Odds and Ends: Giles, Crisp, A-Rod

Couldn't the White Sox look at Marcus Giles? If he can bounce back somewhat he could give them someone who could play second and leadoff once in a while, because they really don't have a leadoff hitter and the trio of Ramirez, Uribe and Richar doesn't exactly get me too excited about their state at second base. He wouldn't cost much and would simply give them another option.

And I agree about the Santana thing. If the offers for Santana were so underwhelming, why not take that Nathan money, offer Santana what he wanted, then trade Nathan for prospects? Now they're saddled with Nathan's contract and no trade clause, and settled for a package that could end up offering them very little long term.

Do the Mets still go after Beltran or Pedro in that case though?

The Twins didn't even get the best deal on the table for Santana. They could have probably got a decent pitching prospect from the Cubs for Nathan.

Looks like the Twins are already missing Terry Ryan.

Why not deal an overrated Joe Mauer or Joe Nathan?

scribbletone ... you left out a small matter off also being saddled with an additional $100m in salary expenses.

One final thought ... reading these A-Rod puff pieces is getting old.

If he crawled back to the Yanks for $20m then maybe I buy the fact that he isn't all about the money. But to score a 10/300 deal (assuming he hits his incentives) proves his contract is hardly all about his love of NY.

The guy has a PR team larger than many small businesses. He is saying all the right things to win back the hearts of NY'ers. I just can't believe anybody accepts what comes out of his mouth as the truth.

I liked Pay-Rod better when he was a greedy, money grubbing mercenary. This new, softer, A-Rod is a joke.

It's funny hear him talk about signing with Texas. The picture in one's mind is Boras holding a gun to his head forcing him to sign the deal. Couldn't be further from the truth. A-Rod controls his negotiations. If he wanted to go to the Mets then he would have. Instead he opted for more dough. I also enjoyed his comments about playing for Texas. I'm sure Ranger fans don't need another reason to hate the guy but if so ... read this article.

At the end of the day I don't begrudge A-Rod one bit for going after the most money. I do, however, take exception when he tells people with a straight face that it isn't about the money.

The Dodgers would probably be better served just sticking with what they have. Delwyn Young has played well back at second this spring, and his bat is a known plus despite his numbers this spring. He can back up there with Hu and Abreu playing third and second while waiting for Kent (shudder) and Nomar to get back. No point in spending the vets minimum on a guy you wont need in 3 weeks.