The 31-year-old was 11-8 last season with the Angels. He finished with a 3.83 ERA and had 139 strikeouts in 176.1 innings. He has at least nine wins in each season of his career and has had a sub-4.00 ERA the last five seasons.

The money for Lackey opened when the Red Sox apparently gave up on signing free agent Jason Bay. Instead, they locked up a pitcher who has pitched very well against Boston in the playoffs recently.

Last offseason, the New York Yankees gave A.J. Burnett a deal worth $82.5 million over five seasons. Lackey wanted a similar deal and he was able to get just that in Boston.

With a strong starting rotation, the Red Sox will likely be right there with the Yankees at the top of the American League.

John Lackey signed with the Boston Red Sox (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

After establishing residency in the tiny country of Andorra, Chapman is now a free agent. There has already been talk that a big league team may be interested in paying him upwards of $50 million. Which teams are possible destinations for Aroldis Chapman? Let’s take a look:

New York Yankees
The Yankees always like to spend money. Considering that starting pitching depth was their weakness this season, signing Chapman makes a lot of sense if they believe he’s a future starter.

Boston Red Sox
Like the Yankees, the Red Sox can use more starting pitching depth. Boston hasn’t backed down from going after international players and Chapman is yet another intriguing prospect.

New York Mets
The Mets need another top of the line pitcher if they hope to become playoff contenders in the National League. Plus, their pockets are deep enough to snag Chapman.

Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have one factor that may make Chapman happy — warm weather. Chapman already said he’s not a fan of the cold. Oh and yeah, the Angels need more starting pitching help.

Florida Marlins
It’s an extreme longshot but the Marlins would be able to keep Chapman close to Cuba. Plus having Chapman on board would likely draw more fans to their ballpark, which is always a concern for the Marlins.

Aroldis Chapman has many possible destinations (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

The Angels actually got on the board first when Bobby Abreu hit an RBI single in the third inning. However, the Yankees got the lead for good in the fourth. Johnny Damon hit a two-run single and then Rodriguez drew a walk with the bases loaded to score Derek Jeter.

Pettitte pitched 6.1 innings and allowed only one earned run while scattering seven hits and striking out six batters. Mariano Rivera pitched the final two innings to notch his second save of the series.

The Angels simply couldn’t get Rodriguez out. A-Rod was 2-2 with three walks. For the series, Rodriguez hit .429 and had an on-base percentage of .567.

In the 2009 World Series, the Yankees will take on the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game 1 of the World Series, the Yankees will send C.C. Sabathia to the mound, while the Phillies will counter with Cliff Lee.

Alex Rodriguez - New York Yankees (Image: Zuma Press)

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The Yankees lead the series 3-2 and need just one more win to make it to the World Series. In the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies are waiting for the American League representative.

In Game 6, the Yankees will go with Andy Pettitte. Pettitte has big game experience and seems to always pitch well at home in the postseason. For the Angels, they’ll likely go with Joe Saunders.

If the Angels win Game 6, the seventh and final game of the series would be on Monday night. In that contest, the Yankees would go with C.C. Sabathia at pitcher. The Angels would probably go with John Lackey — who is regarded as the team’s best starting pitcher.

John Lackey - Los Angeles Angels (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

In a ballgame full of bursts, the Angels struck first by scoring four times in the bottom of the first inning. The Yankees then put six runs on the board in the top of the seventh inning, however the Angels responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero and Kendry Morales each had two RBIs for the Angels. The Yankees best bat of the night belonged to Mark Teixeira, who was 2-for-5 with a run and three RBIs.

The ALCS returns to New York for Game 6 on Saturday with the Yankees leading the series 3-2. The Yankees will send Andy Pettitte to the mound, while the Angels will try to force a Game 7 with Joe Saunders on the hill.

Torii Hunter and the Angels stay alive (Image: Zuma Press)

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The two biggest stars for the Yankees were Alex Rodriguez and C.C. Sabathia. Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBIs and a walk. His big hit came in the form of a two-run homer in the fifth inning.

Sabathia, pitching on short rest, was masterful once again. In eight innings, the hefty lefty gave up five hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out five batters. In the postseason, Sabathia is 3-0 in his three starts and he’s sporting a 1.19 ERA.

The Yankees can book their tickets to the 2009 World Series with a win in Game 5. A.J. Burnett will start for the Yankees, while John Lackey goes for the Angels. The game will be on Thursday in California.

CC Sabathia was great once again (Image: Zuma Press)

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In eight innings of work, Sabathia gave up four hits, one walk and one earned run while striking out seven. It was Sabathia second postseason win in two starts. Closer Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth inning to pick up the save.

To put runs on the board, the Yankees relied on Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Matsui was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk. Rodriguez was 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Jeter was 2-for-5 with one run and one RBI.

The Yankees and Angels will play Game 2 of the ALCS on Saturday. Joe Saunders will be on the mound for the Angels and A.J. Burnett will start for the Yankees.

CC Sabathia wins another playoff game for the Yankees (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Lackey will face a lot of pressure in Game 1. If the Angels want to advance to the 2009 World Series, they will need to quiet the confidence that the Yankees currently hold. To do so, Los Angeles really needs to win the first game of the series.

On the season, Lackey was 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA. Since breaking into the big leagues in 2002 with the Angels, the righty has won at least nine contests each season.

As for the Yankees, they will likely go with a three-man rotation of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte. It’ll be interesting to see if the Angels and their depth at starting pitcher becomes an advantage or if the Yankees can dominate with the three-man staff.

John Lackey - Los Angeles Angels (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

If the Yankees decide to go with the three-man rotation, the rotation will consist of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte.

“We are definitely considering possibly going to a three-man rotation in this round,” said Girardi, “but we’ll have to take a look at it and see how it goes.”

The biggest risk of going with the three-man rotation is Sabathia’s health. The Yankees have a ton of money invested in Sabathia and if he gets injured trying to pitch on shortened rest, that could be a catastrophic mistake.

Whoever is pitching for the Yankees will face a tall task. The Los Angels Angels have a fantastic lineup. In fact, stats point to the Angels having one of the deepest lineups in the history of baseball.

Can C.C. Sabathia handle the load? (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

The ALCS should be extremely exciting. Both teams have very powerful lineups with a lot of star power. In fact, the Yankees and Angels ranked one and two in all of Major League Baseball in runs scored.

What will decide the ALCS? It will most likely come down to starting pitching. And though the Yankees probably have the best starter (C.C. Sabathia), the Angels have more depth and they have a number of pitchers throwing very well. With that said, I predict the Angels to win the ALCS.

In the NLCS, the Phillies and their powerful bats will try to topple the pitching of the Dodgers. No team gave up less runs this year than the Dodgers, while the Phillies led the National League in runs.

Who will win? I just think that the Phillies have too many dangerous bats to ignore. Their weakness in pitching — both starters and the bullpen — is worrisome, but I predict Philadelphia to win the NLCS.

The Phillies are predicted to advance to the World Series again (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve