The Dodgers have come to terms with some guy named Eric Gagne. Do not be confused, this is not the same Eric Gagne that won the 2003 NL Cy Young Award while serving as the Dodgers closer. This is not the same Eric Gagne who saved 84 straight opportunities, a record that still stands. No, this Eric Gagne is much different.

It is quite baffling that Gagne would go back to the Dodgers, unless he plans on retiring. That would also be a surprise since dude is only 34 years old and had an offer from the Rockies as well. The decision to join the Dodgers will be a head scratcher for a bit, since he has no chance of making their already stacked bully. So look for Gagne to be enacting that “out clause” in the next month, and do not look for him on your fantasy draft board. There is no reason at all to pay this dude one bit of attention. Well, except while reading this post.

Tim Lincecum won his 15th game of the season as he wrapped up his 2009 campaign. Dude finished the season with a 2.48 ERA, 261 Ks, 68 BB and one other freakishly good statistic. Zero home runs given up at home. As a matter of fact, he only gave up ten long balls all year.

Mat Latos is the second ranked prospect in the San Diego Padres farm system. He also started his first game in the Bigs on Sunday, against the Colorado Rockies. Before getting to how he did, here is a quick look at who Latos is.

Boasting a wicked fastball that sits in the mid to high 90’s, Latos is a 6′5″ rocket launcher. He also utilizes a slider that breaks late and has two plane movement because of his height and the three-quarters arm slot he hurls it from. Latos will mix in a changeup as well, but he is still learning his way through switching from a spike change grip to a more traditional straight change grip last year. These pitches have helped him work to a 10.5 K/9 and a 4.6 K:BB ratio early in his career. Latos has racked up 216 Ks in the Minors with a 1.06 WHIP and a 2.49 ERA.

So far in his young career, Latos has had shoulder and oblique problems that have caused him to have only thrown 56 innings in each of his first two pro seasons. Now he is in the Bigs, and is expected to be on a strict pitch/inning count. Sunday, he threw just 75 pitches over four innings, giving up two earned runs. He did strikeout four while only walking one, but he also gave up three hits, including a round tripper, on his way to his first official loss.

Latos could have a huge impact for the Padres. He could be their version of Tim Lincecum, and he is pegged as the future of the staff. Should he be the future of your fantasy staff, though? If you are in a keeper league, yes, nab him ASAP. If you are not in a keeper league, however, proceed with caution. While he will load up on Ks and should have a decent ERA and WHIP, his innings limit and pitch count will also limit his ability to even be eligible for wins. Personally, while I am concerned about his limits and the Padres’ fears of hurting him, I am more concerned with his attitude. He has shown “Big League-itis” in the past, and tends to rub his teammates the wrong way. How he responds to the limited time on the hill will be quite telling of how the 21 year old is maturing. That will not stop me from grabbing him and giving him a shot, though.

As expected, Jake Peavy squashed the trade that would have sent him to the Chicago White Sox yesterday.  The confusing part here is why the Padres would even attempt to work on a deal with an AL team that is not on Peavy’s short list to begin with.  Note to self, before I try to trade a player with a full no-trade clause it might be a good idea to talk to said player first.  It is not like Peavy does not know that he could be traded, or that the Padres have been trying to move him, so why not talk to Jake before completeing a deal?  Because the Padres and GM Kevin Towers want to try and make Peavy look like an ass for killing the deal.  It is not going to work, Mr. Towers, because we already know who you are.

A deal has been struck that would send super stud Jake Peavy to the Chicago White Sox.  All that they are waiting on is Peavy’s approval, which is not guaranteed to happen.  It is well documented that Peavy wants to stay in the NL, and that he is happy staying in San Diego.  The players in the deal are unclear, so speculate away.

I do not see this deal going down.  Why would Peavy want to go to the White Sox?  They are not going to be in contention this year, are an AL squad, and just do not make a lot of sense for Peavy.  We’ll stay tuned, and try to let you know if something goes down.

There are tons of players in MLB that do not get anywhere near the attention or credit they deserve.  Jason Werth is one of those players, as anyone in the Philly market knows.  Well, now the rest of the league has caught on, because in a recent poll conducted by MLB.com, Major League execs and managers voted in favor of Werth and Adrian Gonzalez as the NL’s two most underrated players.

Lets be clear here, though, anyone who does not know who either Werth or Gonzalez are does not pay a lot of attention to baseball.  Werth just stole home last week, and Gonzalez has racked up a mere 15 homers so far this season (it’s still May in case you have not noticed).  Do not get me wrong, here at the Sports Idiot we are glad that the spotlight has been cast on these two very deserving guys, we just hope that none of our readers needed this poll to bring these guys to their attention.  Underrated?  Absolutely.  Unknown?  Hardly, and the article even says as much.  Good for Gonzalez, but even more so good for Werth.  Neither player should be a free agent in any of your leagues (unless they are AL only!).

This is breaking news, people.  According to Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio, ManRam tested positive for a PED and is suspended for 50 games.  I can’t even find a link yet, that’s how breaking this news is.

If you own Manny in your league, it sucks for you.  Either waste a roster spot for 50 games, or drop his ass.

Update

It’s official.