Odds and Ends: Barrett, Koufax, Santana

A few notes from this evening…

• Michael Barrett and the Padres avoided arbitration, arriving at a $3.5MM deal.  A little less than I expected given his $4.6MM salary in ’07.  If some team acquires Barrett on the cheap he could bounce back if he’s comfortable.  Wasn’t long ago he was one of the better-hitting catchers in the game.  Is there even a slight chance he wouldn’t embarrass himself back at the hot corner?
• Great ShysterBall post in reference to Curt Schilling’s attempt to call out Roger Clemens.
• Sandy Koufax did not do steroids.
• Derrick Goold looks at how David Eckstein ended up leaving the Cardinals despite his desire to stay.
• LENIII says it’s possible nothing has happened on the Johan Santana front since the Meetings ended.  Neal also names Kris Benson as a pitcher on the Twins’ radar.  They were one of many teams watching his recent session.  Plus they were eyeing Glendon Rusch before he signed with the Padres.