MLB Articles - Page 935

There has been plenty to talk about in MLB circles as of late. From the numerous extensions handed to star players around the league to ongoing discussions between the league offices and the MLBPA, the past few months have provided plenty of storylines. However, one of the more neglected trends has been the unfortunate amount […]

Sometimes a person is forced to eat crow. That was my first thought when I heard the news that future Hall of Fame outfielder Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels had agreed to a 12-year, nearly $430 million deal. Two weeks ago, I laid out the case for trading Trout before the 2019 trade […]

In the MLB, the word ‘overpaid’ brings up some not-so-good memories for certain fan bases. Alex Rodriguez for both the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, Chris Davis for the Baltimore Orioles, Bobby Bonilla and the New York Mets, and Jason Heyward and the Chicago Cubs. While these players are all currently or have been […]

When Bryce Harper was drafted by the Washington Nationals with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft, he was thought to be the savior of the organization. The Nats had not had a single winning season since they came to Washington, D.C. from Montreal in 2005. But Harper–who had been one […]

After months of toiling away at your favorite MLB writers’ Twitter accounts for free agency updates, reading about the growing tensions between the league offices and the MLBPA, and– wait, they aren’t really changing the distance between the mound and the plate are they??? (no, not yet)– hearing about some crazy propositions for changing the game and […]

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout joined forces with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck for a hilarious ad for BodyArmor, the official sports drink of the NCAA. The ad is slated to air on Thursday on CBS when No. 4 seed Florida State takes on top-seeded Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 for the West […]

In 2018, the National League Central division had its fair share of tough battles down the road, as the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs battled back and forth for the right to win the divisional crown. With 162 games not being enough, a tiebreaker was needed to solve the tie. The Brewers, after going down […]

If the 2018-19 MLB offseason has made anything clear, it is that star players are getting paid. Despite a lengthy process, both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper ended up with record-breaking deals in free agency. Even more notably, stars such as Nolan Arenado, Mike Trout, Chris Sale, Paul Goldschmidt Justin Verlander and Alex Bregman got big […]

The Chicago Cubs have reached a four-year extension with starter Kyle Hendricks, according to multiple sources: Kyle Hendricks has just agreed to a four-year extension with a club option for a fifth season. pic.twitter.com/YW7j8deGwv — The Pedro Gomez Foundation (@PGFoundation_) March 26, 2019 Correction: Deal is four years, $55.5M. Option is a vesting option, not […]

With the constant stream of money being funneled to players recently in the MLB, big-time contracts are being handed out to any players who have been on the level of what a superstar is. Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado, Mike Trout, Blake Snell, and Paul Goldschmidt have all been forced into a new tax […]

The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a five-year extension with left-handed ace Chris Sale: That’s our ace. #SaleDay pic.twitter.com/Ri3P4UGlCW — Red Sox (@RedSox) March 23, 2019 Ace Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a five-year contract extension in the $150 million range, pending a physical, league sources tell ESPN. […]

So much for a quiet MLB offseason. While the first few months of the winter felt fairly quiet, the signings of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper appear to have created a butterfly effect on the rest of the league. The Los Angeles Angels–feeling the pressure of retaining the best player in baseball–awarded Mike Trout with […]

CLUTCH Summary: A pioneer in baseball, Ichiro Suzuki was not only one of the best Seattle Mariners players ever, but is a sure fire Hall of Fame talent. So popular internationally, Ichiro was known on a first name basis as if he were Oprah.  There will unlikely ever be another player as talented, with as […]

In a 162-game season MLB, there is always room for shock and awe in Major League Baseball. And then there are teams like the Baltimore Orioles, who will field one of the most anonymous teams in baseball history this season. Yet even on non-contenders, compelling players and storylines are sure to emerge. Prospects like Vladimir […]

The baseball community was certainly surprised that the free agency period dragged on so long for both Manny Machado. But perhaps more shocking was that the San Diego Padres–a team that has not made the playoffs in over a decade–were the team to sign Machado to a franchise-altering mega deal. Machado not only makes the […]

CLUTCH Summary: Mostly known for his stint with the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki will head to Cooperstown to be in the Hall of Fame without a doubt. Arguably the greatest hitter in the history of MLB, no one rivaled his ability to get infield hits.  In era dominated by steroids and home runs, Ichiro Suzuki […]

The list of star players signing big extensions continued on Thursday afternoon, as St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt agreed to a five-year, $130 million contract to stay with his new team: #STLCards close on an extension with 1B Paul Goldschmidt, sources tell The Athletic. Deal will be for at least five years and at […]

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a five-year, $50 million extension with AL Cy Young award winner Blake Snell, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN: BREAKING: Reigning AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a five-year, $50 million contract extension, league sources tell ESPN. The deal […]

In a time that members of a starting rotation do not necessarily toe the rubber first in a game, the MLB is facing an identity crisis of sorts… but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Historically, pitchers have been known for their durability, as starters used to throw 200 pitches in a game and […]

Expectations are always hard to follow through on, especially in professional sports. Injuries, flashes in the pan, players not developing on expected timelines, all of these aspects ring true in some shape during a typical MLB season. In 2019, the league has seen offense overtake and dominant the gameplay, as players are using advanced stats […]

Spring Training is the time of year that all MLB fans look forward to as the unofficial official start to spring. While teams must travel to warm areas of the country to avoid the cold weather taking over the vast majority of the states, the scent of spring and the sound of bats cracking can […]

Following 18-plus seasons in the MLB and 3,089 hits, Ichiro Suzuki officially announced his retirement at the conclusion of the Seattle Mariners’ two-game set with the Oakland A’s in Japan: #Baseball: #IchiroSuzuki to announce his retirement: source#イチロー #MLBhttps://t.co/LhK0nfkxGq — Kyodo News | Japan (@kyodo_english) March 21, 2019 BREAKING: Ichiro Suzuki has told the Mariners he […]

The Chicago White Sox and star prospect Eloy Jimenez have reached a six-year, $43 million dollar extension with a pair of club options that could bring the total value of the contract to a maximum of $77 million: Eloy deal with #WhiteSox will be six years, $43M with two club options, source tells The Athletic. […]

Coming into the 2019 MLB season, there is a definitive pecking order in terms of who is expected to compete for divisional crowns and beyond, and who is expected to compete for the first overall selection in the 2020 draft. Certain regulars, like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Houston […]

Having run support to back up a sterling performance on the mound is key to any pitcher’s success, regardless of they start or come in out of the bullpen. While the New York Mets enjoyed a resurgent season from their starting rotation, their offense decided not to join the party, making Jacob deGrom and company […]

In 2014, San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner had one of the most memorable World Series performances in history. The imposing left-hander won both of his starts against the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 and Game 5, then threw five innings of two-hit ball in Game 7 on a mere two days of rest […]

Opening Day is on the horizon, and one of the greatest closers in the modern era remains unsigned. That’s right, Craig Kimbrel is still unemployed. The 30-year-old notched 42 saves and won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox last season, but he also struggled mightily. Kimbrel allowed seven runs in just over 10 […]

Starting pitchers, or all pitchers for that matter, across the MLB are facing a bit of a crisis over the course of the past few seasons. Hitters are becoming more powerful, increasing their bat speed and launch angles through analytics to boost their averages and home runs totals. But pitching is in good hands, as […]

After posting a record season, that included both good and bad records, Jacob deGrom is looking to continue his success on the round as a member of the upstart New York Mets. Headlining their rotation for yet another season, deGrom will team up with longtime teammate Noah Syndergaard to hopefully help lead this team back […]

When Manny Machado and Bryce Harper reached record-breaking deals with the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively, the attention of the baseball world turned to Mike Trout. The Los Angeles Angels centerfielder is unquestionably the best player in the game, but has been to the postseason just once in his tenure with the club. […]

Mike Trout has reached a beast of the deal with the Angels. To avoid burying the lede, it is a 12-year, $430 million contract extension. For the first few months of the 2018-19 MLB offseason, Free Agency was relatively dormant. The two biggest superstars on the market–Manny Machado and Bryce Harper–remained unsigned, and most of the […]

After missing the vast majority of 2018 with a triceps strain and a stress reaction on his pitching elbow, Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Yu Darvish is out to actually attempt to validate his contract in 2019. Signed to a six-year, $126 million contract with an opt-out clause after this season, Darvish has a ton of […]

Bryce Harper has dominated all of the headlines in Philadelphia as of late, but the Phillies’ newest superstar is hardly their most important player heading into 2019. No, that distinction belongs to Jake Arrieta. The 33-year-old Arrieta was Philly’s marquee free agent signing last winter, agreeing to a three-year, $75 million deal after failing to […]

For eight seasons, Paul Goldschmidt was like a gunslinger stranded in the desert. Despite being one of the best players in the game and ranking fourth in total fWAR from 2012-18, Goldschmidt was one of the lone bright spots on an Arizona Diamondbacks team that made the playoffs just once during his tenure. Goldy was […]

Over the last four seasons, no team in baseball has won more games (387) than the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs made three consecutive NLCS appearances from 2015-17, winning their first World Series championship in 108 years in 2016. And yet, the past two seasons have ended in disappointment. Chicago led the MLB in run differential […]

For the past six seasons, the National League West has known no king but the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have established a stranglehold on the division in the midst of three straight NLCS appearances and back-to-back World Series berths. While Los Angeles has been busy this offseason, most of the moves the organization has made […]

Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer is one of the best pitchers of this generation. With three Cy Young awards to his name and four consecutive sub-3.00 ERA seasons, “Mad Max” has become one of the most dominant presences on the mound. His reputation as a workhorse has led to six straight seasons of at least […]

The Boston Red Sox were the story of the 2018 season, and at the center of it all was right fielder Mookie Betts. Betts led all of baseball–including pitchers–in fWAR (10.4), batting average (.346) and slugging percentage (.640) while hitting 32 homers, stealing 30 bases and winning his third consecutive Gold Glove. In one of […]

Even after falling to the eventual World Series Champion Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, the Houston Astros have work to do to make it back to that point in 2019. Having lost key contributors in free agency, this team has holes that need to be plugged efficiently in order to replicate […]