Joe Lucia

The stove is getting downright lukewarm! Alonso/Rzepczynski to Oakland for Pomeranz/Torres Also, Brayan Pena got a two-year deal. That amazes me.

The Rangers are only on the hook for something like $5 million total on Hamilton. That's just good business, even if he's only an average starter. At least with Fielder, Texas gave up a contract in Ian Kinsler to help balance the books a little bit. The Hanley/Pablo thing is another issue, because their markets were never crazy, they signed early, they both got overpaid, they both had dreadful years, and they both look like future DHs. If Boston were able to move either, they would need to pair one with a better asset (an aforementioned OF, probably), and still eat money...and they still probably wouldn't get much back. I mean, the Braves essentially gave up nothing to take on Bronson Arroyo's contract and a top 100 prospect in Touki Toussaint...and Arroyo was owed something like $13 million total. Moving either of those guys won't be an easy sell...unless they take on another bad contract in return

I don't think I am underestimating his value, in his three full years he has shown to be pretty much what I stated, a solid number three guy or a lower end number two in some rotations. I feel like ATL is asking for top flight guys because they are seeing the interest Miller is generating. I would be super surprised to see a deal go down with a straight swap for any of the guys I have seen mentioned. Miller is a good talent, for sure but I don't think that the Braves will get this kind of return on him unless Price and Greinke are both already off the table. He turned 25 in October. You're also paying for potential there. And it's looking like a Soler-Miller deal is becoming more and more realistic. Bah gawd.

Your logic is essentially "I don't think this guy is too great, so I'm willing to give you a shitty contract and some cash along with maybe a top five prospect in our system for him". The Braves are demanding a player like Pederson, Ozuna, Severino, or Pollock as *part* of the return for Miller. I think you're vastly underestimating how good he is.

Ethier would get you laughed at just as hard.

Bradley's the only realistic option (Castillo owed too much money, Betts is too good)

The ending actually got *two* OH SHITs out of me - the first one when she was standing behind the door, the second one when she was revealed in all white with the notepad.

The Tigers are in such payroll hell in the future that they might as well dig themselves even deeper and hope everyone can stay glued together. But hey, maybe Jordan Zimmermann will help Justin Verlander pitch like an ace again, and will help Anibal Sanchez stay healthy, and will help Detroit's perennially awful bullpen not suck!

Tigers talking about a deal with Jordan Zimmermann. When you're in dire payroll straits and are probably the fourth best team in the division...SPEND MORE!

I bought bath towels. And a colander. And a toaster. And one paperback and three eBooks. Oh, and Wind Waker HD. Earlier in the week, I bought a new TV (Samsung 40" Smart for $318 plus a $20 GC, NICE!) for the second straight year (to replace the one the ex is taking with her when she moves out in a couple days). Today, I'm going to buy flatware, dinnerware, and perhaps a new media stand, a couple more appliances, and sheet sets to replace the other shit she's taking. jesus i am old and domesticated, send help

I forgot that the Jays also pulled in Jesse Chavez this winter. Quantity over quality? Could make for an interesting piggyback experiment, also confining Sanchez, Osuna to the pen.

3/36 for JA "Dont Call Me J-A" Happ from...the Blue Jays? A rotation of Stroman-Estrada-Dickey-Happ-whomever (Hutch, I assume) isn't exactly lights out, but will it be enough?

ESPN doesn't have an ownership stake, just a ridiculous advertising deal.

Taylor actually had a pretty good debut season in high-A after getting drafted and was a three-time top 20 prospect in baseball before the bar fight. And then...there's Matt Bush. Never was a top 100 prospect (which seems improbable for a #1 overall pick. Played 259 games as a hitter in the minors before converting to the mound, where he only threw 71 2/3 innings. Got into a bar fight immediately after being drafted. Broke his ankle. Blew his elbow out. Beat the shit out of two teenagers with a golf club. Threw a baseball at a woman and assaulted her. Got a DUI and nearly killed a guy. Just got released from jail last month. ...and all because the Padres were cheap and didn't want to deal with Scott Boras.

It was I think ten years ago, but Matt Bush is far and away the biggest "bust" ever.

By the way, today is also the three year anniversary of the Marlins/Blue Jays fire sale trade. None of the players the Blue Jays acquired are still with the team. Only three (four if Mathis re-signs) of the players the Marlins got are still with them.

Because They're The Fucking Marlins Context for how much of a dumpster fire this franchise is: Fernandez is 19th all-time in WAR in the team's entire history (per B-R). He's thrown 289 career innings. Giancarlo Stanton is third. He turned 26 a week and a half ago.

I've logged roughly 10 hours (but probably more) into Syndicate, and I have to say...this is probably my favorite AC game since ACII. yeah, even better than Black Flag, for as much as I loved the naval combat. The grappling hook makes climbing and traveling so much easier. Much less worries about taking a minute or two to climb a spire to sync a viewpoint, or start a mission, or traverse across the city. Each section of London (I think there's six) is broken up into multiple different districts, which can be opened up by completing a given mission - the usual assassination, a kidnapping, a stronghold takedown, or a factory mission, which is essentially "child slavery that needs to be broken up". Each area of the city also has stronger enemies, so you can't exactly mow through the entire city in one night syncing all the viewpoints and such. Multiple missions can only be done with either Evie or Jacob, so you can't just rely on one and not the other. Furthermore, many of the items require you to be at a certain level or mission to equip them, so it's a lot harder to just farm for XP and get the best gear right away. The combat is less button mashing than in the past - enemies will need to have their blocks countered and their attacks parried quite often. You can't just keep smashing the A button and expect to succeed. The missions themselves seem quite varied so far for where I am (sequence 4), with some stealth, assassination, and creativity needed to max out.

Well, there's no real criteria for it. Essentially, it gets voted on as the "team I thought would be bad that actually wasn't bad" award or the "team that was bad last year that was good this year" award.

Since this got lost in the other HOF thread, the Tracker is up already. One writer voted for Garret Anderson and Jim Edmonds. At least he voted for Raines too...

Bagwell, Bonds, Clemens, Griffey, Hoffman, Martinez, Mussina, Piazza, Raines, Schilling.

Tracker went up last week. Already seven on there, thought that doesn't mean much.

...and he admitted he gets slightly aroused during beautiful goals. God, I wish I was recording that

HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE Colby Rasmus is taking the QO

Joaquin "don't call me Chris" Benoit to Seattle.