Kuzul

It's no mystery Father Time is nipping at the heels of the Yankees and all indications is next season's team will just look every bit of a team in the twilight of their prime. With the Derek Jeter soap opera sure to end with him re-signing and Cliff Lee likely to end up in pinstripes, veteran talent will continue to hold down a lion's share of the 25-man roster. What about getting creative and getting young? Sure these moves surely reside outside the Tampa and Bronx brain-trusts’ agenda, but lets think outside the box?    Trade for Justin Upton. This is the hot name on the trade market and any deal will require overpaying by whomever finally acquires the talented 23-year-old. Upton would certainly call for a package that could include a few prospects from the Austin Romine, Manny Banuelos, Ivan Nova, Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances, Slate Heathcott and Gary Sanchez pool.  The Yankees could offer up ...

The non-waiver trade deadline has passed and the Washington Nationals have continued to accumulate critical pieces to their future championship puzzle. There was no purge of all veteran players for prospects, but there were deft moves to acquire highly thought of prospects, including Wilson Ramos, and create major league openings for young talent already in their system. Ramos, 22, was the top catching prospect in the Twins organization and only cost them an overachieving Matt Capps. Ramos helps the Nationals solidify the catching position and could arrive in Washington during September call-ups. Although the Nationals already have Ivan Rodriguez mentoring their young staff and Derek Norris developing at minor league level, Ramos sheds some light into what Rizzo wants in his backstop. It would make great sense for Ramos to spend the next year or so picking Pudge Rodriguez’s brain about the art of catching. For all the things said about Pudge, Rizzo should be ...

The Milwaukee Brewers find themselves at a pivotal crossroads as a franchise. Unlike most mid-market franchises, the Brewers woes aren't the surefire sign of a fire sale and lengthy rebuilding process. Although there are structural issues with this team that point to bolstering their talent pool by trading some major league talent to this year's contenders.  However, some selling could mean being a strong contender next season. The hot rumor, of course, has Prince Fielder available and several teams in hot pursuit of his services. The power hitting Fielder is viewed by many as a middle of the order cornerstone. A view shared by super agent, and mid-market nemesis, Scott Boras. With his outlandish demands and thirst for the biggest deal, Boras is almost certain to steer Fielder to a bigger market and more lucrative contract than the Brewers could offer. It appears Fielder's greater value to the Brewers is the bounty of major league ready ...

For the third time in less than a year, Cliff Lee has a new home. This time, he has joined the Texas Rangers. Lee, 31, was brought in to help strengthen a relatively inexperienced rotation as the Rangers look to make a deep run in the playoffs. Much like the past deals Lee has been involved in, the team parting ways with the star pitcher has looked for a huge haul of prospects in return. The Indians', Phillies', and Mariners' prospects arrived with the glimmer of a brighter future, as each team will expect to find their value in the years to come. This value is based upon scouting reports and potential. The potential here is the potential to become a dominant ace, a slugging monster, a slick fielder, or a great signal caller is the hook used by the teams who desire Lee's services. Thus, this renews the argument of potential vs. proven commodity. The ...

The nation has laid witness to the dominance of Stephen Strasburg and now it’s time for the Washington Nationals to claim their spot amongst the upper echelon of baseball. While it is obvious that this franchise has been in a shambles for years, the Nationals benefited from their ineptitude by getting Strasburg and teenage hitting phenomenon Bryce Harper. These unique talents are once in a generation talents that will become cornerstones of championship quality teams. Having both Strasburg and Harper, in addition to Ryan Zimmerman and Drew Storen, gives the Nationals four players who each solidify specific needs found on dynastic teams (i.e. the Yankees' big four of Jeter, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera). The assets the Nationals have acquired during these years of loss and disappointment situate them to make a serious push in the next few seasons. This push could last for at least a decade. If you look at similar franchises ...