Hot Stove Preview Coming Soon
I am looking for ideas on what to include at the top of the blog for the offseason. In the past I have done pieces such as "Did You Know", "This Day in Baseball History", and "City of the Day." I am considering the possibility of doing a "Ballpark of the Day", "Nationals Player Profile", "Player Profile", or "All Star Teams" (based on specific credentials, such as All-Texas Team). I can do an old one or a new one. Please write in your preference, or you can give me one of your own ideas.
News
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw became the youngest pitcher ever to win the Roberto Clemente Award, earning the honor for his extensive charity work in Africa. The 25-year-old Texan is setting up an orphanage in Lusaka, the capital of the country of Zambia, as well as setting up programs for HIV/AIDS treatment and at-risk children, both in Africa and his hometown of Dallas.
Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman underwent successful shoulder surgery and should be ready for Spring Training.
Options
Yankees picked up options for Robinson Cano ($15 million), Curtis Granderson ($15 million) and David Aardsma ($500K), meaning they won't be free agents.
Dodgers declined options for Todd Coffey (2.5 million), Juan Rivera ($4 million) and Matt Treanor ($950K), making them free agents.
Athletics picked Grant Balfour's option ($4.5 million) and declined Stephen Drew's option ($10 million).
Wavier Claims
Royals claimed Chris Volstad (3-12, 6.31 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 2013 age: 26) off waivers from the Cubs.
Blue Jays claimed a multitude of players off waivers, including Bobby Wilson (3 HR, 13 RBI, .211 AVG, 0 SB, 2013 age: 30) from the Angels, David Herndon (0-1, 4.70 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 2013 age: 27) from the Phillies, Cory Wade (1-1, 6.46 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 2013 age: 30) from the Yankees, and Scott Cousins (1 HR, 3 RBI, .163 AVG, 1 SB, 2013 age: 28) from the Marlins.
Astros claimed Che-Hsuan Lin (0 HR, 0 RBI, .250 AVG, 0 SB, 2013 age: 23) off waivers from the Red Sox.
Chris Volstad will move to Kansas City looking for a fresh start. The 6'8" righty won 12 games in 2010, but is just 8-25 in 50 starts over the past two seasons. Last year he was just 3-12 with a 6.31 ERA, the worst year of his career. Still just 26, he has plenty of time to bounce back. He adds to a weak Royals' rotation that should still need more tuning.
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Teams followed in this update: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies
If your team is not included, please leave a comment.
HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched. K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage
Zack Silverman
