It’s never too early to start preparing for your rotisserie or fantasy draft. OK, December is probably too early, but now is the perfect time to get started. Pitchers and catchers haven’t reported yet, but before you know it, draft day will be upon you, and that day can be made less stressful (and more…
THE DODGERS DID IT "We’re not owned by a Murdoch, Disney or Ted Turner, and baseball can’t afford the kind of imbalance where the Dodgers’ Kevin Brown alone makes twice the Montreal Expos’ entire payroll." — Jerry McMorris, Rockies owner "From our perspective, we’re trying to run the business on a stand-alone basis. We felt…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed INF Andy Stankiewicz to a minor-league contract with a spring training NRI; signed LHP Chris Michalak, RHP Steve Mintz and OF Darold Butler to minor-league contracts. [1/25] Signed LHP Mike Magnante to a one-year contract. [1/26] Just in case you’re wondering, Mike Holtz’ window of opportunity is being shut now that the…
When half of your team’s schedule is played in a ballpark that increases run production by fifty percent, the manager has to be able to adjust his thinking to account for that distortion. As the Colorado Rockies’ manager since their inception, Don Baylor has been the only man who has had to operate within this…
The Prospectus Projections Project began last February, when we asked about 40 people to make "human" projections of how 100 hitters and 25 pitchers would perform in 1998. We wanted to see how people would do compared to the computer formulas that appear in such publications as Baseball Prospectus and STATS’ Major League Handbook. In…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed INF Andy Stankiewicz to a minor-league contract with a spring training NRI; signed LHP Chris Michalak, RHP Steve Mintz and OF Darold Butler to minor-league contracts. [1/25] Signed LHP Mike Magnante to a one-year contract. [1/26] Just in case you’re wondering, Mike Holtz’ window of opportunity is being shut now that the…
You might think things would get a little easier for Larry Dierker after his first season when he took over a ill-used Astros’ pitching staff and fashioned it into the best rotation outside of Mazzoneville. That wasn’t going to be the case. The Astros headed into 1998 without three-fifths of the rotation that finished the…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed INF Luis Rivera to a minor league contract with a spring training NRI. [1/15] Agreed to terms with RHP Mark Petkovsek on a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. [1/18] Agreed to terms with RHP Steve Sparks on a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. [1/19] Nothing major here, although you have to wonder why signing…
Felipe Alou‘s annual assembly of a solid pitching staff out of kids and retreads is as sure a thing as a crappy Fall lineup on CBS. However, last year may have been the most challenging of any of his seven seasons as manager of the Expos. Five of the eleven pitchers who started games for…
The biggest off-season move prior to the 1998 season was Boston’s acquisition and subsequent signing of Pedro Martinez. He didn’t come cheaply–first costing the Red Sox &oumu;berprospect Carl Pavano, and then a $75 million, six-year contract–but he was absolutely the type of pitcher that Jimy Williams had to have if the Red Sox were to…
CUBA "This is something that Bud [Selig] and I have been talking about for years. Now that it has been made part of a policy announcement by the president, we need to sit down and talk to all the parties concerned. If everybody is satisfied, we can go forward." — Peter Angelos, Orioles owner "I…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Signed OF Matt Luke to a one-year contract. [1/12] Luke isn’t the world’s worst spare outfielder, except that he isn’t really a good match for the Angels. Left-handed power isn’t something a team with Mo Vaughn and Erstad and Edmonds needs, and a fifth outfielder who gets on base (like Orlando Palmeiro) is…
This year’s Rule 5 Draft was like the winter meetings as a whole, in that it wound up being almost completely a non-event. While previous Rule 5 efforts have seen teams snag some real prospects, Ken Phelps All-Stars, or pitchers who suddenly found an extra 8 mph on their fastball change teams, this year’s big…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Re-signed pitcher Jack McDowell and infielder Randy Velarde to one-year contracts. Signed infielder Craig Shipley to a minor-league contract. [12/7] Designated pitcher Allen Watson for assignment. [12/12] Acquired pitcher Mark Petkovsek from the St. Louis Cardinals for a PTBNL (who turned out to be catcher Matt Garrick). Designated catcher Ben Molina for assignment….
KEVIN BROWN SIGNS WITH LA "I’m in mourning. Not for the Padres, but for baseball." — Larry Lucchino, Padres president "This is an affront to baseball." — Sandy Alderson, MLB’s executive vice president "I don’t mean to criticize Kevin Brown, but it’s a truly tragic day for baseball. It’s extraordinary. It confirms my worst fears…
MO VAUGHN SIGNS IN ANAHEIM "Our ownership has established its desire to take this team to the next level, and Mo [Vaughn] is the type of individual who relishes that challenge." — Terry Collins, Angels manager "Some might look at this and think we’re done. That’s not the case." — Bill Bavasi, Angels GM "Maybe…