On-Base Perception

It was only a matter of time, but Wednesday was opt-out day for Rafael Soriano.

The Yankees' closer opted-out of the final year of the three-year, $35 million deal he signed before the 2011 season. The Yankees PR department's verified twitter account tweeted the news.

Soriano was in line to earn $14 million for the 2013 season under that contract, and he is now due a $1.5 million buyout....

In baseball free agency, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. Fans who will do anything to keep their favorite players and fans who have no problem kicking any player to the curb.

This is Part 6 of our series looking at upcoming free agents for the Mets and Yankees and arguing for and against keeping them.

(Insert the "Law & Order" clang,...

Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano were awarded 2012 Rawlings Gold Gloves on Tuesday.

It was the fifth of Teixeira's career and his third with the Yankees. Teixeira committed only one error in 119 regular season games at first base for a .999 fielding percentage.

Cano had six errors on the year for a .992 fielding percentage in 154 games at second base. The award is the second of his career.

Here...

San Francisco is in full-blown celebration mode following the Giants' four-game World Series sweep over the Detroit Tigers. Fans could have a new anthem to sing as they prepare for Wednesday's parade — the latest parody from The NOC, "Ho Hey," originally performed by The Lumineers.

How does it stack up against the Yankees' "Haya Doin?" anthem of the late '90s and early...

In baseball free agency, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. Fans who will do anything to keep their favorite players and fans who have no problem kicking any player to the curb.

This is Part 5 of our series looking at upcoming free agents for the Mets and Yankees and arguing for and against keeping them.

(Insert the "Law & Order" clang,...

The teams representing both leagues in the 2012 World Series have combined to set another record in addition to lengths of brutish beards and severely low television ratings.

The San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers selected a combined record number of foreign-born players for their World Series rosters. The Giants and Tigers each had 10 players born outside the U.S. on their 25-man...

Brian Cashman, meet Marco Scutaro. Marco Scutaro, grab a pen.

Could the Giants' spark-plug second baseman be the newest Yankees infielder come the 2013 season?

Scutaro would certainly seem to fit the Yankees' needs on several fronts. For one thing, he's a veteran hitter used to a role either as a starter or as a super-sub. He could take over for Alex Rodriguez at third base or Derek...

An actual statement overheard following the Giants' win over the Tigers in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday: “Barry Zito?! I thought he was dead!”

For all intents and purposes, his career was.

Zito was one of Oakland's “Big Three” starting pitchers during the early 2000s, along with Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. A three-time All-Star, he won the Cy Young award in 2002, his third...

In baseball free agency, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. Fans who will do anything to keep their favorite players and fans who have no problem kicking any player to the curb.

This is Part 4 of our series looking at upcoming free agents for the Mets and Yankees and arguing for and against keeping them.

(Insert the "Law & Order" clang,...

Despite baseball's designation as America's “national pastime,” we know football is king.

So even though you might be tempted to trade the final game of the National League Championship Series for a regular season matchup between Detroit and Chicago on Monday Night Football (or a presidential debate), here's why you should stay focused on Game 7 between the Cardinals and Giants (or at least...