MLB News and Tidbits: Week of June 1

A Rocky Situation: Colorado Call Up Gonzalez

The Colorado Rockies have called up Carlos Gonzalez, the big outfield prospect they received from the Oakland A’s this past offseason in the Matt Holliday trade.

Since the Rockies already have Ryan Spilborghs, Seth Smith, and Brad Hawpe in the outfield, it wouldn’t make much since to me to bring up Gonzalez if there wasn’t a move to make.

Expect Hawpe or Todd Helton to get dealt in the very near future. Hawpe would be the easiest to trade and could bring back more value, considering Helton’s massive contract.

The Rockies should act soon though, while Hawpe's average, OPS, and RBI numbers are still among the top 10 in the National League.

Say it Ain't So, Big Z: Zambrano Talks Retirement

Carlos Zambrano retiring in five years? If he does, it would make him 33 years young.

However, we are obviously a long way from that point, so we will see what happens. It has been a very frustrating past week for Mr. Zambrano, who just got off a suspension for a tirade and missed a team flight to Atlanta.

Zambrano has been taking a lot of heat from the media and fans alike.

In my humble opinion, the tirades can be a good thing. They fire up teams when they are struggling, but most importantly some guys thrive on playing with emotion.

It seems in recent years, Zambrano has tried to control his emotions, but honestly I think it would be wise to let him pitch with that fire again.

 

Brave Icon Gone?: Glavine Released by Braves

Tom Glavine was released last week by the Atlanta Braves. The Braves executives claimed he just didn’t have what it took to get batters out, pointing to the decreasing velocity as a cause for concern.

A lot of folks in the baseball community feel like this was more of a financial move since Glavine would have received a $1 million bonus for making it back to the big leagues.

I don’t necessarily disagree with the move the Braves made. Age, injuries, and decreasing velocity out of one of your starters would concern any organization.

However, the organization could have went about it a different way.

For example, they could have warned him a while back that his staying with the club was unlikely, told him it was a financial move and that the focus was on younger pitchers, or simply given him a chance to pitch out of the bullpen.

On the other hand, Glavine should see this more as an opportunity or a favor from the Braves. He know can sign with whatever franchise he so desires, and he may have a better opportunity to pitch again in another organization.

Better yet, maybe he can latch on to a World Series contender.

In the end, it was probably the right move for the Braves and the right move for Glavine.