Toronto Blue Jays, catchers around MLB left confused, frustrated: Why plate-blocking rule is already ripe for overhaul | National Post

Block THIS!

Trade returns could have Braves sitting pretty | MLB.com

John Hart’s off-season work.

Haren not intending on joining Marlins « The Fish Pond

Dan Haren has informed the Marlins that his preference remains to pitch out West, and for a team that has Spring Training in Arizona. The 34-year-old California native had been weighing his options sinced he was traded to Miami from the Dodgers on Dec. 10.

If Miami cannot work out a trade, it is not clear yet if the 12-year big league veteran will retire.

Haren’s decision does not change the terms of the deal.

Giolito discusses 2014, his future in Q&A

An interview with the next big thing.

Johnson has high potential on and off the field | whitesox.com

Micah Johnson has big plans.

Yankees finally have the prospects to make something happen | FOX Sports

Ken Rosenthal thinks the Yankees are on the upswing.

School of Roch: Rasmus, Aoki and Ethier still among Orioles’ outfield options

Roch Kubatko runs through some Orioles outfield options.

Gray Area: Inside the Mafia-Run World of Baseball Match-Fixing in Taiwan | VICE Sports

Is he worth signing?

Last week, reports surfaced that the Los Angeles Dodgers were close to signing Tsao, now 33, to a minor league contract—a transaction that would hardly be notable if not for the fact that Tsao hasn’t pitched professionally since that 2009 season in Taiwan, a result of having been named in a match-fixing scandal in his home country. Tsao was banned for life from the CPBL despite a Taiwanese court having acquitted him of any charges.

Sunday Notes: Players as Fans, High School or College, Andruw Jones, more | FanGraphs Baseball

David Lauria’s latest.

Jerry Green: Hall of Fame voting is serious business

So Jerry Green didn’t vote for John Smoltz because of (wait for it)...Jack Morris!

Green Ballot: Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez, Pedro Martinez, Mark McGwire, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Gary Sheffield and Alan Trammell.

It must be noted that I did not vote for John Smoltz, who is likely to make it.

Again, these votes involve personal opinion. I do not consider any of my votes to be frivolous.

Smoltz won 213 games, mostly as a starting pitcher, and saved 154 as a ...

Schilling, Mussina better than Smoltz

The Schilling and Mussina vs. Smoltz debate has hit mainstream!

Tiger Tales: A Detroit Tigers Blog: Tigers Infield Worst in MLB in Preventing Hits On Ground Balls

Lee Panas looks at the Tigers infield defense.

Sabermetrics: Past, Present and Future « Talkin’ Softball

A somewhat recent and incomplete history of sabermetrics.

Evaluating the Prospects: San Diego Padres | FanGraphs Baseball

The first look I’ve seen about the impact of the Padres trades on their farm system.

What the Padres Have, and Might Have, in Brandon Maurer | FOX Sports

Given that Maurer was all but finished as a starter in Seattle, there’s no guarantee he can start with San Diego. He might simply not be up for it, or he might simply not be able to achieve a sufficient level of consistency. If Maurer can’t start, he can relieve, and he can relieve well, in a prominent role. But if Maurer can start? The A’s didn’t think Ross could start. Ross is, today, a big reason why the Padres think they could field a 2015 playoff team. The Padres no longer had much of a ...

A look at Zobrist and MLB’s best utility players. | SportsonEarth.com : Paul Casella Article

Hanley Ramirez isn’t a utility player. It’s silly to list him as one.

Hanley Ramirez, Red Sox

Ramirez is a newcomer to this category. He has spent nearly his entire career at shortstop, playing 1,077 games at the position, while making only 98 appearances elsewhere—all at third base. That, however, didn’t stop the Red Sox from listing him as a left fielder after signing him to a four-year, $88 million contract this offseason.

It remains to be seen how exactly Ramirez will fare in the outfield, ...

Here’s Why Gary Sheffield Will Never Be Elected to the Hall of Fame

He may have looked like “The Natural” when he debuted as a 19-year old with the Brewers, but in the end too much of what Sheffield accomplished came about in “unnatural” ways.

Two quibbles with Bill Deane’s HOF election predictions

Apparently, Neyer believes that one or more of Johnson, Martinez, or Biggio used.

10 problems with Jose Canseco’s predictions for 2015

4. @BarackObama wins lead role in new NBC sitcom Old Urkel

— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) January 2, 2015

Problem: The rights to Family Matters were originally owned by ABC, then CBS bought them. No way is that valuable series being sold to NBC. Sorry, not happening.

5. Peace in middle east. Israel accepts trade of 200 miles of Ocean for West Bank Palestine nation. Jerusalem new UN city state

— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) January 2, 2015

Problem: Peace in the Middle East would be amazing, ...

MLB’s most interesting people in ‘15

Which executives, managers and players will drive the MLB narrative in the coming season? Here’s a look at the 15 most interesting people in baseball heading into 2015:

1. Rob Manfred
After an extended run as Bud Selig’s most trusted aide, Manfred takes center stage in late January as baseball’s 10th commissioner. He’ll try to maintain the momentum that has made baseball a $9 billion industry while setting an agenda on pace of play, changes in the draft and free-agent compensation system, and ...

The crowded Hall of Fame ballot - Beyond the Box Score

By the numbers.

Melotticus Presents - The Atlanta Braves Top 20 Prospects - Minor League Ball

A look at the Braves top prospects. Rather than using stars for the ratings, it would be better is the writer used the standard 20-80 scouting scale.

Kearns’ full life defined by more than baseball | mariners.com

A nice look at the life of scout Bill Kearns.

Here’s 10 picks for Hall of Fame | Boston Herald

John Tomase Tweeted his article with this lead in.

In my final column for the Boston Herald, I reveal my Hall of Fame ballot, so the Internet can tell me I’m a moron.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 1-2-2015

Chicago Eagle, January 2, 1915:

Thirty-five deaths and 918 injuries were caused by baseball during 1914, according to figures made public by a sport writer who kept a tabulation of the season’s records.

Of the players who died from injuries 20 were hit by pitched balls, five were struck by bats, four were in collisions, four overexerted themselves, one was hurt sliding into a base, and one was killed in a fight.

Injuries to amateur players are classified as follows: Broken limbs, 314; ...

New Mariners’ outfielder Seth Smith knew a trade was likely | Mariners Insider - The News Tribune

Smith and Denorfia are good, serviceable players.

Here’s How the 2015 Hall of Fame Voting Will Turn Out

For about three years Pedro was as great as any pitcher ever has been. Just as great as Lefty Grove or Walter Johnson or Bob Feller or Sandy Koufax and maybe even better. He wasn’t as durable (how can you be when you’re that little?) but Pedro was an amazing pitcher who was fun to watch. It’s likely that Martinez’s appearance on the ballot will siphon votes from fellow starting pitchers Curt Schilling and Mike Mussina, contemporaries who suffer by comparison…

Draw your own conclusions on what’s keeping Orioles from hosting All-Star Game

It certainly would have been nice to host Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game at Camden Yards in July 2016, but Baltimore has reportedly fallen out of contention for the Midsummer Classic and all the economic benefits that make it a highly coveted civic event.

No one is saying exactly why the city has gone from being called a “very, very viable candidate” by baseball commissioner Bud Selig in May to being all-but-officially out of the picture, but you can draw your own conclusions…

This ...

MLBTR: Braves, Yankees Trade David Carpenter For Manny Banuelos

The Yankees have acquired right-hander David Carpenter and left-hander Chasen Shreve from the Braves in exchange for southpaw Manny Banuelos, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (Twitter link).

OT - Politics January 2015 - Mario Cuomo, New York Governor and Minor League Ballplayer, Dies at 82

First Love Was Baseball

It was baseball, not politics, that first engaged him, and he proved as aggressive in one as in the other. After graduating from St. John’s Preparatory School in Queens in 1949, he played on the freshman baseball team at St. John’s University.

A strapping six feet tall, 190 pounds at age 19, he signed a contract to play center field for the Class D Brunswick Pirates in Georgia in 1952, reportedly receiving a $2,000 signing bonus, sizable for that time. Mr. Cuomo ...