AGRI Biz

After a couple of fantasy posts today, lets shift our focus to the hot stove. According to SI.comÆs Jon Heyman via Twitter, the Arizona Diamondbacks have signed RHP Bobby Howry to a one-year, $3 million contract. There is also a team option for 2011. Howry, 36, spent the 2009 season with the San Francisco Giants. He posted a 3.39 ERA with a 6.5 K/9 ratio in 63.2 innings pitched. While HowryÆs K/9 has ...

I think I am going to make today a very fantasy focused day on The Ghost of Moonlight Graham. Earlier in the day I talked about the fantasy possibilities of Los Angeles Angels of AnaheimÆs Brandon Wood. Now I will talk about Arizona DiamondbacksÆ RHP Edwin Jackson. Jackson came over the Diamondbacks in the big three-way trade that sent Curtis Granderson to the New York Yankees and Max Scherzer to the Detroit ...

I have always tried to learn something from each job I have had. For example, I have learned two things from last job. First, I learned that even one of the biggest companies in the world can be dysfunctional. Then again, here is a life lesson for all you kids who are reading this who are still in college or just graduatedùall companies in Corporate America are dysfunctional. The second thing I ...

The New York Mets signed a player on Christmas Eve, but it wasnÆt the type of present Mets fans were expecting. Mets fans were hoping to wake up Christmas morning to either a Jason Bay or Matt Holliday under their tree. Instead, they got a low-risk, high-reward signing. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post , the Mets have signed RHP Kelvim Escobar to a one-year, major league deal. No ...

The Oakland AÆs bolstered their rotation on Thursday by bringing back one of their own. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle , the AÆs have signed RHP Justin Duchscherer to a one-year, $2 million contract. Duchscherer can make an additional $3.5 million if he reaches certain incentives. Good signing by the AÆs. Duchscherer was an All Star in 2008 going 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA and a ridiculous ...

Last week I wrote a post titled ôBrian Bruney Strikes Fantasy Gold.ö The reasoning behind the post was that with no other options in Washington, it looked like Bruney would become the NationalsÆ closer in 2010. Whoops! ThatÆs what the kids call these days as ôJumping the gun.ö BruneyÆs reign as closer in Washington lasted maybe two weeks. According to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com , the Nationals have signed former Pittsburgh Pirates ...

If you need any further proof that baseball is making a dramatic shift from building a team with slugging DH-types to pitching and defense, all you need to do is look into what the AÆs are doing in Oakland. As we all know, AÆs GM Billy Beane was the focal point of the book Moneyball. The ôMoneyballö philosophy was to build a team around sluggers, who walked a lot ...

In my opinion there are five divisions for closers. There is the Dennis Eckersley division which is your very top-tier closers like Mariano Rivera and Joe Nathan. There is the Tom Henke division which are just under the top-tier closers, but are very solid like Francisco Cordero. There is the Jeff Montgomery division which are your no frills and no thrills closers, but usually get the job done like Huston Street. There is the ...

Trying to avoid a situation like in 1999 where 22 umpires lost their jobs, baseball and the umpires union came together on a labor agreement yesterday. According to the Associated Press , Major League Baseball and the umpires union agreed on a five-year contract that will run through Dec. 2014. The old deal expired on Dec. 31. One of the main sticking points of this deal was that baseball wanted more flexibility ...

Trying to avoid a situation like in 1999 where 22 umpires lost their jobs, baseball and the umpires union came together on a labor agreement yesterday. According to the Associated Press , Major League Baseball and the umpires union agreed on a five-year contract that will run through Dec. 2014. The old deal expired on Dec. 31. One of the main sticking points of this deal was that baseball wanted more flexibility ...