MLB

News broke on Sunday that the Phillies organization has discussed the idea of trying to use slugger Ryan Howard to pry Albert Pujols from the Cardinals.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro flatly denied the rumors, saying, "I don't know who you're talking to, but that's a lie."

Amaro may be denying it, but the idea makes a lot more sense than you would think.

The Red Sox top prospect, outfielder Ryan Westmoreland of Portsmouth, RI, has been diagnosed with a rare congenital condition (a cavernous malformation) that carries a risk of neurological damage and is potentially life-threatening.

He has taken a medical leave of absence from the club to obtain treatment and undergo surgery.

GM Theo Epstein made the announcement yesterday:

Most people have heard of him by now, Yankees prospect switch-pitcher Pat Venditte . Switch pitcher means he can throw with both his right and left hands, and so far in his Yankee career he’s done so quite well with both arms putting up a 2.34 FIP as a right hander and a 2.26 FIP as a lefty.

Well Venditte is scheduled to be a guest on Yankees Daily’s blogtalkradio show on March 16 and it got me thinking about Venditte.

According to George King of the NY Post , Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria is close to signing a contract near $10 million with the Blue Jays. The Yankees have made a strong push to sign him, but Hechavarria is said to be worried about being blocked by Derek Jeter .

Here is more from the NY Post:

Last year was pretty heartbreaking for Detroit Tigers fans, as they had to watch their team blow the seven-game lead they held at Labor Day. Detroit ended up tied with the Minnesota Twins but lost their one-game playoff in the 12th inning to miss out on the postseason. It was surprising that this team won as many games as they did when only two Tiger hitters had 275 at-bats and a batting average above .250. The pitching staff was a pleasant surprise though and should be strong once again in 2010.  Those hurlers give this team a real chance to compete for the division.

I realize that the title sounds a little arrogant, but it's true.  Allow me to explain to you how/why it's going to happen. 

The first reason is very simple: we have an easy starting schedule. Of the first 39 games we play, only six come against teams that had a winning record last year. We open the season with a three game series at Atlanta, and then host the Marlins for a three game series early in May. 

The Chicago White Sox tried to make enough moves last year to give them a final push towards the playoffs, but they ended up falling short. Hopefully, the acquisitions of SP Jake Peavy and OF Alex Rios will work in their favor in 2010.

The White Sox had trouble scoring in the second half of the season, but this team had a 4.14 ERA which was good for second in the American League. Chicago is one of the favorites to win the Central, but are still slight underdogs to the Minnesota Twins.

Pitching

As the 2010 Fantasy Baseball season nears, many of you will be shifting your focus towards sniffing out those sleepers.

But can a sleeper be bad for your team?

Well, in essence, yes. This is a list of players that could have more of a negative impact on your team than a postitve one, and considering there is no set rule in fantasy regarding player performance, we should then remember that anything is possible.

I'm looking your way Mr. Penny!

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Teams salivate for a ballplayer who can influence a game without reaching first. The majority of the time that ballplayer is a major power threat that pitchers eye in the on-deck circle. Although Davaris (Dee) Gordon is little and different.

It is said that speed never has a slump, if that remains to be true it becomes frightening to think of what potential this 5'11", 140 lb, twenty one year old shortstop has.

Stressing fundamentals is a trait a manager would want in every player under him, that's just what this athlete does.

John Lannan is a pitcher who has garnered some attention the past two seasons due to some impressive ERAs, but that is where the positives come to an abrupt end. 

Is this one "plus" a reason to consider taking the gamble on him?  I certainly don’t think so, and here’s why…

First off, his 2009 statistics:

9 Wins
206.1 Innings
3.88 ERA
1.35 WHIP
89 Strikeouts (3.88 K/9)
68 Walks (2.97 BB/9)
.276 BABIP

Things You Need To Know: