Rockies avoid arbitration with OF Smith (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 January 2012 11:10:28 PM. © MLB News Blog

The Colorado Rockies and outfielder Seth Smith have agreed to a one-year, $2,415,000 deal, avoiding arbitration. Smith has spent the last three seasons with the Rockies, playing both left and right field, and has a .275 batting average with 51 homers and 181 RBIs in 487 major league games. He hit .284 with 32 doubles, [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2012/01/16/rockies-avoid-arbitration-with-of-smith-ap/

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Big Moves in the East

post from Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond on 15 January 2012 10:00:52 PM. © Oriole Post - Baltimore Orioles Analysis & News; The World of Baseball and Beyond

Last night the Nee York Yankees traded away their star catching prospect, slugger Jesus Montero and other pieces to the Seattle Mariners. In return the Yankees got Mariners rookie sensation Michael Pineda. Still not finished, the Yankees also consummated a deal for Los Angeles Dodgers free agent Hiroki Kuroda.

The Yankees have officailly set their rotation leaving them room to dump struggling AJ Burnett to free up salary or maybe even trade struggling young starter Phil Hughes.

One question comes to mind, why would the Mariners do this? Montero is a catcher in theory, but all reports have him as being a well below average backstop. His bat is supposed to be stuff of legend, but Seattle is such a vast ballpark I'm not sure how well a power bat like Montero will really play there. Pineda is young, cheap and talented - very talented. This seems like such a lopsided deal right now, lopsided in the Yankees favor. I could sit here and try to soothe the hurt of this by quoting stats that have Pineda being far more human away from Seattle. I could talk about Pineda's fly-ball tendencies and how those will bite him a bit in the wind-tunnel of New Yankee Stadium; but I won't because it doesn't really matter. Pineda is a Yankee, as is Kuroda. They will drink the same magic elixir as Bartolo colon did last year and be co-Cy Young winners.

The Orioles signed Taiwanese pitcher Chen Wei-Yin, and it is a great move. He was considered the best Japanese pitcher coming out this year not named Darvish. The step is a bit bigger than that former statement implies but the fact remains that the guy is talented. If Chen were signed by one of the powers of the AL East it would have been headline news on ESPN. And the Orioles got him, he is young, cheap and has serious upside. It was a great move.

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5 little known facts (and a couple videos) about
Twins' Joel Zumaya

post from The tenth inning stretch on 15 January 2012 08:01:33 PM. © The tenth inning stretch

It leaked earlier today that the Twins have signed Joel Zumaya to a non-guaranteed one year major league contract that will pay him a minimum of $800,000 and a maximum of $1.7 million if he reaches incentives based on appearances, pending a physical that[...]

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n-facts-and-couple-videos.html

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BoSox, Saltalamacchia avoid arbitration (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 January 2012 07:58:25 PM. © MLB News Blog

Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the Boston Red Sox have reached agreement on a one-year contract. The Red Sox announced the deal Sunday and avoided salary arbitration. The 26-year-old Saltalamacchia set career highs with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs last season. He hit .235. Saltalamacchia threw out 28 potential basestealers, the most by a Red [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2012/01/16/bosox-saltalamacchia-avoid-arbitration-ap/

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Hope you enjoy our Classic Yankees series

post from Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog on 15 January 2012 07:00:03 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily » Bronx Baseball Daily, a New York Yankees blog

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http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/2012/01/hope-you-enjoy-our-classic-yankees-series/

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Cardinals confident despite Pujols exit (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 January 2012 06:57:25 PM. © MLB News Blog

Albert Pujols is long gone, and the St. Louis Cardinals seem just fine about defending their World Series title without him. Their fans, too. General manager John Mozeliak got a favorable reception at the team’s annual Winter Warmup this weekend when he revisited the negotiations. Chairman Bill DeWitt is bullish about the moves made with [...]

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2012/01/15/cardinals-confident-despite-pujols-exit-ap/

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Rasmus, Jays agree on 1-year, $2.7M deal (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 15 January 2012 06:53:27 PM. © MLB News Blog

The Toronto Blue Jays and center fielder Colby Rasmus have agreed to a one-year, $2.7 million contract, avoiding arbitration. The Blue Jays acquired the 25-year-old from St. Louis in a three-team trade that included the White Sox in July after the 2005 first-round pick struggled at the plate and clashed with the Cardinals over his [...]

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As, RHP Colon agree on 1-year deal (AP)

The Oakland Athletics and free agent right-hander Bartolo Colon have reached agreement on a one-year deal that will bolster the team’s depleted rotation, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Sunday. Colon’s contract is pending a physical, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team had yet to [...]

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If You Had Just One Vote, Who Would Get It

If You Had Just One Vote, Who Would Get It??? OK, so obviously the major headline this week in both the baseball and baseball card world is Barry Larkin’s election into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I like Larkin, always … Continue reading →

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http://bapple2286.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/if-you-had-just-one-vote-who-would-get
-it/

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Nats, LHP Gonzalez agree: 5 years, $42M (AP)

Gio Gonzalez agreed to a $42 million, five-year contract with the Washington Nationals on Sunday, just three weeks after the left-hander was acquired in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. The deal includes options for two more years. It was the largest guaranteed contract for a pitcher eligible for arbitration for the first time.

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http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2012/01/15/nats-lhp-gonzalez-agree-5-years-42m-ap/

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