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Braves News:
The Braves unveiled a new red alternate jersey which will be worn for five games throughout the upcoming season. Also, this means that the red jerseys that the Braves have worn since 2005 will not be making their way into 2014. One particular writer for this website is not pleased with this development.
Dave Cameron of Fangraphs goes in depth (as the crew at Fangraphs is wont to do) in his observation of the Braves choosing to sign Freddie Freeman to a long-term extension this early into his career.
With great contract comes great responsibility, and Freeman said all the right things at yesterday's press conference which seems to indicate that he is more than ready to make sure that the Braves feel no buyer's remorse after this deal.
Our friends over at SB Nation MLB examine the leaguewide horizon of first basemen as they try to find out exactly why the Braves decided that now was the time to lock Freeman up. They also come to the conclusion that as long as Freeman keeps up his 3+ WAR performances and/or improves upon those performances, then this will be a steal of a deal for the Braves.
The staff here at Talking Chop continues to rank the top 25 players down on the farm, starting with Mississippi's Shae Simmons at #15.
DOB reported this snippet from Freeman's contract extension. If we had a nickel for every time we've heard sports figures use a new stadium as a catalyst for positive developments, we'd be able to fund our own stadium. However, here's hoping that this turns out to be the case for the Braves.
League Wide News:
Sad news in the baseball world today as Curt Schilling has been diagnosed with cancer. Although the type of cancer hasn't been revealed, the fact is that he has cancer and he's prepared to put up a valiant fight. In the statement provided to ESPN, Schilling says that he's "ready to try to win another big game," and here's hoping that he does so.
The Texas Rangers and Globe Life Insurance have both agreed to a 10-year deal that will see the Rangers play their home games at what will now be Globe Life Park. Jeff Wilson of Fort Worth Star Telegram posted a photo of the new logo for the ballpark. He seemed less than thrilled.
The Rays are shopping the 29-year-old catcher, and the talks are heating up according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. While MLBTR notes that Lobaton is a bit of a defensive liability, his line of .249/.320/.394 with a WRC+ of 103 would be a decent help to a team like the White Sox (one of the teams reportedly in talks with the Rays), whose catchers produced a paltry line of .195/.237/.323 with a WRC+ of 46.
Former Cubs all-star outfielder Bryan LaHair will be making his return from Japan this season as he attempts to make the big league roster for the Cleveland Indians.
A deal that was announced on Monday was made official today, as the Astros have signed the 32-year-old relief pitcher to a 1 year, $2.1M contract. The move is part of a concerted effort by Houston to help a bullpen that was at or near the bottom of nearly every major statistical chart last season.
A week after the Rangers designated the right-hander for assignment, Chaz Roe has decided to reject the assignment and attempt to sign on elsewhere. No word on whether or not it was due to the reliever not wanting to play in the newly christened Globe Life Park.
Baltimore signed 30-year-old pitcher Evan Meek & 35-year-old outfielder Jack Cust both to Minor League contracts. Both players may be considered longshots to make the Major League squad, due to Meek's injury woes over the past couple seasons & Cust not having played Major League ball since 2011.
To put that in perspective, Dodger Stadium itself holds 56,000 at capacity, and 50,000 would be an increase of around 4,000 on their average attendance of 46,216 in 2013, which was the highest in all of baseball last season. Needless to say, that's a gigantic number and with the star power & success that has come the Dodgers way recently, it actually sounds like a believable number. Either way, the Dodgers have certainly come a long way from filing for bankruptcy in 2011.
