Odds and Ends

Some random links I’ve come across, best categorized as Odds and Ends.

• Tim Marchman of the New York Sun discusses why the Yankees can’t practically pull off any kind of fire sale.  Bobby Abreu is the one big name they can move, though Andy Pettitte is worthy of consideration.  Marchman likes the Angels, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers as fits for Abreu.
• Shea Hillenbrand was waived today; insert "ship is sinking" reference here.  I guess Bill Stoneman couldn’t find a taker for Hillenbrand even while eating most of his remaining salary.  Now the Angels will foot the bill while some team picks up the opinionated DH for the league minimum.  The Twins are often cited as a team in need of a DH, but Hillenbrand might disrupt the clubhouse chemistry.  And of course, the Yankees have been connected to him since this winter.
• RotoAuthority lays out a plan for starting your own keeper fantasy baseball league.
• Torii Hunter would consider playing for the White Sox, for what it’s worth.  It’d take a franchise-record contract to sign him. 
• Indians reliever Fernando Cabrera is a fine candidate to be traded to a rebuilding team. The Tribe can’t option him to the minors without losing him, but his performance isn’t helping the team and he’s taking up a roster spot.  As a 25 year-old with a K/9 over 10 in 129 career innings, there should be plenty of interest.  Swapping him for a seasoned reliever like Octavio Dotel, Eric Gagne, or Al Reyes makes sense to me.  By the way, the Indians’ Rafael Betancourt is quietly one of the five best relievers in baseball this year.