Yesterday’s list of non-tendered players contains the usual mix of non-entities, injury cases, and some players of possible interest to a contender. I’m not going to review the left-handers like Hong-Chih Kuo, Jose Mijares, and Doug Slaten, because my evolving religion denies the existence of left-handed ...

Not much activity in the Hot Stove League today. I suspect if we just started referring to it as the Hot Tub League, we’d get more news. Kirk Gibson As was expected by almost everyone, Arizona’s Kirk Gibson walked away with the National League Manager of the Year Kirk Gibson trots past Steve Garvey ...

As a two-time cancer survivor who has other assorted medical problems, I spend a lot of time in doctor’s offices. I am not ungrateful for this, in that in an age when too few people have access to proper medical care, I enjoy the luxury to be under constant monitoring for a relapse and anything else ...

When Brett Gardner is about ready to hang 'em up, Justin Upton will still be in his prime. (AP) In a blog post this morning, Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote that the Yankees were not one of the teams pushing to acquire Justin Upton. “They like their current outfield enough that they do ...

Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has the upper hand in any Justin Upton deal because he doesn't really have to move him (AP). The article on Justin Upton to which reader Jeremy S. responds below was Steve’s, and he’ll be along with some thoughts about the Yankees’ potential dalliance ...

Juan Miranda has been traded, but the new Harry Potter film opens today. (AP) The deadline for teams to set rosters for the Rule 5 draft looms at midnight. Yesterday, the Yankees made the “small move” that Brian Cashman hinted about Tuesday, hooking up with old pal Kevin Towers, now GM of the Diamondbacks, ...

If he can help bring Upton, Chamberlain should do next year's sweating in different colors. (AP) Since I commented on Kevin Towers floating the idea of dealing Justin Upton yesterday, what seemed like a mere trial balloon now has taken on a greater reality. The Diamondbacks barely escaped losing ...

My favorite tweet of the last 24 hours came from Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com: “Cashman has lobby scrum. Says he doesn’t expect to get any Yankees business done here. Story to come on MLB.com.”  My initial reactions were: 1.      Thanks a lot, Cashman, for being such a buzzkill. How about making ...

Wednesday’s speculation on Roy Oswalt proved to be the merest Hail Mary into the night after the stadium’s lights were turned out, as the Astros and Phillies have now come to terms on a deal; Oswalt has apparently given his blessing to the deal. The sad aspect of this whole business is that if ...

LET’S NOT MAKE A DEAL Having been forced to the sidelines when the best pitcher on the trade market went to Texas, the Yankees were again outbid, at least in someone’s perception, for the second-best. In a trade that has been almost universally panned by the cognoscenti (baseballscenti?), the ...

Arizona Diamondbacks Stephen Drew: You hear the shortstop brought up in trade rumors from time to time. The problem with J.D. Drew’s little brother is that with a trade from the generous Chase Field he will disappear. This year, he’s hitting .291/.372/.464 at home, but only .259/.323/.367 on the ...