Kuzul

It has been rumored in recent weeks that left-hander John Lannan may be on his way out of Washington.Ever since the Edwin Jackson signing on February 2nd, the Nationals have had one too many starting pitchers. Generally, this is not a bad thing. The Nationals can address other needs with their excess pitching though, with Lannan generating the biggest return.If Lannan is traded, Chien-Ming Wang or Ross Detwiler would take over the No. 5 spot in the rotation, with the other becoming the long man out of the bullpen.The Nationals are in need of bench depth, as well as a capable center fielder. They could also choose to just trade him away for a few mid-level prospects.Lannan has been an effective starter over the course of his career, garnering a 4.00 ERA and a 38-51 record. He has been better in recent years, becoming a guy capable of pitching 180+ ...

The Yankees were no match for the newly-extended Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates today in Bradenton. To celebrate his new six-year contract with Pittsburgh, McCutchen killed the Yankees for two hits and two RBI.CC Sabathia was given the ball to start the game—his first live game action this spring. He pitched pretty well in two innings of work, allowing three hits and a run while recording one strikeout.When asked about how he felt, Sabathia responded, "I've still got work to do, but my arm feels good and my body feels good."He threw 35 pitches over the course of two innings.Phil Hughes saw his first action of the spring as well, throwing 1 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs (one earned), allowing four hits and striking out one.Although he was slated to go the full two innings, some tough spots prevented Hughes from going any further in the contest.After having problems ...

The Yankees dropped their first game of the spring today against the Phillies in Bright House Park.Fans got their first chance to see the team's biggest offseason acquisition, Michael Pineda, in his start today against Joe Blanton.Pineda, who has already lost about seven or eight pounds, did not disappoint. In his two scoreless innings, Pineda struck out two while allowing just one hit.His changeup has been a work in progress in the early goings of Spring Training, but he reportedly used it quite effectively today.At one point in his two innings, Pineda recorded six consecutive swinging strikes to Jim Thome and Shane Victorino.David Robertson got the call for the third inning, and allowed one run on one hit while walking one. It was his first action of the spring.Rule-5 pickup Cesar Cabral pitched the fourth, allowing just one hit before working a scoreless frame. Dan Burawa followed Cabral with a ...

Bryce Harper's status with the 2012 Washington Nationals has become one of the hottest topics of Spring Training thus far. He's one of the most talented prospects ever in Major League history, and it's no question that the Nationals would love to have him on the 25-man roster.Apparently, manager Davey Johnson seems willing to give Harper every chance this spring to make the club. Even though veterans Mike Morse, Roger Bernadina and Jayson Werth will all have the upper hand, Harper will still be given ample opportunity.If Harper has a strong spring, Johnson and GM Mike Rizzo will have no choice but to consider him for the Opening Day roster. Harper is somebody who needs to be playing everyday, no matter the level. If he plays well enough this spring to make the team, but not well enough to start, the Nationals would be wise to have him play in AAA ...

Signs of aging were prevalent last season for Derek Jeter, as his first half left much to be desired.Jeter hit .270/.330/.353 prior to the All Star break and was batting .257 with just two home runs on the day he collected his historic 3,000th hit.He had a remarkable second half, however, hitting .327/.383/.428. He finished up the year with a respectable .297/.355/.388 line with six home runs and 61 RBI.Jeter's second half resurgence shows that he still has a little something left in the tank. He is just three seasons removed from a third-place finish in the American League MVP voting, when he hit .334/.406/.465 with 18 home runs, 66 RBI and 30 stolen bases.Although he's lost a step or two defensively, and despite what advanced statistics tell us, Jeter is still one of the better defending shortstops in the league. Sure, he may not get to as many balls ...

I might as well be up front about this before I go into much detail. Signing Manny Ramirez is not a good idea.Manny just isn't the answer for any team.Period.If I were Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette, I would be going nowhere near Manny Ramirez at this point in time. Or ever, for that matter.Despite being in the cellar of the American League East, the Orioles are a team with potential. Top prospect Manny Machado is not far from being a part of the Orioles' lineup, and the rotation is chock full of a bunch of young hurlers that could put it together at any moment.The O's won't be competing this year—and probably not next year either—but why throw the walking distraction, Manny Ramirez, into a group of unseasoned, young talent?Manny won't have any positive influence in the clubhouse and, more importantly, probably won't even produce enough to be ...

When the New York Yankees signed Russell Martin to a one-year contract during the offseason, they were hoping simply for Martin to provide spring training competition to youngsters Francisco Cervelli and Jesus Montero. After a solid spring, Martin earned the starters job and has hit the ground running so far this season. The Yankees have played 14 games this season and Martin has been the catcher in all but one of them. In 13 games, he has belted four home runs, knocked in 11 runs, stolen two bases and has hit a very respectable .289.  The team never expected such an offensive output from Martin, who had hit a combined .249 over the previous two seasons with the Dodgers. During his final two seasons in Los Angeles, he hit 12 home runs, drove in 79 runs and stole 17 bases.  This came as a shock to the Dodgers organization, as Martin was beginning to become ...

Manny Banuelos trails only Jesus Montero in the Yankees' prospect rankings. Banuelos is clearly the best hurler the Yankees have in the minors, and he'll get a long look in spring training this season.If his career minor league statistics are any indication of his future successes, he's going to be a quality pitcher for a long time.Banuelos is the smallest of the Yankees young crop of hurlers. Listed at just 5' 10", he is a mere shadow to the gargantuan Dellin Betances. Also, Banuelos is just 155 pounds.Luckily, his small stature has no bearing on his skill level.Banuelos was signed by the Yankees as a 17-year-old out of Mexico in 2008. In his first professional season, Banuelos pitched in the Gulf Coast League. In 12 games (three starts), the young left-hander pitched to a 4-1 record with a 2.57 ERA. In 42 innings, he struck out 37.He spent nearly the entire ...

Hector Noesi is just 24 years old, but he has experience in the Yankees system. The club signed the big 6'2" right-hander when he was just 17 years old, out of his hometown Esperanza, Dominican Republic in 2004. His pro career didn't officially begin until 2006, when he hurled just seven innings in five games. He put up a very low ERA of 1.29 in those games, while striking out 11. Noesi's 2007 didn't begin until he finished a 50-game suspension for his violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. When he came back, he pitched in the South Atlantic League for the Yankees' Single-A affiliate in Charleston. He went 1-for-1 in five games, all of which were starts. He had a 4.50 ERA in 20 innings. His season was cut short, though, due to an elbow injury. He underwent Tommy John Surgery that offseason and returned in time for the ...

If you're a Yankees fan, then you know who Ivan Nova is. If you're not a Yankees fan, then here's a little background information on the man who will likely assume the No. 5 spot in the rotation for the 2011 season. Nova, 24, is listed at 6'4" and 210 pounds. The big right-hander was born on January 12, 1987 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. Nova was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Yankees in 2004 out of the Dominican Republic. After being exposed to the Rule 5 draft in December 2008, he was selected by the Padres. He was returned to the Yankees at the end of the 2009 spring training. To protect him from future Rule 5 drafts, the Yankees placed him on the 40-man roster. To say that he's been an inconsistent minor leaguer would be quite an understatement. In 2006, as a 19-year old, he pitched to a 3-0 record in ...