Online sportsbook: Red Sox OF Carl Crawford may miss start of season

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Guillermo J.P

Carl Crawford was a free-agent bust for the Boston Red Sox a season ago, and the 2012 season may not get off to a great start, either, as Crawford is likely to miss the first few weeks of the year. Bet on Red Sox futures at the WagerWeb.com online sportsbook.

Crawford had surgery to remove cartilage on his left wrist on Jan. 17. It was presumed he would miss some time, but it wasn’t until this week that new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine gave a timeline. Boston is only the third betting favorite this year in the AL East on the online
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“I wouldn’t be surprised if Carl’s a few weeks into the season before he’s really ready to go,” Valentine said. “I wouldn’t be surprised, nor disappointed if that’s what nature dictates as the healing process.”

Crawford’s first year in Boston fell well below expectations after he signed a seven-year, $142 million deal last offseason. Keeping specific target dates for Crawford’s return out of the public realm could help keep the pressure off. He hit a career-low .255 with 11 homers, 56 RBIs and just 18 stolen bases last season. The Red Sox were a killer to their backers at the WagerWeb.com online sportsbook.

“When he’s ready and he’s healed, he is going to be a welcome addition to our team, whenever that is,” Valentine said. “The more I’ve looked at Carl on film and tried to evaluate the whole thing, he’s really special and we really need him. If it’s later, then that’s when it will be.”

So why did Boston wait so long for Crawford to have surgery? Why not right after the disappointing 2011 season? The decision to have surgery, GM Ben Cherington said, was made after Crawford reported soreness in his wrist when he began ramping up his offseason hitting routine around the first of the year.

The surgery, performed in Scottsdale, Ariz., by Dr. Donald Sheridan, involved a debridement of the wrist, which is defined as the removal of damaged tissue from the impacted area. It is generally performed in cases where a patient shows signs of early arthritis. Certainly if Crawford is expected out longer than a few weeks, the Red Sox’s over/under wins total at the online sportsbook would be affected.

Crawford had experienced soreness in the wrist in the past, according to Cherington, including at the end of the 2011 season, though the decision was made at the time that he go through his usual offseason routine. That changed, Cherington said, when Crawford reported continued soreness.

Crawford first experienced wrist problems in the big leagues as far back as 2005, but he had not missed any time because of the wrist since 2007, when he was in training camp with the Tampa Bay Rays. Crawford’s former team paid out big on the online sportsbook on the final day last season when the Rays took the final wild-card spot thanks to a Boston loss.

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2012 Houston Astros Could Be One of Worst Teams in Baseball History

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Allen James

With pitchers set to report to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona later this week, it’s time to start the Major League Baseball team-by-team previews here at Bovada and we start at the bottom: the Houston Astros. Will they contend for the NL Central title or a playoff spot? It would be a miracle. Houston is 100/1 on Bovada’s baseball futures odds to win the 2012 World Series.

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It’s the final season in the National League for Houston, which was sold over the offseason and will head to the American League West next season. It’s a complete rebuild in Houston. Last year for the first time in team history, the Astros lost more than a 100 games. They finished 56-106, becoming the first major league team to lose 106 or more games since the 2005 Royals.

And at least that team had Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, two pretty good players, for a few months. But both outfielders were dealt at the trading deadline. Now the only player you might recognize in the everyday lineup is vastly overpaid Carlos Lee, whom the team would love to trade. He could be attractive to an AL team around this year’s deadline as Lee is in the final year of his contract.

Houston also would love to trade its two top starting pitchers in Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers but hasn’t found much interest of yet. The Astros also have to find a new closer after they tradedMark Melancon to Boston this offseason for shortstop Jed Lowrie and pitcher Kyle Weiland. In giving up Melancon, the Astros dealt arguably their top relief pitcher whom they acquired in theLance Berkman trade with the Yankees. The right-hander took over the closer’s job from an injuredBrandon Lyon last year and for the season had a 2.78 ERA with 20 saves.

Lyon and David Carpenter are the leading candidates to close this year. Lyon had an 11.48 ERA in just 15 games of an injury-plagued 2011. Lowrie will start from Day 1 at shortstop, while Weiland will have a shot at making the rotation.

Houston opens the season April 6 vs. Colorado.

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Tom Brady’s sister engaged to Boston Red Sox’s Kevin Youkilis

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Guillermo J.P

Tom Brady’s family is growing: His sister Julie is marrying another pro athlete, Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, according to the Boston Herald.

The couple, who spent Super Bowl week together with Brady’s family, got engaged “recently” after dating for at least a year, according to sources.

Youkilis and Julie met at a New England Patriots post game party last year right after the New York Jets eliminated the Pats from the playoffs.

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Yankees set to trade A.J. Burnett to Pirates?

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Guillermo J.P

The hot rumor in Major League Baseball today is that the New York Yankees will trade inconsistent right-hander A.J. Burnett to the pitching-needy Pittsburgh Pirates before spring training begins.

The Yankees have learned that can’t count on Burnett, who led the American League in strikeouts back in 2008 with the Toronto Blue Jays and then signed a big free-agent deal with New York after the season. Last season, the 35-year-old went 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA and still has two years and $33 million left on his contract.

Burnett wants to stay with the Yankees but would probably only be their fifth starter behind CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and offseason acquisitions Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda. But reportedly the Yankees have spent the entire offseason trying to move him, and might be even more motivated to complete a trade as spring training nears. The Yanks don’t want to pay the luxury tax, which is even more punitive under the new CBA, and want to clear money so they can re-sign both free agent infielder Eric Chavez and add a left-handed designated hitter such as Raul Ibanez, Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui.

Owner Hal Steinbrenner already has expanded his budget once this offseason to allow the signing of Kuroda. He has yet to say the Yankees can do so again in order to sign even one additional player. New York could plug in either Phil Hughes or Freddy Garcia in Burnett’s rotation spot.

The Pirates need a starter. They made offers to pitchers Roy Oswalt and Edwin Jackson this winter, but both of them spurned the idea of coming to the franchise that hasn’t had a winning season in two decades. Burnett’s contract allows him to block trades to 10 clubs, but the Yankees can send him to the Pirates without restriction. Certainly cost-conscious Pittsburgh would demand the Yankees pay a large portion of Burnett’s contract.

Burnett would join a Pirates rotation that already includes right-handers Charlie Morton and James McDonald and lefty Erik Bedard. That’s actually not terrible in an NL Central Division that has seen the Cardinals lose Albert Pujols and the Brewers lose Prince Fielder. Cincinnati should be solid, but the Astros are terrible and the Cubs are rebuilding, so perhaps Pittsburgh could contend.

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Online sport bets: Nationals could contend with Edwin Jackson

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Guillermo J.P

The top free-agent pitcher left on the market is no longer on the market as right-hander Edwin Jackson has agreed to a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals, which could make the Nats a legitimate online sport bets option to win the NL East.

The Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles also were hard after Jackson. The hard-throwing 28-year-old will be entering his 10th major league season with his seventh new team. Despite a fastball that averaged 94.5 mph in 2011 and a no-hitter on his resume, Jackson has been traded six times, including twice on July 27, 2011 in a three-team trade that brought him from the White Sox to the Cardinals. He finished 2011 with a 12-9 record and 3.79 ERA and was an integral part of the Cardinals’ march toward a championship, which paid off well on online sport bets at WagerWeb.com.

Jackson spurned longer-term offers from teams in the American League to sign with the Nationals. The one-year deal gives him the chance to pitch in the less challenging National League before hitting the free agent market again next winter, he hopes, with a rebuilt value.

Jackson will join the Nationals‘ rotation as the team’s projected fourth starter behind Stephen Strasburg, new acquisition Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann, and he’s long been on the Nationals‘ radar. GM Mike Rizzo was interested in trading for him in 2010 and noted Thursday that he’s personally scouted him in the past. Play on online sports bet now on the Nats’ 2012 futures at WagerWeb.com.

In essence, the Nats now have seven qualified starters with the four mentioned above and Chien- Ming Wang, John Lannan and Ross Detwiler – those three will battle for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Rizzo indicated that acquiring Jackson makes the Nationals no more likely to trade one of their starting pitchers.

While Jackson gives the Nationals an abundance of starters, the team is in position to acquire depth in its rotation. Pitching his first full season since Tommy John surgery, Strasburg will throw no more than about 160 innings. He still is among the Cy Young candidates on online sport bets. Last year, Wang returned from a shoulder operation that sidelined him for more than two years. Zimmermann has never pitched more than 200 innings.

In looking across the league, Rizzo found that six of the eight playoff teams included at least two starters who pitched 200 innings. The Nationals now have insurance should they suffer a spring training injury to their rotation.

The Nationals are still a long shot to win the NL East on online sport bets but certainly could contend for a wild-card spot with their new rotation now likely to be one of the best in the NL.

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Yankees poised to add Raul Ibanez?

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Guillermo J.P

Looking for one more bat to fill out their lineup, the New York Yankees appear to have zeroed in on former Phillie outfielder Raul Ibanez.

The Yankees are seeking a left-handed hitter and other possibilities have included Eric Chavez and ex-Yankees Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon. But Ibanez appears to be their best option for an outfielder because he could occasionally play left field and the Yanks are unsure if Matsui or Damon can. The decision may come down to whether the team wants an extra infielder in Chavez or outfielder in Ibanez.

Ibanez has received interest from several teams and is believed to have received higher offers than the deal being discussed with the Yankees. But Ibanez, who turns 40 in June, apparently would prefer to play for a contender in what could be the final season of his career.

The durable Ibanez had 20 home runs, 32 doubles and 84 RBI in 144 games last season as the Phillies’ regular left fielder. He batted .245 with a .289 on-base percentage and a .419 slugging percentage. He has had at least 30 doubles in 10 straight seasons and at least 20 home runs in six of the last seven years. In a 16-year career that’s seen him have two stints with the Mariners and also play for Kansas City and Philadelphia, Ibanez has 252 home runs.

Ibanez joined the Phillies three seasons ago, just after the team won the 2008 World Series. While he didn’t get a championship ring during his time in the City of Brotherly Love, he did get his first invite to the All-Star Game in 2009.

Look for something to happen soon as the Yankees’ pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Tampa in less than two weeks. Both manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman have expressed a desire to add another bat to the lineup following the trade of catcher/DH Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners in January for pitcher Michael Pineda.

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Edwin Jackson Makes Nationals Contenders, Hurts Pitching Needy Red Sox

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Allen James

The Boston Red Sox appear to have a gaping hole at the back end of their rotation, yet the team hasn’t yet added anyone established who can eat innings behind Josh Beckett, Jon Lester andClay Buchholz. Boston was very interested in free-agent right-handerEdwin Jackson to slot in at No. 4 in the rotation, but apparently not interested enough as Jackson has signed a one-year deal with the Washington Nationals.

Jackson was hoping for a long-term lucrative deal, but it appeared that most teams were only offering a year (as Boston was). The 28-year-old has No. 1 stuff but has pitched for six different teams since 2003, most recently the champion St. Louis Cardinals in the second half of last season. Last year, with the White Sox and Cardinals, Jackson had a 3.79 ERA over 199 2/3 innings, striking out 148 batters and walking 62.

The Nats now appear to have a very strong rotation with Stephen Strasburg, recent trade acquisition Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Jackson and Chien-Ming Wang. Look for Washington to trade one of its excess starters like John Lannan. The Nationals, 28/1 on Bovada’s MLB futures odds to win the World Series, look like a potential wild-card team suddenly if they can hit a little.

Boston, meanwhile, might now have to overpay for Roy Oswalt, who is also being courted by the Cardinals and Texas Rangers. Behind the Big 3, the Red Sox have a handful of candidates. Daisuke Matsuzaka had Tommy John surgery last June and probably won’t be back until after the All-Star Break, although he did throw his first bullpen session this week. That leaves Daniel Bard andAlfredo Aceves trying to make the transition from relievers to starters, reclamation projects Vicente Padilla, Aaron Cook and Carlos Silva and holdovers Felix Doubront and Andrew Miller.

That staff doesn’t exactly matchup with the stellar Tampa Bay Rays rotation or the newly fortified starting five of the Yankees, who added Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda. Boston is 11/1 on Bovada’s MLB futures odds to win the 2012 World Series.

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MLB Baseball Betting: Prince Fielder decision imminent?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Jennifer P. G.

With pitchers and catchers set to report to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona in just a month, the time is now for free agent slugger Prince Fielder to make a decision on his future. And it appears that decision will come down to one of four teams: The Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Nationals would become a playoff-caliber team by acquiring Fielder after trading for A’s pitcher Gio Gonzalez this offseason. However, Washington may not “need” Fielder. The Nats can get by without Fielder, playing Adam LaRoche at first for one more season, then acquiring a center fielder and moving left fielder Michael Morse to first in 2013.

Some members of the Nats’ ownership actually would prefer such a plan, sources say; the team committed $126 million to free-agent outfielder Jayson Werth last offseason and soon might award another major contract to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

The Nationals have courted Fielder for months and have had ongoing negotiations, but have waited patiently for the bidding process to unfold.

The Orioles have a huge need for a big bat but, like their local rival, have seemed to downplay their interest. But their biggest issue may be luring Fielder with little immediate prospect of winning.

The Rangers, a team that came out of the woodwork to sign Adrian Beltre last winter, have suggested that they are “unlikely” to sign Fielder based mostly on requests for a deal of eight to 10 years. They are clearly still involved after signing Yu Darvish. Though they don’t seem likely to be the high bidder, they remain hopeful that a chance to be part of one of the game’s great lineups will enhance their chances.

The Rangers were attempting to sign Fielder to a deal for less years than agent Scott Boras was seeking. Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said recently that Fielder was seeking a deal for eight or 10 years.

The Dodgers could use a public relations boost that signing Fielder would provide. But they have a good first baseman in James Loney – although he could move to the outfielder. But the biggest hang up is that the Dodgers are in the process of being sold, so it’s hard to imagine the team shelling out nearly $200 million on a player with such uncertainty in ownership.

Fielder, 27, who has spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers, has averaged 37 homers and 106 RBI over a full 162-game season. He hit 38 homers with 120 RBI last season, and finished third in the NL MVP voting.

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Decision on Ryan Braun’s appeal expected soon

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Guillermo J.P

In a decision that could affect the Milwaukee Brewers’ chances of repeating as National League Central champions, reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun has officially had his appeal heard of his 50-game suspension for testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone.

The appeal on Thursday came just two days before Braun will accept his MVP award at the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s dinner Saturday night. Some have called for Braun to give the award back, but the BWAA says it won’t take it back. But his acceptance speech certainly should be interesting.

A decision by the panel, which includes MLB Players Association executive director Michael Weiner, MLB executive vice president for labor relations Rob Manfred and independent arbitrator Shyam Das, is not expected to come before Braun accepts his award.

When the positive drug test was first reported last month, Braun had a spokesman issue a statement saying there were circumstances supporting “Ryan’s complete innocence.” Under the joint drug agreement between baseball teams and the players’ association, Braun will have to prove “the presence of a prohibited substance in his urine was not due to his fault or negligence.”

Braun and his representatives have strongly denied that he took a performance-enhancing drug and were expected to challenge the “insanely high” levels of his test on several fronts. Those challenges could include the veracity of the test itself, chain of custody issues or an inadvertent ingestion of a substance or drug on the banned list. The MLB drug policy rules prohibit players from taking any banned drugs or substances, even if accidentally. According to a source, Braun tested “insanely high, the highest ever for anyone who has ever taken a test, twice the level of the highest test ever taken.”

As Braun tries to avoid a 50-game suspension, the burden is a heavy one to overcome. A baseball arbitrator has never ordered a suspension overturned following a grievance hearing.

The 28-year-old, who was the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year, hit .312 with 33 homers and 111 RBIs last season and led Milwaukee to the NL Championship Series, where the Brewers lost to the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

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Arrest, false identity could end Fausto Carmona’s Indians career

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Guillermo J.P

Crazy story this week out of the Dominican Republic where Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona, a former All-Star, really isn’t Fausto Carmona. And now he might not be an Indian any longer.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic arrested Carmona and accused him of using a false identity to try to obtain a U.S. visa, a police spokesman said. Colonel Maximo Aybar Baez, a spokesman for the Dominican police, said on his Twitter account that Carmona, whose actual name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia, was arrested after leaving the U.S. Consulate in the Dominican Republic on Thursday.

Authorities said Heredia is 31 years old and not 28, as he has claimed. The Indians list Carmona’s birthday as Dec. 7, 1983, in their 2011 media guide. The pitcher was trying to renew his visa so he could attend spring training in Goodyear, Ariz., next month.

There is still a lot that the Indians don’t know about this case, including whether Carmona will pitch for them in 2012, or ever again. From the Indians’ perspective, the best course of action is probably to assume that Carmona won’t pitch this year. Whether he’s innocent or guilty, he is now stuck in a legal web that may take months or years to untangle.

Carmona showed a devastating sinker in 2007, helping the Indians come within one game of advancing to the World Series, but he has had extraordinary difficulty consistently harnessing that pitch since then; he’s been completely unpredictable from start to start, suddenly and inexplicably losing command. On May 8 of last year, Carmona had a 3.83 ERA, and over the last three-quarters of the season, he posted a 5.71 ERA. He had a 2.53 ERA in July, and a 7.26 ERA in September.

The good news is that unlike in 2008 or 2009, the Indians aren’t counting on Carmona to be a front-of-the-rotation guy; they’ve got two other guys who could qualify as aces in Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson. Plus the Tribe acquired innings eater Derek Lowe this offseason.

It’s the second such incident involving a major leaguer in the last few months: in December, Miami Marlins pitcher Leo Nunez admitted that he’d falsified his identity at a young age so that he could up his odds to play pro baseball. That didn’t change the Marlins’ feelings – they still offered him a lucrative new contract, one that’s contingent upon his release from the D.R.

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