Author Danny Vinik

Angels Get Mightier

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Photo: ESPN

Yesterday the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim acquired star first baseman Mark Teixeira from the Atlanta Braves for first baseman Casey Kotchman and a minor leaguer. Already possessing the best record in the major leagues, the Angels just got a whole lot better. Their starting pitching is dominant. Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, and John Lackey may be the best starting pitcher combination in baseball with Jered Weaver and Jon Garland. None of those five starters have an ERA above 4.30, giving the Angels a chance to win every game.

Their bullpen is lights-out. Closer Francisco Rodriguez is on pace to shatter Bobby Thigpen’s record of 57 saves in one season. Relievers Jose Arredondo and Scott Shields both have ERAs of 3.00 or below. Their team ERA is 3.88 and team WHIP is 1.29. The pitching staff is nothing less than superb and it is built for a long run in the postseason. Since only three starters are needed during the playoffs, at least one of Santana, Saunders, and Lackey would be able to pitch in every game Continue reading “Angels Get Mightier” →

MLB Trading Deadline

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Photo: ESPN

The Major League Baseball Trade Deadline is just two days away and speculation about who is going to be traded to where has taken main stage across the sport. There have already been a couple of minor trades as well as two big ones (C.C. Sabathia and Rich Harden). Harden and Sabathia have already paid huge dividends for the Cubs and Brewers respectively. Though winless in the NL, Harden has struck out 30 batters in 17 1/3 innings, possessing a 1.04ERA. Sabathia is 4-0 with three complete games and a 1.82 ERA. Those were two of the biggest names on the market and the fact that they have already been traded may mean that this year’s Trading Deadline may be uneventful, but anything could happen. Here is a look at a couple of interesting players:

Mark Teixeira: Look who is back on the market. The hottest free agent right now, Teixeira finds himself in an identical situation as last year when he was traded from the Texas Rangers to the Atlanta Braves. This time the Braves are shopping him around. The Diamondbacks seem to be the strongest pursuer of Teixeira, but there are plenty of other offers. The Braves are looking for a big-league bat and a strong pitching prospect for their star first baseman, whose stats speak for themselves (.280 avg, 20 hr, 78 rbi). Arizona is also joined by the Angels, Red Sox, and Rays in pursuit of Teixeira. I think the Braves will move Teixeira and that the offer by the D’backs will trump all other offers Atlanta will receive. Continue reading “MLB Trading Deadline” →

Leaving The NBA?

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Yesterday, Josh Childress became the fifth NBA player this year to dart from the pros in America and cross the water to Europe. Now a former Atlanta Hawk, Childress was a restricted free agent, meaning the Hawks could match any offer by another NBA team. Unfortunately for Atlanta, Childress signed with Olympiakos, a Greek team, so they do not have the chance to match the offer. That means Childress is gone. The deal with Olympiakos was worth $20 million over three years. Childress is a very good sixth-man and a great energy guy off the bench for the Hawks, but I don’t think he is worth more than six million dollars a year.

So Olympiakos overpaid, but that isn’t exactly newsworthy in sports. What is newsworthy is that a key NBA player chose to play in an inferior league overseas instead of the NBA. It has even been reported that the Hawks were offering Childress a deal worth around $36 million. If Childress was getting a solid deal from Atlanta, then why did he choose to leave the NBA. As I said above, this seems to be a growing theme amongst NBA players as Childress is the fifth, and most notable, player to leave the NBA for a European league this year. Continue reading “Leaving The NBA?” →