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A majority of MLB position players will be at the site of their teams' Spring Training camps by the end of the day Wednesday, and that certainly includes Albert Pujols. The St. Louis Cardinals and Pujols remain far apart on a potential contract extension, meaning a Jamesean (LeBronian?) season of media hoopla lies ahead.In the meantime, though, there will be real live baseball, with bats and balls and gloves and (hopefully) other things to talk and think about than Albert Pujols' contract. Read on for some fun and fascinating tidbits from around baseball.Begin Slideshow
With the looming "Albert Pujols Extension Deadline" quickly approaching, it was widely believed that the two sides would ultimately not agree in time.They were simply too far apart in both years and average annual salary, and Pujols may view the open market as a gold mine.It is never entirely out of the question that an agreement can be reached, but "The Machine" wants no part of a year-long distracting negotiation. He will enter camp without a deal, and subsequently remain without one until season's end.This inevitably breeds rampant speculation as to his whereabouts in 2012, potential trade packages, what teams ...
I love the Chicago Cubs. I have always loved the Chicago Cubs. Every summer, I take my sons to a game at Wrigley where they make fun of me for loving the Chicago Cubs. And every summer the Cubs break my heart—year after year after year. When I watch some other team lift the World Series Trophy, I promise to cheer for another team. Any other team. Except, the White Sox. I hide my Cubs gear, and I put away all my memorabilia. Then, in the winter, it starts. I start to miss baseball. I start to look at free agent ...
While most of his friends call him Carl, perhaps a change back to Carlos (along with a change of scenery) will help him forget about his 2k10 campaign.
Carl's season was a miserable one for him. He played through a heel injury without bemoaning his condition or making excuses for his .196 average. He was the leader of the Rays and a major clubhouse presence for the winningest team in the AL, but to say it was a down year is an understatement.
His jacks dropped from 39 to 28, his OBP dropped from .356 to .325 and his OPS was a full ...
According to Bruce Levine, the Cubs have agreed to a three-year contract with closer Carlos Marmol, thus avoiding arbitration with the righthander.
The deal is worth $20 million over three years, which averages to just under $6.7 million per season. That's a hefty increase over his 2010 salary of $2.25 million, though the actual payouts are as follows: $3.2 million in 2011; $7 million in 2012; and $9.8 million in 2013.
Marmol followed up a shaky 2009 campaign, which featured a 7.9 walks-per-nine ratio, to post a solid season for the Cubs last year, though he still averaged 6.03 walks-per-nine.
In his first full season of closing, Marmol ...
With the Chicago Cubs just days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Mesa, Arizona, the dreadful realization of seeking a replacement for the legendary and passionate radio broadcaster Ron Santo begins to sink in.
Ron Santo tragically passed away on December 3, 2010 due to complications from bladder cancer and diabetes
The Cubs have a tall task at hand as Pat Hughes, who worked with Ron Santo for 15 years in the booth, simply put it, "Ronnie was one of the all-time icons of Chicago sports. You have Ron and Billy Williams and Ernie Banks and Ryne Sandberg and Gale Sayers ...
Every season Chicago Cubs fans start spring training the same way; with much anticipation and hope for a breakthrough into the promised land of postseason glory. But, in order for the Cubs to succeed this spring, summer and hopefully fall, many facets of the team must shine. Off-season acquisitions, rookies and long-time veterans must all produce for this season to be considered a successful one.There is no doubting that this may very well be a rebuilding year for the Cubs, but they still do have many of the tools necessary to win in the National League Central. Also, from the ...
Two major power hitters hit below the Mendoza line last year—Carlos Pena (.196) and Mark Reynolds (.198)—and I’m here to tell you that at least one of them (it’s the one moving away from the AL East) is going to have a bounce-back year.
That’s right, the move over to the National League isn’t only beneficial to pitchers.
Pena has always brought the power ever since the Tampa Bay Rays gave him a shot in 2007. He went on to hit 46 home runs—and even hit a respectable .282—but pitchers quickly figured him out, especially the left-handers. He has still averaged 33 home runs over the last ...
By Brian Holt, Senior Writer for 4thandHome.comRemember When is a series of articles on nostalgia, really. Something to whisk you to way back to when you had that favorite player who was destined to be the greatest of all time, but something strange happened along the trip to Cooperstown. This week, remember when... Alfonso Soriano was the most coveted second baseman in fantasy baseball, not a slightly better-than-average outfielder saddling the Cubs with a $20 million a year contract?Just imagine, if you will, a second baseman hitting .280 with 35-plus HRs and over 100 RBI stealing as many as 43 ...
Heading into the 2011 season, catcher is one of the last things that the Chicago Cubs will need to worry about, as long as Geovany Soto is lining up behind the dish. Soto bounced back from a very poor sophomore season in 2010. After winning Rookie of the Year in 2008, Soto hit just .218 in 2009, with only 11 homers. The 2010 season saw Soto bounce back from that sophomore slump, posting a .280 average and parking 17 big flies. Much of his success in 2010 can be traced back to his work off the field last winter. Soto ...
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