Trying to do everything it could to win the American League Central, the Detroit Tigers traded two young pitchers to the Seattle Mariners for Jarrod Washburn(notes) right at the deadline this year. That didn't work out for them: He went 1-3 in eight starts and collected a 7.33 ERA. Oh, and a knee injury that put him under the knife on Oct. 20.

And now after all that the lefthander may be returning to play for Seattle, according to the Detroit Free Press. The 35-year-old free-agent lefty has apparently told the M's that Seattle is on the top of his list of teams to play for in 2010.

Washburn was a whole lot better for Seattle than he was for Detroit. He went 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA in 20 starts for the M's and was the American League pitcher of the month in July with Seattle.

Source: Detroit Free Press

The Atlanta Braves are denying it, according to MLB.com, but the word on the street is that the team is joining the fray for the services of young gun Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, according to Sports Illustrated.

Sports Illustrated has it that the two sides are planning to meet up soon enough but GM Frank Wren tells MLB.com that no such plans exist.

Other teams supposedly willing to throw a boatload of cash at the 21-year-old lefty Chapman to get him are the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners. New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals. In short, everybody wants him.

Source: Sports IllustratedMLB.com

The Philadelphia Phillies are in a tough spot right about now. Down three games to one the New York Yankees in the World Series, it's looking like they may be turning over the World Champion crown soon. Of course, four teams in World Series history have come back from such a deficit to win it: the 1984 Kansas City Royals, the 1968 Detroit Tigers, the 1958 New York Yankees, and the 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates so it is possible.

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels(notes) apparently doesn't seem to think so. He's reportedly already saying that he can't wait for the whole thing to be over. Hamels has had a tough year being an average pitcher after a stellar 2008 that left him as the MVP of both the National League Championship Series and the World Series. And his postseason has been absolutely lousy, unless you count the birth of his first child, which happened just after his Game 2 NLDS start.

Folks in Philly are apparently unhappy with the comments of Hamels, especially since he could be the guy who starts a seventh game if the Phils make it that far, according to the Kansas City Star. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel simply sees this as a case of a young guy who hasn't dealt with real adversity before.

Oh, and take heart, Phillies fans, those Yankees and Tigers won those Series with the last two games on the road.

Source: Kansas City Star

Everybody wants lefthanded Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. And why not? The 21-year-old can apparently throw 102 mph pitches. Add the Seattle Mariners to the list of teams that is after Chapman, according to the Seattle Times. A soruce tells the paper that the team is "serious." One would hope so.

The team has apparently asked to meet wtith Chapman and his agent next week. Other teams that are after the young fella include the New York Yankees and Bsoton Red Sox so the M's should expect bidding to go pretty high. Chapman was supposed to throw a bullpen session in Boston yesterday but the weather kept that from happenng.

The Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles have all also supposedly expressed interest in landing Chapman.

Source: Seattle Times

Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman already has more than a few major league teams after him. You can now apparently add the Detroit Tigers to the list, according to MLB.com.

The Tigers are apparently hoping to meet with Chapman and see if he's a good fit. "We're basically just at the interest level. Because of the nature, I think it's a situation where they're going to take the time to allow clubs to spend some time with the player and see who he is," said Tom Moore, Detroit's Director of International Scouting to MLB.

Chapman will likely get more than the $32 million that the New York Yankees dug up for fellow Cuban defector Jose Contreras(notes) in 2002, according to Sports Illustrated. And why not? The guy can supposedly hit 102 mph on the radar gun. The Yankees, of course, are in the hunt for Chapman as well and had him as a guest at Game 6 of the ALCS.

Teams that supposedly have serious interest include the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Toronto Blue Jays are apparently saying that they don't have the dough to make a competitive offer for Chapman.

Source: MLB.comSI.com