According to the Associated Press, Denard Span has inked a five-year, $16.5 million contract extension with the Minnesota Twins. Span, 26, wasn’t eligible for salary arbitration for another two seasons, so the deal takes him through his arbitration years. There’s also a $9 million club option for the 2015 season, Span’s first year of free [...]

Back in late October, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that some Major League Baseball executives predicted a “flood” of non-tenders during the offseason. Said Olney:
Executives say many of the names being discussed by teams as possible trade bait include a growing number of players with three to five-plus years of service time — players who are [...]

The names have changed but the Pittsburgh Pirates are still one of baseball’s worst teams. Five of the eight position players that took the field Opening Day 2009 are gone and another is expected to start the year as a backup. That’s not all bad, though. Ask BDD’s David Golebiewski who sees the changes as [...]

By this point, Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Chris Young was supposed to be a five-tool force. Originally a Chicago White Sox prospect, Young was Arizona’s prized pickup in the December 2005 trade that sent Javier Vazquez to the South Side. He seemingly had few faults: Baseball America dubbed him a potential “30-30 man” and a [...]

It might be hard to fathom while you’re shoveling two feet of powder following “Snowmageddon,” but pitchers and catchers report this coming week. Granted, it’s the baseball equivalent of watching paint dry. Fans are inundated with stories like, “player X is in the best shape of his life!” and “player Y got LASIK, and now he [...]

Baseball Prospectus recently released its Team Depth Charts, and you might be surprised to see which team PECOTA has right on the heels of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.
The Red Birds coasted to a division title last season, tallying 91 wins with a +90 run differential. However, that 2009 club benefitted [...]

For hardcore baseball fans, the off-season moves at a glacial pace. But mercifully, pitchers and catchers report in a couple of weeks. Spring training is closing in, but there are still a number of players out there looking for employment.
In late January, I took a look at what major league clubs are dishing out for [...]

Anecdotally, it seems as though this offseason has provided teams with a strong buyer’s market. Free agents are finding jobs and cash to be scarce. Sure, the elite players aren’t suffering: Matt Holliday inked a deal that will pay him more than the Gross Domestic Product of Anguilla, while Jason Bay and John Lackey also [...]

In 2008, Michael Bourn was the epitome of replacement-level. The fleet-footed center fielder, picked up in a five-player trade that landed Brad Lidge in Philadelphia, was expected to be a top-of-the-order sparkplug who worked the count, wreaked havoc on the base paths and played a plus center field.
Instead, Bourn’s bat was so wretched that he provided [...]

In the age of Baseball America, John Sickels and Milb.TV, very few prospects avoid detection. Gone are the days of a rookie being announced on the PA system and the guy next to you saying, “who?” By the time a highly-touted farm talent reaches the major leagues, avid fans can fluently recite biographical details, scouting reports and statistics.
As [...]