Brewers and OF Ryan Braun agree to an Eight-Year $45 million deal.

Okay, this is bold.  The Brewers are doing what they need to do long term.  Sign their young talent to long term contracts and keep the team together and let them grow.  I actually expected Corey Hart to agree first, as he has a young family and has expressed interested in a long term deal, still the Braun signing is very good long term.  Now lets see if they can get Prince Fielder and J.J. Hardy to agree.

Milwaukee Brewers Place RHP David Riske on the 15-day DL with a hyper-extended right elbow.

With the whole closer situation up in the air, Riske was a possible candidate for some saves.  Unfortunately, he left Wednesday with a hyper extended right elbow.  An X-ray indicated a bone spur so he’ll get an MRI.  He might need surgery and be out for an extended period of time.

Yankees Recall RHP Ian Kennedy from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Option LHP Kei Igawa.

Kennedy made one start in Triple-A pitching 7.1 innings of shutout ball, so the Yankees felt that he has a better chance than Kei Igawa.  Kennedy had a 8.00+ ERA, but that is better than Igawa’s 3 IP with an 18.00 ERA.

Nationals Place 1B Nick Johnson on the 15-day DL with a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist.

If it isn’t one thing for Nick Johnson it is another.  He has a torn tendon and will need four-to-six weeks.  Dmitri Young will come off the DL and take his place.

Red Sox Place RHP Clay Buchholz on the 15-day DL with a broken nail on his right middle finger and Recall OF Jonathan Van Every from Triple-A Pawtucket.

I do not have an anticipated return date for Buchholz.  My guess is that it might only be the minimum.  The Red Sox needed an outfielder because both J.D. Drew and Coco Crisp were day-to-day.  He’ll get some regular at-bats for at least a couple of days.

Cubs Sign OF Jim Edmonds and Option OF Felix Pie to Triple-A Iowa.

Let me see.  Felix Pie continues to struggle at the major league level.  He is only 23 and at least plays his position well.  Edmonds is hitting about as well as Pie, but he no longer plays his position well, but he’s a veteran.  Does Edmonds have anything left in the tank?  Will playing in a more friendly stadium help him turn things around?  I suspect not.

Reds Placed SS Jeff Keppinger on the 15-day DL with a fractured left kneecap and Recall INF Paul Janish from Triple-A Louisville.

Keppinger has been a real surprise at short and this is a real setback.  He’s going to miss the stand four-to-six weeks for a broken bone.  Janish will take over as a utility player.  In his first major league at-bat he singled home the winning run in the 10^th inning, so while he won’t have a long career and has no fantasy value, he does have a story to tell his grandkids.

Pirates Place C Ryan Doumit on the 15-day DL with a left thumb fracture and Select the contract of C Raul Chavez from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Ronny Paulino takes back his prior spot as the #1 catcher he had before the season started at least for four weeks.  He is hitting only .224 but he does has 13 RBI as the #2.

Angels Activate RHP John Lackey from the DL.

Lackey looked very good in his first start.  Activate him.

Dodgers Place SS Rafael Furcal on the 15-day DL.

Furcal is in the middle of a breakout season.  He’s hitting .366 with 34 runs, eight stolen bases and more importantly, six homeruns.  He does have a bum back that caused him to miss twelve games last year.  He received a cortisone shot on Monday and he said that it made a big difference.  As the move was made retroactively, he can return next Wednesday if he still feels better.

Mets Purchase the contracts of RHP Claudio Vargas and INF/OF Fernando Tatis from Triple-A New Orleans.

Vargas wasn’t as good as his line score indicated.  He wasn’t able to hit the strike zone with his secondary pitches, but he improved as the game went on.  What are the Mets going to do with him when Pedro Martinez returns?  I suspect he is the odd man out and will return to Triple-A.  Tatis, a blast from the past, will be used as a pinch hitter.

Twins Recall INF Alexi Casilla from Triple-A Rochester.

Casilla was hitting a whopping .219 in Triple-A, but Nick Punto is hurt.  He is a weak fantasy play, but as he can steal a base he could have some value to someone in a AL only league.

Athletics Reinstate RHP Rich Harden from the 15-day DL.

Harden looked a bit rusty in his first start and he doesn’t have the strength to last deep into the game yet, so if you can keep him on your bench, I would do so.

Rangers Place RHP Kevin Millwood on the 15-day DL with a strained right groin.

He’s had four quality starts out of eight, but he is on a downward trend.  His last two were a concern as his strikeout rate fell.  He is eligible to return on the 26^th, but I’d wait before activating him.

Angels Place INF Chone Figgins on the 15-day DL with a hamstring strain.

Fortunately, he seems to be healing quickly and should only miss the minimum. 

Giants Activate SS Omar Vizquel from the 15-day DL.

For a 41 year-old, he still has a little left. As a 41 year-old, he is going to be rested on a regular basis.

Blue Jays Place OF Vernon Wells, with a broken left wrist and RHP Jeremy Accardo with right forearm tightness on the 15-day DL.

A broken wrist will take a bit longer than the usual four-to-six.  You’re looking at six-to-eight.  Alex Rios moves to center.  Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson will see more playing time.

Phillies Activate SS Jimmy Rollins from the 15-day DL.

He seems fully recovered.  Activate him.

Nationals Place C Paul Lo Duca on the 15-day DL with a fracture of the fourth metacarpal in his right hand; Place C Johnny Estrada on the 15-day disabled list with ulnar neuritis in his right elbow; Recall C Jesus Flores from Triple-A Columbus; and Reinstate OF Elijah Dukes from the 15-day DL.

I wondered why the Nationals signed both Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada when Jesus Flores looked like a solid and much cheaper backstop.  I guess the Baseball Gods agree with me and Flores gets a chance to prove me right.  He’s gone 4-for-10 in his last three games with four RBI.

Tout Wars Update

Uggh!  I looked at the live scoring feature and see that I’ve gone 2-25 so far today.

I was second overall for week 6.  So far, I’m dead last this week.  Sadly, Rafael Furcal was day-to-day on Saturday and ended up on the DL on Monday.  That is one unfilled spot.  Ramon Hernandez has also missed most of the week.  That is two unfilled spots.   Mark Teixeira missed a couple of games.  Brian Roberts missed a game.  Oh well.

The good news is that Ryan Zimmerman has started to break out of his slump.  Ted Lilly has been solid since the 22^nd of April.  Connor Jackson doesn’t look like an April fluke.

Lilly’s turn around is a reminder that one must be patient, no matter how hard that is.

JP Kastner is the winner of the 2007 Strat-O-Matic Baseball Online Expert League World Series.  In five seasons of SOMBOE, JP Kastner has five winning seasons, four playoff appearances, three World Series appearances and now one World Championship.  He is in his third season in the Tout Wars mixed league.