Kason Gabbard was dealt in 2007 from the Boston Red Sox to the Texas Rangers in a deal that involved Eric Gagne. On Thursday, the Rangers traded him back to the Red Sox in exchange for cash.
The 27-year-old Gabbard is a 6-foot-3 left-hander from Ohio. At the time of the trade, he was pitching in the minor leagues.
Last season, Gabbard had a 4.82 ERA in 12 starts. In 56 innings, he gave up 64 hits and 39 walks, while striking out 33 batters.
In 2007, prior to being traded to the Rangers, Gabbard had a 3.73 ERA with the Red Sox …read more

Eric Gagne, who at times has been an extremely dominant reliever, has signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. Although Gagne has no guarantee of actually making the team, the Brewers will obviously hope that he can recover from the injuries that have derailed his career.
If Gagne makes the Brewers, he will receive at least $1.5 million from the team. That salary could rise to $4.5 million if he meets all of the performance bonuses.
The 2003 Cy Young Award winner had a disastrous 2008 campaign. He finished the season with a 5.44 ERA and only recorded ten saves …read more

Ah, Opening Day. I hope you had as much fun as we did (full report at Ducksnorts). Beyond the thrill of a packed house at Petco Park watching Jake Peavy spin a shutout, here are a few items from Monday that caught my eye:

The Mets beat the Marlins, 7-2. The planet’s best pitcher against a Triple-A squad — who could’ve have anticipated such a result? Uh, everyone.
The Pittsburgh/Atlanta game was insane. The Pirates took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but the Braves tied. Then the Bucs jumped ahead in the 12th, 12-9, before allowing two runs …read more