Atlanta Braves Campaigning To Get Dale Murphy
Into Hall Of Fame

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 19 November 2011 08:01:24 PM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

Atlanta Braves Campaigning To Get Dale Murphy Into Hall Of Fame By Mark Bowman, MLB.com ATLANTA — Bobby Cox, Phil Niekro, Pete Van Wieren and many of the most respected figures in Atlanta Braves history have long said they believe … Continue reading →

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-murphy-into-hall-of-fame/

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Clint Barmes Deal: A Mistake for the Pirates

post from Beyond the Box Score on 19 November 2011 07:02:17 PM. © Beyond the Box Score

The Pirates are nearing a deal with Clint Barmes, apparently for two years at roughly $11MM. Though it seems like quite a friendly deal for a guy with a career 74 wRC+, it's not a big overpay. The deal pays him to produce at a[...]

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or-the-pirates

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Carlton Fisk 2011 Topps Lineage NICE!!!!

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 19 November 2011 06:00:35 PM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

Carlton Fisk 2011 Topps Lineage – NICE!!!! The last time that I showed off a Carlton Fisk baseball card it was from the 2001 Topps Archives set. I didn’t care too much for the card, and I offered it up … Continue reading →

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Labor deal to include HGH testing (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 19 November 2011 05:41:28 PM. © MLB News Blog

Baseball’s new labor contract will include blood testing for human growth hormone, a rise in the minimum salary to $480,000 and luxury taxes on both amateur draft signings and international free agents coming to the major leagues. Lawyers for players and owners are working to complete a memorandum of understanding on changes to sport’s collective [...]

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Twins liabilities in the Rule 5 draft

post from The tenth inning stretch on 19 November 2011 05:01:46 PM. © The tenth inning stretch

Every year at the winter meetings the Rule 5 draft occurs. This draft (the one that brought Johan Santana to the Minnesota Twins) has 3 parts. The major league part, the AAA part and the AA part. I will try to explain the rules of all 3, because, even[...]

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Beltran Still Makes Most Sense for Giants

post from The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website on 19 November 2011 05:01:28 PM. © The Giants Baseball Blog- A San Francisco Giants Blog and Fan Website

With the Giants continuing their search for outfield help after acquiring Melky Cabrera earlier this month, they have to keep circling back to Carlos Beltran, as he still remains the best fit for the Giants outfield.

We just talked about Beltran possibly heading to Boston in our last post, and Brian Sabean has already gone on record as saying that Beltran would likely be out of the Giants price range. However, despite rumors of him close to signing in Boston, the fact that it hasn't happened yet could signal that he's still keeping his options open at this time. He fits so well with the Giants for a couple of reasons, one of which his contract demands aren't actually that outrageous. He's apparently looking for a 2-3 year deal and it's not like he tore it up so much in 2011 that he's going to command a huge annual salary. In this market, where mediocre players are getting multi-year deals, Beltran at 3 years and $14 million per season doesn't look so bad. Not to mention, if they miss out on Beltran, they're almost assuredly going to sink that money into another corner outfielder, and Beltran is the best one of the market. Another big reason why he fits so well here is because he's a switch hitter and effective from both sides of the plate, which really helps out the middle of the lineup. The Giants need another good hitter to go with Sandoval and Posey in the middle and Beltran is really the ideal fit. I know signing Beltran comes at a risk with his balky knees, but he showed me with his finish in 2011 that he can still put up big numbers in a hurry. If he were asking for 4 years and $60M+, then I'd say hell no, but the fact is he just fired Scott Boras, and isn't asking for the moon.

The names after Beltran when talking corner outfielders is less than inspiring. Other names out there who would be cheaper options over Beltran, but also much less effective hitters, include Ryan Ludwick, Jason Kubel, Cody Ross and Grady Sizemore. Now compare the 2011 seasons between those guys and Beltran and again, you'll being realizing that Beltran on a 2-3 year contract isn't a bad option. I don't see them going after anyone else who will cost a whole lot of money, so money shouldn't be too much of an issue. They could be saving that money for a shortstop, but it won't be Jose Reyes, and I'd personally rather roll with Crawford at short and spend the money on Beltran than give Jimmy Rollins a 3-4 year deal. Then there's the fact the Giants dealt away their top prospect just a few months ago to acquire this guy, and they probably did so thinking they at least had a shot at retaining Beltran after the season. At the same time, the Giants are telling everyone who will listen that they're main goal this offseason is the secure their own players who are scheduled to hit free agency over the next few years. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain have been the most talked about, but there's also Pablo Sandoval, Brian Wilson and Buster Posey who are all in line for big raises in the near future. They need to be careful with their money right now, no question, but I don't see a 2-year investment in Beltran as a bad move.

40-Man Roster Notes: The Giants made some organizational moves Friday, assigning a few key minor leaguers to their 40-man roster and protecting them for the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Among the names added to the roster was former top-prospect Angel Villalona. If you remember, the 21 year-old was the focus of a murder investigation in the Dominican Republic. The charges have since been dropped though, and the Giants will be retaining Villalona and inserting him back into their system this spring. This is a big move for the organization, as they'll be getting back a bright young hitter who's just 21 and was one of the teams top prospects before the incident. I'd expect Villalona to start off in San Jose in 2012, and hopefully he puts the last two years behind him.... Other notable prospects added to the 40-man was outfielder Roger Kieschnick, infielder Charlie Culberson and reliever Hector Correa.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates DFA Eric Fryer

post from Pittsburgh Pirates MLB News - Pirates Baseball Blog on 19 November 2011 04:13:08 PM. © Pittsburgh Pirates MLB News - Pirates Baseball Blog

The Pirates have designated 26-year old righty swinging catcher Eric Fryer for assignment. Fryer played in 10 games for the Pirates in his first taste of the majors last season and he was 7 for 26 (.269 avg, .614 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 0 homers, 0 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He [...]

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The Pittsburgh Pirates DFA Xavier Paul

post from Pittsburgh Pirates MLB News - Pirates Baseball Blog on 19 November 2011 04:09:02 PM. © Pittsburgh Pirates MLB News - Pirates Baseball Blog

The Pittsburgh Pirates have designated 26-year old lefty swinging outfielder Xavier Paul for assignment. Paul played in 121 games for the Pirates last year and he was 59 for 232 (.254 avg, .642 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 2 homers, 20 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. He has now played in 183 games [...]

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Kirby Puckett 1991 Topps Kirby, The Pitcher

Kirby Puckett 1991 Topps – Kirby, The Pitcher??? Check it out, Kirby looks like he is practicing his change-up….

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