February 2006

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Williamson Surfaces In Trade Talks

Mike Kiley of the Sun-Times notes that "Other teams are highly interested in Scott Williamson, as they have been all winter in trade talks with general manager Jim Hendry." In a separate article, Kiley quotes Jim Hendry saying that Matt Murton, Ronny Cedeno, and Rich Hill have been highly sought after as well. Hill came up in talks for Barry Zito and a possible Miguel Tejada deal. As a 26 year-old, Hill is far past prospect status. Despite pitching college ball as late as 2002, he didn't pitch above A ball until 2005. Ridiculously high strikeout totals have been negated..   Continue Reading

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What's Up With Zack Greinke?

Strange situation going on with Royals starter Zack Greinke. He's left spring training camp and probably won't start the season in the Kansas City rotation. The team is being weirdly mum on why he left. Here's what we think we know: - Not drug-related (Royals) - Not family-related (KC Star) - Not in trouble with the team (MLB.com) - Didn't lose desire to play baseball (KC Star) - Not a legal problem (Royals) - Not an injury (Royals) So Greinke is out indefinitely, and we're left to play twenty questions to figure out why. RotoWorld suggests that he may be..   Continue Reading

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Would The Marlins Trade Miguel Cabrera?

The Marlins are nearing a major decision on Miguel Cabrera: build around him or trade him for an unprecedented bounty. The budding superstar will be 23 this season and hits arbitration for the first time next winter. Palm Beach Post journalist Joe Capozzi writes that GM Larry Beinfest declined comment on Cabrera's future with the team. He points out that Cabrera may score a payday of $7-10MM in arbitration after the season. Given that the Marlins didn't want to pay Josh Beckett $4-5MM this winter, it stands to reason that they may consider trading Cabrera during the 2006 season. Cabrera..   Continue Reading

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Contract Year Catchers

My latest post over at RotoAuthority involves Contract Year Catchers. It's worth checking out even if you're not into fantasy baseball. But if you do happen to be one of the couple million fantasy baseball nuts out there, how about some more customer feedback to persuade you to check out my 2006 Fantasy Guide? "I was very pleased to find a flexible, Fantasy Baseball guide that was already setup in a similar format that I have tried to setup with modest results, in the past. The projected stats, the commentary, and the organized tab setups would've been enough to satisfy..   Continue Reading

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Phils Crave 5th OF

Randy Miller wrote an article yesterday quoting Phils GM Pat Gillick's desire for a lefty outfield bat off the bench. Miller didn't throw out any names, so I thought I'd dig around a bit to see who might be on the radar. According to my best Phillies source: On B.J. Surhoff: "I got a lukewarm response from a high ranking club official when i asked about him a week ago. Not saying it won't happen, but i didn't like the guy's body language." On Bobby Higginson: "I got a thumbs down when I asked about Higgy a month ago." On..   Continue Reading

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Bowden Still Chasing Wily Mo

Tucked at the bottom of Bill Ladson's article about the Nationals' attempts to convince Alfonso Soriano to play left field is a new trade rumor. Well, a new old trade rumor. According to Ladson: "The Nationals already have feelers out for Reds outfielder Wily Mo Pena, and a Nationals scout is expected to look at him sometime this week. The Nationals have been after Pena since last season. He is a player who Bowden acquired from the Yankees when he was the general manager of the Reds. Last year, Pena hit .254 with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs for..   Continue Reading

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Luis Gonzalez Trade Possibilities

Nick Piecoro's article today for the Arizona Republic implied that the Diamondbacks would have a tough decision to make on Luis Gonzalez's 2007 option. Now, as a reporter covering the D-Backs, Piecoro has to use a certain amount of tact when discussing Gonzo's situation. I like Gonzalez as much as the next guy, but there's no chance Josh Byrnes exercises his $10MM option. Gonzalez is 38 and is said to have his "elbow and shoulder injuries behind him." He comes out of baseball's home run era with a 57 HR season under his belt, though he's never topped 31 in..   Continue Reading

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Wednesday Lunchtime Reading

Looking for something to read during lunchtime today? Over at RotoAuthority I discuss why I find the Twins perplexing and why I expect Armando Benitez to have an ERA over 4. I'm nearing my tenth update on my Fantasy Guide. Said customer Gus O.: "It is by far the most extensive and elaborate guide I've ever come across-and for only $9.99 you'd have to be insane not buy it." AllCubs has an interesting take on some underrated prospects. Looking for a print sportswriter blog that's frank, entertaining, and funny? Visit SportsJustice, run by Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. His..   Continue Reading

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Prior's Injury: Timeline of Events

As this Mark Prior shoulder injury thing continues to pick up steam, I thought it might make sense for me to lay out an estimated timeline for those not located in Chicago. February 20th, 11am: Baseball Prospectus injury analyst Will Carroll mentions a tip he's received claiming that Mark Prior is nursing shoulder problems within a spring training injury notebook. February 20th, 11:05am: Major League GMs and other BP subscribers read Carroll's report and nod knowingly. Cubdom reacts. Blogs were all over this one for the next few hours. February 20th, afternoon: Carroll appears on Chicago sports talk station 670..   Continue Reading

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The Shortstop Trade Market

By my count, five starting shortstop candidates may be on the market currently: Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera, Cesar Izturis, Craig Counsell, and Julio Lugo. The Red Sox, Cubs, Twins, and Mariners are all at least semi-contending teams with shortstops that have to be considered less than a sure thing. Add in a surprise injury or two, and there's sure to be some shortstop movement in the coming months. Let's break down the five most likely to be dealt. Miguel Tejada was worth 7.6 wins in 2005 and projects to be worth 6.8 in 2006. He'll be 30 years old and..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Interested In Juan Gonzalez

Now that it's February 20th, the trade and signing rumors aren't flowing as freely as they used to. Occasionally we have to go to great lengths to dig up mildly intriguing rumors. By great lengths I mean I had to bust out my high school Spanish textbook. El Nuevo Dia is a Puerto Rican newspaper. Yesterday, Hiram Alberto Torraca had an exclusive interview with former MVP Juan Gonzalez. Gonzalez was last seen with the Indians, amassing a single at-bat before straining his hamstring. If you want to register and can read Spanish, you can view the article here. For the..   Continue Reading

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Explaining The Durazo Disinterest

I've been at least mildly curious as to why Erubiel Durazo is being treated like he has a disease one year removed from a .919 OPS season. I mean, if there's interest in Ruben Sierra, there sure as hell should be interest in Durazo. Fortunately, I had a source fill me in recently on the story here. Seems that Durazo was raking in a simulated game last summer and was cleared by Oakland team doctors. He was penciled in to the following week's lineup, but ultimately chose surgery against the team's advice. Apparently Durazo is perceived as less than a..   Continue Reading

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Can Bonds Top Aaron In 2006?

Barry Bonds needs 48 home runs to become the record holder. With the recent relevation that 2006 will be his last season, it's almost become a foregone conclusion that he'll never hit #756. Said Ken Rosenthal: "If this season is Bonds' last, Aaron's mark almost certainly will be out of reach, saving MLB the embarrassment of celebrating a tainted slugger passing one of the game's most dignified greats." Rosenthal pulls no punches in tonight's column, calling for Bonds to retire now and put everyone out of their misery. Rather than engage in the typical judgment of Bonds as a person,..   Continue Reading

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White Sox July Trade Inquiries

Scott Reifert is the VP of communications for the White Sox. In a cool trendsetting move, the team created an MLB blog for him last June. I didn't unearth any juicy trade rumors while browsing the blog, but there was one interesting post on July 1st entitled Trade Deadline Aftermath. According to Reifert: "A poster, who had read about the unrealistic trade demands that were out there from other teams, asked me to identify the players in our organization who were in high demand. I cleared it with Ken Williams, so here they are: Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia,..   Continue Reading

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Offseason In Review: November 2005 Lowlights

I started off with the good stuff from November, and now it's only fair that I run through some of my missteps. A lot of rumors that find their way onto the site come from other sources, which I've always been quick to credit. With one of my early email tips, though, I didn't give the rumor a reality check or delve deep enough to figure out its source. I used the unfortunate headline "Cubs To Trade Todd Walker For Aaron Heilman" on November 14th. It's not wise to be so decisive when headlining a trade rumor, that's for sure...   Continue Reading

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MLB Free Agents 2007: Mark Mulder

After reading Joe Strauss's article today in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I got to thinking about impending free agent Mark Mulder. The standout quote: "Mulder is certain to seek a package with higher average annual value than the five-year, $55 million contract A.J. Burnett received last December from the Toronto Blue Jays." I don't doubt that he'll want and expect this kind of money, based on his career totals of 98 victories, a 3.87 ERA, and a 1.30 WHIP before age 29. The problem with his contract (and most free agent contracts) is that he'll be paid largely on what..   Continue Reading

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Offseason In Review: November 2005 Highlights

Back in November, I realized my love of the Hot Stove League was spilling over too much onto RotoAuthority. I still wanted to talk a lot of fantasy baseball, but I crave real baseball too. I started up MLBTradeRumors, and it quickly dwarfed RotoAuthority in popularity. It's been a mix of aggregating known sources plus whatever info I managed to gather. Let's take a look back at November at some of the highlights in my first month. Don't worry, I'll discuss the worst of it in a separate post. Highlights: Back on November 13th, I got my first one right...   Continue Reading

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Contraction On The Way?

Interesting article over at The Cub Reporter today by Arizona Phil. According to the post: "MLB owners have the unilateral right to contract MLB by two clubs effective with the 2007 season. To do this, MLB owners have a three month window starting on April 1, 2006 to make the decision, and then the owners only have to notify the MLBPA by July 1st. Look for MLB owners to travel "under the radar" and then suddenly announce sometime in June that two teams will be contracted for the 2007 season. Personally, I believe it WILL happen." This is something on..   Continue Reading

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Rangers Interested In Durazo

For one reason or another, free agent DH Erubiel Durazo has gotten little to no interest this offseason. Durazo struggled through a lost season in 2005, which culminated in July Tommy John surgery. He won't be able to help a team until summertime. Still, the lack of interest seems odd to me. Only the Rangers have considered him, and even then just as a minor-league invite to possibly back up Phil Nevin. Durazo had an awesome age 30 season in 2004 for the Athletics: .321/.396/.523 in 511 ABs. I kept thinking the White Sox would go after him this offseason,..   Continue Reading

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Weaver Signs With Angels

The Angels' deal for Jeff Weaver is finalized for one year and $8.5MM, $9MM with incentives. He'll be joining Angels pitchers and catchers in Phoenix on Thursday, according to the L.A. Times. The article also mentions that Weaver's agent, Scott Boras, said Weaver left better offers on the table. No doubt Boras and Weaver are trying to execute the strategy that worked so well for Kevin Millwood. The move pushes Hector Carrasco to the bullpen   Continue Reading

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Source: Clemens To Return To Astros

A source out of Houston close to former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker tells me that Roger Clemens will return to pitch for the Astros after May 1st. The word is that Clemens has a handshake deal with Astros owner Drayton McLane to either return to the Astros or retire. My source says that Clemens will not choose retirement. This report gels with an independent source who informed me in December that Clemens was choosing between Houston and retirement. Of course, Clemens was noncommital in yesterday's conference call, mentioning that his mother had urged him to retire before she passed away   Continue Reading

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Wednesday Morning Reading

I'm sure some of you are just rolling out of bed, while others at the office are counting down til lunchtime. Either way, you need something to read. Allow me to help: My first post on AllCubs is about Kerry Wood. I refrained from posting these thoughts on this site, as the realists and White Sox fans would probably have a field day. What can I say, hope springs eternal for Cubs fans. Over at HoopsBuzz, Andrew analyzes a possible Darko Mlicic trade. RotoAuthority has some under-the-radar guys capable of 25 HR seasons. Quick linkage: Outlook not-so-good on Brad Wilkerson's..   Continue Reading

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Tejada Could Still Be Dealt By April

We thought the Miguel Tejada rumors had died down. He seemed fairly content, and said all the right things. However, Daily Herald columnist Barry Rozner has reignited the Miggy hot stove talk. In Washington DC to cover the White Sox ceremony, Rozner ran into all sorts of DC media types. According to Rozner: "They’re hearing the Orioles would love to move the unhappy Tejada out of Baltimore before the season even begins." He adds that he expects Tejada to be moved before the season starts or right before the July trading deadline. As a refresher, MLBTradeRumors has reported that the..   Continue Reading

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Did A-Rod Recruit Sosa?

A reader emailed me with an interesting trade rumor nugget that I hadn't noticed before. He directed me to the sidebar of a recent ESPN Deportes article by Enrique Rojas: "Sammy Sosa, who has been mulling retiring from baseball after receiving only a non-guaranteed contract offer from the Washington Nationals, received an unexpected visitor Sunday at his home in Miami: Alex Rodriguez. The New York Yankees third baseman called on Sosa in order to find out from the slugger himself how the "Caribbean Bambino" is doing, according to Tuesday's edition of the Hoy newspaper in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal Is Blunt On Clemens

Ken Rosenthal pulls no punches in his article today, telling it like it is on all sorts of pressing baseball issues. It's like his editors told him to inject an extra dose of attitude into today's column. On the Rocket: "Is there anything more tired than the annual Clemens courtship ritual? Clemens' flirtations with the Red Sox, Yankees and Rangers are merely designed to get him top dollar from the Astros." I have to agree; the Clemens thing feels like deja vu all over again and it's a shame that this is currently one of the biggest stories. Let's play..   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Still Interested In Dunn

I did some digging in conjunction with my Adam Dunn post, and received a little bit of info. A very reputable source tells me that "the Dodgers are always interested in him." More than one team has inquired about Dunn for sure. He tells me that any deal before the season begins is unlikely, and unfortunately couldn't supply any specific names. Dodger fans were quick to mention their team in the comments of the previous Dunn post; it seems he's been on the team's radar for some time now. Consider this as another source verifying their interest. Los Angeles has..   Continue Reading

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Old Edmonds Trade Rumor Legit?

Some nice rumor-related digging was done recently over at Viva El Birdos. Lboros tracked down this comment made by Mitchel Lichtman recently: "Of course, you never know if and when a player like Edmonds will be part of a major trade. In order to stay competitive, we will eventually (soon) need to replace him in CF with either another great player (and presumably pay through the nose) or replace him with someone good (and underrated) and then upgrade at the corners and at second, and of course eventually at SS again (which is another difficult position to find bargains). We..   Continue Reading

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Halos Heaven Holds Steady On Weaver

The author of the Halos Heaven blog still says "the ink is dry" on Jeff Weaver's contract with the Angels. The blog originally reported that the announcement would be made on February 6th, and now states that negotiations over the second year have held up the deal. I know from experience that assigning a date to a rumored signing really brings out the critics if it doesn't hold. Anyway, I just wanted to pass along the info   Continue Reading

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Hatteberg Insurance For A Dunn Trade?

There hasn't been a whole lot of activity on the trade rumor front in recent days, but I'll keep digging. In the event that there are just no rumors to report, I'll step slightly outside of the rumor realm to talk about contracts, analyze teams, and whatever else suits my baseball fancy. I hope you continue to engage in discussion here and check out the site daily. Anywho, Buster Olney had a thought this morning in his blog that definitely had not occurred to me: "The first thing I thought of when I saw the Reds had signed Scott Hatteberg..   Continue Reading

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Sunday Night Reading

Recent reading appearing on our network: Joshua Shnider handicaps recent Knicks trade rumors for HoopsBuzz. AllCubs has a discussion of minor league roster decisions facing the Cubs. Fantasy baseball nuts will appreciate a look at basepath burners with 60 steal potential at RotoAuthority. Speaking of fantasy baseball, be sure to bookmark The Closer Watch. They provide depth charts updated daily starting in spring training. One last plug: check out the RotoAuthority Fantasy Guide, featuring tons of projections, rankings, and other fantasy goodies for just ten bucks   Continue Reading

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Unfounded Rumors

I'm told that one of the shows on ESPN 710 in Los Angeles reported a couple of interesting Dodger trade rumors Saturday morning. I didn't hear the program myself so I can't vouch for it, but it's a slow news day so let me toss it out there. Supposedly, Ned Colletti is looking a couple of proposals over. The first would be Barry Zito and Mark Kotsay for Chad Billingsley, Greg Miller, and Joel Guzman. There are a host of reasons not to buy into this one. Billingsley looks like a front-rotation prospect, best in the Dodger system according to..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Sign Carlos Zambrano

According to Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000, the Cubs have agreed to a one-year, $6.5MM contract with starter Carlos Zambrano. With the signing, the Cubs are done with their arbitration-eligible players. Zambrano enters his age 25 season with a 3.26 career ERA and 1.27 WHIP. He has steadily improved his baserunners per inning, from 1.45 in his rookie season to 1.15 last year. While he's already one of the best 15 pitchers in baseball, Zambrano could enter the truly elite if he's able to further trim his walk rate. Baseball Prospectus projects Zambrano to be worth $15,275,000 in 2006..   Continue Reading

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Latest Roger Clemens Buzz

This might be an example of Red Sox fans reaching for any indication that Roger Clemens is likely to sign with their team. But there was an interesting piece of info yesterday over at BornIntoIt.com: "With Al Nipper now assuming the duties of interim pitching coach, it brings up an interesting scenario. When he pitched for the Sox in the mid-1980s, one of his best buddies on the team was Roger Clemens. Nipper has maintained a close friendship with Clemens since he left the Red Sox in 1996. With Clemens now a free agent, could this be an incentive for..   Continue Reading

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What's Derrek Lee Worth?

Baseball Prospectus has a cool new stat called MORP. I know what you're thinking - "What the hell is MORP? It sounds made up." Well, bear with me because it's interesting stuff and it may be at least one point of data considered by Jim Hendry when drawing up Derrek Lee's next contract. MORP stands for Market Value Over Replacement Player, and it's an attempt to place a dollar value on a player's total offensive and defensive production. Today I think it'd be cool to look at the projections for Derrek Lee for the next several years and try to..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Still Interested In Soriano?

Interesting column from Dave Van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune yesterday. The gist: a decent spring by Sammy Sosa for the Nationals could make Alfonso Soriano or Jose Vidro more expendable. Van Dyck's column assumes that the Nationals actually were counting on Soriano to fill an outfield spot, and that Sosa could take that spot instead. My take: Soriano is seriously not moving to the outfield. He's said it over and over and my sources said the same before that. The column also assumes a healthy Jose Vidro. Despite some positive reports, I'm nowhere near convinced of that. I don't..   Continue Reading

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White Sox Payroll To Increase

I recently got word from my White Sox source, so I have some info to pass along. He confirmed that while the Sox would indeed love to bring Abreu aboard (as would plenty of teams), there's really nothing in the works. Kenny Williams wants pitching in return for his extra starter, but is in no hurry to trade Jose Contreras. The Sox are still in contact with Houston about him, but it's likely that Contreras stays put at least until after the World Baseball Classic. It makes sense to play it safe given that the Sox hold all the cards...   Continue Reading

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AllCubs.com Launches

Well folks, it begins. We've got a brand new post up at AllCubs.com, a discussion of what's become of the 2003 Cubs. If you're a Cubs fan, bookmark the site and visit regularly; we'll have tons of unique content appearing pretty much daily. I'm still in the process of emailing my prospective authors; I received a lot of apps for this thing   Continue Reading

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Nationals Make Guaranteed Offer To Sosa

The genius of Jim Bowden strikes again. He's offered Sammy Sosa a guaranteed Major League contract with incentives. It seems like Washington was the only club considering such an offer. Sosa earned $17MM in 2005, and had negative offensive value. He was outhit by many pitchers, including Elmer Dessens, Hector Carrasco, and Josh Fogg. He just barely edged out Braves pitcher Jorge Sosa offensively. However, Sosa was far from the worst hitter in baseball. That honor goes to Miguel Olivo's Seattle stint, where he hit .151/.172/.276 in 157 plate appearances. Nipping at Olivo's heels was Corey Patterson, who hit .215/.251/.348..   Continue Reading

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Recently At RotoAuthority

Been over to RotoAuthority recently? Fantasy leagues are gearing up, and we've got new content appearing every day. Forecasting Rickie Weeks Wily Mo To Break Out? While I've got your attention, how about some HoopsBuzz action? Earl Waston On The Move? Rose/Davis Trade Analysis And one more thing: my favorite Scott Podsednik story   Continue Reading

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Red Sox To Pursue Clemens

The Boston Herald's Gerry Callahan reported today that the Red Sox "as we speak are preparing to make a serious offer to one Roger Clemens." Not so coincidentally, it's a slow news day, with the Phillies' hot pursuit of the other Alex Gonzalez a top story. Apparently the Red Sox know Clemens won't be lured by money (he's made over $120MM in salary in his career) so they are going a different route: "The Sox’ pitch will include a slick video presentation that features a number of Red Sox fans imploring the Rocket to finish his career where it began...   Continue Reading

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Jays Close To Signing Molina

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Blue Jays are nearing a $5MM deal with Bengie Molina. There will be a $7.5MM option for 2007. I'm just not sure this does much to improve the club. The Jays forced Gregg Zaun to full-time catching duty last season, and he was worth 3.3 wins for his $950,000 salary. Molina, while several years younger, is coming off a season in which he was worth 3.5 wins. Molina will cost $4MM more than Zaun does and should net the team one additional win at most. The Jays still have huge question marks in their corner..   Continue Reading

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Carlos Lee Trade Possibilities

There are all sorts of reasons to expect Carlos Lee to get traded sometime between now and the July deadline. 1. He's an impending free agent making $8.5MM. 2. Doug Melvin is a savvy GM, and knows when to sell high (see Dan Kolb). 3. The Brewers have an able replacement left fielder in Corey Hart, who is projected by PECOTA to hit .272/.337/.475 in 2006. Lee is projected by the same system to hit .282/.347/.506. Accepting that difference in production would allow Melvin to net a top prospect or two. 4. Lee may be overrated in some circles because..   Continue Reading

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Angels Sign Weaver?

I'm not entirely familiar with the Halos Heaven blog quite yet, but the author is saying Jeff Weaver signing with the Angels is a done deal. In their words: "the ink is dry." Also, check out the latest Manny rumor in the same post. While not quite the polar opposite of supposed offer that heavily favored the Red Sox, this one would definitely be a win for Los Angeles. But if the Angels were willing to take on Manny's entire contract, an offer of Escobar, Shell, and Rivera plus one top Angels prospect seems equitable   Continue Reading

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KW Denies Abreu Rumor...Or Does He?

Respected Chicago Tribune sportswriter Mark Gonzales got in touch with Kenny Williams through a spokesman tonight. Based on this article, it seems that Gonzales inquired about the recent Abreu for Contreras/Dye rumor. The word: "Williams, through a team spokesman, said there is nothing to the report, adding he hadn't spoken to the Phillies in eight or nine days and that no proposal was tendered." Now, we didn't report that this thing was on the verge. My point, rather, was that the White Sox love Abreu. That was confirmed by my source; the actual Dye/Contreras scenario was reportedly broken by Howard..   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Abreu, Manny

In very minor news, ESPN is reporting that the Cubs have signed righthanded pitcher Jason Simontacchi to a minor league deal. He was slightly less than terrible for Triple A Memphis last year and saw 15 ugly innings in the Majors. He's not young, but did win 11 games for the Cards back in '02. Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News acknowledged the Abreu to the White Sox trade rumor, branding it an "Internet rumor." Fair enough; I could've sworn Howard Eskin started this one though. Regardless, I think we should start referring to rumors from the Philadelphia Daily..   Continue Reading

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WEEI's Tejada Rumor Making Rounds

The Dennis and Callahan Show on WEEI 850 in Boston broke out an improbable-sounding trade rumor this morning. Here's the idea: Dodgers send: Derek Lowe, Hee Seop Choi Red Sox send: David Wells, Alex Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Tony Graffanino Orioles send: Miguel Tejada, Luis Matos Dodgers receive: Wells, Graffanino, Matos Red Sox receive: Tejada, Choi Orioles receive: Lowe, Gonzalez, Youkilis, Lester In my humble opinion, there's about zero chance of a deal like this going down. Then why am I posting about it? For one thing, I've received a host of emails about the possibility. So it seems..   Continue Reading

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Choices Narrowing For Weaver

Back on January 12th, we were able to reason our way towards determining six possible suitors for Jeff Weaver. Here was the list: "In order of likelihood, Orioles, Cardinals, Mets, Cubs, Astros, Angels." Since then, the Orioles traded for Kris Benson and the Cubs signed a much cheaper option in Wade Miller. The remaining four can be re-ranked as Angels, Cardinals, Mets, Astros. You can almost cross Houston off the list; there hasn't been talk of them pursuing Weaver as Jose Contreras remains high on their wish list. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels may offer Weaver a..   Continue Reading

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New Feature For RotoAuthority Fantasy Guide

With spring training on the horizon, many fantasy leaguers are beginning draft preparation. A lot of folks run out and buy a couple of $8 magazines from the "experts" that were finalized in the middle of December. Three other guys at the draft are sporting the same magazine, and none of you have heard of Kenji Johjima. I created the 2006 RotoAuthority Fantasy Baseball Guide as a remedy to that problem. I've already sent out seven updates since its launch in early January. Throughout the season, I'm covering call-ups, trades, and any other major changes that affect fantasy baseball. Feedback..   Continue Reading

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Mets Interested In Wells?

Spoke with my Mets guy this morning. He had plenty of info to pass along. First, he said that any recent rumors going around are "bogus." Plenty of other websites have added to that sentiment. He also mentioned that Minaya wants to add a starter. That's fairly well known, but he also said that the Mets may try to make a move on David Wells if nothing better comes along before spring training. It's the first I'd heard of that. He said the Mets are convinced that Anderson Hernandez is the answer at second base for 2006, and that Jeff..   Continue Reading

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Latest Red Sox Rumor - Clement, Vidro, Milledge

Several emailers have alerted me to a post made over at Sons of Sam Horn late last night. A respected poster lays out this scenario: Red Sox trade Matt Clement and Alex Cora Nationals trade Jose Vidro and Jay Bergmann Mets trade Lastings Milledge and Xavier Nady (with some chance of Victor Diaz instead of Milledge) Red Sox receive Milledge and Nady Nationals receive Clement and Cora plus cash if Clement pitches over 150 innings Mets receive Vidro and Bergmann plus a PTNBL from either Nats or Sox depending on Vidro's health. (Livan Hernandez could end up with the Mets..   Continue Reading

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