Mizzou Baseball int he Majors: Hot Stove & Hot Moves

♦ You must click this link and see how Max Scherzer will NOT waste his move (notgraphs.com)

Max Scherzer
Photo by Keith Allison (flickr.com)

♦ Among seven arbitration-eligible Tigers, Max Scherzer has most intriguing case (Detroit News)

How closely is Max Scherzer about to follow in Justin Verlander's financial footsteps?

We're going to find out this week.

There are differences in the number of games they've won, of course. There are differences in what they've accomplished.

But there could be similarities in what they will.

After all, Scherzer's career ERA of 3.88 is exactly what Verlander's was from 2006-09, prompting this question: With arbitration looming, will Scherzer sign a multi-year contract the way Verlander did at a similar point in his career three years ago?
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♦ Grant: If Ian Kinsler doesn’t excel in 2012, I expect it to be his last season with Rangers (Dallas News)

I think Kinsler will be on a shorter leash this year and if he doesn't excel, I'd expect it to be his last season in Texas. The Rangers will make it clear that there is not going to be playing time for him and essentially push him towards accepting a trade. That said, I think he's perfectly capable of bouncing back and he's always been good at making adjustments to his approach in the offseason.