MLB News and Rumors

Photo Credit: sfexaminer.com/.twx2position:absolute;clip:rect(455px,auto,auto,496px);additional info We’ve all been in this situation before: you’re at the grocery store, and as you are leaving, you notice that the cashier handed you some extra change. You’re faced with a decision: to keep the change or not to keep the change. Usually, I decide how nice that cashier was, and let karma make the final decision. Well, the San Francisco Giants must be the equivalent of the employee of the month in baseball to Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt, who returned $ 500,000 dollars to the team after noticing an error in his contract in 2010. In his book To Stir a Movement, Affledt explains how this situation came to be in 2010 between he and the Giants. The two sides had agreed on a $ 4 million dollar contract. However, when the contract was officially written up, the final price was written instead as $ 4.5 million, and both sides signed the agreement without noticing the error. Even after being told by three s

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DETROIT — The Bruce Rondon experiment is on hold once again.

The Tigers optioned Rondon to Triple-A Toledo after Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to Minnesota.

Rondon hit 101 mph several times during the seventh, but two of those fastballs were hit for a triple and an RBI single. He retired only one of the five batters he faced, walking two and giving up the two hits.

“He’s just not ready for this,” Jim Leyland said after the game. “We thought we could give it a shot, especially when we had to send down Villarreal, but it is still too soon.”

Rondon pitched three times, allowing seven baserunners and getting seven outs. He goes back to Toledo with an 11.57 ERA and only one strikeout, despite the ease with which he can hit triple digits on the radar gun.

“If you throw it hard, they are going to charge it hard,” Leyland said. “It’s better to throw 96 or 97 with some movement and have that extra bit in reserve than to throw it straight.”

Rondon is expected to close

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Derek Jeter faced the media for the first time since doctors found another break in his left ankle last month. While it was nice to see the Captain wearing Yankee blue again, Jeter really didn’t have any groundbreaking news to announce.  When asked when we can expect to see him back in pinstripes, Jeter was vague but straightforward. “I have no doubt I’ll be back,” Jeter said. “But I’m not giving a timetable because I don’t want to disappoint myself or anyone else.” He looked fit and was in good spirits during the 30 minute Tampa presser and even joked with some of the regular beat reporters. Jeter said he was wearing a protective boot but, once again, kept repeating his mantra of not putting a timetable on his return. “It’s been a difficult process … it’s been a frustrating process,” he said. “Just when you’re close to coming back, you have a set back. I guess it’s part of the healing process …  Unfortunately, it’s taking more ti

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Your browser does not support iframes.It’s customary at Wrigley Field for fans of the Cubs to throw back home runs hit by the visiting team. In fact, anyone who fails to toss back such baseballs is frowned heavily upon.However, any other type of ball that is hit and makes into the crowd is fair game. Especially balls struck by Cubs hitters. Well, this young fan received a clarification on the unwritten rule on Sunday, as he was lucky enough to snag a foul ball in the bottom of the first inning.But because he knows fans have been scolded before by not chucking the ball back on the diamond, he immediately begins to rear back with intentions to throw it. Luckily, the well seasoned adults sitting around the boy restrain him from unnecessarily losing his souvenir.In the end, everything ends well. The boy receives a little Wrigley Field education and he also gets to get keep his ball.

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Pitcher Tim Hudson, helped the Atlanta Braves move to the best record in Major League Baseball with the win over the Washington Nationals last night. The Braves are now at 10-1 on the season and off to a red-hot start. No other team in baseball has 10 wins and no other team in baseball has only 1 loss on the season.  With the win the Braves move to a 3 game lead in the National League east over the Nationals and the N.Y. Mets. Hudson pitched 7 good innings against Washington only giving up 1 earned run in the game. He struck out 3, didn’t walk anyone and the run he gave up was a home run to Danny Espinosa in the 5th inning. The Braves took Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, deep when Evan Gattis hit a 426 foot blast to left center in the 3rd that drove in Upton. Atlanta’s only other run came in the 9th when, Jason Heyward singled into a fielder’s choice that allowed Chris Johnson to score. If the Braves can keep up this pace, the good people in Atlanta will see the team return to …

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John Lackey has been diagnosed with a mid-biceps strain and will likely be placed on the 15-day disabled list. The injury should miss less then a month after leaving his Saturday start with the injury.
According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino said that it was his “understanding of the MRI is that he had a mid-biceps strain, no structural damage.”
That would be great news for the Red Sox and the 34-year-old pitcher who missed all of 2012 after needing Tommy John surgery.
Boston can either use Alfredo Aceves as a spot starter for call up a player from Triple-A such as Allen Webster.
Lackey joined the Red Sox as a free agent prior to the 2010 season. Since that time he has been a disappointment making 62 starts and compiling a 26-24 record. During that span he has a 5.24 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.

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It hasn’t been a week since baseball’s opening day, and alarm bells might just be ringing in Detroit. This was after Eduardo Escobar saved the day for the Twins in their 3-2 walkoff. Phil Coke blew the save. This after he stepped up to the plate for the Tigers after they lost confidence in Jose Valverde in the postseason. They could have found a closer in the FA market or via trade, but opted not to. And then, this came from the Detroit Tigers’ Twitter account. OFFICIAL: The #Tigers have signed Jose Valverde to a minor league contract. He will report to Lakeland. Papa Grande is comin’ back. He’s not there yet, but he’s looming in the horizon, trying to pick up the pieces from where he crashed and burned in Motown.

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The Cincinnati Reds signed Aroldis Chapman to a six-year, $ 30.25 million contract back in 2010 with the expectation that the Cuban defector would become a starting pitcher. But after three seasons in the bullpen, it looks like the hard-throwing lefty will be staying in the bullpen for the near future after a failed attempt to turn him into a starter this spring. In 2012, Chapman was the Reds closer, and was absolutely stellar. He tossed 71.2 innings over 68 appearances, and struck out 122 batters while allowing just 13 runs (12 earned), 35 hits and 23 walks. He finished the season with a 1.51 ERA, and a 0.81 WHIP, with 38 saves in 43 opportunities. The 25-year-old has made it known that his preference would be to stay in the bullpen and Reds manager Dusty Baker agrees with him. But Reds general manager Walt Jocketty and pitching coach Bryan Price both seem to want him to transition into a starter. Well, Chapman and Baker seem to have won out, as the Reds are expected to announce on…

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