World Champs Reel in Big Fish

Raul Ibanez doesn't get the press that many players do these days, but the free agent has averaged 113 RBI over the last 3 seasons. It's even more impressive considering he's been playing his home games in a pitcher friendly park and hasn't had much protection around him in the lineup.

Ibanez will bring those hitting skills to the National League and the hitter friendly Citizens Bank Ball Park after agreeing to a 3-year, $30 million deal with the reigning world champion Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies had a hole to fill in left field after deciding not to retain the services of Pat Burrell. The 36-yr old Ibanez will strengthen the Phils' left-side of the plate and will help out early on with the absence of Chase Utley.

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Vegas Update - Day 11:45 PM EST

No shock here, the San Jose Mercury News rumor that CC Sabathia rejected the Yankees offer was just that, a rumor. Word now is that Brian Cashman has flown to California to meet with Sabathia and his wife.

As expected, the Dodgers have agreed to a 3-year deal with Casey Blake that will pay the free agent corner man/outfielder $17.5 million. The pact includes a club option for 2012.

The Orioles and Reds finalized their Ramon Hernandez-Ryan Freel swap, with the Orioles also receiving prospects Brandon Waring and Justin Turner. The O's are sending cash along with their former catcher.

ESPN's Steve Phillips believes the Brewers are looking to move Prince Fielder, possibly in a deal that would bring closer J.J. Putz from Seattle.

The Rays have met with former Yankee Jason Giambi.

The Orioles are expected to announce the signing of free agent infielder Caesar Izturis to a 2-year deal.

Having already locked up K-Rod, Ken Rosenthal reports the Mets are increasing their efforts to sign Raul Ibanez.

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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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The Pennant Race - 8/8

Brian Giles won't be going to the Boston Red Sox. The veteran Padres outfielder blocked a potential deal that would have sent him from one coast to the other.

The Yankees and Red Sox gained on Tampa when the Rays couldn't hold a one run lead in the 9th inning last night against the Mariners. After the M's tied it up in the 8th, Raul Ibanez sent the fans home happy with a walk off home run.

The A's went from 2 over .500 to 8 under after losing their 10th straight last night. A.J. Burnett won his career-high 14th game. Hard to imagine that someone with his stuff has never won more than 12 games in a season before.

Another Manny Ramirez home run, his fourth, was the difference in the Dodgers' 4-1 win over the Cardinals. That moved them to within 1.5 of the Diamondbacks after the NL West leaders fell to Atlanta 6-4.

The idle Twins gained a half-game on the White Sox after Chicago was pounded by Detroit 8-3. One has to wonder what Jimmy Leyland is doing with Justin Verlander. He's your prized possession, yet you let him throw 130 pitches last night to save the bullpen. What happened was a 5-3 game that turned into a romp.

The Rockies should have been sellers at the deadline. They're now 13 games under .500 after being swept in a twin-bill by the Nationals. They trail the DBacks by 8 games.

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Who Goes Next?

Who goes next in the 2008 Trade-athon? Mark Teixeira, Matt Holliday, Manny Ramirez, Jarrod Washburn, Derek Lowe.

If the Braves deal Teixeira, ESPN's Buster Olney said that the Diamondbacks would be the likely destination. However, AZ is balking, for now, at the asking price of Connor Jackson.

The Providence Journal reported that the Red Sox front office has already spoken to the Mets, Diamondbacks, Phillies, and Dodgers about Man-Ram.

The Rockies have been fielding calls for Brian Fuentes, whose price will probably have to come down since Damaso Marte went relatively cheap.

The Twins are looking to strengthen their bullpen and may be interested, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, in bringing back LaTroy Hawkins. The Yankees DFA'ed Hawkins on Saturday.

Newsday is reporting that the Mets have shown the most interest in Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Dodgers are the primary suitors for Jack Wilson.

The Giants have reportedly been scouting Hank Blalock. The question is, "why?"

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Turn on the Bat Signal

Johnny Damon is back, but Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui are out, possibly for the rest of the season. The Yankees picked up Richie Sexson, but are still in need of a bat to give some punch to the lineup.

The Yankees could have survived losing one player, but having 2 or more out at a time has hurt the team's run production. Just as with our earlier look at starting pitching, it needs to be determined whether the Yankees go after a big gun, a guy who is a step below the upper tier, or a serviceable player that will come cheaper.

Lets take a look at some of the names that are out there.

The Box Seats

Matt Holliday
The Rockies left fielder is one of the biggest names that started swirling in trade rumors a few weeks back. Holliday is signed through the 2009 season and then would be looking for a huge deal with his current team or by testing the free agent market.

The Rockies, just a season removed from making it to the World Series, have to decide if they have another second half run in them, or if they would be better off dealing Holliday now, just as the Rangers did with Mark Teixeira last season.

Holliday has an explosive at-bat, especially at his home field. But he's not so bad on the road either. His career splits show a .364 home batting average with a 1.091 OPS. On the road the numbers dip to .277/.790, but as you can see Holliday has improved each of the last 5 years.

Going on the road for the Hollidays
2004 .240 .654
2005 .256 .729
2006 .280 .819
2007 .301 .860
2008 .301 .859

Holliday would of course, cost a small fortune in return. Last year's Teixeira deal netted the Rangers Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Elvis Andrus, the Braves top 2 prospects, and 3 other minor leaguers. The plus is that Holliday could man left field for the Yankees for a long time to come (possibly right field for a season if Johnny Damon is still a Yankee next year).

Mark Teixeira
Speaking of the Braves 1st baseman, he becomes a free agent after this season and so he could be part of a major deal for the second straight season. Teixeira has been rumored to not want to play for the Yankees, but of course money changes a lot of things. It's not likely that Teixeira would sign a deal prior to the free agent season, but again, he could be bowled over with a big deal.

The Braves may not be able to get as much in return as they had to give up last year, but it will still take a strong package to pry Tex from the Braves. Though they have hung in the playoff race for much of the season, they have to realize that they are not nearly as good as the Mets or Phillies.

Teixeira has plenty of American League experience, though not much playoff pressure experience. He'll be someone's 1st baseman for a long time to come. We think the Yankees are better off signing him in the off-season.

The Loge

Jason Bay/Xavier Nady

The two Pirates outfielders have had their names linked all season as teams look to strengthen their starting lineups and benches.

Bay, older than you think, he'll be 30 in September is put together another solid season. .280-20-56 with a .910 OPS. Bay hits well against lefties and righties. He's due $7.5 million next season, so he's a cheap financial option. Again though, he will not come cheaply.

Nady, who is 2 months younger than Bay, has only played more than 125 games once in his career. His best season came in 2007 when he hit .278-20-72, though he's on a pace to top those numbers this season. Right now he's somewhere between role and break out player. He's arbitration eligible next season and a free agent in 2010.

We would definitely opt for Bay or Nady.

Jose Guillen
The Royals outfielder has worn out his welcome in yet another place. High on talent, low on self discipline, Guillen can mash with the best of them. He'd be a top tier player if not for his attitude.

Guillen's offensive numbers don't lie, he's the real deal. But he has 2-years and $18 million left on his contract. We can see a team using him as a rental for the rest of the season, but do they want a headache for the next two years?

Raul Ibanez
Ibanez is an under appreciated bat that has put together 3 stellar seasons in a row. He's drive in 60 runs this season playing on a very weak club. Ibanez also has the ability to play 1st base and like Hideki Matsui, has the ability to hit left-handed pitching.

The Upper Deck

There are number of players that fit this bill. One of which we think would be a good fit would be Casey Blake. His versatility reminds us of one time fave Jeff Conine. This season Blake is hitting 80 points higher on the road, and has hit 10 of his 11 home runs away from the Jake. Those numbers reflect his career stats as well. Whether is due to pressure at home or a tough hitter's park remains to be seen.

Blake gives you the option to start him at either corner spot in the infield or outfield. He even made an appearance at shortstop this week. Of course, if he came to the Bronx his trademark beard would have to go.

We would rank our preferences as

Matt Holliday
Jason Bay
Casey Blake

So what do you think? Top gun, middle guy, or a nice fit. Answer our poll and let us know!

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Hump Day Rumors - 7/16 Edition

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Phillies are taking a serious look at A's starter Joe Blanton. The somewhat portly right-hander has scuffled this season, going 5-12, 4.96 in 20 starts, but is a quality starter.

The Miami Herald reported that the Marlins inquired about their former catcher Ivan Rodriguez, but were rebuffed by the Tigers, who said Pudge II was not available.

Not rumor, but fact, criminal charges have been dropped against Rays reliever Al Reyes after his birthday outburst.

The Mets new Citi Field is likely to be the host of the 2013 All-Star game. Shea Stadium has hosted one game.

The Yankees and Mets are among of handful of teams that are keeping tabs on Freddy Garcia's progress in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

The Twins have been talking to the Mariners about Adrian Beltre, according to the Star Tribune.

The LA Times reported that K-Rod has nixed further negotiations with the Angels and will test the free agent waters.

The Diamondbacks have talked to the Mariners about Raul Ibanez, says the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

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Around the Horn - 4/12

Jake Peavy wasn't lights out like he was in his first two starts, but the Padres right-hander picked up his third win in San Diego's 7-5 victory over the Dodgers. LA has lost 4 in a row.

Nelson Figueroa hadn't won a major league game since 2004, but that's all changed now. The newest Met retired the first 14 batters he faced en route to a 4-2 win over the Brewers. Jose Reyes finally stole his first base, but had to leave the game with hamstring tightness.

Albert Pujols homered and drove in 4 runs in the Cardinals 8-2 thumping of the Giants. The Cards off to an 8-3 start while the Giants had their 4 game winning streak snapped.

Tim Hudson tossed 8 innings of 3-hit ball and the Braves sent the Nationals to their 8th straight defeat, 3-0. Yuniel Escobar hit his 2nd home run.

Jason Bay's home run was the lone run in the Pirates 1-0 win over the Reds.

Eric Byrnes, Orlando Hudson, and Justin Upton each homered in the Diamondbacks 8-2 win over the Rockies. Brandon Webb gave up 4 hits in 8 innings to improve to 3-0.

Pat Burrell homered and drove in 3, and Brett Myers went 8 innings in the Phillies 5-3 win over the Cubs.

The Marlins hit 6 home runs, including a pair by Jeremy Hermedia in their 10-6 win over the Astros. With the loss, Roy Oswalt dropped to 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA.

The Indians have to be wondering what's up with C.C. Sabathia. Injury? Contract on his mind? Whatever the answer, Sabathia is now 0-2, 11.57 after the A's pounded him en route to a 9-7 win. Joe Blanton picked up his first win for the A's.

The Tigers won their second game, 5-2 over the White Sox. Dontrelle Willis had to leave after only 2 batters when he fell after delivering a pitch. The early diagnosis was a hyper extended knee and he'll be going for an MRI.

The Rays rallied from a 5-2 deficit to hand the Orioles their third straight defeat, 10-5. Carlos Pena homered twice and drove in 6 runs. The winning pitcher? Al Reyes. Double tasered in the morning, winner at night.

Lyle Overbay drove in 3 runs and Vernon Wells (.341) added a pair of RBI in the Blue Jays 8-5 win over the Rangers. Josh Hamilton had 4 RBI for Texas.

Livan Hernandez improved to 3-0, combing with Jesse Crain and Joe Nathan on a 5-0 blanking of the Royals. Justin Morneau homered off of Gil Meche, who dropped to 0-2, 7.13.

Raul Ibanez hit a pair of home runs off of Jered Weaver in the Mariners 8-5 win over the Angels. Felix Hernandez allowed his first earned runs of the season in picking up the win.

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