Elijah Dukes demoted

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays demoted 22-year old Elijah Dukes to the inactive list. The move guarantees that Tampa will trade Elijah, its not just a matter of time. They seem to have given up on his attitude and off-field problems.

Maroth to St. Louis

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Detroit Tigers have sent left-hander Mike Maroth to the St. Louis Cardinals. He does not know who the Tigers have acquired in return though. My guess would be another relief pitcher, as Detroit is desperate for some pen help.
I haven't heard this, but apparently last Wednesday the Detroit Tigers also sent Wilfredo Ledezma to the Atlanta Braves in return for McCay McBride, a very even trade on both sides

Rob Bowen to get Cubs start Tonight

Newly acquired catcher Rob Bowen will catch Ted Lilly tonight for the Chicago Cubs. Bowen is only hitting .268 at the plate, but he looks like he has an amazing eye, as his OBP is at .371. Would be interesting to see what Bowen can do in his Cubs debut, as he was a Cubs fan when he was younger.

Oakland designate Milton Bradley for assignment

The Oakland Athletics have stated that they have designated outfielder Milton Bradley for assignment. Just as the Jay Witasick releasing, the manager or front office must of got very upset with something Bradley had said, as he was performing at least decently on the A's roster. Oakland will most likely trade Milton Bradley for relief help, but surely wouldn't get as much as they would of without the designation.

Joe Girardi turns down the O's job....at least for now

Former Florida Marlins manager, Joe Girardi, has turned down the Baltimore Orioles' managerial vacancy. Shortly after though, the Washington Post reports that Girardi and the O's are still communicating about the job, but talks have just hit a snag. I hope that Joe would turn this down and wait for a much better job on the market very soon. Yankees maybe?

Tampa Bay signs Jay Witasick

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays quickly signed Jay Witasick after the Athletics released him. Jay had a 3.10 ERA in 16 games this season for Oakland, after being released on unreleased terms. Great move for the Devil Rays, as their pen gets a lot better just for a couple more thousand dollars.

Turns out Billy Beane is amazing. In his first relief apperance for TB, Witasick got shelled for 2 earned runs in 0.2 IP.

Michael Barrett to Padres

The Chicago Cubs have traded catcher Michael Barrett to the San Diego Padres in return for Rob Bowen, Kyler Burke, and cash considerations. Bowen is nothing more than a switch-hitting defensive catcher, but that is exactly the type that Lou Pinella wants. Burke has 40-50 HR potential, but struggled quite a bit in Rookie ball last year, hitting only .201 with 1 HR and 12 RBI. Padres got the better deal, because Barrett is a top 5 catcher on my list, and there's only a few catchers left who can really hit.

Big Unit with Herniated Disc

Randy Johnson has been diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back, the same injury he suffered last year with the New York Yankees. Randy had a pathetic 5.00 ERA last year with the Yankees, but was pitching quite well this year at a 3.53 ERA on the season. He says his disc is still stronger since it had been herniated multiple times, and feels that it won't hurt him too much, but you gotta double-guess the aging veteran.

Teixiera for Hughes

Ken Rosenthal says a Mark Teixiera for Phillip Hughes deal isn't too far off. The Yankees farm system is stocked with good arms, and Teixiera would make their team o' so better. This is one of the few rumors released lately that really makes sense for both teams. We will see if it actually pans out or not.

Ken Griffey to Cubs?

reporting that the Cincinnatti Reds and Chicago Cubs are discussing a possible Jacque Jones and Sean Marshall for Ken Griffey Jr. deal. Marshall has improved very much this season, giving some of the success to expanding and closely working on each pitch in his repertoire. I don't see any reasoning for the Cubs to make this deal, but a rumor is a rumor.

Baltimore to revisit Tejada trade?

Baltimore sources say that the Baltimore front-office has been communicating with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim about sending short-stop Miguel Tejada to the Angels for Ervin Santana and Maicier Izturis. The Angels made this same offer last year at the deadline and Baltimore declined. Now with Tejada's power numbers dipping and signs of age starting to show, the O's might want Ervin Santana to help out their rotation and bring a youthful, powerful arm into their rotation.

Yo to get the call

Brewers young pitching prospect, Yovani Gallardo, is to make his major league debut today against Noah Lowry and the San Francisco Giants. Scouts say Yovani has a "plus fastball with a strong curve and a change-up that he mixes in well". My prediction for Gallardo's major league debut is 4 ER in 6 IP. Yovani will most likely make only one or two starts until Capuano comes back, but is still expected to pitch well, youth pending.

Surging Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks, who are now 10 games over .500, are on a surge where they have won 8 consecutive games and are tied for first place. Today, Livian Hernandez takes the mound as Arizona takes on the New York Mets. Hernandez, who has a mere 1.88 ERA in his last 3 starts, stated in the news yesterday that he has 'no problem with beating the Mets.

Cubs squarle into fifth straight loss

The Chicago Cubs, who spent upwards of $126,000,000 this past offseason, have lost 5 straight games and faced even more problems today. In the early game today, Carlos Zambrano showed his emotions as he shoved his catcher, Michael Barret, in the dugout between innings. Both players are going to be free-agents in the offseason, so the Cubs have big decisions to make on both. Zambrano has already stated that he will not be a Cub next season, but anything is definantly possible.

Florida Reacquires Armando Benitez

Soon after the Marlins departed Jorge Julio, they acquired a player who starred for them in the 2004 season. Armando Benitez was moved to Florida in exchanged for Randy Messenger. Messenger is having a fine season this year, but most scouts believe he will never be too much. The Giants also paid about $4.5M of Benitez's remaining contract, so this deal is an awesome one for The Fish.