Breaking News: Edwin Jackson Traded To White Sox (UPDATE)

Edwin Jackson has been traded to the the Chicago White Sox. So far there is no word on exactly what the Diamondbacks are getting in return, but most rumors suggest it will be a minor league pitcher.

This is a great move by the White Sox. In my eyes this will give Chicago the division. What is going to be interesting is that theri have been rumors that the White Sox might now turn around and traded Jackson to the Nationals for Adam Dunn.

If they do keep Jackson he should help this rotation deal with the loss of Peavy. Him along with the strong 2nd half push from Danks and Floyd the White Sox are in very good shape. I also like that they brought in a guy who had a good amount of success vs. the AL Central.


***UPDATE***

The Diamondbacks got Daniel Hudson and pitching prospect David Holmberg. I have to say that this makes me like this deal a little less. I am kind of a believer in Hudson.

MLB Trade News

After months of rumors and speculation, the Marlins finally traded Jorge Cantu. They sent him to the Rangers for AA righties Evan Reed and Omar Poveda in a deal that became official this evening. The Marlins will pay $600K of the $2.2MM remaining on Cantu's salary. MLB Trade Rumors

I like this move for the Rangers whom are desperately seeking offense especially now that Ian Kinsler just hit the DL. Jorge Cantu is still reasonably young at 28 and is a solid offensive contributor (10 HR, .259 BA, 54 RBI) and can play almost every infield position. He has a lot more bats to protect him in Texas and should be a decent player. Plus my boy Scott finally gets a crack at his boy in our prestigious AL only fantasy baseball league.

Twins stabilized their bullpen by acquiring Matt Capps and $500K from the Nationals for left-hander Joe Testa and highly touted catching prospect Wilson Ramos.

Capps is a very unknown reliever due to him playing in Pittsburgh and Washington, however, he's extremely effective and is a hell of a player (3-3, 25 SV (4th), 2.80 ERA, 37 SO). John Raucsh just wasn't doing the job and is more fit for a set up man, so this should really help the twins in their final playoff push. I think they gave up a little much for a reliever. Ramos is a hell f a prospect, but obviously blocked due to Mauer. But you can't blame the Twins for going for it.

The Padres and Orioles agreed to a deal that will send Miguel Tejada and cash to San Diego for minor league pitcher Wynn Pelzer. MLBtraderumors

The Padres are silently putting together a good year, and needed another bat in thier line up so getting a cheap rent a bat in Tejada isn't a bad pick up or long term investment. So far this year Tejada is hitting .260s, but going from hitting in the Orioles line up to hitting in front of Adrian Gonzalez should be beneficial.

Wynn Pelzer is seventh among all Padres prospects before the season. The 24-year-old is a power pitcher whose fastball sits in the mid-90s. As a starter, he has a 4.20 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in AA this year, but BA said he could become a closer in time.

Bruins Trade Sobotka To Blues

The Bruins have traded Vladimir Sobotka to St. Louis for Boston University's David Warsofsky. Sobotka is a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level deal. Warsofsky is a puck-moving defenseman who won the national title with BU in 2009. Warsofsky was also a member of the US team that struck gold in the World Junior Tournament in 2010.

Solid move by the Bruins here. I guess if they wanted to they could keep Savard/Krejci/Bergeron and put Tyler Seguin on the 4th line, but the Bruins are going to want to give him more playing time then that, and rumors stated that they are still looking to deal Savard. The Bruins still have some salary cap problems, but it is being reported that Tim Thomas has waived his no trade clause, and the Flyers are rumored to have interest.

If any more news comes out we'll let you know.

Lions, Broncos, and Eagles Pull Off 3 Team Deal

The Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles closed on a three-way trade, sending TE Tony Scheffler and the Broncos' seventh-rounder to Detroit, LB Ernie Sims to Philly and the Eagles' fifth-rounder (No. 137 overall) to Denver. Might not seems like a big trade, but this deal does tell us a couple things.

To start I really like this deal for the Lions. Scheffler has great hands, and it could be a nice target for the young Lions QB (Stafford). It also means that Brandon Pettigrew is a huge fucking bust. The Lions took him early in the 2nd round last year, and this kid has already lost his job. Hopefully his knee is now healthy, and maybe this can buy some time to get his career back on track.

The Broncos pick up another draft pick, but this deal leaves them with former Patriots Daniel Graham has their starting tight end. He is ok, but he really isn't much of a pass catcher, so you have to wonder if the Broncos will not be in the market for a TE in their the draft or on the free agency.

The Eagles pick a LB, which they need, because their depth there is just terrible. This kid won't turn this around there, but he is young, and could fit nicely into the Eagles defense.

Overall, I like this deal for the Lions, and the Broncos are rebuilding so picks are important, but I can't really say i would be thrilled about this deal if I was an Eagles' fan.

Broncos Trade For Brady Quinn

The Broncos acquired Brady Quinn from the Cleveland Browns for fullback Peyton Hillis, a 2011 sixth-round draft pick and a conditional pick in 2012. I really don't know what to think of this trade. Obviously the Browns have no faith in Quinn, but I still feel like they could've got more for him. That being said, he hasn't done anything to make me a believer that he can turn it around (yet he hasn't really been surrounded by much). It will be interesting to see if Orton holds on to his job. My guess is that he does, at least to start the season.

I'm interested to see how Quinn plays when he has a guy like Marshall as a WR (if he is still on the team), but so far in his career Quinn hasn't shown he can complete the deep ball.

So, overall I think the Browns could have gotten more, but at the same time I am not sold that Quinn is going to be anything more then a backup.

Antonio Cromartie To The Jets

League sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter the Jets will give the Chargers a 2011 third-round draft pick that could turn into a second-round pick. Cromartie has one year left on his contract and there are no plans for his deal to be redone now.

To be honest, I don't think this is that big of a deal. People are still remembering 2007 when they think of Antonio Cormartie, and not now. He had a disappointing year last year, and when you are playing opposite of Darrelle Revis, you are going to have more balls thrown your way, thus getting exposed more.(like what happened in Denver and what happened to Dre Bly when he was opposite of Champ Bailey) If Cromartie has a good year, and acts like it's 2007, the Jets will be stupid. Already a top defense will get that much better, and take less pressure off the dreamy Mark Sanchez.

Bruins Make Another Trade

The Bruins have acquired defenseman Dennis Seidenberg from Florida. Byron Bitz, who is not on the ice for practice, is said to be involved in this deal. I am actually going to miss Bitz. I am not going to sit here and tell you I know a lot about Dennis Seidenberg, but here what Boston.com is saying...

"Seidenberg has two goals and 21 assists in 62 games this season, averaging 22:54 of ice time per appearance. Seidenberg is a left-handed shot. Seidenberg is earning $2.25 million this season and will be an unrestricted free agent at year's end."

The Bruins still need to add a goal scorer, preferably a winger. To do that they are most likely going to have to move some salary. There have been rumors all over the place from Ryder to Tim Thomas being dealt. I guess we will have to wait to see, but after that last game it was obvious Boston has to shake up this team.

Breaking News: Bruins Trade Morris To Phoenix

Bruins' Derek Morris has been traded to Phoenix for a 2011 fourth-round pick. Morris waived his no trade clause to go back to Phoenix where he owns a home. At first glance this is a terrible trade. Morris is a solid player, and even though I don't like him, he is better then anything you are going to get in the 4th round.

Saying that, this move was made to clear cap space for another deal. Hopefully it is for some fucking offense, because I really can't stand these 1 goal games anymore. The Bruins are going to need to pick up some kind of defenseman too to fill the whole Morris is leaving.

Devils Land Ilya Kovalchuk

The New Jersey Devils have finally ended the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. They traded for the star forward yesterday in a package that included rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, defenseman Johnny Oduya, prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick in this year's draft. There are basically 2 ways to look at this...

Short term: The Devils might have a team that could win the Cup now. Kovalchuk gives them exactly what they are missing, a star goal scorer that has the ability to carry a team offensively. When you add a player like this to a team that has a goalie like Martin Brodeur, you are going to be a very dangerous team.

Long term: This is really up in the air. If the Devils can find a way to sign Kovalchuk long term then this is a great deal, but that is going to be really hard to get done, since he has turned down many offers from the Thrashers. If this becomes just a rental the Devils better win the Cup, or they might have really hurt their team for future seasons.

I fucking can't stand the fact the Devils got him. I hate New Jersey, they single handily ruined hockey for about 8 year with their stupid "trap defense". The Devils are basically the reason for a lot of the rule changes (like no 2 line pass rule), because the NHL had to find a way to break the trap. Honestly, if you can remember that style of play it was like watching paint dry.

Fuck the Devils, fuck New Jersey, I hate them more then the Canadiens...

Toronto Trades Could Really Hurt Bruins

Toronto made 2 trades this weekend. The deal is the Maple Leafs get Jean-Sebastien Giguere from the Anaheim Ducks for Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala. Then they turned around and got Dion Phaneuf from the slumping Calgary Flames. So, why is this terrible news for the Bruins?

Well, if you can remember when the Bruins traded Kessel to Toronto this got 2 first round pick, one of which was thought to be a top 3 pick, but with these deals the Leafs could very well climb the rankings, which will lower the Bruins pick in the draft. The question is what are the Bruins going to do about it?

Does this make the pick expendable? Because before the Bruins had stated that they were unwilling to trade that pick, but if it is not a top 3 pick, why not go out and deal it if you can make your team better?

These trades really could change the Bruins look at their team. Instead of sitting back and waiting for the draft maybe they will trade this pick. Just something to keep an eye on in the next couple weeks, because how the Maple Leafs play from here on out will directly affect the Bruins.

Cubs Trade Bradley For Silva

"After numerous attempts to move outfielder Milton Bradley, the Chicago Cubs have found a taker. That taker is the Seattle Mariners, who, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, will be sending right-hander Carlos Silva to the Cubs in return for the much-maligned outfielder. The key to deals like this often ends up being money. Bradley is owed $21 million over the next two seasons while Silva is owed $25 million over the same span. Bradley could see time at DH for the Mariners, but could also play left field, particularly against left-handed pitching (ESPN)."

We all know Bradley is a shithead, but I still hate this deal. Silva might be the worst starting pitcher in the majors. I usually say anyone who goes to the NL, but not Silva...he really is that bad. Bradley could help out Seattle, who desperately need some runs producers, and have already had a hell of an offseason (getting Lee, and Figgins). Seattle looks like it will be the team to beat in the AL West.

Latest On Roy Halladay Trade

The deal is not done, and it looks like there are some problems still lingering...

"The three/four-way trade involving Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee is not yet official; here's our post yesterday for a refresher. The latest bit of news kicking off today's post: Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun tweets that he heard someone involved in the trade flunked their physical (one of the minor leaguers). Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press says Phillippe Aumont passed. There appears to be six other prospects involved in the deal, if you include the Michael Taylor-Brett Wallace component. Drabek had Tommy John surgery in July of '07, while Aumont had elbow issues toward the end of the '08 season.

A recap of the expected deal:

The Phillies get Roy Halladay, Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, Juan Ramirez, and $6MM. The Phillies will give Halladay a three-year extension plus vesting options.
The Mariners get Cliff Lee.
The Blue Jays get Kyle Drabek, Brett Wallace, and Travis d'Arnaud.
The A's get Michael Taylor (MLBTradeRumors)"

This will not kill the deal, but I don't expect this deal to be done until Friday. It will be interesting to see who flunked the physical, and who will take the place of the minor leaguer.

Millwood To Orioles Deal Done

"The Baltimore Orioles on Thursday selected two minor league players in the Rule 5 Draft, then swapped one of the players to the Texas Rangers to complete Wednesday's trade for pitcher Kevin Millwood. The Orioles selected left-handed pitcher Ben Snyder from the San Francisco Giants and then traded him to Texas (wbaltv)."

I like this move by the Orioles. They are a team that has a ton of young talent, and it is always a good idea to add veterans around them to show them the ropes or whatever. Millwood is a solid pitcher, I don't think of him as an ace, but he can play that #1 role until guys like Tillman are ready to step up.

Man the Rangers have been busy today.

A Little Bit More Granderson Trade Analysis

Yes the Yankees acquired a very good center fielder in Curtis Granderson and yes, the Diamondbacks got 2 pitchers in the likes of Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson, but I really like what the Tigers got out of this. I don't really know how well he did last year, but Max Scherzer was a phenom prospect a couple years ago and I'm going to take a serious look at him in my AL only league. Also left-handers Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth will be great bullpen guys and outfield prospect Austin Jackson could turn into the next Curtis Granderson. I think the Tigers got the best of this deal hands down.

BREAKING NEWS: Yankees About To Land Curtis Granderson

Great there goes another one of my favorite players...

"The New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers are on the verge of the first major trade of baseball's winter meetings, a deal that would send Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson to New York, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. In the trade, the Diamondbacks would obtain Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, while the Tigers will pick up Max Scherzer, Phil Coke and outfield prospect Austin Jackson.

The deal would give the Yankees a starting center fielder. Starting outfielder Johnny Damon and designated hitter Hideki Matsui are both free agents. In return, the Tigers would get a hard thrower in Scherzer and a well-regarded prospect in Austin Jackson, while the Diamondbacks get a pair of starting pitchers in Edwin Jackson and Kennedy (ESPN)."

Obviously a nice trade for the Yankees. Though I do have my questions about Granderson. He is injury prone, and sometimes his speed disapears for long peroids of time, plus his batting average leaves a lot of be desired. Still, it gives them a very athletic outfielder, who could explode in this kind of lineup (not to mention his HRs should go up in the wiffle ball park known as Yankee Stadium).

Austin Jackson could be something special, but this just goes to show you that the Tigers are going to dump payroll. Hopefully this means the Sox have a decent shot at landing Cabrera.

To me the Diamondbacks came out the best in this trade. I know DP thinks I overrate Edwin Jackson, but put him in the NL and he could be great.

Mark Teahen To White Sox

"According to various reports, the Royals have agreed to trade outfielder/third baseman Mark Teahen to the White Sox for second baseman Chris Getz and third baseman Josh D. Fields (Sportsline)."

I like this deal for both teams. Fields was supposed to be the next great thing, but he didn't do shit last year, maybe a change of scenery will help them out. For the White Sox they get rid of two guys they really don't need, and I think Teahen can be a 25-30 HR guy in the White Sox ballpark. I know it might be a little bit of a bold statement, but this guy could be a fantasy sleeper next season (especially in AL only leagues).

Red Sox Trade For Jeremy Hermida

According to WEEI the Sox have traded Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez for Jeremy Hermida. Hermida had a .259/.348/.392 season for the Marlins. He has lefty power and seems likely to be the fourth outfielder, so basically he is taking over for Rocco Baldelli. Hermida is only 25 years old and at time has shown some power potential. I like this deal, as I think he will be much better then Rocco and it gives the Sox a safety net in case a deal is not worked out for Bay (even though that would be a weak left fielder for a team like the Sox ). Hermida should get decent playing time since Drew is always hurt, and the Sox like to give guys like Lowell and Ortiz lots of time off.

Eagles Acquire LB Witherspoon At Deadline

The Philadelphia Eagles have acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon from the St. Louis Rams for rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick in 2010. The Eagles made the trade to get Witherspoon, an eight-year veteran who spent his first four seasons with Carolina. He was the Rams' starter at the weakside spot and had 36 tackles and one forced fumble this season.

"He's a three-down linebacker, and he can play both the MIKE position and the WIL linebacker position," Eagles coach Andy Reid said of Witherspoon, who will play the middle. "He's very good at both of them. He's a good cover linebacker. He has the flexibility to cover tight ends and running backs and that type of thing, which is a plus (Sportsline)."

Nice move by the Eagles who have had to deal with injuries at the LB position. Witherspoon is a solid player, and you can count on him to stay on the field as he has only missing 2 games in his 8 year career. Even with the Eagles falling to the lowly Raiders last week I still think they are a top 5 team in the NFC...

Braylon Edwards To Jets

The Cleveland Browns traded Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets on Wednesday morning according to a league source, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported. ESPN

Well this what happens when you mess around with LeBron, you get shipped out of town. I don't know what the Jets had to give up in order to get Braylon, but this is a good move by both sides. Braylon obviously needed a change from Cleveland and at least they will get something back for the disgruntled Edwards. Who knows if the change of scenery will help Braylon drop less passes but I do believe he still can be a great WR in the league. Plus he has incredibly good looking Mark Sanchez throwing him the ball now.

****Update****
The Jets have reached an agreement to acquire Braylon Edwards from the Browns for Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik and draft choices, the Jets' official website reports

Dolphins Trade For QB Tyler Thigpen

"The Miami Dolphins made it official: Chad Pennington is out for the season. Pennington was placed on the reserve-injured list to create a roster spot for quarterback Tyler Thigpen, acquired Tuesday from the Kansas City Chiefs for an undisclosed draft pick. Pennington likely face a third operation on his right shoulder since 2005. He was hurt in a loss Sunday at San Diego that left Miami at 0-3. Thigpen shores up depth behind second-year pro Chad Henne, who is expected to make his first NFL start Sunday against Buffalo. Rookie Pat White is the Dolphins' other quarterback. Thigpen, a third-year pro, started 11 games for the woeful Chiefs last year and threw for 2,608 yards with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions (Sportsline)."

Great move by the Dolphins. Most likely they are only giving up a 6th or 7th round draft pick. Let me tell you this kid Thigpen is the real deal. He is better then Pennington and Henne. It will obviously take a couple weeks to get him up to speed, but I would not be surprised in the least if this guy is the starting QB by the end of the season and maybe even going into next season.