I don’t mean to rant, but lately a lot of things on the MLB diamond have gotten under my skin. Usually I’m mild-mannered and easy going, but this time, I have to pull out the Richard Nixon Mask and go shake a can of spray paint in front of the fools who raised my blood pressure.
Joe Torre
I don’t know if you had heard, but he doesn’t know how to run a bullpen. Baseball Prospectus’ Christina Kahrl can attest, as can Steven Goldman. Torre did a horrendous job organizing his bullpen for the 2003 World Series, and he typically leans on and eventually savagely murders his most trusted relievers. The great closer Mariano Rivera has been a lucky survivor, but many others have fallen beneath the Blade of Joe.
Greetings, fellow Mafia members! Hang onto your seats, because Leagues 8 and 13 have both been VERY busy!! They’ve tossed me nine … count ‘em, nine … deals to dissect! They’re putting us all to shame! It’s going to take me a while to chew through all of this, so let’s get started in this edition of An Offer They Couldn’t Refuse by taking a close look at some of what’s going down in League 13.
The Treatment Room
Athletics place RHP Kiko Calero on the DL
The A’s placed Kiko Calero on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 17, with an inflamed right shoulder .Calero will be eligible to return on July 2 and might be ready then. If not, then he’ll probably be held out of action until after the break.
Cubs placed RHP Ryan Dempster on the DL
Cubs placed RHP Ryan Dempster on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 23, with
a strained left oblique. Dempster won’t be back until after the All-Star break. Bob Howry will serve as the closer while Dempster is out. Carlos Marmol and Mike Wuertz may also see some save opportunities.