AGRI Biz

On Monday morning, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals stood roughly shoulder-to-shoulder at the front of the pack of teams vying for position in the 2010 National League Central division. The Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros lagged badly behind, and if you had asked most fans then who the favorite would be when next spring training rolled around, the vote would likely have gone narrowly to the ...

Among the always-minute percentage of free agents offered arbitration who actually accept, there are rarely surprises. In general, players accept arbitration offers only once it becomes clear that there is little to no market for their services, or when they hope to increase their value coming off of a down season. That is why it caught many off-guard on Sunday, when Braves relief pitcher Rafael Soriano began hinting he might accept ...

In the week prior to the annual Winter Meetings, which will commence Monday in Indianapolis, the Hot Stove began to boil. Chone Figgins, Placido Polanco, Marco Scutaro, Billy Wagner, and Takashi Saito signed news deals for 2010. The Rays, Phillies, Brewers, Mets, Orioles, and Mets (again) added new catchers, either in trade or vie free agency.á The trade market began a slow simmer, as Tampa traded for Cleveland's Kelly Shoppach, and ...

All men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights. Specifically, as Thomas Jefferson said, these rights are three: to life, to liberty, and to the pursuit of happiness. Baseball fans, however, have a fourth right, which no front office or ownership group may ever deny without consequence: the pursuit of a championship. Just as our forefathers once threw off the bonds of tyranny, so should we abolish forthwith any ...

It has been nearly half a decade since Placido Polanco donned the red Philadelphia Phillies pinstripes, but he will soon do it again, according to an mlb.com report . While a fairly innocuous signing in and of itself, this move could have major implications in a number of disparate ways. Polanco will reportedly receive roughly $18 million over three years, with a fourth-year option, and will move to third base for ...

When President Barack Obama stood up in the eyes of the nation Tuesday night and advocated a 30,000-man surge in troop force for the ongoing war in Afghanistan, all Americans ought to have taken pause to measure the gravity of the moment. There will be no draft; Obama was clear on that point. As it has been since the end of the Vietnam War, all military service will be voluntary. As such, ...

Last Wednesday, Topps named new Royals acquisition Chris Getz the top rookie second baseman of 2009. Getz, who played for the Chicago White Sox last season, batted .261/.324/.347 and stole 25 bases while being caught just twice. At 26, Getz will likely start next season as Kansas City's starting second baseman. That creates an interesting scenario in the Royals' infield. If manager Trey Hillman does ultimately choose to start Getz, the Royals will ...

When Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry re-signed left-handed reliever John Grabow to a two-year extension last month, he removed the Cubs from the hunt for free agent southpaw Billy Wagner. Tuesday, foxsports.com reported that Wagner had found his home for 2010, after agreeing to a one-year deal with Atlanta. With Wagner off the market and the Cubs essentially set in terms of left-handed arms , Hendry will now turn his attention to ...

The Detroit Tigers are looking to deal, and in order to save themselves from financial ruin, they are willing to part with superstar first baseman Miguel Cabrera. According to a foxsports.com report , Cabrera is available if a buyer can be found. Detroit GM Dave Dembrowski, though careful to avoid openly shopping, has been using back channels to contact potential suitors for not only Cabrera, but highly paid stars Curtis ...

As December dawns, Major League Baseball holds its collective breath. Next week at the Winter Meetings, rumors will fly, and both players and money will change hands. Trades will come to completion, and free-agent negotiations will advance rapidly. For now, however, the frontier is quiet, and so baseball fans everywhere are left to the pleasant reflection that so enriches the experience of this game during its off-season. With just one month ...