Crisp Headed to KC

The Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals have completed a trade that will send speedy centerfielder Coco Crisp to the Royals in exchange for right handed relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez. The trade fills a need for both teams as Kansas City has been looking for a speedy leadoff hitter while Boston, with the departure of Mike Timlin and probable move of Justin Masterson back to the starting rotation, was in need of a dependable set up man.

The switch hitting Crisp hit .283 with 7 homers and 41 RBIs in 98 games this season with the Red Sox . He also was 20 for 27 is stolen base attempts. Crisp, who is best known for his spectacular defense, split time in center with rookie Jacoby Ellsbury last season. The trade allows both to assume full time starting roles next season.

Ramirez was 3-2 with a 2.64 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings last season for KC. He will solidify the set up role for closer Jonathan Papelbon that the Red Sox struggled to fill before moving Masterson there for the playoff run. The twenty-seven year old righty had been the setup man for Joakim Soria the past two seasons and was on of the more reliable ones in the game over that period.

Pedroia Wins AL MVP

Boston Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia has been named the American League's Most Valuable Player. He took 16 of 28 first-place votes edging out Minnesota Twin's 1B Dustin Morneau. Pedroia finished 2008 with .376 on-base percentage and .326 batting average, while posting 17 home runs and 83 RBIs in 157 games. Pedroia is the first 2B to win the award since 1959.

Pujols NL MVP

Albert Pujols was named the National League's Most Valuable Player on Monday. This year's award marks the second time Pujols has taken home the honor (2005 was the other). The St. Louis Cardinals power hitting first basemen hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs in 148 game this season.

Ryan Howard, Ryan Braun and Manny Rameriez finished 2-4 in voting. Pujols received 18 of 32 first place votes.

Welcome to NY, CC

It has been reported by several sources that today, on the first that that free agents can sign with other teams, that the New York Yankees have offered pitcher CC Sabathia a reported 6 year $140 million dollar contract. The Yankees promised to make a big splash this off season and they seem to be living up to their word. While it has been reported that Sabathia would prefer to stay in the National League, where he can also hit, $140 million will change people's minds pretty quick.

Yanks Acquire Swisher

The New York Yankees have completed a deal with the Chicago White Sox that will send 1B/OF Nick Swisher to New York in exchange for INF Wilison Betemit and two minor league pitchers: Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez.

Swisher is a candidate to fill the void left at first base left by free agaent Jason Giambi. Should the Yankees sign a player such as Mark Teixeria, Swisher would then add outfield depth.

Cubs-Marlins Make A Deal

The Chicago Cubs have acquired closer Kevin Gregg form the Florida Marlins for minor league pitcher Jose Ceda. Gregg was 7-8 with a 3.41 ERA and 29 saves last season for Florida, but was bothered for a large portion of the season by a knee injury. His nine blown saves were tied for the league lead.

Following the deal the Cubs announced that they will not make an attempt to re-sign now former closer Kerry Wood, meaning that the job is Gregg's to lose. Should he falter the Cubs do have star set-up man Carlos Marmol waiting in the wings.

This trade once again was an example of the Marlins cost cutting. Gregg was Florida's highest-paid player in 2008 at $2.5 million and was eligible for arbitration coming into this season.

Lee Wins Cy Young

The American league Cy Young Award winner for 2008 has been announced and to nobody's surprise the winner this year is Cleveland Indians ace Cliff Lee. Lee was a major league best 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA in 31 starts this season for the Indians. Lee received 24 of a possible 28 votes (the other 4 went to Roy Holiday) en route to his first career Cy Young. What a difference a year makes for Lee who in 2007 struggled mightily before being demoted to AAA for much of the season.

An interesting side note: this is the second consecutive year a Cleveland pitcher has won the Cy Young. CC Sabathia edged out Josh Beckett for the award in 2007.

Managers of the Year Announced

When you take a team from dead last in your division one year all the way to the World Series the following year you are going to get noticed. That is just what the Baseball Writers Association did on Wednesday when they named Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon AL Manager of the Year. Maddon received 27 of a possible 28 first place votes, the lone other vote went to Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire.

Over in the National League Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella was given the same honor. Piniella edged out Phillies manager Charlie Manuel by 7 first place votes. Pineiella's Cubs were a NL best 97-64 this season before being ousted by the LA Dodgers in the NLDS.

The two great managers do have ties to each other; Maddon replaced Piniella as Rays skipper in 2006. At the time the Tampa coaching job was considered by many to be the worst job in baseball. Things have certainly taken a turn for the better since.

Division Rivals Strike a Deal

The Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals announced a trade on Tuesday that will send outfielder Josh Willingham and lefty starter Scott Olsen to Washington in exchange for three minor leaguers; second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, right-hander P.J. Dean and infielder Jake Smolinski.

The trade marks yet another cost cutting move for the Marlins who recently shipped Mike Jacobs to Kansas City for the very same reason; all are arbitration eligible, making them unfordable. The move very likely will not be the last for Florida. The addition of Bonifacio, a speedy young second basemen, makes all star second basemen Dan Uggla now expendable.

For the Nationals, the addition of Willingham creates a log jam in the outfield where they already have Austin Kearns, Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge. It is likely that Washington will move one of those three before the season starts. The addition of Olsen is a nice fit for a rotation that struggled mightily last season. Olsen was 8-11 with a 4.20 ERA in 33 starts in 2008. The most impressive stat is his 201 1/3 innings pitched last season, the first time in his career that he surpassed the 200 inning plateau. No Nationals pitcher recorded more that 182 inning last season.

Future Star Close to Signing with White Sox

Meet Dayan Viciedo—He is a 19-year-old Cuban born 3B who defected from Cuba this past May, and will soon be coming to a ballpark near you. After playing on the Cuban national team since he was 14-years old, Viciedo was cleared to become an MLB free agent.

According to MLB.com, Dayan’s agent Jamie Torres (who also represents fellow Cuban-born players Jose Contreras and Alexi Ramirez) has already received numerous offers for the young 3B’s services. The 6’2’ 230-pound 3B is rumored to be close to signing a deal to join Contreras and Ramirez in Chicago.

With the recent MLB success of Alexi Ramirez, many teams have become interested in the young Cuban, as many say he could be a better MLB player than Ramirez. If the predictions are true, we may have the opportunity to see a rising star on the fast track to success as early as April.

Lincecum Named NL Cy Young

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum was named the NL CY Young award winner on Tuesday. Lincecum was 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA with a major league-best 265 strikeouts this season. Those numbers are very impressive considering he played for a forth place team. The 24-year-old righty received 24 of a possible 32 first place votes. Others receiving first place votes were Brandon Webb (4), Johan Santana (4), and CC Sabathia (1).

A's Land Holiday

According to several media sources the Oakland A's have acquired all star outfielder Matt Holiday from the Colorado Rockies. While the deal has not yet been made official, it has been said they they have agreed in principle to send Holiday for a package of players that reportedly includes closer Huston Street, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, and starting pitcher Greg Smith.

Holiday, a two time all star, is considered by many to be the prize offensive player available this offseason. The lone downside to any deal for Holiday is that he has just one season remaining on his contract. He is scheduled to make $13 million this season baring an extension.

Soto Takes Home NL ROTY

Chicago Cub's catcher Geovany Soto was named National League Rookie of the year on Monday. Soto hit .285 with 23 homers, 35 doubles and 86 RBIs in 141 games this season. The award makes Soto the first catcher to receive the award since 1993, when Mike Piazza won it . Soto's steller rookie season was also highlighted by a start in this year's all star game. He was the first rookie catcher in National League history ever to start an all star game. He was also behind the plate for Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter back in September.

Longoria Win AL ROTY

Tampa Bay Rays third basemen Evan Longoria was named the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year on Monday. The power-hitting third baseman received all 28 first-place votes, making him the the first American League player to do so since 1997 when Boston's Nomar Garciaparra accomplished the feat. Longoria, who began the year at AAA with the Durham Bulls of the International league, made the transition to the the big leagues about as smoothly as anyone could ask compiling a .272 average with 27 homeruns and 85 RBI in 122 games for the Rays this season. Longoria also played a vital role in Tampa's playoff success hitting six homeruns and racking up 18 RBI leading the Rays to their first ever World Series appearance.

This award caps off a season of firsts for the Tampa Bay Rays. First winning record, first division title, first playoff appearance, first trip to the world series, and now first major individual award. With a strong core of young players, highlighted by Longoria, the Rays are likely to add a few more first in the coming years. Perhaps a first World Series Title? Only time will tell.

2008 Gold Glove Winners Announced

The 2008 Gold Glove winners have been announced. They are as follows:

National League:

P	Greg Maddux, Dodgers
C	Yadier Molina, Cardinals
1B	Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
2B	Brandon Phillips, Reds
3B	David Wright, Mets
SS	Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
OF	Nate McLouth, Pirates; Carlos Beltran, Mets; Shane Victorino, Phillies

American League:

P	Mike Mussina, Yankees
C	Joe Mauer, Twins
1B	Carlos Pena, Rays
2B	Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
3B	Adrian Beltre, Mariners
SS	Michael Young, Rangers
OF	Torii Hunter, Angels Grady Sizemore, Indians Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners

Not too many surprises this year. Rookie of the year winners will be announced Monday.

MLB Hot Stove Heating Up

Its been less than 24 hours since the Philadelphia Phillies claimed the 2008 World Series Title but already the MLB hot stove is heating up.

The Milwaukee Brewers today announced that former Oakland A's manager Ken Macha will be taking over for interim manager Dale Sveum as their next manager. Macha, who led the A's to two AL West titles was one of three candidates considered for the job; the other two being former Mets manager Willie Randolph and former Dbacks manager Bob Brenly.

Also today the first trade of the offseason was completed between the Kansas City Royals and Florida Marlins. Florida will send slugging first basemen Mike Jacobs to the Royals in exchange for right handed relief pitcher Leo Nunez. The financially strapped Marlins were shopping Jacobs because he was due a big raise this off season in arbitration. Jacobs hit 32 home runs and knocked in 93 runs last season, both career bests. Nunez was 4-1 last year with a 2.98 ERA in 45 relief appearances.

Be sure to check WAY Back Sports for the latest happenings and hot stove news all winter!

Phillies are 2008 World Series Champs

The Philadelphia Phillies claimed the 2008 World Series title on Wednesday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in game five of the best of seven series. The win marks the first time in twenty-five years the city of Philadelphia will get to celebrate a Championship.

Game 5 was about as bizzar a game as you would see. Originally scheduled to take place on Monday, they were only able to get 5 1/2 innings in before having to suspend play due to heavy rain with the score tied 2-2. Field conditions prohibited the two teams from playing the final three innings on Tuesday. Finally on Wednesday mother nature cooperated, allowing for the game to be completed.

A Jason Werth RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, the first inning on play Wednesday, gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead. Rocco Baldelli answered in the seventh for the Rays evening the score at 3-3, but that would not last as in the bottom of the same inning a Pat Burrell double followed by a Pedro Feliz single gave the Phillies the final run they would need.

Phillies' closer Brad Lidge picked up the final two outs of the game, including a strikeout of Eric Hinske to end it. Lidge finished the year a perfect 48 for 48 in save situations, unheard of for closers in today's game.

Following the game Phillies' pitcher Cole Hamels was named World Series MVP. He started games 1 and 5 of the series, both games that Philly went on to win. He finished the playoffs 4-0 with a 1.88ERA in five starts. Not too shabby for a guy who is only 24 years old and just getting into the prime of his career.

"I think when we come back, when we’re all old and retired and we come back and they still stand up and give us a standing ovation, just like they did to all the guys of the 1980 World Series," Hamels said. "We’ve got to witness that, and knowing that and seeing the city and the excitement throughout the first game of the season this year, throughout the multiple sellouts and of course the playoff excitement was just really huge. I really think the fans stepped up. They could taste it just as much as we could. And they added to our confidence to go out there and win."

Congratulationsto the Philadelphia Phillies: 2008 World Series Champions.

All But Over?

For the first time in twenty-eight seasons the Philadelphia Phillies will become World Champions tonight. After beating the Tampa Bay Rays in game four for the 2008 World Series last night, it seems like an almost certainty that the streets of Philadelphia will be filled with maniac fans who have had nothing to celebrate of this magnitude in 20+ years.

Wait, they have another game to play, right? So why are we handing the Championship over to the Phillies with games left to play? Its not over it its over, right? Wrong. Anyone who saw last night's game will agree, this series is over.

The Philly bats overwhelmed Tampa pitching to the tune of 10-2 in game four. Even starting pitcher Joe Blanton got in on the offense last night chipping in with a solo homer to go along with his 6 solid innings of work on the mound. You know things are going bad then the opposing pitcher it taking you yard. More bad news for the Rays: Phillies' slugger Ryan Howard looks as locked in at the plate as he has all season, as he demonstrated by hitting two homeruns in the game, one to each side of the park. Any baseball "expert" would tell you that when a powerhitter like Howard is locked in they will hit with power to all fields. A locked in Ryan Howard spells doom for the Ray.

Game five brings us a rematch of game one starters as Cole Hamels will try to close out the Phillies' second Series title on Monday night against Scott Kazmir. Hamels (4-0) is trying to become the first pitcher to win five postseason starts in one year. Josh Beckett won four last year with the Boston Red Sox.

Even more good news is that Hamels loves the spot light. He has been known as a big game pitcher in his short time in the big leagues. They certainly get no bigger than game 5 of the World Series at home with a chance to bring a championship to a city that has not seen one is twenty years.

"Cole looks for these moments. I call him Hollywood, because when the lights are on, that's when he's at his best, and tomorrow night the lights will definitely be on," said Phillies short-stop Jimmy Rollins.

The World has been counting out the Rays all season, and all season they have somehow stepped it up to another level and proved us all wrong. 42 times in World Series history a team has held a 3-1 advantage. Of those 42 instances, 6 times a team has come back to win the series, prove that it is not impossible, however is unlikely.

This series is over. The Phillies will not lose at home; Cole Hamels will not let that happen. Tampa has had a story book season, unfortunately for them, this story does not have a happy ending.

Tampa Strikes Back in Game Two

The Tampa Bay Rays did on Thursday what few have been able to do against the Phillies all season: shut down a high powered offense and play a little small ball en route to victory.

James Shields struck out four in six shutout innings giving the Rays the solid pitching outing they were missing in game one as Tampa even the series to one game a piece. Rare for both teams was the lack of the long ball as both teams were held homer-less in this game. Instead it was the small ball, moving runners along and sacrificing to score runs, that got the job done in game two.

One major problem for Philadelphia has been their lack of timely hitting thus far in the World Series. After Thursday's performance the Phillies are batting 1 for 28 with runners in scoring position over the first two games. Proof that they are not struggling to get runners on base, they simply cannot get them home.

"That might be one of our sloppiest games all year," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "I'm concerned about us hitting with guys on base, because it looks like at times we might be trying a little too hard. But we can fix that."

Heading back to Philly it will be interesting to see which teams show up; the high scoring offenses or the the low scoring games that we have seen so far. Either way it is bound to be an exciting finish to the 2008 World Series.

Phillies Take Game 1

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Tampa Bay Rays certainly is not a match-up that you would expect to see in a World Series, but the two team have impressed thus far in postseason and met last night in Tampa for game one of the World Series.

The appearance for Tampa is the first in franchise history. A first in a year of first for the organization. This season marked the first with a winning record, the first division title, the first playoff appearance, and first playoff series win in both the ALCS and ALCS.

The Phillies last made a World Series appearance in 1993 losing to the Toronto Blue Jays on Joe Carter's memorable walk off homerun to win the series. The last time Philadelphia won the World Series was back in 1980.

As for the game...

Cole Hamels went seven innings allowing just two runs en route to picking up his fourth win of the playoffs. Hamels playoff line now stands at 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA this postseason. It was not his strongest outing of the playoffs, but he was effective cooling off the hot bats of BJ Upton and Evan Longoria, both of whom have been tearing the cover off the ball as of late. The heart of the Rays' lineup (Upton, Longoria, and Carlos Pena) went a combine 0 for 12 in the game.

Hamels counterpart, Scott Kazmir, who was selected two spots ahead of Hamels in the 2002 draft, struggled with his control for much of the game. Kazmir gave up a Chase Utley homer in the first inning putting Tampa in a 0-2 hole.

The first game of a series is a big one. It sets the tone for things to come and can get momentum swinging in your direction if you come away victorious. The Phillies were able to do that in game one. We will see how it plays out going forward.

''It's huge,'' Phillies closer Brad Lidge said. ''You try and downplay it, but obviously you're coming into a place like this, you want to make sure you get the first game, especially because you got your ace on the mound. It's really important to do that.''