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Bill Petti of FanGraphs analyzes David Wright's contract extension with the Mets: David Wright Deal a Solid Bet for Mets | FanGraphs Baseball
By this approximation, the deal should work out well for the Mets. At the end of eight years, Wright is projected to accumulate roughly 25 WAR and those wins will be valued at around $156 million — an excess of $18 million from the actual contract. Note that if the rate of contract inflation is higher than 5% per year (which it very well could be after all is said and done given the growth of television deals) then the contract is even more team friendly
Rob Neyer of Baseball Nation explains why he thinks Denard Span makes the Nationals better: Mike Rizzo has Nationals well-positioned for the next few years - Baseball Nation
In the long term, Rizzo will have to do some things differently. There won't be any more Stephen Strasburgs or Bryce Harpers when the Nationals draft, and the minor-league prospects cupboard is nearly empty. But barring a rash of serious injuries, the Nats are well positioned for the next two or three years.
Chris Jaffe of the Hardball Times discusses Hall of Fame voters: On Hall of Fame voting--THT
For writers voting on the Hall, now is not the time to make a political stand. Part of the reason the steroid problem—if we want to term it that—was allowed to grow is many writers chose not to follow up on leads they were given. To hold a flimsy standard against these players not only accomplishes nothing for baseball’s history, but also erases the notion that the media who chose to build these figures up are not partially culpable for these legacies.
Doug Thorburn of Baseball Prospectus goes in-depth into an issue of pitching mechanics, not discussed by most: Baseball Prospectus | Raising Aces: On the Other Hand
A pitcher's throwing arm is the hardest-working limb on the playing field, so it figures to get all the attention, but the oft-ignored glove-side arm has the potential to either aid the delivery or throw a wrench into the system. The non-throwing arm plays a non-trivial role in mechanical assessment—I have occasionally dropped a reference to a pitcher with a “sloppy glove” or one who “keeps the glove out in front of the body,” but I have yet to go into detail on the topic.