AGRI Biz

The players are swinging for the fences tonight and the big sticks are getting broken out. The only things fans aren't real happy about is the fact that besides Matt Holliday, David Ortiz, and Miguel Cabrera, there aren't those big names participating that can put on a show for the fans in Anaheim. Guys like Chris Young, Vernon Wells, Corey Hart, and Hanley Ramirez don't really make the every day Home Run ...

This time last year, the Texas Rangers had received phone calls from other teams centered around third base prospect Justin Smoak. The Rangers weren't ready to give up one of the most highly-touted minor league prospects in any deal. Fast forward a year later, and the Rangers were again faced with the decision of trading away a guy they wouldn't deal last year. The Rangers were sweating the decision, knowing that ...

Update: (2:28pm CDT) The player to be named later, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, is minor leaguer Blake Beaven. Update: (2:25pm CDT) The players involved in the deal to Seattle are Justin Smoak and minor leaguers Josh Lueke, Matt Lawson and one other player to be named later. The player to be named later, and this is just speculation, could be pitcher Derek Holland or possibly minor league pitcher Tanner Scheppers.  Update: (4:15pm ...

With just a few weeks to go before Major League Baseball's trade deadline, the hottest name on the rumor sheets is Seattle left-hander Cliff Lee, who has turned in one brilliant performance after another lately. Only one problem: The Mariners have yet to make him officially available. But there are a select few teams that are waiting by the phone, desperately wanting for it ring. We've read several rumors over the past ...

As of Monday night, the Texas Rangers are four-and-a-half games in front of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the race for the AL West crown, and don't look to be slowing down any time soon. What's surprising about that is the fact that the Rangers currently have the fourth-lowest payroll in all of baseball, just in front of the Oakland A's, San Diego Padres, and Pittsburgh Pirates. What has impressed me ...

As we inch closer and closer to Major League Baseball's trade deadline at the end of July, the rumors will start flying fast and furious. There have already been a few rumors shot down in the last few weeks, including one that was about to send an ace to a team that wouldn't have any way of picking up his remaining salary because of their financial trouble. Why some of these rumors ...

With all the hype surrounding 21-year-old rookie Stephen Strasburg, it's no wonder his adrenaline began pumping early Tuesday afternoon. But, after taking the mound on Tuesday night, the fireballer got down to business and had one of the most successful debuts in major league history. He would throw 96 pitches over seven innings of work and did not walk a single batter. Even more impressive than that however, was his 14 strikeouts that ...

Prior to Opening Day, a radio host in Dallas called the San Diego Padres "horrible." Of course, he wasn't the only skeptical media member. Matt Baxendell of MLBCenter.com put the Padres in last place in the NL West, with fewer than 70 wins. To fulfill Baxendell's prediction, San Diego would have to finish 48-80 the rest of the way. Barring injury, I just don't see that happening. None of the ESPN writers ...