Twins sign Joe Mauer to extension
by Eli Greenspan on Mar 21, 2010 7:19 PM EDT
1 comment
They finally got it done.
The Twins and Joe Mauer have agreed to a eight year extension worth 184 million dollars. The deal includes a no-trade clause.
Mauer, 26, won the AL MVP last season after posting a .365 average with 30 doubles, 28 home runs, and 96 RBIs.
Mauer was to be a free agent after this season but this deal ends all trade speculation in Minnesota, not to mention peace of mind for all Twins fans.
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Joe Nathan opts for surgery
by Eli Greenspan on Mar 21, 2010 12:20 PM EDT
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Twins closer Joe Nathan has opted for Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2010 season. Nathan decided to shut it down after playing catch with pitching coach Rick Anderson for ten minutes on Sunday.
"It didn't go like we hoped," Nathan said. "We knew it was a long shot, but I think this will clear my head. There definitely was no gray area. It was definitely on the dark side. We know now that we're going to need to go in and have some surgery done and get this thing taken care of."
Nathan is very confident he will be ready for the start of the 2011 season.
His decision to have surgery does make the Twins' bullpen situation clear: The Twins need to add a reliever, preferably a closer, to provide some needed stability in the later innings.
Heath Bell is available and won't be a free agent until after the 2011 season. Bell we be a huge addition this season at closer who would then be the teams best set up man in front of Joe Nathan in '11. He is also projected to be a Type-A free agent.
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Tigers to release Dontrelle Willis?
by Eli Greenspan on Mar 21, 2010 3:35 AM EDT
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Lynn Henning of the The Detroit News expects the Tigers to cut ties with once All-Star pitcher Dontrelle Willis. Willis, who has surrendered just one run in ten innings of work this spring, is said to be behind the rest of the competition for the final spot in the bullpen.
The Tigers rotation as it stands now will be Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer, Nate Robertson, and Jeremy Bonderman. The Tigers have already sent down Armando Gallaraga, leaving Eddie Bonine and Willis for the final spot.
Willis' fastball has failed to reach 90 mph this spring, but he has showed better control than in the past.
While it is entirely possible the Tigers could release Willis before spring, why not tuck him away in Triple-A to see if his arm needs a little more time to regain its strength? If the team puts him on the DL, he could spend an extra two weeks in extended spring training, than "rehab" for the first two months of the season in Triple-A to try and regain some of that pop.
All right, maybe that sounded bad.
If the Tigers release Willis, several teams will jump at the chance to sign a World Series winning pitcher who could help them for the latter part of the season.
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Red Sox sign Alan Embree
by Eli Greenspan on Mar 20, 2010 1:29 PM EDT
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The Red Sox have signed Alan Embree to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp. A little late, but sources say Embree has the inside track to making the team.
"Today we'll go out and see where he is,'' manager Terry Francona said. "He says he's almost game-ready. He says he's been throwing a lot of bullpens.''
The Red Sox are going to see where he is at, but if all goes well, he could join the BoSox pen just in time for Opening Day.
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Nationals '09 draft picks assigned to Double-A
by Eli Greenspan on Mar 20, 2010 1:24 PM EDT
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The two top Nationals draft picks in the 2009 draft - Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen - have both been assigned to Double-A Harrisburg. Both pitchers rose to the top of the organizations prospect board last year and should continue to climb the minor league ladder to Washington this season.
Storen, a natural reliever, pitched in 28 games between Low-A and Double-A compiling a 1.95 ERA and 49 strike outs to just 8 walks. He could be the teams next closer if he can build on those numbers.
Strasburg made his debut in the Arizona Fall League and did not disappoint. He appeared in three games this spring training and posted a 2.00 ERA in nine innings, striking out 12 to just one walk. It will be interesting to see how long the Nationals can wait before calling these two guys up.
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Twins scouting Heath Bell?
by Eli Greenspan on Mar 19, 2010 1:10 PM EDT
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Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the Twins are scouting Padres closer Heath Bell as a possible replacement to Joe Nathan. MLBDD was on this a week ago!
The Padres have had a high asking price for Bell all offseason, and it probably has not come down very much. However, if the Twins were willing to surrender the right prospect, they might just replace arguably the best closer in the game with a closer who has been one of the best in the NL for the past three seasons.
Adding Bell provides just as much stability to the Twins bullpen as Nathan. Pitchers like Matt Guerrier and Jose Mijares will be able to stay in roles that they are comfortable in, which worked out very well for the Twins last season.
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2010 Chicago Cubs Projection
by Eli Greenspan on Mar 19, 2010 12:22 AM EDT
4 comments
.265 AVG, 16 HR, 59 RBI
1B Derrek Lee
.289 AVG, 27 HR, 112 RBI
.274 AVG, 9 HR, 46 RBI
.306 AVG, 24 HR, 84 RBI
SS Ryan Theriot
.294 AVG, 4 HR, 50 RBI
.271 AVG, 25 HR, 76 RBI
CF Marlon Byrd
.288 AVG, 22 HR, 86 RBI
.268 AVG, 11 HR, 64 RBI
12-9 W-L, 3.67 ERA, 146 K
11-8 W-L, 3.83 ERA, 142 K
13-10 W-L, 4.12 ERA, 155 K
11-10 W-L, 3.78 ERA, 121 K
6-9 W-L, 4.78 ERA, 53 K
8-7 W-L, 4.59 ERA, 89 K
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CBSSports.com's Commissioner League! Who's playing... ?
by Eli Greenspan on Mar 18, 2010 8:22 PM EDT
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There are only four spots left in the MLB Daily Dish Commissioner League on CBSSports.com. The live draft with be held on March 28th at 1:00 P.M. ET.
Here are the rules for those of you still on the fence:
- Mixed league draft (AL/NL)
- Competitive Head-to-Head style
- Roster size: 21
- Active Roster: 16
- Reserve players: 5
- Waiver period: 1 day
Here is how the scoring system will work:
If you are interested in joining the MLBDD Fantasy League, send me an email here with your team name and then you'll receive a confirmation email from the league.
If you are interested in creating your own league, with a special CBSSports.com 50% discount to create your own league. Remember, the league has a keeper feature so you can start a league now for the next several seasons to come!
If you are interested in creating your own league, click this link so you can sign up with a discount!!
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