Marion Barber Trade Rumors: Tashard Choice Fantasy Impact

Jerod Morris over at Midwest Sports Fans just gave me a ring and said that there are reports on the radio the Marion Barber will be traded before the end of the week. The Rumor Mill has been churning about Marion Barber leaving the Cowboys for awhile now, which would no doubt increase the fantasy football value of Tashard Choice and Felix Jones. The reason the Cowboys would rather move Marion the Barbarian is simple as Todd Archer put in his article back in February.

He makes more money, doesn’t seem to be able to stay healthy, has lacked a burst the last two seasons. Choice is younger and cheaper and would be a good complement to Felix Jones. If you’re trading one of these guys, then you have to take a running back in the draft, IMO.
Todd Archer’s Mention: Marion Barber Trade

Old speculation on a possible Marion Barber trade is also on the NFL.com Blogs

Executives around the league think Cowboys RB Marion Barber could be available, but he’s believed to be the least attractive player in a backfield that includes Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.
NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora Mention: Marion Barber Trade

More Info as it comes out…

Trading Jarrod Saltalamacchia Could Be a Bad Move

Over the last few years the Rangers have made some pretty good personnel moves: the signing of Vladimir Guerrero, The Cliff Lee Trade, Edinson Volquez for Josh Hamilton and of course the famous Mark Teixeira Trade. They have also made some bad ones: Chris Young for Adam Eaton, Alfonso Soriano for Brad Wilkerson, and John Danks for Brandon McCarthy.

The most recent move by the Rangers was trading catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to the Boston Red Sox for right hand pitcher Roman Mendez, first baseman Chris McGuiness, a player to be named later and cash considerations. The move was done because they were disappointed in Saltalamacchia’s performance, but it was also done to bulk up their roster as they make a serious run for the post-season.

Getting to the post season in Major League Baseball is probably more difficult than other professional sports such as the NHL or the NBA, so making deals that help a team in short-term is commonly accepted. However; are the Rangers hurting themselves in the long-run by parting with a catcher who has the potential to be one of the best in the league? Will this move join the list of regrettable trades made by the Texas Rangers?

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Cristian Guzman traded to Texas Rangers? Confirmed

Twitter is buzzing and the Washington Post is reporting that there is more Texas Rangers news, 2B/SS Cristian Guzman is heading to Texas. The Rangers traded prospects to the Washington Nationals for the veteran infielder. There are no more details yet on the trade, and we will update this post when we here more details on the Texas Ranger’s Cristian Guzman trade.

Washington Post Articte: Cristian Guzman Traded to Texas Rangers
Photo Credit: Sports of Boston

Jorge Cantu traded to the Rangers? Confirmed

**The Jorge Cantu Trade has been confirmed.**

It looks like the Jorge Cantu rumor is getting closer to being true. If  Jorge Cantu is coming, you can forget about Prince Fielder. I like this deal better, because we don’t have to give up the farm to get Cantu. In the Cantu deal the Texas Rangers are supposedly giving up to AA minor league pitchers for Jorge Cantu, at this point it is not confirmed. Rumor is that the Rangers will only be picking up very little if any of his salary. However Jorge Cantu is still in the game for the Marlins so this might be some BS, however this post will be updated as more information is available.

UPDATES:

Ken Rosenthal’s Tweet
• #Marlins’ return for Cantu will be Double A RHP Evan Reed & Double A RHP Omar Poveda, who is on DL recovering from TJ surgery. #Rangers #MLB

Other Tweets

• “The Marlins will obtain AA righties Evan Reed and Omar Poveda from the Rangers for Jorge Cantu” Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports @560wqam

Image Source: http://www.exposay.com/

Dallas Cowboys Offseason & Draft Needs

Cowboys Offseason

Sportsbook Super Bowl Odds (for XLV): Cowboys +1215

NFC Odds (5Dimes Reviews): Cowboys +685

Where do the Cowboys Need Help?

Let’s face it, the Dallas Cowboys are pretty stacked. When you have the monetary resources that the Cowboys have you can put together a pretty solid team. But there are holes in that armor, and Jerry Jones is looking to address those holes in free agency while building for the future in the draft. So after you place your bet on March madness you can spend some time evaluating where the Cowboys need some help.

Tony Romo took a lot of flack last season for the team’s offensive performance. The team ejected Terrell Owens so that Romo could run his offense without any interference. As the season wore on the glaring holes in the offensive line started to show. On the left side of the line, tackle Flozell Adams was less than reliable and tackle Marc Colombo on the right side is still recovering from injury. Romo has no reliable protection on the interior of the offensive line, and that is what caused the offensive problems for the Cowboys last season. With weapons such as Miles Austin and Roy Williams to throw to and Felix Jones on the ground, the Dallas offense is two tackles away from being potent.

Believe it or not the Cowboys actually need a place kicker. The Cowboys went for it on fourth down in the regular season and the playoffs when they should have been able to rely on their kicking. But Wade Phillips opted to go for the first down rather than the sure points and it cost the Cowboys games. There are plenty of kickers to choose from in free agency this year including Neil Rackers and Dan Carpenter if their respective teams do not re-sign them.

The Cowboys secondary may need some patching up as well. Ken Hamlin is not performing up to his contract at safety, and backup Alan Ball has not shown that he has what it takes to be an NFL starter. Look for the Cowboys to let Hamlin go and replace him with someone like Brodney Pool in Cleveland. The problem is that Pool, like most of the desirable safeties in free agency this year, is a restricted free agent. The Cowboys want nothing to do with a restricted free agent in the year before an uncapped season, so look for the Cowboys to be aggressive with trades during the draft. The Cowboys are not known for starting drafted rookies in their first season, so it would be unusual for them to pick a safety in the draft with the intention of making that draft pick a starter.

It was a smart move for the Cowboys to pick up Jon Kitna last season because there were questions as to what the team would do if Romo got hurt. The team has confidence in Kitna and they have no hesitation in handing the ball to the former starting quarterback if Romo should get seriously injured.

There are only a few places where the Dallas Cowboys need to improve to make themselves a playoff contender. One would be getting a little bit svelte and quick on the offensive line, which could means that the Cowboys will need to quickly get some tips to lose body fat fast. It will be interesting to see if Jerry Jones has the patience to address some of his issues in the draft, of if the Cowboys become active in free agency and through trading.

Dallas Mavericks Trade For Caron Butler

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks have just completed their rumored trade with the Washington Wizards, and the deal will be announced later tonight.

The biggest pieces in the trade are Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood going from the Washington Wizards to the Dallas Mavericks, and Josh Howard and Drew Gooden moving from the Dallas Mavericks to the Washington Wizards.

Full description after the jump. mavericks-trade-for-caron-butler/#more-3380″ class=”more-link”>Read more

Kevin Millwood, Rich Harden, and Mike Lowell oh my!

The Texas Rangers have made some serious moves since I left work last night. Evan Grant over at the Dallas News – Rangers Blog has reported that it is official, Kevin Millwood is not going to be a Ranger this season. Kevin Millwood’s new team will be the Oriole’s, what do we get back in this trade? Not much to be honest, but don’t get down on the Rangers yet, let me explain.

The Texas Rangers will receive reliever Chris Ray as well as a player to be named later. Chris Ray ERA was 7.27 last year, but the previous seasons it was 2.73 and 4.43. Not really an equal trade for Millwood, but the Rangers are also rumored to be getting a pitching prospect as the player to be named later, and this will also clear up some room to sign some free agents.

Here comes the good part, with Millwood’s contract off the books, the Rangers are signing Rich Harden to a 1-year deal worth 7.5 million for the upcoming year, and this deal will also have an option for 1 more year at 11.5 million. Rich Harden is un-hittable when he is on and healthy, the problem has been that Harden hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Rich Harden made it through 26 games last year posting a 4.09 ERA, Harden’s ERA the previous year was 1.77 and has been under 3 every year except for last year. In comparison Millwood pitched 31 games last year with a 3.67 ERA, but he was in a contract year, and his ERA was above 5 in both of the previous years.

Update: 1310 the Ticket has reported that the Rich Harden deal is final.

I like this move, the Texas Rangers pitching staff becomes younger and more talented if Rich Harden can stay healthy. An added bonus is that this deal did not involve Milton Bradley, thank you John Daniels.

Another move that is being rumored is the Rangers getting Mike Lowell from the Boston Red Sox for the Texas Rangers Max Ramirez. This deal is not official, mostly because the Texas Rangers have some worries over Mike Lowell and his problematic 36 year old hip. Mike Lowell would add a much needed right handed batter to the Rangers lineup, and losing Max Ramirez is not that big of a deal due to the fact that the Rangers are so strong at the catching position.

Resources:
YahooSports! – Mike Lowell rumor
Evan Grant – Millwood and Harden

Busy Offseasons For Texas NBA Teams

The NBA season has been finished for about and you would think people would be more interested in Wimbledon odds, since tennis’ preeminent Grand Slam is underway or Super Bowl odds, since the season is rapidly approaching, but all of the water cooler chatter has been regarding the NBA offseason.

The Texas teams are right in the thick of things, including the San Antonio Spurs, who pulled off a blockbuster trade on Tuesday.

The San Antonio Spurs shipped off some spare parts in the form of Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas and Bruce Bowen to the Milwaukee Bucks to get Richard Jefferson.

Jefferson fills a huge void for the Spurs in so many ways, which should make them a real threat once again in the Western Conference. I’m betting management was thrilled with the deal considering they didn’t have to trade away any of their core.

For starters, the Spurs do get a starter in return for three bench players. Jefferson will add a legit 20-point scorer to go with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, who is off a career year.

While the Spurs first moves have made their Southwest Division cohorts kind of nervous, the other teams don’t figure to stand pat.

The Dallas Mavericks have been linked to Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Anderson Varejao, are in the thick of a lot of rumors. Reports indicate that they tried to ship out Josh Howard for the fifth pick overall but the Washington Wizards were not interested. The Mavs have also been linked to Shaquille O’Neal, although he isn’t exactly a team priority. A player the Mavericks are more likely to move is Jerry Stackhouse.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks have already made before the start of the draft, shipping off the 22nd pick in the draft to Portland. The Trail Blazers traded three picks to move up two spots and now own the Mavs 22nd pick. Meanwhile, the Mavs moved back two spots to No. 24 and received Portland No. 56 pick and another second-rounder in 2010.

Apparently the Trail Blazers are interesting in international player Omri Casspi and were worried that the Sacramento Kings might take him with the 23rd pick in the draft.

As sports wagering experts know, the draft is a hectic time when teams reshape themselves. Keep an eye on Thursday to see what else the three Texas teams pull off.

Mavs trade draft pick

According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, the Mavericks have traded the 22nd pick in tomorrow’s NBA draft to the Portland Trail Blazers for the 24th and 56th picks this year along with Portland’s worst second round pick in 2010.

The Mavericks were rumored to be looking to trade up to the 5th pick, but they were outdone by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who traded for that pick today.

With Jason Kidd not getting any younger, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mavericks go after a point guard in the draft, but drafting a big man wouldn’t necessarily be out of the question.

As of right now, these two picks the Mavs just traded for are the only two picks they have in tomorrow night’s draft.

Dallas Sports Offseason Update

Stars hire new head coach, Mavs trade rumors blowing

While many sports fans prepare their Stanley Cup betting picks for the big Game 7 in Detroit Friday night and the Magic try to draw even with the Lakers tonight, the offseason rages on for the city of Dallas in the NHL, NBA and NFL. Let’s catch up with our favorite teams and see how their offseasons are going.

The Dallas Stars

For the second straight week, the Dallas Stars are the top newsmaker in the Offseason Update. Last week, they hired Joe Nieuwendyk as their new general manager; this week it was time for a coaching change. Dave Tippett, who coached the Stars to a 271-162-59 record over six seasons but never got the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final, got the axe this week and Dallas wasted no time in hiring their new head coach. They chose veteran bench boss Marc Crawford today and many Dallas fans, not to mention anyone hoping to bet on Stars’ Stanley Cup futures at their sportsbook, are not too pleased.

Crawford made a name for himself when he coached the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup in 1996 but has struggled since then. Coaching Vancouver and Los Angeles for nine total seasons, Crawford missed the playoffs five times and advanced past the first round of the playoffs just once. Only time will tell if he can shake that funk; he does arguably have a better roster to start with than inherited in Vancouver and L.A.

The Dallas Mavericks

Are the Mavs trying to trade for the Wizards’ fifth overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft? That’s the rumor, though most of the buzz is coming from blogs and forums rather than major media sources. Most fans are betting management in Dallas wants center Jordan Hill, though it remains to be seen what the Mavs would give up to get him?

Jason Kidd becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and all indications are that Dallas will try to re-sign him. If they don’t, they’ll have virtually nothing to show for the trade that sent Devin Harris to New Jersey and they’ll risk alienating their fans with a situation paralleling Steve Nash’s departure to Phoenix. The circumstances obviously aren’t totally the same, as Kidd likely has much less left in the tank than Nash did when he blew town. Read more