MLB News and Rumors

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp did a wonderful thing for a dying boy in San Francisco on Monday.
On Monday, Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach informed Kemp that there was a young man in attendance at AT&T Park that is a huge Dodgers fan.
He also lists Kemp as his favorite player.
Please click here to watch this video.
The post Video: Matt Kemp talks about giving his jersey and cleats to a young dying fan appeared first on Players View.

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AJ Burnett is such a bad-ass. Even if the Pittsburgh Pirates don’t improve upon their recent misfortunes in 2013, their fans are lucky that Burnett is still anchoring the team’s staff. In order to remind the fans of how fortunate they are to have acquired Burnett, the Pirates are giving away the incredible t-shirts you see above before Friday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. Can you think of a better giveaway than that? Prizes like this team-branded waffle iron and this Coco Crisp bobblehead doll come close, but nothing beats a T-shirt that features Burnett rocking sunglasses and throwing up a BAMF hand signal. The dude has it all, and if you don’t believe me just check out this GIF that Getting Blanked passed along: Are we done here? Game, set, match. Fist pound to Big League Stew

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For Denard Span, patience is key.

Span, the Minnesota Twins’ center fielder and leadoff man, has been patient at the plate through 10 games this season. As a result, his on-base percentage is at .408, second-highest on the team behind American League Player of the Week Josh Willingham. With four doubles and a triple among of his 15 hits, Span’s OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) is .921, again second behind just Willingham.

In each of Minnesota’s 10 games this season, Span has batted at the top of the order. In 44 plate appearances this season, he has swung at the first pitch just three times — and two of those three instances came in Monday’s 7-3 Twins victory over the New York Yankees.

What Span’s patience at the plate has done is allowed his teammates hitting behind him to see plenty of offerings from opposing pitchers. Such was the case Saturday when the Twins faced Rangers starter Yu Darvish, whom none of Minnesota’s hitters had previously faced. Span saw four pitches from Darvish before grounding out but got a look at three different pitches from Darvish and gave his teammates a chance to watch Darvish work.

“After my first at-bat, I kind of had a good idea of what I wanted to do the rest of the time off of him,” Span said.

During the Twins’ series finale against the Los Angeles Angels in which Minnesota scored 10 runs on 20 hits, Span was highly productive. He had four hits and drew a walk in six plate appearances, allowing Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Willingham to have big days batting in the heart of the Twins’ lineup. That trio combined to drive in six of the Twins’ 10 runs, with Mauer driving in Span in the fifth inning.

While Mauer and Morneau got the glory in that game, the credit was quickly deflected to the Twins’ leadoff batter.

“I don’t think we can overlook Denard Span’s four hits,” Morneau said after the win. “I think he’s kind of the guy that sets the tone for the offense. Him being a great leadoff hitter, he gets on base a lot. It kind of trickles down after that. He’s a great hitter, and then it makes it easier on the rest of us. We get up there, he’s seen seven, eight pitches and allows the guys after him to see those pitches. He does a great job, and it kind of goes after that.”

But there was a time when Span’s career — much like Morneau’s — seemed in jeopardy because of a concussion. Span suffered the head injury during a collision at the plate against Kansas City in early June of last season. He attempted to come back in August but struggled offensively — he was just 2-for-35 with an on-base percentage of .132 in nine games — and went back on the disabled list. Span once again returned for the final week of the season, a big mental hurdle for him to clear.

That’s where his patience again paid off. Just as Morneau took time to recover from his concussion, Span went through his moments of doubt.

“It was a question mark. I wasn’t sure,” Span said. “It was more so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get back to playing at the high level that I was playing at before I got hurt. … I’m just taking it one day at a time, just faithfully leaning on God.”

Span had a scary moment during the series against Los Angeles, when he stepped on Angels reliever Scott Downs’ foot at first base. As Downs fell to the ground in pain, Span tumbled past the bag and somersaulted before hopping up.

Less than a year removed from the concussion, any contact like that for Span will certainly raise a few worries. But the center fielder was fine on the play and has since continued to set the table for the Twins.

“I was concerned when he stepped on the foot. But he was great,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He’s got no problems. … He says, ‘I feel great.’ He’s getting some swings out there. He’s playing well and feels well. That’s a good thing.”

Follow Tyler Mason on Twitter.

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One more season of this, and no more.

It’s easy to understand why commissioner Bud Selig is refraining from taking action against the New York Mets’ ownership.

It’s likely that forces outside of baseball will determine the fate of Mets majority owner Fred Wilpon and his partners.

But if the uncertainty threatens to linger into next offseason — and it’s never a bad idea to bet “the over” in such matters — then Selig must make a move, once and for all.

Selig’s wait-and-see approach, while frustrating to many Mets fans, is no different than his approach on most issues. He prefers teams to resolve their own problems, without interference from the commissioner.

Only in rare exceptions (read: Frank McCourt) is Selig pro-active, and only if no better options are available.

Wilpon is not McCourt, who used the Los Angeles Dodgers as his own personal ATM and failed to build trust with Selig after purchasing the team in 2004.

No, Wilpon is the game’s second-longest tenured owner, a loyal soldier to Selig, a well-respected proprietor who reinvested in his team, albeit poorly in many instances.

“He’s been a great owner, loves his team,” Selig said recently. “He’s everything you’d want in a local owner. He’s had some economic problems not caused by himself, and I have a lot of faith in him that he’s working his way through that.”

Well, here’s the problem: At some point, Selig’s obligation to the best interests of baseball will outweigh his obligation to Wilpon.

Most Mets fans, bracing for the impact of a $ 50 million payroll reduction, would argue that Selig should be at that point already.

But Selig is betting that the Mets’ picture will become clearer over the next several months — and he indeed may be proved correct.

The way the Mets see it, they are on the verge of raising $ 200 million from minority investors. That money will help them pay back a $ 25 million loan to baseball, a $ 40 million bridge loan to Bank of America and part of a $ 375 million loan on the team.

The Mets also believe they will prevail over Irving Picard, the trustee for the victims of Bernard L. Madoff. Picard initially sought $ 1 billion in claims against Wilpon and his co-owner, Saul Katz, but U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff already has knocked down that figure.

Rakoff threw out most of Picard’s claims, leaving him to seek about $ 386 million. For Picard to claim more than about $ 83 million, he must prove that Wilpon and Katz were “willfully blind” to Madoff’s wrongdoing — something that the owners deny.

The trial is scheduled to begin March 19. Even a lesser judgment against Wilpon and Katz might not amount to $ 83 million, if the owners collect some or all of the $ 160 million they say they are due from the Madoff estate.

Another optimistic sign for the Mets, in the view of some industry observers, is that McCourt is likely to sell the Dodgers for more than $ 1.5 billion by April 1, the deadline for him to pick a new owner.

One industry expert says the Dodgers and Mets are not comparable; the Dodgers’ value is based in part on the billions they will command in their next local television contract, while the Mets are locked into a “last-era” deal with their own network, SNY.

Another insider, however, disagrees, saying the Dodgers’ deal will raise the value of the Mets to more than $ 2 billion, a number that, at the very least, would make banks more comfortable with the team as an asset.

Put it all together, and the potential for fresh cash, minimal damage in the Madoff case and a high, post-Dodgers valuation is enough for Selig to give Wilpon every opportunity to get the Mets back on track.

Yet many in the industry, mindful of the Mets’ bleak financial picture, are skeptical that Wilpon will survive.

The Mets contend that loans on SNY and their new park, Citi Field, are not part of their overall picture, but any way you slice it, the team’s debts are staggering. So are the franchise’s losses — an estimated $ 120 million over the past two years.

A big verdict against the Mets in the Madoff case only would add to the team’s obligations. Even a relatively light judgment could stretch the owners to the limit.

And this season, with no Jose Reyes, no Carlos Beltran and seemingly little chance of contending in the NL East, team revenues could fall sharply.

Third baseman David Wright, earning $ 15 million, could be the next to go. The Mets, rather than make the mistake they made by keeping Reyes, could trade Wright if the team flounders and Wilpon remains in limbo.

Of course, with pitchers and catchers yet to report, the Mets are dreaming of comebacks by last year’s underachieving veterans and breakthroughs by some of their youngsters, quietly thinking that the team could surprise.

Anything is possible, even with Wright, left fielder Jason Bay and left-hander Johan Santana accounting for nearly two-thirds of the Mets’ $ 90 million payroll.

Who knows? Maybe the economy will improve, helping bring more fans to the park.

The Mets might need such a miracle.

For now, they are not likely to receive any more loans, not from their banks, not from baseball. And the Madoff verdict, no matter how it goes down, almost certainly will be appealed. Years could pass before the ruling is final.

As one supporter of Wilpon says, “My heart says this can all go away, be worked out, get resolved. My head says it’s not going to be that seamless or clean.”

Selig still sees hope rather than an owner who is only prolonging the inevitable. But the commissioner will need to use his powers of persuasion on Wilpon if, by the end of the season, no resolution appears within reach. This is the National League’s New York franchise, not some struggling small-market operation.

It’s impossible to imagine Selig confronting Wilpon the way he confronted McCourt, taking control of the Dodgers’ day-to-day operations, calling McCourt unfit to own the Dodgers, seeking the sale of the team through a court order (the six-month legal battle between the two ended when McCourt agreed to sell the club).

The pressure on Wilpon, if Selig ever applied it, would be gentler. And many baseball people believe that Wilpon, if he sensed that the end was near, would do the right thing rather than damage the sport.

The end is not yet near, not with so many variables in play. But at some point, the best interests of the game must come first.

One more season of this, and no more.

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Philadelphia Phillies fans are hoping for a World Series title this season, but first must get past the St. Louis Cardinals. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins has started the postseason strong, going 5-for-8 with five runs scored, two doubles, and a stolen base in the team’s weekend split with the Cards.

Phillies fans should enjoy the show since it could be the last they see of the 32-year-old in a Phillies uniform. MLB.com reports that Rollins “will not take the proverbial ‘hometown discount’ to remain in red pinstripes” and “would like a five-year contract, although it seems unlikely the Phillies would offer him that.”

The Phils, of course, are right up against the luxury-tax wall this season due to a high-paid pitching staff and the addition of right fielder Hunter Pence at the trading deadline. Of course, there will be a few contracts coming off the books this offseason (Raul Ibanez, Kyle Kendrick, Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, Roy Oswalt, and others), but that means GM Ruben Amaro Jr. will have few holes to fill and not a ton of dough to do it with.

As for Rollins, he sounds open to leaving the city that has been home to him since he made his major-league debut back on Sept. 17, 2000 and satisfied with the legacy that he could leave behind there. “As far as my legacy here in Philadelphia?” he said, according to MLB.com. “It’s pretty solid.”

After all, the guy has helped lead the team to five straight National League East titles, two National League championships, and a World Series title. Phillies fans are hoping he can help capture another one of the latter before he explores free agency for the first time.

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