Thursday’s announcement made Ken Rosenthal’s first report official: Major League Baseball has seen The Moose take the mound for the very last time. Mike Mussina has ended speculation and put an end to one of the most underrated careers by a starting pitcher in recent memory.

Compiling 270 wins and a 3.68 career ERA, Mussina’s durability and consistency was matched by only a select few pitchers of this generation. With today’s five-man rotation, no pitcher will reach the 300 win plateau for a long time, and Mussina’s 270 will be tough to beat. Throw in Mussina’s 2008 season where he finally won 20 games, and his statistics warrant Hall of Fame consideration. Read more »

In a year that saw no player separating himself from the rest of the league, voters had a tough task of electing the National League’s Most Valuable Player. Should the award be given to the player with the most gaudy numbers? Or should it be the best player on the best team? What about players acquired midseason that carried their respective teams to the playoffs? While Ryan Howard, Manny Ramirez and CC Sabathia all garnered consideration, voters decided to go with the numbers and voted Albert Pujols MVP.

Hitting .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs, Pujols posted statistics that are tough to argue with. However, unlike many other worthy candidates, Pujols failed to lead his team to the postseason. Is it fair to give the coveted award to a player who could not even get his team in the playoffs in the weak National League? It can be, especially when Pujols was the lone reason St. Louis remained in contention as late as September. Read more »

Is it dangerous for the Yankees to offer left-hander CC Sabathia the largest contract ever for a Major League pitcher, a deal the New York Daily News is reporting to be for $140 million over six years?

Yes and no, in our estimation.

Yes, in the classic, pitchers-are-subject-to-injury-and-long-term-deals-are-always-a-risk sense (how’s that for hyphens?). No, in that Sabathia has proven such a workhorse that he has built up a degree of immunity to injury risks. Read more »

The New York Yankees made their first major acquisition of the offseason, as they traded for Texeira. No, not the first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels, who spells his last name “Teixeira”, but White Sox pitcher Kanekoa Texeira, along with outfielder Nick Swisher, for utility man Wilson Betemit and two minor leaguers.

On the eve of free agency, the Yankees already separated themselves as offseason winners. In acquiring Swisher, the Bronx Bombers finally get the first baseman they desperately need. While Swisher brings 30-home run power to the table, he also brings the versatility play in the infield or outfield and a positive energy to the clubhouse. Now that the team crosses the street to its new stadium, it brings Swisher’s much-needed elements with it. Read more »

The Matt Holliday trade that went down on Monday, the one that surprised most and shocked many, has served as the match to ignite baseball’s hot stove. The deal won’t be the last surprise we get, and it may not even be the biggest. As prime free agents are set to negotiate and teams look to rebuild, the offseason flurry is only now about to begin.

On one end are the impact free agents available to the highest bidders. To the surprise of none, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez are 1-2-3 on the list, all three of which figure to land in the lineups of large-market contenders. Read more »

CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe and Ben Sheets topped the list of what was already one of the deepest classes of free agent starting pitchers in recent memory. You can go ahead and add A.J. Burnett to that list now.

As reported Tuesday evening by MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, Burnett decided to opt out of the final two years of his contract to test the free agent market. Burnett was owed a total of $24 million over the last two years of the deal, but figured he could probably command more money on the market given his relatively young age of 31. Read more »

Contrary to popular belief, Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Coletti has yet to make any formal offers to unrestricted free agent left fielder Manny Ramirez. Ramirez, who played for the Dodgers for the last two months of the 2008 regular season and playoffs, has been declared the number one priority for the Dodgers this offseason by Coletti.

Amazingly enough, on the other hand, Mark Teixeira, another big name free agent, has not been mentioned at all by either the press or the Los Angeles Angels; the team he finished the season with after being traded by the Atlanta Braves. Read more »

Ninety years ago the greatest player in the history of Major League Baseball was traded. Crossing an arch rivalry, Babe Ruth cursed the Boston Red Sox for 86 years, before they were finally able to break it in 2004 and win the World Series. Now in 2008, perhaps another Boston great is trading his red socks for pinstripes.

Outfielder Manny Ramirez tops a free agent class filled with talented players like CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Adam Dunn and A.J. Burnett. After an outstanding second half of the season and dominant postseason in a three-month stint with the Dodgers, Ramirez carries a big price tag.

“I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I,” said Ramirez. Seeking a contract worth upwards of $25 million per year, Ramirez’s hefty salary will likely deter many teams from entering the bidding race.  Read more »

The most important thing baseball fans probably had on their minds last night, as the Tampa Bay Rays cruised to a 7-0 lead in Game 5 of the ALCS, was who would start Game 1 of the World Series for the AL Champions.

But the Red Sox rallied from seven runs down to win Game 5 and send the series back to Tampa Bay with the Rays now holding a slim 3-2 advantage.

Most fans probably can’t help but wonder now who’s going to start Game 7 for the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS. Would it be Daisuke Matsuzaka, last night’s starter, going on three days rest for the Red Sox if the series makes it to Sunday? You can’t count out future Red Sox ace Jon Lester, who, although he gave up four earned runs and took the loss in Game 4, is a big game pitcher no matter how you look at it. The man defeated cancer and essentially death. So, pitching in a Game 7, on the road in a hostile environment, is probably not a big deal to him. Read more »

October baseball means MLB Playoffs are upon us, and representatives from the traditional major sports cities are participating. Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia all feature teams competing for the coveted World Series championship.

There are two glaring omissions from the list of traditional postseason participants as both payroll-heavy New York City teams will be watching from home. But, in spite of the Yankees and Mets dismal seasons, both organizations rewarded their much-maligned general managers, Brian Cashman and Omar Minaya, with contract extensions. Read more »