think Pedro doesn?t deserve more than an incentive based deal because of his performance the last two seasons and his inability to stay healthy. However, a team will probably offer him a guaranteed contract as soon as players start to get hurt. Pedro will probably sit tight until the All-Star break.The Natioinals signed lefty specialist Ron Villone to a minor league deal. Gees who knew Ron Villone was still pitching, I remember a few couple of years ago with the Yankees he was either good or horribly terrible. He was with the Mets earlier this spring but will report to the Nationals triple-a organization.There has been a lot of talk about the Brewers trying to get Corey Hart and Yovani Gallardo signed to extensions. Those are two rising stars that will be great ballplayers. The Brewers need to keep those guys in Milwaukee for the rest of their careers; they are great players to build a team around. Gallardo will be an ace and Hart will be an all-star for years to come.Some people are wondering who the next $200 million contract will go to. Currently, Alex Rodriguez is the only player to have reached such a figure. The player with the best shot was Mark Teixeira, but that didn?t happen. Some people are saying Matt Holliday or Jose Reyes, but there?s no chance. Holliday is a great player, but he?s not that great. He will most likely end up a Yankee next year with Johnny Damon and Hedeki Matsui?s contract expiring. Reyes does not deserve $200 million at all. The guy who does deserve it is Albert Pujols. In fact, some speculate that he will top A-Rod?s contract when he signs his next deal.Apparently it was Brian Cashman?s persistence that finally caused Hal Stienbrenner to give the go-ahead on signing Mark Teixeira. That?s interesting, I?m sure Hank was all over Tex as well. The Arizona Diamondback mysteriously pulled their three year $54 million offer to Brandon Webb some time ago. It turns out now that t was due to injury concern. Webb is one of the top, most consistent pitchers in the league. It would be a shame to see this guy eventually fade away due to injury.

[nyy26 0]

The Giants are looking to trade outfielder Aaron Rowand. First let me start by saying that the whole Giants organization is an absolute mess. The Giants are in no shape to compete and should clean house, except for the young kids, specially Tim Lincecum and Pablo Sandoval. Anyway, Rowand is still owed 44 million dollars by the Giants so it would be hard to find a taker unless the Giants put up the rest of the money. That?s another thing that?s wrong with the Giants, they gave out huge contracts to these players, who don?t play up to them, and the Giants had no business getting them because they weren?t ready to compete (Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand). I?m sure there will be many teams interested as long as the Giants aren?t asking for an unreasonable deal, and pay off some of the contract.In my opinion, Jake Peavey will most certainly be out of San Diego by the July 31st trade deadline. The Padres could get a premium package of players in return and free themselves from the remaining $63 million left on his deal. Some people believe that the economic downturn could prevent other teams from considering Peavy. The Padres will certainly be in an interesting situation, do they lower their asking price in order to get teams to accept the contract, or do they pay off some of Peavy?s deal in exchange for a better package? That decision will probably belong to the team making the deal.The Pirates acquired Delwyn Young from the Dodgers in a deal today. The Dodgers will receive two minor-league players to be named later. This trade is moot, the Pirates will never compete until they start spending a little money. They have some good young guys but they need to start building around them. You would think that Philadelphia?s success, including winning the World Series, would drive the Pirates to try harder and spend more money, in order to keep the fans in the seats, not that many people go anyway.Matt Holliday?s future is beginning to be pondered. Billy Bean pulled off a great deal by basically trading away a few nobodies for Holliday. It?s not like the A?s ever try to win it all anymore, so Holliday could very well be dealt at he deadline. But Billy Beane is a smart man, he knows that if Holliday does leave, the A?s will receive two draft picks in exchange because Holliday will be a type A free agent. I am almost certain that Holliday will become a Yankee because of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui?s contracts coming off the books. Holliday also spoke out saying that he has always wanted to be a Yankee, his swing is perfect for the new stadium as well. Another interesting thing that come sot mind is that the Yankees might make a deal for Holliday before the deadline because of the injury to Xavier Nady. That would be interesting though I don?t know how comfortable I would be trading away top prospects for a guy that I think will be a Yankee next year anyway. It depends on how the team is hitting at the break, and whether or not any of the young guys can get it done. It will also hinge on the health of Hideki Matsui and whether or not he can play on a consistent basis and hit on a consistent basis.Brad Penny was a great pickup for the Red Sox. Penny has always had great stuff, dating back to his days with Marlins, and I was surprised teams were not giving him a look during the Winter. That might had something to do with the amount of pitching available, but still. The Sox got him on a one year deal and if he is able to have a comeback season, he could be in line for a big contract due to the lack of pitching available next winter.The Red Sox are also continuing to negotiate with Jason Bay. The Sox acquired Jason Bay in the three-way deal that landed Manny Ramirez with the Dodgers. I doubt the Red Sox will let this guy get away after the used up Manny Ramirez to get him. Bay is still a great hitter, and his swing is perfect for Fenway Park. I think something will likely be done by July.Tom Glavine?s career remains up in the air due to his recent shoulder surgery. I think this guy should just retire, he got his three hundredth win, he can?t pitch anymore, Tom Glavine will always be remembered in New York for beating the Mets as a Brave, and a Met, you can?t forget that last game of the season against the Marlins two years ago.

[nyy26 0]

Victor Martinez is off to a great start, hitting above .400. That means the Indians will likely be fielding offers for their 30 year old firstbasemen/ catcher. The Mets and Red Sox will probably and should try to swing a deal for him. The Mets just lost Carlos Delgado for an indefinite amount of time to hp surgery, Martinez would slide in nicely for the Mets catcher and firtbasemen needs. The Red Sox could use a Catcher and designated hitter. Jason Varetek doesn?t hit a lick except for against the Yankees. David Ortiz is doing terrible, further proving that he was nothing until he started juicing (yes I know he was never caught but it?s pretty much a fact). Martinez would no doubt command a premium package of prospects because the Indians could still be in the race in a wide open American league central. Martinez is a great player, all he needs to do is stay healthy. I don?t think his hot hitting will last if he plays too much at catcher, the position is just too exhausting and you break down over the course of the season. You can expect the Indians to take extra care of Martinez by paying him at first base and designated hitter more often. Rickie Weeks will miss the rest of the season with a severe wrist injury. That is a big blow to the Brewers. Weeks is a good player and his absence could cause the Brewers to miss the playoffs.The Mets will need to look for a replacement for Carlos Delgado. He will be out until at least the all-star break. Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, and Mark DeRosa are names that have been mentioned. I could see them going after Nick Johnson, who has always been coveted by the Mets organization. I would love for them to get Aubrey Huff away from the AL east, he would be a good player for the Mets, maybe even better than Delgado. He has more power than Delgado. I don?t see the Indians trading Mark Derosa.