Eight months later, Jackson is second in the AL with a 2.62 ERA and leads the league with a .217 opponents' average. Ignore his 8-5 record; Detroit has scored three runs or fewer in 10 of his 22 starts, and more than five runs just twice.
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.
FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Tampa Bay Rays.
Although they ended up falling short at the end, 2008 was the year of the Rays. After being the butt of jokes for the first 10 years of its existence, Tampa Bay turned an impressive collection of baseball talent into an impressive team, finally assembling a competent bullpen, and utilizing some position shifts to put a much improved defense on the field. With the pieces in place, everything came together, and the Rays increased their win total by 31 games on their way to winning both the AL East and AL pennant.
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 ... Best team in baseball. Yes, they are still better than the Yankees and Red Sox. Lost in all the joy of last season were the facts that two key players were injured down the stretch and another had an absolutely dreadful offensive season. Throw in the addition of Pat Burrell, and the continued growth of the young pitching staff, and you have a team who can take on the big-spending Yankees and venerable Red Sox.
That's right, MLB Power Rankings. You do know that that means, right? It means we're only a few short weeks/months (depends on you how you want to look at it, you pessimistic jerk) from starting the 2009 baseball season. Spring is nearly here, everyone has a bounce in their step and there's not an illegal, injectable steroid in sight!
So without further ado, let's get down to business and rank every single Major League Baseball team right freaking now. Because baseball can't wait any longer to get going.
The Tigers came to Las Vegas looking for a closer, and for a little while, it looked like they might get one. Before the Mariners, Indians and Mets pulled off their monster, 12-player deal that sent J.J. Putz to New York, the Tigers were trying to land Putz with a three-way of their own involving the Mariners and the Rays.
As Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times tells it, the deal fell apart when the Tigers refused to part with outfielder Matt Joyce ... which makes the trade Detroit did pull off all the more confusing. On Wednesday evening, the Tigers sent Joyce to the Rays for 25-year-old Edwin Jackson, a perpetual project of a pitcher who's posted a 5.15 ERA through parts of six seasons.
Sure, Jackson is coming off a career year, but that just means he looked like a league average pitcher: he posted a 4.42 ERA (101 ERA+) with an unsightly 1.50 WHIP. While it's true he tied for the team lead with 14 wins, he was an afterthought in Tampa Bay's playoff run, getting left off the roster completely in the first round and combined for fewer than five innings pitched in the ALCS and World Series.
In recent winters, the Tigers wouldn't blink at signing an expensive free agent. But these days? The Tigers are in full-fledged cost-cutting mode. Considering much of their sponsorship money comes from (and many of their fans are employed by) the Big 3 automakers, it's not a huge surprise.
So instead of paying $10 million a season for the likes of Kerry Wood, they've apparently decided to part with prospects for a more affordable closer. According to Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers are in talks with the Mariners regarding J.J. Putz, who will make just $5 million this season and comes with an $8.6 million club option for 2010. As an added bonus, Putz is a hometown kid: he grew up in nearby Trenton, MI and pitched for the University of Michigan.
Of course, prying such an affordable asset away from the Mariners won't come cheap, and the M's are reportedly asking for as many as three players back in return. The players being mentioned by both the Free Press and Seattle Times are outfielder Matt Joyce, 24, first baseman Jeff Larish, 26, and possibly righthander Luis Marte, 22.
Joyce and Larish made their big-league debuts last season and are currently slated to fill reserve roles in 2009. If traded to the Mariners, though, they they could compete for starting jobs. Marte split last season between Single-A and Double-A, and while he needs to iron out control problems, he can hit the high 90s on the radar gun.
If there is any team that's incredibly sad to see interleague play end in 2008, it would be the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers feasted on their senior circuit competition, going 13-5, and have now won 17 of their last 21 games. They're finally over .500 for the first time this year at 41-40, and are within five games of the White Sox in the AL Central.
Of course, before catching the White Sox the Tigers will have to pass the Twins, and it so happens that they're starting a three game set in the Twinkiedome tonight, and play Minnesota four more times next week. It's the perfect chance to climb in to second place. If only they had Magglio Ordonezto help them out.
The Detroit Tigers placed right fielder Magglio Ordonez on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled muscle in his right side on Sunday.
Ordonez pulled his oblique muscle in the third inning of a 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night.
That's got to be a kick in the teeth for Tigers fans who were just starting to get excited about this team.
Ordonez had his worst month of the season in June, hitting .266/.343/.403 with three homers and 15 RBI, but now that the Tigers are starting a stretch where 19 of their next 27 games are against division opponents, this isn't exactly the best timing. The team has called up Matt Joyce to replace Ordonez on the roster, but it's doubtful he can replace his production.
Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
The Tigers came to Las Vegas looking for a closer, and for a little while, it looked like they might get one. Before the Mariners, Indians and Mets pulled off their monster, 12-player deal that sent 
In recent winters, the Tigers wouldn't blink at signing an expensive free agent. But these days? The Tigers are in full-fledged cost-cutting mode. Considering much of their sponsorship money comes from (and many of their fans are employed by) the Big 3 automakers, it's not a huge surprise.
If there is any team that's incredibly sad to see interleague play end in 2008, it would be the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers feasted on their senior circuit competition, going 13-5, and have now won 17 of their last 21 games. They're finally over .500 for the first time this year at 41-40, and are within five games of the White Sox in the AL Central.
