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When Ruben Amaro Jr. took over as general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies following the 2008 season, he inherited a club that had just won the World Series. He went back to the World Series the next year, then made it back to the playoffs the fo...

Blog | February 26, 2013

It was an active offseason that witnessed the trade of a Cy Young Award winner, several large, multiteam trades and an inflated free-agent market. So to evaluate and rank the offseason of all 30 teams, I took into account the following factors: &...

Blog | February 12, 2013

Not every team will make a trade at this week's winter meetings in Nashville, but every team could. With that in mind, let's take a look at one player (or more) who could be on the trade block this week from each of the 30 teams. American League ...

Blog | December 02, 2012

It wasn't long ago that outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury looked like the face of the Boston Red Sox. His All-Star campaign in 2011 was highlighted by a .321 average, 32 home runs, 105 RBIs and 39 stolen bases. His five-tool prowess had finally developed, a...

Blog | November 09, 2012

After the New York Mets picked up David Wright's $16 million club option for 2013 earlier this week, the club is officially on the clock. The Mets have exactly one year of control left to lock down the face of their franchise. In essence, Wright is t...

Blog | November 01, 2012

In 2004, outfielder Carlos Beltran came into the season making $9 million on a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals. By the time 2005 spring training rolled around, he was with the New York Mets making $119 million on a seven-year contract w...

Blog | October 03, 2012

With a little more than six weeks remaining in the 2012 season, tight divisional races and young, ultra-talented players have made this season one of the most exciting in years. There are easily 20 teams still within seven games of making the pla...

Blog | August 15, 2012

It was a year ago when the St. Louis Cardinals sat five games over .500 at 67-62, 10 games behind the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers and 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the NL wild card. The Cardinals ended up going 23...

Blog | August 13, 2012

Now that baseball's July 31 trade deadline has come and gone, it's time to assess the aftermath. The flurry of activity up until the very end underscores just how many teams still feel they are in the hunt for postseason play, as well as some very sh...

Blog | August 01, 2012

With less than a week before baseball's July 31 trade deadline, activity has picked up considerably. With so few sellers and contenders looking to solidify their rosters for a run at the postseason, some clubs might have to think much bigger on possi...

Blog | July 26, 2012

Conventional wisdom approaching this year's July 31 trade deadline said there would be more buyers than sellers. While that has indeed turned out to be the case, a couple of factors have complicated many possible trade scenarios. First, the new Co...

Blog | July 18, 2012

After two months of the season, there are already some clear and obvious choices for the 2012 All-Star Game. But there are also some intriguing names as possible first-time All-Stars, too. The fans will vote the starters in; managers will pick t...

Blog | June 08, 2012

With the season beginning today in Japan, it's that time of year when everyone is making predictions. I figure it's about time that I get in on the act. 1. The Philadelphia Phillies will not make the playoffs. With Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Col...

Blog | March 28, 2012

While their negotiations will differ greatly, the common refrain from Cole Hamels, Matt Cain and Zack Greinke is that the current teams shouldn't expect any hometown discounts. As the three top pitchers of the 2012 free-agent class, the Philadelph...

Blog | March 16, 2012

Heading into spring training, every general manager has a list of questions that he wants answered. Whether that's seeing if a player has rebounded from surgery or if an aging veteran has any gas left in the tank. It might be a position battle that n...

Blog | February 22, 2012

To say baseball's landscape has shifted this offseason is an understatement. The gap between the top and the bottom isn't as vast in the NL as it is in the AL, but this offseason was a time of reckoning for some teams with ownership troubles (Dodgers...

Blog | February 17, 2012