SEATTLE -- Given that the Mariners have struggled mightily offensively, the signing of No. 2 pick Dustin Ackley serves as a serious momentum boost for an organization looking to escape a series of shaky moves under the Bill Bavasi tenure.
For example, Bavasi traded Adam Jones and George Sherill for Erik Bedard, and he selected Cal's Brandon Morrow over the University of Washington's Tim Lincecum in the 2006 draft. Morrow is in the minors while Lincecum is one of the top starting pitchers in the major leagues.
So the Mariners needed this. They needed to sign the best hitter in college baseball. Ackley hit .422 with 22 home runs and 73 RBI in 66 games for the University of North Carolina. Signing him went down to the final minutes, with general manager Jack Zduriencik revealing that the deal was agreed upon at 8:45 PM PT, about 15 minutes before the deadline.
MLB Power Rankings: Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.
Big ups to Prez for taking the PR reigns over while I was off last week. But we're back in the saddle, fresh out of the All-Star break and ready to incite you with our rankings. Also, I should point out that this is, relatively speaking, the "home stretch." Where even the most minuscule of mini-streaks can change a team's fate. Or something like that. Anyway, let's go to the list, where we'll find out if an attack on Jack Nicholson by the Phanatic and the addition of Petey was enough to vault the Phillies into the top spot of the Week 16 MLB Power Rankings. Cue drumroll.
Since taking over as Pirates general manager in the fall of 2007, Neal Huntington has been almost singularly focused on rebuilding the Pirates' ravaged farm system. This has necessitated trades of some of their best and most popular players, including Jason Bay, Nate McLouth, and Nyjer Morgan, which has seriously upset the more impatient Pirate fans, who are about to endure a 17th straight losing season.
With this in mind, it's a bit of a surprise to hear that the Pirates front office has offered both Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez contract extensions. Both players have 2010 options, Wilson's is a team option worth $8.4 million and Sanchez's is a vesting option worth $8 million if he reaches 600 plate appearances, that are a bit pricey for the Pirates' tastes, and as a result both were previously thought to be on the trade block.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Red Sox probably did not sleep well Tuesday night.
Boston held a nine-run lead in Baltimore with nine outs to go. Then the Orioles exploded for five runs on seven hits in the seventh inning and five runs on six hits in the eighth, handing Jonathan Papelbon his second blown save of the season. When George Sherrill struck out Jason Bay with two on in the top of the ninth, it finished off a wild 11-10 victory for the O's.
[Said Orioles manager Dave Trembley:] "It was the shootout at the OK Corral except it was Camden Yards."
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Gordon Beckham era has begun in Chicago.
The White Sox announced after Wednesday's loss to the Athletics that they would call up Beckham on Thursday, one day short of a year after he was their first-round draft pick.
"He's going to play," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "Where, we're going to find out. Is he going to play third base every day. I don't think so. But he will get plenty of at-bats. To me, he has to be in the lineup every day and get a good percentage of at-bats."
One thing about April baseball that consistently drives me insane is the way some people take extreme stats at face value. When a player who's been a poor hitter in his career bats .400 for two weeks, it's because he hot or lucky or both, not because he tweaked the position of his back toe in spring training.
MLB Power Rankings:Where we care what you've done for us lately when we break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world each week.
Baseball is here. Only for three days so far, but that's enough for knee-jerk reactions and our collective excitement, certainly. Are the Yankees in trouble? Will Ken Griffey, Jr. lead the Mariners back to glory? Are the Orioles for real? Are the Braves bound for the playoffs again? Will the Marlins manage to save baseball and win the National League East? What happens when Jim Thome and Kyle Farnsworth meet in a hadron collider?
Find out the answers to these questions -- and more! -- after the jump.
FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For the better part of the last decade, the Pittsburgh Pirates aimlessly wandered through the wilderness of baseball with Kevin McClatchy and Dave Littlefield at the helm. Finally, they lost their jobs and Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington took over. For more than a year, the new front office has been working on digging out of the hole dug by Littlefield during his reign of terror. There's only one real problem: The hole dug by Littlefield was so deep that it's going to take more than a year to dig out of it.
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 ... Pittsburgh Pirates. I mean, what else needs to be said? They haven't been able to rebuild themselves properly in the past decade and a half. The relatively new front office seems to be headed down the right path, but it's early in the process. Fantasy-wise, you won't find much here to like.
The big somewhat interesting news of the day yesterday was that the Tigers acquired Jack Wilson from the Pirates. We later found out the report was premature, but where there's smoke, there's fire, right? Surely it was just a matter of time before the two teams pulled the trigger ...
As it turns out, no, that's not the case at all. Wilson has a limited no-trade clause that includes the Tigers, so if he wants, he can completely block a trade to the Motor City. It's not clear if he'd actually do so, but we do know that he's willing to (potentially) leave a little money on the table to make sure a trade to the Dodgers goes through. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the details:
He is due $7.25 million in 2009 and has an $8.4 million club option for the following year, with a $600,000 buyout. The Dodgers apparently would be willing to guarantee both years for a total in the range of $12 million.
As Kovacevic points out, Wilson is a native and resident of Southern California, so it's not surprising that he'd want to live there year-round. Plus, when you look at the big picture, this is actually a great deal for him. He hit a hollow .272 (77 OPS+) last year, and barring a sudden comeback, it's unlikely the Dodgers would want him at $8.4 million in 2010. But an even $6 million a season? That's a bit easier to swallow. Stay tuned, this one could be completed soon -- the odds of a third team throwing their hat in the ring are extremely small.
SEATTLE -- Given that the Mariners have struggled mightily offensively, the signing of No. 2 pick Dustin Ackley serves as a serious momentum boost for an organization looking to escape a series of shaky moves under the Bill Bavasi tenure.
Since taking over as Pirates general manager in the fall of 2007, 
Starting Five
One thing about April baseball that consistently drives me insane is the way some people take extreme stats at face value. When a player who's been a poor hitter in his career bats .400 for two weeks, it's because he hot or lucky or both, not because he tweaked the position of his back toe in spring training. 
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
The 
