with a New Yorker parody cartoon. Classy!

I kid, rec for you.

Q!s hat looks like an old school train conductors’.

sox 4th best according to their ranking, twins 14th with tiggers right behind. ranking is based upon an objective formula which averages a team’s actual, first-, second- and third-order winning percentages via the Adjusted Standings.

The Rays have a slight lead over the White Sox for most improved team; recall that the Sox actually finished one spot below them on the final 2007 Hit List. Evan Longoria, Matt Garza, a functional bullpen, and a real-live infield that plays defense have done wonders to elevate the Rays, a club that had known nothing but futility and the promise of a better tomorrow for a decade. As for the White Sox, their offense, rotation and bullpen have all been middle-of-the-pack, and they’ve exactly hit their third-order projection; being a club without a glaring weakness may be enough in that division this year.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7819

one of the oft-repeated myths, this time repeated by the associated press of all outlets, is that players on the DL can’t be traded. as noted by tim dierkes:

The AP notes that players on the disabled list can only be traded with commissioner approval. I asked ESPN’s Keith Law about this today; he told me all trades are subject to commissioner approval.

8. Brian Roberts, Orioles: Roberts was rumored to be on the cusp of becoming a Cub for most of the offseason. The Orioles refused to move him, and seem unlikely to do so now, as they have him under contract through next year. That’s shortsighted, because a staggering number of contenders could use a leadoff or #2 hitter. Foremost among them is the White Sox, who have gotten a reasonable .344 OBP from their leadoff hitters, but just .302 from the #2 spot. While Alexei Ramirez has turned heads at second base, his seven walks this season are an execrable total, and leave him with a .312 average and a .332 OBP.

Roberts isn’t just an upgrade—he’s one of the top 10 players in the AL, with a .294 EqA and plus defense at second base. A team with the power core the White Sox have needs high OBPs batting in front of it, so while the numbers say that Roberts would add 15-20 runs as compared to Ramirez, plus a few on defense, the real-world results would be a little better than that.

The White Sox have a terrible farm system, which will make it hard for them to pry Roberts away from a reluctant Orioles team. Still, he may be the one player on the market who makes enough of a difference to them to be worth pursuing. Three years ago, a lack of OBP atop the lineup nearly killed them in August and September; they’re being chased by teams good enough that they should try to avoid a similar problem this year.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7820