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Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Tony Romo

Albert Pujols is coming off of the worst season of his career, and many people are questioning whether or not the inevitable is happening; is the greatest player of this decade beginning to decline? It's a fair question to ask, but Pujols is still going to be a valuable player over the next few seasons. The Cardinals are still trying to make sure that Pujols will retire with the team, as they have not retracked on their earlier offer of nine years and about 200 million. It seems ludicrous, but Pujols is that valuable to the franchise as a Cardinal. Naturally, the future Hall of Famer has far less value for any other team. The Marlins have- to nobody's surprise- offered Puj a contract well below 200 million dollars. Pujols would obviously be better off re-signing, because that type of money just isn't given to players who will be heading into their late 30's during the deal.


The Milwaukee Brewers are probably going to foolishly go internally and the very light-hitting Mat Gamel at first. As a result, the Brewers are focusing their resources on other positions; such as shortstop. Jose Reyes isn't the only option, as the team is talking to the under-priced, scrappy Clint Barmes. The Brew Crew have also contacted veteran and former MVP Jimmy Rollins, but don't rule out the possibility of them signing the "perennial groan"; Yuniesky Betancourt. Again, how was this guy ever a Type B FA? (Like Shrek, I know it happened, but I just can't believe it. Don't blame Elias, the league gave them their mindbogglingly stupid method.)

Forget a trade knuckleheads, the Giants are looking to re-sign their two aces (you know who they are) before they become free agents. I really hope nobody actually believed those trade rumors, no matter how fun they were to believe.


C.J. Wilson wants a six-year deal, but I wouldn't really give it to him. I addressed this in a previous rumors post, but I will say it again; one year makes a lot of difference. A five year deal with an option for a sixth is the most I would go for. He's a great pitcher, but he is also 30 years old. Wilson is also looking to get 120 million dollars, and that 20 million a year is actually fair value.

Eric Chavez could have been one of the best third basemen of the decade, but injuries broke what would have been a great career. However, the current Yankees third baseman still wants to play ball. The Yankees will most likely bring him back, and he was mildly productive at a weak position, but he did get injured during the season. However, Chavez has some value coming off the bench.
Albert Pujols
Should stick around in St. Louis
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It isn't always pretty, but Francisco Cordero gets the job done, and there are quite a few teams clamoring for his services via trade. Cordero is about a league-average closer, and a solid prospect is about what the Reds should expect from a deal. However, there is a good chance that a team overpays for him and factors in his gaudy save numbers a little too much.

Although the Padres have given a two year deal to Heath Bell, they don't really like the prospects of him re-signing. Bell could stand to make more with one of the many west coast teams interested in him, and one can't rule out the Red Sox as players in the race for Bell. Even though he is a little overrated, Bell is still a pretty good closer, but a team looking to give him- as Sports Illustrated states- three years and 30 million is giving up too much.

In yesterday's post, I stated that the only way Jose Reyes will sign with the Marlins is if he plays at shortstop. People, for some strange reason, believe that Hanley Ramirez and Reyes are friends; that's not the case. Regardless, Han-Ram isn't pleased about moving over to third if Reyes is signed. A move to third would help the Marlins defensively, because it means that Ramirez has less chances to screw up in the field. It's obvious that Hanley doesn't want to move to a less prestigious position on the diamond, but I really wish he would do what's best for the team and for himself. Doesn't he want to win a ring?

Aramis Ramirez wants a four year deal (even if it's an option) according to FOX Sports, and that really seems like a stretch to me. He may be a solid hitter at a weak position offensively, but he's too old to be seeking a four years. A-Ram obviously wants the opportunity to win a ring at the age of 33, but he may want to lower his demands to make him more appealing to contenders.

The Rangers, Yankees, Red Sox, Rockies, Indians, Cubs, Phillies, and Giants all want to take a gamble on former stud center fielder Grady Sizemore. It would be a calculated risk, but I really don't think the Yanks, Phils, or Sox have a need for Grady right now.

C.J. Wilson is easily the best starter on the free agent market right now, and the rival Angels are interested in acquiring the ace to an already impressive rotation. Right now, Wilson obviously wants to make 100 million over six seasons, but I honestly think six years may be a couple of seasons too many. Five is the most I would go, and a year really does make a difference between a good deal and a bad deal when you are investing this much money per season.
Francisco Cordero
Teams are calling
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11/14 MLB Rumors and News: The Dodgers

November 14th 2011 19:05
It looks like the Los Angeles Dodgers are poised to pay my 2011 NL MVP 160 million dollars over eight seasons. This is a bargain for the Dodgers, as Matt Kemp should easily be a 4.5 WAR player over that time span, and he is definitely one of the most talented players in the Majors right now.

Remember in the spring last year when the Milwaukee Brewers offered Prince Fielder a five year deal worth 100 million? And Fielder didn't even give a counter-offer? It looks like the Brewers are definitely going to move on, and it is obvious that Fielder is doing the same and really wants to test his value on the market. I believe that Fielder will get seven years and 156.5 million dollars on the open market in a deal that is similar to what Adrian Gonzalez got.

Ryan Doumit is a solid offensive catcher who is viewed as one of the best options available on the free agent market right now. Although many people don't personally like him, he isn't as bad of a player as some make him out to be. However, don't count on him signing with the Dodgers as he rejected their lowly one year deal that wasn't even worth three million dollars. They basically valued him as a replacement player and offered him less than they gave questionable outfielder Juan Rivera.

Jose Reyes says that the only way he signs with the Marlins is if Hanley Ramirez moves to third or center field. I would never move the already poor defensive player to CF, but a move to the hot corner wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Han-Ram. I don't see the point in trading him if he doesn't move, unless of course, the package is too big to pass up on and Reyes signs on. However, that's just a bad risk, and a Reyes deal hinges on Ramirez's willingness to finally take on for the team and not kick the grounder.

"I'm as serious as my heart beats."

That interesting comment was said by former Dodgers ace Orel Hershiser when asked if he and former Dodgers star first baseman Steve Garvey were serious about becoming the owners of the unstable Los Angeles Dodgers. Although Hershisher could afford it, it will cost him somewhere between 800 million and 1.2 billion; I'm guessing the price is closer to 800 million.

As expected, quite a bit of teams are asking about acquiring young White Sox starters John Danks and Gavin Floyd. Personally, I would keep Danks and shop around Floyd only. They need to keep one of those guys in the rotation, and I would probably end up keeping Floyd in the end. I mean, anybody can be a contender in the AL Central, so why blow the better part of your rotation up?
Matt Kemp
The Dodgers may not have an owner, but they do have brains
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I was left shaking my head in disgust when looking at the title on Yahoo! Sports baseball homepage for the free agent tracker. I've never liked Jeff Passan to begin with, but calling somebody a "major league imposter" is uncalled for and bush league. Everyone's favorite Yankee-hater and Rays-lover is at it again, and I really hope he learns to tone it down. It's one thing to criticize a player, but it's another thing when you insult them to that degree.

Because of injuries, GM Sandy Alderson won't re-sign Jose Reyes to a contract longer than five years. That makes a lot of sense, and I wouldn't give him over five years with or without injuries. This is a guy who could very easily bust out of his contract, because he is a 28 year old shortstop who relies heavily on speed. The Nats and Brewers appear to be the frontrunners, and I am sure that he won't make "Crawford money" in light of how that deal went down.

With Mike Quade fired and Theo Epstein kicking into "regime-mode", Mike Maddux and Dale Sveum- two former big-leaguers- could be in the mix to become the team's next manager. However, the Cubs are not talking with their legendary second baseman Ryne Sandberg. No, it's the Cardinals who are interested in his services.

As far the Cardinals go, they are talking with guys like Terry Francona, third base coach and former Cardinals big-leaguer Jose Oquendo, Joe McEwing, and Mike Matheny. These are some of the many very solid candidates that the Cards are considering, and it looks like there shouldn't be a huge drop-off in quality at manager; an overrated position anyway.

The D'Backs received John McDonald in a trade this offseason, and they have already re-signed him to a two-year deal worth three million. They are about to re-sign backup catcher Henry Blanco, but teammate Willie Bloomquist hasn't been talking after declining his half of the option- as did Blanco. Both were mutual options that the team picked up.
Jose Reyes
Brew Crew and Nats interested

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8/4 MLB News: A-Rod and poker

August 4th 2011 13:53
I thought Alex Rodriguez was just about done with his shenanigans, and then this came up. We've always known that A-Rod has had some gambling problems- namely poker- but this is the farthest it's ever gone. He was in trouble with the league for gambling in 2005, and then he held a charity poker game. The current allegations against Rodriguez are far more serious with this incident.

Bud Selig has definitely had enough of A-Rod's circus in the past few years, and this is just another major headache for the commissioner. It's a known fact that Rodriguez is going to be suspended, but the question really is the length of his suspension. Because he's done this before, I suggest that Rodriguez is suspended for the same length as players who take PEDs; 50 days


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6/22 Daily Rundown: A new proposal

June 22nd 2011 06:13
1. Owners giving a new proposal to players

The players will get 48 percent of the revenue, and it will never go below 46.5 percent. If the salary cap for a year is at 125 million or something like that, a team's payroll must be around that amount. That could be difficult for teams in smaller markets, but it forces owners to actually spend. There is a rookie wage scale in this proposed deal, but it isn't finalized yet. A player must have four years under his belt in order to become a UFA, and tags (such as the franchise tag) are going to be discussed in the next round of player-owner negotiations. Retired NFL players will also get benefits such as improved health care, and I am glad that is in the proposed deal


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The Daily Rundown is a new segment I will do that covers the days biggest stories. I will also comment for a paragraph or so on the subject.

1. Vancouver Riots


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