Various Baseball Tidbits

So in my travels in Cyberspace, I've come across a few interesting baseball news tidbits that I'd like to share. So here goes.

1. Austin Jackson will be starting for the Detroit Tigers
Jim Leyland announced that rookie Austin Jackson will be starting in CF for the Tigers in the season opener against AL Cy Young award winner Zack Grienke and the Kansas City Royals. Having gotten Jackson in the deal that sent former Tigers CF Curtis Granderson to the New York Yankees, Jackson gets the chance to show his 5-tools with the Tigers. Hope the young man does well in the Motor City.

- To see the article on Austin Jackson from the Detroit Free Press website, click here

2. The Giants sign Matt Cain, Brian Wilson and Jeremy Affeldt to extensions
In news that will make my friend Justin happy, the Giants opened the bank and signed Matt Cain to a three-year, $27.25 million contract, Brian Wilson to a two-year, $15 million extension and Brian Affeldt who was due to earn $4 million in 2010 in the final year of his contract, he will get $4.5 million this year and next with a $5 million club option for 2012 and a $500,000 buyout. This impressive to see from a franchise who has been criticized (especially by me) for not being very active in the big name free agent market. Though I still say they need a big bat in the lineup to protect Pablo Sandoval, locking up their young pitching (Lincecum signed a two-year $23-million dollar deal in the offseason) is a sound move. Maybe the Giants aren't really that trigger shy after the signing busts of Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand.

- To read the article from the San Francisco Chronicle, click here

3. Milton Bradley gone from Chicago but not forgotten
So as MLB's version of Kanye West (Milton Bradley) is announced to be the Seattle Mariners cleanup hitter this season, the Cubs (and their fans who yell Milton Bradley sucks in Spring Training games against the Mariners even when he's not playing) are still trying to shake the stigma of the brief Milton Bradley era along the Northside of the Windy City.

- To read the article on Bradley's becoming the cleanup hitter for Seattle from the Silicon Valley Mercury News webpage, click here
- To read the Chicago Sun-Times article on the continued effect Bradley has on the Cubbies, click here
- To read the USA Today article where Bradley refers to himself as MLB's Kanye West, click here

4. The All-Time Dodgers Pitching Rotation
Johnathan Stillwell describes in his Bleacher Report for the Los Angeles Times what his all time Dodgers pitching rotation would be. He separates the pitching by the Brooklyn era (Early), the Los Angeles era (Modern) and then both combined. The results are truly amazing. Especially since the Dodgers only won one title in their time in Brooklyn.

- To read the article and see the results of the All-Time Dodgers rotation, click here

5. The Phillies window for becoming a dynasty is closing
Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post writes that he believes that the Phillies chance to become a baseball dynasty is closing. As he states in his article:

The core is no longer so young, the future is no longer boundless and the window that keeps The End at bay is closing fast.

He makes an interesting point especially when stating that the contracts of star players are almost finished. Jayson Werth's contract ends after this season. Rollins, Howard, Lidge, Hamels and left fielder Raúl Ibáñez all come up after 2011. So do the Phils go the route of the Yankees and spend some cash, or do they trade those guys for draft picks before their deals end. Only time will tell.

- To read the Sheinin article from the Washington Post website, click here

FH