Rangers Continue ‘Arms’ Race, Get Dempster

With the trade deadline looming, and now complete, the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs announced they had completed a deal, moving Ryan Dempster to the Rangers for two prospects. This is the same Dempster that rejected a move to the Braves earlier this season, but he was fine getting shipped into the Lone Star State. As with every trade, both teams obviously feel they won. Was Theo Epstein wise in moving Dempster? Are the Rangers smart in getting a risky pitcher for a couple of prospects? Read, set, trade analysis!

Cole Hamels, Wealthy Gentleman

The Phillies have been struggling mightily. As this week, they had a 0.1% chance to make the playoffs. They have struggled to score and their pitchers have been good but not great. Cliff Lee has become a poster-boy for why ‘Wins’ is a lousy category. Sure, it does not help that the Nationals are going bananas (Gwen Stefani reference, ftw!), but being last place in the NL East is not easy to take for the Front Office and fans. Many fans assumed Ruben Amaro and company might try to move some talent in order to shake things up and try to change the losing ways. However, Cole Hamels is not going to be a part of that change, as he recently signed a six year, $144 million extension. This is an incredible amount of money, so how does this affect the Phillies? Is it a good extension? 

Angels Acquire Starting Pitcher, Zack Greinke

In a somewhat surprising move the Los Angeles Angels went out and acquired starting pitcher, Zack Greinke, from the Milwaukee Brewers for top prospect, Jean Segura, AA pitcher John Hellweg, and AA pitcher Ariel Pena. Greinke should slide in nicely and help solidify the Angels rotation even more. The Brewers get a shortstop of the future and a couple of pitchers who could help down the road.

Los Angeles Dodgers Add Hanley Ramirez

Last night in a somewhat surprising move the Los Angeles Dodgers went out and acquired shortstop/third baseman, Hanley Ramirez, and relief pitcher, Randy Choate, for two minor league players. If you would have to told me this would happen at the beginning of the season I would have said that you’re crazy. Depending on what you’ve read, many people believe that this was either a good deal for the Marlins or a puzzling one. My thoughts after the jump.

The Detroit Tigers Kill Two Birds With One Stone

Yesterday, the Detroit Tigers went out and acquired starting pitcher, Anibal Sanchez, and Omar Infante, from the Miami Marlins. In return the Marlins received the Tigers top prospect Jacob Turner and two other prospects. The Tigers already had one of the best rotations in baseball, largely due to Justin Verlander, but you can never have too much pitching. The Tigers also had a glaring need at second base and Infante should help that a ton. The Marlins are also unlikely to make the post-season and Sanchez is a free agent at the end of the year.

Ichiro in Pinstripes: The Danny Farquhar Story?

I entered the movie theater yesterday (BATMAN!!!!) assuming the Yankees were still looking for pitchers before the trade deadline. I came out of the theater with my cell phone blowing up with friends texting me about the Yankees big move. I assumed it was Cole Hamels or Zack Greinke. It was not until I opened my computer and saw the ESPN headline; Ichiro is going to be in pinstripes. The Yankees get Suzuki while the Mariners get two pitching prospects. What is the rationale of the deal? Implications for the Yankees playoff push? Is this a good deal for either team?  After the jump, I delve into those questions from the perspective of both teams.

Prospect Watch: Billy Hamilton

If anyone in my readership follows my Twitter (@timnicodemus) or knows me personally, they know that I love me some Billy Hamilton. He is single-handedly (is that a word?) bringing back ‘small-ball’ through decent defense and amazing speed. As a part of the Reds organization, he is being groomed for a starting job on a very good team. After the jump, I will look at his past performance, current season, and future prospects. Can a speedy, light-hitting player make the Show? 

Could Giancarlo Stanton Be One Of The Greatest Power Hitters Ever?

I originally got the idea for this article after browsing through FanGraphs’ leaderboards. I have always been a huge fan of Stanton and knew that he had immense power. I wanted to see exactly how good it is so I began playing with the leaderboards. I wanted to see where he stacked up against others his age and to see how good he could become. The rest of the article is after the jump, enjoy!

Mid-Season Awards: NL Edition

Yesterday Tim did his article on the AL mid-season awards. He covered the Cy Young, rookie of the year, comeback player of the year and the manager of the year. Today I will be doing the same thing but for the National League.

Midseason Awards- AL Edition

As we come into the All-Star weekend, Alex and I are going to unveil our individual picks for the usual awards: Cy Young, MVP, ROY, Comeback player, and Manager. Keep in mind, this is only for the first half of the season; this is not meant to be a prediction on who will end up winning these awards in the fall. While Alex will tackle the National League, I will be reviewing the American League, so as to not give every award to Jose Altuve (joke!). Feel free to comment/debate our picks in the comment section below. Without further ado, I humbly(ish) present my AL Midseason Awards!