0 comments by TOC Locker on 12/31/2014
Fresh off of selling off two-fifths of their rotation and making no other offseason moves of note, the Cincinnati Reds have chosen to trade for outfielder Marlon Byrd from the Phillies. Why did the Reds, fresh off of a 76-win season in which they finished fourth in the NL Central? That’s not entirely clear. Sure, […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia
The season’s been over for two months now, but the year is just coming to a close. We thought it would be fun to look at TOC’s top ten most-viewed articles from the year and reflect a little bit. A lot of sites are doing this, and since we’re absolutely not unique or original, we […]
0 comments by Garrett Wilson on 12/30/2014
A Ben Zobrist trade has always been likely at some point this season, but it was always a question of when it would happen. Well, that’s not a question anymore with the news that Tampa Bay has signed infielder Asdrubal Cabrera. That’s too many starting caliber middle infielders for the Rays now, so one of them […]
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 26: Seth Smith #12 of the San Diego Padres rounds third base to score against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the six inning at AT&T Park on September 26, 2014 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
0 comments by TOC Locker
The Seattle Mariners are closing in on another option for their outfield. The club is nearing a deal with the San Diego Padres that would bring Seth Smith to Seattle. The Padres are hunting pitcher Brandon Maurer in return. Been brewing for awhile but hearing
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – OCTOBER 07: Asdrubal Cabrera #3 of the Washington Nationals fields a ball in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants during Game Four of the National League Division Series at AT&T Park on October 7, 2014 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
0 comments by TOC Locker
The Tampa Bay Rays made an interesting signing before the end of 2014, inking former Cleveland Indian and Washington National infielder Asdrubal Cabrera to a one-year deal worth roughly $8 million. Getting Asdrubal Cabrera on 1-yr deal (hear in $8M range) is strong/affordable get by
0 comments by Garrett Wilson
The 2014 calendar year is almost over, but the Hot Stove League is still going. It may not exactly be piping hot anymore, but there still plenty of heat left to at least keep things warm. Most of the premier free agents are gone, but there are still a few top targets left, plus a few more […]
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 22: Right fielder Marlon Byrd #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 22, 2014 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
0 comments by TOC Locker on 12/29/2014
It’s been a quiet offseason in Philadelphia, which might be a good thing when you consider some of the ill-advised moves that Ruben Amaro has made in the past. However, the Phillies do need to continue their rebuilding process after trading Jimmy Rollins earlier this month, and outfielder Marlon Byrd would be the easiest player […]
LOS ANGELES – APRIL 24: Taiwanese player Chin-Hui Tsao #41 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning on April 24, 2007 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
0 comments by TOC Locker on 12/28/2014
Most minor league signings don’t generate much of a buzz during the hot stove season. They’re generally cheap, low risk signings made to ensure depth. Yet, the Los Angeles Dodgers are close to signing a player with an interesting background. Taiwanese pitcher Chin-hui Tsao was a four-time top 100 prospect during his years with the […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 12/27/2014
This is something that will probably be held up as the latest example of how news travels and can be quickly distorted in the immediate dash to report stories quickly (“BREAKING“) on social media. Earlier Saturday afternoon, reports circulated out of the Dominican Republic that Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro had been arrested by authorities for […]
0 comments by Garrett Wilson on 12/26/2014
The annual dance that has been Hiroki Kuroda picking between the Yankees and Japan has ended its latest installment, but this time with an unexpected result: Hiroki Kuroda is returning to Japan. Sorry, Yankees. Kuroda, who will soon turn 40, was always likely to head back to play in Japan one more time, but nobody quite knew […]
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0 comments by Randy Holt on 12/23/2014
The San Diego Padres have taken Major League Baseball by storm in the past couple of weeks, with a flurry of moves that have them as the talk of the baseball world for the first time in quite a while. If their hope was to remove the label as the Cleveland Browns of baseball, due to their overwhelming irrelevance […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia
Happy Festivus, everyone. In case you’re not familiar with the holiday, popularized by Seinfeld, here’s a brief explanation. Well, first we’re going to need an aluminum pole. Hey Astros, can you help us out there? Great, thanks. Now that we’ve got our pole, it’s time for the airing of grievances. Who wants to start? How […]
0 comments by Ian Casselberry on 12/22/2014
The San Diego Padres have been so active in the trade market during the past couple of weeks that it’s difficult to imagine general manager A.J. Preller not doing anything this week. The Padres began as a curious outside possibility for free agents like Pablo Sandoval and Yasmany Tomas, only to become a dominant force […]
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 13: Phil Hughes #45 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning in game one of a doubleheader on September 13, 2014 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
0 comments by TOC Locker
After by far the finest year of his career in 2014, Phil Hughes won’t be leaving Minnesota any time soon. Hughes agreed to a three-year, $42 million extension that will be added to the two years remaining on his current three-year, $24 million deal, meaning that he’ll be staying with the Twins until 2019. The […]
OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 20: Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after striking out with two runners on base against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the first inning at O.co Coliseum on September 20, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
0 comments by TOC Locker on 12/21/2014
Ryan Howard was last an elite power hitter in 2009, when he launched 45 homers and posted a .279/.360/.571 line at the age of 29. He topped 30 homers in both 2010 and 2011, but his triple slash fell in both seasons. Then, Howard blew out his Achilles to end the 2011 NLDS, and his […]
