I guess I still don't understand the reasoning. Yes, he had a good second half but in my opinion not deserving of consideration of MVP and yes the Twins need a lead off batter.

However, what if the Jays would have signed Stewart to the same contract - I have a feeling most of us would have said he isn't worth that much, especially since the Jays have younger prospects that can give us near Shannon's level of production for much less money.

Aren't the Twins in the same boat as the Jays as far as financial considerations go (maybe even a little worse off), and don't they also have replacement options from within their organization. They already traded AJ Pierys.... Perinsyz ... their catcher for financial reasons and because they believe that Mauer is their catcher of the future. Mauer has even less experience than Restovisch or Cuddyer who have both been up the majors for a cup of joe. They also lost Hawkins, who they might have been able to keep with some of the money they gave Shannon.

It's not a bad signing in terms of the money, i.e. the Twins didn't overpay, but I don't know if it was a priority to re- sign him.

Regardless, I wish Shannon the best of luck with the Twins. I enjoyed watching him play (especially when he was stealing bases earlier in his career) for the past 5+ years and really enjoyed his laid back attitude.

I'll try to guess the Twins' reasoning for you. They need a leadoff hitter; Jacque Jones .335 OBP was really hurting. They don't really need a 1B with Mientkiewicz and Morneau in the wings. They don't need another corner OF. They're satisfied with their rightfield options.

They do need a second baseman, but there is a shortage on the market, and salary room wouldn't help (I don't buy this one). They'd rather have Stewart than another year of Pierzynski, because Mauer is close enough (I don't really buy this one either).

You never know. It might all work out for them. Rivas is only 24, and he's had 3 years in the majors, so this may be the year that he takes a small step forward into a .270/.340/.400 hitter, although he's shown little sign of it yet. Joe Mauer might be very good in 04. Mientkiewicz might make a nice trading piece, with Morneau taking over.

If you want the definitive word, wait until February and Aaron Gleeman will probably lay it all out.

It's probably mentioned somewhere on this site, but AP reports that Kaz Matsui is signing with the Mets. Who will move to 2B, Matsui or Reyes?

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Thanks Mike, I guess as you mention there are a few holes in their reasoning. I forgot about Aaron and look forward to his take on the signing, but if I recall properly from a previous visit to his blog he was a supporter of Shannon for MVP so I can probably guess his take on it.

As for Reyes, apparently the Mets GM went to visit Reyes and explain to him that he (Reyes) would be moved to 2nd in favor of Matsui. Reyes agreed to the move.

That presents a possibility that could maybe be explored with the Jays. Maybe the Mets would consider a Reyes for O-Dawg plus prospect(s) transaction. Reyes takes over for Woody, whom we shift to 2nd this year and eventually one of Adams or Hill (who both apparently are better suited for 2nd) take over.

Not that this likely to happen, no make that it won't happen, but it would address the respective needs of both teams. The question becomes what would the Mets want on top of Hudson. Maybe Cash (the catcher, to replace Piazza) and one of Werth/JFG and a B type pitching prospect.

Wow, lots of stuff happening lately. A few threadjacks:

- I'm wondering whether MLB told the Expos to non-tender Vlad. The Expos almost contended last year, and that won't do, dontcha know: too embarrassing.

- I don't see the Expos mess resolving any time soon. Would MLB get sued by Expos minority investors if and when the 'Spos leave Montreal? What's happened with that?

- The Montreal mess isn't as bad as the Milwaukee mess, though. The Brewers, after conning Milwaukee taxpayers into buying them a ballpark, have rewarded their faithful fans by slashing payroll to the bone. This is despicable.

- The whole Yankees vs. Red Sox thing is a piece of fascinating human drama. It's not even about winning any more - it's about getting ahead of the other guy. What will Boss George do if the Sox trade for A-Rod? Buy the entire Japanese League? (I expect George to get on the phone and try to scoop up A-Rod for himself - unfortunately for him, right now all he has to offer is dollars.)

- I hope A-Rod does get traded, even if it's to a divisional rival. It's fun when big names get moved around - it gives you more reason to look forward to the next season.

- Speaking of which: it's too bad the Jays' budget doesn't allow them to pick up somebody like Maddux. A big name would attract attention, which currently is focused, laser-like, on the Air Canada Centre. (Of course, the Jays always seem to do badly whenever casual fans briefly focus their attention on baseball.)

- If you're looking for an off-season fix, and have high-speed access, MLB is offering downloads of recent and classic games for $3.95 US. Last night, I watched part of game 6 of the 1975 World Series on my computer. If you haven't seen Luis Tiant pitch, you owe it to yourself to do so: in game 6, he once dispatched a Cincinnati Red by pausing in mid-motion, twisting his back, looking up to the sky, and then delivering a changeup to the outside corner. The hitter, mesmerized, flailed helplessly at the pitch. The Sox fans were so into Tiant that they would sometimes react to Tiant's pitching mannerisms - I've never heard fans cheer in mid-delivery before.

I forgot about Aaron and look forward to his take on the signing, but if I recall properly from a previous visit to his blog he was a supporter of Shannon for MVP so I can probably guess his take on it.

Actually, no. Just the opposite.

Not that this likely to happen, no make that it won't happen, but it would address the respective needs of both teams

I think it's safe to assume that the Mets wouldn't trade a 20 year old middle infielder who's already in the majors for Hudson and a few B prospects.

I don't think Reyes at 2nd is an issue anyway. If you can play short well you can certainly play 2nd well.

And I don't think the Jays would have taken both Hill and Adams if they didn't think one of them could handle SS.

I forgot about Aaron and look forward to his take on the signing, but if I recall properly from a previous visit to his blog he was a supporter of Shannon for MVP

You've definitely confused Aaron with someone else, since (a) Stewart for MVP is completely crazy, and Aaron's not completely crazy; and (b) Aaron's seriously one of the best baseball writers anywhere right now, and I'd be surprised if you forgot about him.

I forgot to add: I still think that Budzilla's goal is to contract the Expos, and then expand. This would mean one more fat expansion fee for MLB.

Somebody, in another thread, suggested that Vlad might wind up being signed by nobody. This would be the baseball equivalent of beheading a political opponent and mounting his head on a spike to serve as a warning to others. (Either that, or he's going to Baltimore as part of a hidden deal to allow the Expos to move to Washington. Choose whichever conspiracy theory works best for you. :-))

If you're looking for an off-season fix, and have high-speed access, MLB is offering downloads of recent and classic games for $3.95 US. Last night, I watched part of game 6 of the 1975 World Series on my computer.

I can't get the damn thing to work. Won't let me view the file I downloaded. Dammit. I really wanted to watch Kirk Gibson hit that homer.

Somebody, in another thread, suggested that Vlad might wind up being signed by nobody.

How to tell if there's really collusion.

I had a prof who, when discussing collusion in terms of monopolies, expressed that he is supremely confident there are only a small, small number of illegal monopolies since only a tiny number of people have enough time and/or brain power to divise such elaborate schemes.
...I think Bud has A LOT of time.

About Maddux - there's talk that he'd sign for 2 years at 5 million per to help lead a young staff into contention. Maybe this is just a pipedream by Giants/Padres fans out there, but if not would he not at least be worth looking at for 2 years at < 12 million total? It would get you a good no. 2 and amazing mentorship for Doc / Lurch / Lilly / Arnold and all the other proepects in Spring Training. I hope J.P. is willing to give the man a call, I know I would.

The Matsui signing has its own thread now.

Spencer Fordin has an interesting column on Quiroz on the official site. He suggests that your Fighting Jays would like to promote Quiroz to the big club in the summer, assuming his early performance in Syracuse merits it.

He also uses the phrase "small sample size" when talking about Quiroz' performance in Venezuela. Ahh, the insidious intrusion of sabermetric language into straight reporting. What's next, VORP, DIPS or RARP?

Wow a lot of stuff in the world of beisbol (LOL)

My take on the Stewart signing while it doesn't make a whole lotta sense due to the fact that the Twins have a lot of OF type prospects coming up but there's been lots of disappointment in the way that the offseason has gone. In fact Torii Hunter expressed his own doubts and basically said if he knew that the offseason would turn out like then he wouldn't have signed his contract. I think that the signing is good from the PR perspective and from the fact that Stewart finally gives the Twins a tablesetter at the top of the order for their anemic bats.

It'll be very interesting to see how Stew's hammys can hold up on the Metrodome turf. (tho I think they're installing new turf for this coming season)

As for guys that weren't offered arbitration that i'd like to see in a Jays uniform? Here's my list:

Greg Maddux: can be the veteran leader of a young staff

Miguel Batista: a young(ish) pitcher that has some good stuff and could eat up some innings

Tony Grafanino: a pretty good bat and could be used as a utility man as he plays multiple positions

Kerry Ligtenberg: A good arm to bolster what is essentially our weakness

I'm in favour of making Aquilino Lopez the Jays closer, at least to see how he can handle it. He seemed to thrive on the tough situations last season.

Just found this site: The Baseball Cube, as a result of this: NDF Roundtable Discussion - Baseball On The Internet. Both seem quite interesting.

Hey if the Jays were willing to pay Escobar a 2 year $10M contract then why not Greg Maddux? I can't think of a better fit if he's really willing to settle for that. He'd be worth his money just for the wisdom he'd impart on the rest of the youngsters, especially in 2005. Plus a Halladay, Maddux, Lilly, Hentgen, Towers rotation ain't chopped liver.

I think San Fran is probably in the best position to sign him for about that much money though and they actually have a shot at post-season play. It would be silly not to at least investigate Maddux. Add him and Arthur Rhodes and I'd be pretty confident in challenging 90 wins.

Hey if the Jays were willing to pay Escobar a 2 year $10M contract then why not Greg Maddux?

I'd imagine the Jays would do that in a second if they could.

I just don't think it's realistic, and especially since Maddux has expressed a desire to remain in the NL and/or on the West Coast.

Jays sign Lightenberg, according to fan590 and other baseball forums. No details yet.

Quick thought on Stewart -- who do you suppose had the higher OBP last year, Stewart or Jose Cruz Jr? And who do you suppose stole more bases?

Yup -- the answer to both is Junior (though to be fair, the difference was minimal). It strikes me that if Cruz is non-tender material and will likely sign somewhere in the low couple of millions (providing more power and much better defence than Stewart), you have to wonder what exactly Terry Ryan was thinking here.

Lightenberg story confirmed on Sportsnet. No contract details.

Apparently signing Michael Tucker WILL cost the Giants potentially their first round pick. And the signing was announced just hours before the deadline to offer arbitration which makes it all the more mind boggling.

The Mariners and Giants have donated three draft picks to the Royals for players who would have been sure non-tenders, either through generousity or stupidity. I know the Mariners for certain can't afford to give up draft picks just to sign guys like Ibanez. It's too bad the Jays can't enjoy such friendly treatment.

Lightenberg story confirmed on Sportsnet. No contract details.

Thanks, guys -- Ligtenberg's signing is now in its own thread.

Why not Greg Maddux indeed? He had a rough first half, but then bounced back in the second and pitched about as well as he usually has for the last 3-4 years. You'd want him to go no more than 90 pitches/start, and to skip a start or two over a season, but in this role, I'm quite confident that he'd be effective. Not to mention that he'd be great for McGowan, Arnold and Bush.

Greg Maddux and Arthur Rhodes? Sign'em if you can.

The Twins were obviously choosing between Jones and Stewart. I guess they like Shannon better at the top of the order so now they will trade Jones possible for some starting pitching prospects as besides JD Durbin there system is very thin.

Someone mentioned that the Giants had a real shot at the playoffs as a reason Greg would sign there instead of T-O. With Maddux, Ligtenberg, and Rhodes and Graffanino (for example)added to the Jays, do you not think they have a legitimate shot? They still won't be W.C. or division favorites, but contenders for sure IMO.

http://www.aarongleeman.com
If you want the definitive word, wait until February and Aaron Gleeman will probably lay it all out.

I appreciate the "definitive word" thing, but what does the "wait until February" part mean?

I forgot about Aaron and look forward to his take on the signing, but if I recall properly from a previous visit to his blog he was a supporter of Shannon for MVP so I can probably guess his take on it.

I am shocked and appauled by the idea that anyone would think that, even in a confused state. :)

You've definitely confused Aaron with someone else, since (a) Stewart for MVP is completely crazy, and Aaron's not completely crazy; and (b) Aaron's seriously one of the best baseball writers anywhere right now, and I'd be surprised if you forgot about him.

You guys are so much cooler (and more complimentary) than all those dorky Twins fans I hang out with. And, just to clarifty, I am completely crazy.

The Twins were obviously choosing between Jones and Stewart. I guess they like Shannon better at the top of the order so now they will trade Jones possible for some starting pitching prospects as besides JD Durbin there system is very thin.

Bingo. I'll have a LOT more on the Shannon/Jacque situation on my blog (www.aarongleeman.com) tomorrow.

My apologies Aaron. I read somewhere (obviously not on your blog) that Shannon deserved MVP consideration.

They say the first to go is your memory.

I look forward to your insight about Shannon's new deal.

I hope A-Rod does get traded, even if it's to a divisional rival. It's fun when big names get moved around

No it isn't.

Am I just a retard, or is baseball's arbitration system kind of screwy? The Braves are basically prevented from re-signing Maddux to a market value contract because to do so they have to offer him arbitration, which he can accept and then get a ridiculous 1-year contract number like last year.

Despite the obvious lack of sanity Schuerholtz is displaying recently (not offering Sheff arbitration when the Yankees are waiting to snatch him up? Claiming Gary Mathews Jr? Signing Albie Lopez to a 4.5 million dollar contract [okay, that was a while ago, but still, ALBIE LOPEZ!]?), you'd think the Braves would love Maddux at a reasonable number: 2 years, 5 to 6 million. However, if I understand correctly, he'd get about 10 million plus dollars if the case went to an arbitrator, even though no team in baseball would be willing to pay him that amount. What gives?

ESPN Insider is reporting that the Jays have given up on Tim Worrell after an aggressive courtship; he's leaning towards Atlanta. Hence Ligtenberg, I suppose.

Meanwhile, the Jays have jumped to the top of ESPN's rumour list for Miguel Batista. With Texas, St. Louis and Atlanta as the co-bidders (read: no Yankees or Red Sox), we've got a legitimate shot.

Admittedly, though, the ESPN rumour list is almost always wrong...

I would've preferred Worrell over Ligtenberg, but either would have been fine.

Batista sure would be nice -- DIRC that the Jays now have about $6M left to play with? He's still not a #2 guy, but I've kind of given up much hope that the Jays will be signing any free agents to fill that bill (a trade remains a possibility). Batista, Hentgen and Lilly would be a more than capable backup band to Halladay. Batista, though, probably isn't getting up in the morning for less than two years, $5M per. Keep your fingers crossed.

I can't access Rumour Central (which is, indeed, almost always wrong), as I'm not an ESPN Insider. But for some reason, I started receiving ESPN The Magazine a couple of months back, without ever paying for it. I'm in the mag business myself, and I'll tell you, that publication scares me. Sometimes you literally can't tell the ads from the copy.

Associated Press
CHICAGO -- Bartolo Colon was close to an agreement with the Anaheim Angels, The Associated Press learned Monday, a contract that would give the team one of the top pitchers on the free-agent market.

While neither Colon nor the Angels discussed the talks Monday, both Anaheim and the Chicago White Sox believed the right-hander was on the verge of a deal with Anaheim, said two baseball officials who were familiar with details of Colon's negotiations with the two teams. The pair spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Anaheim offered a $48 million, four-year contract, one of the officials said. Once a preliminary agreement is reached, the right-hander still must pass a physical.



Looks like that 2nd rounder for Escobar will be a 3rd rounder shortly.

DIRC that the Jays now have about $6M left to play with?

Assuming ~$7m for HLH and ~$2m for Lilly then the Jays are right about $44m by my reckoning, so youre bang on Jordan

Looks like that 2nd rounder for Escobar will be a 3rd rounder shortly.

Too bad, if true, but we thought this might happen. Of course, the Jays still get the sandwich pick at the end of the first round, and two third-round picks are better than one.

The Angels aren't fooling around this winter; meanwhile, the Mariners have "replaced" Mike Cameron with Raul Ibanez. I know everyone's already conceding the wild card to one of the Beasts of the East, but Anaheim fans have reason for optimism again.

Insiders will also see the first "official" rumour about Toronto being a possible destination for Scott Sullivan. Of course, the Ligtenberg signing may have changed that.

Perhaps the "Insider" reads Batter's Box

I forgot to add: I still think that Budzilla's goal is to contract the Expos, and then expand. This would mean one more fat expansion fee for MLB.

To me it would be more attractive to buy a pre-existing organization in place than to pay a franchise fee and have to build a complete organization from scratch. Certainly any new franchise will put in their own key people, and maybe make changes up and down the organization (ala Blue Jays scouting changes), but having the choice of who to replace and when to replace them seems a lot more desirable than having to hire everyone from scratch. So, MLB has a financial interest in keeping the Expos organization at least reasonably intact. Additionally, assuming the club is losing money, they have an interest in selling it as soon as possible, which would presumably explain any lobbying that Bub might be doing in order to get a taxpayer-financed stadium in place somewhere.

The above assumes that the equity of the Expos' minority shareholders is insignificant, or at least would be offset by the presumed greater selling price for an existing organization compared to just a raw franchise. Actually, how much of the Expos does MLB actually own, compared to the minority shareholders?

"I forgot to add: I still think that Budzilla's goal is to contract the Expos, and then expand. This would mean one more fat expansion fee for MLB."

Is there REALLY a market for more baseball franchises? DC has their problems due to Angelos always complaining about territorial rights and at the moment they don't even have a suitable stadium. Sure RFK is adequate for the short term but the only way they get a new ballpark is if they squeeze the tax payers for money and I just don't see that happening. This is, after all the same market that lost a franchise not once but TWICE!

Portland Oregon also has ballpark issues, in fact I don't even think they have a suitable temporary ballpark.

The best place to put a new MLB franchise IMO would be Mexico City. It would give MLB good publicity and expand the fanbase to minorities. The major problem however is monetary as the Peso would have even more problems then our CDN Dollar in the baseball marketplace.

P.S. I wouldn't mind Bud looking for expansion if it meant a team in Brooklyn. I'm pretty nostalgic about Brooklyn baseball. I've read many books on the Brooklyn Dodgers and it pains me to know that O'malley moving the Dodgers to LA was event that took away the average Joe Fan's baseball innocence.

The best place to put a new MLB franchise IMO would be Mexico City.

I know that it is sad social commentary, but I know from playing Baseball Mogul that Mexico City does not have a high enough average personal income to support a team.

I know that it is sad social commentary, but I know from playing Baseball Mogul that Mexico City does not have a high enough average personal income to support a team.

There's 20 million people in Mexico City. Only Tokyo and NYC are larger. The poverty is extensive, which brings down the average income, but there are way more than enough middle class and upper class Mexicans to support a Major League team.

Who knew that Baseball Mogul didn't provide an accurate portrayal of the socio-economic demographics of Mexico?

That said, I think Mogul lists Mexican fans as "Fickle" which may or may not be true.

Or am I thinking of Detroit? Same thing.

Since we are discussing Mogul, I'd like to point out that moving the Expos to Edmonton or Vancouver doesn't work. I did, however turn the Brewers into a powerhouse by moving them to Columbus.

The best place to put a new MLB franchise IMO would be Mexico City. It would give MLB good publicity and expand the fanbase to minorities.

Are there crime and safety issues in Mexico City?

Meanwhile back in Gotham City....

The Evil Empires new outfield plans appear to have hit a little bump in the road. Sheffield is apparently now in the Boss' bad books for asking for another $3 million and Lofton has been offered a deal by the Padres

Tim Worrell has signed with the Phillies.

ESPN.com
The Phillies signed free-agent reliever Tim Worrell to a two-year contract believed to be worth about $6 million, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported Tuesday.

Makes you wonder what the Jays were offering.

The Phillies get a closer to be a set up man, the Mariners get the same in Guardado and so do they Yankees in Gordon. Its too bad some of these guys werent interested in one year deals at possibly less money to be the "MAN" at the back end of the bullpen. So who does this leave on the market besides Urbina and Benitez? Competitive Balance lives. Now who closes in Minny? Balfour? Crain? Johan Santana? Damm I just traded Crain in a keeper league.

If I were the Jays I would take a flier on Bobby Howry. Invite him to spring training and see how healthy he is. Any thoughts?

FoxSports says that the Braves are about to sign John Thomson.

The Evil Empires new outfield plans appear to have hit a little bump in the road. Sheffield is apparently now in the Boss' bad books for asking for another $3 million and Lofton has been offered a deal by the Padres

There are conspiracy theories about. Some have suggested the delay is a smokescreen by the Yankees. You see they agreed to a deal (reportedly) with Sheffield last week. If they had signed him last week Atlanta would have received Yankee draft picks. So when there was no announcement of the deal, Atlanta started to threaten to file a complaint with the commissioners office. Then the stories came out about the contract not being done. Atlanta did not want to offer arbitration (based on the Maddux similar situation last year) so they get nothing for Sheff.

The truth? Time may tell.

Buster Olney has a great column on espn.com on how Sheffield not signing with the Yankees could be a blessing for the Evil Empire. He has a great point, Sheffield at 35 is a DH candidate with Williams and Giambi so the Yankees might be better off with Vladimir Guerrero instead of Sheffield.

Sullivan just signed with Kansas City. Another reliever off the market. The Royals have done well to resign Leskanic and then get Sullivan in their pen.

I've only been reading his columns for about a month now but I've yet to see a great Buster Olney column on espn.com

Personally, I have a hunch that Atlanta will make a play for Vladimir before all is said and done. They have already jettisoned Sheffield, Lopez, and Maddux. Lopez will cheaply be replaced by Estrada and the Thompson signing leads me to believe that they won't be going after any marquee names for the rotation. I know they were going to drop their payroll but they can probably bring Guerrero in for 13-15M and still have a lower payroll than last year.

"I've only been reading his columns for about a month now but I've yet to see a great Buster Olney column on espn.com"

Okay maybe the column wasnt great but his point on Sheffield not signing with the Yankees was a very interesting one. Personally I think Vlady is going to Baltimore with Lopez or Irod, the Yankees or the Angels.

I don't think the Jays will be paying money to someone who was a closer to fill a closer's role. Trade for one maybe, but as we have seen with Koch, the closer's role is really just a name.
Actually, I take some of that back, there are a few guys I would love the Jays to get if we can pay top dollar, Rivera, Smoltz, Gagne.

maybe looking at robert person as a #2 starter would be good. he is coming off an injury i think but he used to be #1 with the phillies

Gee, what is KC doing signing so many relievers? Well, any more than one is enough for them. What about starters for the Royals?

Aaron, "the wait until February" comment referred to your article last February (I think) that laid out the entire Twins major league and prospect situation by position. I'm hoping that you'll do it again in 04, because it was a really illuminating piece. Who knows, a Bauxite might do the same for the Fighting Jays.

Buster Olney is the best sportswriter in the business. If you don't know, now you know.

Here are the major RP signings so far this off-season:

Eddie Guardado 3 yrs, $13M (Seattle)
Tom Gordon 2 yrs, $7.25M (Yankees)
LaTroy Hawkins 3 yrs, $11M (Cubs)
Paul Quantrill 2 yrs, $6.8M (Yankees)
Shigetoshi Hasegawa 2 yrs, $6.3M (Seattle)
Tim Worrell 2 yrs, $5.5M (Phillies)
Mike Timlin 1 yr, $2.75M (Bosox)
Kerry Ligtenberg 2 yrs, $4.5M (Blue Jays)
Felix Heredia 2 yrs, $3.85M (Yankees)
Rod Beck 1 yr, $1.85M (Padres)
Steve Kline 1yr, $1.7M (Cardinals)
Curtis Leskanic 1 yr, $1.375M (Royals)

Looking at it this way, J.P.'s done good. It's a shame we couldn't get Hawkins or Quantrill, but given the market it wasn't an unreasonable amount to pay for Ligtenberg.

I'm sure Leskanic is kicking himself right about now, but Allard Baird has had a pretty good off-season. Letting Ibanez good and signing Matt Stairs for a cool million? Allard, have you been reading Moneyball?

I'd be very very concerned about the future of the Mariners.... overpaying for Guardado and Ibanez rather than risking arbitration with Rhodes and Cameron? Yeeesh.

Whoops. Forgot Chad Fox: 1 yr, $1.2M back with the Marlins.

I haven't seen the details of Scott Sullivan's contract yet.

I think Hawkins is the best of those guys, therefore I think the Cubs got the best deal.

On Sheffield: I read an article on Prospectus speculating that the Yanks were waiting to announce his signing in order to have another spot open on the 40-man roster for the Rule V draft. Either that or the arbitration reason - they're both pretty crafty.

As opposed to the Giants, who signed Michael Tucker hours before midnight on December 7 and force-fed their 1st-rounder to the Royals. Neyer proposed that the Giants don't want draft picks because they can't afford to sign them. Does that seem idiotic to anyone else?

Thomsons gone now as well. To the Braves for 2 yrs. $6.5 in garaunteed salary. To me, this one hurts. Though he ain't the proverbial 2 pitcher he would have been awful useful and I think maybe represented the most value for money. This tells me to expect Batista or Armando now.

I think people here wanted the Jays to sign Thomson to sign if he can be had for an average annual salary of 2.5 million or less, which he got more...
Over at Primer, people were wondering what happens to the A's if Tejada takes them up on arbitration.

OK, what can he get? 15 mil? The big 3 SS is making 11.5 (Nomah), 19 (Jetes) and 23 (Arod) million.

And secondly, what happens if he wins a big figure like that? There was discussion that teams can cut players on non-guaranteed deals based on performance. Can the A's stretch this a bit and say that since Dye is in the final year of his contract (12.5 including buyout) that they can cut his non-performing butt and pay him 25% of his salary? Probably not right?

JP Riccardi was just on the Fan 590 and had some interesting comments. He said they were "shocked" not to get Tim Worrell. Even Worrell's agent was surprised according to JP but Worrell seemed to want to stay in the NL. He also was saying that they have given a deadline to another starter to accept an offer before the meetings in New Orleans. It would seem that this would be Batista. He said if they dont get the starter they might switch gears and really try to shore up the bullpen even more as well as getting a shortstop to share time with Woodward.

After seeing what Worrell is making with the Phils ($5.5 for 2 years) and what the Jays paid KL ($4.5 for 2) I was a little surprised that the Jays didn't land Worrell as well.

Sullivan got two years as well. That really seems to be the price of admission with most decent relievers these days.

Too bad about Worrell, but as someone esle said, there's not a huge gap between him at Ligtenberg.

I'm sure Leskanic is kicking himself right about now

For some guys, it's really not about the money. Maybe he just loves K.C.; I've never been there, but I know some people who think it's great. Also, Leskanic will approximately double that guaranteed amount if he reaches some very reasonable IP incentives. Agreed, Jurgen, that Baird has done a nice job.

Speaking of the Royals and adding to your very convenient list, it's two years for Scott Sullivan at $4.7 million -- again putting the Ligtenberg deal in perspective. Sullivan, however, was on the DL with shoulder tendinitis as recently as last August, so two guaranteed years is a high-stakes roll of the dice.

Too bad about Worrell; it sounds like the Jays were in the two year, $5.5 million ballpark but what can you do? The guy would rather set up in Philly than close in Toronto. Not everyone is clamoring to become a Fighting Jay.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/features/031209rule5preview.html
Baseball America has a Rule 5 Draft Preview , this is a great piece on Teams that could lose multiple players in the Rule 5 Draft. The Pirates , Jays ,Reds and Braves are the teams mentioned that could get hit hard.

Click my name for link , This piece is open to all BA readers !

On the radio JP said that Worrell simply wanted to stay in the NL because it was a comfort thing. His agent was really surprised too, that he didn't sign with the Jays. JP also said that the starter they are pushing for isn't your typical number 2 guy. So we'll have to see.

Given what the other middle relievers have signed for, how much should Arthur Rhodes get?

Ladies and gentlemen ... your 116th post! New Hijack Central coming soon.

Damn you Jim Acker .. damn youuuuuu!

(Funny how easily that phrase rolls off the tongue.)