Archives › Craig Calcaterra

Yesterday wasn’t a holiday in Canada, and MLB.com’s Blue Jays guy Jordan Bastian used his working day to get some dish from Toronto.  Among the items he learned: Catcher Rod Barajas is not likely coming back. The Jays won’t offer him a multi-year deal, and other teams may, so the team will go in another…

You know that sinking feeling you get when your team decides to go all-in on some increasingly calcifying veteran free agent on the wrong side of 35? Well, it’s happening less and less: For a group of big-name baseball free agents over the age of 35, last year was a winter of serious discontent. Frank…

Bob Sheppard hasn’t announced games at Yankee Stadium since 2007, but he had not made his retirement official until today: Bob Sheppard served more than 50 seasons as the “Voice of Yankee Stadium,” his clear, concise and correct style proudly providing the soundtracks of summer for Yankees players from Joe DiMaggio to Derek Jeter. One…

I told you something could happen today: The Jays signed shortstop Alex Gonzalez to a one year, $2.75 million deal with an option for 2011.  The fact that they did this one day after signing John McDonald is, well, curious.  Starting McDonald at short would be dumb, but so too is giving him a multi-year…

Doug Miller at MLB.com reminds us that Thanksgiving isn’t necessarily a day off in the hot stove league: Mets GM Omar Minaya might have put it best last year when he told the New York Daily News, “In this business, Thanksgiving is still a work day.” Minaya’s Red Sox counterpart, Theo Epstein, proved that in…

Yesterday Matthew made reference to Justin Duchscherer’s struggle with clinical depression.  ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick goes deep on it in this feature story: Even as Duchscherer’s baseball career blossomed, his personal life began to unravel. He separated from his wife, Michele, in April 2007, and their four-year marriage officially ended in late 2008. The ordeal dredged…

MLB.com lists some of the many things we baseball fans have to be thankful for this fine morning: Thanks to Nationals right-hander Craig Stammen, Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis, Marlins club representatives and anyone else who was spotted this past week delivering turkeys and meals to families in need. There is only one word. Thanks…

Someone let ESPN’s Buster Olney know that teams asking the Padres about Adrian Gonzalez are being told to take a hike. Which makes perfect sense.  Gonzalez is cheap, he’s the only draw left in San Diego, and it’s season ticket renewal time. Trade him now and not only do you not likely get value back (wait until…

And I’m not just saying that because I’m a Braves fan.  MLB.com’s Braves expert Mark Bowman thinks so too, reporting that Wagner’s agent has been in contact with Atlanta and making the excellent point that, though signing Wagner may very well cost a team a first round pick, the Braves are unique in that their…

Yahoo!’s Tim Brown reports that Tim Lincecum’s agents could file a $23 million arbitration figure if the Giants don’t come to their freakin’ senses and buy out the guy’s arbitration years. $23 million would dwarf the previous largest request — Derek Jeter asked for $18.5 million in 2001 before settling on a ten-year contract.  The largest…

Last week Aaron ran down the Red Sox’ shortstop options. Among the possibilities? Signing free agent Marco Scutaro.  That possibility is inching closer to reality, as the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman is reporting that Boston is, in fact, sniffing around Scutaro. Scutaro hits better than Alex Gonzalez, and for a team that lived and won a lot of…

Frank McCourt — who owns a baseball team worth close to a billion dollars, multiple luxury homes and eats out at fancy schmancy restaurants seven nights a week — claims that he’s got a cash flow problem: Mr. McCourt’s filing paints the picture of a man who, relative to his lifestyle, is operating without much…

Johnny Damon, speaking to the press at a light switch-flipping event at the Empire State Building yesterday: “I know what’s here in New York – you have the new Stadium, you have the great coaches, you have the great players. You guys just have to tell Cash to get things going with me. I’m up…

And now for your daily Roy Halladay rumor. This one, from Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the Daily News, sounds a bit bolder than your usual “Team X may be considering possibly maybe potentially trading for Roy Halladay” stuff: The Red Sox are “putting on a full-court press” to acquire Roy Halladay, according to…

One of the worst things the Mets ever did — and believe me, there’s a long list to choose from — was to go wacky with their uniforms in the past few years.  Those blue things from the 80s were bad enough, but the black caps and alternate jerseys they introduced a few years ago are more or…

Here are the overall number one picks from the past decade:  Adrian Gonzalez; Joe Mauer; Bryan Bullington; Delmon Young; Matt Bush; Justin Upton; Luke Hochevar; David Price; Tim Beckham; Stephen Strasburg. Guess which one the Royals just acquired! If your answer is “the worst one,” well, you’re wrong, because that would be Matt Bush and…

More Peter Gammons.  This time, as is his wont, plainly yet eloquently states why we shouldn’t listen to any of the owners cry poverty this offseason: As unpleasant as it may be, go back to the bleak midwinter of 1994-95, and the strike that canceled the World Series. Revenues at that time were in the $1.5…

Peter Gammons who, lest we forget, was working the news and rumors beat when Rosenthal and Heyman were watching “Superfriends” in their mammas’ rumpus rooms, has a number of nuggets this early afternoon: – The Yankees are content to enter spring training with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes ready to work as starting pitchers, slotting…

Brian Cashman, on how the Yankees will proceed in the free agent market: “I don’t want to make the mistake of having a conversation with somebody else’s agent and it plays out as if I’m pursuing that guy, and somebody misinterprets it (and) that means I’m not pursuing our guy.  We’re not even at that…

Last year the Angels balked when the Jays demanded either Jered Weaver or Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar and prospect Peter Bourjos for Roy Halladay.  I would have balked too, that’s way too steep.  Now, however, it appears that the Jays are being more reasonable, and that may get the Angels back in the game: A…

The Strib’s Joe Christensen reports that “there are indications the team hopes to have a new deal with [Joe] Mauer by Christmas.” Um, “indications the team hopes to have. . .” So is it unclear whether the team really hopes to have a deal done, or do they definitely hope to have a deal done and there are…

You know how those buildings over the left field bleachers at Wrigley have ads and stuff on them?  Well, the Cubs don’t like it all that much. At least when the ads are for casinos: The Cubs have fired the opening salvo in a dispute against a local casino, erecting two signboards in the back of…

Over the weekend, Bobby Jenks complained that the White Sox brass keep getting on him for being out of shape.  Kenny Williams isn’t all that interested in backing off: “If he’s upset that it’s continuously brought up, then he should work on it and get it to where it’s not an issue . . .…

The NL MVP, the final major postseason award, will be announced today.  While we could maybe argue about Rookie of the Year and while reasonable people could potentially disagree about the NL Cy Young, the BBWAA has basically gotten the awards right on the money for two straight years now, so there’s very little reason…

The Detroit News’ Lynn Henning is speculating/fantasizing this morning about the Tigers trading Miguel Cabrera.  Cabrera for Clay Buchholz is mentioned.  Like so many other stories this time of the year it’s based on nothing other than a no comment from a General Manager and informed speculation (i.e. the fact that the Red Sox could…