While we're far from trading season -- the Red Sox and Angels haven't even started their ALDS -- winds are swirling in the Windy City because of the presence of resident albatross Milton Bradley. Bradley signed a three-year contract worth $30 million this past offseason with the Cubs and did everything he could during the regular season to make general manager Jim Hendry realize the signing was the biggest mistake of his tenure. Thus, the Cubs aren't exactly being secretive about their desire to trade him as soon as is humanly possible.
Might they look to another outfielder who has quickly fallen out of favor with his team after signing a lucrative deal? The Tampa Bay Rays have shown interest in Bradley in the past, and they could look to dealPat Burrell after his disastrous 2009 season.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's weekly look at some aspect of America's pastime.
Instead of handing our hardware to Joe Girardi, Joe Torre, Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, Zack Greinke and Chris Carpenter (yes, those would be my votes), I thought we'd mix it up a bit. Plus, being a Cubs fan, I'm plenty filled with negativity at this time of the year -- which, really, is normal. So these are the Bizarro World Awards. The Suck Awards, if you will. The envelopes, please ...
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
On the day Milton Bradley began serving a team-mandated, season-ending suspension, former Cubs fan favorite Mark DeRosa suited up for the Cubs rival. He's been doing so since coming over in a trade from Cleveland. This past offseason, the Cubs moved DeRosa to the Indians as part of a concerted effort to free up payroll. The target: Bradley.
Thus, it was only fitting the chain of decisions were further cemented as awful when DeRosa hit two home runs and drove in four runs Monday night.
Everyone is out to get Milton Bradley. First it was the umpires, then it was Lou Piniella (or was it Lou, then the umpires? I can't remember). Now, the Chicago Cubs have sent Milton home for the rest of the season just for going to the media and talking about how much he hates the Chicago Cubs, people who like the Chicago Cubs, Chicago, bears, and humanity. When is this guy going to catch a break?
Tonight's Dugout gives you a sneak peek at what to expect when Bradley takes this issue to a higher power than Steve Bartman and his Mystery Goat, or whoever is in charge in Chicago.
In a season chock full of controversy -- which isn't anything new for Bradley -- everything came to a head Sunday morning when Bradley dissed the Cubs, Cubs fans and the entire city of Chicago. This following a game in which Bradley pulled himself out of the lineup, claiming his knee was too sore to continue, and then basically ignored probing reporters after the game.
From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.
Every Hot Stove season, each team reshapes its roster in an attempt to better themselves. After each transaction, whether a free agent acquisition, trade or something else, writers and bloggers everywhere provide knee-jerk reactions on each particular move. Though the majority of the analysis is educated, it's still just conjecture. Today, we'll take the long view and look back at some of the maneuvering this past offseason and see how it played out on the field.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Mired in the middle of a quite reprehensible offense, Adrian Gonzalez had been struggling at the plate for quite a while. Sure, he was still hitting home runs and drawing walks, but his batting average from May 1 to August 9 was an atrocious .228 in 298 at-bats. He hadn't had a multiple hit game since July 29 and hadn't had more than two hits in a game since June 18.
Tuesday night, Gonzalez went 6-6, giving him more hits in one night than the rest of August combined.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Vladimir Guerrero's had a rough 2009, with injury issues and his dwindling power (his .466 slugging percentage would easily be his career low if the season ended today) causing concern the 34-year-old was full-on in the middle of a career decline.
With two cracks of the bat Monday night, "Vlad the Impaler" reminded us that he's been swinging a hot stick of late. In fact, he's been the old Vlad for quite some time. He just needed to shake the Earth a little bit to ensure everyone took notice.
As has been covered ad nauseum, the Cubs fell colossally short of expectations in 2009's first half. Since the All-Star break, the Cubs have won four straight games and begun to resemble last year's bunch in several ways. The biggest sign of positivity was Alfonso Soriano hitting home runs in consecutive games, but there was more. Mike Fontenot looked like the '08 version instead of the slapper we've seen for the past six weeks. Aramis Ramirez hit his first home run since returning from a season-altering shoulder injury. Kevin Gregg continued to outperform Kerry Wood -- whom he replaced as closer. Rich Harden looked unhittable.
Of course, we have to throw a gigantic asterisk next to the above paragraph. The Cubs were playing the Washington Nationals -- a team on pace to go 46-116.
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.
Well, I'll tell you one thing: baseball ain't boring, folks. At least if you're in the middle class anyway; the upper crust is (somewhat) starting to establish itself across MLB's ranks and the bottom portion of the league is certainly holding steady. But in the middle, well, goodness. We have a lot of would-be title contenders. How's your semi-crappy team faring in the all-important MLB FanHouse Power Rankings this week? Find out after the jump.
While we're far from trading season -- the Red Sox and Angels haven't even started their ALDS -- winds are swirling in the Windy City because of the presence of resident albatross Milton Bradley. Bradley signed a three-year contract worth $30 million this past offseason with the Cubs and did everything he could during the regular season to make general manager Jim Hendry realize the signing was the biggest mistake of his tenure. Thus, the Cubs aren't exactly being secretive about their desire to trade him as soon as is humanly possible. 
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Everyone is out to get 
After putting up with his antics for the past several months, the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
As has been covered ad nauseum, the Cubs fell colossally short of expectations in 2009's first half. Since the All-Star break, the Cubs have won four straight games and begun to resemble last year's bunch in several ways. The biggest sign of positivity was 
