Jason Bay just finished his long anticipated press conference, and in doing so he wiped away all the mud and filth that sports bloggers and journalists had been flinging since the Mets made him an offer after the Winter Meetings. Last week I warned against all these baseless accusations and innuendo that were casting Jason Bay in a bad light. It’s a wacky world where bloggers think they’re reporters, and reporters would rather make news than [...]

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports that according to one of his sources, the Mets and Red Sox are considering a swap of Mike Lowell and Luis Castillo, but that it’s not known how far along the discussion has gone. Mike Lowell is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $12 million next season, while Castillo is owed the same amount, but over two seasons, not one. I like Lowell who batted [...]

According to Mike Puma of the NY Post, the Mets may now be shifting gears and are turning their attention to obtaining a starting pitcher. Minaya is still trying to strike a deal with free-agent catcher Bengie Molina and has turned attention in recent days to a starting pitching pool that includes Ben Sheets, Joel Pineiro and Jon Garland. Based on many of the reports that are circulating, Pineiro is looking for a three-year deal worth [...]

Despite the ridiculous warnings of impending injuries that would be revealed during his physical, Jason Bay passed his much anticipated physical with flying colors. The anti-Bay contingency must now find another tactic to cast aspersions on this signing after failing to prove that Bay is a defensive black hole or that he had several unreported broken parts that were kept secret. What will they think of next? Luckily, the majority of us who applauded the move [...]

The Philadelphia Phillies have added another pitcher to their staff, signing Danys Baez to a two-year contract pending a physical. The 32 year old Baez missed all of the 2008 season due to tightness in the elbow which required Tommy John surgery, yet he returned in 2009 and went 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 59 appearances last season with the Baltimore Orioles. Baez has 114 career saves including a career-high 41 saves for the Tampa Bay Rays in [...]

According to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN, Carlos Delgado will make his Winter League debut this Sunday. After several delays, free agent first baseman Carlos Delgado will finally be making his winter league debut on Sunday, according to a report out of Puerto Rico. Delgado missed the majority of last season with the New York Mets after undergoing right hip surgery. His delay has been due to complications with that hip. Delgado had originally stated [...]

Just hours after we found out about a deal being in the works to bring Jason Bay to Flushing another significant free agent signing is being reported. ESPN Radio’s Rich Coutinho is reporting that the Mets are close to signing catcher, Bengie Molina, to a two-year deal. Financial terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed. Last season with the San Francisco Giants, the 36 year-old Molina hit .265 with 20 home runs and [...]

Here’s a snapshot of this years free agent market for starting pitchers. I omitted some of the pitchers who quickly re-signed with their teams like Tim Hudson of the Braves, Carl Pavano of the Twins, and Scott Olsen of the Nationals. Of the 29 remaining starters, more than half of them spent time on the disabled list in 2010, and 15 of them started 20 games or less.  Latest Buzz The Texas Rangers are considered to be the [...]

In kind of a surprising move last week, although not really, the Florida Marlins jumped into the sweepstakes for Cuban left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman. The Marlins reportedly offered the young phenom a five-year deal for $13 million dollars. That averages out to about $2.5 million annually. The Red Sox have reportedly offered a similar five year deal for a little more at $15 million dollars. As the Mets continue signing these risk/reward type players like Kelvim Escobar, Ryota Igarashi, and Clint [...]

The Arizona Diamondbacks have come to terms with reliever, Bob Howry, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic [Hat tip MLB Trade Rumors]. Terms of the deal are not immediately available, however it includes an option for the 2011 season and is rumored to be worth somewhere in the ball park of $2 million to $3 million. Last season with the San Francisco Giants, the Arizona native appeared in 63 games and pitched to an [...]