New York

Young arms are becoming a more and more precious commodity in baseball, and the Yankees, with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, have two of the better ones in baseball.

Protecting those arms has become paramount. That’s why the Yankees enacted the “Joba Rules” last year, and in 2010 we may even see the Phil-osophy. It’s about keeping Joba and Hughes healthy and out on the mound.

Much has been said about David Wright's home run total in 2009.

Mets fans everywhere are wondering if Wright will have a bounce-back season in 2010 power-wise, getting his total back up to the thirties that we're used to.

Well, the Mets are trying to help (or so they think).

I was very high on Jason Bay last year. I figured he would drive in a ton of runs with Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia at the top of Boston’s lineup.

He did not disappoint with 36 HRs and 119 RBI despite missing 11 games.

He’s moved on to the Mets this year, and he still figures to have plenty of opportunities hitting behind the likes of Jose Reyes and David Wright.

Bay has reached 100-plus RBI in four of his last five years, with nearly four of those years coming in Pittsburgh, so I don’t see him having a problem reaching that figure.

Much has been made about the Mets' weak off-season movement.  Perhaps General Manager Omar Minaya and the rest of the Mets brass was a little hesitant to open their wallet too much?

But let’s play a little hypothetical here: What if the Mets are not as bad as everyone wants them to be in 2010?  What if Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and Oliver Perez reach their potential and put up 10-15 wins each?

While Cubs GM Jim Hendry continues to insist that Carlos Zambrano isn't available, rumors to the contrary continue to surface.

The New York Post seems to think that Zambrano is readily available.

Sherman wrote today in the New York Post that "two AL officials say the Cubs are definitely dangling Zambrano," while acknowledging Zambrano's unwillingness to approve a trade.

Is He on the Block—Or Not?

There is a rumor going around that Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs ace, is headed out of the Windy City via a trade.

May I add that my ambiguously worded article regarding the Mets' offseason intentions may have added some legs to that rumor.

The facts are—there are no facts. Which is why if you re-read my piece you will see that the trade of Zambrano to the Mets for Luis Castillo is "a possibility," not a solid lead.

On Tuesday, the New York Mets agreed to a four-year contract with free agent outfielder Jason Bay. According to reports, the deal will pay Bay roughly $66 million.

The pact has drawn mixed reactions. Supporters cite Bay's righthanded power, patience and even surprising speed: he has 66 stolen bases in 80 career attempts and has posted at least two triples in every full season of his Major League career.

It appears that Pedro Martinez won't be making a trip back to Big Apple after all.

After numerous reports that the Mets were interested in the veteran, who pitched for the team from 2005-2008, Anthony DiComo of MLBlogs is reporting that Mets officials have denied having any interest in resigning Martinez.

"There's no truth to it," a source close to the Mets said. "There are no discussions going on."

According to a report in today’s New York Daily News, New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes visited scrutinized doctor Dr. Tony Galea numerous times.

Galea is a physician based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who is noted for using a technique called blood spinning to help athletes recover from injuries more quickly.

Is there anything more American than baseball?

We all have our memories of the first game we attended as a child. How massive the ballpark looked, how green the grass was, and the connection that we felt with the thousands of fans cheering for the home team. It is something that we carry with us for the rest of our lives.

I would like to introduce you to Tom Hickey.