For weeks, executives across the Diamond Baseball League have spoken in hushed tones. Text messages are erased. Conversations are held behind closed doors or over static-filled payphones. The trade market is jammed up. The offseason feels quieter than a Sunday in January. That ends today. The DBL has opened a new anonymous submission line — dblrumors@gmail.com — where league officials, players, agents, interns, clubhouse attendants, and...
Adam Rabel, the most outspoken owner in the DBL, has been complaining about a lack of analysis on what he considers to be the blockbuster trade involving Jim Edmonds. To pacify even the most annoying of owners, here are my humble thoughts: San Diego Padres receive: CF Jim Edmonds (ML, Age 25) St. Louis Cardinals receive: 1995 Kansas City 1st round pick 1995 Detroit 4th round pick 1995 Toronto 4th round pick This is the kind of trade that could...
At some point, “patience” turns into “paralysis.” That point may have arrived for a growing number of DBL franchises. With the calendar growing deeper into the offseason, and most teams having little to show for it, there’s an emerging question being asked by fans, agents, and even some within front offices: Is anyone actually trying to get better? So far, the answer, outside of a couple of teams, seems to be “not really.” The...
Another day passes in the offseason and another day of trades to grade. 🔁 Washington Senators & San Francisco Giants Washington Sends: 1995 SF 3rd Round Pick 1996 SF 3rd Round Pick San Francisco Sends: 1995 SF 4th Round Pick RP Jim Poole (ML) Grade: Washington: B+Grade: San Francisco: B+ Washington continues its methodical offseason of smart trades for need. While not the transformational reliever he's been after, Jim Poole is a...
As the offseason begins with little fanfare, there have been some trades to kick off the season for everyone. With everything from fourth-round pick swaps to fringe veteran shuffles, teams showed us where their priorities lie — and in some cases, what little patience they have left. Let’s walk through the deals and break down the winners, losers, and those still stuck in neutral. 📦 Trade 1: Washington Clears Room Washington Senators...
The Diamond Baseball League offseason is underway, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the transaction wire. So far, the league-wide trade market has been eerily quiet, outisde of the 19,000 deals that the Pittsburgh Pirates have made—fewer deals, fewer rumors, and a distinct lack of movement among the usual churn of contenders and retooling squads. Behind the silence is a simple but uncomfortable truth: the salary structure in the DBL...
A series by your favorite esteemed writer Graham Wexler looking at one potential off-season trade per team. CLEVELAND SPIDERS ACQUIRE CHRIS NABHOLZ AND BRIAN L. HUNTER FROM THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES FOR BERNARD GILKEY AND STERLING HITCHCOCKThe Cleveland Spiders’ starting rotation has no shortage of name recognition. From veterans like Bret Saberhagen and Masaki Saito to knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and comeback story Ron Robinson, Cleveland’s...
A series by your favorite esteemed writer Graham Wexler looking at one potential off-season trade per team. WASHINGTON SENATORS ACQUIRE RP TROY PERCIVAL FROM THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS FOR THE 1996 1ST ROUND PICK VIA TORONTOThe Washington Senators have been very clear about their interest in the elite reliever market all offseason, and with good reason. As they scour the market, who qualifies as an elite reliever? They want someone cost controlled...
A series by your favorite esteemed writer Graham Wexler looking at one potential off-season trade per team. PROPOSED TRADE: TORONTO BLUE JAYS TRADE 1B WILL CLARK TO THE SAN DIEGO PADRES FOR 2B ROBBY THOMPSON, 1B TROY NEEL, AND C MARK BAILEY The Toronto Blue Jays are an interesting team. Strapped for cash and flying very close to the sun with its payroll, barely missed the playoffs. They face a critical offseason of decisions, mainly whether to...