Addressing Their Needs

The New York Yankees made a big slash into an otherwise quiet off-season Friday night when they acquired two elite starting pitchers.

The Yankees made a trade on Friday, acquiring 6’7″ right-hander Michael Pineda and Jose Campos from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for prospect catcher Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi.

Pineda was one of the only sources of good for an otherwise terrible Seattle Mariners team once again in 2011.  He posted a 9-10 (win-loss) record in 28 games while holding the opposition to a 2.11 BAA in his rookie season in the big leagues.

Jesus Montero on the other hand, is a sure prospect that finally made his major-league debut for the Yankees this past season.  Montero was used sparingly however, only appearing in 18 regular season games and one playoff game but played great.  The regular season saw him hit .328, and in just one game in the post-season he went 2-2 while scoring once in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers.

The other pitcher acquired on Friday by New York is Hiroki Kuroda.  The 36-year-old right-hander has reportedly signed a one year deal with the Bronx Bombers worth $10 million.  In 2011, Kuroda had his best year to date in America, starting in a personal high 32 games while posting a 13-16 record and an ERA of 3.07.  Kuroda also posted a WAR of 2.4, his second lowest WAR since 2009 when he pitched a significantly fewer amount of innings in 2009.

This move turns out to be very even for both sides.  While finding out the trade through Twitter and e-mail on my way home from a Ryerson Rams 3-2 shootout loss to the Waterloo Warriors in OUA women’s hockey action, I thought this was a great addition for both teams. I am a bit surprised that the Mariners were willing to move Pineda.  A King Felix-Pineda, 1-2 punch would have been deadly for years to come.  Now, it is all the more sign that the Mariners will not compete in the AL West for a while.  Montero will add something they have been lacking though, and that is offense.  In 2011, no Mariner hit over .300 and over 20 home runs.  Montero has great offensive assets that will hopefully help the Mariners get over that hump.  Young talent such as Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak and now Montero will certainly be fun to watch in a few years time.

The Yankees pick up two pitchers, one of whom was one of baseball’s breakout stories of 2011 in Pineda.  The depth of their team just got a whole lot better and the Pineda move is opposite of a normal Brian Cashman transaction.  Cashman acquires a very young pitcher (Pineda is only 22 years old) that has time to fully develop with the Yankees organization as compared to when they’ve gone out and signed a 28-year-old free agent who is in his prime.  He also signs a pitcher that pitched well for a sub-par Dodgers team over the past few years.  Kuroda will have run support now in New York and that could be key to his success.

Another positive for the Yankees in this trade is that it will make pitchers such as A.J. Burnett better.  Burnett is the picture of inconsistency and with strong seasons last year from Freddy Garcia and Ian Nova; if Burnett doesn’t pitch well in spring training, he may find himself on either the trading block or in the bullpen come opening day.

Both teams came out as winners on Friday night.  Seattle will either get a full-time catcher or first baseman in Montero and the Yankees pick up of Pineda in the trade and Kuroda from free agency.  The Yankees are once again a favorite in the American League while the re-model of the Mariners continues to blossom.

In a return to the podcast world, and after a lengthy break, The Hot Corner and its host Ryan McKenna are back for episode 4!  In this episode, we chat about my experience at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts in a game between the Red Sox and Seattle Mariners on April 30th.  Also talked about are inductees into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, the demotion of the Jays top prospect, and much more.

Thanks for tuning in everyone and have yourself a great week!!

Hey and welcome to another episode of THC, our third of the season.  This episode will see us give you some insight on the Barry Bonds trial, as well as lots of Red Sox news, from 1B to catchers, we will be talking a lot about them.  The Question of the Week even makes a return as I give my insight on who the Red Sox may be interested in acquiring to help fill a huge void in their lineup.

Thanks for tuning in everyone and happy Easter from The Hot Corner!

We are a week into the MLB baseball season and all the buzz is around the Boston Red Sox, for all the wrong reasons.  In this podcast, I will talk about the Red Sox and then I will talk about the opposite of the Red Sox, the first place Baltimore Orioles.  Since this podcast was recorded, the Red Sox have gone to 0-6 (Win-Loss). Yikes!  Let’s hear your opinion on what the Sox have to do to actually win a game!

Wednesday nights will now be the new airing time for The Hot Corner.  Unfortunately, we did not get it up on Wednesday this week, but in further weeks that will be when our podcasts will be aired.

Enjoy the show!

The Hot Corner podcasts get back under way with Episode 1 of our third season on the air.  In this episode, host Ryan McKenna examines all 30 MLB clubs and the moves they made over the winter.  Predictions such as the Arizona Diamondbacks being a team to potentially watch out for as well as Ryan’s take Manny Ramirez’s upcoming season are all talked about.

We hope you enjoy our first episode of the season and will join us next week for episode two!  In the meantime, catch some Opening Day action tomorrow as 12 MLB teams are in action.  This year should be a lot of fun.

On Sunday, February 13th, Fergie Jenkins, a member of Baseball’s Hall of Fame was in Summerside, Prince Edward Island on behalf of Black History Month. I got the chance to interview Fergie on behalf of KROCK 105.5 FM and attached in the interview. A very large man at 6’5, Fergie was a very intelligent man to talk to baseball wise and as a person. At first glance, you may just see another baseball player, but once Fergie and I got talking, he was a very nice man.

Returning as Host, Chief Writer as well as Chief Editor for the show, Ryan McKenna will be the voice for The Hot Corner. Also returning to the show this season is Senior Baseball Analyst at The Hot Corner, Adam Connolly. Connolly provides great analysis on all transactions around baseball and is a fan favourite for his expertise in the baseball industry. Possible special guests for this season include Brandon Taylor Charpied from milbnews.com, a mid-season report card from Patrick McKenna and much more!

Action will get underway commencing in March with a recap of all the deals that took place across Major League Baseball from November to February. From there, The Hot Corner will do the same as last year with a preview of each division in the American League and then the National League. Special features for this season include a broadcast from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, and a broadcast from Moncton, New Brunswick, the site for this years Canada Cup, a tournament featuring all of Canada’s best 17-and-under players.

I hope you are all able to tune into The Hot Corner at some point this season and I am pleased to be apart of this season. Did I mention we will be having a contest this season as well? The weather outside may be cold but the baseball scene is heating up! Enjoy spring training!

“Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the deals are so delightful, Jayson Werth is getting paid, and Cliff Lee‘s got it made!”

Yes, I just used the song, “Let it Snow” and made a remix into a baseball fans thoughts around this time of year. The 2010 off-season is by far one of the most active in the past little while, and while Cliff Lee is the biggest free agent on the market, a lot of this off-season talk has been based around trades and the speculation that has surrounded it.

The off-season started with a boom on Friday, when the Red Sox talks with the Padres on Adrian Gonzalez started heating up. The Red Sox were given a 40 hr time limit to work out an extension with Gonzalez, and the deadline passed with Gonzalez not signing with the team. This made many Red Sox fans, including Senior Baseball Analyst at SportsSuperStation Adam Connolly, very upset. Late Sunday night however, the talks picked up again and finally it was official, the first blockbuster of the winter was set, Adrian Gonzalez and a 7-year, $154 million dollar extension for P Casey Kelly, 1B Anthony Rizzo and OF Rey Fuentes as well as a player to be named later.

Before the Gonzalez trade was completed, Jayson Werth found out he will be quite poor over the next 7 years…tricked ya. The Washington Nationals signed Werth to a 7-year, $126 million dollar deal, which will average Werth $18 million dollars a season! Not bad for a guy that some predict will end up like Vernon Wells and not live up to his expectations. I particularly don’t see this as a good move for the Nationals particularly because the money situation they are in at the moment, although I suppose this move may put some butts in the seats with Strasburg out for the season. Long term however…I grade this a C- move. I can’t see Werth continuing his great hitting seen as…really…who does he have to drive in?

On now to Cliff Lee talks. His name has been thrown around by many different sources to many different teams. The New York Yankees (preliminary favourite), Texas Rangers and once again the Washington Nationals are all in the hunt for this lefty with so much talent and clutchness, if that is a word. Lee continues to chat with all three teams and it looks as though, if he is going to sign anywhere, it will not be short-term. Deals in the vicinity of 6-7 years is what it looks like Lee is being offered according to numerous sources.

And finally, it’s Blue Jays talk time! AA (Alex Anthopoulos), has been a busy man over the last few weeks. It all started with the Justin Upton rumours, followed by the weird turn of events with the acquisition of Miguel Olivo (who they then declined arbitration), and now its Zack Greinke! Let’s start with the Jays latest deal. The Jays traded their ‘ace’ on the 2010 pitching staff, Shaun Marcum, to the Milwaukee Brewers for prospect 2B Brett Lawrie. Some question a rise with this transaction, all of which I have heard, digested and now it’s time to respond. One baseball fan explained to me that the only reason Marcum got traded was because he wanted out of Toronto. I personally don’t believe this is the case, although you never know. I don’t understand why Marcum would want to mess with a good young staff with the likes of Romero, Cecil, Morrow, Drabek, but then again, we aren’t with Marcum everyday therefore we cannot fully grasp why this trade happened. Lawrie is a good “Canadian!” prospect who the Jays have been looking at for a while. The fact that if I was a couple years older and had made the provincial PEI Youth Selects, I would have played against Lawrie really suggests what a small world we live in! Is this a good trade for the Jays? Not really, unless they were disappointed with Marcum come the end of the season, but any trade involving prospects who have not proven themselves in the Majors yet always comes into question. Time will tell…

And now the Greinke rumours. The rumours swirling have Greinke willing to waive his no-trade clause to any team. If it were to the Jays, the Jays have been said to be willing to give up P Kyle Drabek and OF Travis Snider. I don’t see this as a good move for the Jays, as, like many others, Greinke’s numbers between 2009 and this past season show that he may be on a downward slump from here. 47 more earned runs, a 10-14 record and a ERA up by more than 2 runs, does not sound enticing from a fan’s perspective. Not only that, but the fact that the Jays traded Roy Halladay for Kyle Drabek also speaks for itself. Time will tell however. I personally believe that the Marcum deal was completed to set up another deal, what that deal is however, is still unknown.

There are many more deals rumoured lately. Paul Konerko and the White Sox, the Red Sox still looking to boost their bullpen (Kevin Gregg?) and not to mention Carl Crawford still on the market. I will try to get another blog post up before Christmas but if not, Merry Christmas from myself personally as well as the rest of our staff at SportsSuperStation. Enjoy the holidays, the baseball deals, but most importantly, the food!

As the month of November is fast approaching, so is Movember or “No-Shave November”. Movember is an activity in the month of November designed to raise awareness on men’s health, and more specifically: prostate cancer.

Participants of this activity are to shave on November 1st, and then not again for the next 29 days, to grow a mustache or beard.  Movember is a fun activity for all guys at your workplace and around the community, so get the word out, because the more the merrier!  It’s also a friendly competition between friends for bragging rights on who can grow a moustache/beard and who can’t!  Not to mention, it’s for a great cause.  What are the rules for this fantastic cause? Check out the following link and the rules are simple: http://ca.movember.com/news/view/id/1092/category/national/

To join, simply go to www.movember.com and register yourself at the top of the page.  Our team name is “TOSH ‘Staches” and the team captain is myself, Ryan McKenna. Please register for this great cause and fun event! All donations can be made to myself personally or on the Movember website.  Feel free to contact me at ryan.b.mckenna@gmail.com if you have any questions.

World Series Preview Show

In our final podcast of the season, we finish like we started with Adam Connolly along side host Ryan McKenna to talk about the Blue Jays new hiring, Manny coming to T.O.? and most importantly our World Series Preview between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants.

Thank you to all our viewers for tuning in this season the The Hot Corner podcasts.  It was a fun ride and we appreciate you being on board for it.  We didn’t quite meet our goal of 30 episodes but we did mature as a company and as a podcast.  Host Ryan McKenna appreciates your support in the following statement: “The viewer response this year was tremendous and I hope all our viewers are able to visit back every week or so for a NHL blog post by Slap Shot Radio.”

Enjoy the World Series, have a safe a great winter, and may the best team win!

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