AGRI Biz

Later today the Baseball Writers Association of America will announce who theyÆve voted as this yearÆs American League Cy Young Award winner. Although some believe thereÆs an obvious front-runner for the award, the field is still ôtechnicallyö wide-open after a number of memorable performances last season. A compelling argument could be made for a number of different AL hurlers, but in the end only one will walk away with the hardware. HereÆs a ...

If at first you donÆt succeed, try, try again. á This famous saying serves not only as a motivational tool, but also as a solid offseason philosophy for small-market general managers. á TwinsÆ general manager Bill Smith has made overtures for current free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre on two previous occasions andùif heÆs smartùwill be making one final effort this winter. á The Twins were linked to Beltre at the 2008 trade deadline and again last ...

Dan Uggla has no qualms about changing teams. á Changing positions, however, is a whole different ballgame. á Uggla, 29, is due a substantial raise via arbitration, and finds himself on the trading block as a result. á The Florida Marlins arenÆt inclined to give him a raise on the $5.35 million he made in 2009, and with internal options available, an Uggla trade seems inevitable. á The Marlins have received overtures from many teams with interest in ...

Baseball can be a great game, a dream come true, if you will. á However, baseball can also be a fickle game. á That sentiment rings especially true for Edgardo Alfonzo. á Alfonzo was once one of the top infielders in all of baseball, splitting his time between second and third base while playing for the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. á From 1997-2004 , Alfonzo hit for an impressive line of .291/.371/.448 and averaged 17 ...

Houston, you have a problem. á Your ballclub is bad, really bad. á The Astros, a perennial contender for much of the last decade, have fallen on hard times. á From 1994 to 2006, Houston was one of the most competitive clubs in the National League. á During that twelve-year run, the Astros finished lower than second-place just once, in 2000, when the club played sub-.500 baseball for the first time since Æ92. á The club made the playoffs six ...

Glen Perkins has dropped his grievance against the Minnesota Twins. The two sides were able to reach a settlement earlier today, thus avoiding the hearing that was planned for this Friday in New York. The grievance came as a result of the TwinsÆ decision to option Perkins to Triple-A Rochester after activating him from the disabled list at the end of August. Perkins and his agent felt that he should have remained on ...

In baseball, itÆs not always easy to find the answers. á To this day it seems that almost no pitchers have found the answer to Albert PujolsÆ bat and no hittersùexcept Chase Utleyùhave found the answer for CC SabathiaÆs left arm. á Today, however, there is one question that can be answered unequivocally: á Who should be the second baseman for the Minnesota Twins in 2010? á For months we speculated over whether or not the club would ...

The Minnesota Twins came into this offseason with three major goals: 1) Sign Joe Mauer to an extension 2) Improve the infield 3) Add at least one veteran arm to the rotation General manager Bill Smith got off to a quick start on his offseason ôto do listö by acquiring shortstop J.J. Hardy from the Milwaukee Brewers last Friday. Talks with Mauer donÆt figure to go anywhere until after the Twins ...

Minnesota general manger Bill Smith is a busy man. In the last week alone, Smith was rumored to be in on a deal for new Pittsburgh second baseman Akinori Iwamura, he traded away Carlos Gomez for J.J. Hardy, he exercised Michael CuddyerÆs $10.5 million option for 2011, and heÆs watched as a handful of players from the 2009 squad filed for free agency. Without a doubt, the Twins are deeply embroiled in ...

Juan Pierre is baseballÆs best fourth outfielder. á The problem is that Juan Pierre plays likeùand is being paid likeùa starting outfielder. á Pierre, 32, has two more years and $18.5 million remaining on the five-year, $44 million pact he signed with Los Angeles prior to the 2007 season. á When he signed with the Dodgers, Pierre was slated to be the clubÆs starting center fielder for the foreseeable future, yet in his relatively short time ...