Arizona spent the offseason selling off some pieces and have gone through this season so far not missing a beat. Although their division lead has shrunk, they’re still in first and squarely a team to beat. The pitching staff, like usual, has worked its voodoo magic and is one of the best in the league, despite moving on from guys like Myers and Sebra. Offense on the other hand… Need: Center Fielder The revolving door that has been center...
This writer is curious to see whether the Rangers see themselves as a buyer or a seller (or both), but at .500 with good veteran pitchers and Carlos Delgado and Chipper Jones leading the offense, it would be unwise to rule them out. Need: Designated Hitter John Kruk is a fun player. John Kruk has had a good career. John Kruk should no longer be playing regularly. Kruk is worth -1.2 WAR this season, making him one of the worst regulars in the...
A series through July looking at needs of contenders The Seattle Pilots started their season slowly, only showing a .500 record after the month of May. Thanks to a strong June, they find themselves 1 game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks. Need: Middle Infield The middle of their infield, Aaron Ledesma and Scott Fletcher, have combined for -0.4 WAR, while the rest of their offense is ranked in the top third of nearly every major category....
The trade deadline may still be weeks away, but the first true blockbuster of the summer has already landed. The St. Louis Cardinals sent shockwaves through the league by shipping out Matt Williams and Doug Glanville to the Florida Marlins in exchange for Jay Bell, Steve Finley, and $71,570 in salary relief. The Deal in Detail St. Louis Cardinals send: 3B Matt Williams (ML) CF Doug Glanville (ML) Florida Marlins send: SS Jay Bell (ML) CF Steve...
Earlier this year, we chronicled the Toronto Blue Jays' wild two-step—first trading away Carlos Delgado for a pair of first-round picks, then using those picks to pry Derek Jeter from the New York Yankees. We all remember the outrage. The confusion. The spreadsheets. And yes—Jeter isn’t Delgado. He’s not going to lead the league in home runs or RBIs. But here we are in early July and Derek Jeter is batting .299 with a .362 OBP and a...
We're now deep enough into the season to move beyond small sample size warnings. After nearly a month of play, the early-season trends are stabilizing—and they’re telling us a very clear story. So, let’s zoom in on the last 10 games for Derek Jeter and Carlos Delgado, followed by a look at their season totals through April 24. Spoiler: the gap remains real, even if it’s taking on a slightly different shape. 📅 Last 10 Games Derek...
The Washington Senators’ pitching staff, already in the bottom third of the United League by most metrics, just took another hit. On April 24, Carlos Pérez went down with a strained forearm that will sideline him for three months. For a rotation thin on reliability, the loss forces Washington to accelerate its timeline on one of its most prized prospects. The Loss of Pérez Pérez, 25, hasn’t yet lived up to expectations. In 1995, his...
For the Chicago White Sox, the phrase “when it rains, it pours” doesn’t quite capture it. On April 17th, Bruce Ruffin—their workhorse, their ace, their one stable piece in an already shaky rotation—left with back stiffness and was labeled day-to-day. Less than a week later, the news went from inconvenient to catastrophic: torn flexor tendon in his elbow, out 10 months. That means Ruffin, a 32-year-old with over 2,400 career innings...
On April 19, Montreal was riding the kind of high you bottle and save for October. Pedro Martínez threw a no-hitter, the Expos pounded Oakland 11–0, and the whole thing felt like a coronation for a 14–2 club that looked like it had finally found fifth gear. Pedro’s line is the sort of thing you frame: 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 17 K, 138 pitches (90 strikes) — ERA down to 0.28, record 3–0. The A’s never sniffed it. Seven...
By Kate Prescott, The Diamond Chronicle The Oakland Athletics aren’t just losing—they’re compiling a worrying résumé of how to lose. After dropping their 11th straight game, the A’s sit at 5–14 (.263), anchored to the bottom of the United League’s West Division, 5½ games back. It’s not simply the record—it’s the types of games Oakland can’t seem to win. 0–6 at home 0–1 in extra innings 0–5 in one-run games 0–7 vs....