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Friday, December 28, 2007

Jose Canseco Back In The Limelight

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere as yet, but Jose Canseco, the man who first put baseball's steroid issue into the forefront with his book "Juiced", will soon be releasing his followup.

Appropriately titled "Vindicated", the book will build on the revelations from the Mitchell Report and subsequent fan and public opinion of the players named and baseball's drug problem. Jose Canseco highlighted this on a recent episode of HDNet's Inside MMA on which he appeared to talk about a new reality TV show he was producing. The show will pit him and a team of professional sportsmen outside of MMA (mixed martial arts), against a team of MMA stars.

Canseco spoke briefly on the steroid issue on Inside MMA. He reiterated his opinion (first mentioned in "Juice") that while steroids definitely gave a person size and some advantage in strength and speed, but if not used in conjunction with proper training and natural talent, it would not provide any significant advantage over other players. He stated that during his time, many players had already been using (as proven by the Mitchell Report), but just as many did not become superstars as a result. Several of the players named in the Report also gave credibility to his argument.

It will be interesting to read the book once released. While not having the best of image as a result of his straight talking, Canseco does speak a lot of truths. Unfortunately, they are usually only understood when things have gone too far.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Bonds A Strong Possibility For A's

Susan Slusser has a piece on Oakland's interest in signing Barry Bonds for '08. Given Billy Beane's recent assertion that the A's wanted to win in '08, this might be a strong possibility. Slusser also spoke to a Major League exec who indicated this was a deal waiting to happen.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

More Activity From Nationals

The Washington Nationals today signed Aaron Boone to a one-year, $1 mil contract with incentives. Boone was with the Marlins for 2007 and went .286/.388/.423.

Willy Mo Pena also received a $2 mil extension, with a mutual option for '09.

Additionally, Ryan Langerhans has also been re-signed on a minor league deal.

Willis To Be Flipped To Mets?

From Adam Rubin, the Tigers might have to spin Dontrelle Willis to the Mets (or any other team). Apparently the Marlins insisted that Detroit take both Cabrera and Willis, which the Tigers willing took on despite knowing their payroll could not accomodate both players.

Inside sources in the Mets are looking at this possible scenario and would be willing to speak to the Tigers. There has also been talk of Ivan Rodriguez included in the mix but I don't really see that happening since the Tigers exercised their option on him.

Giants Looking For Yankees' Matsui

Bryan Hoch reported that the Giants have inquired about Hideki Matsui's availability, in a bid to boost their offense. Despite the veteran outfielder's full no-trade clause, Hoch implied that the Yankees might consider any possible trade if it improves their pitching - a primary objective of the team this off-season.

Hoch suggested Noah Lowry as a potential target for the Yanks in any deal with the Giants, who would fit in the middle rotation to beef up a still unknown innings totals from the trio of youngsters Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy.

Santana Sweeps: Thursday

There's not been much happening the past 2 days on the Johan Santana talks after a mad start to the week. Theo Epstein left without any end in sight, although they still seem to be ahead of the pack, but just slightly.

Now, the rest of the pack includes the Yankees, Mets, Mariners and perhaps Angels. Newsday says Mets won't have a chance unless they include Jose Reyes in the package, which won't happen.

La Velle E. Neal III shares his thoughts on the whole affair. He believes the Red Sox are serious about Santana after speaking to some officials last night, but does not believe the Twins will budge easily without both Lester and Ellsbury in the deal. His sleeper pick is the Angels although they have not spoken to the Twins as yet, apparently.

According to Jon Heyman, the Met are offering Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey, Aaron Heilman, including others for Santana. Here's how the other teams shape up with their packages:

Boston - Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie, Justin Masterson
Yankees - Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Marquez
Mariners - Adam Jones, Brandon Morrow (what's this? A joke?)

Boston Herald's Rob Bradford had a talk with Josh Beckett and the Boston ace said he was earning enough money as it is and was more concerned about winning than any contract re-work if Santana joins the team. He did state that he would be upset with good friend Jon Lester being traded but understands that baseball is a business and that Boston would do whatever it takes to ensure that. And he would be fine with that.

Update: Joel Sherman reported that the Twins and Yankees had a brief discussion on including Joe Nathan in the deal. If this were to be realised, would the Red Sox change their stance on Ellsbury?

Dodgers Sign Andruw Jones for $36 Mil

Not much of a choice there - Andruw Jones had only 2 teams in for him with concrete offers - the Dodgers and Royals. With the latter's offer being for two-years, $25 mil, it was an obvious choice for the Boras corporation. Dodgers offered two-years, $36.2 mil.

Still, it was good business by Ned Colletti - remember Jones is a Boras client - they could have gotten more if not for their falling stock with recent star departures and Jones poor 2007, which by the way, has been attributed to a secret elbow injury.

Moving on, Tony Jackson suggests that the Dodgers will now trade Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier for a frontline starter.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Lo Duca Heading To Toronto?

Joel Sherman has reported that Lo Duca might have made a deal of one-year with the Toronto Bluejays after meetings between the player's agent and the team earlier today. The deal was rumored to be worth less than $5 mil, but it appears that Lo Duca might have accepted it with final figures reported to be around $3-4 mil, according to Robert MacLeod.

Update: Robert MacLeod and then Joel Sherman are saying the deal is in the stage of being finalized and signed, with Lo Duca coming on board for one-year $3 mil.

More Interest in Prior

There are now four teams interested in Mark Prior - the Reds, Padres, Phillies and Rangers. Seattle might also some interest but I am not sure how far that would go.

Santana Sweeps: Wednesday - Yankees Have No Money, Boston Interest Turning Cold

It appears that even the Yankees have a payroll ceiling - Brian Cashman pulled out of the Santana negotiations as he felt that the Yankees could not afford to load their payroll now that Pettitte had re-signed.

What had heated up last night now seems to have gone soft - Boston are still talking and shuffling their feet over the whole deal. They are STILL talking to the Twins and looking over their shoulder at the Yanks. It appears that some doubts still remain over going for the ace lefty.
The Twins are also turning out to be quite a player - they insist they do not necessarily want to trade Santana, and are spinning the roundtable again by re-opening invitations to other teams. The Mets are one of them and suddenly they appear to have pushed their way into the reckoning according to Santana's agent Peter Greenberg.

There was also an earlier rumor that a three-team trade was on the cards with Santana going to the Mets, Haren to the Twins and Jose Reyes to A's. But this has been quashed as a hoax but it was fun while it lasted. Good reporting if you ask me.

Rolen Needs To Go: Cards

Despite earlier assurances that manager La Russa and Jimmy Rolen could play happy as a team, it appears that La Russa has re-opened old wounds, this time with a scathing attack on the player.

La Russa basically questioned the player's responsibility to the team and fans - that is extremely heavy accusations and in effect, calls for the fans to turn on Rolen if it continues like this.

I wouldn't be surprised if fresh talks with teams are opened again soon. The Brewers were interested earlier before talks broke down. Perhaps they would come back in again given the fresh revelations.

Bonds Wants To Play - Would You Sign Him?

The embattled batter still wants to play next year, according to his agent Jeff Boris. He would be able to do so as his trial would likely only start at the end of the year, thus freeing him up for the season.

However, with his baggageluggage, would any team take him on, that remains the question. He might increase his chances with a lower asking price, since any possibility of him providing service beyond 2008 seems remote.

If anything, perhaps Hank Steinbrenner should take him on for an annual boost. Would you take Barry Bonds on with all the issues surrounding him?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Johan Santana Sweeps : Latest Tuesday

Most of the talk flying around has dwindled to Boston being in the prime seat for Santana now. There have been a million stories circulating throughout the day on this, with many saying the deal has been done, naming different combinations of players involved.

Theo Epstein expects negotiations with the Twins to carry on throughout the night and that they are likely to finalize an agreement. The Twins have also stated that they hope to end the whole affair by tonight. Meanwhile, here's what you might have missed:

- Lester, Crisp, Ellsbury and Lowrie?
- Lester, Crisp, Lowrie and Masterson?
- 3 for 1 or 4 for 1?
- Yankees have no chance to best Boston's offer?
- Hank does not want Santana anymore and that's final
- it's Lester, Masterson and Kalish

It would be interesting to see what happens next if the Red Sox do get Santana. The Beckett contract renegotiations would become an issue.

Fukudome Heading To Cubs?

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times mentioned that Kosuke Fukudome would likely get a similar deal to that of Torii Hunter's five-year, $90 mil, even though Fukudome is not looking for such a long term arrangement.

But here's what's interesting - Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has claimed that the Japanese outfielder is certain to sign with the Cubs.

Tigers Set To Acquire Cabrera and Willis

In what would be a blockbuster trade involving up to 8 players, the Detroit Tigers are set to acquire Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins in exchange for 6 studs!

There was an earlier report by Jim Molony with regards to the rumor, but now Joe Frisaro of MLB.com has published another to substantiate the whispers.

The Tigers will be packing outfielder Cameron Maybin, lefty starter Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabello, and pitchers Dallas Trahern, Eulogio De La Cruz and Burke Badenhop. Badenhop, De La Cruz and Trahern have been ranked as the Tigers' prospect list as #1, 7 and 11 respectively, by Kevin Goldstein of The Baseball Prospectus.

While there has been no official confirmation, several of the named players involved are already making statements based on the assumption. Expect some announcement before the end of the Winter Meetings on Thursday.

Erik Bedard Rumors

There are now 11 teams officially interested in the Baltimore Orioles' southpaw ace Erik Bedard. These include the Phillies, Cardinals, Yankees, Mets, Mariners, Angels, Dodgers, D'backs, Tigers, Jays and Cubs.

The Dodgers appear to be the frontrunners, as noted by Joel Sherman. Peter Angelos does not want Bedard to be traded within the division as well, so the Yanks and Jays would seem to be out of the running. I would also doubt that the Tigers would have much interest, as they are now involved in an 8 player swap with the Marlins for Cabrera and Willis.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Elijah Dukes To Nationals

The Rays have traded Elijah Dukes to the Washington Nationals. In return they will get Glenn Gibson, a 20 year old southpaw starter.

Jim Bowden hopes that Dmitri Young will act as a mentor for Dukes, who's widely known to be trouble. It also leaves the Nationals with an outfield surplus, although Bowden does not appear to be worried.

Gibson would be a good trade for the Rays. He is known to have "a decent fastball, very good curve, and tons of polish.".

Santana Updates Around The Majors

Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune had an interesting writeup on the whole Johan Santana affair. He says that Hank Steinbrenner's earlier comments on the whole negotiation process was blatant tampering, and goes on to give his assessment of how the Yankees are really the only serious party for Santana, and they might be pulling off a similar stunt to that of Randy Johnson a few years ago - back the Twins into a corner and get Santana later on a deal better weighed for them (Yanks).

The Twins themselves are not amused with Steinbrenner's comments, and it appears that they will pursue tampering charges. They are also stated to be in no hurry to trade Santana and would keep him if required.

Dodgers Offer Andruw Jones 2 Years, $32 Mil

According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, the Dodgers have offered Andruw Jones a two-year, $32 mil contract. On the one hand, Jones is asking for an offer similar to Torri Hunter's five-year, $90 mil signing with the Angels. On the other hand, he had a less than stellar 2007 and the Dodgers would not want to risk a long term deal.

The MLB.com report added, for what it's worth, that the Dodgers are actively and aggressively pursuing Hiroki Kuroda for rotation depth.

White Sox Sends Chris Carter To D'Backs For Quentin

Not very good news for White Sox fans - they will send Chris Carter to the D'Backs for outfielder Carlos Quentin.

Chris Carter was recently ranked as the White Sox's 4th best prospect, and best positional prospect by Baseball Prospectus. In return they will get Carlos Quentin who has had recent injury problems, although he has been making a nice progress at Triple A. It does look like a better trade for Arizona in my opinion.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Miguel Tejada Draws Interest From Giants, Astros

Jon Heyman says that the Giants and Astros are keen on Miguel Tejada. Again, there are more details on Astros' interest - they're moving a lot for many players along with the Angels. Heyman noted that Tejada's production has been dropping in recent years, and this time, the Orioles would like Michael Bourn, Adam Everett and other prospects from Astros.

Miguel Cabrera Move On The Cards Soon

Another blockbuster move in the off-season would obviously be that of Marlins' Miguel Cabrera. This is definitely on as the latest Marlins' marketing materials do not include him, despite all the protracted negotiations with other teams.

The Angels have laid their offer on the table and stopped further talks and asked Florida to get back to them on an acceptance. The Marlins demanded both Nick Adenhart and Ervin Santana, while Angels would only push either one. It is highly unlike LA will surrender both.

It'll be interesting to see how far Marlins can push their luck on this trade. They need to shave Cabrera's high salary off their budget and push might come to shove with Angels backing out. The Dodgers have already pulled their names out of the hat, although there are other teams still showing strong interest.

Boston In Shock Move For Santana?

Earlier, the news making the round was that the Yankees were in the clear in the race for Santana's pitching arm, but ESPN's Buster Olney has reported that the Red Sox have decided to include Jacoby Ellsbury in the deal. On the other hand, this offer will not include Lester.

The Twins are now expected to decide on one of the two offers, as Santana has told them he will not waive his no-trade clause during the season. The main sticking point appears to be the Twins desire to milk the trade for all it's worth. They insist on better selections with each offer the Yankees or Red Sox return on the table.

With the renewed Red Sox package, I might have to retract my earlier assessment and feel that the Red Sox might have edged closer to Santana.

More on the Red Sox, Eric Gagne will not take up Boston's offer of arbitration as he prefers to close. Texas are keen to take him on, but only for one year.

Update: The Yankees have placed a deadline on their offer at end of Monday.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Mike Timlin Stays In Boston? Erik Bedard To Mets?

The Boston Globe has a report that an unnamed Red Sox official revealed Mike Timlin has been re-signed for a one-year $3 mil deal. While Timlin continued to have a steady 2007, he turns 42 in March and the deal is a very good one for him.

The NY Daily News has also implied that the Mets might have traded for Ryan Church to acquire Erik Bedard, with the Orioles indicating that Church in place of Milledge then would have been a more attractive offer.

In another interesting tidbit in the same report, Yorvit Torrealba will be pursuing an action against the Mets for the breaking down of their deal after his physical. Torrealba ended up re-signing with the Rockies after the failed move.

Randy Wolf Joins Padres

Randy Wolf has signed with the San Diego Padres from the Dodgers. The deal will be for one-year while the figures are not out as yet. Wolf had shoulder surgery in late August but is expected to be ready for Spring Training. The general consensus is that he will be a good stable addition to the Friars' starting rotation despite a generally topsy-turvy 2007.


The Padres are still shopping for relatively cheap starters with strong interest in Matt Clement and Mark Prior.

Japanese Players Announcing MLB Destination

After announcing that he will definitely be heading to the MLB from Japan, speculation is on which team Hiroki Kuroda will end up with. The Mariners, D'Backs, Dodgers and Royals have all shown interest, with Seattle having offered a four-yearl deal earlier.

Kosuke Fukudome is another who should be in the MLB next year. Of the few teams who have shown big interest, the Cubs remain the most vocal. They failed to get Kaz Matsui, hoping to use him as bait to lure Fukudome to Wrigley's. It would be interesting to see if the White Sox step in to outbid their neighbours. They lost out on Aaron Rowand and Torri Hunter, and Fukudome would fit right in on their requirements.

The Padres are another team who have already enquired about the player, while the Yankees and Red Sox are the customary mentions. Both teams have scouted Fukudome but I would be surprised if either team added to their present Japanese stock. The Rangers are another team looking at the player.

Santana Likely To End Up With Yankees

Earlier in the day, Buster Olney reported that the Yankees had agreed to include Phil Hughes in the Santana trade, and made it official. He also noted that the Twins would have another round of talks with the Red Sox, but that appears to have gone nowhere with Boston still insisting on Coco Crisp instead of Jacoby Ellsbury.

La Velle E. Neal III mentioned that Ian Kennedy would be included in the Yankees' offer. However, Jon Heyman disagreed and claimed the third player will not be from any of Kennedy, Alan Horne or Jose Tabata.

Ken Rosenthal is the latest to add to the mill. The Twins are apparently making additional demands of either Alberto Gonzalez or Alan Horne as the third player. It would be interesting to see if the Yankees relent to it as Phil Hughes had already been thrown in for good measure.

All the movement has been from the Yankees camp. The Red Sox have not budged from day one and Dan Haren would be a better bet to end up at Fenway.