December 13, 2009
Now that the Winter Meetings are completed teams will turn their attention to their rosters to determine which players will be offered contracts for next season and which will be non-tendered. Essentially non-tendering a player makes them a free agent.
Players are free to contact all 30 teams in Major League Baseball to try to find a job. It can be a nerve-wracking process to go through especially this time of year. When you think of baseball players, everyone immediately envisions multi-millionaires living life to its fullest.
Continue reading ‘No Sale on Whitesell with Non-Tender’ »
December 12, 2009
At the conclusion of the Winter Meetings the Arizona Diamondbacks have a clearer view of what their roster will look like to begin the 2010 campaign. For the next few days the team will review the current make-up of their roster to decide which players they will keep and which will not be offered contracts.
Arizona has nine players who are eligible for arbitration and it is unclear whether they will offer contracts to all of them. Looking over the list it is hard to imagine they will let any of them walk away but stranger things have happened in baseball.
Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Getting Roster in Order’ »
December 11, 2009
After a full week of reporting the happenings of Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings I resolve to finally put this subject to bed. Before I do, I wanted to add a few final thoughts from this year’s meetings.
With the exception of ”The Trade” this year’s Winter Meetings were fairly uneventful. There were a few minor deals but overall the meetings were relatively quiet.
Continue reading ‘Final Thoughts on the Winter Meetings’ »
December 10, 2009
Today marked the final day of the 2009 Winter Meetings in Indianapolis. The Arizona Diamondbacks went into this week with a lot of questions and not a lot of money to spend. What they came away with was a three-team blockbuster trade that landed them two starting pitchers who will be counted upon to bring the team out of the National League West cellar.
While the Diamondbacks were successful in filling one of their many roster holes with the addition of pitchers Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, the team is not nearly ready to begin the 2010. So the question that begs to be asked, “What’s next?”
Continue reading ‘What’s Next for the Diamondbacks?’ »
December 9, 2009
Perhaps one of the most lopsided trades in the history of Major League Baseball occurred eleven years ago this month. Fresh after their inaugural season the Arizona Diamondbacks decided to upgrade their team from the mish-mash of players collected from the expansion draft.
One of the more disappointing players from 1998 was right fielder Karim Garcia. He came with a high-upside that never seemed to materialize. As a result he was one of the first players then General Manager Joe Gargiola Jr. attempted to trade.
Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Curse in Left Field Continues’ »
December 8, 2009
When the Arizona Diamondbacks representatives left for the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis they took with them a war chest of roughly $10 million and a laundry list of needs to fill on their roster. Given their financial position they were not expected to be major players during the meetings.
Instead the expectation was that Arizona would talk to several clubs and perhaps meet with the representatives of the second and third tier free agents on the market. It was therefore somewhat a surprise to hear the Diamondbacks mentioned in so many rumors from day one of the meetings.
Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Get Two for One in Blockbuster Trade’ »
December 7, 2009
Throughout baseball team representatives and members of the media have packed their suitcases and now find themselves in Indianapolis. What could possibly possess the baseball community to make a trip to the frozen mid-west in the dead of winter?
The Winter Meetings begin today and with them the hopes and dreams of your team becoming a contender are born. While in most of the country the summer grass went dormant with the cold temperatures; for this one brief week all the ice and snow will be replaced by baseball activity.
Continue reading ‘Let the Magic Begin at the Winter Meetings’ »
December 6, 2009
With December in full swing, the children are already counting down the days until Christmas. The tree has been decorated and we’ve even put up the Nativity Set. About all that is left to do is send a letter to Santa.
Sitting down and writing a personal note to the jolly old elf seems as antiquated as using rocks for bases but it is still a tradition that I stand by regardless of how much technology has advanced. Besides, at this point in time you just can’t take any chances
Continue reading ‘Dear Santa…’ »
December 5, 2009
One of the feel good stories of the 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks season was the promotion of Reno Aces outfielder Trent Oeltjen to the major league club. Oeltjen immediately became a fan favorite with his contagious smile and his eager attitude.
Oeltjen from Sydney Australia appeared in 24 games for the Diamondbacks hitting .243 with three home runs and four RBIs. Nicknamed the “Thunder from Down Under” he had a loyal following of Diamondbacks fans who cheered whenever he appeared in the dugout or on the field.
Continue reading ‘Former Diamondback Catches On With Milwaukee’ »
