Tuesday, December 21, 2004

*Breaking News

The Randy Johnson three-way deal was sent to the commissioners office just a few hours ago in the middle of the night. This will have major impact on the market as this means the Dodgers are about to ink OF J.D Drew and a free agent pitcher- one of the supposed reasons the signing was being held up, along with Dodger GM Paul DePodesta thinking he was being taken in this deal (which he is). This could also mean that RHP Javier Vasquez could be a White Sox by the end of the day, as that was part of the rumored deal as well.

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Cards Get an A's(e) in the hole...

In a move which shocked baseball fans around the world, the Oakland A's have traded a second member of the big three, Mark Mulder, to the St. Louis Cardinals less than 48 hours after trading team ace RHP Tim Hudson to the Atlanta Braves. What makes the move so surprising is that there were no rumors of a Mulder to the Cards trade going down at all after the Hudson trade, as it was widely considered that that Oakland GM Billy Beane was going to sit on the other two members of the big three and build around them. Apparently that plan is now shot out of the water. In the deal St. Louis gives up Kiko Calero, Dan Haren, and Daric Barton. Calero is a fireballin' right-hander out of the 'pen and even though he is 29, this will only be his 3rd year in the majors. This will make an already improved bullpen even better, turning what was a A's trouble spot into potentially the best bullpen in MLB. Haren is a righty who has the stuff of a staff ace, but hasn't put it to good use yet. He'll get his chance now as the A's will plug him in the no.3 spot of their rotation. Barton, one of the top catching prospects in MLB, will probably be groomed to be the replacement for Jason Kendall when his contract is up after the 2007 season. This deal combined with the Hudson one also save the club over $10 million for this season, giving Beane some more money to go out and spend or use to trade for in the season. And these aren't the only moves that are probably on the horizon either as Beane would like to trade 1B/DH Eurbiel Durazo and OF Eric Byrnes, as both of their salaries are about to move up significantly through arbitration.

Beane better hope that these two deals net them some guys who pan out, unlike their last trade of a superstar, when they dealt Mark McGwire to St. Louis for pitchers T.J. Matthews, Blake Stein, and Eric Ludwick. Only Matthews saw action in the Majors, who had only a mediocre career as a middle reliever.

Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty has made a very good move here, dealing some young guys who cannot help this team win now for the chance at going back to the World Series next year. He got the staff ace he did not have last year, and even though he paid a fairly high price, it should be worth it for the Redbirds. The only question I have of this deal is the injury factor involved with Mulder's hip. The hip has bothered him for 2 years now, much like Tim Hudson, and I have to wonder if Beane is dumping these guys because because he didn't want to commit to either of them long-term - and that these injuries will cause some serious harm in the near future. Either way it is a good gamble for the Cards, as they needed the no.1, and they got him. Outside of not bumping up their offer to SS Edgar Renteria, Jocketty has done a good job with the Cardinals this offseason, turning no.1 and 2 pitchers Matt Morris and Woody Williams for $18 million last year into no.1 and 2 pitchers Mulder and Morris this season for $8.5 million. They still have two giant holes in the middle infield, and the bullpen is spotty with the loss of Steve Kline, but this move keeps them in contention for the playoffs and puts them in a better position to win if they get there.

This trade now leaves Barry Zito, the only member of the big three to win a Cy Young Award, to front a drastically different looking A's rotation going into next season. However this is still not set in stone as there are heavy rumors of Zito being sent to Baltimore since the Orioles could not work out a deal to sign one of the major free agent pitchers on the market earlier this offseason. If Zito stays the A's will be looking at a rotation of Zito, Harden, Haren, rookie Joe Blanton, and whoever claims the 5th spot. As of right now it will probably be offered first to Dan Meyer, the LHP picked up in the Hudson deal, and if he cannot secure the spot Juan Cruz might be next in line - although there are reports that the A's have a very sweet deal on the table for him right now as well. As you can tell, their rotation will be very, very young next season with Blanton and Meyer being true rookies, Haren with less than a full year of experience, and Harden only going on full season number two, without forgetting that Zito himself is still only 26 years old. These moves could turn out to be a master stroke of genius for Beane, or an unmitigated disaster.

Frankly, I cannot see all three of these players working out, they all may eventually turn into dependable starters, but all of them developing into them in their first year? Seems far-fetched to me. Which is also why the rumors of Zito to Baltimore do not make any sense to me. Why deplete the rotation anymore, unless Beane thinks that Zito's best days are already behind him at age 26. Since his Cy Young year of 2002 both his ERA and win total have been going in the wrong direction, and did so very badly last season. Is it possible that Beane wants to sell Zito high before another bad year (for Zito) lowers his value significantly? Possibly. But then who will be added to the rotation. If they get Erik Bedard in the deal he still isn't major league ready. Maybe they'll get someone if they trade Juan Cruz, who knows. But if Zito gets a ticket out of town this will now officially be Beane's ballclub and we will be able to see just how well the Moneyballer can put a club together.

The Weasel heads to Beantown...

Last Friday Matt Clement signed a 3yr/$25.5 million deal with The Boston Red Sox, ending his illustrious career as a .500 pitcher with the Cubs. If Clement can keep his walk totals down and pitch comparably to the stuff he possesses, then this will be a good signing for the Red Sox, but if he remains mind-boggling inconsistent Red Sox nation will be calling for his head. Any type of slow start at all will make the fans turn on him there and he will be booed mercilessly when not getting the job done. But congrats to Clement who got the money he wanted thanks to a streak over pitcher overpayment being enjoyed by franchises this offseason. Will the Clement/Wells combo be able to fill the shoes of the Pedro/Lowe combo they will be replacing? Probably not, but all they need to do is win some games here and there till the Sox go out at midseason and get someone like Ben Sheets, who most likely will be available. The Clement signing will be official after he takes a physical sometime this week.

In another Red Sox note Peter Gammons was reporting that the team was on the verge of totally revamping their roster when they offered 3B Adrian Beltre the same deal for which he signed with Seattle. Apparently if the Sox had signed Beltre they were going to ink Edgar Renteria (which they did) and then trade Manny Ramirez to the Mets followed by the signing of J.D. Drew to replace him in the OF. But when the Beltre choose to stay on the west coast, everything else fell out of place and the Sox just went with the signing of Renteria.

Palehosers about to add another starter...

There are only two hurdles left in the three-way deal between the Yankees, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks which would have Randy Johnson going back to the AL - getting Shawn Green to waive his no-trade clause to join the D-backs, and the commissioners office approving the deal since there will be more than $1 million in cash changing hands between the teams. Once these two obstructions are thrown to the wayside, it appears that the White Sox will end up with RHP Javier Vasquez. There are very strong rumors that the Dodgers will immediately turn Vasquez around to the Sox to fill their vacant spot in the starting rotation, although there hasn't been much mention of what the Sox would give up in the deal. If the Dodgers do turn Vasquez it will be a very puzzling move for LA and might signal that Owner Frank McCourt is in more trouble financially than he is letting on. The Dodgers did make one move today signing former Sox SS Jose Valentin to a one year deal to play 3B against RHP's.

If this move goes through, based only on the talent addition alone and not on how much of the contract the Sox will have to pick up or who they'll have to give up, it will be a very good addition to an already solid starting staff. Dropping Vasquez into the no.3 spot in the rotation, and getting him out of New York where he clearly didn't like the spotlights on him, could let him ease back into the pitcher he was for years previous to his going to the Yankees.


Six-fingers ahoy...

After failing a physical, the Florida Marlins took a 2yr/$4.5 million deal off the table from RHP Antonio Alfonseca. Don't cry for him yet however as the he signed a new deal with the Marlins for the major league minimum, $300,000. The new contract calls for a possible $1.7 million in incentive and a $2 million option year for the former Cubs pitcher, but maybe if he didn't have all that extra cartilage on his hands the discs in his back would quit blowing out. After two mediocre to bad seasons with the Cubs he had a revival last year in Atlanta, but odds are that was more Leo Mazzone and less of a rebound of his career.


Yankees done spending?

In another move giving hope to the Cubs obtaining Carlos Beltran this offseason, it appears that for the first time since being created, commissioner Bud Selig is ready to use the little talked about 60/40 clause for MLB teams. The 60/40 clause was re-inacted in 2002 and states that any team cannot have debts of 60% or more of the franchise value, with debt being any guaranteed contracts plus expenses for the upcoming year, basically any guaranteed outflows. With the estimated value of the franchise reportedly around $1 billion, that would put their threshold at approximated $600 million. Here comes the problem, before adding any of their signings this offseason, they have approximately $540 million in guaranteed salary alone. This means that the Yankees will either be reprimanded by the league offices or any contracts they sign be voided by the commissioners office.

This could also mean trouble for the Yankees if the league can prove they undervalued their TV station, the YES network. Proving that the station is worth more will get them out from the 60/40 rule, but it will also make them most likely pay tens of millions of dollars - if not more - to MLB for redistribution to the lower-class teams in the league. MLB has been suspicious of this since the network was founded but can finally make the Yankees prove or disprove the rumors with the possibility of the 60/40 rule exposing them.


Cubs notes...

- In a move which could show whether or not GM Jim Hendry thinks a deal with the Mets for Sammy Sosa can happen or not, the Twins are either expected to trade LF Jacque Jones today or if they cannot find a take non-tender him, thus making him a free agent. The Cubs were reported to have high interest in Jones but a deal with the Mets would bring them Cliff Floyd, and you cannot have two LF's. However at a renewing of the vows wedding ceremony between Sosa and his wife last weekend, GM Omar Minaya was there meaning there still might be a possibility of him ending up with the mets.

- The Mets may not be the front-runners in a deal for Sosa either as Baltimore could be the leaders with an offer of closer Jorge Julio and a OF or IF to be a backup for the Cubs. Nothing is supposedly close to happening but some telling moves, like what happens with Jones, could be showing where the Cubs think things are heading.

- With the signing of Matt Clement by the Red Sox, the Cubs will receive their 1st round pick as compensation.

- You gotta love how Todd Walker came out on an ESPN feature Sunday and bashed Sosa in not so many words, then at the end of the interview throw in that apologies could possibly make the situation go away. I cannot think that the team would let him go on and say these things unless they are about to move him somewhere. Former color-man Steve Stone was interviewed as well and among other things had this to say, "If you create Frankenstien, you cannot be real surprised if he eats the village, it's your own fault, you created him." Words too true from a man thats going to be sorely missed in the years to come.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Hudson about to take the midnight train to Georgia...

Like I predicted a while ago RHP Tim Hudson is about to be traded to the Atlanta Braves to fill the no.1 pitcher void the Braves have had for the last few seasons. In return Billy Beane is going to receive RHP Juan Cruz, OF Charles Thomas, and LHP Dan Meyer. And yes Cub fans, that is the same Juan Cruz who could never live up to his potential here in Chicago, and had only a decent season out of the 'pen under the best pitcher coach in baseball. This is where I start screaming outloud. I CANNOT believe that this is all that the A's are getting in return for Tim Hudson. A backup outfielder, a decent lefty prospect, and Juan Cruz as the centerpiece of the deal. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. Your telling me that the Cubs could have had Hudson filling their 5 hole this year with Tim Hudson if they dealt Cruz, Andy Sisco, and some random backup outfielder to the A's. This is of course if they hadn't dealt Cruz to the Braves in the first place for a guy that was released two months into the season. (*after finding more information on the players involved in this deal I would have to change my thinking, Thomas is now the centerpiece in my opinion, and Meyer has better stats than i thought, since I apparently saw older numbers of his from the minors, with Cruz being the third best guy. But this brings up more questions as to how good the Braves think Thomas will do in the majors since they have a giant hole in thier OF. Although the prospects are better than i thought in this deal, I still believe that the Braves have gotton the better end of it, by far. 12/17 1am)

Something smells mighty fishy to me, especially since the Orioles and Dodgers were offering much better pitching prospects in Erik Bedard and Edwin Jackson respectively - and the A's never got the 2B that they demanded be part of any deal for the Stud righty. Something must be wrong, like Hudsons Hip troubles are much more serious than previously thought, otherwise I cannot understand how the A's would make a deal when better ones were known to be on the table. I guess Beane really liked the outrageous on base numbers that Thomas put up in the International league before his call-up last year, but with the pitching prospects other teams were offering....

If Hudson does not have any major problems and is healthy, congratulations to Braves GM John Schurholtz for again getting guys to fill holes to make one more season of the Braves being on top in the NL east. They now only need an outfielder and possibly a stopgap 3B to replace Mark DeRosa until super-prospect 3B Andy Marte will be ready in 2006 or 2007. Schurholtz always seems to fill the holes on his team with new players and their minor leagues have constantly been stocked with talent, even after winning for so many years in a row. If you even look to the team that won the division two years ago the rosters will have very little looking the same.

The Braves also re-did John Smoltz's deal today basically creating a one-year extension for him. Though no details have been given, the contract was most likely reworked from the deal he had previous, where he got a $100,000 bonus for each start, to a higher guaranteed deal without the games started bonuses. He was to make $12 million next season.

The $114 million question...

Will adding 80 HR's and gold glove caliber defense at the corner infield positions be enough to push the Mariners back into the AL west contention?? Here's to saying...maybe. But it is a start, and a pretty good one at that. By signing 1B Richie Sexson to a 4 yr/$50 million deal and supposedly on the verge of signing 3B Adrian Beltre to a 5 yr/$64 million deal the team solidifies two of the three holes they had on offense for the upcoming season - although it appears they will not be signing a new starting pitcher after spending $25 million on these two players for the next season. The signing of Sexson was not a shock, given his stating that he would like to go back home to play, but the amount of money given to him is. $50 million for a guy who not only hurt his shoulder last season, but came back and hurt it again later in the year, seems to be a little much and a risky investment. The deal does seem to have less risk than the one recently struck by the New York Mets with Pedro Martinez, but it is risky none-the-less. Another shock was the apparent signing of Beltre by the Mariners, who as recently as a couple of days ago were thought to be all but out of the race for Beltre, but the team apparently ponied up the money in the end to make Beltre the highest paid player in team history. But even all the money they are spending now doesn't make up for the fact that if they spent just a bit more from 1999-2002 they could have possibly turned into the dominate team of that era, instead of playoff fodder for the Yankees. The move makes the Mariners very right-handed heavy, but overall, if Sexson can stay healthy, the Mariners have two solid signings, with their need now being a left-handed power DH guy.

Mets get Pedro...

Pedro Martinez formally signed with the Mets today in a press conference in New York, inking a 4yr/ $53 million deal. Martinez immediatley becomes the team's no.1 starter and main attraction for thier new television network which starts up next season. This move will be good no matter what for Pedro and the Red Sox, but will only work out for the Mets if Pedro somehow stays healthy for at least 3 years of the contract, which would be a miracle in itself. It's good for the Red Sox since they do not have to overpay for a pitcher with a decline in usefulness - which frees up money to pursue other things, and its good for Pedro since he gets the years and money he wanted. He also gets to pitch in the NL in a much better pitchers park than Fenway, which will probably equate to at least a half point drop in his ERA alone for next season.

This is a real make or break signing for the Mets, who always seem to overpay for veterns on the decline, and especially for new GM Omar Minaya. Past mistakes like the Mike Piazza contract extension and Mo Vaughn Trade were not done by him, but he will be thrown into that catergory if Pedro gets hurt or is ineffective early into the contract. However if he remains healthly the Mets will boast a very good rotation with 5 legitimate starters: Martinez, Tom Glavine, Kris Benson, Victor Zambrano (when he returns from surgery), and Steve Trachsel. Personally I believe that this deal is gonna backfire on the Mets when Pedro torn-up shoulder finally gives way either this season or the next. The Cardinals were also rumored to have offered Pedro a 4 year deal, but not as high moneywise as the Mets offer.


Where have you gone, El Caballo?

To Milwaukee. Thats right, the White Sox dealt the RBI horse to the Brewers for CF Scott Posednik, RHP Luis Vizcaino, and the infamous PTBNL. Originally utilityman Kieth Ginter was supposed to be part of the deal but the Brewers backed off giving him up and then added bullpen man Vizcaino. On the surface this deal looks to be all Brewers but if you look a little deeper you can see what Kenny Williams is trying to do. First off, the key to this deal is Posednik, obviously. If Posednik can bounce back from a season where he admittedly, 'tried way to hard too much' and 'simply failed', then the trade will have worked out for both teams. A legitimate leadoff hitter in 2003, Posednik regressed in 2004. However, if Posednik proves to be a one year wonder with speed the Brew Crew will have taken the Sox in this deal. Vizcaino solidifies an already revamped bullpen, making it much better now with 4 legitimate options (Shingo, Marte, Hermanson, Vizcaino) so the Sox should not have the problem of closing out games in the late innings that they have had the last few seasons. The pitching staff will also get better just because of Posednik's presence in the outfield as well. He covers much more ground than Aaron Rowand can in CF, and Rowand will be able to cover much much more ground in LF than Lee could. The number of balls to the gaps should be cut down dramatically for the team next year and the picthers ERA's could reflect that. The other part of this deal is that the Sox will be saving a little more than $6 million - which Kenny Williams says will go towards other parts of team, including another starting pitcher. However i do have to question this fact for the Sox, Carlos Lee is only 29 and is a legitimate hitter and powersource. With Magglio Ordonez and Jose Valentin gone this offseason, and Frank Thomas most likely on his way out of town after the upcoming season, unless Joe Crede and Ben Davis become big time power guys within the next year the Sox will be down to only one power guy on the team, Paul Konerko. So trading a guy who is arguably your best hitter, and youngest power guy, might be a move questioned in years to come.

The Brewers needed a right handed power hitter and that's exactly what they got. And they didn't give up to much either as they have some potential CF's in thier system coming up as well as extra help for their 'pen to replace the guys departed in Vizcaino and the Danny Kolb trade to the Braves. Coupled with lefties Geoff Jenkins in front of him, and double machine Lyle Overbay behind him, the Brewers should have a formidable middle of the order punch next season. More offensive help is on the way as well with 2B Richie Weeks and 1B power hitting lefty Prince Fielder due to come up for good in either 2005 or 2006. Milwaukee also seems intent on signing RHP Ben Sheets to an extension, and if they can get some more pitching to come out of thier system it could mean that better days seem to be ahead for the Brewers.

The trade does have some bad news for the Cubs, as Lee is a carrer Cub-killer and will now have to face him 18 times a season instead of 6. The last three seasons he has hit .343 with 5 HR's and 15 RBI against the Cubbies.

As for what i think the White Sox are going to do with the saved money, my guess would be a run at newly released catcher A.J. Pierzynski. But for pitching help, with the recent spike of interest i would say they are out of the Matt Clement derby, unless he takes a paycut to play in the 'town he loves so much', Chicago. He has stated he and his wife want to stay in town, but i doubt he would take so much less money to do it. The Indians, Red Sox, Angels and others are hot on Clements trail raising his price tag. I say if they Sox get anyone this offseason it's Odalis Perez, but with the way things are going this offseason even he may get into a price range that the team will not think is worth it.

The White Sox are also going to re-sign Juan Uribe for $9.5 million over 3 years, with an option for a fourth.


Royals making moves...

The Royals picked up OF-C Eli Marrero from the Braves today for minor leaguer Jorge Vasquez. They also formally announced trading Catcher Benito Santiago to the Pirates today in a long-awaited deal for minor leaguer Leo Nunez. Santiago became expendable after the acquisition of John Buck from the A's in the Carlos Beltran deal last season. The Royals will pick-up $1 million of Santiago's $2.15 million contract this season.


If you can't beat um....

Edgar Renteria has agreed to a 4 yr/$40 million deal to play SS for the Boston Red Sox. This move, which was predicated on the Sox losing Pedro Martinez to free up the dollars for it, actually upgrades the Red Sox on offense, however they now have a large void in thier rotation left to fill. This is a kind of surprising move considering how high the Sox are on SS prosect Hanley Ramirez, who might be asked to learn a new position or in fact might be included in a possible deal for a starting pitcher. The Sox are rumored to be hot on the trail of Marlins pitcher A. J. Burnett. Either way I think this is a good, but puzzling signing for Boston. If they can use Ramirez to get Burnett it will work out even more for the Sox and GM Theo Epstien.


Baseball in Washington already finished...

The Washington D.C. city council approved a plan for a stadium yesterday, it just wasn't the plan that MLB thought they had agreed to when they moved the Montreal Expos there last month. The council changed the original proposal to one where half of the staduim was to be privately funded, up from the no private funding originally agreed upon. MLB has said the council has till the end of the month to create a new proposal, otherwise the Nats will be moved once again at the end of next season.


Randy Johnson deal back on....

According to the Sporting New's Ken Rosenthal a new trade proposal where the Yankees would get Randy Johnson, the Dodgers would get Javier Vasquez and prospect, and the Diamondback would get Shawn Green is close to completion. In the deal money would be sent towards LA, while the D-backs would get a hodgepodge of minor leaguers/major league ready pitchers or MLB pitchers.

It is interesting to see this happening and exactly how it will go down, as the D-backs previous demands were unfathomably unreasonable and the White Sox proposed this same deal with Carlos Lee or Paul Konerko going to the D-backs. Any deal where the Arizona does not get good ML pitching in return, in my opinion, will be a wasted trade and proves how absurd the front office of that team is.


Cubs lose two in Rule 5 draft...

The Cubs only lost two players in the rule 5 draft earlier this week, surprising me and im sure many others with the number of lively arms they left available. Andy Sisco, taken by the Royals, and Luke Hagerty, taken by the Orioles, are both LHP with very good stuff, although both had down years in the minors last season comeing off previous injuries. While the Royals have a desperate need for pitching and barring injury, will keep him on the 40-man roster. Hagerty however, is coming off major arm surgery and might not be ready to pitch at the start of the year. He will most likely be offered back to the Cubs at some point during this season. In one of the better happenings of the draft, the Cardinals lost one of thier top pitching prospects Tyler Johnson, who they inexplicably left off of thier 40-man roster.


Other notes...

- The Reds have shored up thier bullpen somewhat with the signings of David Weathers and Ben Weber. If anything, this means I get to watch Weber's funky motion for 18 games this year.

- The Brewers have sent Kieth Ginter to the A's for OF prospect Nelson Cruz and RHP prospect Justin Lehr. Cruz could develop into a very solid OF one day, potentially an all-star. It is funny however, that one day after refusing to include Ginter in the trade of Posednik to the White Sox they deal him almost immediatley to the A's.










Monday, December 13, 2004

Teams are making thier move...

Multiple guys are about to be signed or traded within the next day. Here's a rundown of the more major moves about to happen:

- The Mariners are about to ink Richie Sexson to a 4 year deal on Monday. There has been no money amount leaked but it is rumored to be around $40 million. He will sign with Seattle pending a physical taken on Monday.

- The Giants are signing Catcher Mike Matheny away from the Cardinals, which will make A.J. Pierzynski either traded or non-tendered sometime in the next few weeks. Pierzynski would immediatley become the second best Catcher on the free agent market.

- The Dodgers are on the verge of acquiring Oakland RHP Tim Hudson for minor league pitching prospect Edwin Jackson and infielder Antonio Perez. Although both sides have denied it up and down since it started being reported a couple hours ago, this deal looks to be nearly done. Dodger Gm Paul DePosdesta said that the reports of the deal "aren't entirely accurate." If it goes through Jackson will be the second top 10 pitching prospect to be dealt this week, joining Jose Capellan of the Brewers, formerly of the Braves.

- Reports out of California have the Angels signing former Cubbie RHP Matt Clement to a 3yr deal worth $7-9 million per year sometime in the next day or two.

- The deal between the Yankees and LHP Eric Milton is apparently being held up by a difference of $1.5 million over three years - with either side apparently unwilling to budge to the point that this deal could be killed fairly soon.

Go north young man...

I guess you can go home again. Sort of. Corey Koskie, a Manitoba native, and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a 3yr/$17 million deal which will be finalized today. The failure of the Twins to include a no-trade clause into the reduced deal they offered Koskie let to his departure. The signing of Koskie, a defensive stallworth at 3B, will push incumbant Toronto 3B across the diamond to 1B, filling thier hole creating when Carlos Delgado departed. Nice little signing for the Jays, unfortunately they reside in the AL East and depending on what Baltimore does can finish no higher than 3rd.

Sunday, December 12, 2004

What the hell is going on???

No, seriously, what the hell is going on.

-Richard Hidalgo got a 1yr/$5 million deal from the Texas Rangers, plus easily attainable incentives for another $500,000. He is not even close to the player Jermaine Dye is yet he gets Dye money. What the hell were the Rangers thinking?

- The Red Sox decide that its worth more of thier time and money to get the boozed-up wonder David Wells than to sign soon to be 29 year old Carl Pavano. Wells signed a 2yr/$8 million deal and if he makes 31 starts this year he recieves another $5 million and there is a possibility of $5 million more in incentives in the next year. It appears the only reason they're doing this is because they are on the verge of signing Edgar Renteria, according to Peter Gammons, and needed the extra money in thier budget for this season. But this would go against everything the Red Sox have said about only signing a one-year stopgap at SS till thier prospect Hanley Ramirez gets there in 2006 - unless they're planning on moving him to either 2B or 3B. This also gives the Red Sox a rotation which has ages, if Pedro returns, of 27 (Arroyo), 33 (Martinez - with shoulder problems), 38 (Schilling and Wakefield), and 41(Wells). Age and injury could be a real concern for the pitching staff next year, making me wonder what the hell the Red Sox were thinking?

- So because of the Wells signing Carl Pavano has apparently decided to play with the Yankees for $39 million over 4 years, with an option for a 5th. So even though Pavano said repeatedly that he really didn't like the prospect of playing in New York, he signs with them anyway - despite having larger offers from other teams out there. Seriously, what the hell was Carl Pavano thinking? This, also coupled with the expected signing of Eric Milton, will give the Yankees at least one starter too many with the cheapest being the newly signed Jared Wright at $7 million a year. Unless the Yankees move Javier Vasquez and Kevin Brown within the next couple of weeks, they can effectively be dropped from the Pedro Martinez derby.

- The Braves traded for a new closer today, Danny Kolb, getting him from the Milwaukee Brewers for one of the top pitching prospects in the game Jose Capellan, plus a PTBNL. This move makes John Smoltz a starter once again, something he's been pining for since after the first season he became the teams closer. Smoltz will make $12 million next season plus $100,000 for EVERY START HE MAKES. So if he stays healthy for the entire season, that is an extra $3.5 million dollars. Good thing for the Braves that him staying healthy for the entire year is a very unlikely proposition. Smoltz was moved to the bullpen in 2001 after it was determined his elbow couldn't hold up starting for an entire year anymore after missing the 2000 season for reconstructive surgery, and to top that he has even been on the DL with elbow trouble in three of the four seasons since he came back. Plus, the Braves traded one of the top ten pitching prospects in the game for Danny Kolb, someone they could have used to go after Tim Hudson. Kudos to Brewers GM Doug Melvin for getting someone this good in return as the Cubs wouldn't have given him any prospect of this calibre, but seriously, what the hell were the Braves thinking?

- Jayson Stark is reporting that the Devil Rays are close to signing OF Juan Gonzalez. What the hell is Tampa Bay thinking??

Movin' on....again

The Pirates got a leadoff man to fill Jason Kendall's role when the traded newly acquired LHP Arthur Rhodes to the Indians for OF Matt Lawton. This trade fills holes for both teams and is very good for the Indians. They needed a lefty in the 'pen and have a zillion young outfielders. Good for everyone involved.

What to do??

Now that the Brewers have traded Danny Kolb to the Braves, the Cubs last options for obtaining a closer in the offseason is either trading for the Tigers Uge Urbina, who's still pre-occupied with his mothers kidnapping, or signing Robb Nen and hoping he'll be ready to close when the season comes around. Or they can wait till July of next season and hope that the Mariners are so helplessly out of it that they will trade away 'everyday' Eddie Guardado for one of the Cubs young arms. They might (and probably will) give the chance to Ryan Dempster.

- Jayson Stark is reporting that if the Cubs get shut out for either Carlos Beltran or J.D. Drew that they'll go after Twins OF Jacque Jones, who would only be available if the Twins re-sign Corey Koskie.

- The Cubs brass is kicking around ideas of turning Kerry Wood into a closer if they cannot find someone. Although he could be a good closer with his stuff and heat, the only way i see this happening is if Wood turns into a John Smoltz situation where he has another elbow problem so bad that moving him to the bullpen is the only option.

- The Braves, Orioles, and Nationals are the other teams interested in trading for Sammy Sosa if a deal with the Mets doesn't work out.

Thursday, December 09, 2004

Sox get thier man part II

Like earlier spoken about on the site by J Zang the White Sox have agreed to terms with RF Jermaine Dye with a 2yr/$10.15 million deal with a $6 million option for 2007 (with a $1.15 million buyout). He will make $4 million this year and $5 million next. Like Zang talked about earlier, Dye apparently made a verbal agreement with the Sox and went to take a physical for the team before signing the contract. On the way to the physical another team called with a better offer but Dye decided to stick to his word and make the pact with the Palehosers. At least there's still someone in professional sports with some integrity to his word.

The fact that Dye signed for this much money surprised me, and i was even more surprised that other teams were offering more, but this move makes the the Outfield for the sox very solid. Although they are not as good offensively as with Magglio Ordonez, and Dye has not lived up to the offensive numbers he had earlier in his carrer, Dye is still a very good defensive outfielder with one of the best arms in the league. Combine that with Carlos Lee's gloveword and Aaron Rowands range to cover the deficiencies of both Lee and Dye in that area, and the outfield becomes very solid. Dye can still put up solid numbers, 30 HR's, .280 avg or so, 100 RBI's, but it seems that he will never live up to the giant promise he showed as a younger player.

This move does give the White Sox a glut of Outfielders on the roster. Besides the starters they have Alex Escobar, Timo Perez, and Joe Borchard on the 40-man. It appears they might be inclined to keep Everett due to the fact that DH Frank Thomas might not be back at the beggining of next season, but any of these players could be gone by the start of next season.

- In another White Sox note, the D-backs turned down a deal proposed by Kenny Williams of a three way between the Sox, Diamondbacks, and Yankees where the White Sox would get Javier Vasquez, the D-backs get Paul Konerko and Jon Garland, and the Yankees get Randy Johnson. Money and minor leaguers would also get shifted around.

A Hillbilly in the City....

2B Jeff Kent has inked a 2yr/$17 million deal with the LA Dodgers to be thier new cleanup hitter, 2B against RHP's and 1B against LHP's for next season. Kent grew up rooting for the Dodgers and had his parents at the press conference as he nearly broke down in tears. Another interesting point of the press conference was how Kent expressed apparent regret at not taking the Red Sox offer to move to 1B for them a couple years back after watching them win the World Series this year. This move could mean that the Astros will move LF Craig Biggio back to 2B to fill that hole since they can move Jason Lane into the LF spot.

As the Glaus Turns...

The Diamondbacks signed the second best 3B on the market today, Troy Glaus, to a 4yr/$45 million contract. Glaus is getting a $4 million signing bonus with salaries of $8, $9, $10.5, and $12.5 million each season of the contract. Glaus also gets a suite for every road trip and $250,000 a year in personal business finances. On top of this Peter Gammons is reporting that a 4yr/$34 million deal is about to happen any day between the D-backs and RHP Russ Ortiz as well as a contract for free agent SS Royce Clayton. These are nice signings for the Club but they already have young position players at on the left side of the infield. Chad Tracy could get moved to 1B, but Shea Hillenbrand already has that spot so one of them will need to be traded. And where Alex Cintron plays now, i do not know.

Another major problem with this deal is that that D-backs are in heavy, heavy debt. They have over $50 million dollars of past defered contracts to pay out this season, and an $80 million dollar loan from MLB that needs to be paid. The problem lies in this, they have *supposedly* been in the red every year of thier existence and asked for MLB to forgive that loan, but now they go out and are about to spend nearly $100 million in contracts. In light of thier signings i cannot see MLB wiping the loan away - which will put the new ownership in Arizona in the same predictament that the previous ownership was, serious debt.

Cubs competition gets smaller...

A report out of Anahiem is saying that the Angels are about to sign CF Steve Finley to a 2yr deal worth around $7-8 million per season. This effectively puts the Angels out of the Carlos Beltran running and with the Yankees expressing more and more interest in going after J.D. Drew the market may get even smaller for Beltran. Here's to hoping that the Yankees go for Drew, but even if they get Beltran it does leave the Cubs door open for Drew to fill that LF spot. The Angels also appear to be hot on the trail of SS Orlando Cabrera.

- In another Cubs note they will probably lose 3 or more guys from thier roster in the rule 5 draft from these players: Andy Sisco(maybe the best guy available), Luke Hagerty, Jon Connolly, Ricky Nolasco, Jae Kuk-Ryu, Carmen Pignatiello, and Brandon Sing. All are very good pitching prospects except for OF Sing, who is a pretty decent prospect himself. Leaving all of these guys available is a very very questionable move by GM Jim Hendry. All I can say is that it really is unfathomable, especially for near major league ready guys like Connolly and Sisco.

It's all Dust In the Wind....

The White Sox got thier man today, signing right relief pitcher Dustin Hermanson to a 2yr/$5.5 million deal with a $3.5 million option in 2007. Hermanson will pitch in the setup role to closer Shingo Takatsu and will possibly close if Shingo cannot get the job done in his second season. I have to admit this makes the palehosers pen pretty solid with Shingo, Hermanson and the lefty Demaso Marte. Although none of them are a dominate closer, the two setup guys have proven to be effective in that role and Shingo seemed capable at closing for half a season even though he throws a variety of 80 MPH junk at hitters. Now the Sox are gonna turn their attention to another starter with Matt Clement seeming to get the most interest out of them since Jared Wright has moved on to the Evil Empire.

Heres a quick rundown of some other signings going on today:

- Jon Lieber to the Phillies for 3yr/$21 million. This rounds out thier rotation and fills all of thier holes for next season leaving them pretty much finished for the offseason.

- The Padres inked former Cardinal pitcher Woody Williams to a 1yr/$3.5 million deal with very easily attainable incentives to turn it into at 2yr/$14 million deal. All Williams basically has to do is stay healthly and pitch well enough to remain in the rotation. The move also effectively makes David Wells go out to find another team since his top two choices, San Diego and Philadelphia, have signed other pitchers to fill out thier starting staffs.

- Matt Mantei, who expressed interest in becoming a Cub earlier in the offseason, signed a 1yr/$750,000 deal with the Red Sox. If he's health for the next season he will really help the ballclub, but thats a major if.

- Al Leiter is officially back to the Florida Marlins with a 1yr/$7 million contract. The deal also calls for $1 million donated to his charity on top of the salary.

- There must be something in the water in Minneapolis. Brad Radke turned down more lucrative and longer offers to return to the Twins yesterday, and today 3B Cory Koskie told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he will return to the Twins to take a 2yr/$9 million offer if they include a no-trade clause. The thing is that he has recieved at least one offer better at 3yrs/$16 million offer from another team. Crazy things are happening in Minnesota.

- And since i was accused of being a Nomar Garciaparra anti-homer, heres an article on how he could return to past glory. I agree with most things this guy has to say, however I think 95% of people would agree that Nomar was never a 'good' defensive shortstop. If Nomar turns it around and is back to his old form next season I'll be the first to admit I was wrong about him, but I just cannot see why Hendry would want him back over Renteria at this point in both thier carrers, especially with the Cubs need for a leadoff hitter.

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

And away we go....

Free agency has officially begun as of midnight last night with who else but the Yankees making the first major signings after the arbitration period expired picking up pitcher Jared Wright and 2B Tony Womack. Womack gets a 2yr/$4 million deal to start at 2B and lead-off for the Yankees while Wright will get between $21-25 million over three years according to various sources. They are also reported to be on the verge of signing Lefty Eric Milton to a 3yr/$24 million deal which could be announced any day. Wright signing with the Yankees was not a shocker but what was surprising was that he signed so early. However the Womack signing surprised me completely as I have not heard him associated with the Yankees at all so far this offseason, although I am glad the Cubs did not sign him like rumored even though he could fill the lead-off role the team desperately needed to fill. Now that the team has re-signed Nomar and Todd Walker there is little hope that the team will be able to add a lead-off caliber player in the outfield to their roster.

- Well like previously mentioned the Cubs re-upped Nomar Garciaparra and Todd Walker today. Nomar gets a 1yr/$8 million deal with incentives to reach $11 million based on starts and plate appearances while Walker gets a 1yr/$2.5 million deal with an option year at $2.5 million. Walker can also guarantee the second year at either $2.5 or $2.75 million based on plate appearances.

On top of the two resignings today the Cubs have inked Henry Blanco to a 2yr/$2.7 million deal to back up Michael Barrett and be Greg Maddux's personal valet for the season. Blanco has experience doing this during the 2002 and 2003 seasons he spent with the Atlanta Braves. Blanco is a big defensive upgrade over Bako and has one of the best arms in the league. He will probably wind up as an offensive equal to Bako though, with a little bit more power (compared to Bako's none). The Cubs will have to give up a draft pick to the Twins for the signing.

With no closers left on the market look for the Cubbies to sign one of these three former closers with recent arm trouble to minor league deals: Matt Mantei, Robb Nen, or Jeff Zimmerman. Nen would probably be the leader to be signed since he played under Dusty Baker in San Francisco and Larry Rothchild was his pitching coach while he was in Florida. On top of this why not sign former Red Sox and Red middle-man Scott Williamson. He was injured last season and will probably be signing a discounted deal but when healthy he has been a consistent reliever who can get outs, which the Cubs need as many of as they can find.

- St. Louis and Minnesota each brough back their former aces yesterday before the arbitration deadline. The Redbirds re-signed Matt Morris to a 1 yr/$2.5 million deal with a possible $4.5 million in incentives. Morris is coming off of shoulder surgery and hasn't been the ace pitcher he was before elbow reconstruction surgery he had back in 1999 and the first couple seasons back from it. His velocity has really dropped off the last few seasons after a strong season and a half coming back off the surgery. If the surgery Morris recently had heals his shoulder problems and he can return to his form of old, it will be a steal for the Cardinals and a good audition year for Morris himself, as well as some bad news for the Cubs. This leaves one spot open in the rotation for the Cards with them rumored to be going heavily after Randy Johnson and Matt Clement, and with some interest in Pedro Martinez.

- The Twins re-upped Brad Radke to a 2 yr/$18 million deal. What makes this signing interesting is that Radke was turning down three year offers from other clubs saying he wanted only a two year deal.

- In a move that is unprecedented for the MLB players union, they have decided to work with MLB officials in changing part of their collective bargaining agreement before it runs out. With a few years left on the old deal the players have initiated talks at their annual meetings stating that they want harsher penalties and testing standards for drug use. Baseball will be more than willing to grant their wish, especially with the government breathing down their necks on the issue. Both sides probably agree that any move made by themselves to control testing is better than the government getting involved to regulate drug testing. These actions are happening sooner than I expected when I wrote about them a couple of days ago.

- In a follow up to the Denny Neagle story, it is official as the Rockies have terminated his contract. Look for the Players Union to be getting involved with this very soon.

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

I ain't got got got no time...

Today is the deadline for teams to offer arbitration to thier own free agents, which in recent years has unofficially become the true start of the free agency period. If a team is not offered arbitration by midnight EST tonight the team is not priviliged to any compensation and cannot resign that player till May of next season, effectively meaning they will be moving to another team. The Cubs will most likely be offering on Matt Clement, Paul Bako, Todd Hollandsworth, and the possibility of Todd Walker. Clement will almost positively sign a long term deal with another team so the Cubs will get a 1st or 2nd round pick from whoever signs him, depending on the team. They would also like to bring back the other three players. However the Cubs will not be offering Nomar any arbitration meaning they have until 11pm CST tonight to sign him. Unfortunately it appears that they are on the verge of signing both him and Walker to new deals that could be announced as early as this morning. Reports have varied on Nomar going from $7 million/1yr deals to $11 million/1yr deals, all with incentives based on playing time and performance.

Personally I don't know what the hell the Cubs are thinking if they are going to resign Nomar. He was an offensive force in baseball...three years ago. Nomars defense, despite having a cannon arm, is average at best - although the high Wrigley infield grass might bump him up to slightly above average - hasn't been the same since he broke his wrist in 2001 and I cannot see how the Cubs will justify signing him to a one year deal, knowning he's only upping his value to get out of town next season. The team currently has no prospects that are major league ready - or even have major league potential - in the minors and the free agent crop at shortstop next year is poor, especially compared to this offseason. Since the Cubs made a mistake in not going after Miggy Tejada last year, the majors best SS now that Arod has moved to third, they could go out and get either Edgar Renteria or Orlando Cabrera, whom would both rank higher than Nomar on the list of SS's at this point in his carrer with Renteria being arguably the best defensive SS in the league right now. So why commit to an older, more fragile, worse defensive, possibly more expensive player....I cannot answer that, and I don't know many who can.

Today also signals the end of the Moises Alou era in Chicago and leaves me with one question to answer...who will be pissing on their hands in the clubhouse now?


No Big Unit on the SouthSide...

Kenny Williams offically conceded in the Randy Johnson derby yesterday by announcing that they could not change Johnsons mind to waive his no-trade clause to come to the White Sox. It was a well placed effort by the Sox to get the no.1 they havn't had since BlackJack McDowell was flinging for them in the early to mid 1990's but it predictable fell short since I don't think anyone thought Johnson would be willing to go to the Palehosers, a team which couldn't contend in a weak AL central last year. Williams also stated that they're are no more options in free agency for position players outside of going after Jermaine Dye to play RF for them next year (and someone else cheap after that). Now if I were a Sox fan and I heard my GM say this, i would be extremely upset if they didn't land one of the upper-tier pitchers they claim they are also going after this offseason, along with some help in the pen.


Thar she blows....

There have been rumors out early this morning that the Rockies have terminated the contract of Denny Neagle and get rid of the $19 million plus they still owe him due to a decency clause in his contract. Although there have been talks about doing this since his incident the union will probably be able to stop this. I've been searching the Denver papers this morning to find some confirmation to the story of his termination coming out of Florida but havn't seen anything as of yet.


Side Notes...

- The Cubs are close to signing Mark Sweeney to possibly fill Todd Hollandsworth's role of last year according to Barry Rozner.

- There was a meeting this weekend with MLB, MLB Union, and government officials to create a new drug policy that could be impletmented within the next couple weeks, look for more on this in the next few days.

Friday, December 03, 2004

This is the end...The end of Baseball

Well not exactly the end, but probably a nail in the coffin of the legitimacy skeptics have of the records broken in the last 10 years. The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that both Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds testified to the Grand Jury as having used steroids provided to them by BALCO, and more specifically Greg Anderson, the personal trainer for Bonds. All this does is prove what many suspected of some of the games biggest stars over the last 10 years or so that MLB players were pumping more illegal drugs into thier bodies than Ivan Drago, although it is doubtful that the full report of everyone who took them over that time period will ever be known.

What i find very surprising about the whole ordeal is the frankness of Jason Giambi's testimony. He basically broke down the entire system of the company and how they gave steroids out and how the players used them. Although he named no names of other players involved, he intially started using steroids after going up to Anderson during a Japanese tour in 2001 asking what methods he used to keep Bonds in shape so well at his age. As for Bonds, he gave the more typical response that i would have suspected coming from players in this case, that they ingested the product but did not realize what they had used after the fact blah blah bla.... This is what makes Giambi's testimony so much more surprising, and even though it doesn't matter one iota, he has gained more of my respect actually telling the truth(despite losing much from taking the steroids) instead of passing the buck, as well as admitting to it for a long duration and not just one season.

This will all eventually lead into the debate of whether or not these records should count or whether they will get the Roger Maris asterik next to them for eternity. I'll lay out my opinion on this matter right now.... no, the records should not be taken away or asteriked. I say this for three reasons: 1) steroids were not a banned subtance tested for until this last season; 2) cheating has been an essential part of the game of baseball since it was created; and 3) just because you get bigger, doesn't mean you get better. Lost in all of the stories recently is the fact that Jason Giambi's brother Jeremy also admitted to using steroids. Assuming Jason did them during the same time period as older brother Jason his HR's went from 10 in the pre-steriods year to 12 with 30 point increase in batting average. The next year his HR production went up to 20 but his average went down 25 points. The following year he batting under .200 with 5 HR in 127 AB's. Although his HR total did double in two years after starting to use steroids it was still only 20, and he bottomed out the year after that. So what does this tell us, that you still need a bit of talent to go with the increased mass in order to be good, steroids themselves don't do all of the work. This ties into my second point which is that cheating has been an intrical part of the game since its inception. During the first 50 years of baseball's existence pitchers used pitches which were ultimatley deemed illegal, yet all of thier stats count in the record books. Even pitchers such as Hall-of-Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched after those pitches were outlawed, have admitted to doctoring the ball or throwing illegal pitches without getting caught(although they sometimes did). Even the games great savior in 1998 Mark McGwire admitted to using Andro, a drug which acts as a steriod after it is put into the bloodstream, to bulk up in the offseason, yet his records still stand and he'll probably be put in the all of fame on the first ballot when he comes up next year. These records accumulated still count, and this is the main reason why I believe MLB will not be able to discount these stats and records as if they didn't even happen.

The other big development is the possibility of Giambi having his contract terminated by the Yankees. Highlighted in an article from Jayson Stark it is possible that the Yankess can dismiss him and his $20 million plus salary for the next 4 seasons, but it does appear that the union will fight it at the present time if the Yankees were to follow through on this.

Where have all the closers gone??

With the signing of Armando Benitez by the San Francisco Giants the market for closers is effectively shut down for the offseason with the Cubs being shut out. It looks like they will have to turn to the Brewers to try and pry Danny Kold away from them, but for what is a relatively cheap price for the consistency you get over the last few year i would doubt the Brewers would trade Kolb, unless the Cubs or someone else drastically overpay. With this signing it looks like the Giants will have to go on the cheap to get a new Outfielder for next year with about $8.5 million already being given to new SS Omar Vizquel and now Benitez. Do notice however, that for an average of $7 million a year the Giants get the all-time postseason blown saves leader.

The only other closers on the market still are two guys coming off serious injuries recently, Matt Mantei and Rob Nenn - who hasn't pitched for the last two seasons. Mantei has expressed interest in joining the Cubs, and they might sign him to a minor league deal, but i wouldn't expect much from him next season.

Market getting a bit Leiter....

The Marlins are close to signing former Marlin Al Leiter to a one year contract worth $6-7 million a year and the promise of a broadcasting job with the team after his deal is up. The Mets have unofficially cut ties from Leiter but the other team from New York still would like to get him in Pinstripes, however i dont think he will be getting anymore money in a deal with the Yankees. Leiter will fill the void almost garaunteed to be left by Carl Pavano.

Hudson a goner...

A report out of Oakland is saying that Tim Hudson wants out of Oakland if he cannot get a contract extention by March 1 of next year. Hudson also appears to be Billy Beanes most tradable pitcher right now so its concievable he could be sent away to get his contract from another team. In a random thought Hudson could be the no.1 starter that the White Sox have been searching for and would really solidify thier rotation. Whether or not they have the combination of players and prospects that the A's want is a different question. Here's saying that the Braves become the winner of this derby to replace one of the two starters they will most likely be losing this offseason by giving Oakland Marcus Giles, who would vill a major void for the A's at 2B, and the Braves have a more than capable replacement for him in Nick Green - who took over for the injured Giles last season and proved his worth.

D'backs acting crazy...

The list of demands that Arizona is demanding from the Yankees for Randy Johnson is completly insane, even going as far as to give them a list of 10 other MLB pitchers from different teams they would have to trade for and then give to Arizona for the Big Unit, as well as picking up all but a million or so of Javier Vazquez's deal. I would most likely think this is a ploy by the D'backs to make Johnson expand his list of teams he's willing to go to in trade but you never know....

Nats trying to get things started

The new Washington Nationals GM Jim Bowden is apparently going to go hard after pitcher Russ Ortiz. Even though he has already added over $10 million is new payroll to the team Bowden still has around $20 million to spend in accordance to a approximate $50 million payroll handed down from MLB for the new franchise while the league tries to find an owner for this team. The upgrades already done and adding more talent like Ortiz will probably help find a buyer quicker for the newly named Nationals.

Pedro to the Mets??

Why are teams willing to shell out so much money to a potentially injured Pedro Martinez. The lastest news is that new Mets GM omar Minaya offered Martinez a 3 year deal worth $38.5 million with an option fourth year. The Yankees are still going to offer him a deal as well and will probably try to top that, if not for any other reason that to screw thier two biggest rivals. But is Martinez worth this much money at this stage in his carrer? Probably not. He has a damaged shoulder which could go at any time and hasn't pitched like the old Pedro for the last 3 seasons, even if he has put up decent numbers during that time. He's no better than a good no.2 at this point and cannot go 9 innings anymore. This just seems like a disaster waiting to happen to me and whatever team signs him is going to regret it in a year or two. The Red Sox already made thier highest offer and it will probably come down to whether Pedro wants to go back where he'll be a King, or live with the potential backlash of failure and injury - but for more money. Either way he will not be getting the $15 million a year he said he wanted and was worth earlier this free agency period.

Lost in Translation....

While all the major league teams are waiting for the next supposed monster pitcher, Daisuke Matsuzaka, to come from Japan, there are a few Japanese 2B that can come over this year and there just happens to be two teams in Chicago that need to fill that position. Why not take a flyer on one of these guys since both have cabable guys behind them that can fill in if they do not work out. The White Sox did this last year on Shingo and it worked out well. Maybe they think that you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice in a row, but these guys could sign relatively cheap and it would be worth a shot.

Jose, Jose-Jose-Jose....

Well the Red Sox are interested in Jose Valentin as a one year stop-gap until SS prospect Hanley Ramirez is ready in 2006. Even though Valentin has one of the better range factors in the league and can hit 25 bombs from the left side of the plate, I have to say, have fun Boston.....

Making room for Carlos...

The Yankees got rid of Kenny Lofton, shipping him and $1.5 million out to Philadelphia for Set-up man Felix Rodriguez in what could be concieved as a move to open an outfield spot on the team for Carlos Beltran. They also re-obtained set-up man Mike Stanton and $975,000 for Felix Heredia from the NY Mets in a cross town deal. Even though they opened up an OF spot, they also upped thier payroll by about $2 million, and with signings of Eric Milton for around $7-8 million and relievers Steve Kline and Ron Villone and Jon Leiber and either Randy Johnson or Pedro Martinez coming to town they might not have enough money left to seriously overbid on Beltran, leaving him to actually join the team he wants to play for instead of Boras forcing him to take the money. Those potential signings or trades would put the payroll at well over $200 million for next season and not even the Yankees can spend like that (or can they, we'll see).


Q o' the P

"My two biggest personnel mistakes were Michaell Ovitz and Mo Vaughn" - Retiring Disney CEO Michael Eisner



Why aren't these guys in the Hall of Fame?

Andre Dawson
Ron Santo