AL East

Justin Milo is a little talked about Yankee outfield prospect and if you have heard of him it’s probably not because of what he’s done as a baseball player. Milo is a two-sport athlete who also plays hockey for the University of Vermont...Until recently.

Here is the scoop from the Kevin Kernan of the NY Post :

Southpaw Jon Lester has evolved into the ace of the Boston Red Sox pitching staff. 

Two winters ago, there were many fans who urged the Sox to trade a package of players including Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury to Minnesota in exchange for then-Twins lefty Johan Santana. Potential, they argued, was not as valuable as production. Many of us pleaded with Red Sox GM Theo Epstein from afar to hold onto Lester in the belief he would develop into an ace. 

We’ve seen a ton of these this winter. It seems like every Yankee blog out there has their own. We’ve even toyed with the idea of releasing one here at BBD (having not seen most of these players play ourselves we’ve decided to let others handle it).

According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, the man who hit the final homer in original Yankee Stadium history, Jose Molina, has signed a one-year, $400,000 deal with the Blue Jays with a 2011 team option worth $1.2 million.

The Yankees acquired Molina back in 2007 when they traded minor leaguer Jeff Kennard for him near the July deadline.

Molina played well enough down the stretch in 2007—in 29 games he had a 101 OPS+—to earn himself a two-year, $4 million deal.

The New York Yankees opened their spring training camp in Tampa yesterday.

Brian Cashman was quoted defending his reshuffling of the outfield, including the signing of Randy Winn instead of former Yankee Johnny Damon.

Cash said that when he had traded Austin Jackson to get Curtis Granderson, after trading Melky Cabrera to get Javy Vazquez and after being unable to re-sign Damon, he had to bring in a large number of outfielders to restock the shelves.

Now that Spring Training has started and Opening Day is just around the corner, agents are scrambling trying to find a home for their clients. If they can’t find a major league deal for their client, a lot of agents will suggest taking a minor league deal.

After all, a minor league deal and an invitation to Spring Training is better than no deal at all.

On Thursday, we saw a couple of minor league deals that involved some known players.

Here is a recap:

Mike MacDougal Signs With the Florida Marlins

Jo Stac recalls that after the disastrous 1965 season, the New York Yankees were finally considered "just another team."

She read many articles about how the "pride of the Yankees" belonged to the past. Jo was pleased.

I have rooted for the Cleveland Indians since 1951. Today's fans don't know that the Indians, not the Boston Red Sox, were the New York Yankees' main competition during the early and mid-1950s.

Like Babe Ruth calling his shot, so do I now set forth ten bold predictions for which the Internet will forever hold me accountable.

Actually, there's very little similarity there, but so much of the Babe's appeal is in his name. Hopefully, I can similarly mask the actual substance of my predictions in a cloud of stylish hyperbole.

This is that time of year nearly all baseball fans can enjoy. The first pitch yet to be delivered, the first out yet to be recorded, each fan can boast of future victories and records, however possible or impossible.

The Spring breathes life into us.

As Yankee fans, we think we know everything about the Red Sox. Unfortunately, what we think we know is that it’s going to be another 86 years until they win another World Series. In reality, not only do the Red Sox have a chance to win the American League East this year, but they’re not going away thanks to the fact that they’re being run by one of the better front offices in baseball.

Yesterday was the official start of spring training as pitchers and catchers were due to report. Position players report next week and games will be underway shortly after that.