The Rays Tank: Burnett On The Block; Marlins Making One Last Run

Not much has happened in the world of baseball over the past few days. The Yankees have continued to talk with the Pirates about trading A.J. Burnett, and the Marlins have made an offer to Yoenis Cespedes. That's about it. And unless something radical and unforeseen happens, we could be in for a long last week before Spring Training.

Burnett will get dealt by the Yanks; they have too much incentive to offload his contract that I can't see this deal getting permanently held up by quibbles over how much money to eat. And eventually, Yoenis Cespedes will sign with a team...at this point, likely the Marlins. The Cubs have reportedly dropped out of the running, and without them, there are few teams ready to jump into the fray and offer him significant money. Maybe the Nationals make a play, after losing out on Prince Fielder? Only time will tell, and sadly, it's one of the juiciest story-lines to follow right now.

• If you're looking for a morning dose of amusement and entertainment, be sure to check out this article by Jeff Sullivan: 2011 In Extreme Home Runs. Sullivan highlights some of the weirdest pitches to be hit for homers last season -- the highest pitch, lowest pitch, most inside, outside, etc. -- and the videos and gifs are a ton of fun. Right now, any glimpse of baseball being played is a good glimpse.
• Joe Poz recently threw together an unofficial study on how players age, and as with most everything written by Joe, it's worth a read. There are many ways to prove that batting Chone Figgins at lead-off would be rather nuts, and while I'd have focused on his declining walk rate, this works too.
• After there was such an uproar after Buster Posey was injured last season, I feel like I haven't heard a word said about him or his recovery. Maybe that's because I live on the East Coast? Because Posey fell off the radar of the national media? I'm not exactly sure, but from recent reports, he's well enough to be hoping to play Opening Day.
• Can you imagine a time before sports scores were available instantaneously via your phone, the internet, the radio, and/or your TV? Yeah, me neither.