Baseball

An ESPN report over the weekend stated that the Philadelphia Phillies talked internally about the possibility of shipping first baseman Ryan Howard to the St. Louis Cardinals for first baseman Albert Pujols.

Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro told espn.com, "I don't know who you're talking to, but that's a lie."

Howard is hugely popular in Philadelphia, but Pujols is a God in St. Louis.

For baseball fans, it is a fun thing to consider. Fans in both cities, however, think the deal would be crazy. Especially in St. Louis.

Madison Bumgarner has huge upside and is an excellent option in NL-only leagues in 2010.

He could easily emerge as a mixed league option as well. He is a must grab in keeper leagues. I strongly believe he will make the rotation out of spring, and while the Giants likely will put him on an innings limit, he should pitch enough to be a fantasy asset. 10-0-120-3.90-1.25 in 150 IP

Here’s a look at some middle infielders that should return to form in 2010.

Akinori Iwamura, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates
Iwamura was limited to just 69 games last year. He’s moved on to Pittsburgh where he should return to form. In 2007 & 2008 he averaged .279, 86.5 runs, 6.5 HRs, 41 RBIs, and 10 SBs. He’s only useful in the middle infielder slot.

When I posted my updated shortstop rankings last week after the news on Jose Reyes, (click here to view) there was a lot of talk about Asdrubal Cabrera and his omission.  Honestly, I just don’t see what all the hype is about. 

Where is the potential upside? 

What is driving all this excitement?

Before we answer those questions, let’s look at his stats from 2009:

523 At Bats

It hit me at one point in the offseason that of the 30 teams in the game of baseball, there are a few teams that currently “get it” when it comes to running an organization, both short-term and long-term.

There are a few teams that get it and then there is the Boston Red Sox.

Few teams are on Boston’s playing field when it comes to spending money. That is a reality of the game we play in and for the foreseeable future, it will be the reality.

Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball. He has been an absolute machine since he entered the league in 2001. Have you never realized how good he is? Let me blow your mind with a couple of stats...

There is no team in all of pro sports that shares the heart wrenchingly disappointing history that the Chicago Cubs possess. As everyone who has ever watched a baseball game is aware, the Cubs are 101 years removed from their last World Series title, and have not even played in the Fall Classic in 54 years.

What follows is my take on the ten worst moments in the history of the team that seems to be perennially "waiting til next year".

Ten games into spring training, the Washington Nationals are 0-10.

Ugh.

It looks like the team, after back-to-back 100 loss seasons, are heading for a trifecta in 2010.

Or are they?

The biggest question regarding the 2010 Yankees right now is undoubtedly who should win the fifth starter job. I have largely stayed away from the topic, since I'm sure you all are sick of hearing the same things over and over again.

So, instead of debating who should win the fifth starter job, I'd like to take a look at what the Yankees need from their fifth starter. You see, fifth starters tend to be pretty fungible. Usually, the difference between a fifth starter and the sixth guy waiting at Triple-A isn't too vast.

We're not quite halfway through the spring campaign yet, but I can already see that Jim Leyland and Dave Dombrowski will have some tough decisions to make before naming the 25 guys they'll take back to Detroit to begin the season.

We're probably looking at thirteen hitters on the opening day roster (12 pitchers), so let's try to figure out who it will be.

The locks:
Gerald Laird
Miguel Cabrera
Adam Everett
Brandon Inge
Johnny Damon
Magglio Ordonez
Carlos Guillen

Nearly locks:
Austin Jackson
Ryan Raburn
Ramon Santiago