Archives › Matthew Pouliot
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Everything from a couple of months ago said that Japanese phenom Shohei Otani had his heart set on playing in the U.S., with the Dodgers, Rangers and Red Sox all pursuing him. However, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times is told by a source that Otani may remain in Japan. Otani, an 18-year-old right-hander,…
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Shane Victorino‘s down 2012 season will likely prevent him from getting a five-year deal as a free agent, but he’s still a very popular free agent: Cleveland is an interesting possible destination, given that the Indians are far from big spenders and already have Michael Brantley to play center field. Victorino would presumably start in…
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Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says both the Mariners and Orioles are showing strong interest in Royals designated hitter Billy Butler. Dutton sees the Mariners as the more likely trade partner, what with their stockpile of arms that includes Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker and James Paxton. The Orioles also have some arms to…
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Joel Hanrahan is an exceptional 76-for-84 saving games for the Pirates the last two years, but he isn’t drawing as much interest around the league as the team has hoped, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Rob Biertempfel. The Pirates recently shopped Hanrahan to a pair of American League teams, only to get the response that…
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Boston’s pursuit of Adam LaRoche ended with the signing of Mike Napoli, but the Red Sox are still talking to Nick Swisher, CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman reports. ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Red Sox are also considering Cody Ross and Shane Victorino as they seek to round out their outfield. Signing one player from that group…
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Personally, I’d be just fine with a $48 million contract. But for a major league pitcher a mere three games under .500 over the course of his career, I can see how that’d be terribly offensive. In Sanchez’s defense, he’s probably just listened to the talk that’s pegged him for at least $70 million over…
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Red Sox lineup a whole lot deeper with Mike Napoli in the middle
Dec 3, 2012, 11:43 AM EDT
Mike Napoli to Boston has long seemed like destiny. That he’s been such a roaring success at Fenway is part of it: Napoli has hit .306/.397/.710 with seven homers in 62 lifetime at-bats in Boston. The Red Sox initially tried to acquire Napoli in 2010, when the Angels weighed parting with him before the deadline.…
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UPDATE: Jon Heyman reports that the deal is done. The Rays have signed James Loney to a one-year, $2 million deal with incentives which could land him an extra million. 1:25 AM: Those hoping the Rays would land a big bopper at first base this winter appear set to be disappointed. Yahoo’s Tim Brown reports…
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Geovany Soto was a free agent for right around 48 hours. He re-signed with the Rangers on Sunday night after failing to come to terms on a deal and getting non-tendered on Friday. It’s a one-year pact with the dollars still unknown. Soto, who turns 30 in January, hit .199/.284/.347 in 176 at-bats for the…
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Here we have Bill Madden’s latest gem of a column, which contains enough strawmen to fill up Citi Field. In it, he promotes Jack Morris and Craig Biggio for the Hall of Fame, and while he doesn’t unequivocally state that they are the only two players he is voting for, the column certainly suggests it. I’ve…
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Brad Lidge, who sat out the remainder of the 2012 season after being released by the Nationals in June, has decided to retire, ESPN’s Jayson Stark reports. The 35-year-old Lidge had a 9.64 ERA in 9 1/3 innings before being let go by the Nationals. Battling both shoulder and elbow problems, he had seen his…
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Well, this is a first. The free-spending Dodgers have no plans to make a run at non-tendered closer Brian Wilson, sources told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Wilson was said to be quite interested in pitching in SoCal with the Dodgers or Angels, but both teams have already signed closers this winter. The…
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The Reds aren’t willing to spend for Michael Bourn or Angel Pagan to upgrade from Drew Stubbs in center fielder, but there is a cheaper alternative available in trade: Colorado’s Dexter Fowler. FOXSports.com’s Jon Morosi reports that the Reds are interested in Fowler, while the Rockies happen to like Reds starter Homer Bailey. There’s no…
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If I had a Hall of Fame ballot — and don’t worry, I do not — I’d put down nine names on it this year: Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and Alan Trammell. Yes, there are some cheaters on that list: three definites and…
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HOF voters: choose Mike Piazza or accuse him of using steroids
Dec 1, 2012, 12:31 AM EDT
Jeff Bagwell gave the Hall of Fame voters an easy way out. Sure, his body of work leaves him qualified for Cooperstown based on the standards for first basemen, but he didn’t bat .300 for his career or hit 500 homers. His one MVP season came in strike-shortened 1994. That’s also the only year he…
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Here’s the official list of Friday’s non-tenders: American League Angels: none Athletics: OF Jermaine Mitchell Mitchell had already been designated for assignment. He had a breakthrough 2011 in Triple-A, hitting .302/.401/.453, but he regressed to .252/.345/.386 for Sacramento last season. Astros: none Blue Jays: C Bobby Wilson Wilson is minor league contract material. The 29-year-old…
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Update: And the Astros have already signed Humber to a one-year deal with a club option for 2014. No word on the terms yet, but a guarantee around $2 million seems likely. /// The White Sox were planning to non-tender Philip Humber before Friday’s deadline, but they went ahead and placed him on waivers beforehand,…
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Francisco Rodriguez has domestic violence charges dismissed
Nov 29, 2012, 7:30 PM EDT
With seemingly no one interested in testifying against him, Francisco Rodriguez had the domestic violence charges brought against him in Wisconsin dropped on Thursday. K-Rod was accused of striking and injuring his 23-year-old girlfriend in September, but the woman later recanted and said that Rodriguez didn’t cause her injuries. Both the woman and a member…
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After consecutive seasons of 99 and 96 losses, the obvious answer for the Twins is to tear it all down. True change, though, hasn’t come to Minnesota in a long time. These Twins have employed two managers in 25 years, with Ron Gardenhire replacing Tom Kelly in 2002. General manager Terry Ryan spent 14 years…
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Phillies lose out on B.J. Upton; will they turn to Michael Bourn?
Nov 28, 2012, 6:34 PM EDT
Michael Bourn was undoubtedly a stronger player than B.J. Upton in 2012, yet something surprising happened when free agency opened earlier this month; Bourn’s most recent team, the Braves, and his original team, the Phillies, both made Upton the priority in talks. Did it have to do with the price tag? Bourn was seeking more…
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Some will raise their eyebrows. After all, the Braves just gave $75.25 million to a center fielder who has hit under .250 four years running. And it’s not a move without risk. Still, Atlanta’s signing of B.J. Upton to a five-year deal should prove fine in time. He’ll strike out a lot and frustrate fans…
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The Reds re-sign Jonathan Broxton to a three-year, $21 million deal
Nov 28, 2012, 8:39 AM EDT
UPDATE: Yes, it was close to Brandon League‘s deal. Ken Rosenthal reports that Broxton is getting three years and $21 million guaranteed. The salaries climb, paying him $4 million in 2013, $7 million in 2014, $9 million in 2015 and either a $1 million buyout or a $9 million option for 2016. That may seem crazy…
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There are a lot of differing opinions out there, educated and otherwise, on just how much performance-enhancing drugs actually enhance performance. On the one side, there’s suspected users like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens pulling off incredible feats at advanced ages. On the other, there’s the long list of proven cheaters littered with names of journeymen…
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San Francisco hospital wants Dodgers to cover Bryan Stow expenses
Nov 26, 2012, 6:12 PM EDT
San Francisco General Hospital is asking the Dodgers for a $1.2 million reimbursement after treating Bryan Stow while he was in a coma last year. Stow was beaten by two Dodgers fans in the Dodger Stadium parking lot following a game with the Giants last March. 20 months later, the Dodgers still haven’t taken responsibility…
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Fort Myers mayor Randy Henderson said this week that he wishes that Lee County had let the Red Sox walk rather than build the team’s new spring training home, which opened last year. The new JetBlue Park was originally supposed to cost $77.9 million, but it sounds like the county ended up spending considerably more. “It…
