ESPN Search

A bad trade can haunt a general manager for life. I say this while assessing the positions in which St. Louis Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels find themselves. Mind you, it's an enviable position; each GM is blessed to h...

Blog | April 12, 2013

How does a veteran pitcher post a 16-3 record last season and not have a job just two weeks away from Opening Day? Such is the plight of right-hander Kyle Lohse. The Scott Boras client remains jobless and the market for him is razor thin. With tea...

Blog | March 19, 2013

GOODYEAR, Ariz -- Dusty Baker has been here before. It's not the first time he's heard people say he and his general manager don't see eye to eye on a particular issue. As manager of the Chicago Cubs, Baker was accused of playing over-the-hill vetera...

Blog | March 08, 2013

In the combined 15 years I served as general manager of both the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, I was always a huge proponent of the World Baseball Classic. Baseball is an international sport, and perhaps someday the World Series will incl...

Blog | February 28, 2013

As part of the Future Power Rankings, Dan Szymborski ranks the top 30 players in 2018.

Story | Conversation | February 27, 2013

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

Jim Bowden, Keith Law and Buster Olney bring you the latest installment of the Future Power Rankings, looking at how well each team is set up for sustained success.

Story | Conversation | February 20, 2013

The Cincinnati Reds have been searching for a leadoff hitter since Dusty Baker took over as Reds manager back in 2008. For five years the search proved fruitless. They've tried everything and everyone, just look at the list: Jerry Hairston, Corey...

Blog | February 19, 2013

During spring training, players aren't the only ones trying to fine-tune things. General managers must use the time to evaluate not only their players but their field staff, too. It's the time to get things done, especially things such as contract ne...

Blog | February 14, 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

In early December 2011, the San Diego Padres traded right-hander Mat Latos, their No. 1 starter, to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for a prospect package that included two former first-round picks and major league right-hander Edinson Volquez. W...

Blog | February 05, 2013

In about a month, pitchers and catchers will be reporting for spring training, and yet several significant free agents remain unemployed. Some were even once thought to be among the best in this offseason's free agent class, but because of bad timing...

Blog | January 11, 2013

To win a World Series you have to take some risks. And this offseason, plenty of contenders have been taking them. Here are the biggest risks I've seen this winter. Cincinnati Reds The risk: Moving Aroldis Chapman to the rotation and Shin-Soo Cho...

Blog | January 01, 2013

Consider the following about the American League Central: - Its division champion, the Detroit Tigers, won just 88 games. - It was the only five-team division with three teams with losing records. - The second-place Chicago White Sox won 85 gam...

Blog | December 15, 2012

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Last year, well into January, Prince Fielder remained unsigned. But as colleague Jerry Crasnick wrote at the time, it wasn't going to cause his agent, Scott Boras, to sweat: "In Boras' world view, the trade market is almost tapped...

Blog | December 07, 2012

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