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Some good stuff from around the SweetSpot network ... Jeremiah Johnson at The View from the Bleachers has written the Carlos Zambrano Owner's Manuel. You'll need it, Marlins fans. And just remember: He's not a toy and doesn't come with a refund. ...

Some stuff to check out from across the SweetSpot network ... There is a debate about Adam Jones' ability to improve, considering he drew just 29 walks last season. Jon Shepherd of Camden Depot looks at Jones' potential and compares him to simila...

And now a look at the National League. Click here for the American League second-half team previews. Philadelphia Phillies (57-34, +89 run differential) What needs to be fixed or accomplished in the second half? Although the Phillies finished ...

I'd argue that whenever SweetSpot blogger/editor David Schoenfield co-hosts the Baseball Today Podcast that's all the reason you need to listen, but Thursday's show was indeed a particularly special one, because ... 1. Former All-Star third basem...

Philadelphia Phillies (34-20) It sounds odd and awfully nitpicky to say, but the Phillies could have been better. The big problem has been the offense, which has mustered a mediocre 91 OPS+ thus far. In fact, only three regulars have an OPS+ over 10...

The SweetSpot blog network weighs in with April's best surprises ... BeachyAtlanta Braves Simply put, the Braves' most pleasant surprise has been Brandon Beachy. At this time last year, Beachy was a virtually unknown prospect at Double-A Mississ...

From a recent edition of Hey Bill (subscriber-only): Bill, As a Marlin fan I like the new acquistion of Javier Vazquez. My question to you is Vazquez lost a few MPH last year off his pitches. Barring an unknown injury that caused the MPH drop off i...

Ooo, look! A medium-sized blockbuster! The Atlanta Braves acquired All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins for utilityman Omar Infante and pitcher Mike Dunn on Tuesday in the first trade of the general managers' meetings. --sn...

I read three different pieces about last week's Marlins-Padres deal -- for example, here and here -- without seeing a single mention of what I consider the primary driving force in the deal: Cameron Maybin's minor-league statistics. To this point,...

Chris Coghlan's knee is heeling, and just in time because this winter he's supposed to learn a (mostly) new position: As of now, the Marlins plan on converting Coghlan from left field to third base. A natural infielder, Coghlan was switched ...

Caught this exchange on TV, after Cody Ross hit his second home run off Roy Halladay ... Joe Buck: The Padres were trying to claim him off waivers, from the Florida Marlins. The Giants didn't want San Diego to add to their offense ... so they claim...

It looks like Cody Ross is heading to the Giants ... and it's not clear that they wanted him; apparently they wanted to keep the Padres from getting him. Jeff Fletcher: The Marlins apparently were happy to let Ross, and the approximately $1 million ...

Four years seems like a long time to me. The latest on the Marlins' next manager (maybe): A source close to the negotiations said that the Marlins are expected to offer Valentine a four-year contract. Valentine, now an analyst with ESPN, withdre...

Just a little chunk of the story about Fredi Gonzalez's demise: When last season ended, Gonzalez's job was considered in jeopardy because Loria was upset that the Marlins failed to make the playoffs, although they finished 12 games above .500 with t...

Greg Cote on a fantastic streak: ... [W]hat Josh Johnson is doing for the Marlins right now -- eight consecutive starts giving up zero runs or one run -- deserves more attention than it is getting. Consider: That rare, hallowed and near-mythical...

This is like reading Us Weekly. Well, maybe not exactly like that. But should we really be reading this? The door closed, and Andre Dawson looked directly into Hanley Ramirez's eyes. "I'm not going to say a lot, because if you say the wrong the ...