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Russell A. Carlton of Baseball Prospectus gives us about as in-depth of an article about mental health as baseball fans could handle and he does it incredibly well: Baseball Prospectus | Baseball Therapy: Assessing the Risk: Hamilton, Greinke, and Mental Health
It's possible that what triggered Greinke's SAD was related to his pitching. It's also possible that it had nothing to do with baseball. Remember that while we often o see these men only in their roles as baseball players, they also have lives to live. To my knowledge, Mr. Greinke has chosen to keep the details of his struggle against anxiety and depression private (and that's his right), so before you write him off as damaged goods on the mound, consider that you're dealing with variables about which you know not.
Rob Neyer of Baseball Nation searches for the 2012 NL version of Billy Beane and he may or may not have come up empty: Billy Beane was great, but who was the National League's Executive of the Year? - Baseball Nation
It's funny. This whole piece is premised on the notion that the National League deserves its counterpart to Billy Beane, but the truth is that no general manager in the National League did what Billy Beane did. I absolutely did not expect to wind up like this, but maybe it's so rare for a general manager to truly create a contending team in the space of one year that we just shouldn't expect more than one brilliantly performing executive per year.
Brendan O'Toole of Over the Monster makes a case for why MVP and other awards matter: Why Most Valuable Players Matter - Over the Monster
So on Thursday, if Miguel Cabrera wins the MVP, don't worry too much about it. Don't start screaming that Trout was robbed (unless you're an Angels fan, in which case go nuts). Don't swear vendetta against Jon Morosi. Just remember that the debate's not settled, and that ideally it'll never be settled. I don't want to trade the old grit-and-hustle orthodoxy for a new WAR-is-all orthodoxy. I want a thousand different voices telling a thousand different stories about baseball.
Hudson Belinsky writing for ESPN SweetSpot discusses how the Angels re-tool their rotation: Restocking the Angels' rotation - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN
With the end of the season came a world of uncertainty. Weaver and Wilson are the only locks to return, and the Angels have 60 percent of a rotation to fill this winter. Who are some of their better options to restock the staff?
Mike Axisa of FanGraphs discusses the Red Sox's options with Jacoby Ellsbury: Jacoby Ellsbury’s Three Outcomes | FanGraphs Baseball
A year ago, Ellsbury was one of baseball’s hottest commodities as an elite player whose salary was still below-market due to the arbitration system. His injury-shortened and overall disappointing year turned what was supposed to be a slam-dunk contract extension into questions about his future with the team, however.