(Aug. 7, 2015 – Source: Norm Hall/Getty Images North America)

Byrd, who is having a funky year, has battled his share of injuries this season, but has bounced back quite nicely, registering a slash line of .258/.286/.454. Outside of those weird blimps, Byrd is actually having a down season and is only batting .237. 

His on base percentage is nothing to be desired either. The only positive is that he is showing an increase of home runs this season with 19 home runs thus far. 

However, his presence should provide the San Francisco Giants with a ton of flexibility as they battle the injury bug themselves. Joe Panik, Hunter Pence, and Nori Aoki have all had their sling of injuries this year, which has made it almost impossible for the Giants to fill out their lineup card. 

They had to rely on players such as Gregor Blanco, Justin Maxwell, and Brandon Belt to fill out their outfield. To top it all off, Angel Pagan is having a terrible year and does not look like a starting-caliber center fielder anymore.

Marlon Byrd will probably slot in at left field while Nori Aoki slides to the right side, a position he has played for the majority of his career. 

Once Pagan and Pence come back, Byrd could move to a bench role or remain the left fielder with Aoki taking over in center, a position where his light throwing skills will not be such a problem.

Byrd also won’t cost the Giants much as they only lose right handed pitcher Stephen Johnson. 

Johnson, who is a former sixth round pick in 2012, started his career off strong, but has had control problems recently and for all intent and purposes has fallen off the prospect map. 

If he can get his control back, which he has been showing signs of, he could become a back of the rotation starter or more likely a middle reliever.

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(April 20, 2015 – Source: Claus Andersen/Getty Images North America)

The center will sign a four-year, $64 million dollar contract, which puts him in the “max-player” territory.

Valanciunas is a dominant offensive presence but lacks in defensive efficiency department, which is why Coach Casey does not like to give the center minutes in the second half of games. 

However, the Toronto Raptors and general manager Masai Ujiri think they can get better production from Valanciunas on that end by simply having ex-Bulls assistant Andy Greer on the sidelines.

Whether Valanciunas deserves max money is the real question that the Raptors and everyone outside of the NBA is asking. Yes, Valanciunas has been a fairly average starter at the center position thus far in his NBA career, but the salary cap will rise to $100+ million dollars as early as next year, which will make $64 million dollars seem slightly on the low side of things.

The next question on the Toronto Raptors agenda is to find a suitable power forward to start next to the young center that they just locked up. 

The leading candidates seem to be James Johnson and/or Patrick Patterson, which both bring excellent qualities that match with Valanciunas’ skillset.

Valanciunas averaged 12.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per games last year in 80 games.

The post Jonas Valanciunas, Raptors Agree on Extension appeared first on Insider Sports Network.

(July 23, 2015 – Source: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images North America)

The Kansas City Royals have made yet another addition this season by acquiring utilityman Ben Zobrist from the Oakland Athletics.

Zobrist had a long list of suitors that made tabs on him during the season, largely due to the extreme versatility he displays on any given night. Zobrist can line up anywhere on the diamond, besides pitcher and catcher, so there is no real surprise to see Royal prospects Aaron Brooks and Sean Manaea headed the other way.

Zobrist, 34, will probably play left field a lot while Alex Gordon is rehabbing a strained groin, but will probably make his way to second base to take over for “All-Star” second basemen Omar Infante once Gordon returns.

The fit is all fine and dandy in theory, but considering the Royals needed to trade Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks for his services, one has to wonder whether or not a cheaper option could have been available had the team waited closer to the trading deadline. Ben Zobrist is batting .268 with six homeruns and 33 RBI.

On the flip side, th3 Athletics received two pitching prospects in Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks.

Manaea, the higher regarded pitching prospect, has thrown 31 and 2/3 innings, posting a 3.69 ERA thus far.

Brooks, on the other hand, has seen some MLB experience but has mostly seen action in Triple-A this year. He has posted a 3.81 ERA in 245 and 2/3 cumulative innings.

The post Royals, A’s Agree on Ben Zobrist Trade appeared first on Insider Sports Network.

(March 5, 2013 – Source: Chris Trotman/Getty Images North America)

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired small forward Moe Harkless from the Orlando Magic for a future second round pick.

The Trail Blazers have had an up and down offseason thus far, largely highlighted by Damian Lilliard’s five year, $120 million dollar extension and LaMarcus Aldridge’s decision to take his talents to San Antonio.

However, they have made some really good undervalued additions this summer, including adding Al-Farouq Aminu to a four year, $30 million dollar contract way before DeMarre Carroll and Khris Middleton increased the small forward market with their bloated contracts. They also received  Noah Vonleh as a throw-in essentially in a deal with Charlotte as well as nabbing Mason Plumlee for two rookies graded as second round picks.

So, today’s news that they have acquired Harkless does not come as a surprise.

Harkless, once a first round selection (15th overall), provides Portland with a defensive minded wing that has experience and a better scoring touch than Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (one of those rookies they sent to Brooklyn as part of the Mason Plumlee trade).

Add to the fact that Harkless is only 22 and one might understand the significance to this minor trade. Harkless averaged 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.7 steals per game last year with the Orlando Magic.

The deal also provides Portland with some depth that they can play with when the 2015-2016 NBA season arrives.

There will be a plethora of players fighting for rotation minutes during camp, which makes for an interesting training camp to say the least. Even more, the Portland Trail Blazers positioned themselves with contracts, like Gerald Henderson’s, that expire after next year opening up cap space for next year to potentially replace LaMarcus Aldridge.

They severely crippled a division rival’s chances at cap space next year by offering Enes Kanter a max deal – as the Oklahoma Coty Thunder had to match it.

Look for the Trail Blazers to run out a lineup that includes Lilliard, McCollum, Henderson, Aminu, and Plumlee as starters.

The post Trail Blazers, Magic Agree on a Moe Harkless Trade appeared first on Insider Sports Network.

Photo Credit: metsmerizedonline.com

The Chicago Cubs will  call up second base prospect Addison Russell to the Major Leagues tomorrow, before their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The news comes as a shock to many around the baseball universe, as the Cubs just called up prospect phenom Kris Bryant days before.

Like Bryant, Russell will likely fill in as a starter for the Cubs at second base, pushing Arismendy Alcantara into a utility role.  This move will only deepen the Cubs’ positional depth, an area in which the Cubs are already deep in, and will likely leave Jonathan Herrera or Welington Castillo off the 25 man roster.

Expect Russell to be batting in the beginning of the lineup during tomorrow’s games. A good lineup switch would be moving Jorge Soler down and allowing Russell to hit in the #2 hole, a spot that he is already comfortable at batting in as he did so in Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. The 21-year old shortstop batted .314 with a homer and seven RBIs to begin the season in Iowa.

Not only is this big news due to the mega prospect that Russell is, (MLB.com’s #5 prospect) but it also gives the Chicago Cubs major options going forward. The Cubs could easily designate for assignment (DFA) Jonathan Herrera, due to his limited versatility to play other positions other than second base and shortstop. Another option would be for third string catcher Welington Castillo. Trading Castillo would open up the probability of keeping Herrera. Either way, not only does Russell stretch the lineup for the Cubs, but also gives the team another viable piece to add to their team, assuming Welington Castillo and/or Jonathan Herrera  get taken off the roster.

In addition, don’t worry Cubs fans, Russell has been playing second base for the Iowa Cubs in the previous couple of games and should be well acquainted there by now. Russell’s debut comes on April 21st against the Pittsburgh Pirates and starter Francisco Liriano.

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