Joshua Kuroda-Grauer

MLB

Blue Jays’ Blockbuster Trade Complete; New Manager Inked

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: November 20, 2012

The Toronto Blue Jays’ offseason makeover is becoming more drastic by the day. With a news conference scheduled to introduce a handful of new players picked up in a blockbuster trade with Miami set for Tuesday, the Jays threw another curveball by announcing the signing of their new manager. Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos reintroduced...

MLB

Mets End Relationship with Outfielder Jason Bay

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: November 7, 2012

The Jason Bay era with the New York Mets is officially over. On Wednesday, the club announced they had come to an agreement to terminate the Canadian outfielder’s contract two years early. Terms of the buyout were not disclosed publicly. Bay was due to be paid $16 million in 2013, and the Mets were also...

MLB

Marlins Fire Controversial Manager Ozzie Guillen

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: October 23, 2012

Perhaps the most predictable dismissal of a manager in the American League happened two weeks ago when the Boston Red Sox got rid of Bobby Valentine. Now the most anticipated firing of a National League manager has occurred as the Miami Marlins gave Ozzie Guillen his walking papers on Tuesday, one year into a four-year,...

MLB

Farrell’s Move to BoSox Leaves Jays in Limbo

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: October 22, 2012

When rumours began surfacing that John Farrell was looking to pack his bags and leave the Toronto Blue Jays to manage the Boston Red Sox, Jays fans immediately wondered what they’d get in return.  As it turn out, not much. In exchange for Farrell, the Red Sox will send utility infielder Mike Aviles to Toronto....

MLB

Sealed With A Kiss: Tiger Pitcher’s Smooch Inflames A’s

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: October 7, 2012

Sometimes the most innocuous gesture can cause an uproar; what doesn’t seem like a big deal to some can mean a lot to others. For instance, take what Al Alburquerque did on Sunday. Alburquerque, a reliever for the Detroit Tigers, made a play on what became an out in the top of the ninth inning...

MLB

Boston Red Sox Dismiss Manager Bobby Valentine

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: October 4, 2012

Everybody knew it was coming from far away. Frankly, it was easy to see early on in the season that Bobby Valentine wasn’t going to last as the manager of the Boston Red Sox. On Thursday, it became official: the club issued a press release firing… oops, “thanking” Valentine for his work as the bench...

MLB

American League Playoff Race Hots Up

• Charlie Boccanegra

• Last Updated: September 19, 2012

With the days to the post-season counting down Charlie Boccanegra looks at the playoff picture in the American League. Peeping Toms From the outside looking in, the Angels and Rays division championship hopes are fading faster than my hairline with the passage of time. The Rays are plummeting fast, posting a 2-8 record over the...

MLB

Stroman Becomes the Latest Issue in Blue Jays’ Lost Season

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: August 30, 2012

The 2012 season started with much hope for the Toronto Blue Jays. That hope has faded amid a blur of injuries, poor play and now Marcus Stroman. He is a right-handed pitcher from Duke University, and was Toronto’s first-round draft pick (22nd overall) in the 2012 MLB draft. The fireballing 21-year-old notched a victory, compiled...

MLB

Phony Website Adds Twist to Suspension of Giants’ Cabrera

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: August 19, 2012

It’s not unusual these days to hear about baseball players being barred from the game for a set amount of time (first offense, 50 days; second offense, 100 days) after getting caught with substances in their bodies that are not allowed. However, it appears Melky Cabrera might have taken an unusual step to try to...

MLB

For Some Fans, the Expos Have Never Been Out of Fashion

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: August 16, 2012

Whether it’s Big Boi from OutKast sporting a red one or a regular person wearing their “tricouleur” on the street, chances are at some point in the last few years you’ve seen the famous “M” logo on someone’s head, on a discreet lapel pin or even emblazoned on a baseball-style jacket. Fans of retro baseball...

MLB

Blue Jays Deal Snider and Thames Before Trade Deadline

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: July 30, 2012

They pulled off a 10-player trade last week with the Houston Astros, but apparently Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos hadn’t finished working the phones. On Monday night, the Jays sent outfielder and fan favourite Travis Snider to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitcher Brad Lincoln, then dealt outfielder Eric Thames to the Seattle...

MLB

Blue Jays Pull Off 10-Player Trade with Houston Astros

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: July 20, 2012

With their needs on the mound having reached the desperation point, the Toronto Blue Jays announced a deal with the Houston Astros on Friday which sees three pitchers — lefthanded starter J.A. Happ and relievers Brandon Lyon and David Carpenter heading north. In return, the Jays have sent reliever Francisco Cordero and outfielder Ben Francisco,...

MLB

2012 All-Star Bautista Wants Blue Jays to Add Help

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: July 9, 2012

While Detroit Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder outslugged him in the final round for the 2012 Home Run Derby title, Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista doesn’t want to see the same fate befall his team in its run to the playoffs. In the Monday night event at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Bautista...

MLB

MLB: Toronto Blue Jays Cut Vladimir Guerrero Loose

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: June 12, 2012

He got his start in Montreal with the Expos and became a star there, and a fan favorite. Then he swung his bat with Anaheim, then the L.A. Angels, also with Texas and Baltimore during the next 16 years. Now Vladimir Guerrero is a free agent, having been released by the Toronto Blue Jays after...

MLB

MLB: Blue Jays Demote Slumping Adam Lind to Triple-A

• Dale Perth

• Last Updated: May 17, 2012

It was a move the Toronto Blue Jays needed to make: after a poor start to the season, first baseman/DH Adam Lind has been relegated to Triple-A Las Vegas. Lind has been with the Blue Jays since 2006 and hit the heights with a Silver Slugger award after hitting .305 with 35 home runs and...

MLB

MLB: Diamondbacks Host Giants to Start 2012 Season

• Joe LaTengo

• Last Updated: April 6, 2012

It’s fitting that two of the teams who are most likely to contend for the National League West title should start their respective 2012 seasons facing each other right off the bat. The San Francisco Giants, World Series champions in 2010, meet the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won it all in 2001. As mentioned in my...

MLB

MLB: Opening Day Starts With Red Sox at Tigers

• Joe LaTengo

• Last Updated: April 4, 2012

Three games which count in the standings have already been played in the 2012 Major League Baseball season: the two-game set between the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s at Japan’s Tokyo Dome last week, and Wednesday night’s tilt between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. Yet Thursday is considered Opening Day, supposedly because all...

MLB

N.L. West Preview: Giants Seek To Boost Run Total

• Joe LaTengo

• Last Updated: March 30, 2012

One year after winning the World Series, the San Francisco Giants scored the fewest runs in the National League. They had to go most of the 2011 season without one of their most important offensive and defensive weapons, catcher Buster Posey, after a gruesome home-plate collision in May. Posey is fully recovered, and the team...

MLB

N.L. West Preview: Ominous Start For Lowly Padres

• Joe LaTengo

• Last Updated: March 29, 2012

Former Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes has made his mark since joining the San Diego Padres as their wheeler-dealer. Despite a winning record in spring games, however, the Friars are already hobbled by an injury to one of their major acqusitions, which doesn’t bode well for them going forward. The Action: Byrnes traded two minor-leaguers...

MLB

N.L. West Preview: New Owner For Same Old Dodgers

• Joe LaTengo

• Last Updated: March 28, 2012

When Frank McCourt bought a controlling interest in the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004, he couldn’t have speculated what turmoil would eventually accompany that purchase. Now a group headed by NBA legend Magic Johnson has agreed to buy the team from McCourt for a record $2 billion. What they’re getting is a club with one...