FanHouse DavidAardsma

Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

Ahhh, the National League -- where pitchers can play out their golden years without a care in the world.

Think of the NL as baseball's rest home.

Just in the past few weeks, Brad Penny and John Smoltz have reached the legendary fountain of youth that Ponce de Sabathia discovered last year in the wilds of Wisconsin.

"In reality, it's a little tougher to pitch in the American League than it is the National League," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who formerly managed in Seattle and Tampa Bay.

At least he admits it.

It's always nice to know how secure a closer's job is and who's next in line if somebody loses their 9th inning job. The Closer Report will give you that info. And if that wasn't good enough, we'll rank the closers from top to bottom.

As you'll see, Heath Bell has taken over the top spot on this edition of The Closer Report. A few big-name, top-of-the-charts closers from years past have fallen off quite a bit. How weird is it to see Brad Lidge near the bottom of the closer rankings and Joe Nathan stuck in the middle?

It's always nice to know how secure a closer's job is and who's next in line if somebody loses their 9th inning job. Each week The Closer Report will give you that information. And if that wasn't good enough we'll rank the closers from top to bottom.

Here's an interesting statistic. Somewhere between 30 percent and 40 percent of the closers who are listed as the the team's official closer will not be in that role by the end of the season. It's the case every year. Whether a closer loses his job due to injury or just plain can't get the job done, you're going to learn that you can find saves on the waiver wire throughout the season. You just have to know where to look.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

After a terrible first week, Texas first baseman Chris Davis was one of the hot topics of concern in fantasy baseball circles. My colleague Matt Snyder recently tried to put those fears to rest in Slump or Suck, and right on cue, Davis went ahead and smashed them with his bat.

Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.

Meet the...
Team who someone predicted would win the World Series last year. Seriously. When you stop laughing, you can check out the link (he's the top one listed -- though when you see his other atrocious picks you won't be surprised). Was I any better? Glad you asked. I actually took Mr. Downey to task before Opening Day. You can check the rest of my stuff if you wish, as there were some misses in there.

Anyway, it's safe to say expectations are a slight bit lower heading into '08.

From now until the regular season begins, Fantasy Flings is where you'll find interesting story lines about your favorite teams from Spring Training. If there is a position battle, a nagging injury, a comeback story or a youngster making a surge for the "big club" we'll let you know the fantasy implications.

Los Angeles Angels
It turns out the Angels only rented Mark Teixeira for a few months. Now it's time to find a replacement. Kendry Morales tore up the Dominican Winter League to the tune of a .404 batting average with eight home runs and 29 RBI in only 26 games. He's also 6-17 through six Spring Training games. Nobody expects, or even asks, Morales to fill Teixeira's shoes, but the Cuban defector could blast 18 to 20 home runs and bat upwards of .280 if given full-time at-bats. He's a great late round fantasy draft flier in mixed-leagues and should be grabbed in AL-only leagues of any depth.

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

Bad news for Boston fans Monday night. The Red Sox will place designated hitter David Ortiz on the disabled list after an MRI revealed the slugger had a torn tendon sheath in his extensor carpi ulnaris -- a muscle in the wrist. Ortiz is certain to miss at least a few weeks, though the Boston Herald has reported that he will miss at least a month and could face season-ending surgery.

Manager Terry Francona did not indicate the injury was quite that serious, though he will confer with Ortiz, GM Theo Epstein and the team's medical staff tomorrow in Boston.

Big Papi struggled in April, but he was his usual slugging self in May putting up a line of .318/.409/.617 (AVG/OBP/SLG) over the last month. No team in baseball is prepared to replace that kind of production, but the Red Sox are deeper than any other organization in the game and are prepared to make do while Ortiz gets healthy. Francona said after the game that reserve first baseman Sean Casey would likely see additional time while Ortiz is sidelined, but the most likely lineup Francona will put out there will probably feature Manny Ramirez at DH and Jacoby Ellsbury, Brandon Moss and maybe even Bobby Kielty or Kevin Youkilis splitting time in left field.

When asked about seeing more time as a designated hitter, Ramirez said "I love it. I love to DH," though he then went on to joke that if he played there too much it might hurt his chances at getting the Gold Glove he so covets. "It's nice to give him a blow and still keep his bat in the game," said Francona of playing Ramirez at DH.

If the Red Sox were merely losing Ortiz for a few weeks, there wouldn't be much to worry about, but Big Papi's injury is just at the top of a long list of concerns for the reigning champs.

Boston will miss Ortiz, but they'll do a very good job of filling the void in the short-term

It's not uncommon for the White Sox and Cubs to make trades with each other. Just this offseason both teams decided to swap bad relievers when Neal Cotts went to the Cubs, and David Aardsma moved to the White Sox. There was also the trade years ago that sent Matt Karchner to the Cubs for some kid pitcher named Jon Garland. Cubs fans love when you bring that trade up.

It appears the two teams are about to come together again, as the Cubs look for somebody who can fill in for the injured Alfonso Soriano.

A major league source confirmed the Cubs put in a waiver claim on White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik, one of the heroes of the 2005 World Series season.

Now here's what can happen next. The Sox can either try to work out a trade with the Cubs for Podsednik, they'd probably just ask for an infield or pitching prospect in return. If no deal is worked out, the Sox could just let Podsednik go to the Cubs and let them take on the remainder of his $2.9 million salary (About $800,000). Or the Sox could just say screw it and keep Podsednik.

The least likely scenario is the one where Podsednik stays with the White Sox. Whether they get anything in return or not, the Sox just want to move on. Ozzie Guillen has already stated publicly that Pods cannot be counted on, and the team has liked what it's seen from Jerry Owens in the lead-off spot.

There's also the fact the Sox will just be happy to save the $800,000, so yet another one of the 2005 World Series heroes will soon be leaving the south side of Chicago.

Ozzie Guillen finally reached his boiling point after his bullpen blew another lead in yesterday's 4-3 White Sox loss to the Blue Jays. After seeing Mike MacDougal and David Aardsma struggle yet again, the Sox have sent both relievers down to Charlotte.

On Monday morning, following Sunday's 4-3 loss to Toronto, the Sox announced they had sent relievers David Aardsma and Mike MacDougal to their Triple-A team. The team purchased the contracts of pitchers Ryan Bukvich and Bret Prinz from the Knights.

The move was expected, and both players deserve the demotion. In May and June, Aardsma had an ERA of 12.00 while MacDougal had a more "respectable" 11.88 ERA during the same time period.

Though it's not like the news has introduced any optimism from White Sox fans when it comes to their bullpen. Take this analysis from South Side Sox.

Oh yeah, Brett Prinz and Ryan Bukvich our your call-ups. Congrats, guys. You hit the lottery. You found the right team willing to carry a host of AAAA players. Hell, if you want more playing time, tell them you can play outfield.

Bukvich has spent a total of 46.2 innings at the major leagues, accumulating an ERA of 6.94 with the Royals and Rangers. Hey, he'd fit right in. He has posted some good strikeout numbers in Charlotte this season, but nothing compared to that of '06 Boone Logan or even '05 Jeff Bajenaru. I wouldn't count on him fixing anything.

Prinz pitched 41 effective innings for the 2001 Diamondbacks (championship experience, YES!), but has pitched in only 52 major league games since, posting a Masset-like line with a 6.61 ERA. His ERA in Charlotte is a microscopic 0.56, but 9 walks in 16 International League innings doesn't translate well to the majors.

I can't say I disagree with that analysis at all, but at this point it will be easier to watch some new faces blow leads for the White Sox. Got to keep things fresh, you know?