AGRI Biz

Joe Beimel waited and waited for a major league contract offer, but couldn’t find one. Instead, he signed a minor league deal with a team he is pretty familiar with. Beimel signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies yesterday. Beimel will make $850,000 if he makes the Rockies’ roster and he can earn another $350,000 in incentives. With closer Huston Street and eighth inning setup man Rafael Betancourt hurting, the ...

Well, finally the New York Mets get some good news. Good news is a rarity for the Mets, so when it happens and it’s good news about one of their star players, it must be recognized. The Mets found out yesterday that shortstop Jose Reyes has been cleared to play. His thyroid levels are back to normal. Reyes has been back home in New York resting and avoiding exercise (sounds like me) until ...

Last week Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo was “leaning towards” sending phenom Stephen Strasburg down to the minors to start the season. I guess when Rizzo leans one way, there is no turning back.   Strasburg was sent to the minors on Saturday On Saturday, the Nationals announced that Strasburg and their other first round pick Drew Storen will be sent down to Double-A Harrisburg to start the season. I don’t think anyone ...

How about we talk about a team that rarely gets some love on The Ghost of Moonlight Graham: the San Diego Padres. I am going to take it a step further. I am gonna talk about the Padres and not even mention Adrian Gonzalez or any trade talk surrounding him. Here are some of the things going on at Padres’ camp this spring.   Jon Garland has a “cranky” shoulder Garland was scratched from ...

Photo: Joe Mauer and I at the 2008 All-Star Game party in New York. I think it is safe to say that every fan of the Minnesota Twins is now breathing a little easier. The Twins officially signed catcher Joe Mauer to an eight-year, $184 million contract. The deal, which begins in 2011, will earn Mauer an average of $23 million a season. Well, I think this is not only great news for ...

When the Cleveland Indians traded for Chris Perez last year, they envisioned him as the closer of the future. Well, for the next six to eight weeks, the Indians are going to get a glimpse of what their future at the closer position is going to look like. According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer , current closer Kerry Wood will miss six-to-eight weeks because of a strain in ...

The Minnesota Twins got the news yesterday that they probably knew was coming, but didn’t want to believe. It’s kind of like when you took a test in school. You knew you failed it miserably, but you were somehow hoping for a miracle. Yesterday, the Twins didn’t get their miracle. It was announced that All Star closer Joe Nathan will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire 2010 season. It all ...

Is it me, or are the Seattle Mariners either doing something or have something going on that makes headlines every day? I woke up this morning and there they were again. I guess if you notice a team’s news and notes on a regular basis, it means they are relevant—and the Mariners will certainly be relevant in 2010. Since the Mariners had a couple of relevant stories going on, I decided to ...

Just to make things clear, I am not talking about the mediocre lefty for the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox who all of a sudden became unhittable in the postseason for the New York Yankees. I am talking about the big outfield prospect for the Florida Marlins. If you are not familiar with the Marlins’ version of Mike Stanton, then you will be very shortly. He is a big man who ...

I never really thought Mark Reynolds strikeouts were an issue and apparently the Arizona Diamondbacks don’t think so either. Yesterday, the Diamondbacks officially signed the slugging third baseman to a new deal. The Diamondbacks signed Reynolds to a three-year contract worth $14.5 million. The deal also includes an $11 million club option for 2013. Here is the breakdown of the contract: 2010: $500,000 2011: $5 million 2012: $7.5 million Reynolds ...