Top Catchers Ranked By wOBA

Name	AVG	OBP	SLG	BABIP	wOBA
Mike Napoli	0.273	0.374	0.586	0.307	0.399
Chris Iannetta	0.264	0.39	0.505	0.314	0.391
Brian McCann	0.301	0.373	0.523	0.308	0.387
Joe Mauer	0.328	0.413	0.451	0.35	0.378
Geovany Soto	0.285	0.364	0.504	0.337	0.371
Kelly Shoppach	0.261	0.348	0.517	0.359	0.37
Ryan Doumit	0.318	0.357	0.501	0.338	0.367
John Baker	0.299	0.392	0.447	0.375	0.365
Pablo Sandoval	0.345	0.357	0.49	0.367	0.361
Russell Martin	0.28	0.385	0.396	0.311	0.351
Chris Snyder	0.237	0.348	0.452	0.29	0.346
Jorge Posada	0.268	0.364	0.411	0.331	0.34
Dioner Navarro	0.295	0.349	0.407	0.321	0.33
Miguel Montero	0.255	0.33	0.435	0.323	0.33
Bengie Molina	0.292	0.322	0.445	0.292	0.328
Chris Coste	0.263	0.325	0.423	0.294	0.326
Javier Valentin	0.256	0.326	0.411	0.296	0.325
Ramon Castro	0.245	0.312	0.441	0.275	0.324
Yadier Molina	0.304	0.349	0.392	0.314	0.323
Dave Ross	0.225	0.369	0.352	0.29	0.321
Kurt Suzuki	0.279	0.346	0.37	0.311	0.32
Jarrod Saltalamacchia	0.253	0.352	0.364	0.388	0.319
Ivan Rodriguez	0.276	0.319	0.394	0.318	0.317
Gregg Zaun	0.237	0.34	0.359	0.259	0.316
Gerald Laird	0.276	0.329	0.398	0.324	0.315
A.J. Pierzynski	0.281	0.312	0.416	0.304	0.314
Henry Blanco	0.292	0.325	0.392	0.337	0.314
Miguel Olivo	0.255	0.278	0.444	0.311	0.313
Ramon Hernandez	0.257	0.308	0.406	0.269	0.31
Brian Schneider	0.257	0.339	0.367	0.282	0.309
Victor Martinez	0.278	0.337	0.365	0.31	0.308
Rod Barajas	0.249	0.294	0.41	0.274	0.307
Shawn Riggans	0.222	0.287	0.407	0.242	0.302
Jesus Flores	0.256	0.296	0.402	0.321	0.301
Jason Varitek	0.22	0.313	0.359	0.278	0.299
Brandon Inge	0.205	0.303	0.369	0.248	0.297
Mike Redmond	0.287	0.321	0.333	0.314	0.294
Jason Kendall	0.246	0.327	0.324	0.267	0.293
Yorvit Torrealba	0.246	0.293	0.394	0.28	0.293
John Buck	0.224	0.304	0.365	0.279	0.292
Jeff Clement	0.227	0.295	0.36	0.304	0.289
Kevin Cash	0.225	0.309	0.338	0.326	0.289
Chad Moeller	0.231	0.311	0.33	0.278	0.287
Paul Lo Duca	0.243	0.321	0.295	0.259	0.287
Jason LaRue	0.213	0.296	0.348	0.221	0.286
Wil Nieves	0.261	0.309	0.341	0.308	0.285
Toby Hall	0.26	0.304	0.331	0.292	0.282
Carlos Ruiz	0.219	0.32	0.3	0.237	0.279
Nicholas Hundley	0.237	0.278	0.359	0.298	0.278
Jamie Burke	0.261	0.303	0.326	0.274	0.277
Matt Treanor	0.238	0.306	0.301	0.311	0.277
Paul Bako	0.217	0.299	0.328	0.291	0.274
Kenji Johjima	0.227	0.277	0.332	0.233	0.272
Brad Ausmus	0.218	0.303	0.296	0.256	0.267
Raul Chavez	0.259	0.287	0.319	0.287	0.267
Jeff Mathis	0.194	0.275	0.318	0.25	0.26
Ronny Paulino	0.212	0.277	0.305	0.25	0.26
Michael Barrett	0.202	0.274	0.298	0.224	0.259
Jose Molina	0.216	0.263	0.313	0.258	0.257
Humberto Quintero	0.226	0.27	0.298	0.273	0.256
Josh Bard	0.202	0.279	0.27	0.23	0.249
Guillermo Quiroz	0.187	0.259	0.269	0.235	0.242
Mike Rabelo	0.202	0.256	0.294	0.235	0.242
J.R. Towles	0.137	0.25	0.253	0.157	0.235
Luke Carlin	0.149	0.238	0.234	0.22	0.221

2008-09 MLB's Non-Tendered Free Agents

There are a lot of interesting names among the non-tendered free agents this year. On the surface it may seem that this list of names is irrelevant to fantasy league owners but that assumption would be very wrong. This is about the all important context. If a team essentially cuts players from their starting lineup than other players will be replacing them. The owner that identifies that replacement soonest gains an advantage over his leaguemates. In the article below I've listed all of the non-tendered free agents and commented where I think the possibilities are interesting.

Astros - Ty Wigginton, 3B; Reggie Abercrombie OF
Ty Wigginton would be a solid addition to most lineups. He can play first base or third base and even second base or a corner outfield position in a pinch. He has a few on-base skills and hits for power. Wigginton was let go because the Astros felt they could not afford to keep him. The 2008 season was the best of Wigginton's career despite only 386 at-bats. The Astros do not appear to have a ready replacement for Wigginton. One possibility would be thuggles e early promotion of third-base prospect Chris Johnson. Johnson is smooth defensively but still has some developing to do at the plate. He makes very good contact and has 25-homer power but tends to wait for the fastball and struggles when pitchers don't oblige him.

Reggie Abercrombie is expected to a sign a minor league deal with the Astros and return for the 2009 season.

Braves - Chuck James, LHP
Chuck James was once very highly rated as a Braves pitching prospect but upon his graduation to the majors his K/9 took a significant dip even as his BB/9 rose. James suffered an elbow injury that will almost certainly cause him to miss the 2009 season. The Braves will attempt to sign him to a minor league contract.

The Braves have been determined to add frontline pitching talent to their 2009 rotation. They have already traded for veteran innings eater Javier Vazquez. They made a strong attempt to trade for Jake Peavy but understandably the Padres expectations were extremely high. The Braves also made a very serious bid to acquire pitcher A.J. Burnett who signed with the New York Yankees instead.

It is obvious the Braves intend to add another veteran pitcher to their rotation. If the remaining free agent options do not appeal to them they could return to trade possibilities. Jake Peavy is still an option and the price will come down as the Padres get more desperate to complete a deal.

Brewers - Chris Capuano, LHP
Chris Capuano missed the entire 2008 season after suffering an elbow injury. He eventually had to endure his second Tommy John Elbow Surgery. The Brewers have been involved in his rehab and are hoping to re-sign Capuano to a minor league deal.

Cardinals - Randy Flores, LHP; Tyler Johnson, LHP; Aaron Miles, 2B
The St. Louis Cardinals should be able to find better players than this group in theor sleep. Tony LaRussa has stated a few times this off season that he believes there is a valuable intimidation factor to having big name players in the lineup and on the pitching staff.

Diamondbacks - Chris Burke, INF; Robby Hammock, C; Wil Ledezma, LHP; Jeff Salazar, OF
The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed Felipe Lopez to replace departing second baseman Orlando Hudson. Chris Burke was once thought to be Hudson's potential replacement but he has been just barely above useless as a Diamondback.

Dodgers - Mario Alvarez, RHP; Angel Berroa, SS; Yhency Brazoban, RHP; Scott Proctor, RHP; Takashi Saito, RHP
With Jonathan Broxton established in the closer role the Dodgers saw little need to bring back Takashi Saito. Saito missed a large portion of the season with an elbow injury and was due to gain a significant raise in salary. Saito has been an effective closer in his short major league career. He has the high strikeout rate (11.63), the low walk rate (2.47). He doesn't allow many homeruns (0.43 HR/9) thanks in part to his good groundball rate (42 percent). Saito, if healthy, should be a bargain closer option for some team in 2009.

Mariners - Jamie Burke, C

Marlins - Joe Nelson, RHP

Nationals - Tim Redding, RHP
The Nationals tried very hard to trade Tim Redding but they either set the price too high or it was obvious to other teams that he would eventually be non-tendered. Redding is a very replaceable pitcher and the Nationals just did not want to guve him a raise. The Nationals still need every capable arm they can find so it would not be shocking to see them try to bring Redding back at a discount.

Orioles - Daniel Cabrera, RHP; Lance Cormier RHP
Daniel Cabrera has great stuff. Despite terrible control he tends to induce groundballs. prior to the 2008 season he was a good strikeout pitcher as well. His walk rate (although still extremely high) has gone down three years in a row. It is very easy to speculate that Cabrera's attempts to bring the walks under control cost him in strikeouts. The Orioles were not willing to give him a raise while still unsatisfied with the now 27-year old starter. I think he would make a dynamic relief pitcher. Some team will give him a job in the bullpen this season and a sleeper will be born.

Padres - Clay Hensley, RHP; Charlie Haeger, RHP

Phillies - Scott Mathieson, RHP

Pirates - Denny Bautista, RHP

Rangers - Doug Mathis, RHP

Rays - Jonny Gomes, OF
If if there is a non-tendered free agent with the ability to turn into the next David Ortiz, it is Jonny Gomes. He has extremely good power. He strikes out a lot but he also draws a good number of walks. He hits flyballs and linedrives like crazy. He was also unlucky last season with just a .200 BABIP in 2008 compared to a career average of .294. If Gomes lands on the right team in the right role he will explode in production. The Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, and Seattle Mariners would all be great places for him to land.

Red Sox - Kevin Cash, C

Rockies - Jonathan Herrera, IF; Willy Taveras, OF
Willy Taveras is not an amazing player but he has a few very useful skills. He plays a solid center field (he makes a lot of mistakes but his speed makes up for many of them). He hits the ball on the ground which gives him the best chance to utilize his speed to get on base. He also is a very good base stealer (he is successful in about 80 percent of his attempts). These are skills that many teams could use.

The Rockies tried to trade Taveras but too many teams were correctly convinced that the Rockies would eventually non-tender him. The Rockies will turn to the newly acquired Carlos Gonzalez in center field and hope that he develops faster for them than he did with the Oakland athletics. The Rockies have a deep collection of outfielders coming through the system and infielders that will probably need to be moved. Dexter Fowler and Eric Young are two that should excel and take two spots in the outfield before the end of the 2009 season.

Royals - John Bale, LHP; Jairo Cuevas, RHP; Joey Gathright, OF; Jason Smith, IF

Yankees - Chris Britton, RHP; Justin Christian, OF

More Hot Stove Free-Agent Signings

The Yankees have reached an agreement with RHP A.J. Burnett and the Indians have all but signed closer Kerry Wood. You can read my complete analysis of those pitchers on the RotoExperts.com Fantasy Baseball Blog.

The New York Yankees Sign A.J. Burnett
As a New York Yankees fan I'm not all that enamored of the much rumored plan the Yankees have to sign three free agent starters.The plan forces Phil Hughes and to a lesser extent Ian Kennedy out of the rotation to begin the 2009 season. This seems like the wrong move to me. Signing CC Sabathia was a necessity for the Yankees. They needed that intimidating starter to place at the head of their rotation. I can even understand the second free agent pitcher so that the young guys are not just given a job and will instead have to fight for it. But to sign a third and probably older starter and seemingly give up on the youth movement is just not good team building.
The Tribe Inches Closer to Closer Kerry Wood
Kerry Wood took a physical for the Cleveland Indians on Thursday. Assuming that Wood passed he would soon sign a contract with the Indians expected to be for two years and $20 million. Wood stayed relatively healthy last season as the Cubs closer and was also very effective in the role. He converted 34 of 40 save opportunities while providing the Cubs with 66 and 1/3 innings. He struck out out 84 and walked just 18 batters. He is moving to the tougher league but this generally has a greater effect on starters than relievers.

2008 Team Defensive Ranking by UZR

The chart below is a ranking of every Major League Baseball team by UZR. UZR is one of the best statistical measurements of defense yet created. Please note however that defense statistics stil have a long way to go. Still, examining this chart and ones like it that you can find on sites like FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus and others when your ranking your potential pitching selections can be quite valuable when it comes to guessing on potential breakouts and sleepers.

A team that has dramatically improved it's defense is more likely to findpitching breakouts than the other way around. For those of you unfamiliar with UZR I've borrowed a description from Baseball Think Factory (this link is a good one to read) :

UZR rate is expressed as a fraction of 1, the same as a simple ZR (ZR). A UZR rate means essentially the same thing as a simple ZR � namely the number of balls fielded (turned into at least one out) divided by the number of chances; however, UZR rate is a weighted average of a player�s ZR in each of several zones.

As you will see, UZR rate is really a by-product of UZR runs, and UZR runs is the heart of the UZR system. It represents the value of a fielder�s performance expressed as runs saved or cost, in comparison to an average fielder (actually in comparison to the mean performance of all fielders) at that position, in that player�s league, and during that particular year. UZR runs is the defensive counterpart of Palmer�s offensive linear weights (lwts); thus it can be combined with lwts (among other things) to give you an estimate of a player�s total offensive and defensive value. Any player with an average defensive performance will, by definition, have exactly zero UZR runs.

Team	G	E	DP	FP	UZR
Rays	2080	90	429	0.985	70.6
Phillies	2181	90	380	0.985	48.5
Red Sox	2146	85	399	0.986	44.3
Athletics	2126	98	467	0.984	31.5
Astros	2125	67	379	0.989	30.8
Cardinals	2297	85	430	0.986	30.4
Nationals	2160	123	387	0.98	29.1
Brewers	2002	101	425	0.984	21.7
Giants	2216	96	341	0.984	21.3
Royals	2124	96	431	0.984	19.2
Blue Jays	2042	84	366	0.986	19
Mets	2194	83	344	0.986	14.8
Cubs	2180	99	311	0.983	9.8
Indians	2010	94	498	0.985	6.2
Marlins	2221	117	328	0.98	0.8
Angels	2030	91	441	0.985	-0.5
Braves	2161	107	404	0.983	-0.8
Orioles	2126	100	441	0.983	-2
Padres	2097	85	401	0.986	-14.5
Pirates	2092	107	504	0.983	-17.8
White Sox	2134	108	427	0.983	-18
Twins	2078	108	465	0.983	-25.5
Diamondbacks	2073	113	374	0.981	-25.8
Mariners	2075	99	430	0.984	-32.8
Dodgers	2205	101	376	0.984	-35.8
Rangers	2107	132	528	0.979	-35.8
Tigers	2122	113	466	0.981	-38
Yankees	2143	83	366	0.986	-39.4
Reds	2204	114	414	0.981	-41.7
Rockies	2122	96	466	0.985	-70.9

The Importance of Defense in a Fantasy Baseball Context

If I preach about anything on this blog one of them is putting things into the proper context. David Golebiewski at Fangraph.com has posted a terrific series of articles that examine how the defense of the Texas Rangers and the improvement of Edwin Jackson, and also the new and improving defense of the Seattle Mariners fit into fantasy baseball context. This is great stuff that you should read.

Rangeless Rangers Compound Pitching Problems

So, the vast majority of Texas’ starters were crappy, regardless of dimensions of their home ballpark. That’s not breaking news. However, the Rangers’ fielders did those starters no favors in 2008. While Texas featured some heavy hitters, several prominent players were lethargic with the leather.

David Appelman recently added yet another great feature to this site: Ultimate Zone Rating. Using a fielding model developed by Mitchel Lichtman, UZR allows us to calculate how many runs above or below average a fielder is per 150 games played (for further details and discussion, look here). Perusing the Texas team page, it becomes apparent that while the Rangers’ offense is strong up the middle, some of those runs are punted back on defense (and, in Young’s case, on offense as well):

CF Hamilton: -12.6 UZR/150
2B Kinsler: -4.4 UZR/150
SS Young: -3.7 UZR/150

This is especially significant with all of the young and extremely talented pitching about to come out of the texas Rangers minor league system. It also helps to explain why so many pitchers fail in Texas only to make dramatic improvements elsewhere. The Park Factors and Bad Defense combine tocreate a worst-case scenario for pitchers in Texas.

Trade Fallout: Jackson Jumps to Motown
In 2007, Jackson posted a 4.90 FIP. In 2008, despite the huge difference in ERA, that FIP figure remained static (4.88 FIP). While he knocked off over a walk per nine innings from his line (from 4.92 BB/9 in ‘07 to 3.78 BB/9 in ‘08), his strikeout rate dipped considerably, down from 7.16 per nine in 2007 to just 5.3 in 2008.

It wasn’t really Jackson that improved, but rather the defense around him. The dramatic shift in the quality of Tampa’s D has been well chronicled. After posting a gruesome -54.2 UZR in 2007, the Rays skyrocketed to +70.6 in ‘08 (for those of you scoring at home, that’s about a twelve-and-a-half win swing). Jackson’s BABIP was .351 in 2007, but with the best defensive squad in the majors flanking him in 2008, that number dropped to .301. He also benefitted from stranding 76.1% of runners on base, well above his 69.7% career average.

This makes the Tigers acquisition of Jackson even more interesting. The Tigers have improved their defense this offseason but is it enough to allow Jackson to stay at the level he reached last year? If it is and Jackson can increase his strikeout rate and maintain or even improve his BB/9 from last season we could be looking at a real breakout.

Meet the Mariners’ New Outfield D
As a whole, the M’s outfield was -25.5 runs below average by UZR and -15.2 runs by the Plus/Minus system (the big difference in RF is due to Dewan’s system liking Ichiro’s work there and UZR rating it as slightly below average).

Now, take a gander at the new-look Seattle D. For the sake of making this comparison easier, let’s assume that:
1. Chavez, Gutierrez and Suzuki all make 150 starts and play 1350 innings apiece.
2. The fielding metrics compiled by Gutierrez are docked 15% (it’s far from perfect, but it’s an attempt to account for the added difficulty of playing center), and Chavez and Suzuki play to the levels that they have shown in the corner spots during their respective careers. For Chavez, I added his equally stellar work in RF to his projection to make the sample size larger (the majority of his career has been spent in center).

LF Chavez: 20.3 UZR/150
CF Gutierrez: 18.3 UZR/150
RF Suzuki: 7.3 UZR/150

If this trio plays 150 games, they project to be nearly 46 runs above average with the leather. Compare that with the embarrassing work done by last year’s Ibanez-fueled, molasses-covered group: if the M’s get league-average defense from their extra outfielders (filling out the additional 12 game gap), that’s a swing of over 70 runs in outfield defense, or seven wins (!)

An improved defense as well as an improved offense means good things are in store for the Seattle Mariners pitching staff. I'm especially intrigued with the improvement that is possible for Felix Hernandez.
Read All of The Above Articles - what I've sampled for you is just that.

Raul Ibanez Signs with the Philadelphia Phillies

Raul Ibanez has agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies believed to be worth $30 million for three years. Ibanez replaces former left fielder Pat Burrell who is presently a free agent.

This seems a bit odd for the Phillies. Ibanez is older (37-years old), just as bad defensively, and left-handed which tilts the Phillies lineup dramatically to that side. Ibanez is also a not as skilled at getting on base as Burrell. Ibanez does make better contact and thus usually hits for a better batting average but that has more value for us a fantasy players than it does for the Phillies.

Ibanez moves to a better park for hitters. Citizens Bank Park was rated at 1.029 runs and Safeco at 0.932. Ibanez is a good contact hitter with good power. He hits more groundballs than you would like to see from your power hitters. He should put up better counting stats in a far stronger Phillies lineup. All of this makes Ibanez a good fantasy baseball addition for the 2009 season.

More Updates From the Winter Meetings

The trades just keep coming from Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings. I've written more updates on the RotoExperts.com blog and now of course I share them with you.

CC Sabathia Agrees to Pitch for the New York Yankees
In the end the New York Yankees refused to take no for an answer. CC Sabathia had no issues with playing in New York his problem was that he really wanted to live and play on the West Coast. Unfortunately for Sabathia none of the West Coast teams were willing to step to the plate. It might have dragged on even longer but Brian Cashman was so determined to sign him that he left the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas to meet with Sabathia and his wife in San Francisco. Cashman also added another year onto the contract and gave Sabathia the ability to opt out of the contract after three seasons.The final deal was for seven years and $161 million.
Closer J.J. Putz Traded in Three Team Deal
The Mets received closer (now set-up man) J.J. Putz, outfielder Jeremy Reed, and right-hander Sean Green from Seattle. The Mariners received outfielder Franklin Gutierrez from the Indians and, from the Mets, right-hander Aaron Heilman, center fielder Endy Chavez and four Minor Leaguers -- first baseman Mike Carp, right-hander Maikel Cleto, left-hander Jason Vargas and center fielder Ezekiel Carrera. The Indians received right-hander Joe Smith from the Mets and infielder Luis Valbuena from the Mariners.
The Detroit Tigers Acquire RHP Edwin Jackson
The Detroit Tigers have sent outfielder Matt Joyce to the Tampa Bay Rays for right-hander Edwin Jackson. The trade fills a need on both teams. The Tigers needed a healthy starter to eat some innings. While the Rays needed a corner outfielder.

More from the Hot Stove Junkie

The latest Hot Stove Junkie is posted on RotoExperts.com. Lots of interesting moves last week to analyze.

The Boston Red Sox Sign another Japanese Pitcher
I ran into Boston Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein last week. I wanted to ask him about his off-season plans but he just kept repeating the same phrase.

I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so

After walking away in confusion, I heard some news that rather explained it. The Red Sox had just signed their third Japanese pitcher. Right-hander Junichi Tazawa signed a three-year deal for $3.3 million. Tazawa is just 22 years-old. He will begin the 2009 season pitching for the double-A Portland Sea Dogs. Translating Japanese numbers to relevance for fantasy leaguers has always been a problem but Tazawa appears worthy of top prospect status. He spent the last four years pitching in the Japanese Industrial League for Nippon Oil where he was 13-1 with 5 saves and a 0.80 ERA this season in 21 games. He struck out 114 batters to just 15 walks in 113 innings. He is someone to watch, but I would not go nuts for him just yet.

Winter Meetings Update

The Winter Meetings were quite active today with some expected moves and some not so expected. The rumors of even more moves were running rampant. I've been writing updates for the RotoExperts.com blog all day between sessions with my 11-month old niece who has become quite the mimic. She can almost perfectly imitate her grandfather's smoking cough, it is even more hilarious than it sounds. I'm summarizing all the moves here, check out the links for the complete analysis.

Today's Moves

The Detroit Tigers have reached an agreement with shortstop Adam Everett on a one-year deal for $1 million.
The Detroit Tigers have reached an agreement with shortstop Adam Everett on a one-year deal for $1 million. The signing is pending a physical for Everett. Believe it or not this is an okay move for the Tigers even if it does nothing for fantasy leaguers. The Tigers could not afford (or at least were unwilling) to sign one of the better free agents. They were engaged in trade talks with the Pittsburgh Pirates to acquire shortstop Jack Wilson. Trading for Wilson would have been a much worse move.

The Los Angeles Dodgers reached contract agreements with free agents Casey Blake (3B, LAD) and Mark Loretta (2B, LAD). Blake received a three-year contract worth $17.1 million. Loretta received a one-year deal worth $1.25 million to act as the teams utility man.
These are decent deal for the Dodgers who have made lots of terrible free agent deals in recent years . Both are signed relatively cheaply and not for many years. They also aren't paid so much that they couldn't be moved to the bench or another team should a younger player emerge.

Francisco Rodriguez was expecting to sign a bank breaking contract as the best closer on the market. Instead he has agreed to a nice but not groundbreaking deal with the New York Mets who played him and the market almost perfectly. K-Rod's deal is for three-years and $37 million.
Rodriguez is one of the best closers in baseball and an excellent fantasy option. However, it is important that owners know that Rodriguez is not the fireballer he was a few years ago. Rather than throwing his fastball 97-98 mph, he throws it 93-94. It may not seem like a huge distinction but it is to major league hitters. He claims to have taken some off his fastball to increase his control. If that's true it isn't working. In 2008 his K/9 fell from over twelve four straight years to 10.14 in 2008. At the same time his BB/9 has risen to nearly 4.50 the last two seasons.

The re-building baltimore Orioles opened a spot for the best prospect in the minors when they traded catcher Ramon Hernandez to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Ryan Freel and two minor leaguers - infielders Justin Turner and Brandon Waring.
Ryan Freel should be a versatile reserve for the Orioles playing all three outfield positions and second and third base when necessary. Freel has decent on-base skills and good speed that he uses to steal bases at about a 75 percent success rate. Freel is an excellent pick-up in deeper leagues for his versatility and stolen bases. In shallower leagues he doesn't have much value unless he gets more consistent playing time.

Catcher Gerald Laird Traded to Detroit Tigers

Last night catcher Gerald Laird was sent to the Detroit Tigers for two prospects believed to be RHP Guillermo Moscoso and RHP Carlos Melo. This is definitely not the trade I was expecting to see.

Gerald Laird has yet to establish his real level in the majors. He has shown fantastic offensive potential as well as being very inconsistent at times. Moving from the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington to Commerica Park is going to have a negative impact. Commerica hasn't played as a pitcher's park the last couple of seasons but it definitely is more limiting on hitters than the Rangers ballpark. But frankly Laird is a hard player to figure out considering his consistent inconsistency. As long as we're paying for him based on last year's numbers I think he is a good pickup at catcher. If members of your league get excited about him based on the trade then it would be better to pass than to overpay.

ROTOEXPERTS.COM TO SPONSOR UFC FIGHTER AT UFC 92

This is so cool:

December 8, 2008, Safety Harbor, FL. RotoExperts, LLC today announced that they have partnered with Team BombSquad to sponsor Mike Massenzio for his fight at Ultimate Fighting Championship 92. UFC 92 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV on the last weekend of December 2008.

UFC 92 has recently been touted as “The Ultimate 2008,” offering the best fight card assembled in UFC history, with two title belts on the line over the course of the evening. The fight will be available via Pay-Per-View, and viewership is expected to approach one million households. Massenzio enters the fight with an 11-2 record, while his opponent, UFC 7 Runner-Up CB Dollaway sits at 7-1. This is the first sponsorship of its kind for a fantasy sports-affiliated venture.

"RotoExperts.com is very pleased to be sponsoring one of the fighters on the best card the UFC has ever offered,” said Ben Ice, founder of RotoExperts.com. "In our short tenure as a fantasy sports advice site, we are looking to take a more active role helping to advance various areas of the sports entertainment world. Since our primary demographic also enjoys UFC, it is a natural match for us when considering sponsorship opportunities."

"Team BombSquad is extremely happy to be working with RotoExperts.com," added Ryan Citoli, manager for Team BombSquad. "Mike is thrilled to have a sponsor like RotoExperts in his corner to support and promote him, and Team BombSquad is looking forward to a long working relationship with both RotoExperts and Mike."

To view the fight, contact your PPV provider prior to December 27, 2008. The first fight on the card begins at 10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST. Viewers can also access the fight via Yahoo! Sports if they prefer to watch online.

John Smoltz Noise

According to an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, free agent right-hander John Smoltz is now throwing which puts him ahead of schedule in his rehab. I admit to having an irrational love for John Smoltz. He will always be one of my favorites --even when drafting him is extremely risky.

"Roger was impressed, and John’s on Cloud 9. No pain at all. None. Zero pain. Man, he’s way ahead of schedule.”

Smoltz, citing a desire to focus his energy on a rehabilitation and workout regimen, has declined most media requests for offseason progress reports. However, he eased the moratorium long enough to confirm that Friday’s session went well, and concurred with Cox’s optimistic view of his comeback.

“Every thing [is progressing], every day,” said Smoltz, who seemed as confident as Cox of his return. “I can’t say I felt that way the day after surgery. But as time has gone by, I certainly have grown in my confidence.”

Smoltz and left-hander Tom Glavine are fortysomething free agents trying to rebound from surgeries (Glavine, elbow and shoulder).

Braves general manager Frank Wren said he can’t count on either to make it back in 2009, but hopes to offer both of them contracts if and when they get to the point in their throwing programs where it seems like they would be ready to pitch.

Glavine was encouraged by long-toss sessions Wednesday and Friday, the 305-game winner’s first times throwing since Aug. 21 procedures to repair a torn flexor tendon and clean out his shoulder.

He’s also ahead of schedule in his throwing program, but not yet far enough for such optimism as Smoltz provided Friday.

Smoltz, the only pitcher with 200 wins and 150 saves, would likely be elected to the Hall of Fame if he never pitched another inning.