Why you sign Josh Beckett, today.  —  The ‘comps’ are flying, everyone is writing about Josh and his worth to the team, his potential value this winter, his health, all the things you hear when someone enters a walk year on a contract.  —  Here's why, barring some freakish medical issue …

Steve Phillips in interview: 'I'm fully responsible for what I did'  —  Steve Phillips, the former ESPN baseball analyst and New York Mets general manager, said Monday that he knew he had a sex addiction problem in August — two months before he was fired from his role with the network.

Caribbean Series won by Dominican Republic  —  Mets' Martinez named tournament's Most Valuable Player  —  MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela — The pulsing sounds of merengue overpowered the concourse, and fireworks lit up the sky above center field on a clear night at Estado Nueva Esparta.

FanGraphs Splits  —  For a couple years now I've wanted to get better splits up and running on FanGraphs, but other things have taken priority.  We've had Lefty/Right and Home/Away splits in the graphs sections for almost four years, but never have there been any tabular splits.

Send Mark to spring training  —  When I launched this site one week ago, I honestly had no idea what to expect.  I knew I wanted to provide another outlet for news and analysis of the Washington Nationals.  But with no method of advertising other than word-of-mouth, I didn't know how many people that content would reach.

Ranking MLB stadiums (that I've been to)  —  Apparently people like stupid lists.  That's hardly news to me, but last week really drove the point home.  My column was the ultimate in stupid lists: my personal rankings of MLB team nicknames.  Not only was it about as lightweight an article …

Pirates admit ‘rumblings’ about Tabata's age  —  His birth certificate and passport say outfielder Jose Tabata was born Aug. 12, 1988, in Anzoategui, Venezuela.  Yet, during a recent radio interview, general manager Neal Huntington admitted there are “a lot of rumblings” that Tabata might actually be in his mid-20s.

Joba Chamberlain: ‘As a competitor, definitely I got frustrated at times’  —  Joba Chamberlain was in New York City on Tuesday to receive an award for his philanthropic work at the 30th annual Thurman Munson Dinner.  The 24-year-old righthander told Sporting News' Bill Eichenberger …

Getting in position  —  By this time next week, I'll be tossing clothes in a suitcase and wondering how much AirTran will charge me for the privilege of checking in for my flight to Sarasota.  —  Southwest doesn't fly into that city, which is one strike against the Orioles' spring training relocation.

Did Boras Fail Damon, Washburn, & Lopez?  —  Last offseason, the Scott Boras Corporation brokered approximately $341MM worth of free agent deals.  It was a strong showing, with three of the four big-money contracts already looking regrettable (Derek Lowe, Manny Ramirez, and Oliver Perez).

Evaluating Baseball's Managers  —  [Editor's Note: Chris Jaffe, writer for The Hardball Times, has written a new book, “Evaluating Baseball's Managers.”  The commentary below is the introductory essay to EBM's Chapter 5, which is titled “Rise of the Fundamentalists, 1893-1919."]

Selig to get statue at Miller Park  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  The Brewers announced today that they will honor Major League Baseball Commissioner and former team owner Bud Selig with a statue at Miller Park's Home Plate Plaza.  —  Selig's statue will join …

Dodgers Top 11 Prospects  —  Four-Star Prospects  —  Three-Star Prospects  —  Two-Star Prospects  —  Four More:  —  12. Andrew Lambo, OF: He isn't an athletic corner outfielder, and is instead a bat-only prospect who might not have enough bat.  —  13. Allen Webster, RHP …