Fan News

Maximizing a player’s trade value usually involves a team waiting until the last possible moment, hoping a team with some interest gets desperate as its roster hole becomes more evident. It also doesn’t hurt if the player being shopped gets red-hot leading up to the trade deadline.

On a day where doctors clearing Alex Rodriguez for baseball activities dominated the Yankee headlines, the revelation of Michael Pineda's throwing session (via Hardball Talk) could turn out to be the news item baseball fans in New York remember most moving forward.

SCORE UPDATE:   Red Sox 0 -  7 Rangers, Final

W: Holland: 2-2

L: Doubront: 3-1

HR: None

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the calendar turning to May, baseball jumps to the second month of the season. With that comes an increase in context when talking about individual players or teams.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz is the early favorite for the American League Cy Young Award. He's won each of his first six starts, racking up a major league-best 1.01 ERA along the way.

And he's doing it all because he's a no-good cheater.

The Boston Red Sox may need an additional starting pitcher down the stretch, and Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee is one name that could come up in conversation.

The Boston Red Sox are off to a hot start because multiple players have stepped up, and they have played relatively mistake-free baseball.

John Farrell has made a difference, but quality pitching from all five starters and one of baseball’s best bullpens is the real reason why the Red Sox went 18-8 in April.

Here are my grades for every player who contributed to the hot start in Boston.

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R.A. Dickey walked away from last season with a National League Cy Young to his name. Now that he finds himself in the American League, things might be a bit tougher for him. 

Ron Darling took the time to offer his thoughts on what a pitcher goes through when they transition to the American League. With designated hitters and stronger batting orders, R.A. Dickey faces new challenges in his new league.

Check out the video to hear what Ron Darling thinks, and make sure to let us know what you think about pitching in the American League in the comments section below.

One of the hardest things for an athlete is deciding when to finally walk away. Some athletes, like John Elway, got to go out on top, while others, like Brett Favre, seem like they'll never go away. When does a Major League pitcher know that his time has come?

Ron Darling didn't get to decide when his time was up. He shares what it was like to find out he couldn't cut it in the Majors anymore, and shares some insight on what Mariano Rivera might be going through in his final season.

The Dodgers' offense is so bad.

[This is where you're supposed to chime in by shouting in unison, "How bad is it?"]

So bad it's keeping the Marlins' offense company.

One of the big stories so far in 2013 is the utter ineptitude of Miami's hitters, who own an aggregate triple-slash line of .229/.288/.315. This was, more or less, to be expected, given the club's quadruple-A roster.