Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.
The most remarkable thing about this season as we hit the not-halfway halfway point of the All-Star break isn't Albert Pujols' RBI total. Or Zack Greinke's ERA. Or the PED suspension of one of the game's biggest stars.
It's the standings. And they not only reflect the season so far, they give us a clue as to the weeks head leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline.
The Phillies and Dodgers are the only first-place team with a lead of more than 2 1/2 games. And 21 of the 30 teams are within 7 1/2 games of a playoff spot: nine of 14 in the AL and 12 of 16 in the NL.
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 AL East is a dead heat 85 games into the season, perhaps portending an epic race through the dog days of summer and into the fall. The Yankees pulled even with the Red Sox Thursday in baseball's toughest division by virtue of a win over the Twins and Boston's loss to the Royals.
New York, which is 48-23 against Minnesota since 2000, has been on fire since the latest A-Rod drama during a series June 19-21 in Miami. The Yanks have gone 13-3 since losing two of three to the Marlins that weekend to erase the gap between them and Boston.
FanHouse first reported the talks last Friday via Twitter, and a high-level source with one of the teams confirmed the ongoing discussions Tuesday afternoon. Pittsburgh had been seeking right-hander Craig Stammen along with Milledge, so this represents a compromise.
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?
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
The Washington Nationals will be looking for a new closer as Joel Hanrahan has been fired. He was given the opportunity to close out five games and blew saves in three of those. His ERA is an unhealthy 8.64. The team will look to use a closer by committee approach for a while, waiting to see if injured Joe Beimel can return and flourish.
Tuesday, one day after Hanrahan surrendered a game-losing grand slam, Manager Manny Acta said that his team would now finish games -- or at least try to finish them -- with a committee of relief pitchers that includes Julián Tavárez and Kip Wells, both signed in March to non-guaranteed minor league deals. Once Joe Beimel (left hip flexor) returns from the disabled list in the first week of May, he could either join the mix or claim the job for himself.
You know Carlos Zambrano. He's the Cubs starting pitcher who can swing a power bat on occasion. He actually sports two Silver Slugger awards for his exploits with the lumber. Anyway, considering the Cubs have a rash of day-to-day injuries -- meaning they don't want to put any of them on the disabled list and, thus, have a short bench -- would the Cubs consider using him as more than a pinch-hitter? He was, after all, spotted taking ground balls at third base recently.
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.
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.
Atlanta Braves The problem with signing 36-year-old free agents is that they tend to get hurt a bit more than younger players. New Braves left fielder Garrett Anderson tweaked his right calf in warm-ups and will miss two to three weeks; maybe more. Matt Diaz in left field is not good for the Braves and it sure as heck isn't any kind of answer for your fantasy team. There is good news in camp, however, Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless inning today giving up only one hit and striking out one in his bid to return from right elbow surgery. Derek Lowe was next to untouchable pitching four perfect innings today striking out six and walking none.
At the rate things are currently going, by the time the World Baseball Classic gets started, the American roster is going to be nothing but Derek Jeter and our nation's finest little leaguers.
With spring training under way, American players everywhere are deciding that it's best for them to concentrate on their MLB teams instead of their country. The latest "defectors" from the team leave a bit of a hole in the United States' bullpen as both Joe Nathan and B.J. Ryan are backing out.
When drafting in fantasy baseball, I often find rankings are a lot less useful than using the tier system. Simply group guys together with others who will perform similarly, and you won't focus on single players. Being frazzled when that single player is taken immediately before your pick is a good way to ruin your draft.
We're definitely not proponents of drafting closers high, but getting the last member of a tier at good value could work in the right situations.
Starting Five
A four-player swap of pitchers and outfielders between Pittsburgh and Washington became official Tuesday afternoon.
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 
From now until the regular season begins, 
At the rate things are currently going, by the time the World Baseball Classic gets started, the American roster is going to be nothing but 
