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Got a link to a rumor, signing, or trade?  Email Ben Jones at benmlbtr@gmail.com this evening with your tips.

Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News passes along some of what Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in a radio interview yesterday. Daniels said the Rangers haven’t offered Ben Sheets a contract, but acknowledged that he’s been in contact with Sheets’ agent.

Durrett expects the Rangers to offer the righty a contract, but writes that "it’s still a long shot to expect Sheets to pitch" for Texas.

Using Wins Above Replacement data from FanGraphs and contract info from Cot’s Baseball Contracts, I have determined the biggest free agent bargains and busts of the 2008 season (position players only).  I did my best to calculate what the player was paid in 2008, including bonuses and incentives.  Hopefully I didn’t miss anyone important; I used ESPN’s Free Agent Tracker.

Top Ten Bargains

1. Willie Harris: +$14.6MM (paid $800K, worth $15.4MM)
2. Jody Gerut: +$13.715MM
3. Mike Cameron: +12.55MM
4. Jorge Cantu: +$10.7MM
5. Jerry Hairston Jr.: +10.375MM
6. Milton Bradley: +10.3MM
7. Eric Hinske: +$8MM
8. Aaron Miles: +$6.9MM
9. Rod Barajas: +$6.2MM
10. Cesar Izturis: +$5.25MM

Top Ten Busts

1. Andruw Jones: -$15.7MM (worth -$1.6MM, paid $14.1MM)
2. Jose Guillen: -$11.1MM
3. Jorge Posada: -$9.7MM
4. Mike Lamb: -$9.4MM
5. Corey Patterson: -$8MM
6. Aaron Rowand: -$7.2MM
7. Brad Wilkerson: -$6.9MM
8. Omar Vizquel: -$6.5MM
9. Torii Hunter: -$5.7MM
10. Paul Lo Duca: -$5.1MM

A few notes…

• Fair Value Award goes to Sean Casey, who signed for and was worth $800K.
• Doug Melvin and the Brewers came out almost $20MM ahead with their signings of Cameron, Russell Branyan, and Jason Kendall.  The Cardinals, Astros, and Rangers also did well on position player free agents.
• Ned Colletti and the Dodgers were the worst at a loss over $16MM, mostly due to Jones.  The Giants, Twins, and Yankees also did not fare well on position players.
• The Nationals made a modest $1.2MM profit, because Jim Bowden’s Harris signing was negated by Lo Duca, Rob Mackowiak, Johnny Estrada, and Aaron Boone.
• Of the eight free agent hitters who cost $10MM or more in 2008, six did not earn their salary.   

Dan Slowey will be at the helm of MLB Trade Rumors tonight, covering from 5pm til midnight (CST).  If you have a link to a rumor, feel free to email him at dan.slowey.mlbtr@gmail.com.  Dan has a very close relative who plays for an AL Central team.

Be sure to check out Dan’s blog, Blogonoscopy.

Drew Silva will be in charge of MLB Trade Rumors from 5pm til midnight (CST) this evening.  If you have a link to a rumor not currently on MLBTR, you can email it to Drew at silvadrt@gmail.com.

Today from 8am-5pm CST, MLB Trade Rumors will be tended by Ben Jones.  If you come across a link for a rumor that is not on the site, please email it to Ben at benmlbtr@gmail.com.  Thanks, and happy holidays! 

According to Mike DiGiovanna, closer Brian Fuentes has become the Angels’ top priority now that they’ve bowed out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes.  T.J. Simers wonders if the Halos’ offer to Tex, which sat without a response for two weeks, was just for show.

DiGiovanna says that while Fuentes wants a three-year deal, he may settle for two years with an option.  The Cardinals are lingering; they were said to be "turning the page but not shutting the door."

DiGiovanna sees a slim chance the Angels go after Manny Ramirez.  He’d have to be willing to take a two-year deal (I am guessing that is also the Yankees’ limit).  He also sees a remote chance for Jake Peavy.  DiGiovanna discussed more reasonable Angels targets yesterday.

UPDATE: All shifts have been filled.  Thanks for your inquiries!  MLBTR will not miss a beat during the holidays.

MLB Trade Rumors is looking for help with holiday coverage.  We have three paid shifts available: 5pm til midnight on December 24th, 9am til 5pm on December 25th, and 5pm til midnight also on December 25th (all times in CST).  Feel free to apply if you can take one, two, or all three of the shifts (please let me know which).

Here’s what we’re looking for, besides the availability:

• Knowledge of all 30 baseball teams, no discernible bias toward your favorite.
• Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing the news up in a few paragraphs.  I want the best of both worlds, as you have to be able to do this quickly after the source article is published.  It’s preferred that you add value to the article with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
• Attention to detail – absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.  Ability to follow the MLBTR style and tone.  Also it is important to avoid duplicating content previously covered on the site.
• Ability to use an RSS feed reader such as Google Reader.  This is crucial.
• Blogging experience is preferred.  We use TypePad, which is easy to use if you have blogged before.
• You have to be able to put up with me, responding to constructive criticism and digesting the MLBTR instruction document quickly.
• If you’re interested, email mlbtrweekend@gmail.com and explain your qualifications.  Please don’t send anything to my other email address.  Usually we receive a few hundred inquiries, so unfortunately I cannot reply to all.  Thanks.

It’s important to remember which Type A free agents were offered arbitration, because those players cost a draft pick if signed by a new team.  Ten such free agents remain (the numbers will be explained later):

• Mark Teixeira (98.889)
• Manny Ramirez (93.438)
• Brian Fuentes (86.694)
• Orlando Cabrera (86.000)
• Orlando Hudson (79.911)
• Ben Sheets (79.038)
• Oliver Perez (78.694)
• Juan Cruz (76.627)
• Jason Varitek (76.037)
• Derek Lowe (75.430)

The following teams’ first-round picks for 2009 are protected: Nationals, Mariners, Padres, Pirates, Orioles, Giants, Braves, Reds, Tigers, Rockies, Royals, Athletics, Rangers, Indians, and Diamondbacks.  These teams will not lose their first-round pick if they sign one of the above free agents.

Four Type A free agents who were offered arbitration have signed with new teams:

• C.C. Sabathia (98.110) – Yankees
• A.J. Burnett (89.729) – Yankees
• Francisco Rodriguez (87.196) – Mets
• Raul Ibanez (83.684) – Phillies

The numbers represent each player’s Elias rating.  The numbers determined Type A/B status, but can also come into play if a team ends up signing more than one of these 14.  Thoughts:

• The Yankees’ #26 pick next year goes to the Brewers, unless the Yanks sign Teixeira. In that case the Angels would get it.  If the Yanks sign Manny, the Blue Jays get the Yankees’ third-round pick for Burnett – pretty weak.  In that case the Dodgers would get the Yanks’ second-round pick.
• Unless a new suitor emerges aside from the Yankees and Rangers, the Brewers will not get a first-round pick for Sheets if he leaves.
• The Dodgers won’t be signing Cabrera, which would’ve been the best case scenario for the White Sox.  The Dodgers’ #17 pick remains up for grabs if they are to sign, for example, Hudson, Sheets, Perez, or Varitek.
• Rockies fans would prefer the Cardinals sign Fuentes, giving them the #19 pick.  Otherwise it could be the #27 pick from the Brewers or #33 pick from the Angels (unless the Halos also sign Manny or Tex).
• If the Mets sign Lowe, the Dodgers are stuck with their second-round pick since K-Rod is ranked higher.

More than 30 new free agents entered the pool tonight as the non-tender deadline passed.  A few of the more interesting names:

• Ty Wigginton, 1B/2B/3B/LF.  I don’t know what the Astros are going to do at third base now, but they decided they couldn’t afford Wigginton.  The 31 year-old hit a strong .285/.350/.526 in 429 plate appearances.  He probably doesn’t mind reaching free agency early in a weak third baseman market.  The Indians and Twins still have vacancies.
• Joe Nelson, RP.  Wow…a 2.00 ERA still gets you non-tendered in Florida.  He’s not that good, but he had a huge strikeout rate and is definitely a useful reliever.
• Daniel Cabrera, SP.  This guy was once considered very nasty to face, at times posting big strikeout and groundball rates.  With a fresh start, who knows.
• Joey Gathright, Willy Taveras, OF.  For a couple of burners their recent plus/minus ratings in center field are poor.  And you can’t steal first base.
• Jonny Gomes, OF.  He’s got pop, and destroyed lefties outside of this year.  That’s about it though.
• Takashi Saito, RP.  Dominant big league numbers, but he’s a huge question mark after having platelet-rich plasma injected into his elbow in an experimental procedure.  Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie.
• Tim Redding, SP.  Probably good for a sub-5.00 ERA as a fifth starter.
• Chris Capuano, SP.  The Brewers may re-sign him.  Capuano had his second Tommy John surgery in May.  He was a useful mid-rotation guy in 2005-06.