Reyes started running for the first time on Friday, and he continues to push the envelope in his recovery process, according to Team officials.

“It was a little bit scary for me,” Reyes said of his first time running. “But I am pain free. I’m very happy the way that I performed yesterday; better than I expected.”

The 29-year-old Reyes hurt himself during an awkward and painful slide against the Kansas City Royals. He has already been doing other baseball activities like tossing and catching, but running on that ankle represents the biggest advance in his return to to the Blue Jays lineup.

“Even if I don’t feel a hundred percent, I’m 85-90 percent and I’m able to run the bases good … I’m going to let it fly,” Reyes said. “I’m going to let it go. I’m going to go play, come back and help this ballclub.”

It is now looking like Reyes will be back a month to a 1 1/2 months sooner than anyone expected.

Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler headline a handful of budding young pitchers who hope to one day bring the New York Mets organization back to relevance again. Harvey,  in his first full season, is doing his best to do just that–as exemplified by his near-perfect, nine shutout frames in Tuesday night’s walk-off victory by the Whitestone kid, Mike Baxter–and Wheeler is knocking on the door to crack the big-league rotation soon enough. As both develop, the pair continuously leads a youth movement in the organization that look to achieve what this franchise has yet to celebrate in 27 years; a world championship.

Not only someone who was a key cog of a dominant Mets rotation and an integral part of that champion 1986 club, but also someone who interacts and analyzes the likes of Harvey and the team on a daily basis, Ron Darling offers intricate insight on these young arms and his thoughts on their first months of the 2013 season thus far.

Sitting on the back patio of the Irish Circle Tavern in Rockaway Park, Queens — who hosted a luncheon for Hurricane Sandy Relief in which he was a guest of honor with Mike Baxter – -Darling describes to me the way in which he goes about evaluating a pitcher.

“The three things that I benchmark, that I judge pitchers by.” said Darling as jets from the nearby JFK International Airport fly loudly overhead, giving the conversation a true Citi Field vibe. “Their ability to throw fastballs on the corner and both sides of the plate, they can throw a breaking ball over the plate behind in the count, and they have a bulldog and a competitive mentality.”

After explaining his methods of evaluation, Darling goes on to explain how Harvey and Wheeler fit into his equation.

“Harvey has all three.” said Darling. “Wheeler has all three now but not at the major league level. You can’t judge minor league pitchers until they pitch on this stage because it’s just such a big jump. You’re pitching now against people that used to be on your video games. Until that happens I think it is tough to judge guys.”

As shown by his bloody-nose inning and simply his pure demeanor on the mound, the competitive prowess of Harvey is rarely questioned. When it comes to Wheeler however, his “bulldog” isn’t always quite as outwardly apparent. The intangible “bulldog” factor of Darling’s evaluation, he says, comes in all types and varieties.

“A bulldog comes in many shapes and forms. said Darling. “In my day, Dave Stewart was considered a bulldog with the stare, but so was Orel Hershiser without the stare. It comes in a lot of different ways. A lot of guys try to fake it, you can see through it. Zack might have a different way of doing it; he might be quieter about it, as opposed to Matt who may be a bit more overt about it. Matt’s from the East Coast, and East coast kids tend to be a little more overt anyway, and Zack might be a little quieter. It doesn’t mean that they both can’t be pitching assassins in their own way.”

Wheeler’s toughness in-game had begun to come into question, to an extent due, to his rough first month of the season in which he allowed 18 runs in 23.1 innings. Since then, the 22-year old has put together back-to-back dominant efforts and appears to be getting his season on track. Darling, who says he has seen Wheeler pitch live on roughly six occasions or so, believes the slow start was due to his lack of innings in Port St. Lucie after being sidelined with an oblique strain.

“What happened to Zack is that he had a shortened Spring Training, he was playing catch up, and that’s why he had the first bad outings.” said Darling. “Terry Collins said if you want to come up here you’ve got to throw strikes and he has, so sometimes you just need some gentle prodding and I think that was the best thing that happened to him.”

While Collins and the Mets await the proper time to give Wheeler that call to come up, they have been able to revel in the incredible season so far from the Amazin’s other distinguished young arm in Harvey, who has continued to draw up a significant stir across baseball that hasn’t been seen for a rookie arm in Flushing in some time. His career is merely 16 starts long between 2012 and 2013, however Darling explains that the praise for Harvey is well-deserved.

“If he continues the way he’s going, we’re talking about a young man in his first full season having the chance to pitch or start in his home ballpark at the All-Star Game.” tells Darling. “That’s a pretty amazing feat.”

Of the attention in particular,  the now weekly Met holiday known as Harvey Day has become one of the most popular celebrations of the young workhorse.

“You say Harvey Day, I was thinking about Paul Harvey, the great radio icon who used to say ‘good day’ to end his broadcasts.” said Darling, in reference to his chuckle when I mentioned the term Harvey Day in my question. “That’s what Matt Harvey does with his innings when he ends with strikeouts: ‘Good day.’”

Both Harvey and Wheeler will look to have more ‘good days’ than bad as they continue their respective journeys towards making their presence known and leaving those such as Darling “so impressed” in what hopes to be two long, successful major-league Met careers.

I just wanted to thank the Mets, Citigroup and the Irish Circle Tavern for putting together a wonderful luncheon to benefit the continued effort to rebuild following Hurricane Sandy. I would also like to thank Ron Darling who amid a room of fans, reporters and officials not only took time out to  speak privately with me, but gave exceptional insight on two of the Mets greatest young talents.

Philadelphia recalled left-hander Joe Savery to temporarily take Halladay’s place on the 25-man roster. A replacement for Halladay’s spot in the starting rotation will be named before Friday’s game in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. Candidates to make the start include Triple-A left-hander Adam Morgan and right-hander Tyler Cloyd.

After allowing nine runs in 2 1/3 innings in a 14-2 loss to the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, Halladay revealed that his shoulder had been bothering him.

“It started the morning after I pitched against Pittsburgh [on April 24],” Halladay said Sunday. “I woke up and didn’t really think anything of it. It was just kind of regular soreness. This kind of progressed over the last two weeks or so. It’s right-shoulder discomfort.

“This is something new this spring. I felt good all spring. I felt good all year. I just got up after that start against Pittsburgh and had soreness in there and wasn’t able to get rid of it.”

In the sixth inning of tonight’s game against the Kansas City Royals, Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes slid into second base awkwardly on a stolen base attempt.

Reyes immediately grabbed for his ankle, then spent most of the time writhing in pain and in tears until trainers came out and carted him off the field.

The stolen base was Reyes’ fifth of the year and he was enjoying a solid start to the season batting .395 on the season despite the Blue Jays 3-6 start.

Maicer Izturis came in to replace Reyes at shortstop.

We hope it’s not a serious injury for the former Met who gave us so many great thrills and memories when he patrolled shortstop at Shea and Citi Field.

Thanks to our great photo services partner US Presswire and Luis Rivera  for the photo…

This is a great contract for both sides. For Andrus, the obvious financial security in a town he’s familiar with and loves was the selling point. For the Rangers, they lock up one of the best young shortstops in the game through his prime years and the contract expires at just the right time. Jon Daniels saw his approval rating take a huge hit this past winter when he not only failed to acquire a big name that could finally put the Rangers over the top, he also allowed the team’s best player, Josh Hamilton, to leave via free agency to a division rival.

Andrus is one of the best defensive shortstops in the game. At the plate, he’s improved his on-base percentage, slugging percentage and batting average every year since 2010. He owns a 74% success rate stealing bases, which is passable. The Rangers needed to make this happen to infuse some good will back in the franchise, and with a player of Andrus’s caliber, it was a confluence of positives that made everyone a winner.

Everyone except Andrus’s agent, Scott Boras, that is. Well known for taking his clients into free agency and milking every last cent from the owner’s pockets, Boras lost this battle. “We’re the boss,” Andrus said. “I know everybody thinks that about Scott, but it’s different if you’re the one in that position. He works for us. I know he tries to get the best deal that he can, but it comes down to my choice and what’s better for me and my family.”

From one contract extension to the greater chance of another, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano fired agent Scott Boras on Tuesday and signed with Roc Nation Sports, which partners with Creative Arts Agency (CAA) Sports. Roc Nation is owned by New York über-celebrity Jay-Z. Yankee fans should be happy to learn that Cano will now be represented by Brodie Van Wagenen, who also represents the likes of Matt Cain and the Ryan’s Braun, Zimmerman and Howard. What do they all have in common? Huge contract extensions before they reached free agency, that’s what. Good news for Yankee fans.

Cano is the best second baseman in baseball and would easily receive offers north $200 million on the free agent market. He may still reach that number, but it’s much more likely now that it’s from the Yankees, and will get done before too long.

The Cano situation is fascinating to me because it makes me wonder if Boras is losing sight of the marketing aspect of the decision. When Derek Jeter retires, Cano would be the man on that team and in this town. As Mets fans know, it’s the Yankees’ town, and they just allow the Mets a little space by the East River near an airport. Boras’s job is to get the best deal possible for his client, and he’s been wildly successful over the years, but the client has to think about more than just the terms of the contract.

I remember when LeBron James was mulling over his free agent decision, and the common thoughts were that if he wanted to be loyal, he’d stay in Cleveland. If he wanted to win, he’d go to Miami, and if he wanted to get rich(er), he’d go to New York. So while Boras needs to find out which team can offer the most dollars, Cano needs to find out which city can offer him the best off-the-field endeavors, and it seems he already knew that it was New York or bust. Boras felt that another team could offer more money, as evidenced by the declined offer the Yankees already made to Cano. While that may be true, Cano feels his overall lifestyle would be suited best by New York, so out goes Boras.

I think it’s no small coincidence that Cano immediately signed with an agency that partners with a New York-based marketing company headed by a business mogul worth half a billion dollars.

On a smaller scale, another Boras client, Carlos Gomez of the Brewers, also reached an agreement on an extension just three weeks ago. After a string of losses like this, Boras must be reeling. Maybe now’s a good time for Sandy Alderson to swoop in and lock up Matt Harvey.

The 2013 All-World Baseball Classic team was announced Wednesday, and the squad is riddled with Mets both current and former alike.

Of course “Captain America” aka David Wright, who’s .438 batting average and 10 RBIs earned him the nickname made the team. Wright was also the only American to make the cut.

From the reigning champion Dominican Republic, former Met spark plug and current Blue Jay Jose Reyes made the team as did former Mets prospect Nelson Cruz.

Finally hailing from Puerto Rico, Angel Pagan and former swingman Nelson Figueroa were also selected, playing integral roles in bringing Puerto Rico to the finals.

Fans and media combined to pick the team sponsored by MetLife. Fernando Rodney, Yadier Molina, and Robinson Cano were among some of the others chosen.

To view the full roster selected to the All-WBC team, you can do so by clicking here.

Major League Baseball has Ryan Braun in their cross-hairs and are going to great lengths to nab him says Bob Nightengale of USA Today. They have contacted his friends and family, those he has done business with; anyone he is connected to. However according to this report, that is just the tip of the iceberg.

There are names of over 90 baseball players who were found in the records of the Biogenesis Clinic, and MLB could use any one of them to find out information on the clinic and even more importantly for them; Braun. Nightengale goes on to give startling detail of how MLB plans to go after the Brewer’s franchise player.

These players will have no choice but to talk to MLB officials. If they don’t cooperate, MLB can suspend them, according to the bylaws of the collective bargaining agreement.

In some cases, according to two officials who spoke to USA TODAY Sports but were unauthorized to speak publicly, some players will be granted immunity even if they admit guilt to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. They would have to fully disclose their arrangement with Tony Bosch, former director of the now-shuttered Biogenesis clinic, including any possible involvement by their agents or knowledge of other players who received performance-enhancing drugs from him.

MLB vice president Rob Manfred told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today however that every player is being investigated with “equal vigor”.

I think Nightengale’s report shows just how much MLB want to prove Braun the cheat he should have been proclaimed one year ago. The fact that they are potentially willing to pardon other players to bring him down speaks volumes. He flat out embarrassed Major League Baseball last year when he became the first player to overturn a positive test on a technicality, so much so that they fired the the arbitrator, Shyam Das, who ruled in the disgraced all-star’s favor.

They want to take him down, and they want it bad. MLB is the watchdog and prosecutor when it comes to steroids, so it is in their power to pardon/suspend players in order to take down a larger evil. However, my question is, is it right of them to do so? It’s a fine line.

They dished out a 100-game suspension to minor leaguer Cesar Carillo like nothing. I can only imagine what they have in store for Braun if they find enough evidence to act on him.

I’d expect a lot of he said/she said coming up in the near future:

Updated by John Delcos on 3/6 at 9:15 AM

Ike Davis was on the WBC reserve list but wasn’t asked when Mark Teixeira was injured. Teammate David Wright was keeping him posted.

“I got a text from David,” Davis said. “He said (WBC manager) Joe Torre asked about me. I’m glad they thought of me.”

When asked if Wright put in a good word for him, Davis said: “He said he did … but I didn’t make the team.”

Davis said he would be intrigued to play in the World Baseball Classic.

“I’d get some at-bats, but not as many (if he had a regular spring training,” Davis said. “The games would be more intense. That would be a good way to jump start the season.”

Original Post 3/5

Ike Davis is now in the mix of names being considered for Team USA’s currently vacant first base position for the World Baseball Classic says Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

The spot was held by Mark Teixeira, but a strained right wrist put an end to that, leaving team USA with only Ben Zobrist and Joe Mauer as the only two on the roster with any experience at first.

In addition to Ike, White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, the Tiger’s Prince Fielder, the Red Sox catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli and the Angel’s Mark Trumbo are among the names that could be considered.

Team USA manager Joe Torre expects a decision to be made Wednesday on Texeira’s replacement. First-round play begins for USA Friday at Chase Field against Mexico starting at 9 p.m. on MLB Network.

Young, 33, has spent the last two seasons with the Mets and in 2012 he went 4-9 with a 4.15 ERA in 20 starts but ended the season strongly posting a 2.73 ERA in five September starts Over his career, Young is 53-43 with a 3.79 ERA in 159 career starts.

He won’t find any room in a packed Nationals rotation, but will provide them with some quality depth behind Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Ross Detwiler and Dan Haren.

Sandy Alderson told reporters that the 5th year option was the big issue with signing Michael Bourn, and also that indications changed whether or not they would keep the 11th pick after an arbitrator ruling. This according to Kevin Burkhardt.

Original Post 2/12/2013

The long and dragged out pursuit is over, and the Mets came up empty. The Cleveland Indians have signed Michael Bourn to a four-year, $48 million dollar deal says Jon Heyman via twitter. The deal has a $12 million option for a potential fifth year. That option vests if Bourn reaches 550 plate appearances in the final year of his deal reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. A team could easily avoid that from happening if they wanted to.

Bourn represents the second blockbuster free agent signed by Cleveland this winter. Nick Swisher inked a four-year, $56 million dollar deal with the Tribe back in January. As a result, their second round pick will be lost to the Yankees for Swisher, and their “competitive balance pick” (around 71st overall) for the signing of Bourn, says Rosenthal via twitter.

The Mets apparently came very close to getting the 30-year old speedster, says Joel Sherman, offering nearly the same four-year deal as the Indians; however it came down to the draft pick issue. The process was reportedly expected to take as long as 2-3 weeks and Bourn could not wait that long, so he opted for the Indians instead.

Ken Davidoff of the Post believes that the Mets played chicken with agent Scott Boras and lost, which puts them in good company but, more relevant for now, keeps the Mets a fourth-place team.

Compared to the B.J. Upton deal for five years and $75.25 million, Bourn’s deal sounds like a steal. Especially  considering that Bourn is better than Upton both offensively and defensively.

So with Mets failing to land the 2012 All Star, the Mets will move forward with an outfield lacking major league experience. Lucas Duda will play everyday in left, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Collin Cowgill will platoon in center, and Mike Baxter in right.

In the end, the outfield that general manager Sandy Alderson mocked and joked about back in Nashville at the Winter Meetings, is the same outfield he’ll start the season with in 2013.

After champagne is poured in the locker room and the commissioner presents the World Series trophy to the winning manager, I start the countdown to Opening Day. There are a few ‘obstacles’ to get through. Perhaps an election. Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Years. And last but not least, the Super Bowl. Today, finally, we can get through this final roadblock and get back to what’s important.

I write this blog somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Posting on a baseball related website, I’m hoping not to get crucified too much. I know I’ll probably burn in a red, white and blue hell for being anti-Super Bowl, but here goes.

I used to be a big football fan. Back in the day, I rooted for the Cowboys. Over the years, however, I’ve lost interest in the game. True, Baseball has always been my first love. But as I enter my 40th year of watching America’s National Pastime, I not only still love the game but perhaps, more importantly, I appreciate the game. The nature of its very essence. Is there anything more beautiful than a perfectly executed 6-4-3 double-play? The majestic way a first baseman stretches, scoops the ball out of the dirt and brings his arm up as if it was easy. Poetry in motion. I love how an outfielder turns and races into the power alley to snag a sinking liner, then trots off the field as if he had it all the time. That’s Baseball.

Today one hundred million Americans will tune in to watch a Football game. But yet, for the next several days, what will the nation be talking about? Commercials and the half-time show.

I no longer follow football with any interest. I know the Niners are facing the Ravens. Honestly, I’m not even sure where the Ravens play. But I sure do know that Beyonce is singing at Half Time and Coke got in trouble for some controversial ad.

With apologies to George Carlin, the differences between baseball and football are vast. I’ll take Baseball.

In game 4 of the 2012 World Series the Giants went to the bottom of the 10^th winning 4-3. With the Tigers down to their last out, 3 pitches away from being swept, who stepped to the plate but Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. Sergio Romo, a man who was not even supposed to be the closer, looked in for the sign to face Cabrera. He didn’t “fall on the ball.”

This is baseball. You can’t run out the clock. Each team has an equal number of chances. I get 27 outs. You get 27 outs. And then the victor is determined.

We’ve all heard the criticisms about Baseball: The game moves too slow. There’s no action. Nothing happens. It’s boring.

Well, imagine this scenario for a moment: The pitcher throws a fastball. Strike one. The catcher walks to the mound, calls in the infield and they discuss the next pitch. The players return to their position. A curve ball that just misses. Ball one. The catcher walks to the mound, summons the infielders and discusses the next pitch. And so on and so on. Now, wouldn’t that be ridiculous? But if you think about it, that’s exactly what they do in football.

Here’s a typical possession: A team huddles, talking in secret about what to do. Then they walk to the line of scrimmage. They count. The quarterback steps back, turns left, hands the ball to a running back. He gains 3 yards. Now, they all walk away, get into their little secret huddle and discuss what to do now. They again saunter to the line of scrimmage where the QB counts. He steps back, turns right this time, hands to a running back. He gains 4 yards. Now what? Well, time to have a meeting. They walk back, have another group meeting and decide the next play. Again, they go to the line of scrimmage. The QB counts. He fades back, looks downfield and throws a 20 yard pass. His tight end catches the ball. First down. Whew! Good, now we sit and watch as the referees, line judges and both teams take a walk to the new line of scrimmage. And what’s the first thing they do? They have a meeting about what to do now.

You tell me. If you think about it, which is more boring? I’d prefer to watch Miguel Cabrera dig in and Sergio Romo looking in to Buster Posey. I’d prefer to watch a speedy base runner dancing off first base, the pitcher holding the ball just a second too long, trying to break the concentration of the speedster while maintaining focus on the batter. To me, that’s more thrilling than watching a bunch of guys talking in a huddle.

And think about this. If Football truly is more exciting, has more action and is faster moving than Baseball, why exactly does it take 3 hours to play a 1 hour game? The game is designed into 4 15 minute quarters. That’s one hour. But yet it takes 3 hours to play. Therefore, the point can be made that for 2 hours, nothing happens.

Let’s say it’s a big game. The clock is ticking down. The team on offense is trailing 21-14 with 35 seconds left. They’re driving down field. They get into their opponents territory. The fans are going wild. After another meeting and some more counting, the QB fades back. He avoids one defender, sidesteps another one. He sees his man open. He fires into the end zone where his receiver is double covered. The clock is ticking. The entire game is on the line. The receiver jumps in the corner sandwiched between 2 defenders who also jump. The receiver comes down with the ball. Touchdown!! Wait. Maybe it’s not a touchdown. There’s a flag on the play. Was there pass interference? Were both his feet in bounds? Hmm, well, let’s check with the officials. Personally, when I’m watching sports and in the heat of an exciting contest, heart beating in my chest, an entire season on the line, is there anything more thrilling, exciting and heart-stopping than watching a guy in a striped shirt talking on a headset to a guy in booth who is watching the play in slo-mo? I just love that tingly sensation I get waiting for the officials to tell me if what I just saw really happened or not.

What about that thrilling moment when a team is at 4th and one. The QB hands off the ball. The player dives through the air. Opponents jump on top of him. His own teammates jump on top of them. Did he make the first down? I don’t know. Let’s wait while the officials untangle the cluster of bodies to see. Oh, they’re still not sure. Time to wave to the sidelines and bring in a ten yard chain that has a stick in the bottom.

When Jesse Orosco struck out Marty Barrett, I didn’t have to wait 3 minutes to see if he really struck him out.

On a Sunday, if a quarterback completes 21 of 30 passes, it’s a great day for him. To me, that means he made 9 errors. Imagine if David Wright made 9 errors in one day.

People complain about baseball players making millions of dollars. However, the season starts in mid-February when pitchers and catchers reports. Six weeks later, they begin a grueling 162 game schedule that extends into October. And if you’re lucky to make it to the post-season, into late October. Eight months of being away from your family, your kids, your loved ones. On average playing 5 games a week. By comparison, football players play once a week. For 3 hours! And even then, after 2 quarters, they need a rest. Halftime. Really???

I don’t watch football anymore. The only Super Bowl I watched recently was the one the Giants won. I don’t even recall what year that was. That, and the one I turned on only to watch Bruce Springsteen perform during halftime. Or maybe that was even the same one.

Keeping in mind, I’m a baseball fan and not a football fan, Baseball creates memories. Over the last 15 years we’ve witnessed countless indelible Fall Classic moments: Edgar Renteria’s shot up the middle to give the upstart Marlins a shocking 7 game victory over the heavily favored Indians.Seven years later it was that same Renteria who hit a comebacker to the mound, thereby ending an 86 year curse. JT Snow crossing the plate, yanking a young Darren Baker to safety. The 07 Rockies, who stormed into the post-season winning 21 of their last 22 games, only to get roundly swept by the Red Sox. Luis Gonzalez getting an unforgettable hit against the best closer in the history of the game. Roger Clemens throwing a shattered bat at Mike Piazza. Guys named Sandoval and Pujols going deep three times in a single game, forever linked with the names Ruth and Jackson. 55,773 fans sitting in The House That Ruth Built, their cheers getting shoved back down their throats as a 23 year-old kid named Josh Beckett silenced the Bronx Bombers. The 2002 Giants were led by the bats of Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent. Yet, it was Adam Kennedy and Scott Spiezio who were remembered for big HR’s. That’s baseball memories. What’s the most talked about moment of the Super Bowl in the past decade, the one single event that people still remember? A wardrobe malfunction.

As I sit here writing this, I hear my neighbors cheering and shouting. Maybe an exciting play just happened. Or since this is the Super Bowl, maybe it’s some really awesome F-150 commercial.

Perhaps the difference between the two sports can be summed up in famous statements made by some revered men from each game. Vince Lombardi said, “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” Bart Giamatti said, “The game of baseball is designed to break your heart.” Lombardi’s quote indicates that you’re a failure if you lose. In everyday life, we experience more losses than victories, more failures than successes. Which statement rings truer?

As I said earlier, I write this somewhat tongue-in-cheek. I realize (sadly) Football is more popular than Baseball nowadays. More people watch the Super Bowl than the World Series. I’m not saying Baseball is a better game. I’m just saying, in my opinion, it is.

I’m happy today is the Super Bowl. Good luck to the Niners. Good luck to the Ravens. In three hours when this 60 minute game is over, we’ll be that much closer to Opening Day.

According to a report by Bill Madden, Christian Red and Teri Thompson of the New York Daily News, Alex Rodriguez’s Yankees career could be over.

Alex Rodriguez is unlikely to ever wear the pinstripes again, sources familiar with the Yankees’ situation with their troubled third baseman told the Daily News, no matter what happens regarding new allegations that he is again involved with performance-enhancing drugs.

According to numerous baseball sources, the hip surgery Rodriguez is now recovering from will likely derail his playing career, leaving him in such a diminished role that he may consider a settlement or an outright retirement. He still has five years and $114 million left on his contract.

“I don’t know why he would want to go through the pain of rehabbing and trying to play up to the caliber of player he was, and come back to a game where nobody wants him,” said a baseball official.

This is all starting to take on a life of its own since the Miami New Times reported on Tuesday that a notebook implicating Rodriguez and other players to performance-enhancing drugs was discovered during a federal investigation of a known steroids and PED distributor. Other players implicated include Gio Gonzalez and Melky Cabrera. The federal investigation is ongoing and MLB has launched an independent probe of their own.

If A-Rod is forced to retire because of the injury, the Yankees will collect 85% the remaining salary and the insurance will award Rodriguez a huge lump sum payment.

It looks like it’s in the best interests of both the Yankees and A-Rod if he chose to retire. Some guys (and teams) get all the luck.

Well here you go. Courtesy of Tim Elfrink of the Miami NewTimes, some significant names have been associated with a Miami clinic that has been linked to supplying drugs to several people ranging from University coaches, to current MLB players.

Of course there will be a lot of work done to check the validity of the story and the list, but Elfrink says the following with regards to how they obtained the list.

“The names are all included in an extraordinary batch of records from Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic tucked into a two-story office building just a hard line drive’s distance from the UM campus. They were given to New Times by an employee who worked at Biogenesis before it closed last month and its owner abruptly disappeared. The records are clear in describing the firm’s real business: selling performance-enhancing drugs, from human growth hormone (HGH) to testosterone to anabolic steroids.”

The list of current MLB players on the list include: Nelson Cruz, Bartolo Colon, Melky Cabrera, Yasmani Grandal, Gio Gonzalez and Alex Rodriguez.

Now, let me tell you why I am fired up about this list.

Bartolo Colon and Melky Cabrera mean nothing to me. They have been suspended and already carry the scarlet letter.

Grandal and even Cruz mean little to nothing to me as well.

Everybody will focus on Alex Rodriguez being on this list. He claimed he was clean as of the 2004 season, and the fact his name pops up once again in a PED scandal will be the focus of so many news outlets, especially the mainstream.

But you know what? If this turns out to be a valid list, then Gio Gonzalez is the biggest name on this list. If you take a look at the quick reactions to the list, you’re noticing that ARod and not Gio is already the most talked about person.

Alex Rodriguez is a broken down, over the hill, often injured player who is chasing an already tainted record. What difference does it make to anybody whether he’s involved in a PED scandal? His team already seems to be forging ahead without him in 2013. He literally has almost 0 impact on the “present day.”

Yet, Gio Gonzalez at 27, had a career year for the Washington Nationals and finished 3^rd in the NL Cy Young race after winning 21 games. The Nationals are poised for a championship run and Gio is one of the reasons why.

What I see happening is everybody will focus on ARod and allow Gonzalez to get away with a soft apology or denial and move on. But, (again if this is true) the fact Gio is on this list changes a lot.

Gio could face a suspension if MLB investigates this story and finds enough evidence, even without a positive test.

There is going to be a lot of discussion about this story, and if it turns out to be false – then so be it. However, if it turns out to be true, then the biggest story of this list will be the impact it has on the Nationals and their most reliable starting pitcher being linked to PED’s.

UPDATE:

In a statement issued through his representatives, Gonzalez said: 

“I’ve never used performance-enhancing drugs of any kind, and I never will. I’ve never met or spoken with Tony Bosch or used any substances provided by him. Anything said to the contrary is a lie.”

Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos indicated yesterday that recently acquired Josh Thole will begin the season with Triple-A Buffalo while another former Met, Henry Blanco, will serve as J.P. Arencibia‘s backup. Blanco, 41, was recently signed to a non-guaranteed, one-year deal,

“Blanco has not been guaranteed the job at all,” Anthopoulos explained. “That’s why he’s on a non-guaranteed contract. But again, if it works out that Blanco’s the backup and Thole ends up being optioned down here, organizationally that means things are going well. Blanco was good enough to be the backup and now we’ve got tremendous depth.”

Blanco caught seven of Dickey’s starts in 2010 when they were teammates with the Mets. If Arencibia suffers an injury, Thole would be at the ready to handle the majority of the starts behind the plate.

The Blue Jays and Thole avoided arbitration yesterday by agreeing to a two-year, $2.5 million contract with a club option for 2015, so this came as a bit of a surprise. But it could be they want to get Thole back on track offensively after a disappointing season in which he batted just .234/.294/.290.

One will be that translators are now allowed to come with coaches during mound visits. The other will be the banishment of the fake-to-first, throw-to-third move.

I want to analyze both, but before I do it’s important to be cognizant of the sensitivity surrounding the former. I write this with a complete understanding that many fans will be a part of the just-learn-English crowd. Albeit, that’s an oversimplified solution to the issue, I still don’t necessarily think that the rule is a good idea.

Here’s why:

When I first read about the allowance of translators on the mound, my initial thought was about NFL quarterbacks. Since the mid-90s, quarterbacks have had their plays piped in over a walkie-talkie installed in their helmets. I thought, “If we’re making it that easy, why don’t they just let pitchers wear headsets on the mound and get their pitches transmitted to them from the dugout.”

Like I said early, one’s response can’t just be to learn English. English is an incredibly difficult language to learn—maybe even the hardest along with some other Asian languages. I’ve tried to learn another language before. The older you get, the harder it becomes. My school of thought though is that if you’re going to make a choice to come to America to play a professional sport, you should at least have the courtesy to learn the native language. If I was getting paid six figures, I would feel a little obligated to learn. It’s not an issue of right or wrong, but that’s just my opinion.

I also feel that implementing such a rule makes it logical to think that players have less incentive to learn English. Subsequently, we will see less English-second-language players speaking English fluently—if at all—at fan events or even press conferences. Do we all remember Sammy Sosa magically forgetting how to speak English when asked about steroids? Accountability is important to me. Without transparency, it ceases to exist.

Lastly, if there wasn’t enough of a perception about athletes being spoiled, there could be even more now. As simple as it is to say, “Just learn English” it’s just as easy now for pitchers to flip it around and say, “I don’t need to learn English to be a pitcher in Major League Baseball so screw it.”

I have a lot of respect for players that decide to leave their native country to play in America. Without trying to sound too prophetic, those people are what makes this country great. It takes a lot of courage to make that kind of decision, but that’s exactly what it is—a decision. It’s a decision a player makes on their own volition. So to rebut by saying, “How could you say, ‘Just learn English?’ Learning a new language is hard,” doesn’t exactly fly with me. These players willingly know what they’re getting themselves into.

Fake to third, throw to first

My initial reaction to this was “thank God.” Now that I sit here and think about it, I can’t help but apply the classic adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Fake to third, throw to first is a ridiculous move. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. Why ban it though?

If you’re a pitcher and you’re naïve enough to think that it’s an effective move then go for it. Just know that America will be laughing at you every time you do it. It’s a little-league play and it just looks silly when it’s attempted.

It’s also strange to me because this rule gives baserunners the advantage of knowing that if a pitcher goes to third then the baserunner’s never going to get checked by him at first. The pitcher would have to throw to another base first and that player can throw to first.  I guess this means a runner can lackadaisically run halfway to second on a pickoff attempt to third and essentially walk back to first without worrying about getting picked off by the pitcher. Maybe I’m missing something here, but it seems kind of unnecessary.

What are your thoughts on the new rules?

As a result of the signing, the Nationals will have to surrender the team’s first round pick in the 2013 amateur draft, while the Yankees will receive a compensatory pick sandwiched between the first and second rounds.

Soriano was one of three remaining free agents with draft pick compensation attached. All three of them (Soriano, Kyle Lohse, Michael Bourn) are represented by agent Scott Boras.

Soriano, 33, finished 54 games for the Yankees in 2012 after taking over as the team’s closer on May 10. He went 2-1 with a 2.26 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings while collecting 42 saves. He joins a bullpen that already featured elite relievers such as closer Drew Storen and setup man Tyler Clippard.

According to Passan the two-year, $28 million deal also includes a $14 million option for 2015 that vests if Soriano has 120 games finished in 2013-2014, which would essentially require his being the Nationals’ full-time closer.

I think it’s safe to say that the two best bullpens in baseball are in the NL East; Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals.

Mike Piazza may have been shutout by the Baseball Writers which you can read below, but according to Adam Rubin, he could very well be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame during the 2013 season.

The Mets’ Hall of Fame committee — which has included team employees Dave Howard and Jay Horwitz, former player Al Jackson and media members Gary Cohen, Howie Rose and Marty Noble — is expected to meet before spring training to discuss any inductees to the upcoming class. An announcement is expected in the next several weeks.

The committee technically decides whether to recommend any number retirements as well. Jeff Wilpon makes the final call in both cases.

The Mets only have one former player’s number retired — Tom Seaver’s No. 41. Still, there appears to be strong consideration to have Piazza leapfrog other worthy candidates such as Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter and retire No. 31 at least once Piazza achieves Cooperstown.

Lets hope Mikey gets his well deserved big day at Citi Field… As for Cooperstown, there’s always next year.

Original Post

In what has been easily the most controversial ballot in the history of the Baseball Hall of Fame, the much anticipated results are in. The Baseball Writers Association of America have elected to enshrine nobody into Cooperstown for the first time since 1996 and the eighth time in the history of the Hall of Fame since their first ballot in 1936.

In a first ballot that saw controversial names such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, who failed to crack 40% as well as Sammy Sosa who received just over 12% of the vote. Piazza had a nice showing at 57.8%, finishing fourth overall and second only to Craig Biggio who led the board with 68.2%; just 39 votes short of the needed 427. Dale Murphy received 18.6% of the vote in what was his 15th year of eligibility and as a result will not be on the 2014 ballot.

The other BBWAA elections without a winner were in 1945, 1946, 1950, 1958 and 1960.

“The standards for earning election to the Hall of Fame have been very high ever since the rules were created in 1936,” Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson said. “We realize the challenges voters are faced with in this era. The Hall of Fame has always entrusted the exclusive voting privilege to the baseball writers. We remain pleased with their role in evaluating candidates based on the criteria we provide.”

Bernie Williams, Kenny Lofton, Sandy Alomar Jr., Julio Franco, David Wells, Steve Finley, Shawn Green and Aaron Sale all received votes, but did not reach the required 5% to stay on the ballot for next year.

Biggio’s son Conor had this to say via Twitter following the surprising results that his father was denied the honor of becoming the 45th first-ballot Hall of Famer:

This summer will only feature the Veteran’s Committee candidates making it into Cooperstown. Umpire Hank O’Day, Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and 19th-century catcher/third baseman Deacon White will be honored on July 28th; all of which have been deceased for over 70 years.

The Mets are rumored to be one of those teams.

Morse hits rightys and leftys equally well batting .292/.343/.487 vs RHPs in his career with a .303/.357/.503 line vs LHPs. In 2012, he had a .291/.326/.478 slash vs RHPs, with a .290/.306/.449 line vs LHPs.

Morse, 30, will earn $7MM in 2013 before becoming a free agent after the season.

Original Post 1:00 PM

The Washington Nationals accomplished another of their primary offseason goals today and re-signed first baseman Adam LaRoche to a two-year contract that guarantees him $24 million, according to The Washington Post.

GM Mike Rizzo got his way as he was adamant that he would not give LaRoche more than a two-year deal right from the start. LaRoche pushed hard for a three-year commitment from the Nationals, but Rizzo refused to bid against himself and bet that LaRoche wouldn’t fare well in the open market after they strategically made him a qualifying offer that would cost other teams a first round pick.

LaRoche when he turned down their $13.3 million qualifying offer in November, and in fact will get less than that annually for the next two seasons.

Yesterday, Clayton did a nice job digging up as many Hall of Fame ballots as he could to put together a sneak preview of what we could expect on Wednesday when the BBWAA will announce who will be inducted into Cooperstown.

With about 12% of all the ballots in, it looks like Mike Piazza will not have nearly enough votes to make the Class of 2013, and in fact the data shows that only second baseman Craig Biggio will get elected.

It’s very sad to say the least, and in a short while Jessep will have a post up that I urge all of you to read. So check back in about an hour.

Original Post 1/6

In the months leading up to the official announcement of the results of the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot, many voting eligible BBWAA writers released their choices on which players they selected to make it to Cooperstown. Yesterday, I spent 12 hours compiling as many of these released ballots as I could find, tallied them, and came up with a small sample of what the 2013 ballot results may look like.

I found 72 complete released ballots and 11 partially released ballots in searching yesterday out of the approximately 575 total ballots. In all, this ended up being about 13%-15% of all the ballots cast. Many of the voters are retired and do not have a Twitter or media outlet to publicly announce their choices, so I was satisfied with this number.

Anyway, without further ado, here is your 2013 Hall of Fame sneek peek:

These results tell us a number of things. First, if this trend continues with the remaining 500 votes, Craig Biggio will become a first ballot Hall of Famer with his longtime teammate still missing the mark. The likes of Jack Morris, Lee Smith, Fred McGriff and Larry Walker could potentially suffer from the large incoming class and the controversy that has come with it. It seems that many are grouping Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens together in their ballot results as well as Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. I was also surprised to see that there is next to no support for Sammy Sosa, even from those who voted for steroid users; I would be surprised if he ended up with 7% of the vote when the official ballot announcement is made.

As for Mike Piazza, I was glad to see a high showing for him as well as Bagwell, however the reasons that many voters withheld from Piazza were dreadful. From back acne to hearsay, advanced sabermetrics and his groin muscle injury in 2003, it seemed as if writers were pulling reasons out of the air not to vote for him, simply because he didn’t pass their “eye test”, which is a shame. If not for the cheaters like Bonds and Clemens casting a dark shadow on the game, Piazza and (and likely Bagwell) would be first-ballot Hall of Famers. I digress.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this small sample and we will see how accurate this turns out to be come Wednesday. One thing to keep in mind is those who release their ballots tend to have some level of controversy involved, so we may only be looking at some of the more extreme ballots.

Here is the complete list of writers with their ballots that I collected. Those marked with a *** mean they are an incomplete ballot meaning they stated some players they would vote for, but did not release their entire ballot:

• Pete Abraham: Jeff Bagwell Craig Biggio Barry Bonds Roger Clemens Mike Piazza Tim Raines Curt Schilling Alan Trammell
• Mel Antonen: Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Mike Piazza, Edgar Martinez, Alan Trammell and Lee Smith
• Ken Davidoff: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Kenny Lofton, Edgar Martinez, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Alan Trammell, Larry Walker
• Adam Rubin: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith
• ***Barry Bloom: Not Dale Murphy
• Bob Brookover: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro
• Murray Chass: Jack Morris
• Ron Chimelis: Fred McGriff, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio
• John Delcos/MMO: Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Jeff Bagwell, Fred McGriff, Jack Morris, Don Mattingly and Tim Raines
• ***Tony DeMarco: Not Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, McGwire or Palmeiro.
• Bob Klapisch: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell
• Ken Rosenthal: Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Tim Raines, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell
• ***Peter Gammons: No to: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens… Yes to: Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Edgar Martinez, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell,
• ***Pedro Gomez: No to: Jeff Bagwell,
• ***Phillip Hersh: No to: Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza…. Yes to: Craig Biggio, Alan Trammell, Tim Raines
• Jack McCaffery: Pete Rose (write-in), Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling and Alan Trammell
• Pat Hickey: Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Jack Morris, David Wells, Alan Trammell, Tim Raines
• Bob Ryan: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Jack Morris, Piazza, Tim Raines, and Curt Schilling
• TR Sullivan: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jack Morris, Rafael Palmeiro, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Sammy Sosa, Alan Trammell
• Garry Brown: Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Edgar Martinez, Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio
• ***Nick Cafardo: Craig Biggio,
• Jeff Jacobs: Curt Schilling, Jeff Bagwell, Jack Morris, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza
• Sam Carchidi: Pete Rose (write-in), Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith
• Fred Klein: Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Lee Smith, Jack Morris, Edgar Martinez, Alan Trammell and Curt Schilling
• Richard Griffin:  Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Larry Walker, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio
• Charles Scoggins: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Mark McGwire, Dale Murphy, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith
• Tim Brown: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and Larry Walker
• Jay Dunn: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Fred McGriff, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell, and Bernie Williams
• Lynn Henning: Jeff Bagwell;Craig Biggio; Barry Bonds; Roger Clemens; Edgar Martinez; Mike Piazza; Tim Raines; Alan Trammell
• David Lariviere: Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Lee Smith, Fred McGriff
• Jose de Jesus Ortiz: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Bagwell, Criag Biggio, Sammy Sosa and Mike Piazza and Rafael Palmeiro
• Phil Rogers: Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Mike Piazza, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell, Alan Trammell, Craig Biggio and Larry Walker
• ***Mark Kreidler: Craig Biggio
• David Lennon: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling
• Tom Deinhart: Dale Murphy, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Jack Morris, Lee Smith.
• ***Michael Silverman: Yes to: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza… No to: Sammy Sosa, or Jack Morris
• Jim Caple: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell, Mike Piazza, Edgar Martinez, Curt Schilling and, Jack Morris
• Tim Kawakami: Dale Murphy, Jeff Bagwell, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, Craig Biggio
• John Lopez: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio
• Mike Nadel: Craig Biggio, Jack Morris, Curt Schilling, Tim Raines
• Steve Buckley: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines and Curt Schilling
• Marc Maturo: Pete Rose (write-in), Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Craig Biggio, Jack Morris, Rafael Palmeiro, Mike Piazza and Tim Raines
• Mike Lefkow: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Mike Piazza, Lee Smith
• Martin Fennelly: Craig Biggio, Tim Raines, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell and Larry Walker
• Jim Ingraham: Craig Biggio, Kenny Lofton, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Jack Morris, and Tim Raines
• Dave Albee: Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio
• Buster Olney: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro, Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa
• Ron Kroichick: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio
• Larry Stone: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Edgar Martinez, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Alan Trammell, Larry Walker
• Geoff Baker: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Alan Trammell, Jack Morris
• Tracy Ringolsby: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell and Larry Walker
• Roch Kubatko: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Tim Raines, Lee Smith and Alan Trammel, Mike Piazza
• Frank Clines: Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Mike Piazza, Lee Smith, Sammy Sosa and Alan Trammell
• Bob Hille: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Rafael Palmeiro, Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa, Alan Trammell
• Gary D. Howard: Don Mattingly, Jack Morris, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith
• Stan McNeal: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling
• Henry Schulman: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Jeff Bagwell, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and Lee Smith, Craig Biggio
• Mike Imrem: Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Kenny Lofton, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith, Sammy Sosa
• Barry Rozner: Barry Bonds, Craig Biggio, Tim Raines, Lee Smith, Jack Morris, Curt Schilling
• Bruce Miles: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell
• Scot Gregor: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling
• Jon Becker: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Edgar Martinez, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Sammy Sosa, Alan Trammell, Larry Walker
• Mel Antonen: Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Mike Piazza, Edgar Martinez, Alan Trammell and Lee Smith
• Troy Renck: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and Alan Trammell.
• Richard Justice: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Edgar Martinez, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Alan Trammell

• Kirby Arnold: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling, Lee Smith and Alan Trammell.
• Bob Sherwin: Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez, Mike Piazza, Jack Morris
• Jim Street: Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and Lee Smith
• Joe Henderson: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Mike Piazza
• Mike Fine: Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Edgar Martinez, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro, Tim Raines, Lee Smith, Larry Walker
• ***Pat Caputo: No to: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, Rafael Palmeiro, Jeff Bagwell and Mark McGwire
• Tim Cowlishaw: Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Edgar Martinez, Mark McGwire, Tim Raines, Larry Walker
• Joe Capozzi: Tim Raines and Jack Morris
• Mark Faller: None
• Jeff Flanagan: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, Tim Raines, Lee Smith and Jack Morris
• Peter Kerasotis: Don Mattingly, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell
• Danny Knobler: Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Tim Raines
• John Tomase: Jeff Bagwell, Curt Schilling, Alan Trammell, Mark McGwire, Mike Piazza, Jack Morris, Edgar Martinez
• Jorge Ebro: None
• Ron Rapoport: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Edgar Martinez, Mike Piazza, Lee Smith, Rafael Palmeiro, Alan Trammell
• John Perrotto: Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Edgar Martinez, Rafael Palmeiro, Curt Schilling, Alan Trammell, Larry Walker
• ***Dave Van Dyck: No to: Craig Biggio
• ***Fred Mitchell: No to: Craig Biggio

Congrats To Craig Biggio!!!

Hope Craig Biggio makes it when the remaining 85% of the ballot comes out, he deserves it. A member of the 3,000 hit club, and a fellow Seton Hall Pirate.

The Mariners have agreed to terms with outfielder/DH Raul Ibanez on a one-year contract worth $2.75 million plus incentives. Ibanez is coming off a 2012 season for the Yankees in which he batted .240/.308/.453 for the Yankees with 19 home runs in 425 plate appearances. The 40-year-old Ibanez previously played for the Mariners from 1996-2000 and 2004-2008.

Losing out on both Swisher and Ibanez could force the Yankees to boost their efforts to sign Scott Hairston.

Closer Joel Hanrahan is on his way to the Boston Red Sox after the Pirates agreed to trade the two-time All-Star in return for outfielder/first baseman Jerry Sands, right-handed pitching prospect Stolmy Pimentel, and two more  prospects yet to be named. One of those players may or may not be reliever Mark Melancon.

Hanrahan is set to be a free agent after the 2013 season and was 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 36 saves for the Pirates in 2012. He had 40 saves in 2011 for Pittsburgh. The 31 year old was named to the National League All-Star team in 2011 and 2012. He was due a hefty raise this offseason, his final year of arbitration, expected to be about $7 million. Hanrahan was 10-8 with a 2.59 ERA in parts of four seasons with the Pirates. Jason Grilli will take over as closer for the Pirates following the trade.

Sands, 25, batted .244/.325/.376 with the Dodgers before being traded to the Red Sox as part of last August’s blockbuster. At Triple-A last season, Sands batted .296/.375/.524 in 119 games. He has tremendous raw power and can play either corner outfield spot. The 22-year-old Pimentel has a 4.37 ERA and a 1.326 WHIP across parts of six minor-league seasons. In 589 innings, he’s struck out 477, walked 191 and given up 57 homers.

Finally, on a sad note, former Major League infielder Ryan Freel has died at the age of 36. The cause of death was reportedly a self-inflicted shotgun blast, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Authorities are treating Freel’s death as a suicide. An eight-year Major League veteran from 2001-09, Freel spent the bulk of his career with the Reds from 2003-08 and rose to become an everyday player and fan favorite for his gritty play and hustle. He made his Major League debut with the Blue Jays in 2001. His career batting average was .268. He also stole 143 bases. Very sad news. Prayers for him and his family.