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On Friday, the Arizona Diamondbacks acquired 19-year-old minor league shortstop Domingo Leyba from the Detroit Tigers.

Leyba comes to Arizona as part of a three-team deal that also sent Shane Greene to the Tigers from the New York Yankees and Didi Gregorius from the D-backs to New York.

Originally, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported that pitcher Robbie Ray was the key player headed to Arizona in the deal:

However, Ben Badler of Baseball America indicates that Leyba is the man the Diamondbacks will bring into the fold: 

Bernie Pleskoff of MLBPipeline.com praised Leyba:

The switch-hitting Dominican infielder has yet to make his major league debut, but he’s already shown that he can be a force at the plate. In 67 games in the minor leagues, Leyba has a batting average of .323 and an on-base percentage of .360.

In 30 games with the Tigers’ West Michigan Single-A team, Leyba hit .397 with seven RBI. He has had a few issues in the field. He committed six errors in 68 games, which isn’t that bad considering he’s still playing in the low-level minors.

Leyba could be a year or so away from reaching the big leagues, but Arizona now has depth at shortstop in the organization. Per Pleskoff, there’s also the option of moving him to second base.

Chris Owings is only 23 years old, and he hit .261 in 2014 in 91 games. He could get the first shot at playing every day in 2015. 

Switch-hitter Cliff Pennington could push his way into a platoon system. 

In the long term, both could just be keeping the position warm for Leyba when he’s ready for majors.

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The Detroit Tigers acquired Shane Greene from the New York Yankees on Friday as part of a three-team deal that also included the Arizona Diamondbacks, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Arizona sent 24-year-old shortstop Didi Gregorious to the Yankees as the centerpiece of the deal, and the Diamondbacks acquired starting pitcher Robbie Ray from the Tigers.

Detroit is hoping it landed the gem in the swap. Greene is a 26-year-old right-handed starting pitcher who started 14 games for the Yankees in 2014. He finished with a record of 5-4, a 3.38 ERA and 1.398 WHIP.

It was his first season in the majors and he helped to stabilize an injury-riddled Yankees rotation.

Greene’s best pitch is his four-seam fastball. Per Brooks Baseball, it tops out at 95 miles per hour, though the velocity seemed to dip slightly in the final months of the regular season.

In addition to the fastball, Greene also throws a sinker, changeup, slider and cutter. Gerard Martin, a fantasy baseball writer at The Fantasy Fix, points out one of Greene’s primary flaws.

Left-handed hitters batted .281 against Greene in 2014, compared to righties who hit just .245. Improving in this area could be the key to a successful season for Greene.

The Tigers could lose ace Max Scherzer in free agency, and Justin Verlander hasn’t looked dominant in two years, so the Tigers are looking for some new arms to stock up their rotation. 

Greene’s presence in the Tigers rotation could be vital alongside lefty David Price. While he doesn’t appear to have the upside of Scherzer, he provides a potentially stabilizing pitcher who the Tigers control. With his solid fastball and wide arsenal of breaking pitches, there’s a lot to like in the young starter, who is just starting his big league career. 

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On Friday, the Toronto Blue Jays sent 24-year-old infielder Brett Lawrie and three others to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for 2014 All-Star Josh Donaldson. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports has the full details:

In 2014, injuries limited Lawrie to just 70 games. The former first-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 hit .247 with 12 home runs and 38 RBI. The 28-year-old Donaldson made the American League All-Star team last season when he hit .259 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI.

The deal seemed to shock at least one rival executive, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports:

Jose Bautista said goodbye to Lawrie and welcomed Donaldson via Twitter:

Both players are eligible for arbitration this season, but because of Donaldson’s production, he figures to carry a higher price tag for the 2015 season and beyond.

Of the three prospects the A’s acquired for Donaldson, only Sean Nolin has pitched in the majors. The 24-year-old left-hander has appeared in two games over the last two seasons. He is 0-1 with an ERA of 27.00.

Graveman is a right-hander who spent 2014 at various levels of the minor leagues. Barreto is an 18-year-old shortstop from Venezuela.

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After breaking into the major leagues in 1998, A.J. Pierzynski has been the player many fanbases and even some teammates have loved to hate. Now we’re waiting to see when or if he’ll be able to continue his MLB career.  

According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Atlanta Braves have expressed interest in Pierzynski:

He split time between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals in 2014. Just after the Cardinals were eliminated from the postseason, Pierzynski let it be known that he wanted to continue his career.

Per Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Dispatch, the 17-year veteran, who turns 38 in December, said: 

My kids want me to play and my wife wants me to play. It’s hard to walk away. Whether it is to come in and help a young guy out or come in and play every day. It is a tough opportunity to turn down. All my friends … say keep playing as long as you can. They all regret (it) once they walk away.

There’s usually a strong market for a veteran catcher for teams looking for a positive clubhouse presence. Being a left-handed hitter normally helps, which Pierzynski has covered, but there are some definite concerns about his personality affecting a team’s clubhouse.

Pierzynski signed a one-year, $8.25 million deal with the Boston Red Sox before the 2014 season, but the relationship between the veteran, his teammates and manager John Farrell deteriorated.

Ultimately, the Red Sox placed Pierzynski on waivers and that led to him signing on with the St. Louis Cardinals for the remainder of the season, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.com:

Pierzynski had become such a negative influence on the team that players approached both the Sox coaches and front office to address the problem. The common theme expressed was the catcher’s seeming indifference toward his teammates and the common goals of the same organization that had relied on an all-for-one approach when winning the 2013 World Series.

Between his time in Boston and St. Louis, Pierzynski hit .251 with five homers, 37 RBI and a .288 on-base percentage in 102 games. The two-time All Star is a career .281 hitter with 177 home runs. 

While Pierzynski will be 38 by next season, he still has plenty of experience, including playoffs, to help a team in need at the position.

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Predicting the MVP of the MLB All-Star Game is like sticking your hand in a beehive and trying to guess which of the little suckers is going to sting you first.

There’s probably some rhyme or reason to it, but mostly, it’s pretty random.

Nevertheless, we’ll take a look at the list below and try to focus on three players most likely to do damage on Tuesday at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Yasiel Puig

Puig is a man of the moment. He’s proved that time and time again in his brief major league career. In this, his first opportunity to shine bright at the Midsummer Classic, expect Puig to stand out in a major way.

Whether it’s by hitting a big home run or by making a sparkling defensive play, Puig has the tools to not only give fans some memorable moments, but to win the game’s Most Valuable Player Award.

Jose Abreu

Hands down, the best rookie so far this season is Abreu. In fact, according to this tweet from ESPN Stats & Info, Abreu’s rookie campaign is set to be one of the best of all time.

He has since hit his 28th home run. At the rate he’s going, he could have 30 by Tuesday.

Abreu has the type of demeanor that makes you believe he could handle the spotlight the All-Star Game brings. Longtime Chicago White Sox player and former All-Star Paul Konerko talked about his 27-year-old teammate.

Abreu will not participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday, but he might put on his own display during the game.

Carlos Gomez

There are several ways to impact a game. Like Puig, Gomez has the skills to be a factor in almost every aspect. How dynamic is the National League outfield with Gomez, Puig and Andrew McCutchen?

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more athletic threesome in any outfield—All-Star Game or traditional rosters.

The 28-year-old has really come into his own over the last two years. Aside from hitting 24 home runs last season and 13 in the first half of this campaign, Gomez has stolen 15 bases and made several amazing plays in the outfield.

He is a showman and a good bet to play well on Tuesday.

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The 2014 MLB All-Star Game will take place Tuesday from Target Field in Minneapolis. While Derek Jeter will be participating in his 14th and final All-Star Game, there’s a large group of players who will be making their debuts in the Midsummer Classic.

At least three of them figure to be perennial All-Stars in their careers, provided injuries or other issues don’t derail their careers.

Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox

Most knew that Jose Abreu projected as a big-time power hitter, but almost no one expected the 27-year-old Cuban to be this good. Abreu has been one of the lone bright spots in a dim season for the Chicago White Sox. Through 78 games, he is tied for the major league lead in home runs with 28. 

Unless Abreu inexplicably doesn’t play in the second half of the season, or forgets how to hit, he seemingly has the American League Rookie of the Year wrapped up. While he is an old rookie, he’s still young enough to play another 10-plus years at a high level in the major leagues.

Bet on Abreu playing in a good number of All-Star games during that time.

Abreu’s teammate, veteran and multiple-time All-Star Paul Konerko, had this to say about the beastly rookie, per longtime baseball writer, Peter Gammons:

Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees

Despite the fact that Tanaka is headed for the disabled list with an elbow injury that could be serious, there’s no disputing he was as good as advertised in the first half of the season for the New York Yankees.

The 25-year-old Japanese star is 12-4 with a 2.51 ERA and a WHIP of 1.01 in 18 starts. Assuming his arm checks out and nothing career-altering has taken place, this season was just the beginning of a stellar career in the majors.

At 25, he arrived in the majors with enough maturity and youth to have a long and stellar run in the Bronx. That will likely include regular appearances in the All-Star Game.

We can only hope Tanaka’s injury doesn’t deprive fans of seeing what he could become.

Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers

Without question, Puig is one of the most electrifying and polarizing players in the game today. When you mix in his natural charisma with his immense talent, Puig looks like the type of player who will be amongst the top five vote-getters for the next 10 years.

The 6’2″, 235-pound freakishly gifted athlete is having an even better year in 2014 than he did last season.

Through 86 games, Puig is hitting .307 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI. If he doesn’t miss any time, he could eclipse the 100-RBI mark for the first time in his career. That will likely be the first of many times he accomplishes that feat.

As well, this will be the first of several All-Star appearances.

All player stats and info per Baseball Reference.

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This season isn’t looking too great for the Chicago Cubs or Chicago White Sox in the standings, but the two teams sure know how to engineer an online campaign to get their stars to the MLB All-Star Game.

The results are in, and the final two MLB All-Star roster spots are filled. The White Sox’s Chris Sale and the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo were named as the winners of the online fan vote.

MLB’s official Twitter account has the word:

Per Mark Newman of MLB.com, there were a total of 52.5 million votes cast for the candidates. Here’s a look at the final order after the votes were cast.

The Chicago White Sox fans and media personnel deserve a ton of credit for getting Sale recognized. Obviously, Sale did his job on the field with an 8-1 record and an ERA of 2.08, but White Sox fans and media have proven to be a force in the Final Vote process.

This was the fourth time a member of the team has won the Final Vote. That’s a record for the relatively new process of selecting the final two All-Stars.

Sale came away with 6.7 million votes to beat out the Detroit Tigers’ Rick Porcello, the Houston Astros’ Dallas Keuchel, the Los Angeles Angels’ Garrett Richards and the Cleveland Indians’ Corey Kluber.

Most believe the 25-year-old, hard-throwing left-hander should have been selected for the team conventionally, but he was one of the more notable snubs. The Final Vote effectively righted a wrong.

Check out how Sale’s numbers compare to the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Clayton Kershaw:

This is Sale’s third-straight All-Star selection.

He joins White Sox teammates Jose Abreu and Alexei Ramirez in representing the American League this year.

Anthony Rizzo had his own strong case to be part of the National League All-Star team before the Final Vote. Heading into Thursday, Rizzo’s 20 home runs were second only to Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton’s 21 in the National League.

Still, Rizzo had to mount 8.8 million votes to beat out the Colorado Rockies’ Justin Morneau, Miami Marlins’ Casey McGehee, Atlanta Braves’ Justin Upton and the Washington Nationals’ Anthony Rendon.

Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper says the fans got the right guy:

To go along with the 20 dingers, Rizzo is hitting .277 with 49 RBI and an OPS of .890. This is the first All-Star selection for the 24-year-old.

After word came down that Rizzo was the one selected to represent the Cubs and the National League, he tweeted this gratuitous message:

Some might shun the concept of allowing the fans to select two more spots on the All-Star rosters, but it’s hard to criticize Rizzo or Sale’s inclusion.

If the Final Vote continues to ensure that worthy players get recognized in the All-Star Game, then it would seem that the process is working just fine. Also, anything that encourages millions of baseball fans to participate can’t be a bad thing.

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Cincinnati Reds star Brandon Phillips is an entertainer. Whether its playing a Gold Glove-caliber second base, smacking 18 home runs or flying around the basepaths, BP knows how to have fun.

I caught up with him at an MLB 14 The Show event on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. We discussed the game, the sport and a host of other things.

Cincinnati Reds Talk captured this cool image from Phillips’ Instagram just before our interview:

We all got an opportunity to play the game a bit. Both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions look awesome. In fact, the build of the PS4 version we played was still updating. It looked even better on Wednesday than it did on Tuesday.

Baseball gamers are anxiously awaiting its full release. The PS3 version drops on April 1, and the PS4 version will be available on May 6.

BP wants everyone to know he’s a force in the game. I promised him I’d draft him onto my Chicago Cubs team during my fantasy season on the game.

It shouldn’t be a bad move, considering he hit .261 with 18 home runs and 103 RBI in 2013. It was the fourth consecutive season he hit 18 homers.

Phillips needs just 37 home runs to join some elite company at his position. If he hits that mark, he’ll become just the 11th player to hit 200 homers as a second baseman.

As of now, there’s only nine, but the Seattle Mariners‘ Robinson Cano needs just four to join the 200 club for second basemen. It seems a safe bet he’ll reach that number within the first two months of the season—at least.

Believe it or not, Phillips has been in the league for 12 years. He’s played his entire career in the state of Ohio, having spent the first four seasons in the Cleveland Indians organization.

As a veteran, I picked Phillips’ brain about some of the up-and-coming second basemen in the league, as well as gathered his thoughts on the Los Angeles Angels‘ Mike Trout, arguably the best player in the majors today.

Take a look at the interview and keep an eye out for more information on the release of MLB 14 The Show.

Follow me. I like sports and video games…a lot.

@BMaziqueFPBR

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The St. Louis Cardinals punched their ticket to the 2013 World Series on Friday night, and the Boston Red Sox will attempt to join them with a win Saturday. The Cards pounded Clayton Kershaw for seven runs in just four innings, while Michael Wacha and two relievers kept the harmless Dodger bats in check. When the assault was done, the Cards were victorious, 9-0. 

St. Louis will be looking for their second World Series title in four years. In 2011, the Cards outlasted the Texas Rangers to win in seven games. This year, they will either face the Red Sox or the Detroit Tigers.

The Red Sox and the Cards were tied for the best record in the major leagues during the regular season, so it would seem only right that the two teams would meet in the World Series.

Boston sits on the cusp of its first trip back to the Fall Classic since 2006, when it swept to Colorado Rockies. The Tigers will not go quietly, though.

Manager Jim Leyland will send 21-game winner Max Scherzer to the mound with the season on the line. He’ll be opposed by Clay Buchholz. Scherzer has been solid in the postseason, but his relief has been less-than stellar. In his Game 2 start against the Red Sox, Scherzer left the game after seven innings pitched, having allowed just two hits and one earned run.

Detroit led 5-1 at that point, but the Red Sox exploded for four runs in the eighth and one more in the ninth to win 6-5. Will he need to go deep into the ballgame to ensure the Tigers have a shot to force a Game 7?

Undoubtedly, Tigers star Justin Verlander would get the ball from Leyland with a chance to pitch his team into the World Series should the Tigers get to that point. He lost a tough 1-0 decision in Game 4 when he was outdueled by John Lackey and the Red Sox bullpen. We’d probably see a rematch of the two hurlers if the Tigers can extend the series.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens Saturday night.

Once things are settled, here is the schedule for the 2013 World Series. If it is anything like the postseason series that preceded it, fans should be in for a treat.

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The Tampa Bay Rays have picked a horrible time to hit a snag. The team came into its final series against the Toronto Blue Jays needing to win just one game to ensure a berth in the AL Wild Card Game.

After dropping the first two games of this all-important series, the Rays have to win on Sunday to have a shot at playing in the AL Wild Card Game. They are now 90-71 and tied for the second wild-card spot with the Texas Rangers.

The Cleveland Indians have won nine straight and are now sitting in the top spot at 91-70.

First Scenario

Everything could be made simple if the Indians defeat the Minnesota Twins, and the Rays and Rangers win and lose, respectively or vice versa.

Even the simple option is complicated.

That would create a postseason scenario where Sunday’s winners would meet at Progressive Field to see which wild-card team advances to the AL Division Series. As crazy as this final week of the major league season has been, we should be prepared for things to get complex.

Second Scenario

If the Indians lose and both the Rangers and Rays win, there would be a three-way tie for the two spots. Per MLB.com, here’s how that would be settled.

Essentially, the Rays would play the Indians in Cleveland on Monday for the top wild-card spot. The loser of this game would play the Rangers in Texas for the second wild-card spot on Tuesday. The AL Wild Card Game would be played on Wednesday.

It would be hosted by the winner of the Rays-Indians game. Since the Rays and Indians had the two highest winning percentages in head-to-head games among the three teams, they have two chances to earn one of the spots.

Third Scenario

If the Indians win and the Rangers and Rays both win or lose, the latter two will finish the season tied. The Indians would remain in the wild-card spot and host the AL Wild Card Game. The Rays and Rangers would play a tiebreaker game for the final spot on Monday. If all three teams lose on Sunday, we would get the same result.

The more confusing this whole wild-card thing gets, the more fun it is to follow. Stay tuned for an epic Sunday of baseball to see which of these three scenarios plays out.

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