Fan News

Veteran left-hander Joe Saunders is increasingly becoming the source of opposing viewpoints among Baltimore Orioles fans. 

Saunders, 31, was traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks in August 2012 in exchange for reliever Matt Lindstrom.

When it comes to the World Baseball Classic, I sometimes think of Michael J. Fox's climatic monologue from The American President. 

"They're so thirsty for it, they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage," Fox says, "and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand."

Pitchers and catchers will be reporting before you know it, but there’s still plenty of time to sit and listen to the trade winds a’blowing.

Thanks to drug-testing procedures and penalties that were put in place in 2005, Major League Baseball is likely cleaner now than it's been in some time. You can tell by the change in the offensive numbers.

...Or can you?

As I mentioned last week regarding the Boston Red Sox’s farm system, there’s arguably no such thing as an "underrated" prospect. If the player has a pulse, then it’s likely he’ll become over-hyped while ascending the organizational ladder.

The San Francisco Giants should have made five moves this offseason in addition to re-signing free agents Jeremy Affeldt, Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro, and extending the contract of Santiago Casilla.

Former Boston Red Sox and current Cleveland Indians Manager Terry Francona has a book coming out with Boston Globe Columnist Dan Shaughnessy titled "Francona: The Red Sox Years." Hold on Red Sox fans. This is one you might want to pass up if you have any attachment to Red Sox ownership whatsoever. 

In October of 2012, the Washington Nationals melted down in the Division Series, blowing a ninth inning lead in the fifth game. Drew Storen pitched in four of the five games and could not hold onto the 7-5 Game 5 lead and the Nationals lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 9-7.

The Washington Nationals made news today having signed the best free agent pitcher on the market: Rafael Soriano.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was the first to report (via Twitter) that the Nationals had reached an agreement with Soriano for two years and $28 million.

The Washington Nationals have bolstered their bullpen by signing former all-star relief pitcher Rafael Soriano, 33, to a two-year, $28 million contract that includes a vesting option for a third season.