0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 11/14/2014
Sure, Miami Marlins, you’re going to sign Giancarlo Stanton to a long-term contract extension. Oh yeah, you’re going to keep a star player around. Whatever, man — just let us know when Stanton is traded to the Red Sox for a boatload of prospects and we’ll resume writing those columns about what a feckless, disingenuous […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 11/13/2014
Are the Detroit Tigers crazy? That was my initial reaction at the news that Detroit had re-signed Victor Martinez to a four-year, $68 million contract. As you may or may not know, I grew up as a Tigers fan and have spent the majority of my sportswriting career covering that team in one form or […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 11/12/2014
Clayton Kershaw and Corey Kluber won the NL and AL Cy Young Awards, respectively, Wednesday night, as voted upon by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Kershaw winning his second consecutive NL Cy Young is certainly no surprise. Though finalists Adam Wainwright and Johnny Cueto had excellent seasons, he was clearly the best pitcher […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry
Late Tuesday night, it appeared that we had our first big trade rumor of the offseason with the Cubs reportedly talking to the Nationals about acquiring pitcher Jordan Zimmermann. According to the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Gordon Wittenmyer, trade negotiations had progressed to the point that other names to include in the deal were being discussed, which […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 11/7/2014
After watching postseason baseball for a month, it’s easy to believe that what wins in the playoffs needs to be applied to the following regular season. So it could be understandable if you began to feel like starting pitching doesn’t matter as much as we’ve always been led to believe based on what happened during the 2014 […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 11/4/2014
Since the qualifying offer system became a part of MLB free agency after the 2013 season, no player has accepted the one-year contract instead of testing the open market. During the past two offseasons, 22 free agents were extended qualifying offers — the amount of which is determined by the average annual salary of baseball’s top […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 11/3/2014
Monday (Nov. 3) at 5 p.m. ET was the deadline for MLB teams to extend one-year qualifying offers to their free agents. This year, the qualifying offer is $15.3 million, which is based on the average annual salary of baseball’s top 125 contracts. Last year, the qualifying offer was extended to 13 players, all of […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry
Welcome to the offseason! Technically, baseball’s winter hiatus began as soon as Pablo Sandoval caught Salvador Perez’s pop-up in foul territory for the final out of the 2014 season. But shopping season begins on Tuesday (Nov. 4), when free agents are free to sign with any MLB club. The 2015 free agent market has been […]
0 comments by TOC Locker on 10/28/2014
Minute Maid Park may be losing one of MLB’s most distinct — but likely not beloved — features in an upcoming renovation. The Houston Astros are planning updates to their home ballpark and the team announced it’s hired an architectural firm, MSA Architects, to explore possibilities for changes to the center field area during the 2016 […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry
Last December, Carlos Beltran signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the New York Yankees to be their right fielder and designated hitter. Among the final bidders for Beltran was his former team, the Kansas City Royals. The Arizona Diamondbacks reportedly made the best offer for Beltran, but the 36-year-old ultimately wanted to play for […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 10/27/2014
Friday’s bombshell announcement that Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays sent tremors rippling throughout baseball. Widely considered the best manager in MLB, Maddon immediately became the top candidate available for any team looking to upgrade in the dugout. The problem is that the Minnesota Twins are currently the only team […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 10/24/2014
Here at The Outside Corner, we’ve generated quite a bit of content at Ruben Amaro, Jr.’s expense. It’s not malicious, but we’re wondering just what exactly his plan is for the Philadelphia Phillies, renovating the roster and restoring the team to a viable playoff contender. Typically, MLB clubs wait until the completion of the World […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 10/23/2014
Man, what is the deal with Hunter Strickland? Typically, the 26-year-old right-hander would be a nice story, the type we love to celebrate during the postseason. Prior to this year, Strickland was a career minor leaguer, drafted by the Red Sox in 2007 and playing in the Boston and Pittsburgh organizations before landing with the Giants last […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 10/22/2014
We can safely retire that “Big Game James” nickname for James Shields now, right? Shields didn’t give himself the nickname. Nor should he have, because you just shouldn’t give yourself a nickname. It has to be given to you or somehow earned. He got the tag while in the minor leagues, courtesy of teammate Chris […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 10/21/2014
The Royals are undefeated in the postseason, winning the wild-card playoff versus the A’s, sweeping the Angels in three games during the Division Series and not losing a game to the Orioles in the ALCS. So every button manager Ned Yost pushes — regardless of how crazy it might drive observers and analysts on social media — […]
