The Mariners and Diamondbacks switched out a bushel of players and gave us our first hint of how new Arizona GM Mike Hazen is going to revamp his roster. Read more »
John Watson - Baseball Analysis
Grading The Deal: Mariners, D-Backs Swap Walker, Segura & More
Play Ball... Please?: On The MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement
The MLB is making money hand over fist with record local television deals, so it seems like the opposing sides should be able to work something out. Here, we're going to take a look at at some of the biggest issues underlying this high-stakes game of chicken. Read more »
Grading The Deals: Astros Sign Reddick & Morton, Trade For McCann
The Astros have been the busiest team in baseball over the last few days in adding Josh Reddick, Brian McCann and Charlie Morton in a series of reasonable yet underwhelming moves. Read more »
Grading The Deals: Braves Sign R.A. Dickey, Bartolo Colon
Both of these signings are exactly the type that the Braves should be making at this juncture: short contracts for veterans who can reliably eat up innings and give the Braves a chance to work towards productively developing their young pitchers. Read more »
Lessons From The 2016 World Series
On how the Cubs are a testament to what happens when you combine such new-school thinking about baseball with big market pockets, the Indians rewrote the rules for the postseason and Baseball always gonna Baseball. Read more »
World Series Preview: The Case For The Cubs
The Cubs are here for a reason: they were the the best team in the regular season and they still have the best team. Small-sample-size shenanigans aside, there's every reason to believe that the Cubs are going to win this series and the longest championship drought in professional sports. Read more »
Andrew Miller: The 2016 Trade Deadline MVP
While it's way, way too early to say that we're going to see teams change how bullpens are managed and move away from tradition there, you know the idea is there now with what Andrew Miller is doing in these playoffs. Read more »
NLCS Preview: The Case For The Dodgers
The Cubs have a slight edge in talent and homefield but this series is essentially a coin toss with how the Dodgers' pitching has rounded into form and a deep lineup. Read more »
ALCS Preview: The Case For The Indians
The Indians can't match Toronto's starting pitching but they have an excellent bullpen and can also manufacture runs. Read more »
The Morning After: Just Another Even-Year October
It's definitely more likely than not that 2016 will be the year that the #EvenYear stuff is finally put to bed, but it was certainly in full effect last night. And don't tell Madison Bumgarner about the so-called "odds," because you'll probably just make him angry. Read more »
The Morning After: What Was Buck Showalter Thinking?
An old-school train of thought on closers was on full display in Toronto. While it's not true that Zach Britton could have won the game for the Orioles, it's certainly true that he gave them the best chance to stay alive long enough to win it. Read more »
Making An MVP: The National League Award Race
Kris Bryant is the best player in the National League who also happens to play for the best team in baseball, which makes the MVP award an easy choice. Read more »
Making An MVP: The American League Award Race
There is a legitimate possibility that Mike Trout will once again come in second and be elected the MVeeP, finishing behind Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve or David Ortiz. Read more »
The Mets' Unlikely Wild Ride To The Postseason
The Mets are looking like a team that deserves another crack at the postseason this year, even if there was a long stretch there where they didn't. Read more »
One-Run And Done: The Most Lucky And Unlucky AL Contenders
Individual teams' records in one-run games are having a profound effect on the playoff races in the AL this season, and it's worth taking a look at, because it’s pretty wild. Read more »
Rookie Rankings: Who's Number One (AL Edition)
Michael Fulmer, Chris Devenski, Tyler Naquin and Gary Sanchez headline the American League's best rookies. Read more »
Rookie Rankings: Who's Number One (NL Edition)
Corey Seager has the NL Rookie of the Year award locked up though Trevor Story, Aledmys Diaz, Ryan Schimpf, Steven Matz, Kenta Maeda and Seung-hwan Oh also deserve mention. Read more »
Ground Control: The Improved Billy Hamilton
We always knew Billy Hamilton was fast as hell. The question was whether or not he would be able to hit enough to make his defensive and baserunning contributions worthwhile. Read more »
The Kind Of Curious Case Of Carlos Gomez
We don't often see players who were as good as Carlos Gomez was as recently as he was getting released in late August by teams that aren't out of the playoff picture yet, even if the player has been struggling mightily, so all this bears a little deep thinking. Read more »
Something's Cooking In Colorado
The Rockies are starting to look like they have some young pitchers who can get results in Coors Field. We'll have to wait and see if the move away from breaking-ball-reliant pitchers is something they fully embrace and whether it's a strategy that's going to work in the long run. Read more »