Aubrey Huff, that is, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Brett Jacobson. According to Morosi, “In a statement, Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said he liked Huff’s versatility and ‘ability to play numerous positions.’” Does DH and 1B — the only positions he’s played all year — count as “numerous?” Sure, he played a bit of […]

I haven’t linked to Scott Simkus’ excellent blog for a while, but for those who don’t know or have forgotten, Scott does a lot — and I mean a lot — of cool historical stuff, particularly with the Negro Leagues. Today he has something fun: contemporaneous newspaper accounts of Josh Gibson’s bg hits: To follow, […]

I don’t always understand the idea behind hiring ex-jocks to provide general commentary. I mean, does Bert Blyleven really have any greater insight into the pennant races than you do? But when properly deployed, guys like old Bert can be really valuable, such as in this post, where he talks about the art of working […]

The Yankees signed first round pick Slade Heathcott for $2.2 million. I don’t particularly care about that. I post this mostly to register my surprise that “Slade Heathcott” is a ballplayer’s name and not the name of, say, a rakish dandy with ulterior motives attempting to woo a wealthy widow in late Victorian England.

From Heyman, who says that the Nats have offered “at or above $12 million”: While the Nats are offering a contract above Prior’s record deal, Strasburg’s agent Scott Boras is said to be using Matsuzaka’s $52 million bonus as the baseline. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t come off that number. But it likely means they […]

No, wait. It’s just gas: Yankees Class AAA right-hander Russ Ortiz has exercised his right to become a free agent, according to his agent, John Boggs. Ortiz, 35, had the right to become a free agent if the Yankees did not promote him to the majors after three starts. No pushing, no shoving. Everyone gets […]

Royals 3, Tigers 2: A lot of people experience anxiety about taking a day off work. They check their email a lot, allow themselves to be preoccupied, and generally feel as though the office can’t get by without them. This is baloney, of course. The world goes on fine without you. No one is so […]

The Yankees pad their lead, the Rangers close in on Boston and the Marlins refuse to go away.

Because who doesn’t need more baseball in their lives?

Guest contributor Jim Anderson recounts the biggest second-half flops of the divisional era (1969-2008)