The Pennant Race - 9/17

Is it Deja Vu all over again? The Mets have lost three straight and are suddenly in second place, one-half game behind the Phillies in the NL East. It all started with a blown two run lead in the ninth to the Braves on Sunday, and has been followed up by two straight losses to the suddenly competitive Nationals. The Mets and Pedro Martinez got spanked on Monday, 7-2, and were shut down last night by Mr. Cy Young himself, Odalys Perez.

Meanwhile, Ryan Howard continues his MVP surge in Philly. The Phils trailed the Braves 7-6 in the eighth inning lats night when Howard unloaded his 45th home run of the season to put the Phillies ahead 8-7. Brad Lidge escaped a bases loaded jam in the ninth to move the Phils into first place.

The Mets also got bad news when they found out Fernando Tatis is probably done for the year with a separated shoulder.

The Rays wrested sole possession of the AL East lead from the Red Sox with a 2-1 walk off win. Dionner Navarro delivered a bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth.

The Twins rallid from an 8-0 deficit to the Indians to take a 9-8, but ultimately lost 12-9 in extra innings on Victor Martinez's walk off home run. The loss dropped Minnesota 2.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central.

The Mets may be out of first place, but they do have the wildcard lead thanks to the Cubs. CC Sabathia lost for the first time since Milwaukee acquired him as he was out pitched by Chicago's Ryan Dempster, who won his 16th game, 5-4.

No movement in the NL West- the Dodgers beat the Pirates 6-2 behind three hit games from Manny Ramirez (.401) and Casey Blake. Dan Haren kept Arizona 4.5 behind the Dodgers with a complete game, 4-hit, 12 striekout shutout over the Giants. Solo home runs by Chris Snyder and Stephen Drew provided the runs in the 2-0 win.

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The Pennant Race - 8/25

Walk-off home runs affected a couple of pennant races yesterday. With the Dodgers having already lost to the Phillies, 5-0, the Diamondbacks had a chance to increase their lead in the NL West. But Padres' outfielder Jody Gerut had something else in mind: a 2-out, 2-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to give San Diego a 4-2 win. The game featured a good duel between starters Jake Peavy and Dan Haren.

Meanwhile, over in the AL, the Twins led the Mariners 2-1 in the ninth inning, but faced with a first and third and no-out situation, they elected to play for the double play. They got it when Jeff Clement bounced into a 6-4-3 twin killing. That sent the game into extra innings where Adrian Beltre decided it in the eleventh inning with a 2-run home run off of Jesse Crain.

While the Diamondbacks remained three games ahead of LA, the Twins fell into second place in the AL Central, one game behind Chicago. That's because the White Sox split a pair of 4-3 games. The first was the completion of a game suspended nearly four months ago in Chicago. The Orioles and White Sox were tied 3-3 when the game was stopped on April 28 in the 11th inning. It would take three more innings yesterday before the Orioles' Luis Montanez knocked in the go-ahead run.

In the regularly scheduled game, Jim Thome's sixth inning home run snapped a 3-3 tie and the White Sox held on to the 4-3 lead. Thome's home run was number 535, putting him one behind Mickey Mantle on the all-time HR list.

The Mets maintained their half-game advantage over the Phillies behind another dominant performance from Mike Pelfrey. The right-hander became the first Mets pitcher to throw consecutive complete games since 1995. Pelfrey is 10-2, 2.90 since the managerial change at Shea. He got plenty of offensive support in the 9-1 Mets win last night as Carlos Delgado hit a pair of 3-run home runs. Since July 1st, Delgado has 14 home runs and 45 RBI in 49 games.

Brett Myers tossed seven shutout innings in the Phillies' 5-0 win over the Dodgers. Myers is 4-1, 1.24 over his last six starts. Last year's NL MVP, Jimmy Rollins, is trying to get his game back in gear and last night helped his cause. A double, triple, walk, two RBI, and a run scored. Manny Ramirez has hit his first LA mud slide- he's in a 5-24 skid.

The Cubs blasted the Pirates 12-3 behind a 3-run blast from Aramis Ramirez and four RBI by Kosuke Fukudome. Ramirez has three home runs and 10 RBI in his last three games. Ted Lilly won his 13th game, beating Jeff Karstens, who looked more like his real self (3 IP, 5 ER). The Brewers were idle, so the Cubs' lead was increased to 5 games.


Other News

The Indians have been out of the race for a long time, but kudos to them for not giving up their season. Their 4-3, 10 inning win over Detroit last night was their eighth straight. Grady Sizmore homered twice in the game, making him only the second Indians player, along with Joe Carter, to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. He has an excellent chance to join Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, and Alfonso Soriano as the only members of the 40-40 club.

The Twins got some bullpen help yesterday, acquiring lefty reliever Eddie Guardado from the Rangers for minor leaguer Mike Hamburger. There was no side of fries.

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The Pennant Race - 8/21

You just get the feeling that for the second straight year, the Mets and Phillies will come down to the final weekend to determine the NL East winner. The Mets are playing good baseball, but they haven't been able to put much cushion between themselves and the Phillies since moving into first place.

Mike Pelfrey has really stepped up this season and did again last night, limiting the Braves to three hits in a complete game, 6-3 Mets victory. David Wright continued his run at the NL MVP with his 24th home run and 97th RBI. Rookie Dan Murphy's two RBI gave him 11 in 18 games and he's batting .404 in 47 at-bats.

The Phillies got a complete game of their own from Brett Myers, who scattered nine hits in shutting down the Nationals 4-0. Washington has lost 12 straight. After a brief stint in the minors, Myers has returned to form and is 3-1, 1.47 in his last five starts.

The Marlins' hopes are fading away. They dropped a 6-5 game to the Giants last night that put them 5 games behind the Mets and 7.5 behind the wildcard-leading Brewers. Florida rallied for 3 runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, but Bengie Molina's sac fly won it for the Giants in the bottom of the ninth.

Speaking of the Brewers, they got themselves back to within 5 games of the Cubs with a 5-2 win over the Astros. J.J. Hardy hit a 2-run home run to help Manny Parra win his 10th game. Ryan Braun sat out for the 9th time in 11 games due to lower back soreness.

The Reds edged the Cubs 2-1 despite starter Ted Lilly allowing just two hits over seven innings.

The Cardinals remained 2.5 behind the Brewers in the wildcard with an 11-2 thumping of the Pirates. Todd Wellemeyer won his career-high 11th game and reached the century mark in strikeouts for the first time.

The Diamondbacks moved two games ahead of the Dodgers with an 8-6 win over the Padres. Neither starter Dan Haren nor Jake Peavy was good, but after allowing four runs in the first inning, Haren settled down to get the win. Adam Dunn belted a 3-run home run, his 34th of the season.

The Rockies played spoilers, beating the Dodgers 4-3. The Dodgers lead 3-0 early, but Brad Hawpe almost single-handedly beat LA. He reached on an error that cut the lead to 3-2, singled in the game-tying run in the seventh, and singled again in the ninth to drive in the go-ahead run.


There was no movement in the AL Central standings as both the White Sox and Twins were daytime winners. Chicago got four home runs in a 15-3 rout of the Mariners. Ken Griffey Jr. tied Sammy CheaterSosa with his 609th career home run, and his first in Chicago. Gavin Floyd earned his 13th win.

Francisco Lirano and four pitchers pitched the Twins to a 3-1 win over the A's. Little-used reserve Mike Redmond drove in two runs.

The AL East's top two teams remained 4.5 apart as they both lost last night. The Angels beat the Rays 5-4, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit, and then winning after blowing a 4-3 lead. Garret Anderson's ninth inning single was the game winner. K-Rod notched his 48th save.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but it was all Baltimore after that as the Orioles won it 11-6. Melvin Mora, who had four RBI, and Ramon Hernandez each hit 3-run home runs. Clay Buchholz was hammered for five runs in 2.1 IP and is reportedly headed back to Pawtucket.

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The Pennant Chase - 8/15

NL EAST

Look out, the Mets train is steam rolling along. They're now in sole possession of first place after beating the Nationals for the third straight night. Meanwhile the Phillies were swept by the Dodgers in a four game series.

Oliver Perez struck out eight in six-plus innings and Carlos Delgado continued his torrid second half with his 26th home run as the Mets rolled to a 9-3 win. After practically being left for dead through the end of June, Delgado hit .357 with 9 home runs and 24 RBI in July. He's added 3 home runs and 9 RBI in 12 games in August.

The Phillies meanwhile managed only 2 hits off of Hiroki Kuroda in seven innings. Manny finally went hitless, but Matt Kemp stepped up with his 14th home run of the season. On the bright side, the Phils got another solid outing from Brett Myers.

NL WEST

The Dodgers couldn't break their first place tie with Arizona though, as the Diamondbacks topped the Rockies 6-2. Dan Haren won his 13th game with help from home runs by two of the Chrises, Young and Burke.

The Diamondbacks sent catcher Wilkins Castillo to the Reds as part of the Adam Dunn deal.

The Dodgers reportedly put in a claim on Ronnie Belliard to keep him from going to the Diamondbacks, who are in need of a second baseman after the season-ending injury to Orlando Hudson.

NL CENTRAL

The Cubbies extended their lead over the Brewers to 4.5 games with an 11-7 win over the Braves. Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano homered to back Ted Lilly's pitching. Lilly almost incited a brawl when he hit Yuniel Escobar on the arm. There were no ejections though the benches emptied. The pitch was thought to be retribution for Soriano being thrown out the night before. Ramirez also had to leave the game with a bruised hip.

Mark Kotsay went 5-5 for Atlanta and became the second Brave, (Albert Hall was the other), to hit for the cycle.

Jake Peavy outpitched Ben Sheets as the Padres edged the Brewers 3-2. The Cardinals kept pace with a 3-0 behind Todd Wellmeyer's seven and two-third innings of 3-hit ball.

AL EAST

Tampa lost Troy Percival to the DL again, but after blowing a ninth inning lead they beat the A's 7-6 in 12 innings. Percival's leg injuries will make the Rays look elsewhere for a closer next season.

Dice-K and the Red Sox pounded the Rangers again, 10-0, after putting 9 on the board in the second inning.

AL CENTRAL

The White Sox moved a full game ahead of the idle Twins with a 9-2 pasting of the Royals. Chicago outscored KC, 22-2, in the three game series. The Chisox tied a major league record in the sixth inning when Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Alexi Ramirez, and Juan Uribe connected for four consecutive home runs. Hawk Harrelson must have wet his pants.

The Twins meanwhile claimed Jarrod Washburn off waivers from the Mariners in an effort to block him from going to the White Sox. The Tigers claimed Raul Ibanez from the Tigers- for what reason we have no clue. Neither team was able to work out a deal though, and both players will stay put. A really poor job by the M's in their handling of Washburn. They could have dumped his contract on the Yankees quite easily.

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Around the Horn - 7/31

The Phillies and Mets continue to play leap frog in the NL East. The Phils took a half game lead last night with an 8-5 win over the Nationals. Chase Utley and Shane Victorino both went deep to help Jamie Moyer pick up his 240th win, 12th best (tied with Frank Tanana) among left-handers.

The Mets meanwhile couldn't hold an early lead and red hot Mike Pelfrey was cooled off by the Marlins 7-5. The Marlins sit just 1.5 games back.

Garret Anderson put up a 4-hit, 4 RBI night as the Angels beat the Red Sox 9-2. It was LA's second three game sweep of the Red Sox this month. The Rays gained a game on Boston with a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Colorado still can't make up its collective mind as to buy or sell today. Had they lost three straight to the Pirates they probably would have been sellers. But the Rockies snapped the 2-game losing streak last night, 7-4, as Aaron Cook won his 14th game.

Dan Haren won his 11th game of the season in the Diamondbacks 7-3 win over the Padres. That kept them one game ahead of the Dodgers, who got a complete game shutout from Chad Billingsley in a 4-0 win over the Giants.

The Diamondbacks have to wonder what their offense would be like had they kept Carlos Quentin. The White Sox outfielder continued his breakout season with his 28th home run and drove in 4 runs in the Chisox 8-3 win over the Twins. Quentin has 83 RBI for the season.

The Cubs beat the Brewers for the third straight night, this time 7-2, behind a strong outing by Ryan Dempster, who picked up his 12th win. The Brewers will try to salvage the finale of the series, but they're up against Rich Harden.

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Around the Horn - 6/2

Late afternoon edition of Around the Horn....

First off congratulations to the man-child himself Manny Ramirez on home run #500 (and #501). We didn't have much time this weekend or we would have posted something more deserving. We're shocked that Manny is standing by home plate still admiring his shot.

Manny's Red Sox still trail those Rays. Tampa took 3 of 4 from the White Sox to maintain a 1 game lead in the AL East. These guys are NOT going away.

2 more home runs and 5 more RBI for Josh Hamilton from the weekend. Chase Utley upped his major league home run total to 20. We picked the guy to be the '07 MVP. Perhaps we were just a year off.

The Indians have to get a bat, no? They scored just 8 runs in a 3-game series with the Royals. KC snapped their 12 game losing streak on Saturday and won again on Sunday.

The Diamondbacks posted back-to-back shutouts of the Nationals. Brandon Webb won his 10th game on Saturday with a complete game effort. Dan Haren got some help from the pen to duplicate the feat on Sunday.

Trevor Hoffman is the all-time leader in saves, but he doesn't do so badly in blowing them either. He got his 3rd of the year yesterday when the Giants scored 3 off of him in the bottom of the 10th to win. The Padres may want to think about moving Josh Banks to the starting rotation full-time. He threw 6 shutout innings in last Sunday's 18 inning marathon with the Pads and followed it up with a complete game win on Saturday. He allowed just 1 unearned run and 6 hits. He's yet to allow a run in 17 innings this season.

How bummed does Justin Verlander have to be? He's 2-8 now. He can blame us for picking him to win the CY Young. Felix Hernandez was back on the beam, throwing 2-hit ball for 7 innings to beat him.

Joe Torre's trip back to NYC wasn't so great. The Mets took 3 of 4 from Torre's Dodger blue.

The Jay Bruce ERA is fully underway in Cincinnati. He had the walk off home run in the 10th on Saturday and hit another one on Sunday. So far, the 21-yr old is 13-22 (.591) with 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 doubles, 6 walks, and 2 steals. His OBP/SLUG/OPS is .690/1.000/1.690.

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Around the Horn - 5/28

Josh Hamilton's rise back from the depths has been well documented and that rise continues this season. Last night, playing against his original organization, the Tampa Rays, Hamilton belted a grand slam and drove in 5 runs in the Rangers 12-6 win.

Franklin Gutierrez hit a grand slam in the Indians 8-2 win over the White Sox. The Indians were also credited with a triple steal. With the bases loaded, Jamey Carroll was picked off 1st Base, but got into a run down. Eventually all runners were safe with David Dellucci scoring. Which just goes to show you that official scoring rules definitely need to be changed.

Indians DH Travis Hafner could be headed to the DL with a bad shoulder.

Mark Teahen hit a game tying inside the park 3-run home run for the Royals in the bottom of the 9th, but the Royals still lost their 8th straight. Michael Cuddyer's 12th inning single gave the Twins a 4-3 win. Teahen's temporary heroics gave Joe Nathan his first blown save of the year.

Jeremy Bonderman was breezing along with a 2-0 shutout against the Angels, but LA tied it with 2 runs in the 8th and won it on Gary Matthews Jr.'s RBI single in the bottom of the 9th. Ervin Santana allowed just 3 hits in picking up the complete game win.

Greg Smith continues to impress for the A's. He tossed 6.2 shutout innings last night in the A's 3-1 win over the Blue Jays. It snapped the Jays 5-game winning streak. Frank Thomas had to leave the game with a strained quad.

The Mariners blew a 3-0 lead to the Red Sox, but snapped their 7-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory. Jose Lopez singled in the game winner off of Mike Timlin in the bottom of the 9th. Yunikesky Betancourt may be facing disciplinary actions by the Mariners after throwing a 9th inning tantrum when he was pinch-hit for.

Johan Santana is a good cure for what ails ya. Santana went out and got a much needed win for the Mets, 5-3 over the division leading Marlins.

Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit back-to-back home runs off of former Yankees prospect Charlie Manning to give the Padres a 4-2 win over the Nationals.

The Brewers overcame a strong outing by the Braves' Tim Hudson and rallied late from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. Mike Cameron's 9th inning sac fly capped the comeback.

After scoring 20 runs the night before, the Phillies put up 7 in the first two innings against the Rockies last night and held on for a 7-4 win.

The Jay Bruce ERA began in Cincinnati in a big way. Talk about a memorable debut- 3-3 with a double, 2 singles, 2 walks, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, and a stolen base. And a post-game double shaving cream pie in the face celebration. The Reds won 9-6 over the Pirates with some help from red hot Adam Dunn who homered and drove in 4.

After 10 no-decisions, Shawn Chacon has won 2 straight. The right-hander pitched the Astros to an 8-2 win over the Cardinals. Hunter Pence was 5-5 with a couple of ribbies.

The Cubs scored 3 times in the 7th to beat the Dodgers 3-1. Hiroki Kuroda took a tough loss after a well pitched game. The Japanese media was excited about this one with Kuroda facing fellow countryman Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome drove in the Cubs final run.

Bengie Molina hit a 3-run home run and Jose Castillo added a solo shot as the Giants beat Dan Haren and the Diamondbacks 6-3. Tim Lincecum improved to 7-1 with 7 K's in 7 innings.

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Around the Horn - 4/24

We can visualize the TV ads. Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks sitting atop a bull with a cowboy hat perched upon his head. The dialogue would be something like, "Having trouble with your offense? Can't hit the ball out of the park? Leaving runners stranded? C'mon down to Tom Hicks' Texas Rangers Offensive Outlet in Arlington. We've got all the pitchers you can hit. Lefties, righties, it don't matter. Your offense will spring back to life."

The Detroit Tigers took Hicks up on his offer last night. Though their offense had already been steadily improving since that 0-7 start, they used an 11-run 6th inning last night to paste the Rangers, 19-6. A score like that sends fantasy enthusiasts scrambling for a box score. The big winner was whomever has Carlos Guillen. The new 3rd Baseman drove in 5 runs, while is switcheroo counterpart Miguel Cabrera cracked a 3-run homer. The Rangers have allowed 59 runs during their current 6-game losing streak.

The Angels got over their Fenway hex to snap the Red Sox 6-game winning streak, 6-4. Gary Matthews Jr. slugged a pair of solo home runs and Casey Kotchman added his 6th of the year. Dice-K was the lastest Red Sox hit by the flu and was scratched from his start in favor of Jon Lester. Big Papi continued to break out of his slump (9 for his last 22) with his 3rd home run, raising his average to .188.

The Rays dropped the Blue Jays into the AL East basement with a 5-3 win. Jason Hammel outpitched Roy Halliday who threw his 3rd straight complete game. When Halladay breaks down, will John Gibbons finally get the message not to overuse his ace?

Mike Sweeney homered and drove in 2 runs, and Chad Gaudin threw 7 scoreless innings in the A's 3-0 shutout of the Twins. It was Sweeney's first home run not in a Kansas City uniform.

The Orioles rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Mariners 3-2. Nick Markakis' ground out tied the game in the 6th and his home run in the 8th was the game winner. Daniel Cabrera was on his game, allowing 5 hits and no walks in 8 innings.

The Indians and Royals were rained out and will be playing a twinbill today.

The Atlanta Braves had a 5-game winning streak. Then they hosted the Florida Marlins. The NL East leaders dropped the Braves for the second straight game, 7-2. Mike Jacobs and Hanley Ramirez each hit their 7th home runs of the season, and Adam Miller won his first game as a Marlin.

The Cubs and Rockies played a see-saw match in Colorado. The Cubs blew a 3-0 lead, rallied from a 5-4 deficit, blew a 6-5 lead, and then finally won in 10 on Ryan Theriot's 2nd hit of the game. The Cubs offense is out of control. The Rangers should be glad they aren't playing them. Just take a look at the averages of the starting eight.

CF Reed Johnson .311
SS Ryan Theriot .338
1B Derek Lee .378
3B Aramis Ramirez .280
RF Kosuke Fukudome .351
LF Mark DeRosa .292
C Geovany Soto .353
2B Ronny Cedeno .375

The Pirates came back from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Cardinals 7-4. Doug Mientkiewicz delivered a pinch-hit 2-run single in the game winning 3-run rally in the 8th inning.

Bengie Molina homered off Trevor Hoffman to tie the game in the 9th and the Giants went on to beat the Padres 3-2 in13 innings. Fred Lewis and Aaron Rowand each singled in a run in the winning inning (nice rhyme).

The Mets had the anecdote for a 3-game losing streak, Johan Santana on the mound. The Mets ace went 7 innings to earn the win in a 7-2 Mets victory over the Nationals.

The Brewers blew a 3-0 lead, but Prince Fielder saved the day with his second 2-run home run of the day as the Brew Crew beat the Phillies 5-4. Chase Utley homered for the 6th time in 7 games for the Phillies and hot starting Pat Burrell added his 8th.

Dan Haren had his first poor outing in a Diamondbacks uniform as the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 8-3. James Loney and Chin-Lung Hu drove in 2 runs each.

News and Notes

Curtis Granderson made a fine return to the Detroit lineup yesterday. The centerfielder went 2-4 with 2 RBI, 2 walks, and 3 runs scored.

There was a rumor yesterday that Frank Thomas had returned to the Oakland A's whom he played for in 2006. But the Big Hurt put a halt to things when he received interest from an unnamed second team.

UPDATE 4/24 2:07 PM EDT - Frank Thomas has indeed returned to the A's. No word on who the mystery team was that supposedly came into play. Does this mean Mike Sweeney's days in Oakland are numbered?

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Trading Places

Spring Training is not only a time for the players to get in shape, but the fans as well. No, we don't mean getting used to hot dogs and beer. It's trying to adjust to seeing certain players in new uniforms.

Troy Percival

Dan Haren

Jim Edmonds

Miguel Cairo

Troy Glaus

Scott Rolen

Erik Bedard

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A Prior Engagement

The Yankees have shown interest in Mark Prior, but the Rangers and Astros have been the most aggressive in their pursuit of the free agent right-hander. That according to Ken Rosenthal, who also states that the Padres are Prior's 1st choice.

Prior is from San Diego and the Padres' Petco Park is favorable to pitchers. But with an extension given to Jake Peavy and the recent addition of Jim Edmonds, the Padres don't have a lot in the coffers to spend.

Rosenthal also gives his spin on the Dan Haren deal, the Twins roster count, and other winter happenings.

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, both the Phillies and Mets have made 4-year offers to free agent pitcher Kyle Lohse. 4 years for mediocrity?

The Cardinals have signed much-traveled infielder, D'Angelo Jiminez, to a minor league deal.

The Seattle Times says Carlos Silva is seriously considering the Mariners', 4-year, $44 million offer. What's he waiting for?

What a hot stove update be without something on Johan Santana. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the Red Sox are still the front-runners to obtain the ace lefty, but are sticking to their no-Jacoby Ellsbury stance. The only thing holding up that deal should be hesitation about spending the money on a contract extension for Santana, not whether or not to include Ellsbury.

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Breaking News: Diamondbacks Acquire Haren

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland has dealt pitcher Dan Haren and Connor Robertson to Arizona for Carlos Gonzalez, pitchers Brett Anderson, Greg Smith and Dana Eveland, outfielder Aaron Cunningham and first baseman Chris Carter. That's 5 of the Dbacks top 10 prospects.

The Diamondbacks also sent closer Jose Valverde to the Astros for infielder Chris Burke and right-handers Chad Qualls and Juan Gutierrez.

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Monday Hot Stove

The Diamondbacks are waiting to hear back from the A's on a proposed trade for starter Dan Haren. The Diamondbacks reportedly have offered up to 5 players, including prospects Carlos Gonzalez, Emilio Bonifacio and Brett Anderson. Gonzalez is thought to be the key to the deal. Source

Padres GM Kevin Towers is expecting to hear from Kosuke Fukudome's agent today on a 3-year deal that will be worth at least $10 mill per season. Source

The Reds are a new player in the Erik Bedard sweepstakes, and a member of the organization is confident the teams will get a deal done. Source

The Texas Rangers agreed to a 1-year, $5 million deal with free agent Milton Bradley. Bradley is expected to miss an indefinite amount of time as he recovers from a torn ACL. Source

The Nats reportedly offered either Chad Cordero or Jon Rauch and shortstop Felipe Lopez to the Pads for shortstop Khalil Greene, and were rebuffed. Source

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Plan 'B' Music

If it's to be Danny Haren, there go all of our Santana references. The best thing we could come up with was Procol Harem. Though Haren is a "whiter shade of pale".

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Wednesday Hot Stove

The Orioles continue to shop Erik Bedard, with the Dodgers and Mets showing a lot of interest, but the team hasn't decided if they really want to move their best pitcher. The O's have denied having any interest in free agent outfielder Jose Guillen.

Melvin Mora is working in the outfield while playing winter league ball. The O's may move Miguel Tejada to 3rd next season, if they decide to hold on to him. Source

The Rays are sending Rocco Baldelli for extensive tests to determine if is continual hamstring problems are being caused by an underlying problem. It's not the 1st time a team has had an issue like this. The Mets actually re-taught Jose Reyes how to run to help prevent hamstring injuries. Source

The Padres have had extensive talks with free agent outfielder Geoff Jenkins, who has indicated he would like play for them. Source

The Rockies have reached the conclusion that they will most likely not be able to re-sign left-hander Jeremy Affeldt. Amazing how much attention there is for mediocre lefties. Source

According to Newsday, the Mets have set their sites on the A's Danny Haren and Joe Blanton. It's not the 1st time the Mets have tried to acquire one of the right-handers. Source

It's not looking like Aaron Rowand will be returning to his original team. The White Sox and Rowand were on completely different pages in their contract discussions. Source

HA - the Twins have signed utility man Howie Clark to a minor league deal. Who cares? A-Rod has to know what town to yell "HA" in.

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Stars That Could Be Re-Aligned

SI's Jon Heyman takes a look at the big name stars that could be switching teams during next week's winter meetings. Besides Johan Santana (whose first name we will spell correctly from now on, promise), the most intriguing name for Yankees' fans is Dan Haren. Oakland knows they can get a number of players back for their star right-hander, who is reasonably signed thru 2009, with an option for 2010.

The other big names discussed will be the two Miguels, Cabrera and Tejada. Among the other interesting topics that Heyman touches on, is the possibility of Mike Piazza going to Japan.

Read all about it

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