In 2009, I decided to get a feel for other teams around baseball by asking bloggers for those teams some questions about their squad. Not only has this series been very popular, but it spawned the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. With camps opening up again a

Pretty ordinary as a relief pitcher, Jerry DiPoto is a natural as a general manager. Serving as an interim GM for the Diamondbacks in 2010, DiPoto flipped the switch on the rebuilding that led to an unexpected division title last season, adding Daniel Hu

Leading up to Spring Training, MLB.com will take a look at the new members of the Angels' baseball-operations department -- the one that's completing what many consider the greatest offseason in franchise history. The five-part series concludes with the

If you are assuming baseball is my favorite sport because I’m a stat nerd, you’re right. So, when people try and tell me Ivan Nova was a great pitcher last year because he had 16 wins in only 28 starts, I point to the 8.82 amount of runs the Yankees scor

Bobby Valentine, the manager of the Boston Red Sox, was the keynote speaker at the baseball team’s preseason fundraiser last Friday. When he became the head baseball coach at Virginia Tech in 2007, Pete Hughes made generating support for the program his

Less than two weeks until spring training Halolinks: Dumb trade rumor of the day: Question No. 2: Jerry Dipoto's next move - ESPN Los Angeles. "Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote that there is "a lot of speculation" the Washington Nationals will trad

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Click here to view comments in a non-threaded output. Lannan, 27, is a terrific option as an end-of-the rotation starter now that Washington has signed Edwin Jackson. There is a lot of

A few months ago, we looked at the performances of teams which made major strides forward in a season - what happened to them the next year? The results weren't pretty. Of the 15 teams to have improved by 20 games in a season since the Diamondbacks came

You still hear the same complaints: The rich teams win all the time; the NFL is more unpredictable; once a loser, always a loser; my team has no chance. Since 2006, 12 teams have made the playoffs that had a losing record the previous season. That's an a

Sep. 28, 2011; Phoenix AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Joe Saunders (34) during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-US PRESSWIRE The plan was to increase payroll this season after the Ariz

The offseason is just about over, and today we take a look at where the 30 teams rank after their moves. We know from last year - when the Red Sox acquired Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez - that “winning’’ December and January doesn’t mean you win when

Because they play in a division where there is always hope. Every season, for most every team. Like it's required. Parity hasn't simply arrived in the National League West, it's taken up residence. Not some shingle temporarily hung on the wall, but carve

After several months of speculation leading to the assumption that starting pitcher Joe Saunders and the Arizona Diamondbacks had parted ways, the two sides have agreed on a one-year contract, much to everyone's surprise. Under the terms of the unlikely

A month from Saturday, Diamondbacks pitchers and catchers begin their spring-training workouts. For many, the preparation started months ago. Turnout has been strong at Salt River Fields during the off-season, thanks to the presence of trainers, strength

Joe Saunders is on board for $6 million, bumping up the Diamondbacks’ payroll well north of where we (and they) figured it would be at the beginning of the off-season. I have a story on the payroll scheduled to run in the paper (and on the site) in the c

Joe Saunders made $5.5 million in 2011 and had a pretty good year with the Diamondbacks: 12-13, 3.69 ERA, 212 innings pitched. Those are nice numbers for pitching in a hitter's park and Saunders certainly expected a bigger paycheck as a result. The Diamo

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Joe Saunders, center, talks with catcher Miguel Montero, left, and short stop Willie Bloomquist, during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Monday, April 4, 2011 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charl

A month after the Arizona Diamondbacks non-tendered starting pitcher Joe Saunders they were able to reach a contract agreement with the right-hander. Saunders has signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Diamondbacks, thus filling out Arizona’s ro

The Diamondbacks' on-again, off-again courtship of left-hander Joe Saunders lasted for nearly four months this off-season and finally culminated Tuesday with an arrangement neither thought would happen. Saunders agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal to r