Kuzul

The Major League Baseball world was dealt a sad blow Saturday night with the death of former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ryan Freel.Firstcoastnews.com reporter Chad Cushnir had the report:First Coast News sports director Dan Hicken has learned that Ryan Freel, a Jacksonville native and former Major League Baseball has died at the age of 36.  The cause of death is suicide.The Florida Times-Union reporters Justin Barney and Dana Treen gave more details on this sad situation: Freel, 36, was found dead from a self-inflicted shotgun blast around 4 p.m. in his residence on Brookchase Lane in Jacksonville, Sgt. Mike Paul of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed. Paul said that there was nothing suspicious and authorities were treating Freel’s death as a suicide. Certain events put things into perspective, even for the most avid baseball fans. Saturday's news hits home because of its tragic nature, but also because Freel was just 36 years old.The report ...

The Seattle Mariners need a boost offensively, and they're hoping Raul Ibanez can supply some pop in his return.According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Mariners and Ibanez have reached an agreement: Source: Ibanez in agreement with #Mariners.— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 23, 2012 Sports Radio 66 WFAN reporter Sweeny Murti announced the length of the deal: Raul Ibanez has agreed to a 1-year deal with the Mariners.— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) December 23, 2012 Ibanez is 40 years old, but he showed in last year's playoffs that he can still deliver big home runs when he hit three clutch homers for the New York Yankees. He may not provide 162 games' worth of production, but he's still a savvy player.He hit .240 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI in 384 regular-season at-bats with the Yankees last year. He doesn't provide consistent contact at the dish anymore, but the pop is still ...

The Arizona Diamondbacks are hoping they can turn back the clock on veteran outfielder Cody Ross, and why not?Ross has been a journeyman for the past decade, but he has rarely let his teammates or fans down on or off the field since breaking into the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers in 2003.Now, the former Boston Red Sox right fielder is headed back to the National League West after agreeing to a three-year contract with the Diamondbacks, according to ESPN baseball analyst Jim Bowden via Twitter: Cody Ross and Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed on a 3-year $26 million dollar contract that includes a club option with $1m buyout #Source— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) December 22, 2012  But even before Ross takes his first swing at the plate for Arizona, Diamondbacks fans can breathe a little easier knowing their club has made a smart addition to its outfield, especially with right fielder ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers have worked hard to add to their roster this offseason, and that activity continued on Tuesday.According to Los Angeles Times reporter Dylan Hernandez, the Dodgers have acquired Skip Schumaker from the Cardinals: Source: the #Dodgers have acquired Skip Schumaker from the #Cardinals.— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) December 12, 2012 It's unclear what the Cardinals will receive in return, according to Hernandez's full report, but you can't imagine that the price will be all that steep. The deal also depends on Schumaker's ability to pass a physical.Hernandez mentions that "Hitting coach Mark McGwire pushed for the Dodgers to acquire the 32-year-old Schumaker, whom he worked with in St. Louis." He hit .276 in 304 plate appearances last season.Schumaker will earn $1.5 million this season, his final year under contract. He can play all three spots in the outfield, but he's frequently lined up at second base throughout his career. Having a guy ...

The Cincinnati Reds' offense would have been fine next season without any new additions, but it got even better Tuesday night.CBS' Jon Heyman announced the three-way trade that had baseball fans turning their heads: indians receive bauer, albers, shaw and stubbs. reds get choo and donald. dbacks get gregorius, sipp and lars anderson.— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 12, 2012 Out of all those names, Choo's stands out the most. He's one of the league's most underrated players, but his talents were mostly wasted on an unsuccessful Cleveland squad.Last season, Choo hit .283 with 16 home runs and 67 RBI. He also stole 21 bases.When you look at who he is replacing in Drew Stubbs, it's obvious how much he will upgrade the Reds' offense. Stubbs' .277 on-base percentage is almost 100-points lower than Choo's, which should make everyone hopeful that the Reds will have more runners on base when their power ...

The Cleveland Indians acquired top young pitcher Trevor Bauer Tuesday night in a three-way trade that sent the baseball world spinning.CBS' Jon Heyman had the news: indians receive bauer, albers, shaw and stubbs. reds get choo and donald. dbacks get gregorius, sipp and lars anderson.— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 12, 2012 Shin-Soo Choo's name is the one that jumps off the page at everyone, but Bauer's name can't be overlooked either. He was selected No. 3 in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He went 12-2 with a 2.42 ERA last season between Double-A and Triple-A and had 157 strikeouts in 130.1 innings.He has top-of-the-rotation stuff, and he has yet to reach his full potential. That makes this deal a bit of an unknown for the Indians, but the upside is major for a team that's seeking to find a more successful path next season.Let's look at three ...

Ryan Dempster hasn't reached an agreement with an MLB team yet this offseason, but it's not like he hasn't had his chances. According to ESPN, Dempster rejected a two-year deal from the Boston Red Sox on Friday night: Source: Dempster rejects $25M Red Sox offer: The Boston Red Sox made a two-year, $25 million offer to free agent... es.pn/VRXQ25— espnmlb (@espnmlb) December 8, 2012 This is pretty shocking considering how old Dempster is and the money that was on the table. The 35-year-old is not going to get many opportunities to be an ace anywhere, meaning it would be wise for him to accept a deal that allowed him to be a prominent starting rotation member.Between the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers last season, Dempster had a 12-8 record with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He didn't blow anyone away, but his ground-ball pitching allowed him to string together pretty solid numbers across the ...

Andruw Jones enjoyed a successful 16-year career in the major leagues, but it appears that he will be taking his game elsewhere next season.ESPN Stats & Info had the news, along with an interesting tidbit regarding his career: Andruw Jones: reportedly signs to play in Japan in 2013. He leaves MLB tied with Juan Gonzalez for 40th in career HR with 434— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 8, 2012 Sports Illustrated (via Nikkan Sports) announced that the team Jones will be joining is the Rakuten Golden Eagles. SI's report also mentions that "Nikkan Sports estimates the deal is worth approximately $3.5 million including signing bonus, base salary and performance bonuses."With the New York Yankees last season, Jones hit just .197 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI. He provided some power off the bench, and in limited starting duties, but that was all he could muster in 94 games played.That's ...

Marco Scutaro was a vital piece of the San Francisco Giants' World Series run in 2012, and it appears that he's being rewarded for his efforts.According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Giants have signed the veteran shortstop to a multi-year deal: Source: Scutaro in agreement with #SFGiants, $20 million for three years.— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 5, 2012  Forget that Scutaro will be 37 years old by the time this deal is up—he was too big in the postseason to not be retained. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports mentioned on Tuesday that the Cardinals and Yankees were also said to be interested, but Scutaro decided to return anyway.Acquired from the Colorado Rockies before the trade deadline in July, Scutaro turned into a new player. He hit .362 in 61 games, which is completely out of character for the career .276 hitter.Once the playoffs came around, things changed again. He was injured ...

The Tampa Bay Rays didn't add the big bat they really need on Tuesday, but they did make an improvement at shortstop.According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays have acquired Yunel Escobar from the Miami Marlins: #Rays indeed do have a deal to get SS Yunel Escobar from #Marlins for INF prospect Derek Dietrich— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) December 5, 2012 Escobar may not make Rays fans jump for joy, but he is an upgrade for a reasonable price. Dietrich hit .279 last season between High-A and Double-A, but he's built more like a third baseman, and Evan Longoria should be in the hot corner for the foreseeable future.Last season, the Rays played Ben Zobrist. Elliot Johnson and Sean Rodriguez at shortstop. Zobrist is the only guy who is ready to play every day out of that bunch, just not at shortstop.That makes Escobar a solid pickup, even if ...