MLB Bullets Remembers MLBPA Head Michael Weiner

Lots of news today, but late-breaking sad news takes the top story.

• MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner died on Thursday after a fifteen-month battle with brain cancer. He was 51 years old and leaves behind a wife and three children. We extend our deepest condolences.
• Weiner worked up until the end, because that's what he wanted to do. In an article published earlier this week at MLB.com, Weiner talked about his job and what he's accomplished.
• The tributes will be pouring in over the next few days, but Ken Rosenthal has already published his thoughts on someone he called "The smartest, fairest, kindest person I ever met."
• Jerry Crasnick called him a "dogged negotiator" and "a voice of reason." Crasnick has a long look at Weiner's life, his career with the MLBPA, his battle with cancer and the effect he had on the people who knew him.
• On to the big trade. I'm guessing you've heard by now that the Detroit Tigers traded Prince Fielder to Texas for Ian Kinsler.
• Kinsler and his agent didn't see the trade coming.
• However, it does appear that in a 2010 commercial for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, the actor Adam Scott saw the trade coming. Although somehow the trade involved Tim Lincecum. Maybe. It's not all that clear, which was the point of the ad.
• Kinsler is excited about going to the Tigers.
• However, Miguel Cabrera doesn't seem so thrilled about Fielder's departure. All his Twitter feed needs is Sarah McLachlan singing "I Will Remember You."
• Phil Rogers says that Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has never been afraid to be bold.
• Peter Gammons says the stars aligned just right to make this deal happen. He also thinks the deal makes sense for both sides.
• Jonathan Berhardt calls this a "challenge trade" that both sides can win. ("Challenge Trade" is a term invented by Bill James in his Baseball Abstracts of the 1980s, meaning a trade where one team trades a star for another star, often at the same position, even up. The Rocky Colavito for Harvey Kuenn trade was the most famous of such trades, at least before now.)
• Jonah Keri breaks down the deal for both teams and says it's a smart trade for both sides. He also thinks we should have paid more attention to Adam Scott.
• Michael Rosenberg thinks this is a "win-now" move by the Tigers, which is odd considering the deal almost certainly makes the Tigers worse next year. But his point is that it frees up money for another move and allows Cabrera to move back to first base. Putting it that way, he's got a point.
• Jay Jaffe thinks both sides can benefit from this move but it's the Rangers that are assuming almost all the risk.
• Gordon Edes thinks this deal will affect the Red Sox. Because everything is about the Red Sox. They also denied Theo Epstein permission to talk to the two teams about this deal, and he wasn't even planning on it.
• David Murphy signed a two-year deal with the Indians. This story was broken by a blogger who got a tip that Murphy's daughter was telling everyone at day care that her daddy was going to Cleveland. If you saw Ken Rosenthal on the MLB Network throwing up his hands and exclaiming he couldn't compete with day care gossip, it was pretty funny.
• The Royals signed Jason Vargas to a 4 year/$32 million contract. Royals fans were not impressed.
• The Cardinals and Angels are reportedly discussing a trade that would send David Freese to Anaheim.
• Brewers GM Doug Melvin says there is "absolutely no truth" to rumors that they are looking to trade Ryan Braun.
• Tim Hudson says it "felt right" to choose the Giants over his former team, the Athletics. Now just Mark Mulder needs to come out of retirement to pitch for the Giants to complete the A's "Big Three" of the early aughts trip across the bay. In fact, Mulder thinks so too.
• The Braves are going to miss Tim Hudson, writes Dave O'Brien.
• David Schoenfield thinks the Giants should add Bronson Arroyo on a three-year deal.
• Jay Jaffe thinks that while there is a lot of risk, there's a solid chance that Robinson Cano will be worth a ten year, $300 million contract. Although he says personally he wouldn't go above eight years/ $240 million.
• He runs the same numbers for Jacoby Ellsbury and says that Ellsbury should be worth at least $100 million and as much as $125 million over the next seven years.
• Without a posting agreement between MLB and NPB, Masahiro Tanaka's future is in limbo.
• The Mets have been "surprised" about how high the asking prices for lower-profile free agents is.
• So I guess you've already heard by now that Alex Rodriguez stormed out of his arbitration hearing when the arbiter ruled that Bud Selig would not have to testify.
• Wallace Matthews wonders what caused Rodriguez's outburst, and considers the possibility that it was a planned demonstration.
• Ken Rosenthal thinks that staged or not, it was all part of ARod's strategy of attack at all costs. He doesn't believe this is the last time Rodriguez will go off on MLB.
• Peter Gammons unfortunately compared ARod to the Boston Marathon bombers. He profusely apologized.
• Will Leitch tries to explain Selig and Rodriguez's respective positions from their points of view without the histrionics.
• In any case, Rodriguez's legal team rested their case. A decision is expected in January.
• Rick Morrissey thinks the White Sox owe Paul Konerko one last season with the team, even if, as he admits, Konerko can't compete anymore. Rob Neyer asks "You mean they owe him something more than the over $120 million they've paid him over the course of his career?" Other than thanks and gratitude, of course.
• The Phillies finally found a pitching coach and it's Bob McClure.
• Randy Johnson saw a Pearl Jam concert and has some pictures.
• Jesus Montero got in a car accident. He had to have stitches on his hand but is otherwise OK.
• Hal Bodley applauds the movement to get rid of home plate collisions.
• Baseball America looks at the players left unprotected for the Rule 5 draft. They expect at least two Cubs prospects, Marcus Hatley and Jae-Hoon Ha, to be taken by someone. They list other Cubs who could be taken.
• Finally, CNN's "The Lead With Jake Tapper" interviewed Mr. Cub Ernie Banks. You can see the video here.