The American League Central may have a reputation as baseball's skinflint division, but such is not the case: The White Sox, Twins and Tigers each had payrolls over $100 million in 2011 and ranked in the top 10 of highest-salaried ballclubs.
Reports out of Philadelphia have the Phillies considering re-signing closer Ryan Madson to a four-year, $44 million deal. Since converting to relief full-time in 2007, Madson has been one of the game's most underrated relievers, posting a 2.
Hey, I love blaming the manager. You love blaming the manager. It’s as much a part of baseball as peanuts, Cracker Jack and questioning every home run hit from 1993 to 2005, except those hit by David Eckstein.
I never know what to make of spring training injuries. It seems like there have been a lot of injuries this spring (listen to Orel Hershiser talk about all the pitching injuries ) but unless we went back and checked previous seasons, it's difficult to say if that's really the case.
One of the more irritating debates that refuses to end is one that ensues every time there's a rumor that a team might try to convert a successful reliever into a starter. What makes it irritating is that there seems to be a cadre of fans/writers who, specific examples aside, simply don't accept that a good starting pitcher is inherently more valuable than a good reliever.
I love pop flies. That’s not a normal thing, even for a huge baseball fan to say. I know that. But I love watching good pitching, and inducing popups is good pitching. Popups are nearly as good as strikeouts.
Perhaps this isn't the time to rehash the Twins' decision to devote a significant percentage of their relatively limited payroll to a relief pitcher. With Joe Nathan out for perhaps the whole season, let's instead turn to the practical implications: There are not many experienced free agent closers available, meaning the Twins might have to turn to their farm system or make a trade if they chose not to promote another reliever from within the bullpen.
Just doing a little maintenance in Minnesota (and Alabama): As expected, Justin Morneau has had surgery to remove a bone spur from his wrist, just below the back of his right hand. Morneau was spotted in the Wild locker room after their victory over Colorado last night with his hand wrapped up.
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