The Mets moved decisively early in the offseason, adding a much-needed bat to the outfield in Michael Cuddyer. Unfortunately, general manager Sandy Alderson did little else, as it quickly became once again clear that team ownership wasn’t going to significantly increase payroll. Dreams of trading for a franchise shortstop kept fans warm throughout the winter, […]

2014 started so well for the Atlanta Braves. They stormed out of the gate with a 17-8 start, and quickly took over first place in the NL East. But unlike in 2013, the Washington Nationals didn’t struggle early, and kept pace. The Braves never had a lead of more than 3.5 games. Less than a week […]

Sometimes having a chip on your shoulder is the best thing for a ballplayer. Having something to prove, or the desire to prove someone wrong, can sometimes be enough to push a guy into having a career year. There are plenty of players who fit that criteria this year, whether it’s guys proving they’re worth […]

Six years after their last World Series appearance and seven years after they won it, the Phillies are now languishing in the basement of not just the NL East, but all of baseball. Bad contracts, a lack of minor league talent translating to the Majors and a cascade of injuries have combined to make the […]

Nobody takes the Baltimore Orioles too seriously entering the season. The Baltimore Orioles surprise everyone and make the playoffs. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. After a relatively inactive offseason in which they saw several major free agents walk away, the Orioles was again are positioned to sneak up on the rest of the league, but do they really have another […]

On Friday, Major League Baseball unveiled three rules dedicated to speeding up the pace of the game during the 2015 season. The three new rules aren’t game changers, and should help eliminate some of the dead time that plagues the game. That’s a lot to digest, so here are the Cliffs Notes. -Batters must keep […]

The Yankees have finished in third and second place, respectively, during the past two seasons. As you know, that doesn’t cut it in the Bronx. Yet general manager Brian Cashman apparently had little to spend this winter, after throwing big money at four top free agents last year. Will the Yankees suffer for not getting […]

Our next stop on our journey through the AL East takes us north of the border, where the 22-year playoff drought of Canada’s lone Major League team has supposedly been close to being erased in recent years, only to see the team fall short due to injuries, bad luck and seemingly everything in between. Now, […]

We talk about “lost seasons” all the time in sports, but 2014 truly was a lost, franchise-altering season for the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay got off to a horrid start in 2014, and were 31-48 on June 24th. Then, they caught fire, going on a 22-6 run to close within one game of .500…and […]

This is one of my favorite columns to write each year, and it’s largely a meaningless one. In the middle of February, Nevada casinos begin to roll out their projected win totals for MLB teams, allowing bets to be placed on the over or under. Well, those over/unders were released on Friday, and it’s now […]

It’s been an odd three years for the 2013 World Champions, hasn’t it? First, the bottom fell out on 2012. Then, the Sox won the 2013 World Series. Next, in 2014, Boston fell *back* to last in the AL East…and the only players left from that 2012 disaster are Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Clay Buchholz, […]