THT Links: Better Late Than Never

I’m trying something new with the Links today by also adding links to the day’s Hardball Times articles at the bottom. Love it? Hate it? As always, you can drop me
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Martinez vs. Tabata – John Sickels breaks down who’s the better propsect: Fernando Martinez or Jose Tabata? I’m bracing for the scathing emails from Yankees fans questioning why I put Martinez first. Trust me, guys, it’s not a conspiracy, I just mentioned them in the order that John does in his article.

Moneyballin’ – The A’s sign outfielder Shannon Stewart to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. To paraphrase Baseball Think Factory poster Miko in this thread, maybe the new market inefficiency is players who suck.

Thanks For All The Fish – Former Blake Street Bomber Vinny Castilla hangs ’em up, and Purple Row responds.

Utility Guy – A fantasy look at players eligible for multiple positions from CBS Sportsline.

Hot Stove Still Simmering – Nothing like a trade rumor to make things interesting. MLB Trade Rumors speculates that Carl Pavano could be on his way out of New York. A pretty thin rumor, but at this point, I’ll take what I can get.

Lima Time – Jose Lima led Puerto Rico to a 1-0 over the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series finale with 8.1 shutout innings. The Dominican lineup featured major leaguers Miguel Tejada, Tony Batista and Nelson Cruz.

Escape From New York? – Rumors are already being manufactured that Alex Rodriguez may opt out of his contract after the season, walking away from a reported $81 million over three years. While that seems insane, J.D. Drew did the exact same thing earlier and ended up getting more money at more years. By opting out at age 32, Rodriguez could conceivably score another big, five to seven year deal, which would be highly unlikely if he plays out his current contract and hits the free agent market at 35.

Reynolds’ Contract Revealed – Deadspin reports that former Baseball Tonight analyst Harold Reynolds’ contract has been leaked out. ESPN fired Reynolds last year and has refused to give cause, with rumors of sexual harassment swirling. Reynolds has sued the media giant.

Today At THT

Hitting Pitchers – Not literally, of course. David examines the best hitting pitchers of today and yesterday, and many other related questions.

The Best Pitchers of All Time – A list of the best major league pitchers since 1900, according to Win Shares Above Bench™.

THT Mailbag: Canadian Edition – Questions from Canada dominate this mailbag, as the Hardball Times staff tackles shoulder injuries and the theoretical limit of projection systems.

THT Links represents the best efforts of our editors in scouring the various tubes of the interweb for both relevant and irrelevant news items. If you have happened upon a story that we have overlooked or wish to give feedback of any sort, please notify us at
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Updated weekdays at noonish, ET.