Manny Ramirez decided to take the money. Ramirez picked up his $20 million option to stay with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He could have tested free agency but the slugger will take the sure thing.
If the Dodgers had a choice, they probably would have liked Ramirez to opt out. The 37-year-old wasn’t too dominant last season. He hit .290 with 19 homers and 63 RBIs. The most noise he made was when he was suspended for testing positive for PEDs.
Ramirez also angered a lot of people with his antics — as is usually the case. As the saying goes, it’s …read more

After the New York Yankees won the 2009 World Series title, Hideki Matsui was named the World Series MVP. While Matsui had a great Game 6 and hit extremely well, I actually think Johnny Damon should have been named the World Series MVP.
The problem with Matsui winning the MVP is that he is the team’s DH and didn’t have much of a role in the three games played in Philadelphia. How can a player be an MVP of a six-game series in which he only started three games?
Damon, on the other hand, was a pain in Philadelphia’s side the whole …read more

In the middle of the 2009 baseball season, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded star second baseman Freddy Sanchez to the San Francisco Giants. During the offseason, the Pirates wanted to find a replacement second baseman. Following a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, they found their man.
Akinori Iwamura, who was Tampa Bay’s everyday second baseman in 2008 when the team made a run to the World Series, was traded to the Pirates for Jesse Chavez, a relief pitcher. Iwamura will likely become Pittsburgh’s everyday second baseman.
In 2009, Iwamura’s season was cut sure due to a knee injury. The 30-year-old native of …read more

The Texas Rangers have gone on an all out search to find their new hitting coach. Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers’ longtime hitting coach, won’t return for the 2010 baseball season after Texas struggled at the plate this season.
Usually hitting isn’t a problem for the Rangers. Pitching, according to the team’s history, is usually the problem. But this year, the pitching was better than expected but the hitting let the team down. In fact, the Rangers scored less than they did in any of the last 15 seasons. They also posted a low batting average and on-base percentage.
Who will be the …read more

Even after A.J. Burnett pitched so well in Game 2 for the New York Yankees, it wasn’t certain that the Yankees will go with him in Game 5 on only three days of rest. But now, after the announcement by manager Joe Girardi, it is certain.
The Yankees went with C.C. Sabathia in Game 4 on only three days of rest and will do the same with Burnett in Game 5. In Game 2, Burnett pitched seven innings and allowed only four hits and one earned run while striking out nine batters.
While most major league pitchers struggle on only three days …read more

After Mitlon Bradley’s tumultuous season with the Chicago Cubs, the writing is on the wall. It’s only a matter of time before he’s traded. Where will Milton Bradley be traded? Here are his top trade destinations.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays struggled at the plate a bit in 2009. Bat Burrell as the team’s DH was a flop. The Rays could decide to trade Burrell for Bradley and live with his antics.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels had a very good year and featured a dynamic batting order. But with a few of their players aging — namely Vladimir Guerrero — they could see …read more

The San Francisco Giants traded for Freddy Sanchez during the middle of the 2009 baseball season. The marriage apparently is working out well as Sanchez and the Giants agreed to a two-year extension. Terms of the extension have yet to be released.
The 31-year-old second baseman began his career with the Boston Red Sox but made his name with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played with the Pirates from 2004 through the middle of last season. For his career, Sanchez has a .299 batting average and an on-base percentage of .334.
In 25 games with the Giants last season, Sanchez hit .284 with …read more

In the offseason, many baseball experts rolled their eyes when the New York Yankees spent their millions upon millions of dollars to bring in a number of free agents. The Yankees were just wasting more millions on players they didn’t really need, right?
Nope. Not this time, at least.
The Yankees have to be thrilled with what their money was able to buy them in the offseason. Even though C.C. Sabathia lost Game 1 of the World Series, he was fantastic in his first three postseason start. Plus, there will likely be plenty of time in this World Series for Sabathia to …read more

When it comes to players on the Philadelphia Phillies, you may think of Ryan Howard or Jimmy Rollins. Or perhaps you’ll think of Cliff Lee or Cole Hamels. One player who sometimes gets overlooked is Chase Utley — and he may be the team’s best overall player.
In Game 1 of the World Series, not only was he the hero in Philadelphia’s 6-1 victory, he was also busy setting records. His two homers off of C.C. Sabathia made him only the second lefty in World Series history to hit two homers off of a left-handed pitcher in the same game. The …read more

Brad Mills has been the bench coach for the Boston Red Sox for the last half dozen years. Now, the 52-year-old has a team to call his own. The Houston Astros named Mills as their new manager on Tuesday.
The Astros first offered their manager spot to Manny Acta, however Acta decided to instead become the new manager of the Cleveland Indians. With Acta unavailable, Houston turned to Mills.
Although Mills hasn’t been a manager on the big league level, you has plenty of experience on the minor league level. He was a manager in the minor leagues with the Los Angeles …read more