Category Archives: Trades

What Should We Expect from Mike Morse in 2013?

Mike Morse is the definition of a late-bloomer. From 2005 to 2009, the outfielder/infielder owned a respectable but light-hitting .293/.355/.409/.764 line with a 106 OPS+. By comparison, Daniel Murphy posted a similar .291/.332/.403/.735 line with a 102 OPS+ in 2012. So while Morse could handle the stick, he didn’t change games with it. That is, until 2010. Continue reading

New Boston Red Sox Closer, Joel Hanrahan, is Not a Closer

At best, Joel Hanrahan is a good reliever. He strikes out a lot of batters (career 9.9 K/9), throws hard (consistent 96 MPH fastball), and possesses a good “out” pitch (slider has been worth 30.8 RAA in career). Yet, despite owning a perfectly projectable career 3.74 ERA vs. 3.78 xFIP, the righty’s peripherally-putrid 2012 campaign casts a shadow on his recent jettison to Boston, and subsequent named-role as closer. Continue reading

There’s Still Room for the Dodgers to Improve

Apparently no one told the Los Angeles Dodgers that other teams use a standard five-man rotation. But perhaps the Dodgers just aren’t like “other teams.” Despite already sporting a rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley, Chris Capuano, Aaron Harang, and Ted Lilly, the Dodgers actively pursued starting pitching this off-season to deepen their rotation depth, inking high-priced free-agents like Zack Greinke and Japanese import Hyun-Jin Ryu. Yet even with eight viable starting pitchers for just five spots, and their cast of other positional All-Stars, there’s still room for the Dodgers to improve.…read the rest of this article at Baseball News Source.