Horsehide Chronicles

A lot of the names have remained the same. Scott Feldman, Matt Garza, Lucas Harrell, Ricky Nolasco and Bud Norris have been identified as trade candidates since the start of the season. Why? Because they're pretty good starting pitchers on pretty bad teams. 

While those five remain strong candidates to be dealt by the July 31st deadline, there are sure to be some starters who will become trade targets because they are pitching better than expected and/or because their team's aren't in the playoff race.

Before the season even began, Miami Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco stood out as a virtual lock to be traded.

Here we are a couple of months into 2013, and the word "virtual" no longer applies. We can go ahead and say that Nolasco is a lock to be traded.

You know, it sure would be cool to see another 25-game winner.

I know, I know...pitcher wins are bogus. They're much too dependent on things like run support and luck dragons, and they're particularly out of place in a day and age where managers are more willing than ever to put the fate of a game in the hands of their relievers.

Yet still I hope to see a 25-game winner someday, if for no other reason than to revel in the sheer rareness of it.

Welcome to the club, Mr. Pettitte.

The "250-Win Club," that is. Here's your ID card and hand stamp, so you can come on in and join the gang.

Andy Pettitte won his 250th career game Saturday against the Mariners. The Yankees left-hander needed a few tries, surrounding an ill-timed stint on the disabled list, to finally get in, but here he is.

Make it 250 for Andy Pettitte.

The New York Yankees left-hander finally got the 250th win of his career on Saturday, pitching 7.1 innings of one-run ball against the Seattle Mariners to lead the Bombers to a 3-1 victory.

Major League Baseball is ready to launch an offensive.

The target: players with ties to the now-defunct Miami anti-aging clinic "Biogenesis."

Launch date: soon.

...Or at least, that's the plan.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig has only been in the majors for one day, so it makes sense that the first response to my question on Twitter/Facebook, "Who does Puig most remind you of?", was Moonlight Graham, who played in one major league game for the New York Giants in 1905 and was later portray

Major League Baseball All-Star voting always makes for good debate.

That's because everybody's definition of an All-Star is a little different.

Some like to see the players who've done best in the current season, regardless of their career history. Others prefer to pick the top players in the sport, even if their production has slipped a bit this year.

And, of course, someone always gets snubbed.

We're still probably about six to eight weeks away from when the majority of in-season trades will go down. Aside from a few useful players who may have become expendable for some reason or another—the Atlanta Braves traded Juan Francisco to the Brewers on Monday after he was "DFA'd" a few days ago—don't expect much trade activity in the month of June. 

From the sound of things, the Milwaukee Brewers are going to hold a yard sale and one of the items up for grabs on the front lawn will be Yovani Gallardo.