Cafardo On Cruz, Garza, Tanaka, Figgins

In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that outside of his own representation, you won’t find a lot of legal experts who believe Alex Rodriguez will win in federal court.  “I would be surprised if the decision is reversed,” Stanford law professor William B. Gould IV said. “Since 1960, arbitration awards can only be reversed when the arbitrator decides on his own ideas of justice rather than the CBA or because of fraud, corruption or partiality. The merits are for the arbitrator, not the courts. Probably the arbitrator should have called Selig to the stand to avoid partiality, but that won’t be a basis for reversal on its own. As for the union, their obligation is to investigate A-Rod’s claim in good faith — they did so and took his case. And allowing his own counsel.”  More from today's column..

• Teams are staying away from Nelson Cruz because salary demands still haven’t come down quite enough, according to one National League GM.  He made sense for the Orioles as a power-hitting right-handed bat, but their recent acquisition of Delmon Young may have squashed their interest.
• Teams have been reluctant to pony up a four- or five-year deal for Matt Garza and he may have to settle for fewer years, even with the price of pitching very high. “There may be concerns about him physically,” said one AL exec. “I think most teams are thinking four or five years is just too risky, even if he’s a no-compensation guy.”
• Cafardo hears that the bidding for Masahiro Tanaka could get as high as $120MM over six years and that he could shake hands on a deal before the January 24th deadline.
• The Red Sox were not among the teams who watched Chone Figgins workout in Arizona as he attempts a comeback.  Figgins hopes to resurrect his career, even if it’s as a utility man.  It appears he’ll get the chance to be in camp with someone.
• After recovering from life-threatening injuries and having his spleen removed, Carl Pavano is throwing off of flat ground in Arizona, according to his agent, Dave Pepe. “Some teams have popped in to see where he’s at. Our intention is for him to throw bullpens for teams in mid-February,” Pepe said.
• Former Rockies and Red Sox pitcher Aaron Cook is also looking to bounce back after a tired arm ended his season in July.  He did not pitch in the majors last season, making eight starts with Triple A Colorado Springs.
• Agent Alan Nero says he'd be surprised if any of the arbitration-eligible players went to a hearing this year.
• Former Indians and Mariners skipper Eric Wedge will likely take a network television job soon but he'd like to get another chance in the dugout at some point.
• Reliever Cedrick Bowers, who spent last season in the Atlantic League, is starting to catch the eye of scouts in Venezuela.