MLB Articles - Page 988

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 […]

After jumping out to a huge lead and being forced to fight back from a late-season divisional deficit, the Milwaukee Brewers pulled out their first National League Central Division championship since 2011 and their second ever in franchise history. Riding on the back of NL MVP Christian Yelich, combined with the shutdown bullpen and interesting […]

Just four years ago, the Colorado Rockies were at the very bottom of the NL West standings. Struggling to find good pitching and hampered by aging veterans, the Rockies jettisoned franchise icon Troy Tulowitzki in the hopes of garnering a new sense of direction. Colorado has improved in every year since 2015, culminating in a […]

The St. Louis Cardinals were one of the most polarizing teams in baseball last season. After a 47-46 start, manager Mike Matheny was fired and replaced by bench coach Mike Shildt. The Cardinals would go 6-7 in Shildt’s first 13 games as interim manager before getting red-hot in August, finishing with a 22-6 record in […]

Coming off an MVP season, it is hard to match expectations, especially after they were set so high in the previous year. While Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Christian Yelich rose from being a solid core of the Miami Marlins to the National League MVP in his first season in brewtown is a testament to how […]

Coming off a season that saw him fall well below his offensive outputs in 2017, the year of 2018 for Aaron Judge was something that can best be described as forgettable. Lacking that true lineup protection with Giancarlo Stanton also having a down season, Judge was forced to take on more of the offensive workload […]

Last season, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich won the National League MVP Award after a breakout season in which he nearly won the Triple Crown. Yelich led the NL in batting average (.326), finished second in RBIs (110) and third in homers (36) while posting a 166 wRC+, also tops in the league and fourth […]

Riding their upstart youngsters and a team that exceeded expectations earlier than expected, the Atlanta Braves cruised through the 2018 regular season on their way to winning the National League East divisional crown, something they had not won since 2013. While experts knew that the Braves would have a solid season, not many thought that […]

In what has been a somewhat slow offseason up to this point, the MLB transaction wire has had its highs and lows ever since the World Series ended. While big trades have dominated the ticker, signings have pushed certain teams to higher win totals than previously projected. Here is the list of the ten best […]

After winning two straight NL East division titles in 2016 and 2017, the Washington Nationals bottomed out in 2018. A combination of injuries and a weak pitching staff saw the Nats finish with an 82-80 record, a 15-win decrease from the year before. By season’s end, Daniel Murphy and franchise mainstay Gio Gonzalez were both […]

In a top-heavy division, the Houston Astros have been the dominating team in a five-team race that has left the likes of the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners in the dust, needing a big rebuild to climb back into contention. After pushing the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, the Astros eventually fell […]

Mike Trout has established himself unequivocally as the best player in baseball. While the 27-year-old centerfielder has pair of MVPs and a Rookie of the Year Award on his resume, consider this tidbit: Trout has the highest fWAR (64.0) between 2012 and 2018. The next closest? Josh Donaldson, at… 36.8 fWAR. In other words, Trout […]