Washington management has now escalated the rhetoric. According to the front office, three first-round picks were put on the table in an effort to land a frontline starter. That revelation raises the obvious question:Who says no to that? We can narrow the field quickly. Teams We Can Eliminate Immediately Montreal is out. Ownership has already gone on record saying no offers were received — full stop. Florida is also unlikely. Washington...
Washington has been telling its fans that it’s doing everything possible to bolster its pitching staff — even going so far as to claim it has reached out to every team in the league about the availability of top-tier arms. But how true is that claim? A closer look suggests the reality may be far more selective. Washington already has three pitchers ranked in the league’s current top 20 — John Burkett, Andy Pettitte, and Kevin Millwood...
Interesting trade here—and not just because it happened this early. There’s some real philosophy showing on both sides. The Boston Red Sox trade SP Ron Robinson and $100,000 in cash to the Charlotte Knights for SP Willie E. Adams. Boston’s offseason plan with Ron Robinson was never particularly subtle. They used cap space to bring in a veteran arm with one primary objective: flip him. About a month into the season, mission accomplished....
Every season has a trade that makes you blink and check the calendar just to be sure it’s not July yet. This one qualifies. The Washington Senators trade a 3rd-round pick and RP Greg McMichael to the Seattle Pilots for C Mickey Tettleton, RP Sean Maloney, and $532,000 in cash. Well now—this is a fun one for a deal made just a couple weeks into the season. Washington entered the year riding high, then promptly ran into the kind of injury...
This season, your esteemed writer will be breaking down every trade across the league—blockbusters, bench shuffles, and the annual tradition of Florida and Arizona trading with each other because… of course they did. The Florida Marlins trade CF Lance Blankenship, P Pedro Martinez (no, not that one), and $90,000 to the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF Alex Cole. Go ahead, raise your hand if you’re surprised the Marlins and Diamondbacks linked...
The Florida Marlins aren’t dancing around it anymore. Lance Blankenship is available, and the sales pitch is about as honest as you’ll ever see from a front office. On paper, this reads like a “change of scenery” cliché. In reality, it’s a team openly admitting that whatever made Blankenship a quietly valuable player for nearly a decade just isn’t showing up in South Florida—and probably won’t if he stays. Blankenship’s...
A year ago, I wrote that Scott Karl deserved more than a polite nod in the Rookie of the Year voting. He led the United League in wins, outpaced a Cy Young winner in the most old-school currency pitchers are judged by, and then shoved his way through October like a veteran who knew exactly how much the moment weighed. That article was rooted in evidence. This one is too — and the evidence is significantly uglier. The Regression Is Not Subtle...
The Boston Red Sox aren’t just giving Mike Stanley more playing time. They’re reopening a chapter most front offices prefer to pretend never happened—and doing it with a smirk. Stanley is set to play roughly every other game, sharing time with Todd Greene, who will handle the primary catching duties. On paper, it looks harmless. Veteran depth. Matchups. Load management for a catcher in his mid-30s. In reality, it’s a subtle reminder of...
If you’ve been watching baseball long enough, you know the drill: eight games is nothing. It’s a blip. A glorified spring-training hangover. And yet, eight games is also all we have right now—so naturally, it’s time to wildly overreact. Let’s take a lap around the league and see what’s jumped out so far. Montreal Is Winning… Without the Offense Montreal sits atop the league with the best record, and the formula has been pretty...
Opening Day is the last safe space in baseball. Everyone is undefeated. Everyone has a plan. Everyone is convinced this is the year the breaks finally go their way. And for about 48 hours, no one is wrong yet. That’s why now is the best time to make bold predictions — before reality starts filing its objections. So let’s not waste it. Montreal is finally getting out of the first round of the playoffs.Yes, that Montreal. And no, this...