Fanshots

It’s one thing to not be happy with your role, which Oswalt’s made clear he’s not. It’s another...

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It’s one thing to not be happy with your role, which Oswalt’s made clear he’s not. It’s another thing to say no to trying to help your team win, which is apparently what he did Sunday in Kansas City when he told manager Ron Washington he couldn’t pitch a third inning of relief. That’s not the way the clubhouse was built. Oswalt should have shown up for the Colby Lewis press conference a couple of weeks ago. He would have seen a pitch who’s eyes were bloodshot because of the tears that he had shed. Those weren’t tears of pity; those were tears of a pitcher who was upset because he wasn’t going to be able to help his team down the stretch.

From Anthony Andro's piece at FSSW on Roy Oswalt.

A's trade Kurt Suzuki to the Nationals

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The pretty much eliminates Washington as a possible landing spot for Yorvit Torrealba.

Jeff Sullivan is leaving SBN Baseball Nation

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He is joining FanGraphs, and will continue to blog at Lookout Landing.

2. Cliff Lee to the Texas Rangers in exchange for 3B Mike Olt and RHP Cody Buckel The Texas...

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2. Cliff Lee to the Texas Rangers in exchange for 3B Mike Olt and RHP Cody Buckel The Texas Rangers need a No. 1 starter to match up in the postseason with the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander, the White Sox’s Chris Sale, the Tampa Bay Rays’ David Price, the New York Yankees’ C.C. Sabathia or the Los Angeles Angels’ Jered Weaver. General manager Jon Daniels tried to pry Zack Greinke away from the Milwaukee Brewers before he was ultimately traded to the Angels. With Felix Hernandez not on the trade market, the only No. 1 starter that could be had is Lee of the Phillies. Mike Olt would solve the Phillies’ third base position and fifth spot in the lineup for the next decade while Buckel should develop into a middle-of-the-rotation starter. With a revised rotation of Lee, Dempster, Harrison, Darvish and Holland, the Rangers would be poised for a third chance at a World Series championship. This would be a painful deal for the Rangers, their championship window is open right now and it could mean the difference between being the first world champion Texas Rangers squad rather than remembered as baseball’s version of the Buffalo Bills.

Jim Bowden, illustrating why he's no longer a general manager.

The New Frontiers of Baseball

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A neat article about the possible areas for a baseball team, and the territorial rights that might get in the way.

Through 20 starts in his rookie season, (Daisuke) Matsuzaka was 11-7 with a 3.99 ERA in 130.2...

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Through 20 starts in his rookie season, (Daisuke) Matsuzaka was 11-7 with a 3.99 ERA in 130.2 innings pitched. He had 131 strikeouts and 46 walks. (Yu) Darvish is also 11-7 with a 4.38 ERA in 127 innings. He has 145 strikeouts to go with his 70 walks.

Evan Grant on Yu's first 20 starts

"To me, [Ryan Dempster is] a fourth or fifth starter in the National League," said one scout (not...

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"To me, [Ryan Dempster is] a fourth or fifth starter in the National League," said one scout (not the same one cited earlier) who works for an NL team. "I don't care what his ERA [with the Cubs] is. "It's going to be very difficult for him to pitch in Texas."

From Danny Knobler's column, expressing skepticism that Ryan Dempster can win in the A.L.

The Rev Speaks

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"This was not a game the Angels lost. This was a game they gave away. Losing is something even the best teams force their fans to stomach 60 or more times a year. Giving away a game, and to a bunch of cow and cousin humpers, to a division rival, to the turdstompingest lowlife denizens of dirt roads down from Hicksville... it just makes you stand around and stare."