MLB Under the Bleachers: May 18

Were These Trades or Robberies?

Does anything delight fans quite as completely as a lopsided trade? Nothing gets your franchises' followers pumped as well as a real swindle. Of course, it's not always obvious what the real robberies were until a few years later.

Now that we've got almost a decade of hindsight behind us, let's take a look at one of the most lopsided trades of the 1990s. What's more amazing: that the Expos traded Pedro Martinez for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas, or that Armas actually ended up being the better part of what they got back?

Give Alfredo Some Love!

The Yankees had a lot of heroes this weekend, with big names like A-Rod and Johnny Damon giving the Bombers some firepower. Alfredo Aceves got sort of lost in the shuffle, but here's an argument that he was really a key part of the team's strong showings. 

Aceves may not have been the Yanks' first choice for their bullpen, but he's helping anchor the once-shaky unit. It's a good thing, too; if things had gotten any worse Brian Cashman might have been tempted to get Kyle Farnsworth back.

Someday He'll Write a Song About This

Barry Zito may be an overpaid punch line, but it's easy to lose sight of the truth about the Giants' big-money hurler: He used to be really, really good. Here's a look at Zito's career, particularly his struggles since picking up a Cy Young in 2002.

Can Zito turn it around this year? This writer thinks so. The rest of us can just continue to be amazed that a man with a stuffed animal collection somehow struggles in MLB.

Break Up the Brew Crew!

The Brewers stumbled out of the gate this year, which was pretty unsurprising; it's tough to lose CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets and stay competitive. Somehow, though, the team has been on fire and are looking like a contender. Are they for real, though? 

Here's an attempt to answer that question. Rickie Weeks is finally starting to play up to his hype, Trevor Hoffman's been unhittable, and the entire offense has picked up over 20 points of OBP. As soon as they can start finding some at-bats for the Chorizo from the sausage race, they could put the NL Central out of reach.

Learing to Love Raul

When the Phillies let Pat Burrell go in favor of signing Raul Ibanez this winter, the decision ruffled a lot of feathers around Philly. It seemed like the team just picked up another defensive liability in left field and signed him to a big multi-year deal. Why not keep Burrell, right? Well, so far Ibanez's been amazing while Burrell's been aching.

Here's one writer's admission that he was wrong to deride the Ibanez signing. A Philly sports fan admitting he was wrong? This is an even rarer sight than an Eagles Super Bowl win, so enjoy it.