MLB Articles - Page 939

Still led by the ever-fiery catcher Yadier Molina, the St. Louis Cardinals have a chance to be the best team in an uber-competitive National League Central divisional battle in 2019, after missing the playoffs last season. For the Cardinals, their season was ultimately ended when they played the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium late in […]

After representing the National League in the 2018 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to retool after being embarrassed by the Boston Red Sox. After handling the Atlanta Braves and barely squeaking by the streaking Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers have a few holes that can be addressed through the trade market in 2019. […]

Coming into last season, the Milwaukee Brewers were expected to make a brief amount of noise but not necessarily compete for a playoff spot. After their acquisitions in late January of both center fielder Lorenzo Cain and eventual MVP winner Christian Yelich, the team took off. Streaking out to lead the National League Central division […]

Coming off a season of mixed emotions that resulted in finished just two games above .500, the Washington Nationals should be fortunate that they only finished 8.5 games back of the National League Wild Card hunt in 2018. But should a team that was led by Bryce Harper have missed the playoffs, yet again? Behind […]

Kyler Murray is hoping to turn his passion for football into a career but realizes he has to give up his baseball career to do so. Murray stopped by the PFT Live set on Radio Row to talk about his desire to get in the NFL. He told the hosts that, much as he’d like to […]

A long-tenured center fielder known throughout the whole league, Adam Jones is still looking for a new home as a free agent. In 2018, Jones played his tenth consecutive season on the Baltimore Orioles, and he was a franchise mainstay while there, racking up four Gold Glove awards, five All-Star Game nods, one Silver Slugger […]

In a season that only saw Kris Bryant appear in 102 games and start 99, his fewest amounts in both categories in his entire four-year career, his numbers suffered as well. Career-lows of a .272 average, 48 walks, 52 RBIs, 13 home runs and 106 hits all dominated his 2018 season, one that ended in […]

Amid the chatter about the Chicago Cubs this offseason, a recent topic has involved cutting costs with their ballooning payroll, which currently sits barely below the luxury tax threshold at $205.9 million. For a team that not only lost its hold on the National League Central crown in game 163 but also lost the Wild […]

In the constant on again, off again rumor mill involving Manny Machado, a few teams have been diagnosed as being “in” on him, most notably the Chicago White Sox. Coming off a miserable year that resulted in the franchise earning its fourth-ever 100+ loss season, change is needed. Having a payroll just a bit over […]

Coming into an offseason filled with the hope of monumental deals being signed and teams wheeling and dealing, the latter has happened more than the former, much to the surprise of most fans. Big free agent deals for superstars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado have both failed to materialize up to this point, making for […]

While the offseason has consisted of the New York Mets being the busiest team in the league, has it truly improved the franchise going forward? First-time general manager Brady Van Wagenen has turned the Mets upside down, making player moves not commonly seen in this day in age in the MLB. Bringing in former All-Star […]

In short, the 2018 season for the Atlanta Braves was leaps and bounds ahead of where the franchise expected to be. Behind an impressive season that saw the team win the National League East division with a 90-72 record, the team dropped one of the NL Divisional Series matchups against the eventual NL winner, the […]

For a team that has been a cellar dweller for so long, their farm system does not reflect that, which is what has been a big-time hindrance for the Miami Marlins, especially after Derek Jeter came in to run the team as CEO. After building a monstrosity of a vibrant ballpark, the team has failed […]

While the New York Yankees enjoyed yet another successful and impressive season, only to lose in the playoffs again, 2018 just did not have a signature Yankees feel to it. While riding the offensive performances of the smash brothers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, other elements of the franchise seemingly did not go how they […]

Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs have been relatively quiet so far this offseason, but that does not mean that the team has not been considering making moves. While Ben Zobrist has been an important piece of the roster over the last couple of seasons, he may be one of the players that they are […]

The Cincinnati Reds have made this offseason interesting with the big trade to acquire Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, and Alex Wood from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, they have made it clear that they want to get back into contention with another big trade, acquiring starting pitcher Sonny Gray from the New York Yankees. According […]

In a recent report, the Philadelphia Phillies, who have constantly been a factor in this offseason rumor mill, seem to be at it again. With a look further down the road, the team is reportedly considering creating an all-MVP outfield no sooner than 2021. Having already added Andrew McCutchen and with eyes on bringing in […]

Amid the circus of the offseason, a constant conversation has been brewing with what has seemed like every team in the league, and the Cleveland Indians: will they trade Corey Kluber? Recently, rumors of a three-team deal that would send him to the Cincinnati Reds have evolved, with the San Diego Padres also being involved […]

Several conflicting reports from national baseball insiders have surfaced over the free agency of Manny Machado in recent weeks. Initially, there were three teams seen as favorites to land the 26-year-old superstar: the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. Now, Machado’s father, Manuel, told Hector Gomez of Z101 Digital that the Dodgers […]

Potentially the biggest free agency period in a long time, both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are out to get their biggest paycheck ever. While Harper looks to be remaining in the National League, according to the rumor mill, Machado has been playing both sides of the fence since his 2018 season ended by striking […]

Chicago Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer recently provided an explanation for the team’s decision to keep Addison Russell on their roster despite some accusations of domestic violence towards his wife Melisa Reidy. Per an article from Bleacher Report, Hoyer appeared on Chicago’s ESPN 1000 and explained that he spoke with several people before coming to […]

On Thursday evening, BetOnline.ag released the official odds on who will draft the two-sport sensation, Kyler Murray. So far, the odds are the Raiders at +325, the Jaguars at +350, the Giants at +400 and then the Cardinals at +500. Murray has been a big part of recent sports media discussion, as many believe that the […]

We are a month away from Spring Training starting and we still have no idea where Sonny Gray will be pitching, but we’re pretty sure it won’t be for the New York Yankees. A lot of teams have been mentioned as possible suitors for Gray, but the team that makes the most sense is the […]

In a tweet from Mass Live beat writer Chris Cotillo, it sounds like the Boston Red Sox are still not a contender for closer Craig Kimbrel. Cotillo mentioned that Dave Dombrowski, the Boston Red Sox President of Baseball Operations, repeated that they are not looking to spend a lot of money on a closer this […]

In a recent report from the Chicago Times, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said that the team is not going to pursue Bryce Harper. This does not come as much of a surprise as the Cubs have not been reported to have much interest in Harper, but being one of the biggest franchises in baseball, […]

In an offseason dominated by rampant rumors, will-he won’t-he scenarios and a lack of activity, where will Bryce Harper sign? The Cubs, White Sox, Phillies, Yankees, Dodgers, Giants and pretty much any other team you can think of has been mentioned in rumors of where the slugging right fielder would be playing baseball in 2019 and […]

Missing the playoffs, firing a manager and extending the interim manager was all that pressed the St. Louis Cardinals during their 2018 campaign, resulting in being in the Wild Card hunt but bowing out towards the end of the season. The team just seemed to run out of gas, something that needs to be addressed […]

Paying for victories has always been the mantra of the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs for the last decade-plus, with the Boston Red Sox sprinkled in here and there. But after paying its way to being crowned as 2018 World Series champions, it is fair to add the Red Sox to […]

After winning a spot in the Wild Card last season, the New York Yankees handily defeated the Oakland Athletics to push them ahead to the American League Divisional Series. The Yankees pushed the eventual World Series champion Boston Red Sox to four games, ultimately giving up 25 runs in a series that the Bronx Bombers […]

With the trade for brother-in-law Yonder Alonso and signing longtime friend Jon Jay, the Chicago White Sox seemingly have put into place multiple members of the noted “305 boys” that Manny Machado was a part of as a youth. Machado entered free agency after taking plenty of heat this offseason due to comments made about […]

Once the clearance came in that C.C. Sabathia could resume baseball activities last week, talks to move Sonny Gray picked up with a number of teams. Jon Heyman reported that six teams were discussing Gray with the Yankees. Today, Heyman reported that the Yankees are continuing to look for starting pitching for 2019 while they […]

Dan Lozano, the agent for free agent infielder Manny Machado, responded sharply today to reports from ESPN’s Buster Olney and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale regarding the contract negotiations between the Chicago White Sox and Machado. Lozano went so far as to cite the Collective Bargaining Agreement and possible violations in the sources that Olney and […]

With the constant turntable of Bryce Harper rumors revolving, it seems as though the Philadelphia Phillies have established themselves, at a minimum, as a constant threat in signing either Harper or the other free agency-headliner Manny Machado. While reports focused on the Phillies’ interest in Machado at the beginning of free agency, it seems as […]

Spring training is right around the corner, and some of the top free agents in MLB remain unsigned, including the two most coveted prizes. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado have not decided where they will call home next season, but the Philadelphia Phillies have been tied to both superstars throughout this entire process. Their budget […]

Last offseason, the Chicago Cubs were fresh off a playoff appearance, looking to continue to make noise and turn their recent World Series success into a long-term plan that brought them back into the dynasty conversation. What last offseason really resulted in for the Cubs was a lot of money spent on one player that […]

Prior to Friday’s submission deadline, the Colorado Rockies and third baseman Nolan Arenado exchanged their arbitration figures for Arenado’s 2019 contract. The two sides now have time to work towards an agreement prior to Arenado’s hearing, which would likely fall sometime in February. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Arenado’s camp has asked for […]

Madison Bumgarner is one of the best pitchers of this generation and arguably the best postseason pitcher of all-time. Despite missing significant time over the last two seasons, the San Francisco Giants have said that Bumgarner is part of their plan moving forward. Farhan Zaidi, Giants’ President of Baseball Operations, said on KNBR that “nobody […]

Two things were certain about the New York Yankees heading into the offseason. First, they needed starting pitching and Sonny Gray was not the answer. Second, they were not happy about seeing the Boston Red Sox hoist that World Series trophy and they will do whatever it takes to make sure it does not happen […]

Free agency in baseball is in full swing, and the two most coveted prizes have not yet been signed. Manny Machado and Bryce Harper still have not decided where they will call home but the Chicago White Sox are doing all they can to make sure Machado is in Chicago. They offered the 26-year-old a deal […]