The Red Sox, and it appears every other team, said no to Barry Bonds.

Matt Snyder makes the case for the Giants signing Barry Bonds:

The NL West looks like a relatively wide-open division entering 2009. The Dodgers signed Manny Ramirez to solidify the middle of their batting order Wednesday. The Giants have a decent lineup, but lack a power presence in the middle. Barry Bonds still wants to play baseball, and considering how little interest he's netted the past two years, he'd probably sign a relatively cheap contract.

Considering all the above factors, and also considering how beloved Bonds was in San Francisco despite his many shortcomings as a man, the Giants should sign him to bat in the middle of their order this season. There, I said it.

I agree. The Bonds vs. Manny battles will be the greatest show since King Kong vs. Godzilla.

Manny Ramirez is just a physical away from signing with the Dodgers, according to ESPN:

Ramirez and the Dodgers have agreed in principle on a two-year, $45 million contract, pending a physical.

The outfielder, his agents Scott Boras and Mike Fiore, and Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and general manager Ned Colletti met in Los Angeles to finalize the deal.

The deal was struck just three days after another failed attempt to get a deal done -- which grew out of how much money would be deferred -- with a frustrated McCourt telling reporters that any negotiations from that point forward would "start from scratch."

So the Dodgers got what they wanted. It's a short term deal that gives Manny an incentive to play well this season, the chance to become a free agent again next year. Manny saw how his attitude with the Red Sox kept teams away from signing him. Maybe he can rehabilitate himself in the eyes of the other teams with a good season for the Dodgers.

Ken Rosenthal reports that Nomar Garciaparra decided to continue playing baseball, this time with the Athletics:

Opting against retirement, Garciaparra is on the verge of signing a one-year deal with the A's, according to major-league sources.

The deal, expected to be between $1.5 and $2 million guaranteed, will be subject to Garciaparra passing a physical.

...

Garciaparra, 35, will serve as a right-handed alternative to Eric Chavez at third base, Daric Barton or Jason Giambi at first and Giambi or Jack Cust at designated hitter.

Nomar hasn't played a full season since 2003. His place is as a backup, and his bat is still good enough for him to fill that role well.

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With the delay in his trial, Barry Bonds told his agent to look for work. Davey Johnson should invite Barry to join team USA for the World Baseball Classic. The stringent drug testing there should work in Barry's favor, and if he shows he can hit, maybe someone will hire him.

The Oakland Athletics just signed Orlando Cabrera to a one-year contract:

The signing of Cabrera means Bobby Crosby will either be traded or become a $5.25 million utilityman. It is unclear what effect the move will have on Nomar Garciaparra, who was choosing between the A's and retirement, according to a major-league source.

Cabrera was a Type A free agent who was offered arbitration by the White Sox. Chicago will get Oakland's second-round draft pick, plus a supplemental pick between the first and second round.

That's quite a drop in salary for Cabrera, who made $10 million in 2008. Despite his age, Cabrera's posted OBAs better than his career average the last three seasons. That doesn't make him a great offensive player, but he won't pull the offense down like Bobby Crosby did the last three years. I'm guessing the Athletics will probably end up eating most of Bobby's contract, whether he's traded or not.

Orlando also gives the Athletics better range at shortstop than Crosby.

Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras offered the Dodgers a compromise on the deferred money:

"Our most recent offer Saturday morning covered two years with some deferred compensation ($43.5m net present value). Manny directed me to compromise between the Dodgers' last offer of $42 million net present value ($45 million with deferred compensation) and our $45 million without deferred money. However, we have yet to hear from them on our last three offers."

Via Dodger Thoughts, who adds:

Though they have made some public relations mistakes along the way, the Dodgers have proven they were right not to make an exorbitant offer back in November, right to make some concessions as the offseason passed and right to stand their ground when they needed to.

How much more right do the Dodgers need to be? It's time to lock it down.

If any other team wants Manny, now is the time to swoop in while the Dodgers decide how right they want to be. My guess is that Manny will be in a Dodger uniform very soon. Ramirez blinked, and that's all Los Angeles should need.

Jon Weisman suggests the Dodgers negotiations with Manny Ramirez stalled over more than deferred money:

In any case, I think that the media's and the fans' continued focus on the deferred money issue obscures the real story. I understand completely why people think it matters, because it seems like a sign of instability. But I don't think it really matters. The real story is not about who can't afford what, but rather, how badly each party wants to win.

It just seems much more likely that we remain stuck in something as basic as trench warfare between McCourt and Boras. This war can have winners. It should have winners. All it takes is someone hitting a home run or making an error, all it takes is the success or failure of someone's will -- or god forbid, compromise.

But who knows how long it will take? This is baseball, after all. We don't play by the clock.

If the problem is just deferred money, that's a problem that's easily fixed. Negotiations tend not to fall apart over something like when a player gets paid. If this is personal, as Weisman suggests, there's no telling what will be needed to bring the two sides together. In that case, any little problem becomes a reason not to agree.

Juan Cruz finds a job, landing a two-year deal with the Kansas City Royals. He's posted high strikeouts and low ERAs the last two seasons with the Diamondbacks. His walks are a bit high, but they haven't hurt him much in terms of allowing runs. I'm surprised he stayed on the market this long.

Manny Ramirez noon deadline was for a counter offer by Boras. The two sides now seem to be squabbling not over contract size or length, but deferred money. That's a small difference and now I believe a deal will get done, but who knows when. There's a great Colletti quote at the post.

Dodger Thoughts rounds up the latest Manny Ramirez news as dawn breaks on the west coast. It appears there is a noon deadline for Manny and the team to reach an agreement. That seems to be a bit of a backtrack from the "starting from scratch" statement made last night:

Twelve hours ago, it looked as if the Dodgers had achieved the public relations moment that would make everyone forget about Jamie McCourt's ill-conceived "50 fields" remark. Now, one is tempted to wonder whether Thursday night's release will make that gaffe look minor in comparison.

But let's give ourselves at least until low noon before rendering a verdict.

Stay tuned.

In the wake of Manny Ramirez's rejection of the latest Dodgers offer, I wonder if Manny might get himself in a downward spiral of offers. Los Angeles withdrew a $45 million offer, and as far as we know, there are no other firm offers on the table. Why would a team bid more at this point?

Let's say another team offers Manny a one-year, $20 million deal. I assume Ramirez would reject that as well, and the team that offers says, we're out of the running. As the season approaches and Manny wants a job, other teams might step up with less money.

At some point it might reverse, as Manny's price becomes low enough to actually spark some bidding. Maybe that's the mistake a number of free agents made this winter. They started asking for too much money, and not many teams were interested. Maybe at a lower starting point, more teams would take a look at a player, and the competition might actually bid up the price. When, as in Manny's case, the asking price was too high, there's nowhere to go but down. Manny is the housing market.

Jon Weisman posts the Dodgers statement that Scott Boras rejected their offer for Manny Ramirez:

"We love Manny Ramirez," said Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt, "And we want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves. When his agent finds those 'serious offers' from other clubs, we'll be happy to re-start the negotiations.

"Even with an economy that has substantially eroded since last November, out of respect for Manny and his talents, we actually improved our offer.

"So now, we start from scratch."

I take it Manny won't be getting any more $20 million a year offers. Jon goes on:

It's interesting to note that the Dodgers aim their venom at Boras, even though ostensibly Boras is working for Ramirez. Of course, the natural explanations for this are 1) the Dodgers need to stay on Ramirez' good side in the event he does end up with the team, and 2) doubt about who's boss in the Boras-Ramirez relationship.

That is one of the jobs of an agent, to take all the abuse so the client doesn't need have his relationship soured. It's in fact, one of the best reasons for having an agent. The boss can scream and yell as much as he wants at your representative, but a good one never tells the client that. You just hear how much they love you.

The Dodgers believe they called Boras's bluff. We'll see if that's true soon. I'd really love to see the Giants swoop in and sign Manny now. That would make the NL West a lot more interesting.

Yesterday, Andruw Jones's hitting received a good review, now Kris Benson pitches well for Texas:

Signed to a minor league contract Saturday, Benson, who is coming off rotator cuff surgery, hasn't pitched in the majors since 2006. He needed only seven pitches to end the first inning, but allowed a long home run to designated hitter Billy Butler in the second before inducing a double play to end his outing.

"I felt great. I haven't felt this good in three years," Benson said. "My velocity is getting up there where it used to be. I feel really comfortable. I made the one mistake where I kind of left that slider over the middle of the plate."

Texas always seems to be in need of arms. Benson might be a fresh one who can help them out. It's possible Texas gets two decent players for not a lot of money out of their deals.

The Dodgers still have a two-year, $45 million offer for Manny Ramirez, but now we appear to know more details:

The Dodgers have made another offer to Manny Ramirez, a two-year deal calling for $25 million this season and $20 million for the next -- providing the slugger chooses to exercise the second-year option.

The player option on the second year came at the request of Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, said a source with knowledge of the situation who did not have authority to speak publicly.

The Dodgers will now wait to hear back from Boras, who will be carrying the offer to his client.

That's pretty much where we started back in early days of this free agent season. I guess if Manny plays well and rehabilitates his image, he'll opt out and try to get a better deal next year. If he thinks the market is still bad, or sees his abilities decline, he can walk away with $20 million next season.

For everything he did to get away from the Red Sox and out of his team options, he may end up with only a $5 million raise over two years. I wonder if Manny thinks it was worth it.

Buster Olney lays Manny Ramirez's unemployment at the feet of Manny Ramirez:

The primary reason for this, unquestionably, is the sport-wide perception that he did not honor his contract in Boston, and went to extraordinary depths to get himself out of that contract. These are not the on-background musings of a couple of rogue scouts, or the chortlings of conspiracy-theorist sports writers. This is the cemented belief of many executives with many teams, reinforced by Ramirez's sudden transformation into a high-energy player as soon as he moved from the Red Sox to the Dodgers. The same guy who was clocked at 5.8 seconds going from home to first base in his last week with Boston suddenly was running full-speed for L.A., his hat flying off.

You might think that Manny is getting picked on. You might think there's no real evidence that he stopped playing hard for the Red Sox.

But apparently, there is an army of decision-makers across the game's landscape who would disagree with you. It's Feb. 25 and one of the best hitters of all-time, fresh off one of the best performances ever, is still in need of offers.

I wonder if the Dodgers or Manny will blink? He appears to have a very good deal on the table in terms of annual salary. In this market, maybe that should be the biggest factor.

Hat tip, Projo Sox Blog.

R.J. Anderson looks at how the length of time and total money given to free agents changed over the last three years.

Ned Colletti denied that the Dodgers have a deal with Manny Ramirez:

KLAC-AM in Los Angeles reported earlier Monday that a contract agreement -- for two guaranteed years and a third year based on games played and plate appearances -- would be announced later this week.

"I'm not going to address that," Boras told the Los Angeles Times.

Colletti told the Times it "would be foolish" to print such unverified information.

That's a pretty weak denial. We'll see what happens in the next couple of days. Does anyone know if Manny left Costa Rica?

Update: Jon Heyman has more:

Both Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers have done some compromising in recent days, according to people familiar with the negotiations, as the two sides seem to now understand that they aren't going to get exactly what they want in a potential deal.

But as to whether the Dodgers ultimately get Ramirez, well, that remains uncertain, even now as spring has sprung.

Unable to sign Ken Griffey, Jr., the Braves take Garret Anderson instead:

The Braves have finally added a veteran bat to their outfield, left-handed slugger Garret Anderson.

The team finalized a one-year contract worth about $2.5 million with the free agent on Sunday, according to a person familiar with negotiations. An announcement is expected to come Monday, and Anderson was en route to Florida to join the Braves at spring training.

Garret's offense has been below average the last three years. He was never much at getting on base. His batting average, however, is high for such a low OBA, and he hit for some power. Again, however, that power is way down in three of the last four years, making Anderson dispensable to the Angels.

Frankly, I'd have rather seen the Braves break the bank for one year and try to win with Manny Ramirez.

Hat tip, Braves Journal.

Boras Blog notes that the Giants failure to sign Joe Crede gives them more money to sign Manny Ramirez.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Joe Crede signed with the Minnesota Twins:

Crede, 30, agreed to terms Friday night with the Minnesota Twins, according to a major league source.

Crede, who provided stellar defense and was a clutch hitter during his tenure with the Sox, signed late in free agency because he was recovering from the latest in a series of back ailments. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, it appeared Crede was willing to sign for less than the $7 million base it was believed he was seeking, but no details were available about the contract.

The Twins were near the bottom of range at third base in 2008, so a healthy Crede should improve their defense. He might even add a bit of power.

Jon Weisman reports the signing, but no details. I'm glad Orlando got a job, and I wonder how much this might affect the signing of Manny Ramirez.

Update: Orlando gets $3.8 million for one year.

Tim Hudson is blaming a reporter for the Braves losing Griffey. Depending on how Ken's season goes, Tim might by thanking him later.

Tom Glavine signed with the Braves for $1 million plus incentives:

Glavine will make an additional $1 million for his first day on the active roster, $1.25 million for 30 days on the roster and another $1.25 million for 90 days on the roster, bringing the total possible value of the deal to $4.5 million. Glavine, however, has agreed to defer a portion of the money, a concession that lowers the present-day value of the contract.

Glavine's walks and strikeouts were even in 2008, never a good sign (either you are striking out too few or walking too many). On top of that, balls were flying out of the park against him. I'll take the under on the Braves paying the full contract.

Rob Neyer offers the perfect take on the winter of 2008-2009:

In the 23rd century, when robot/human hybrids are zipping about the universe in their star cruisers and "writing" about the grand history of the Galactic Pastime, they're going to write about the winter of 2008-2009 as the moment when the men who ran the sport finally realized that you should pay players what they're actually worth. How terribly radical.

My guess, however, is that this will last until owners are flush with money again.

Harold Reynolds hooked up Chuck Armstrong and Ken Griffey, Jr. with Willie Mays to get Junior to sign in Seattle.

Next up for Harold, mid-east peace. :-)

I just received a note from Central America:

Just as a little note - I work on a research vessel in Costa Rica - yesterday ( Jan 18th) while taking a tour we stopped by Villa Calderas which is by the city Jaco in Costa Rica ( 500 a dollar night place - we just stopped by for a drink and to watch the sunset ). Who do we see in the pool - A Mr. Manny who I thought was to be in Arizona for spring training with the Dodgers. When we asked for maybe a picture, a short white man came up to us saying he was trying to relax ( having female company with him ) and was not excepting any photo's. I guess it didn't help that one of us was wearing a Red Sox shirt.

I'm pretty sure he means Feb. 18th. The email came from a legitimate research designation, and going to their site I found the ship and it is indeed off Costa Rica. So Manny looks to be enjoying himself while he waits for someone to sign him.

Ken Griffey, Jr. decided to return to Seattle:

But after conflicting reports about where the aging star would settle, Griffey ultimately chose to follow through on his proclamation two years ago when he came to Seattle while playing with the Reds -- that he wanted to finish his career as a Mariner.

"We were informed tonight that Ken Griffey Jr. has decided to return to Seattle," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "We will continue to be open to other possibilities to improve our outfield offense and, at the same time, give our young players an opportunity to show us they can win that job."

Zduriencik said the Mariners were the beneficiaries of Griffey wanting to cement his legacy in Seattle.

"Oh, I don't think there's any doubt about that," he said. "Everyone knows Ken Griffey is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he's returning to his roots. That doesn't happen too often."

Ken's probably better off in Seattle where he can DH every day and lessen the risk of a major leg injury. I'm sure the fans of the Mariners are happy to see him back.

The reports of Griffey signing with Atlanta were a bit premature:

It appeared that Ken Griffey, Jr. had finally found a home when David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that The Kid was becoming a Brave. But now MLB.com is reporting that Griffey himself says that no decision on Atlanta has been reached and that this story isn't over.

Lookout Landing sums up the situation well.

Ken Griffey, Jr. chooses the Braves over returning to the Mariners:

The Braves and Mariners made similar offers, believed to be in the range of $2 million guaranteed, with incentives tied to staying healthy and getting a lot of plate appearances.

Griffey lives in Orlando and is believed to have wanted to be closer to home and his family.

Unlike Ruth, Aaron and Mays, Griffey won't be returning to the city of his start, at least this year. Whether or not this helps or hurts the teams depends on how healthy Ken stays during the season. At this level of salary, it's not much of a risk.

Ken Griffey, Jr. received offers from both the Mariners and Braves, and is expected to decide on Tuesday which he will accept.

For the past year or so, Griffey has talked as if Seattle were the one place he wanted to be, but the Braves made an attractive enough offer to get him to think about returning to the National League and staying just a short flight from Orlando. Griffey, in fact, has been campaigning for a job in Atlanta, the MLB.com report said. Griffey reportedly contacted Braves third baseman Chipper Jones and made sure Wren knew he was interested.

I think he would be better as a designated hitter right now, but I also understand his desire to be close to home.

Will Ohman has three offers, but it sounds like he's waiting for a better team to come calling:

Will Ohman, one of the top relievers left on baseball's free agent market, has major league offers in hand from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins and San Diego Padres, but plans to continue discussions with three contending teams before making a decision on his destination for 2009, his agent said Monday.

The Phillies, Mets and Dodgers have all stayed in touch with Ohman, but their interest has yet to progress beyond the talking stage.

In his six years in the majors, Ohman's strikeouts and home runs are very good, but he walks a few too many. Still, he seems like a player that can help a contender.

MLB, the MLBPA and the Diamondbacks came up with an innovative way to get Juan Cruz signed and the Diamondbacks compensation:

Free agents cannot be traded before June 15 without their consent, but the union will permit Cruz and other Type A players to waive that right, according to Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice-president of labor relations.

Such a waiver would enable the Diamondbacks to trade Cruz immediately after signing him. The D-backs would need to strike a deal within a set amount of time, probably 48 hours, major-league sources say. If no trade were completed, Cruz would remain a free agent.

"Historically, the union has been reluctant to allow advance waivers on blocking trades," Manfred said. "They've expressed a willingness to allow it. We've given clubs advice on how to operate given the union's willingness."

The increased flexibility in the procedure also could apply to second baseman Orlando Hudson and shortstop Orlando Cabrera, two other Type A free agents who face diminished markets because of draft-pick compensation.

As far as I can tell, the free agent's former team works out a deal for the player, signs him, then trades him away. The former team gets a traded player instead of a draft pick, and the player gets a job, rather than sitting out until June so the compensation disappears.

Maybe it's time to get rid of compensation. It's seems free agents like Cruz are not truly free.

The Atlanta Braves are competing with the Seattle Mariners for the services of Ken Griffey, Jr.

Atlanta apparently wants Griffey to platoon in left field. With the Mariners, he'd likely be limited to designated-hitter duty.

As the left-handed part of the platoon, Ken would get plenty of playing time and a decent amount of rest. It does sound like a good situation for him. The Braves received little power from left field last season, the group combining for a .352 slugging percentage.

I've seen a number of posts today that Ken Griffey, Jr. was close to signing with the Mariners, but Ken says no.

"We don't know what we're doing next year with respect to Seattle. It's all rumors," Griffey said Thursday after finishing his round at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California.

Would the Dodgers try to use Griffey as leverage against Manny now that Abreu and Dunn are out of the picture?

Boras Blog is looking for the Dodgers to capitulate on Manny Ramirez very soon. I still wish some other team would step in and suprise us.

The Nationals reportedly sign Adam Dunn. Finally, some team is willing to spend a little money on a bargain. They get a premier power hitter for two years, $20 million.

I'm somewhat surprised he received twice as much money as Abreu, but Adam is much younger.

The Angels signed Bobby Abreu to a one-year, $5 million contract. What a deal. I can't believe one of those good small market teams wouldn't offer Bobby more. Doesn't anyone besides the Angels know a bargain when they see one?

Now that Abreu is signed, will Dunn and Ramirez follow quickly? Dunn has to be thinking he won't get much more, and why pay Manny $25 million when Abreu is worth just $5 million. Manny's a better hitter, but not five times better.

Bobby Abreu is talking to the Angels about a one-year deal. I wonder if this will get Seattle or Texas interested, if for no other reason than to drive up the price.

The Cardinals waive Adam Kennedy. He should be a free agent come Wednesday. If Orlando Hudson is having problems finding a job, I expect Kennedy will also.

The Braves are willing to bring back Tom Glavine, but their contract offer represents a huge pay cut:

Free agent lefthander Tom Glavine has made it known that he'd like to re-sign with the Braves, and he'll get his chance to do so. The Braves' website reports the team has offered the 305-game winner a one-year contract worth between $1 million and $2 million.

He made $9 million in 2008. I guess this means the Braves don't have a great deal of confidence in Glavine's ability to last the season or pitch well.

Paul DePodesta comments on the Cliff Floyd signing, and I'm surprised by how much Paul seems to value leadership:

In an ideal world, we wanted to find a guy who could provide three primary skills: 1) the ability to do damage against RHP as either a pinch hitter, DH or occasional starter, 2) the ability to play somewhere other than 1B if need be, and 3) the ability to act as a leader for our younger players. We found a match in Cliff.

So what's Cliff VORL (value over replacement leader)?

Ben Sheets may or may not have a deal with the Texas Rangers, due to a tear in his elbow.

Cliff Floyd reaches an agreement to play in a limited role for the San Diego Padres:

The deal, pending a physical, will fill the Padres' need for a left-handed pinch-hitter and designated hitter in their nine inter-league games at American League parks.

In those roles, he's less likely to get hurt. His biggest asset, however, is his power, which PETCO is likely to curtail.

The White Sox make Bobby Abreu a one-year, $8 million offer. Steve Rosenbloom speculates on how signing Bobby would lead to other moves by the White Sox.

It continues to be a very bad year to be an aging, free-agent outfielder.

This is an interesting twist. Orlando Hudson says the Yankees are one of four teams interested in him:

Hudson also told the MLB Network he has not been told he would need to change positions. Robinson Cano (Yankees) and Luis Castillo (Mets) are established at second base, but both have been the subject of trade rumors. The Nationals' second base situation is unsettled; the Dodgers have said second-year player Blake DeWitt would take over for the retired Jeff Kent.

Cano, despite his poor 2008, has enough potential to bring a decent return. Are they going to package Cano and one of the outfielders for a true centerfielder?

Via The Hardball Times, Manny Ramirez rejects the Dodgers offer:

Despite proclamations from Boras last week that he started negotiating with other clubs and that he expected Ramirez to be signed by the start of spring training, the Dodgers seem to believe that the player has nowhere else to go.

The New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals are among the teams known to be monitoring Ramirez's situation but don't appear inclined to pay him more than $20 million a season. The Angels failed to re-sign All-Star first baseman Mark Teixeira, another Boras client, but have said they won't bid for Ramirez.

By taking the offer, Ramirez would have become the second-highest-paid player in baseball behind Alex Rodriguez and could have reentered the free-agent pool in a year. The Dodgers liked the idea of having Ramirez in a contract year, figuring the temperamental star would play as hard as he did in his two months with them last season, when he hit .396 with 17 home runs and 53 runs batted in.

As Craig Calcaterra notes:

I know Scott Boras is an evil genius and everything, but has someone explained to him that the point of holding out is to make the offers go, you know, higher?

So what does Manny want? If most teams are either not interested nor willing to pay more than $20 million per season, is he simply waiting for a long term contract? Is there a dollar total, where years don't matter, that would land Manny? If a team offered him $75 million over five years, would Manny sign? If the Nationals are indeed interested, I'd try that. Even if they only got three good years from Ramirez, the contract is probably worth it, and Washington seems to be the perfect landing place for baseball jerks. Manny would fit right in.

The Dodgers made a one-year, $25 million dollar offer to Manny Ramirez. I'm somewhat surprised at that level. With the lack of interest, I would have thought they'd come down at least to $20 million. I would guess that level will take the Giants out of the bidding, unless they decide to go longer term.

The Mets reach an agreement with Oliver Perez on a three-year contract. He'll earn $36 million, which is a pretty good contract for this off-season.

Unfortunately, it's the same per season level as Carlos Silva received from the Mariners last year. I would guess most people think Perez is better than Silva, but both have had their ups and downs during their careers. Perez is three years younger, however, meaning the Mets are going to capture his peak seasons. It's a pretty solid deal for the Mets, and Perez is set for life.

Redleg Nation has the same idea as Joe Posnanski, just substitute Cincinnati Reds for Kanas City Royals:

You know what would be great? If the Kansas City Royals announced tomorrow that they just signed Manny Ramirez and Ben Sheets. Convinced them each to come for one year, big money, mercenaries, and then they could go back on the market when the economy is a little better. And owner David Glass came out and said, "I expect to win this year. Or else."

I don't know. It would just a be a different story to write in Kansas City.

I could see the same ideas working for the Florida Marlins, Seattle Mariners and the San Francisco Giants. This seasons represents a chance to get really good players cheap. Why not generate some buzz in a second division town?

This article makes it sound like Bobby Abreu has offers, he's just trying to decide what term fits him best:

These are Abreu's current options: He could accept a one-year deal and plunge back into the market next winter or continue to wait for the situations of teams to change. Greenberg said there were six or seven teams interested, but that number rises and falls.

"It's hard to say we're narrowing it down, because it kind of changes on a daily basis," Greenberg said. "Some teams say they need to make a deal to open up room to sign him. We'll see. We're going to have to decide over the next week or so."

You would think at this point in his career, Bobby does not need the security of a long term contract. In fact, he might be better off playing on one-year deals for the rest of his career, as long as his offense holds up. Would he rather have a $30 million, three-year deal, or possibly sign three $12 million one year contracts?

The Giants' plan to land Manny Ramirez seems to be to wait until Manny is so upset at the Dodgers he's willing to take below market deal someplace else.

Executives with other teams do not believe the Giants are serious players in the Manny bidding. They think San Francisco's real intent is to keep the Dodgers honest, to force them to give Ramirez at least a two-year deal. And if somehow Ramirez gets angered by the Dodgers' level of interest and decides to deliver himself to their division rival, well, all the better for the Giants.

I'm somewhat surprised that a team like the Nationals or Orioles, who were in the bidding for Mark Teixeira, wouldn't commit some of that money to a two-year deal for Manny just for the publicity.

Heh.

Jason Varitek blinks, returning to the Red Sox for $5 million dollars:

Varitek, who turns 37 on April 11, will earn $5 million in 2009, according to baseball sources, with the club holding a $5 million option for 2010. If the Red Sox do not pick up that option, Varitek has the choice of remaining with the club on a $3 million deal. In '10, he can earn another $2 million in incentives based on playing time, beginning at 80 games started.

The incentives apply to the player option only and come increments of $400,000 payable to Varitek for reaching plateaus at 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 games started in 2010.

I actually think the Red Sox would have been better off letting Jason go and hoping they get a draft choice out of a team that was willing to sign him. I guess $5 million was better than nothing for Varitek, and this will make his Boston fans happy.

Mets fans rallied for Manny Ramirez outside the SNY studios (owned by the Mets). It was called the Million Manny March, although they were about 999,970 people short.

Should teams listen to their fans? If the Mets sign Manny and still fall a game short of the playoffs, would Omar Minaya get to fire the Manny maniacs? (Not to be confused with Yacko, Wacko and Dot.)

There's some confusion on the Varitek deadline. Is it Eastern or Pacific time?

Update: Or maye there's no deadline at all.

Jason Varitek is threatening to sit out the 2009 season. Given the environment for free agents, I suspect the Red Sox would be happy to take him up on the offer.

Joe Christensen reports the latest news on Joe Crede.

Dave Cameron doesn't like the Jon Garland deal and thinks the DBacks should have signed Randy Johnson instead.

Jon Garland agrees to a one-year contract with the Diamondbacks for between $6 million and $8 million dollars, likely with a mutual option for 2010.

That Garland is available at a price that's manageable for the Diamondbacks is likely a result of the sluggish economy a down year in 2008 for Garland. Last season with the Los Angeles Angels -- his first year away from the Chicago White Sox -- he posted a 4.90 ERA and saw an increase in base runners allowed and a decrease in his strikeout rate.

Given that, his decision to decline arbitration from the Angels was viewed as a surprise in the industry. In arbitration, he only would have received a one-year contract, but it would have been worth more than the $12 million he made in 2008.

Players certainly overestimated demand for their services at arbitration time. Garland's not a great pitcher, but he's not all that bad either. I would guess he'd regress more toward his mean in 2009. The problem is, that mean can't be all that good due to Jon's low strikeout rate. With that many balls in play, he needs a very good defense behind him. His real fluke year was 2005, when he posted a 3.50 ERA. He allowed a .261 BA with runners in scoring position that year, compared to .279 for his career.

This is a good deal for the Diamondbacks. Garland is a dependable starter who should be able to post an ERA in the low 4.00s. He'll come close to 200 innings, helping to take pressure off the bullpen. In the past, that's been worth well over $10 million a season and a multi-year deal. The DBacks should make sure, however, they have their best defense on the field when he pitches.

The Red Sox gave Jason Varitek until Saturday to agree to a deal. It appears the deal on the table could easily pay Jason less over two years than he wanted for a single season.

Andy Pettitte reaches a deal with the Yankees to be their fifth starter:

It's a $5.5 million deal that could balloon to as much as $12 million based on innings pitched and roster time. As I've written here for weeks, it makes complete sense and creates great flexibility in the rotation.

It's an unusual contract from the Yankees, as they tend to not give out incentive laden contracts. This, however, is a case where it makes sense. Pettitte wanted more than $10 million, and now he'll have to earn it.

The Red Sox made an offer to Jason Varitek, although the details are not clear:

According to a baseball source, the Sox have formally presented an offer to Varitek's agent, Scott Boras, that could appease the catcher's desire for a second guaranteed season. While the precise value or term of the proposal was unclear, the Sox could ensure Varitek a second year by guaranteeing it outright or making it attainable through an option.

I'm not sure what the Red Sox are doing. Will Varitek catch most of the time instead of Bard? Have they abandoned trying to acquire a young, good hitting catcher from Texas? Resigning Jason may make the fans happy, but does it really improve the team? I don't think so.

The Mets appear to be close to signing Oliver Perez.

According to Jon Heyman, also of SI.com, the Mets have increased their initial offer, believed to be worth $30 million over three years.

Yesterday, Andrew Marchand of 1050 ESPN Radio said: "The Mets will eventually be willing to go to four years for Perez."

Verducci believes Minaya would prefer to sign Perez to a three-year deal, worth roughly $10 million per season.

Minaya is willing to guarantee a fourth season, like Marchand said, but only if the annual salary is reduced.

Another example of why it's a lousy year to be a free agent. If I were Perez, I might ask for a shorter contract, with the thought that in two years the market might be a lot better.

Carlos Silva must be thanking his lucky stars he was a free agent last year.

Baseball Time in Arlington sums up the latest news on the Rangers pursuit of Ben Sheets. Extra points for the use of "penultimate." :-)

Ben Sheets met with the Texas Rangers. That's good to hear. The AL West is wide open, and if Sheets is healthy, he's someone who can really help the Rangers.

If the Phillies can't pick up Nomar Garciaparra, they may go for Moises Alou instead.

The Good Phight reacts here.

It looks like Freddy Garcia signed a contract with the Mets.

Reports indicate the Mets have come to terms with Freddy Garcia on an incentive-laden deal that could net him as much as $9 million. Garcia, of course, was once a middle-of-the rotation anchor, but he has made just 14 starts the last two seasons because of a torn labrum.

Gacia showed very good control over his career. He's worth a one-year risk.

The Padres sign Henry Blanco and Paul DePodesta gets to make a little joke:

Throughout the off-season we have been discussing the idea of bringing in a veteran catcher who could help mentor both our young catchers and our young starting pitchers. We feel that Henry fits the role perfectly, especially since he has maintained an 86.2 MR (mentor rating) over the past three seasons.

Paul does get serious and points out what great job Henry does of stopping the running game. Of course, in a year in which the Padres are unlikely to compete, why not bring in a good defensive catcher and see what he can teach your youngsters?

Lone Star Ball notes the disconnect between the money paid to arbitration eligible players and free agents and wonders if these types will be non-tendered next year.

Dunn is also a free agent, unlike Howard. Dunn can market himself to any team, and any team can sign him and pay him whatever they want to pay him, without regard to putting on a case for an arbitrator. And he's still unsigned, with one agent saying he won't get more than $5 million for one year, although Ken Rosenthal thinks Dunn could maybe get 2 years at $20-24 million.

Regardless, Dunn isn't going to come close to the $18 million for one year Howard is asking for, or even the $14 million the Phillies are offering, despite the fact that they are almost the same player (even down to the huge strikeout numbers). The market has spoken, and it has decided Dunn isn't worth the big bucks.

Is there any reason to believe the market would treat Ryan Howard any differently? If the Phillies had simply non-tendered Howard, would Howard get $18 million a year for 2009? Would he get an annual salary twice what Pat Burrell (2 years, $16 million) got from the Rays?

My answer is no.

River Ave. Blues makes some good suggestions for improving the way teams are compensated for losing free agents. However, I would argue that compensation should be eliminated. The point of free agency was to allow the players to move wherever they wanted. The compensation system came into being as a way to thwart free-agency, which we can see clearly this year in the case of Jason Varitek. Teams have six years to use the stars they develop at below cost. Why do they need more? Make free agents truly free!

Here's another vote for the Twins signing Adam Dunn.

The latest has Omar Vizquel headed to the Rangers as a backup for Elvis Andrus. I would also note that if Texas signs Vizquel, they should also use him as a shortstop coach for Andrus. Who could possibly be better at showing the young player the tricks of the trade?

John Henry and Jason Varitek are meeting one on one. I guess the Red Sox really won't negotiate with Boras, only with his clients.

The Orioles reached an agreement with Greg Zaun on a one-year contract:

Baltimore needed a veteran catcher to replace Hernandez, who was traded to the Cincinnati Reds last month for utilityman Ryan Freel and minor leaguer infielders Justin Turner and Brandon Waring.

The Orioles expect Zaun to fill the void at catcher until top prospect Matt Wieters proves he can be consistent at the big league level. Zaun has 14 years of experience to draw upon in working with a young pitching staff and newcomer Koji Uehara of Japan.

Despite his low batting average, Zaun is above average at getting on base. It's a very good move by the Orioles, who now have a very solid back up if Wieters proves he can play. Matt certainly has nothing left to prove at the lower levels of the minors.

The Dodgers are expected to release Andruw Jones today. That means we might see action in the Manny Ramirez market. I wonder how much Adam Dunn is being held up by the Jones situation. Manny's is unlikely to sign before he sees how much the Dodgers are willing to offer. Any other team interested in Ramirez might have Dunn as a backup plan, or possibly Abreu. Once the Dodgers offer becomes clear, will the Giants try to counter? We might have a very interesting upcoming weekend.

There's a rumor that the Padres will sign Omar Vizquel soon. He never seemed to lose his ability to field, so at least he'll plug a hole in the infield.

Hat tip, Gaslamp Ball.

It looks like Derek Lowe agreed to terms with the Braves on the four-year, $60 million contract. At least by trading Smoltz for Lowe, the Braves got younger.

Hat tip, Sabernomics.

The Braves offer Derek Lowe four years, $60 million. I thought that's where he'd end up with the Mets, so now New York will need to top that if they're going to land the starter.

South Side Sox suggests a way to get a player without giving up a high draft pick. I think if that happened, the commissioner would step in and void the deal.

The Braves are going after Derek Lowe, but won't offer a fourth year:

...in other words, now Scott Boras has cover to return to Omar Minaya and say, 'If you want Lowe, pony up $15 million per season, and four guaranteed years,' which, so far, the Mets have quietly been saying is not an option...i guess now we'll see...

I figured the Mets and Lowe would end up there. Now we wait to see.

Chone Smith makes the case for the Angels signing Adam Dunn:

The Angels have an opening at either DH, 1B, or LF, the easiest spots to hide a lumbering power hitter. Signing a bat would not even block Juan Rivera or Kendry Morales. Get a 1B, Kendry plays DH. Get a DH, Kendry plays first. If Vlad needs to DH, Kendry plays OF instead and the new slugger plays first. Get a LF, Rivera plays right and Vlad gets to DH. It's easy. Angels also have no lefty bat on the roster. Perfect opportunity to sign Dunn. What are they waiting for? Sign him now, and you don't have to give up anyone in a trade later.

The move makes sense, especially if you don't want to deal with Manny Ramirez. However, Dunn strikes out a lot, which somewhat goes against Mike Scioscia's offensive philosophy of putting the ball in play.

Henry Schulman is getting into blogging. It's good to see a veteran newsman understand the concept. He continues to be the source on the Giants negotiations with Manny Ramirez:

So here is today's entry: I am told that Scott Boras is spreading word that the Giants are going to make a big push for Ramirez in the next day or two. The Giants' reaction to that was laughter on the other end of the phone line.

Henry also points out that waiting on Ramirez is the Giants best bet, since Manny's leverage goes down the closer they get to spring training.

Long suffering Royals fan Rob Neyer comes down on the Royals for signing Willie Bloomquist to a two-year deal. Dayton Moore describes the .322 OBA hitter as "an on-base guy."

Really? He's a hustler and he hustles? Do you get double-secret extra credit for that? And this might be the first time that a player with a .322 career on-base percentage has been described as "an on-base guy." At least by a modern, (presumably) Web-equipped baseball man. Why not also describe Bloomquist as a "doubles guy"? After all, he did hit one double last year.

As a commenter here points out, the Royals have now committed $11.4 million in 2009 to Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Jacobs, Horacio Ramirez and Willie Bloomquist. For $11.4 million you can actually get a good player. But of course this is one of the things foolish organizations do: They complain that they can't afford good players after spending millions of dollars on not-good players.

I had hope for Dayton Moore, but this winter shows either he's not allowed to build the team the way he wants or that he's simply all talk. He's quickly moving into the Dave Littlefield school of GMs. I hope he doesn't do as much damage as Dave did in Pittsburgh.

Bleeding Blue and Teal looks at the market for Orlando Hudson and believes the Mariners might be able to land him for a good price. I thought he would be a popular free agent. Maybe one club needs to show interest to get others involved.

The Brewers make a deal official with closer Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman's walks are still low and his strikeouts are still high. He should fill the role in Milwaukee just fine.

Boston officially signed John Smoltz and Rocco Baldelli today (Thursday). Rocco, a Rhode Island native should be very popular at Fenway. I was sort of hoping that Smoltz would retire to see if Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz would all go into the Hall of Fame together.

Sabernomics defends the Braves decision to apparently not sign John Smoltz:

The Braves supposedly had offered $2 million with incentives increasing the total to $7 million. I would not recommend that the Braves offer more than this. It's easy to forecast Smoltz being on the hill in October, but there's also a decent chance that he'll be sitting on a gold-plated butt cushion in the dugout.

I don't think Frank Wren deserves the heat that he is going to get for this. The Braves have paid Smoltz $130 million over his career. Smoltz wanted more, and I don't blame Wren for passing. Signing and not signing Smoltz both have risks, and I think he gambled on the right side.

I'm somewhat surprised in this down market that teams are willing to pay for injury risk. Pavano is getting over $1 million, and now the Red Sox are taking on Penny and Smoltz for about $5 million each. I guess without Teixeira, the Red Sox have a lot of money to throw around.

Nico at Athletics Nation wonders if the signing of Jason Giambi will lead to Oakland trading an outfielder for a shortstop.

Ken Rosenthal reports Trevor Hoffman is likely to sign with Milwaukee.

Jason Giambi officially returns to the Athletics:

Giambi, who turns 38 on Thursday, follows a line of aging and injury-prone designated hitters in recent years with the A's -- Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza, Mike Sweeney and then Thomas again. Giambi also could play some first base to give Daric Barton a break from time to time.

Giambi doesn't like to DH, so I wonder how that will play with the A's management.

Henry Schulman notes the truth and baloney in what we're hearing about the Giants and Manny Ramirez. The Giants can sign Manny if they are willing to increase their budget is the bottom line.

AOL is buying up sports reporters like the Yankees are buying free agents. They add Lisa Olson to the list, and she gets the scoop on the Yankees version of Thanksgiving with the Schillings:

Then there was Boston, forever a Yankee thorn. The Red Sox drafted Teixeira out of high school, but his father John reportedly became irked at a Boston scout and urged his son to instead attend college. Now the Red Sox were again heavy on the scene; Cashman figured he might as well play along.

So he did a bit of research, discovered Teixeira had a fondness for Twisted Sister, the iron men of '80s rock. Sometimes it really is this simple, this high-stakes recruiting game. Sure, it helped that the Yankees eventually offered $180 million over eight years, but what really wowed Teixeira was the super cool video Cashman revealed when he came to visit in the middle of December.

Shot in the new stadium, with digitalized images of what Teixeira might look like as he ran out of the dugout and onto the grass, the crowd at a froth, the New York skyline in the distance, the sound track blared "I Wanna Rock." Cashman pressed play.

"Hey, that's my song!" Cashman recalled Teixeira saying as he and I walked through the old stadium hallways. "I was like, yeah, we know that."

And at that point, with Twisted Sister on blast, Leigh, Teixeira's college sweetheart who is now his wife, said, "I want you to be a Yankee."

I'd love to see that video, but for now, this one.

Neidermeyer, dead.

Nationals Journal posts some comments from Mark Teixeira related to his negotiations with Washington:

Teixeira on Nats: "With Ted Lerner and his family -- man, what an impressive guy. That guy is a very successful businessman and he's trying to make the Nationals a successful team. The Nationals and Orioles were definitely up there -- a chance to play close to home. But my goals as a ballplayer, to be a world champion, the Yankees were just so far above and beyond everyone else in that realm."

Jason Giambi reached an agreement with the Oakland Athletics:

Jason Giambi has agreed to a one-year deal with the Athletics worth $4.5 million. Oakland has a team option for 2010 at $5 million with a $1 million buyout. The deal is pending a physical that will take place tomorrow.

Giambi did not receive much interest in the free-agent market. The A's and Rays were the two teams considering signing the 37-year-old. But Tampa Bay signed ex-Phillie Pat Burrell yesterday to a two-year, $16 million contract. So Giambi's decision to return to Oakland was not a difficult one.

Giambi is still a good hitter, his main problem is staying healthy. At seasonal age 38, those concerns are multiplied enough that Jason is taking a huge pay cut to keep playing. Except for the stars the Yankees hired, this has proved to be a very poor year to be a free agent.

The Cleveland Indians sign Carl Pavano to a one-year contract:

Financial terms were not disclosed. Sources told ESPN.com that the deal was worth $1.5 million plus incentives. Pavano can earn an additional $5.3 million based on starts and innings pitched.

"Carl was very impressed with everything when he visited Cleveland,'' agent Tom O'Connell said. "He's excited to be there and he feels like this is a tremendous opportunity.''

Pavano, 32, is looking to rehabilitate his career after suffering numerous injuries in four seasons with the Yankees. He posted a 9-8 record in 26 starts after signing a four-year, $39.95 million contract with New York in December 2004.

I'm surprised the Indians were willing to guarantee that much money given Carl's recent history. It's Pavano's rehabilitation deal. If he pitches well, he can cash in on the free agent market next season. If not, at least he gave it a try.

If Pavano pitches great and Sabathia ends up injured for most of the season, I suspect a lot of Yankees fans will be sore from banging their heads against a wall. :-)

Hat tip, Lone Star Ball.

There are reports that Milton Bradley is close to a three-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs. Bradley, in a short season in 2008 was a legitimate MVP candidate, posting a .436 OBA and a .563 slugging percentage. For his career, he's not quite as good a hitter as Pat Burrell, but he can still play the outfield. Since Jim Edmonds was unlikely to repeat his 2008 batting stats, the Cubs now have a very solid outfield with Soriano, Bradley and Fukudome for frankly a very good price. It looks like teams are starting to grab the bargains.

Hat tip to River Ave. Blues, who makes the case the Yankees were right not to offer arbitration to Abreu, because if he accepted he would have been overpaid.

Fox reports Pat Burrell agreed to a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays:

The Rays, filling their need for a power hitter, are close to signing free-agent Pat Burrell to a two-year, $16 million contract, according to major-league sources.

Burrell, 32, will serve as the team's designated hitter. The Rays, nearing their payroll limit, could use some combination of Ben Zobrist, Gabe Gross and Fernando Perez in right field.

It's a great signing for the Rays. Burrell is taking a pay cut here (his former deal was six years, $50 million), yet his OPS+ was consistently in the 120s for the last four years. He brings another great on-base average to the Rays, who keep moving away from the hacker model they used for so many years. Pat's big draw back in Philly was his defense, and that won't be a problem at designated hitter. I'm very surprised they got him for so little money, if indeed that number is correct. That's not good news for Abreu, Dunn and Manny Ramirez.

Hat tip, BallHype.

Tyler Kepner puts together a pretty good team from the remaining free agents:

The number of prominent unsigned free agents is staggering. You could make an impressive team from the list: Jason Giambi (1B), Orlando Hudson (2B), Orlando Cabrera (SS), Joe Crede (3B), Manny Ramírez (LF), Ken Griffey Jr. (CF), Bobby Abreu (RF), Jason Varitek (C), with names like Garret Anderson, Rocco Baldelli, Pat Burrell and Adam Dunn left over. And the free-agent rotation would be at least six strong: Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez, Jon Garland, Andy Pettitte, Braden Looper and Randy Wolf, with Juan Cruz and Brandon Lyon in the bullpen. This could be the busiest January in years as frustrated agents deal with the economic downturn.

I'm not sure that's a playoff team, but it would finish over .500. The infield defense would be okay, but lots of balls would drop in the outfield.

Derek Lowe is looking for four years, $16 million a year. So that's closer to the Mets offer than the 5 years, $18 million being talked about before. My guess is the Mets come back with $14 million a year for three years. Of course, other bidders might come in at that level as well.

Chone Smith projects how Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa might do in 2009 if teams actually pick up their contracts.

Henry Schulman knocks down the rumor about the Giants pursuing Manny Ramirez. I looked at how Manny would help the Giants in my latest SportingNews.com column.

The Nationals are interested in free agents Milton Bradley, Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson. Signing all three would certainly remake this team quickly.

The Dodgers sign Claudio Vargas to a one-year deal, guaranteeing him the minimum $400,000. Vargas's seasonal age will be 31 in 2009, and he hasn't pitched a good season since his rookie year of 2003. Why are the Dodgers wasting even $400,000 on him, when they really need to replace Penny and Lowe?

Derrick Turnbow reached a minor league agreement with the Texas Rangers, choosing the team due to the presence of Mike Maddux.

Turnbow pitched one great year in 2005, but a steady rise in his walk rate negated his high strikeout rate. Injuries held him to just 6 1/3 badly pitched innings in 2008. He's a reclamation project.

I'm somewhat surprised the Cardinals were not willing to eat Adam Kennedy's $4 million dollar contract to keep Aaron Miles.

The Angels sign Brian Fuentes to a two-year deal. He'll take over the closer role vacated by Francisco Rodriguez.

Since the start of the 2005 season, when Fuentes became a closer, K-Rod leads the majors in saves. Fuentes ranks 14th, but his strikeout rate and home run rate compare well with Rodriguez, while Fuentes walks fewer batters. Given the Angels ability to win over the time period compared to the Rockies, I suspect Brian might set a career high for saves this season.

The Mets off Derek Lowe $12 million a year for three years. He wants $18 million a year for five years. I wonder how close they'll end up to $15 million a year for four years?

It seems the Dodgers are also interested in Bobby Abreu, which makes perfect sense. Torre knows Bobby from his last year in New York, and Bobby's a better defensive outfielder than Dunn. I disagree, however, with this on Manny Ramirez:

Having already turned down $45M over two years and the $25M he likely would have received in arbitration, Manny's painted himself into a corner and has two options: go crawling back to Coletti, or retire. I'm very interested in seeing how this one plays out.

I don't think Manny will go the way of Barry Bonds. I still believe he can help the Marlins, and possibly the Rays as well. With his home in Florida and his price dropping, don't be surprised to see him in the uniform of one of the Florida teams.

I also would not rule out the Cardinals. Yes, they have other options in the outfield, but imagine Manny and Pujols back-to-back. That would be a lot of offense in the middle of that lineup.

I'd just love to see the Twins dump a short term ton of money on Manny as well. They didn't play Santana his $20 million a year, and since they were willing to go that high on Santana, they likely have the money. Why not spend it on Manny and add one more bat to the Mauer/Morneau combination?

Jayson Stark reports the Dodgers are now looking at Adam Dunn instead of Manny Ramirez. One of the nice things for teams who need a corner outfielder is that they have three good ones available in Dunn, Burrell and Ramirez. If one is asking too much money or too many years, just go sign another. That should keep the price down on all three.

The Orioles are on the verge of signing Mark Hendrickson. I hope they are paying him very little money. Mark is a low strikeout pitcher who is easy to hit. He doesn't give up many walks because batters don't need to wait around for a pitch to smack. As you can see at the link above, he's especially bad with runners in scoring position. If an unclutch pitcher exists, Mark Hendrickson is it.

The Orioles got rid of Daniel Cabrera, with a career 5.05 ERA, and move in Hendrickson with a 5.07 ERA. Why? The point is to improve. Derek Lowe is sitting out there cheap, and would improve the Orioles rotation. This move is just Baltimore spinning their wheels.

A bit of trivia, Hendrickson Ken Griffey's 600th home run.

The Red Sox made an offer to Josh Bard.
His physical will seal the deal at last.
His catching tasks will not be made too hard,
Since Wakefield's balls too often ended passed.

Ken Rosenthal reports the Red Sox are about to sign Brad Penny to a one year deal:

The move would give the Red Sox the ability to keep Justin Masterson in the bullpen and be patient with Clay Buchholz.

Or, trade one of those pitchers to Texas for a catcher.

Brad is great when he's healthy, but 2008 wasn't that year. With a sore shoulder, it was the worst of his career. Penny's also played his career in home parks that favored the pitcher. His career ERA is 0.8 runs higher on the road than at home. I suspect the designated hitter and Fenway Park will raise his ERA a bit. For one year, however, it's a risk worth taking.

Buster Olney looks at the teams interested in Manny Ramirez and comes out with one:

The Nationals apparently have money to spend, and in theory, if they were to sign Ramirez, it could be an interesting play. He would be a lure for fans and would give a reason for folks to tune in to watch the Nationals, something that very few people did last season. But here's the quandary: For that gambit to pay off, Ramirez would have to play hard for the duration of his contract.

Would you be willing to bet $100 million on that?

Or even $40 million? Because as some general managers have said privately, a great concern they have about Ramirez is that if you give him a deal of two or more years that is worth far less than he thinks he deserves, you run the risk of having a very unhappy Manny. As the Red Sox can attest, that didn't work out so well in the end. Thus, it's almost a new year, and one of the greatest hitters of our lifetime who's coming off one of the greatest showings of our lifetime is unemployed.

It strikes me that the Marlins would be a good place for Manny to land as well. The team is close to his Florida home, and the Marlins make enough in revenue sharing to pay for Manny's contract. Unlike the Nationals, however, the Marlins become legitimate contenders with Manny on the team.

If I were a GM, I would offer him a $25 million, one year contract, with three team options of $27, $29 and $30 million dollars. That way, he's always playing for a contract, and if he gets into one of his snits, the team can let him go at the end of the season.

The Reds sign Willy Taveras to lead off. Taveras is a pretty poor offensive players, never posting as OPS+ over 89. He's not even much of an improvement over combined players used by the Reds in the leadoff slot in 2008. They combined for a .266/.326/.423 line. Willy's career line is .283/.331/.337. So he gets on base a tiny bit more, but provides no power.

Did Walt Jocketty forget what a leadoff man does? This is the person who gets the most plate appearances for your team in a season, and he's giving it to someone who provides a minimum of offense. With signings like this, don't expect Cincinnati to rise to prominence any time soon.

Randy Johnson gets $8 million from the Giants, with $2.5 million in incentives. His signing makes Barry Zito the most expensive fifth starter in the big leagues.

Randy Johnson reaches a deal with the San Francisco Giants. He'll try to win five games for 300 wins with a poor offense behind him.

Randy Johnson beats out Terry Bross as tallest San Francisco Giants player. Bross was 81 inches, Johnson is 82.

Johnson's 2008 season was actually pretty good. He improved both his strikeouts and walks over last full season, 2006 with the Yankees. With the ability to strike out close to a batter per inning, Johnson is still someone who can be an effective pitcher. He might also teach the youngsters on the Giants something about pitching. I haven't heard the price yet, but it's a good signing. Fans will come out to see him win 300, and he likely makes the rotation better.

The Twins sign R.A. Dickey, although the terms have not been revealed (it may be a minor league deal). La Velle Neal wonders what use the Twins have for the knuckleballer.

But in an offseason during which finding eighth-inning help is a higher priority, it's a little bit of a head-scratcher to see the Twins sign someone to be a middle reliever or spot starter. It's hard to see that when, if they need a spot start during the season, they can turn to Boof Bonser or Philip Humber or call up Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak or even Jeff Manship.

Now it's fair to come back with the argument that the Twins likely aren't spending a lot of money here and that teams bring in veteran arms all the time. But the Twins have plenty of options for starters, and we have seen in the past when trying the cagey veteran instead of the kid with more talent has failed.

Dickey's pitched poorly most of his career, and it's tough to believe the Metrodome will help him that much.

The Mets ownership does not want Manny Ramirez. Although people think the Yankees are done, I really wonder if they don't swoop in with a one-year contract at some point.

The Mets ownership does not want Manny Ramirez. Although people think the Yankees are done, I really wonder if they don't swoop in with a one-year contract at some point.

Sources are telling everyone that Mark Teixeira signed with the Yankees, pending a physical.

The New York Yankees swooped in Tuesday and nabbed prized free agent Mark Teixeira, reaching agreement with the first baseman on an eight-year contract worth $180 million, two sources involved in the negotiations tell ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

The Yankees had made an offer to Teixeira weeks ago, but then withdrew it. Their intention all along was to make a deal if it fell within parameters acceptable to the organization. They made their formal offer Tuesday.

The contract will pay Teixeira an average of $22.5 million per season.

Note that this blog had the Yankees signing three big-name free agents on Sept. 9th, and actually got two of them right.

Mark does it all offensively, hitting for average, getting on base, and hitting for power. On top of that, he added very good range numbers. Think of a Jason Giambi who can move.

The main problem with the signing is that it creates a glut in the outfield and at designated hitter. Matsui, Damon, Swisher, Nady and Cabrera. On the other hand, with a righty, two lefties and two switch hitters, and Damon, Swisher and Cabrera all able to play center, there are plenty of platoon and defensive alignments available. No one should get worn out. Still, I won't be surprised if one of these players moves in a trade.

This also means Jorge Posada won't be moving to first anytime soon.

Once again, the Yankees are taking advantage of their strong financial position in a down market to stock up on great players. Now, we'll see if it actually pays off.

Yankees Examiner Pete Sabatini likes the move.

The comments to Jon Heyman's latest Mark Teixeira rumor are priceless. Most are like this:

Heyman, please. Just let us know when he actually signs with someone. Jeez. We don't need a play-by-play, especially when there is nothing to report!

It would be something if Teixeira signed with a team that is totally off the radar.

The Washington Nationals upped their offer to Mark Teixeira. This seems strange, since the two biggest bidders are now not talking to Boras.

I would really like to see Teixeira sign in Washington. The Nationals need a public relations boost, and there's nothing issuing a huge contract to a star to get the public's attention.

Sons of Bill Simmons get the scoop on the Red Sox reaching a deal with Mark Teixeira. We'll see if this one works out better than the last one.

Rafael Furcal adds his two cents on the Braves deal that didn't happen:

Braves president John Schuerholz and general manager Frank Wren were quoted in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as saying Furcal's agent asked the Braves to send a signed letter of agreement, then reached a deal with the Dodgers.

"That is not true," Furcal said. "We never, not my agents nor me, agreed to anything with the Braves."

This reminds me of the story I linked to recently on common law and the infield fly rule. What Furcal and his agent did wasn't against the written rules of baseball. It did appear, however, to be against the common law of these matters. It's pretty clear from the Braves point of view that you don't ask for a term sheet before the deal is done. Furcal's agent violated a common practice, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that put into writing at some point.

Impacto Deportivo reports that Manny Ramirez is going to sign a three-year, $75 million deal with the Yankees. We'll see, but it would not surprise me. If they do sign Manny, however, they would probably need to deal away one or two of their surplus outfielders.

Hat tip, The FanHouse.

The Angels withdraw their offer to Mark Teixeira:

Yahoo! on Sunday quoted sources saying Angels owner Arte Moreno concluded Teixeira didn't want to play for his team and the Angels were being used as a bartering tool to drive up the price.

It seems teams caught on to Boras's game and the rich ones will no longer allow themselves to be used that way. I wonder how Mark will look in a Nationals uniform?

Lone Star Ball points out a reason Mark Teixeira might not want to play for the Yankees:

I mean, we heard back in 2004 about how much the other Rangers players (including, presumably, Mark Teixeira) disliked Alex Rodriguez and how much better they could play once he was gone...surely Teixeira wouldn't want to go lock himself in to almost a decade of sharing an infield with ARod if that was true, would he?

As Cyndi Lauper so eloquently put it, money changes everything.

Scott Boras called the Yankees about Mark Teixeira:

The Yankees do not have an offer on the table for Teixeira, and Boras apparently called the Yankees telling them what it would cost to land Teixeira. According to my source, that number was $22-23 million a year over eight years for a total of $180-185 million. The Yankees are still debating that, and there are some in the organization who want to do it, but they appear to be leaning against making an offer.

This could be an interesting game of passive chicken between the Yankees and Red Sox. With neither of them bidding at this point, the Nationals and Angels can keep their prices low (if $20 million a year is low). Then, we'll see if one of the two big rivals blinks at the last minute and tries to land Mark. At that point, they may be able to obtain his services for $21 million a year.

Murray Chass provides a nice summary of the Rafael Furcal debacle. He calls Paul Kinzer to ask about the term sheet, but Kinzer won't talk:

Asked that question in the brief phone conversation, Kinzer replied, "I can't say anything about it right now because there are some other things." He, of course, didn't say what the other things were.

The term sheet is the pivotal piece of evidence in the dispute. Furcal said upon his signing Saturday that he hadn't made up his mind whether he wanted to stay with the Dodgers or return to the Braves. A friend said he had a serious conflict not just choosing the team but also with the managers, liking both Joe Torre and Bobby Cox.

But if Furcal had not made up his mind to play for the Braves, why did Kinzer ask for their term sheet?

Tellem did not address the term sheet in his e-mail statement. Defending Kinzer's actions, Tellem said it was simply a case of Furcal's ultimately deciding to take the Dodgers' offer, basing his decision on several factors, the most important being the position switch.

Chass notes that the Braves refusal to work with WMG may lead to a grievance by the union, and that Yunel Escobar is represented by the group.

The Nationals pick up a pitcher off the Orioles' scrap heap.

Daniel Cabrera is no longer an Oriole, but he's not leaving the area.

Cabrera, who wasn't tendered a contract by the Orioles last week, has signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal with the Washington Nationals, pending a physical, according to an industry source.

The Orioles would have had to pay him likely between $3 and $4 million in 2009 had they offered him arbitration.

Cabrera posted a 5.05 ERA during his career. If you knock down his ERA a bit for pitching in the National League, he would rank about third in the Nationals rotation.

The trick, of course, is to get Cabrera's walks down. If the Washington coaching staff can accomplish that feat, they might have a #1 starter on their hands.

Buster Olney looks at how the market is collapsing for free agents.

I believe one of the reasons the Yankees are spending so much this year is that they are getting their players for a relatively low price. When you're cash rich in a down market, it's a good time to acquire assets.

CC Sabathia will be paid all year, not just during the baseball season:

While most players are paid semi-monthly during the six months of the regular season, Sabathia's salary will be paid in semi-monthly instalments over all 12 months of the year. That means he will have received six payments of $583,333 before the opener.

I'm not sure if this was CC idea or the Yankees. I can see where this might help the Yankees with cash flow, but mostly, CC gets to earn more interest on his money.

There are reports the Red Sox reached an agreement with Mark Teixeira. I'm waiting for a somewhat more official announcement.

Update: The reports were wrong:

Red Sox owner just e-mailed several media members with a stunning twist in the team's pursuit of Mark Teixeira. "We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

There must be a a ton of money or years on the table.

Sabernomics passes along notes on an interview he heard with Frank Wren. On the Furcal deal falling apart:

Furcal's agent left a voice mail asking for a "term sheet" and stated "we're good." Wren emphasized that "we're good" was a direct quote, and that in a business where face-to-face meetings are rare this constitutes a done deal.

So you can see why the stories about Furcal coming to the Braves broke.

The trade for Jake Peavy fell through. A.J. Burnett signed with the Yankees. Now, Rafael Furcal decided to stay with the Dodgers:

The Braves' winter of discontent continued Wednesday, when shortstop Rafael Furcal reached a contract agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers -- two days after the Braves said they had an agreement with Furcal.

One week before Christmas, the Braves have coal in their stockings and something other than holiday cheer for Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer.

"I think you have to be upset with the turn of events," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "We usually don't do business this way. You don't expect people you have to deal with to do business that way."

Wren said he and Kinzer negotiated all contract details Monday night and the Braves sent a term sheet to the agent's office for Furcal to sign Tuesday morning. Term sheets are the final step, after an agreement is reached.

Wren said the term sheet was never returned.

"We were very surprised," he said. "After reaching an agreement on Monday night, and being asked to produce a term sheet for signature on Tuesday morning, which we did, we were surprised that they didn't return the term sheet. ... All of a sudden, they said they needed to go back to the Dodgers."

I'm guessing Kinzer won't be well trusted in the future.

There's been quite a brouha over Rafael Furcal. Reports yesterday had him going to Atlanta, but here's the latest from Furcal's agent:

"They know we didn't have a signed contract, that we didn't have even a verbal agreement. We had, 'Things look very good and Raffy's going to sleep on it,'" Kinzer said after a news conference for another client, Francisco Rodriguez.

David O'Brien rants about the handling of the situation here.

The Nationals fans at We've Got Heart remake a Christmas classic to lure their favorite free agent.

The Tigers are ready to sign catcher and Baseball Musings favorite Matt Treanor to a one year contract:

Treanor has a long-standing connection to another noteworthy Tiger: He made his debut in a game started by Dontrelle Willis on June 2, 2004. Willis did not allow a runner that day until ex-Tiger Sean Casey, then with the Cincinnati Reds, singled in the seventh inning, according to Retrosheet.org.

Research through Retrosheet.org also revealed that Treanor was the starting catcher in 11 of Willis' final 14 starts with Florida in 2007.

Here's how Dontrelle pitched in that period.

Nick and Nick would rather the Twins stand pat than sign Ty Wigginton:

I don't think Wigginton would be a terrible acquisition at the right price, but he doesn't get me particularly excited. The Twins entered this offseason with a sizable surplus in their budget and it will be unfortunate if they end up sitting on their excess rather than using it to add players who can help them win, but having the money to sign Wigginton is not reason enough to sign him. When all aspects of his game are taken into account, I don't think he adds much to this club. Even if it's not particularly exciting, sometimes holding steady makes sense.

If the Red Sox do sign Teixeira, maybe the Twins would use that surplus to acquire Lowell or Youkilis from Boston.

Manny Ramirez might be holding up the Brewers-Yankees deal for Mike Cameron:

One possible explanation for the Yankees' sudden halt to the negotiations with Milwaukee is the Bombers' increased interest in Ramirez. Should the Yankees sign Ramirez, he would become the new left fielder, shifting Johnny Damon to his old stomping grounds in center. In that scenario, Cameron would no longer be needed.

If the Yankees sign Ramirez, they should try to move either Damon or Matsui. Manny should be the designated hitter.

Might Seattle be in on the bidding for Mark Teixeira?

If the Red Sox do sign Mark Teixeira, what happens to the rest of the infield? After all, Boston just signed Mike Lowell to a new contract last year. Kevin Youkilis was a legitimate MVP candidate in 2008. Do they flip Youk for a catcher? Do they try to trade Lowell and let Kevin take over at third? Offensively, some combination of Teixeira-Youkilis makes the most sense. So would Texas want Lowell for one of their remaining catchers? Or does Kevin become trade bait to land a package of prospects?

Cesar Izturis takes over at shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles:

The Baltimore Orioles finally filled their hole at shortstop, signing free agent Cesar Izturis to a two-year contract Tuesday.

The 28-year-old Izturis batted .263 in 135 games with the St. Louis Cardinals this year. He ranked third in the NL with a .980 fielding percentage.

"This is a good opportunity to play every day," Izturis said. "I think they needed a defensive shortstop. I just want to help the team win; it will be fun."

Amazingly, despite Izturis's poor career numbers as a hitter, this is actually an improvement at the position over last year. Cesar's career line is .260/.299/.331, so it tells you just how bad the Orioles were at shortstop in 2008.

Defensively, the Orioles were in the middle of the pack in 2008 according to the Probabilistic Model of Range. Izturis should improve that as well.

This signing is a small step in the right direction for Baltimore. They needed to fill a hole, and they got halfway there with Izturis.

It looks like the Braves are about to land Rafael Furcal, and possibly Jake Peavy:

FoxSports.com reported early today that Furcal, a free agent and former Braves standout, has agreed to return to Atlanta on a three-year contract that could be announced as soon as he passes a physical. He missed much of last season with back problems.

If the Braves land Furcal, 31, it could possibly signal an imminent trade of shortstop Yunel Escobar or second baseman Kelly Johnson in a deal for an elite-level starting pitcher the Braves have spent so much time this offseason attempting to acquire.

It's also possible they trade for Zack Greinke.

Given Furcal's career in total, he's on the same offensive plane as Johnson and Escobar. So the Braves will increase their spending on the middle infield without an offensive boost to grab a front-line starting pitcher.

The ageless Jamie Moyer signs a two-year deal with the Phillies. He'll be 47 when the deal is done.

When I started working for STATS, Inc., I wondered who would be the last player to still playing in the pre-STATS era, that is, before 1987. I figured there was a good chance it would be Barry Bonds. With Greg Maddux retired, however, the honor goes to Moyer.

It looks like Rafael Furcal turning down the Athletics initial offer wasn't such a bad move after all:

The A's have improved their initial four-year offer to Furcal, according to major-league sources.

Furcal, 31, does not appear to have another four-year proposal, though negotiations are fluid and subject to change.

That's odd the A's are bidding against themselves. Hat tip, BBTF.

Just in case you're wondering, Barry Bonds hasn't retired. Since the Washington Nationals like to hire ne're-do-wells, maybe they can sign both Barry and Manny. Lots of balls would drop in the outfield, but the offense would be fun to watch.

The Phillies sign Chan Ho Park. He seems to know more about his strengths and weaknesses than Ruben Amaro:

The Korea Times reports it is a one-year, $2.5 million contract with performance bonuses that could push the contract to $5 million. It quotes Park as saying, "I was a little worried about the Citizen Bank Park, the home of the Phillies, which is hitter-friendly, but as they considered me as a starter, I signed with Philadelphia."

I'm guessing Park puts up a 5.50 ERA at home this year.

Pat Burrell talks about the Phillies quietly letting him go. He doesn't see to be bitter at all. I'm sure going out on top helps. Some fans actually like Pat:

"Living downtown with Michelle and having the dog, walking to the park every day, the support was incredible coming down the stretch. I can't tell you how many people came up to me and said stuff like, 'We love having you here, we hope you stay. You went through such bad times and you made it out. You came back and became a great player.' Stuff like that is important, for me anyway, to know that, hey, they're behind you and they care about you and they're pulling for you to get back on track."

Now Pat is competing with Adam Dunn and Manny Ramirez for a job.

Peter Schmuck agrees with the Orioles allowing Daniel Cabrera to walk. However:

Of course, when he suddenly blooms into a 15-game winner, we'll all act like we were totally against this decision and blame Andy MacPhail for being short-sighted and cheap. That's baseball.

Yep.

There a rumor that Peter Angelos is wooing Mark Teixeira at the Ravens game today.

The Indians satisfied themselves of Kerry Wood's health and completed the deal for the closer:

Wood, 31, passed his physical Thursday in Cleveland and the Indians signed him to a two-year deal worth an estimated $20 million. The deal, which will be announced later today, includes an option for a third year that contains a vesting mechanism.

Two years ago, it looked like the Indians owned two potential closers in the Rafaels, Betancourt and Perez. They were unable to step into Joe Borowski's shoes in 2008, however, so the Indians went for someone tested in the role at a higher cost.

When Wood is right, as he was in 2008, he strikes out a lot of batters, walks very few, and gives up a low number of home runs. In other words, he makes it difficult for an offense to generate consecutive hits, or generate the power that turn a mistake into two or three runs. If he stays healthy, this is an excellent signing by the Tribe.

The Yankees land A.J. Burnett:

Free-agent right-hander A.J. Burnett has reached a preliminary agreement with the Yankees on a five-year, $82.5 million contract, joining lefty CC Sabathia in the team's revamped rotation.

The deal is pending Burnett's physical.

That's a pretty good contract for someone who set his career high for starts and innings at age 31, only $2 million less per year than Barry Zito. Burnett, however, is a good pitcher with a high strikeout rate and a low home run rate. His walk rate is decent, also. In fact, his career ERA of 3.81 seems a bit high for his stats. In fact, in four of the last five years, Burnett's FIP is lower than his ERA. That certainly makes this look like a better deal.

The big question with A.J. is his durability. Over the last three seasons he's made 21, 25 and 35 starts. With that kind of money, the Yankees will want him closer to 30 starts every year.

So the top four of the Yankees rotation looks like Sabathia, Burnett, Wang and Chamberlain. Three big K pitchers and a worm killer. The added strikeouts should take pressure off the Yankees defense. At this point, New York can sign someone like Ben Sheets short term, or make Hughes and Kennedy fight it out for the fifth spot.

SportsAgentsBlog suggests the defection of Jeremy Guthrie might lead to bad blood between Scott Boras and CAA.

Is Manny Ramirez the next Barry Bonds?

Manny Ramirez is so upset by his lack of suitors on the free agent market that he's told friends he would consider retirement if an offer doesn't come soon, Newsday reported yesterday.

Obviously, the Dodgers want him back, but I find it tough to believe that no one upped the Los Angeles offer even a little. Two years, $50 million? Three years, $75 million? It seems Manny's antics in Boston turned off a lot of teams, even to a short-term deal.

The Angels put in their bid on Mark Teixeira, $160 million for seven years. The Nationals offered the same money for eight years. Do the Nationals reduce their years to seven and see how much Teixeira wants to play close to home, or do they increase the money to $183 million for eight years and beat the Angels on both time and money? Maybe they go $180 million for nine years.

The Phillies sign Raul Ibanez to a three-year deal, but The Good Phight wonders why they didn't go for Adam Dunn instead.

The Tao of Stieb tries to find a silver lining in the Yankees restocking their rotation. All I can say is the only thing CC Sabathia and Jaret Wright have in common is that they started their careers in Cleveland.

YFSF gives it a whirl as Boras tries to make a market for Jason Varitek.

The signing of CC Sabathia is having a positive effect on other free agents:

Additionally, WEEI's Lou Merloni, who played with Lowe, says he is now more interested in the Yankeees because of CC Sabathia.

Compare that to the lament of Dave O'Brien at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Players do not want to come to Atlanta the way they used to want to come to Atlanta. Especially pitchers. It's still more attractive than a majority of the 30 teams in baseball, but not necessarily more attractive, or even as attractive, as a handful or more big-money, big-market teams competing for top players.

Much of that has to do with the facts that A., the Braves have missed the postseason for three years running, and will have to knock off the defending World Series champions and/or the new-stadiumed, deep-pocketed N.Y. Mets to get to the playoffs in 2009; and 2., the Braves are competing against a few teams, one in particular (hint: pinstripes), that are spending far more money than the Braves.

The most famous example was Greg Maddux turning down more money from the Yankees to pitch for Atlanta. Now, both Lowe and Burnett may prefer pitching for the Yankees.

Balls, Sticks and Stuff doesn't like the idea of the Phillies signing Chan Ho Park, and neither do I. Park pitches very well at Dodger Stadium, not so well other places. Both his walk and home run rates were much higher away from Los Angeles last season, with opponents slugging 100 points higher against him on the road. This would be the same mistake Texas made, signing a pitcher whose number were dependent on pitching in a low run park and placing him in a haven for home runs.

MetsBlog.com heard this today:

In an on-air report for ESPN News, Buster Olney said he cannot find a GM, outside of the Dodgers, who will say they have interest in signing Manny Ramirez.

My guess is the lack of interest is due to the length of the contract Manny seeks. If he were looking for a two-year deal, there would be a ton of interest.

There's an opt-out clause in Sabathia's contract:

Sabathia is expected to receive an opt-out clause after three years, which was a prerequisite for him to sign with any team, not just the Yankees, according to a source.

Such a clause would give Sabathia the chance for another monster payday in free agency at age 31 -- and provides him with an escape if he finds the New York experience unappealing.

Since players are more and more exercising their opt-outs, I can imagine the Yankees feeling a little more comfortable with the deal. Unless CC totally breaks down in the first three years, the probability is high that he seeks free agency again in a better market for pitchers.

Oriole Central likes the signing of Cesar Izturis to play shortstop:

Caesar Izturis signed_a_2_year_deal_with_the_O's_today. Which is ok. I'd rather have him than Adam Everrett or Khalil Greene. Izturis is solidly medicore, which is a massive upgrade over the parade of jokers the O's trotted out at short last season.

I didn't realize he was just 28. For some reason I thought he was older. Anyways, it elimates the prospect of Brandon Fahey as starting shortstop so its a good deal.

R.J. Anderson likes the CC Sabathia deal:

Here's the scary thing: even if Sabathia drops 1 WAR per season, he'd still be worth about 129 million over the next seven seasons. That means if Sabathia loses an arm he'd only be overpaid by ~30ish million, and to the Yankees, who are opening a new park, have their own regional sports network, and have contracts coming off of the books, that's not overpaying by much at all.

The Yankees are paying for this with Giambi's contract and part of Mussina's. That still leaves them the rest of Mike's contract, Abreu's and Pettitte's to sign another high quality starter, and even have room for a bat.

According to ESPN, CC Sabathia and the Yankees reached an agreement Tuesday night on a seven-year, $160 million contract. That's more years, but fewer dollars per year than the Yankees original offer. For all we know at the moment, there was an option year in the original deal that became guaranteed. More in a while (I picked a bad morning to oversleep), but my big question is, were the Yankees bidding against themselves?

Brian Cashman flew to San Francisco for another meeting with CC Sabathia, and his wife. Maybe Brian flies back with a signed contract!

Hat tip, RAB.

The Dodgers sign Mark Loretta. With a .361 career OBA and around .350 the last two years, he'll provide a decent amount of offense in a pinch.

It looks like closer day at the Winter Meetings as the Indians approach a deal for Kerry Wood:

The club has offered free agent Kerry Wood, the former Chicago Cubs starter-turned-reliever, a two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the sides are still working through details at the winter meetings in Las Vegas.

Wood, who has had numerous injury problems in the past, needs to pass a physical before the deal can be completed.

Wood's control returned in 2008, with his high strikeout and low walk totals making him an effective closer. Wood collected more saves than the entire Indians team last season. Jensen Lewis was the Tribe's most effective closer. Given his outstanding minor league numbers, I'm not sure why Cleveland isn't simply giving the job to him and spending the money elsewhere.

River Ave. Blues doubts the rumor that CC Sabathia turned down the Yankees offer:

Let me say this: Beware unconfirmed rumors. They are unconfirmed, obviously.

Second, it makes no sense -- none -- for Sabathia to reject the Yanks' offer. He loses all bargaining position in doing so, and the Giants, Angels or Brewers would have no reason to come close to the Yanks' generous offer. Even if he has no intention of signing with the Yanks, he is far better served to keep the Yanks' offer alive.

Correct. I can see him saying, "I want more money than that to play in New York," trying to get more money, but not walking away from the deal altogether.

The first big free agent names falls:

The Mets agreed to financial terms with free-agent closer Francisco Rodriguez at the winter meetings on Tuesday, signing the record-setting former Angel to a three-year, $37 million deal, sources told the Daily News.

GM Omar Minaya, speaking at the Bellagio, declined to confirm an agreement had been reached with the 26-year-old closer.

If true, this is a great deal for the Mets. It's prefectly reasonable money for a closer, and if indeed K-Rod does blow up, the contract is short enough that it won't kill the payroll. On top of that, it should be fairly easy to insure. Minaya gets a quality closer without giving away anything but money.

On Rodriguez's side of the ledger, he'll be going into his age 30 season at the end of the deal. Three more years of quality closing and he'll do very well in his second round of free agency.

It appears that Derek Lowe is a very popular free agent:

The 35-yer-old Lowe has been pursued by about 10 teams, but it appears those two have been among the more aggressive for Lowe. The Red Sox and Mets are among interested teams discouraged by the price. An official with one team interested in Lowe said he was "shocked'' how high the bidding appears to be going.

He's a good pitcher who is a lot cheaper than CC. Ground ball pitchers tend to work in all ballparks, and I could see where he'd be especially useful in Philadelphia.

Hat tip, Phillies Nation.

Francisco Rodriguez came to the free agent market a year too late:

Remember that three-year, $34-million offer closer Francisco Rodriguez rejected from the Angels in 2007? It's looking pretty good now.

Rodriguez was hoping to cash in on his major league-record 62-save season with a five-year, $75-million deal, but the free-agent right-hander left the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas on Monday with only one firm offer, from the New York Mets, for a reported two years and $24 million.

It was just last year that Francisco Cordero pulled down a four-year, $46 million contract, and an old Mariano Rivera re-signed with the Yankees for three years, $45 million. K-Rod might have been off accepting arbitration and trying again next year.

In fact, a two-year contract might not be so bad. Rodriguez doesn't need to be a great closer the next couple of years, just a very good one. After all, he's still rather young. So, if after the 2010 season four or five teams are in need of a closer, he'll get his five-year deal. This is a moment in time where free agents may be better off with a short term deal so they can go for the really big money when the economy comes back.

Bill Shaikin wonders why the Dodgers haven't offered CC Sabathia a contract yet:

The Dodgers need an ace in the starting rotation, in the clubhouse and in the community. Sabathia dedicates himself to all three.

He wants to come home, to pitch in California, to play in the National League, although not so desperately that he'll sign a three-year contract when the Yankees have offered him six.

The Dodgers have been burned so often by Colletti's multiyear free-agent signings -- injuries to Jason Schmidt, Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciaparra and Bill Mueller, poor performances by Andruw Jones and Brett Tomko and the superfluousness of Juan Pierre -- that McCourt understandably is wary of the kind of proposal Sabathia would take seriously.

If the Dodgers can land Sabathia with a home town discount, they should jump at the chance. Their pitching staff isn't looking all that solid right now. If CC will go for three-years, $80 million, or even $90 million, how can a team ignore that?

The Nationals talk about trying to sign Teixeira, or other big free agents:

Speaking generally of the feedback the team has gotten from free agents, Bowden said, "Players recognize we have one of the finest ballparks in the game. They recognize we are located in the most powerful city in the world. They also know, if they come here, we may not be ready to win next year, but [ellipses] they also look at all the other pieces and the potential revenue and the young players coming, and say, 'This franchise is on the way up.'"

One Nationals official acknowledged the unlikelihood the team could land Teixeira--"I don't feel real good about our chances," he said--but added, "You can't win if you don't play."

I like the fact that the Nationals are at least in the game. Signing big name free agents is a great way to generate interest in the team, and Nationals really need that.

R.J. Anderson comments on the Dodgers possibly resigning Casey Blake:

The signing (or re-signing) is a bit surprising. For one, Blake is 35-years-old and the Dodgers at last check are still inthe National League, which to this point does not have the designated hitter. That means Blake will be 38 and a probable liability in the field come the end of this contract.

It seemed like last season the Dodgers were full of options at third base. Those disappeared rather quickly.

The Tigers are making moves to suggest they're about to sign Adam Everett. This would give them a glove man at short for the first time in a while.

Might Francisco Rodriguez agree to a two-year contract with the Mets to make more money in the future? Given this climate, I actually believe that's a good idea for many of the younger free agents.

Infield chatter makes the case against the Red Sox signing Mark Teixeira.

Only two players accepted arbitration, David Weathers and Darren Oliver. The other 22 are now up for grabs, including Manny Ramirez. Now that all the teams know where each free agent stands, maybe the market will heat up.

Lone Star Ball links to a story that Jason Varitek will reject arbitration. I'm a bit surprised at that, as I thought Jason would do better with the arbitrator than on the market. Maybe more teams need veteran leadership than I thought.

Via Bleeding Blue and Teal, Raul Ibanez will decline arbitration today. Blue and Teal is looking forward to the draft picks:

It would greatly benefit Seattle if the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins and/or Toronto Blue Jays would throw their names back into the Ibanez hat. All three have been connected to Raul this offseason, and represent the 17th, 18th and 20th picks in the draft, which is as good as Seattle could get considering the first 16 picks are protected.

The Twins broke off talks with Casey Blake. La Velle E. Neal explores the possibilities on the left side for Minnesota.

I'm not a big Casey Blake fan, so I see this as a positive for the Twins.

Via BBTF, the Athletics are no long interested in Rafael Furcal:

The A's abruptly pulled out of the Rafael Furcal sweepstakes Friday after the free-agent shortstop rejected their four-year contract offer.

A frustrated Furcal could not be reached for comment. :-)

The A's now appear to be focusing on a big bat. However, they would be open to Furcal if he comes back and asks for a smaller contract.

The latest rumor to emerge has the Tigers interested in signing Kerry Wood to a two-year contract.

And after not offering Edgar Renteria arbitration (and watching him with the Giants), apparently figuring out that they're better off pursuing Adam Everett in free agency rather than haggling over Jack Wilson's salary, while possibly closing in on a deal for Gerald Laird - all of which could save some Detroit some money - maybe the Tigers now know they can throw some money at a ninth-inning stud.

Of course, if this happens, Kerry becomes the favorite to win the Masters. :-)

Only Baseball Matters disagrees with Keith Law over the Renteria signing.

Ken Rosenthal reports that Edgar Renteria signed with the Giants, two-years, $18.5 million. It's his fifth team in six years. He's also getting just a slight pay raise, as his Red Sox contract paid him $36 million over four years.

I never know what the Giants are doing. This makes them younger, simply because Vizquel was so old. Renteria, however, has an OPS+ under 100 in three of the last five seasons. He'll be better than Omar offensively, but the move doesn't improve the team that much.

Buster Olney pens an excellent post on the choices facing Manny Ramirez.

Executives around baseball wonder if that will change in the next few days, because they are having a difficult time envisioning how Ramirez would make more in salary in 2009 than if he accepted arbitration. He made $20 million last season -- although the present-day value was just a little more than $17 million -- and following a historic performance in which Ramirez hit .396 for the Dodgers in two months, driving in 53 runs in 53 games, his arbitration award would be breathtaking. Boras would be in position to set a new and stunning standard through that process, and could ask for A-Rod money.

But accepting arbitration would represent a staggering surrender for Ramirez, who had hoped for a nine-figure contract, and for Boras, who has been talking a deal for as long as six years for the 36-year-old outfielder. One year for $28 million is a long way from 4 years, $100 million, or six years, $150 million. Some friends of Ramirez do not believe that he will allow Boras to take arbitration, as tempting as it may be. "This is not going to be an easy time for Scott," a friend of Ramirez said.

Manny is at an age where taking a big one-year deal carries the risk of a career downturn shutting him out from ever getting a second huge multi-year deal. It's also possible, however, that a series of one-year deals makes Manny much more money that he would get in a long term contract. If he's always playing for the next contract, he might put up very impressive numbers every year, and his price might keep going up.

The Boston Globe reports two teams made an offer to Derek Lowe. One is the Phillies, and one is a team other than the Yankees or Red Sox. That hot stove pilot is finally flickering back to life.

Balls, Sticks and Stuff looks at the reasons for letting Pat Burrell leave versus re-signing the leftfielder. Defense plays a big role in the discussion.

Russell Branyan agrees to a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. He's not likely to play much third base with Adrian Beltre still under contract, but he does provide some insurance if Beltre does not recover quickly enough from his surgery.

Branyan is a modern Rob Deer. He draws walks and his hits go a long way, but the hits don't come that often. I'm guessing he gets used mostly as a first baseman or designated hitter.

Correction: Fixed link.

The San Francisco Giants inked Bobby Howry to a one-year contract. After four stellar seasons, Howry was down in 2008. At age seasonal age 35 in 2009, Howry may be declining for real. The bet by the Giants, that he bounces back, however, is worth the money.

Howry's home runs and hits allowed increased in 2008, causing his poor season. His strikeouts didn't dip that much, so there a return to form, especially in a good park for pitchers is not out of the question.

It appears the Braves are willing to offer A.J. Burnett a five-year deal. They certainly aren't wasting time filling in the holes in their pitching staff. Does it stop if they land Burnett, or do they try to trade for Peavy as well?

Dave Sheinin notes that if Tony Reagins is telling the truth about Teixeira remaining the Angels number one target, the chances of the Yankees signing Sabathia go up.

I suspect Reagins is telling the truth, which would be an important distinction -- because it would seem to signal a Sabathia-to-the-Yankees signing is imminent. To this point, the Angels were widely viewed as Sabathia's best opportunity to bridge the gap between the mega-offer he reportedly received from the Yankees (six years, $140 million) and the lesser one he received from the Brewers (six years, $100 million), while also satisfying his preference for playing on the west coast.

If the Angels are inclined to wait it out with Teixeira, rather than commit all those dollars to a pitcher, there doesn't seem to be another option out there for Sabathia (whose agent has tried, unsuccessfully it seems, to involve the Dodgers and Giants). Given the ominous economic signs surrounding the game, I wouldn't be surprised if Sabathia -- perhaps grudgingly -- jumped on the Yankees' offer, before it disappeared.

He also gives odds on various teams signing Teixeira.

If you're a team like the Yankees that freed up a ton of payroll and are getting new revenues from a new stadium, this seems like a good year to go on a free agent binge. At the moment, there doesn't seem to be much bidding going on. Why not swoop in and take three or four big names? Maybe they can get Manny, Sheets and Burnett for short term big money and let them try again in a couple of seasons when the market is better.

Here's a roundup of the 24 players offered arbitration by the midnight EST deadline Tuesday morning.

Adam Dunn and Pat Burrell joined Bobby Abreu as good free agent outfielders not offered arbitration. All three get on base and have decent power, but are certainly on the downside of their careers. None plays defense that well.

With all three of them available, the supply of this type of player should keep a cap on the price of all three. Do you want Abreu, but he's asking too much? Go for Burrell. Adam Dunn gets signed by another team? Bobby Abreu is still available. This likely figured into the reason for not offering these players arbitration. Not only would an arbitrator likely keep their salaries high, the Yankees, Phillies and Diamondbacks have plenty of other options.

The question in my mind, now, will this drive down the price of Manny Ramirez. While Manny is better than these three, he's also a poor defender on the downside of his career. A team can afford to lose out on Manny and hire one of the other three and still have a good offensive player. Given that, and the cost of a draft pick, there's no reason to really fight over Ramirez.

Unlike the Yankees, the Dodgers and the Angels offered their big name free agents arbitration. The Red Sox offered arbitration to Jason Varitek, which surprised me a bit. Boston, however, expects Jason to sign elsewhere.

Correction: I misread the Varitek article. Boston expects Jason not to accept arbitration. Apologies.

The Brewers offered CC Sabathia arbitration. Given that the Yankees made an offer Milwaukee is unlikely to match, it was easy for them to go for the draft picks.

Mike Hampton will return to the Houston Astros, pending a physical. I'm not sure this really improves the Astros rotation. We don't know the money yet, but I assume Hampton's salary is low enough that it's worth the risk of him breaking down again.

The Yankees do not offer arbitration to any of their big name free agents, including Bobby Abreu. I have to agree with YFSF here:

I am surprised, and not in the pleasant way, that the Yanks are following this tack, especially in the case of Abreu. What's the best that can be said about these conservative moves? That they're fiscally responsible? Woo hoo!!! (Will ticket prices be going down then as well?) That they're saving money to throw at players who will require longer and riskier deals? That the Gerritt Cole experience was so traumatic, they felt it best to avoid the tempation of draft picks altogether?

I understand Pettitte and Giambi, but Abreu was worth the risk of arbitration. Even if Bobby accepted, the Yankees could then sign him at a reasonable price and trade him. If nothing else, the Yankees certainly have made a break with the past.

Update: River Ave. Blues has the transcript of Brian Cashman's statement. It comes down to the Yankees not thinking that Pettitte and Abreu not being worth the money an arbitrator would award. They are not adverse to re-signing either.

The Toronto Blue Jays offered A.J. Burnett arbitration. The Jays want to keep Burnett, and this drives up his price to other teams by costing them draft picks if they sign the pitcher.

I'll be interested to see if Burnett accepts. If so, it may signal that players think that this winter is a buyer's market for free agents and he might want to try again next season.

Craig Calcaterra looks at how the Angels might use their mastery of fast food negotiating tactics to lure CC Sabathia to Anaheim.

River Ave. Blues notes that Andy Pettitte talking to the Dodgers complicated the Yankees decision to offer the left-hander arbitration:

Monday, you see, is MLB's arbitration deadline. By the end of the day, the Yanks must decide whether or not to offer arbitration to Andy Pettitte. This is a rather complicated decision, and it could play itself out in a variety of scenarios.

The easiest option -- and perhaps the most beneficial to the Yanks -- would be to offer arbitration to Andy Pettitte and hope that he heads to Los Angeles. As Mike noted earlier this week, the Yanks would land the 17th slot in the draft and a supplemental pick as well. But because the Dodgers would be giving up a fairly coveted spot, they may not be so keen to sign Pettitte if the Yanks offer arbitration.

Of course, if the Yankees do offer Andy arbitration, he may accept the offer, and New York ends up spending more than they wanted on Andy.

In general, it was a very good move for Pettitte to at least speak with the Dodgers. He held no leverage against New York until he did so.

The Baltimore Orioles are in the mix for A.J. Burnett:

"There is sincere and mutual interest (with the Orioles)," Braunecker is quoted as saying. "We're not here to waste people's time or our time. We don't need to create a false market for A.J. Burnett."

With Burnett's injury history, he may be perceived to be a cheaper option than Sabathia. That may actually push his value up, as more teams are willing to chase him.

Matt Cerrone comments on the latest rumors about the Mets pursuit of starting pitching:

...wait, what...why...i can accept not wanting to give lowe a five-year deal, assuming that is what it will take to get him...but to be bullied out of the bidding, because the big, bad Red Sox and Yankees are in the mix, well that's just sad...and i hope it is not true...

Indeed. With a new stadium providing a higher revenue stream, the Mets should be right in the mix with the big guns from the American League.

Giants Win sticks up for Barry Bonds as a player who helped the Giants win. The article that sets him off is an article that is down on the Giants signing Manny Ramirez due to the way Manny left Boston.

Mark Teixeira would like to be signed by Christmas. He probably wants whatever bonus comes with the new contract taxed this year.

Studes points out this post at Brew Crew Ball showing the difference between the Yankees offer and the Brewers offer to CC Sabathia is a lot less than $40 million. That's probably another reason the Yankees didn't incrementally bid up the price.

In the post, Jeff Sackmann also makes the point that a shorter time frame on the contract might make Sabathia more money in the long run. It's a good point, and one that seems to be ignored by players these days.

The other day the Cardinals said signing lefty relievers was their priority, and now it appears Trever Miller is in the fold. This would be Miller's seventh team and ninth stint with a different team. Miller did do a good job as a lefty specialist in 2008, holding left-handed batters to a .209 BA. He walked a high number, however, as lefties posted a .305 OBA. Still, those are good numbers and what teams look for in that very specialized position.

The Yankees are not ruling out any free agent signings, therefore, they must be interested in Teixeira, too.

"Our focus is on our pitching, but that doesn't mean we're closed-minded," Cashman said. "If the pitching doesn't go the way we want it, we'll have to re-focus. We're going to be engaged on the entire free agent market. How it plays out, I can't predict."

It looks like the Boston and New York papers are trying to create a bidding war over the first baseman.

Tony Massaroti is making stuff up. He believes the Red Sox will offer Mark Teixeira the biggest contract in club history. Why?

When the Sox want something enough, they make sure they get it.

In the case of Teixeira, rest assured that the Sox want him, no matter what games are being paid by club officials. Publicly and privately, the Sox are saying nothing about their interest in Teixeira and playing dumb every time his name comes up. It's as sure a sign as any that they are preparing to go to extraordinary lengths. Last year, in the midst of the Johan Santana trade talks, the Sox were far more forthcoming about who and what they were willing to offer. When all was said and done, the Sox were not interested in acquiring Santana so much as they were interested in driving up the price for the rival Yankees; as it turned out, they kept Santana out of the Bronx altogether.

So the fact that the Red Sox aren't interested in Teixeira is a sure sign they are interested in Teixeira. An amazing bit of logic that. Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe hope Boston isn't interested in them either.

"CC, which team will you sign with?"

"Probably Boston. They haven't shown any interest in me, so I should be getting 10 years, $250 million!"

Yep, that's just the way it works.

Stan Kasten tries to roll back excitement on a potential Mark Teixeira deal for the Nationals.

The Cub Reporter rounds up news that Ryan Dempster will stay in Chicago at a very good price.

The Giants get the ball rolling:

Reliever Jeremy Affeldt became the first of 171 free agents to agree to a contract, striking an $8 million, two-year deal Monday with the San Francisco Giants.

He's put up two good years in a row playing in parks that favor the hitter. The money is right in line with Damaso Marte's contract, and Affeldt is younger and pitches more innings.

The Mets asked the agents for both Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes to call them before they sign with anyone else. They also appear to have at least talked about a contract with K-Rod.

Joel Sherman notes that the Mets are benefitting from the number of closers available on the free agent market:

Now the Mets do not like Hoffman's stuff, and if you were guessing where Wood would end up, then playing for fellow fireballing Texan Nolan Ryan's Rangers would be a good bet (he is the team president). But the definitive league-wide availability of Hoffman and Wood only further saturated the closer market. And only gave greater confidence to the Mets that they not only will find a closer this offseason, but find him via free agency, which is their preference because that would allow them to protect their farm system.

The market has become so saturated, in fact, that an AL official regularly in touch with the Mets executives said it was his perception the Mets will wait to see if supply-and-demand take holds and the price falls, especially for the two main free-agent closers, Brian Fuentes and Francisco Rodriguez. As Hardball previously has reported, the Mets' main targets this offseason are Fuentes and Derek Lowe.

Having options helps prevent teams from being held up by players.

The Dodgers withdrew their offer to Manny Ramirez:

According to the Dodgers' website, the team has pulled its initial offer to free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez. What that means exactly remains to be seen because the team says it will continue to negotiate with him.

I find this a strange negotiating strategy. At this point, they'd be bidding against themselves. Until there is a better bid on the table, why withdraw the offer? I suppose it's possible that no other team bids for Manny, and then the Dodgers come back with a lower offer, but the probability of that is pretty low.

The Cardinals first priority is signing left-handed relievers.

Richard Griffin wonders if the large number of second tier free agents, combined with the poor economy, will push prices down:

The fact of the matter is that the effects of the recession will be felt by the majority of the 171 free agents (almost seven full team rosters) that have now placed themselves on the open market. It would not be surprising to quietly see the Jays and many others of their financial ilk enter the New Year without inking any major free agents, waiting into mid-January for the panic among the multitude of remaining players to set in when bargains can be had.

It might be a good winter for free agents to take one or two guaranteed seasons, instead of holding out; they can then explore free agency again when the world economy has had a chance to rebound.

Even at the high end, teams are unlikely to go overboard. If you don't get Sabathia, you can alway land Sheets, Dempster or Lowe, or trade for Jake Peavy.

The Yankees open the bidding on CC Sabathia:

The Yankees have officially tendered an offer to CC Sabathia, ESPN's Buster Olney reports.

Sabathia, the 2007 AL Cy Young winner, split last season between the Indians and Brewers (17-10 2.70).

The Yankees offered a six-year deal worth more than $137.5 million, Olney reports.

Let's call in $140 million, or $23 million per year. That seems to be a good place to start. He's worth more than that per year, but teams may not wish to go that far out in terms of seasons.

Nick Swisher and CC Sabathia are friends.

Dave Cameron, in calculating a value for CC Sabathia, sets the price for buying a free agent at $5.5 million per win. That puts the price of Sabathia somewhere between $27 million and $30 million per year, depending on the length of the contract.

Dave Sheinin discusses how the Nationals might convince Mark Teixeira to sign with Washington:

"Mark, you are a once-in-a-lifetime player, especially to a franchise like ours. The Nationals see you as the foundation, someone with deep local ties who could be the face of our franchise for the next [six/eight/ten] years. We will build this team around you, and when we're ready to win it all - and we're closer than people think - you will have been part something truly special.

"Nowhere else in baseball can give you what you can get here, Mark. We're not only just down the road from your hometown. We're also the nation's capital. You'll have congressmen and Supreme Court justices watching you nightly. You might be a regular guest at the White House, given the President-Elect's love of sports.

"Face it: You can never own L.A., or Boston - at least not as long as Kobe and Tom Brady are alive. But you can own this town, Mark. It yours if you want it."

The Nationals minor league teams did well, and that's often a precursor to major league improvement.

Both the Mets and Yankees are planning on pursuing CC Sabathia. Imagine having to face Santana and Sabathia on consecutive days!

Randy Johnson and the Diamondbacks could not reach an agreement. Johnson becomes a free agent and issues a statement to his Arizona fans.

Randy instructed us not to file for free agency until we made every effort to reach an agreement. The Diamondbacks have a budget based on their club's financial situation and obviously viewed Randy's contract in that context. Randy considered every reasonable compromise including offering to take a 50% pay cut, all to remain a Diamondback. However, the economic situation did not lend itself to an agreement.

Consequently, Randy is forced to file for free agency and consider all opportunities to further his career. He hopes to find a team where he can continue to pitch at a high level and contribute to another World Championship.

Randy and his family live in Arizona and he will always be a Diamondback at heart. Most of all, Randy will miss the overwhelming support the fans have shown him throughout the years. He wishes the Diamondbacks great success in 2009 and beyond."

I wonder if a team will sign him to a contract. He pitched well at times in 2008 but poorly at others. He still strikes out a high number of batters. Maybe he could be a Sunday pitcher for some club to keep his starts low.

Apparently, not to the Dodgers.

David Ortiz spoke on the radio about Manny Ramirez, and says lots of good things about his ex-teammate. He was also asked if Manny quit on the team:

"Well, to tell you the truth, it was something going down between the Red Sox and Manny Ramirez that I can never really break that down for you because there's some personal reasons that he has with our owners and I never got to the bottom of it, and [he's] got his feelings, you know, Manny was, he got to the point that he really wanted to get to play for someone else.

"I'll tell you one thing, I'm the kind of guy that I look at the positive side of everything and Manny, I get to learn a lot of things from Manny. Manny's one of the guys that worked hard every day to have some really good performances out there, and I never saw Manny not getting prepared to play. . . now he wasn't happy here, everybody knows that. And when a relationship get to the point, you gotta make a move just like we did, and you go from there."

Also, via Deadspin, the Nationals will bid for Ramirez.

The Padres withdrew their offer to Trevor Hoffman. He came as close a one can imagine to being a life-long Padre, having pitched 28 games for the Marlins in 1993 before joining San Diego. At age 40, he posted his highest ERA since 1995, but still strikes out batters at a high rate and keeps his walks low. It was home runs that did him in in 2008. He'll improve some team's bullpen in 2009.

Al's Ramblings puts together a team of minor league free agents. It's not a great team, but it shows what clubs can pick up off the scrap heap.

It looks like the Washington Nationals are interested in Mark Teixeira. If they sign him they might double their run production! :-)

LaTroy Hawkins signed a one-year contract with the Houston Astros. Hawkins pitched 21 outstanding innings for the Astros with lots of strikeouts and few walks. He'll try to do that over a full season for Houston.

Jon Weisman offers his thoughts on the Dodgers signing Manny Ramirez, CC Sabathia or doing nothing spectacular.

I can't believe the Dodgers offered Manny Ramirez just $45 million for two years. I could see offering that average salary for five years, but for that short a term, I would have thought the Dodgers would bring the average a lot closer to A-Rod's $27.5 million. Hat tip to The Big Lead, which thinks the Dodgers may be bidding against themselves.

One problem with Manny sticking with the Dodgers is that he can't really generate that much more revenue for them. They already draw very good crowds. The team that should go overboard to sign Ramirez is the Tampa Bay Rays. Think about it. The Red Sox and Yankees are going to reload, making the AL East that much tougher to win. The Rays should get a boost in attendance with their AL championship, but imagine putting Manny in leftfield. They might draw 20,000 more per game! And if the Rays manage to net just $40 per person coming into the park, 20,000 * 81 * 40 is about $64 million in increased revenue. They could offer Manny $60 million over two years and still make a tidy profit. On top of that, Manny plays close to home and gets to torment the Red Sox. Everyone wins!

Ned Colletti says he made Manny Ramirez an offer. The Dodgers would make him the second highest paid player behind A-Rod. We don't know the length or actual dollar amount, but if this is where the bidding starts, we might see Manny make a higher average salary than Rodriguez over a shorter period of time.

The Dodgers declined the option on Brad Penny, saving $6.75 million dollars. With Lowe likely gone as well, this is going to be a very different Dodgers rotation in 2009.

Player Agents are already taking a potential tax increase into account as they negotiate for their clients:

Obama's proposal would increase federal income tax on families earning more than $250,000 annually, money that would help finance a decrease for workers and families earning less than $200,000. It's also possible more income might be subject to the Social Security tax.

Next year's major league minimum is $400,000. Agent Scott Boras, negotiating eight- and possibly nine-figure deals for free agents Manny Ramirez [stats] and Mark Teixeira, already has thought about the possibility of asking for larger signing bonuses payable this year in some of his contracts.

"There's some consideration to be had with the impact of the election," he said.

This could turn out to be a very busy last week of December. I'm also interested to see how big teams are willing to go bonuses. Let's say the market determines Mark Teixeira is worth a total of $100 million over a five year contract. Does a team give him a $20 million dollar bonus and pay him $16 million over the last five years of his contract? That would save Mark close to $1 million in taxes.

Or do teams just up the value of the contract? Paying him 1.7 million more per year covers the increase in taxes, giving him the same take home pay. So watch to see if contracts signed before the end of the year are structured differently than contracts signed after the first of the year, and if later signing free agents appear to be making more money than early signing free agents.

To no one's surprise, the Yankees declined to pick up the options on Jason Giambi and Carl Pavano.

Giambi will receive a $5 million buyout rather than a $22 million salary next season, completing his $120 million, seven-year contract. Pavano gets a $1.95 million buyout instead of a $13 million salary, finishing his $39.95 million deal.

That gives the Yankees $28 million to spend on new free agents. It's enough to land Mark Teixeira and part of a pitcher.