#Big Leagues

The weekend is finally here, which means the scheduled baseball slate this Saturday is filled with highly anticipated matchups from all around the league. With more oxygen and plenty of sun to account for out on the West Coast, the Detroit Tigers will continue their road trip in balmy Los Angeles as they square off with the Dodgers at Dodger…

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Carlos Baerga always had time for reporters when he played for the Indians. Now he's become one. Baerga, who spent 14 years in the big leagues, hosts a popular podcast in Puerto Rico called "I Love Sports with Carlos Baerga and Friends." During the winter meetings in December, Baerga was first with the news that Cy Young winner…

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Do you have a question that you'd like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here. You can also or text Hoynsie at 216-208-4346 for a two-week free trial. Hey, Hoynsie: With all the improvements the Guardians made last year with the hiring of hitting coach Chris Valaika, what happened with Franmil Reyes? -- Jim Harris,…

Geoff Pontes hosted a chat to discuss the Astros system. You can read the transcript here. JC (NYC): Hey Geoff! I'm sure I'm not the only one asking about this player, but how close was Colin Barber to making the top 10? When healthy (and it's not often) he seems to show solid tools. Are consistent injury concerns keeping him from the top? Thank…

The Nationals have made several moves this offseason, mainly to their lineup and bench, adding the likes of Corey Dickerson, Dominic Smith, Stone Garrett and Jeimer Candelario. For a team that really struggled to provide any sort of pop after the trades of Juan Soto and Josh Bell at the trade deadline, it's good to see them bring in new players to…

After going back and forth about the format of this article, I've settled on giving you five takeaways from Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projections for the New York Yankees. Some will surprise you, and others won't. It really all depends on your expectation. If you're interested in reading the projections yourself and going by line by line trying to…

This Saturday, the game's brightest prospects will gather at Dodger Stadium for the 2022 Futures Game. The Futures Game is MLB's annual showcase of the sport's best prospective big leaguers, some of whom will make their big-league debut in the second half. And you know what? Some will be traded at the deadline. That's how it has been throughout…

Josh Norris hosted a chat to discuss the Giants system. You can read the transcript here. Josh Norris: Hello, Giants fans. It is chat time. Let us chat. Cal (San Francisco): Who is better defensively at shortstop -- Marco Luciano or Aeverson Arteaga? Any chance that the Giants might move Luciano over to second-base if Casey Schmitt will be…

Twenty years ago, the Yankees would spend like drunken sailors and throw caution to the wind in free agency. There was an abundance of all-star caliber shortstops who hit the free agent market over the past two offseasons, and the Yankees passed on every single one of them. Sitting in the wings is their top prospect Anthony Volpe, who looks to take…

MLB odds series for our Braves Rockies prediction and pick. Spencer Strider gets the ball for the Braves, while Kyle Freeland takes the mound for the Rockies. Spencer Strider has pitched fewer than 17 innings for the Braves this season. He was a reliever but is now being moved into the starting rotation for the defending World Series champions. He…

CHICAGO -- It's safe to say the Guardians are in scramble mode following their second COVID outbreak in less than three weeks. One of their biggest concerns, outside of the health of those who tested positive on Wednesday before MLB postponed their series finale against the White Sox, is putting together a coaching staff. Manager Terry Francona and…

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Guardians still need a catcher. Manager Terry Francona said patience is required and that executives Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff will deliver a backstop. That is a good thing because as Casey Stengel said a long time ago, "If you don't have a catcher, you're going to have a lot of passed balls." The winter meetings…

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jose Ramirez said he wanted to spend his entire career with the Guardians. Owner Paul Dolan granted him that wish by giving the switch-hitter a seven-year, $141 million contract extension. Ramirez is happy about that, but what about the Guardians' fans? Right now this team is a one-man show. It's all Jose all the time. This isn't…

The 2022/2023 Premier League season kicked off barely two months after the previous edition and saw minor changes to the tournament rules. Finally, the long awaited five subs per game was introduced to replace the previous three and players only had to take the knee in selected games. The league kicked off with Manchester City gunning to retain the…

SAN DIEGO - Here's one thing that is not a secret: The Tigers, for way too long, struggled in the realm of player development. They did not produce enough international hitters. They did not find and develop international talent. When their rebuild began around 2017, the farm system was largely barren. And as has been well-documented, the Tigers…

With a show-stopping 89% of the vote (as of the time of writing), Elly De La Cruz has run away with the #1 ranking in the 2023 Red Reporter Community Prospect Rankings with the same fervor with which he socked all those homers and swiped all those bags against his opposing pitchers last year. Even if half of his talents fail to pan out, he'll end…

Galatasaray and Istanbulspor return to action in the Turkish Super Lig when they square off in a mouth-watering Christmas Day fixture at the NEF Stadyumu. Still licking their wounds from Tuesday's Turkish Cup exit, the visitors will head into the weekend in search of a pick-me-up as they look to rise from the bottom of the table. Galatasaray…

Everything about Shohei Ohtani as a Major League Baseball player is historic. He's accomplished things on the field we haven't seen since the days of Babe Ruth. The 2021 American League MVP has even accomplished things Ruth wasn't able to do during his own Hall of Fame career. With the Los Angeles Angels being, well, the Angels, Ohtani has found…

The Reds have a very new team. If you were a 2020 Reds fan or even 2021 Reds fans, and you got magically transported to August of 2022 and watched the Reds, you would not recognize them. Unfortunately for the Reds, new and young are not synonymous as this is not a particularly young team. Just four players are 25 or younger on the active roster,…

The Texas Rangers take on the Minnesota Twins. Check out our MLB odds series for our Rangers Twins prediction and pick. Cole Ragans gets the call for the Rangers, while Sonny Gray takes the bump for the Twins. Cole Ragans' 5.02 ERA doesn't really mean that much. He is three starts into his big-league career. He is learning how to pitch, and one…

No matter who wins the upcoming American League Championship Series, the Toronto Blue Jays or Cleveland Indians will inject the World Series with fresh blood. After winning the title in 1993, the Blue Jays went 21 seasons without a playoff berth until last year. After falling short against the Kansas City Royals in 2015, they have another chance to…

Taking a look at three areas where the team may look to upgrade their roster heading into the 2023 season. The Diamondbacks have been busy churning their roster this off-season. Needing to address key needs such as adding a right-handed bat to add more balance to a roster that had gotten too left-handed, improving a bullpen that was arguably the…

The Rockies are weird. On the surface, they feel an awful lot like last year's Royals, who started the year with one of the best records in baseball but didn't have the run differential to back it up. The question is are the Rockies more the Royals or last year's Mariners. At just a game over.500 but with a run differential in line with much worse…

So far in 2022-23, no fewer than eleven promising young hockey players between the ages of 20 and 24 have donned the orange and blue of the Edmonton Oilers. In a hockey universe unfolding as it should, this would be a season that saw GM Ken Holland's legendary patience with young players paying dividends, producing strong contributions for…

Probable pitchers: Zack Wheeler (3-3, 3.38 ERA) vs. Chris Bassitt (4-2, 3.91 ERA) Very few rendezvous meetings, be it pitchers or hitters, around the Majors can quite imitate the extravagance of when old pal Zack Wheeler returns to Flushing. The former No. 6 overall draft pick debuted in the big leagues with the Mets in 2013 after being acquired…

Davey Martinez talks often about his routine of going home - once he finally leaves the ballpark every day - and re-watching games each night during the season. Following his fifth campaign on the bench in Washington, D.C., which the Nationals finished at 55-107, the bench boss spent some time looking back to assess what did and didn't work for a…

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Here is a preview of the Guardians' four-game series against the Athletics. Where: Progressive Field, Thursday through Sunday. TV/radio: Bally Sports Great Lakes will air Thursday and Friday's games while FS1 will televise Saturday's contest and Sunday's game will stream exclusively on Peacock. WTAM 1100 AM, WMMS 100.7 FM and the…

While I am in full Bengals mode at the present time, I haven't given a Reds update for a few weeks. While Cincinnati has practically made zero offseason moves, there are some rumors of Johnny Cueto rejoining his old team in the Queen City. Cueto is now 36 years old, but still seems to have plenty of gas left in the tank. I think the young trio of…

MLB odds series for our Nationals Diamondbacks prediction and pick. Erick Fedde gets the ball for the Nationals, while Corbin Martin makes the start for the Diamondbacks. Erick Fedde has a 4.91 ERA, but he is not an easy pitcher to figure out. Don't assume that Fedde will cough up five runs every time he takes the mound, because he doesn't. Fedde's…

If you're a parent and take road trips with your kids, you've no doubt heard the oft-muttered indignations from your back seat drivers: "are we there yet?" No other recent excitement has surrounded the prospect of a promotion to the major leagues than the possible call-up of Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. But wait, a catcher after all? I played…

With MLB free agency winding down, the league is beginning to take shape. Some teams have drastically improved their chances of competing in 2023 based on swift offseason moves. The New York Mets just pulled off a stunner to land Carlos Correa after the shortstop had previously agreed to a deal with the San Francisco Giants. Other teams such as the…

The Bengals and Buccaneers game was certainly a roller coaster of emotions. After being down 17-3 on the road against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, Lou Anarumo and his stellar defense quickly turned things around. The final score ended up being 34-23, as Cincinnati forced 4 turnovers in a single quarter and rallied off 31 points in the second half.…

Cody Bellinger sounded like he was attracted to what he heard about playing at Wrigley Field, and said he appreciated the chance to now play for two iconic franchises. But at the end of the day his one-year decision to play for the Cubs is a $17.5 million business decision. And at the end of next year how that decision gets measured might have more…

Lorenzo Cain's improbable career may be winding to a close, as the former All-Star was designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Cain's production had slipped in recent years from his All-Star seasons of 2015 and 2018 and his Gold Glove award of 2019. The fan-favorite was a key player on the Brewers' playoff run in 2018, which…

In what is a slow news week for Seattle sports, I figured I'd take more Twitter questions for a mailbag. I covered a number of Mariners, Seahawks and other topics in my responses below. Thanks to everyone who participated, and Happy Holidays! Let's begin. I remain steadfast that the Mariners should have been all in on Carlos Correa given their need…

MLB odds series for our White Sox Rangers prediction and pick. Johnny Cueto takes the bump for the White Sox, while Cole Ragans goes to the hill for the Rangers. Johnny Cueto has a 2.86 ERA. In a four-start sequence in late May and early June, Cueto allowed 14 earned runs in 23 2/3 innings. That was his worst four-start sequence of the year. Since…

HOUSTON - This is the Houston Astros newsletter emailed out each week by the KPRC 2 Sports team. To subscribe, visit click2houston.com/newsletters. Hello to all of our KPRC 2 viewers over the air and of course digitally on all of our platforms! Thanks for watching! I'm KPRC 2 Sports Director Randy McIlvoy checking in this week with our Astros…

TAMPA - If you're like us and already made a prediction as to which 28 players will make the Yankees' Opening Day roster, let's hope you used pencil. New York made a trade on Saturday night, a move sending a member of their bullpen to Texas in exchange for some depth at the catcher position. The Yankees acquired veteran backstop Jose Trevino in the…

The MLB, like any other league, has a strict set of rules that must be followed. This is due to the fact that the league wants to promote sportsmanship and integrity in the sport. In the history of Major League Baseball, we've seen several players and personnel face punishments such as suspensions and fines. These mostly stem from unsportsmanlike…

With the season being over, we can reflect on the Diamondbacks performance in the 2022 season and look at which players contributed the most. The awards in consideration were the Most Valuable Player, Best Hitter, Best Pitcher, Rookie of the Year, Best Reliever, Hitting Prospect, and Pitching Prospect. These are the players who earned those…

The Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants will finish their weekend series in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon. With that said, it's a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Phillies-Giants prediction and pick, laid out below. The Phillies are 73-60, third place in the NL East, but holding on to the final NL Wild…

WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his Kansas City Royals vs Toronto Blue Jays betting preview for Monday, June 6. Ross Stripling takes the mound for the Blue Jays facing off against Dylan Lynch and the Royals. Still trying to secure a Playstation 5 almost 20 months after its initial release? We know the struggle. Enter our social media…

The Orioles' recent signing of Adam Frazier was simultaneously infuriating and intriguing. Although an All-Star in 2021, Frazier was poor for the Mariners last season, and while he might bounce back in 2023, he is far from the impact bat that this fan base was hoping a team with supposed playoff ambitions would attract this winter. However, at $8…

Friday's MLB slate is loaded with 15 games, with the most notable series taking place at Fenway Park between the Red Sox and Yankees. Elsewhere in the big leagues, the Phillies travel to Busch Stadium to face the Cardinals in an important three-game set for wild card and divisional purposes. While neither of those series presents the best betting…

It sounds more like the name of a movie or a book - Waiting for Godot, Waiting for Guffman, Waiting to Begin - but for now, it remains central to this impressive, fascinating and oddly puzzling Blue Jays season. The Jays have found themselves in the standings right about where they were expected to be - among the best teams in baseball. And they've…

Being a first base coach is among the least stressful jobs in baseball. Or so it seems. Tell a guy when to get back to the bag on a pickoff play. Yell at a guy to go on a wild pitch. Share a few stopwatch splits with baserunners. Spit a lot of sunflower seeds. A substitute first base coach? Easy living. This was Bucky Dent's role on June 2, 2000.…

This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson's Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, . And to get it regularly in your inbox. Perhaps it was the thrill of free agency for the first time at 32, 10 years into his MLB career. Perhaps it was the $9 million he'd just secured from the Blue Jays. Perhaps he was just excited to see…

The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping J.D. Martinez can add some pop to their lineup in 2023. Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Martinez has agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal with the reigning National League West champs. Despite being connected to many of the top free agents this offseason, the Dodgers have been fairly quiet when it comes to actually…

The Toronto Blue Jays bats continued to make noise over the weekend, plating 17 runs in their three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. They'll look to keep swinging hot sticks when they open a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles. The Blue Jays have ridden those bats to wins in 13 of their last 17 games but aren't any closer to tracking…

The Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs will continue their weekend series at Fenway Park in Chicago on Saturday afternoon. With that said, it's a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Rockies-Cubs prediction and pick, laid out below. Colorado has struggled to a 62-82 record, sitting in last place in the NL West. Colorado's…