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National League

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
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Acquired RHPs Orlando Hernandez and Luis
Vizcaino
and CF-R Chris Young from the White Sox
for RHP Javier Vazquez and cash. [12/20]

Acquired RHP Miguel Batista and 2B-L Orlando
Hudson
from the Blue Jays for 3B-R Troy Glaus and
SS-R Sergio Santos. [12/27]

Signed OF-R Eric Byrnes to a one-year contract. [12/30]

Signed RHP Brandon Webb to a contract extension through
2009, with an option for 2010; agreed to a one-year deal with RHP
Luis Vizcaino. [1/13]

Signed RHPs Brandon Lyon and Claudio
Vargas
, C-B Johnny Estrada, 2B-L Orlando
Hudson
, and 2B/SS-B Alex Cintron to one-year
contracts. [1/17]

Signed OF-B Jeff DaVanon to a one-year contract with a
conditional option for 2007; designated LHP Michael Gosling
for assignment. [2/7]

Color me all sorts of shades of impressed with the D’backs’ bold winter. New
GM Josh Byrnes probably picked up the best center field prospect in baseball
in Young, as well as the temp to cover the spot until he’s ready in Byrnes,
plus a brilliant defender at second base. Cut costs and improve the future?
Seems sensible enough, and there’s nothing about having Hudson in the lineup
and El Duque and Batista in the rotation that precludes mounting a more
modest challenge for the weak NL West right now.

It’s the little elements of the deal that I like, as well as the flexibility
of thought that they represent. Whether Batista sticks in the rotation will
depend to a great extent on how well a young pen shapes up, but if he does
get plugged in there, the Snakes aren’t quite so dependent on the double
risks of Russ Ortiz and El Duque collapsing, nor are they
forced to open with a rotation that has to have bothBrad
Halsey
and Claudio Vargas in it. Heck, anything
that keeps Kevin Jarvis in Tucson is okay by me. Trading
Glaus allows the team to move Chad Tracy back to his best
position, third base. Getting Hudson in at second exploits the team’s having
Craig Counsell ready to move across the keystone and play
short every day, producing a solid amount of offense from the middle
infield. And while there are reasonable questions about whether or not
Byrnes can play center field well enough on an everyday basis, given that
he’s replacing the disaster that Luis Terrero represented,
and that he’s only around to hold the job until Young is ready, you’ve got another
nifty short-term solution to one of last year’s running sores in the lineup.
Center field, shortstop, and catcher were last year’s egregiously bad lineup
problems, and all three have been upgraded. The Snakes shouldn’t be favored,
but at least they’ve retooled, and should be more competitive than last
year’s wipeout.

ATLANTA BRAVES
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Acquired OF-R Matt Diaz from the Royals for RHP
Ricardo Rodriguez. [12/19]

Non-tendered RHPs Jim Brower and Wes
Obermueller
, making them free agents. [12/21]

Signed RHP Chris Reitsma to a one-year contract; signed C-R
Eddie Perez and OF-R Brian Jordan to minor
league contracts with spring training NRIs. [1/3]

Signed RHP Jeff Bennett to a minor league contract with a
spring training NRI. [1/13]

Signed 2B-R Marcus Giles, LHP Horacio
Ramirez
, and RHP Oscar Villarreal to one-year
contracts, thus avoiding salary arbitration. [1/17]

Signed RHP Jorge Sosa to a one-year contract, avoiding
salary arbitration; signed LHP Mike Remlinger to a minor
league contract with a spring training NRI. [1/23]

CHICAGO CUBS
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Signed OF-L Jacque Jones to a three-year, $15 million
contract. [12/20]

Signed OF-Rs Marquis Grissom and Michael Restovich, and INF-B Augie Ojeda to minor league
contracts with spring training NRIs. [1/3]

Acquired 2B-L Nate Spears and LHP Carlos
Perez
from the Orioles for CF-L Corey Patterson.
[1/9]

Signed RHP Wade Miller to a one-year contract. [1/23]

Purchased the contract of OF-R Angel Pagan from the Mets.
[1/25]

Signed LHP Will Ohman and CF-L Juan Pierre
to one-year contracts, avoiding arbitration with each. [2/2]

There isn’t much to add to how monumentally dumb the Jones move is, since
this is covered in some depth in this year’s book and has also been justly
criticized by our own Joe Sheehan. If the Cubs show some sense and platoon
him with Restovich, that might not just tickle Andy MacPhail’s sweet tooth
for ex-Twins, but at least give the Cubs functional production out of an
outfield corner. Add in what they should get out of Matt
Murton
, and hope that Pierre hits for a high enough average to post
an adequate OBP, and perhaps the outfield won’t have to be blamed for why
the Cubs fall short this year. There is the danger that the decision to
reunite Dusty Baker and Grissom could make this entirely a legacy outfield,
made up of ex-Twins for MacPhail, the center fielder Jim Hendry acquired in
trade, and one of the manager’s fellow former Giants. That sort of
“something for everybody” approach might please the management
trio, but should be anathema for Cubs fans. I’ve already touched on my
thoughts about the Patterson deal in yesterday’s Orioles segment, but the Cubs did
get something in their act of ditching him. Spears is somewhat interesting,
since he should be 21 and reaching Double-A this season, and having hit
.294/.349/.429 in the High-A Carolina League does portend some on-base and
power potential. The Cubs being a pitcher-friendly organization, they might
be more excited about Perez, but a guy who’s going to turn 24 and hasn’t yet
gotten out of A-ball is just another arm until he gives real reason for
anyone to believe otherwise.

CINCINNATI REDS
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Signed UT-R Ryan Freel to a two-year, $3 million contract;
signed OF-L Andy Abad and INF-R Aaron
Holbert
to minor league contracts. [12/19]

Signed LHP Chris Hammond to a one-year contract with a
mutual option for 2007; non-tendered RHPs Ramon Ortiz and
Joe Valentine, making them free agents. [12/20]

Signed C Jason LaRue to a two-year contract; signed RHP
Jimmy Journell, LHPs Ben Kozlowski and
Tommy Phelps, OF-Ls Andy Abad and
Jacob Cruz, 2B-R Aaron Herr, 1B/ 3B-R
Earl Snyder, UT-B Derek Wathan and OF-L
Dewayne Wise to minor league contracts with spring training
NRIs. [12/21]

Re-signed INF-R Rich Aurilia to a one-year contract with a
mutual option for 2007. [1/8]

Signed RHP Grant Balfour to a one-year contract; designated
RHP Josh Hancock for assignment; signed INF-R Frank
Menechino
to a minor league contract with a spring training NRI.
[1/12]

Signed OF-R Austin Kearns on a one-year contract, avoiding
arbitration. [1/16]

Signed RHP Aaron Harang to a one-year contract, avoiding
arbitration. [1/17]

Signed RHP Rick White to a one-year contract. [1/31]

Designated RHP Bubba Nelson for assignment. [2/1]

Outrighted RHP Bubba Nelson to Louisville with a spring
training NRI. [2/3]

Named Wayne Krivsky general manager. [2/8]

Claimed LHP Mike Gosling off of waivers from the
Diamondbacks; designated RHP Luke Hudson for assignment.
[2/10]

The real news here is the decision to hire Krivsky once the new owner took
over and decided to reward Dan O’Brien with his freedom. Krivsky does come
over from his Assistant GM job in Minnesota with a good reputation on the
player development and scouting side of operations, although it’s also worth
noting he was not singularly credited for being the brains of the operation,
just one of among a number of good baseball men on Terry Ryan’s staff.
Krivsky also comes in with considerable experience handling contract
negotiations and arbitration cases. Also, while there’s speculation as to
what Krivsky might have gotten done in the last two years had he gotten the
job the last time around, when he was in the running before O’Brien was
tabbed, we can just as easily wonder what would have happened if the job had
gone to then-Astros Assistant GM Tim Purpura. In the end, Krivsky’s a
cipher, one with a good reputation out of a well-operated franchise with a
productive farm system, but at least one with a knowledge of the details of
the job, and one free of any of the taint that came with O’Brien. (Rumor has
it that one of the criteria of that round of hiring involved a Pete Rose
question; as an Ohio native and Big Red Machine fanboy, O’Brien apparently
aced that one to Carl Lindner’s satisfaction.)

Krivsky’s inheriting a pretty strange 40-man roster, as highlighted by the
decision to sign Balfour to a major league contract. Although Balfour
himself isn’t a bad pickup, he will be recovering from having his elbow and
shoulder repaired, and is far more likely to open the year on the 60-day DL.
That’s fine, since that would open 40-man roster space to purchase the
contract of one of the NRIs. The problem is that Balfour isn’t the only dead
or redundant spot on the 40-man. What 40-man roster needs both
William Bergolla and Ray Olmedo? If you
designate Dane Sardinha for assignment, the odds that
you’ll miss him if somebody claimed him off of waivers are beyond minute.
And Tony Womack? These obviously aren’t Krivksy’s error’s
of judgement, but it does put him on the spot this spring, as the Reds
should be aggressive in claiming players on waivers, or making small deals
for players before their parent clubs have to risk waivers, especially in
March as teams start making the tougher cut-downs.

Finally, I guess we can note that Balfour’s an appropriate addition to a pen
that’s relying on aging retreads like White, Hammond, and Kent
Mercker
. Since the Reds also have Brian
Shackelford
in camp, just claimed Gosling, and have to find a role
for Jung Bong, it also looks like Krivsky has plenty of
lefty relief help, and might be in a position to make a trade from that
surplus before Opening Day.

COLORADO ROCKIES
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Outrighted C-R Miguel Ojeda to Colorado Springs. [12/16]

Signed RHP Bret Prinz and LHP Steve Colyer
to minor league contracts with spring training NRIs. [12/19]

Signed LHP Brian Fuentes to a two-year contract;
non-tendered RHP Jose Acevedo and OF-R Ryan
Spilborghs
, making them free agents. [12/20]

Signed RHP Jose Acevedo and OF Ryan
Spilborghs
to minor league contracts. [12/21]

Re-signed RHP Byung-Hyun Kim to a one-year contract;
acquired SS-R Josh Wilson from the Marlins for a PTBNL.
[1/6]

Signed OF/1B-R Eli Marrero to a minor league contract with
a spring training NRI. [1/9]

Signed RHP Aaron Cook to a two-year contract through 2007
with an option for 2008. [1/13]

Signed RHP Zach Day to a one-year contract. [1/17]

Signed RHP Keiichi Yabu, LHP Tom Martin,
and 1B-L Carlos Rivera to minor league contracts with
spring NRIs. [1/18]

Released RHP Ryan Speier, then signed him to a minor league
contract. [2/9]

Purchased INF-R Jamey Carroll from the Nationals. [2/10]

FLORIDA MARLINS
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Claimed C-L John Baker off of waivers from the Athletics.
[12/15]

Signed RHPs Ryan Rupe and Buddy Carlyle,
OF-L Matt Cepicky, 2B-B Mickey Lopez, and
UT-R Mike Kinkade to minor league contracts with spring
training NRIs. [12/15]

Acquired LHP Ben Julianel from the Yankees for LHP
Ron Villone. [12/16]

Sold the rights of 1B/3B-R Joe Dillon to the Yomiuri Giants
of the Japanese Leagues. [12/20]

Signed RHP Joe Borowski to a one-year contract; signed 2B-R
Pokey Reese to a one-year contract. [12/29]

Signed C-R Miguel Olivo and 1B/3B-R Wes
Helms
to one-year contracts. [12/30]

Designated C-L John Baker and SS-R Josh
Wilson
for assignment; signed RHP Kerry Ligtenberg
to a minor league contract with a spring training NRI. [1/3]

Traded SS-R Josh Wilson to the Rockies for a PTBNL. [1/6]

Agreed to terms with LHP Dontrelle Willis on a one-year
contract, avoiding arbitration. [1/17]

Enough attention’s been given to the school of guppies already picked up in
trade this winter, and I think it’s best to leave it to the question of
whether more than one of the ten pitchers or so they picked up in trade this
winter will amount to a major league pitcher. Generally speaking, I’m not as impressed by the gaggle gotten as
some, but with pitchers, youneverknow. Now, instead, I’d like to take a page
from history, dial up the wayback machine, and think on Year One of the Teal
Empire. When the Fish were first started up, some were impressed with the
ease with which they assembled an adequate pitching staff. Some of that was
park effects, to be sure, but some of it was appreciating that guys like
Luis Aquino or Ryan Bowen were more than
good enough in a pinch. This year’s lineup seems likely to fall short of
even squid scrap status, especially if you’re in danger of having Pokey Reese or Dan Uggla at second, Helms at third,
and guys like Chris Aguila or Reggie
Abercrombie
in the outfield. don’t get me wrong, I think a club can
get by just fine with Reese or Helms or Miguel Olivo behind
the plate. By themselves, one guy doesn’t kill you. But in combination, it’s
going to be a godawful defense, and as long as we’re in doubt as to whether
or not Joe Girardi might be more like Joe Torre and watch games from the
bench, or take his cue from earlier managers in his career, like Don Zimmer
or Don Baylor, and try to win games with tactical chicanery, I’m belaboring
the obvious in noting that the Marlins will field a lousy lineup. Can it be
worse than lousy, bordering on historically awful? In a 162 game season, the
all-time low for single-season runs scored are the 1969 Padres, who scored
468 runs in 1969. The Pads also hold the second-worst slot with 486 runs
scored in 1971. (Many thanks to Caleb Peiffer for digging that up for me.) I
have to think that scoring less than three runs per game would be impossible
these days, even in the DH-less league, and even in a good pitching
environment, but I guess it’s telling that I even wondered about it in the
context of this team.

HOUSTON ASTROS
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Signed RHPs Dave Borkowski and Steve
Sparks
, INF-R Danny Klassen, 1B/3B-L Eric
Munson
, and 1B/3B-R Kevin Orie to minor league
contracts with spring training NRIs. [12/22]

Signed OF-R Preston Wilson to a one-year contract. [1/3]

Signed LHP Trever Miller to a one-year contract with a
vesting option for 2007. [1/9]

Signed RHP Joe Valentine to a minor league contract with a
spring training NRI. [1/11]

Signed RHPs Brad Lidge and Dan Wheeler to
one-year contracts. [1/17]

Signed 3B-R Morgan Ensberg to a one-year, $3.8 million
contract. [2/3]

Give credit where credit’s due, both to the agents of Wilson and Munson.
Wilson’s going back to a happily snug hitter’s environment, where he’ll
manage to refresh his reputation as a slugger after having to spend almost
half of a season outside of Coors Field. And Munson’s in a great place to
challenge for a playing time, what with Jeff Bagwell‘s bum
wing and Mike Lamb‘s general lack of offensive virtue.
Admittedly, he’s still looking at a bench role at best, since Wilson’s
arrival gives the ‘Stros a pair of starting corner outfielders that can push
Lance Berkman to first in an everyday role. The question is
whether it adds up to a good offense, and there, I have my doubts. As for
the decision to sign Miller, it’s sensible enough in that it ends the
charade of pretending that in Mike Gallo, Houston has its
LOOGY need fulfilled.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
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Signed INF-R Nomar Garciaparra to a one-year, $6 million
contract. [12/19]

Signed CF-L Kenny Lofton to a one-year contract; signed
3B-R Chris Truby to a minor league contract with a spring
training NRI. [12/20]

Signed LHP Kelly Wunsch to a minor league contract with a
spring training NRI. [12/21]

Signed RHP Brett Tomko to a two-year contract. [12/22]

Acquired RHP Jae Seo and LHP Tim Hamulack
from the Mets for RHPs Duaner Sanchez and Steve
Schmoll
. [1/4]

Acquired RHPs Danys Baez and Lance Carter
from the Devil Rays in exchange for RHP Edwin Jackson and
LHP Chuck Tiffany; signed RHP Aaron Sele
to a minor league contract with a spring training NRI; designated RHP
Joel Hanrahan for assignment. [1/14]

Signed INF-R Ramon Martinez and RHP Kurt
Ainsworth
to minor league contracts with spring training NRIs. [1/31]

Maybe it’s just me, but I think a team that goes as decisively old as the
Dodgers have this winter is asking for trouble. Maybe Nomar can play first
well enough, but will he hit well enough to make it worth it to L.A. to have
him there, even if healthy? There’s a good chance that we’ll never see the
guy who slugged .500 when fully functional ever again. As for the outfield,
even with the decision to sign Lofton, they’ve fallen short of pushing
Jose Cruz Jr. to the bench, which leaves them short a
corner outfielder, while still having considerable depth in the infield
while Hee Seop Choi, Olmedo
Saenz
, Willy Aybar and eventually Cesar
Izturis
are all hanging around. An obvious solution suggests
itself, but the Dodgers also don’t have a full rotation just yet, not when
they’re counting on Odalis Perez to be healthy and
dominant, or Brett Tomko in any capacity. Not that having
Scott Erickson around last season was much of a master
stroke, but when the options to the front five in the rotation after Tomko,
Perez, Seo, Brad Penny, and Derek Lowe are
Sele and D.J. Houlton, that’s isn’t exactly a particularly
intimidating set of starters.

If there’s one area to give new GM Ned Colletti credit, it’s in his
aggressive assembly of arms for the pen. While getting a year of Baez was
expensive, Lance Carter isn’t chopped liver, and I do like the chances that
Hamulack might actually become pretty useful in a LOOGY role. Given that the
team also had a couple of homegrown assets to turn to, one real point of
improvement on last year is that this should not be a pen that has to have
both Eric Gagne healthy and Yhency
Brazoban
ironed out to work with. If both Gagne and Brazoban are in
operating condition, however, that would definitely make this a tough pen to
beat, perhaps even one that Grady Little could use to advantage.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
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Signed LHP Justin Thompson to a minor league contract with
a spring training NRI. [12/20]

Acquired RHP Chris Demaria from the Royals for RHP
Justin Barnes. [12/21]

Signed RHP Danny Kolb to a one-year, $2 million contract.
[1/3]

Acquired 3B-L Corey Koskie from the Blue Jays for RHP
Brian Wolfe. [1/6]

Designated 4C-L Russ Branyan for assignment. [1/9]

Signed RHPMatt Wise on a two-year, $1.7 million contract.
[1/12]

Announced that 4C-L Russ Branyan cleared waivers and was
released. [1/17]

Signed OF-R Brady Clark to a two-year, $7 million contract.
[2/8]

Corey Koskie is two and a half years older than Branyan. Which one hit
.280/.405/.538 against RHPs? Not Koskie; he gave the Jays a merely adequate
.265/.365/.437 clip. But Koskie’s the much better defender, right? Not
exactly, not when Branyan’s finished slightly better than Koskie two of the
last three years at third in Zone Rating, Range Factor, and Clay Davenport’s
Fielding Rate. Career, Koskie’s well ahead, but at 33, Koskie may
not have a whole lot of career left, while Branyan might. When a team
already has Bill Hall around, I guess I’m left wondering why
the Brewers are supposed to have come out “ahead” because they’re
“only” paying Koskie $4.25 million of what he’s owed over the next
two years. That’s still probably close to $3 million more than they might
have had to pay Branyan for a part-time role sharing third with Hall for the
next year or two while waiting for Ryan Braun to develop,
for no apparent offensive gain, and little prospect of a real defensive
pickup. Maybe I’m being hard on a team I expect to contend in short order,
but my scorecard has the Brewers down, and to no obvious point. Counting on
Koskie is like counting on Clark: it’s going to end up being hard to live
with once the stakes get higher while adequate filler players like this get
older and ineffective as well as bleeding the bottom line.

NEW YORK METS
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Released LHP Kazuhisa Ishii; signed LHPs Darren
Oliver
and Pedro Feliciano, and RHP Jose
Parra
to minor league contracts with spring training NRIs. [12/19]

Non-tendered RHP Tyler Yates and OF-B Wayne
Lydon
, making them free agents. [12/20]

Signed OF-L Endy Chavez to a one-year contract. [12/23]

Signed RHP Chad Bradford to a one-year contract. [12/28]

Acquired RHPs Duaner Sanchez and Steve
Schmoll
from the Dodgers in exchange for RHP Jae
Seo
and LHP Tim Hamulack; signed 2B-R Bret
Boone
to a minor league contract with a spring training NRI. [1/4]

Designated OF-R Angel Pagan for assignment; signed Japanese
free agent RHP Yusaku Iriki to a one-year contract. [1/18]

Acquired RHPs Jorge Julio and John Maine
from the Orioles for RHP Kris Benson. [1/21]

Sold OF-R Angel Pagan to the Cubs. [1/25]

Omar Minaya might have had another fine winter when it came to playing for
high stakes, but it looks like he’s screwed up some of the little stuff
again. Dumping Benson, and more importantly, Benson’s expense, might make
sense, but it might have encouraged the team to hold onto Seo instead of
dealing him for a bit of waiver bait like Sanchez and a possibly adequate
sidearmer like Schmoll. Yes, I know that the deal should mean that
Aaron Heilman is going to move back into the rotation,
which I’d qualify as a very good thing, but there’s still the matter of why
anyone should be counting on Victor Zambrano at this point,
and I wouldn’t invest a whole lot of hope in Yusaku Iriki
this early on. Perhaps Maine can help with that, but there’s still the
matter of how much hope is being invested in Sanchez to be something more
than an innings eater, as well as the now-standard bit of wishcasting that
Julio is another pitcher that Rick Peterson will fix. If Julio and Sanchez
both falter, what happens then? Does Heilman go back to the pen, and will
the pitching staff then start faltering by the slow bleeding caused by too
little excellence and too few alternatives? It’s bad enough that they have
to go through the rigamarole of a fight between Boone and Kazuo
Matsui
at second base, but hopefully Anderson
Hernandez
or Jeff Keppinger will impress Willie
Randolph early enough to prevent the Mets from really hurting themselves.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
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Outrighted RHP Aquilino Lopez to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre;
re-signed LHP Aaron Fultz to a one-year, $1.2 million
contract. [12/16]

Acquired RHP Ricardo Rodriguez from Texas as the PTBNL to
complete the Vicente Padilla trade. [12/19]

Non-tendered OF-L Endy Chavez, allowing him to become a
free agent. [12/21]

Signed RHP Ryan Franklin to a one-year contract. [1/5]

Claimed OF-L Josh Kroeger off of waivers from Arizona.
[1/6]

Signed RHP Brett Myers to a one-year contract. [1/12]

Signed OF-R Jason Michaels to a one-year contract. [1/16]

Acquired LHP Arthur Rhodes from the Indians for OF-R Jason
Michaels
. [1/27]

Signed INF-R Alex Gonzalez to a one-year contract. [2/8]

I can’t say I’m particularly impressed by this latest gaggle of Gillick
decisions. The formerly better Alex Gonzalez is a utility infielder at best,
and it makes the decision to spend real money on Tomas
Perez
stranger still. What does Gonzalez do that you couldn’t
reasonably expect from Perez or even Matt Kata? There’s
also no explanation as to what Rhodes is supposed to give this team that it
wasn’t already getting from Rheal Cormier and Fultz. And
why ditch Michaels on a team that might now have to rely on Shane
Victorino
as its fourth outfielder? Not that I don’t like Victorino
or mind the decision to move Michaels, but making the move just to acquire
Rhodes gave the Phillies a pitcher they didn’t need while seriously hurting
their depth.

The move that seems to have elicited the most criticism is the one I’m most
ambivalent about, picking up Franklin. Perhaps obviously, it’s a case of
Gillick signing up one of his former players (just as inking A-Gonz was).
I’m not convinced that Cory Lidle can make it through the
year, and do you really want to be in a situation where you have to have
Gavin Floyd put on the spot after last year’s disaster? And
if, for the sake of argument, Floyd looks great and wins a job in camp,
would it be so terrible to have Ryan Madson back in the
pen, at least until one of Floyd, Lidle, or Franklin falters? Maybe it’s
maddening to ponder that Franklin’s not really better than a lot of guys in
Triple-A, and the Phillies could have better spent the $2.6 million. But in
terms of the market, if third starters are making Benson money ($7 million),
what did you expect a veteran fifth starter to get? Yes, Phillies fans and
the budget will be punished by Gillick’s act of loyalty, but it isn’t a
crippling mistake, just one of a more mundane variety.

There is one move I genuinely like, which was nabbing Kroeger on waivers.
Maybe I just haven’t worked up proper enthusiasm for Michael
Bourn
just yet, but Kroeger’s young enough and promising enough to
be the best outfield prospect in the system. Yes, damning with faint praise,
but Gillick recognized that he had play on his 40-man, and took advantage of
the D’backs taking a risk with theirs.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
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Signed RHP Roberto Hernandez to a one-year, $2.75 million
contract. [12/15]

Signed RHP Giovanni Carrara to a minor league contract
with a spring training NRI. [12/28]

Signed UT-R Mike Edwards and SS-R Gookie
Dawkins
to minor league contracts with spring training NRIs.
[12/29]

Signed 3B-R Joe Randa to a one-year contract. [12/31]

Signed OF-L Jeromy Burnitz to a one-year contract with a
mutual option for 2007; designated INF-R J.J. Furmaniak for
assignment. [1/4]

Outrighted INF-R J.J. Furmaniak to Indianapolis, but
invited him to spring training; signed OF/1B-R Craig Wilson
and LHP Oliver Perez to one-year contracts, avoiding
arbitration. [1/16]

Signed RHP Kip Wells to a one-year contract, avoiding
arbitration. [1/17]

Signed RHPs Terry Adams and Jorge Vasquez
to minor league contracts with spring training NRIs. [1/18]

If there’s a team I’m disappointed with this winter, it’s Pittsburgh.
Attendance is going down, and what does the team do? Pick up veteran rentals
with no chance to elevate this team to 75 wins? Randa? Burnitz? Casey? What
does that sort of lineup do? Cash checks? Lose games by just a little bit?
Keep fan favorites like Craig Wilson, a genuinely worthwhile ballplayer in
the first place, on the bench? Sure, replacing the likes of Jose
Mesa
with Hernandez is an upgrade, but when you’ve dialed down your
self image to something along the lines of “we’re a lot like the
Royals, but in a prettier ballpark,” you’ve lost your way. How long can
you inspire season ticket holders with visions of name ballplayers you sign
up hoping to move one or two of them in deadline deals that you don’t always
pull off? “Who’s that at third base, Dad?” “If we’re lucky,
two PTBNLs and a game-worn Randa jersey, son. Kinda gets your heart to
racin’, don’ it?”

I’m well down the road towards believing that Dave Littlefield’s falling
into the same credibility sinkhole that devoured Cam Bonifay after a
promising start, and if the farm system is at least starting to produce a
few noteworthy talents, it is those ballplayers, Jason Bay,
and the Wilsons that the team should be trying to get people worked up
about, not firing up a debate on whether or not Casey will make people
forget Jason Thompson. I’m guessing no, but that’s because
Thompson did have a nifty 1982 season.

SAN DIEGO PADRES
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Signed RHP Doug Brocail to a one-year, $1 million contract.
[12/15]

Signed INF-B Mark Bellhorn and RHP Brian
Sikorski
to one-year contracts. [12/21]

Signed C-R Todd Greene to a minor league contract with a
spring training NRI. [12/31]

Acquired 1B-L Adrian Gonzalez, OF-L Terrmel
Sledge
, and RHP Chris Young from the Rangers in
exchange for RHPs Adam Eaton and Akinori
Otsuka
, and C-L Billy Killian. [1/4]

Signed RHPs Andy Ashby and Eric Junge, LHP
Alan Embree, INF-R Manny Alexander, 3B-R
Justin Leone, and OF-L Eric Valent to
minor league contracts with spring training NRIs. [1/12]

Claimed 1B-L Walter Young off of waivers from the Orioles.
[1/19]

Signed C-R Mike Piazza to a one-year contract with a mutual
option for 2007. [1/31]

Designated LHP Rusty Tucker for assignment; released C-R
Todd Greene. [2/3]

Some of what the Pads do grabs you on the spot as sensible on one or two
levels, the sorts of moves that help them win now while handicapping their
future. On that score, I particularly liked the trade with the Rangers.
First, there’s the challenge portion of the trade, in that the Pads are sort
of daring the Rangers to see if Young does as well as Eaton in the immediate
future. On that score, it’s a reasonable bet: Young outpitched Eaton last
year (posting a WARP of 4.3 to Eaton’s 3.1, a SNLVAR of 3.6 to 2.3, and a VORP of 24.1 to 8.0. It’s hard to believe Texas sees this as a real upgrade,
but there you have it. PECOTA forecasts Young to be about as valuable as
Eaton for the next three years, with WARPs of 3.4, 2.1, and 2.1 to Eaton’s
spread of 3.1, 2.3, and 2.2. As if that wasn’t benefit enough, it’s also a
deal that saves San Diego money, because while Eaton has arbitration
eligibility generating pay hikes for him both this year and next, the
Rangers had locked Young up through 2008 for a fraction of what Eaton will
make in 2006 alone ($4.65 million). So, as weird as it might seem to be
trying to contend with a rotation featuring a couple of ex-Rangers starters
(let’s not forget Chan Ho Park), the Pads seem to have
actually helped themselves through the exchange.

Then there’s getting Gonzalez in the deal as well. While you might think
Gonzalez as blocked in San Diego behind Ryan Klesko as he
was in Texas behind Mark Teixeira, Klesko is no Teixeira,
and the Padres can’t really afford to wait out Klesko’s cold spells the way
they have in the past. Also consider that Gonzalez is the most likely
beneficiary of almost any injury to a player in one of the lineup’s power
slots. If left fielder Dave Roberts breaks down, Klesko can
go back out to the outfield; enter Gonzalez. If Mike
Cameron
or Brian Giles get hurt, it’s the same
story: Roberts can move over to center or right, Klesko can move out to
left, and enter Gonzalez.

This sort of flexibility might suck if you’re Paul McAnulty
and you don’t want to spend the summer in Portland, and it might reduce
Sledge to a Mark Sweeney-style key pinch-hitting role if he
can handle that, but it’s the advantage of having some flexibility with your
position regulars, something that should create opportunities for Gonzalez
if he earns them, and even if Klesko doesn’t falter. After this year,
Klesko’s certain to be bought out, which creates a possible fight for the
job at first between Gonzalez and McAnulty in 2007, which isn’t a bad thing
to have on your hands. Getting Gonzalez on top of the benefits that swapping
out Eaton for Young certainly makes it significantly easier to live with
losing Otsuka, but relievers are relatively replaceable, and the Pads have
interesting guys like Brian Sikorski (back from Japan
himself) and Steve Andrade to look at.

Although the decision to sign Piazza might make you wonder what Kevin Towers
is thinking about his decision to trade away Mark Loretta
if Doug Mirabelli isn’t the answer behind the plate,
Piazza’s availability this late in the winter signing season was a
contingency the GM could not have reasonably anticipated. Nor could he have
expected to get Piazza for less than $3 million (he’ll get $2.75 million if
he reaches his playing time incentives). Piazza seems happy in that he’ll
have a lot of discretion in when he can play (and perhaps a sympathetic
manager in former catcher Bruce Bochy), and the plan seems
to be that Piazza might only start ~100 games. That creates a
larger-than-normal role for Mirabelli, so even if Piazza can catch that
much, there’s nothing wrong with being covered if the games the fading star
can’t catch. It does create the question of whether or not Bochy might carry
a third catcher at the back of the roster, but that’s for Dave
Ross
to lose sleep wondering about.

Then there’s the second base situation. Signing Bellhorn on the
reasonable chance he isn’t finished is a sensible no-risk move. He’ll be
thrown into the hopper alongside Bobby Hill and
Geoff Blum in the search for a veteran temp to man second
in case Josh Barfield isn’t ready yet, but each can fulfill
other roles as well, with Blum and Bellhorn both having enough experience at
third and short to make useful reserves, and possibly spot starters against
the league’s tougher right-handers for the slowing bat of Vinny
Castilla
. I guess the most I can say on behalf of Hill is that the
former Cubs prospect might still have use as a pinch-hitter after doing
reasonably well in that job with the Pirates in 2004, but I don’t really
consider him much of a challenger as much as an insurance policy in case the
other options fail.

Finally, don’t get worked up about the club adding Walter
Young
, potentially creating a trio of unrelated Young men on the
roster. Where Eric and Chris are locks, Walter seems likely to be the one
Young outrighted to make room for an NRI who has a good camp.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
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Acquired OF-L Steve Finley from the Angels in exchange for
3B-R Edgardo Alfonzo. [12/21]

Signed INF-B Jose Vizcaino to a one-year contract. [12/23]

Designated LHP Brian Burres for assignment. [1/3]

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
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Signed RHP Braden Looper to a three-year, $13.5 million
contract. [12/15]

Signed RHP Sidney Ponson to a one-year contract; signed
1B/OF-L Brian Daubach and RHP John
Riedling
to minor league contracts with spring training NRIs.
[12/21]

Signed 2B-R Junior Spivey to a one-year contract; signed
OF-R Juan Encarnacion to a three-year contract. [12/23]

Signed RHP Jeff Nelson to a minor league contract with a
spring training NRI. [1/16]

Signed RHP Jason Marquis on a one-year contract, avoiding
arbitration. [1/17]

If you missed Will
Leitch’s column on St. Louis
, you missed something, because there
is a problem here, and it ain’t just in Houston. Braden Looper, Juan
Encarnacion, Junior Spivey, and Sidney Ponson have all been disappointments.
Not just prospects down on their luck, peddling a story of a close relative
with lumbago to catch a break from an easy mark, but guys who have made a
bunch of money and come up well short of living up to expectations despite
all sorts of opportunities. These aren’t the guys that Tony LaRussa and Dave
Duncan have retreaded, these are the guys they usually get to beat because
they’re on the Cubs or clogging up the Reds roster or something. I don’t
mind the idea of trying to get by with Ponson if you hope he might get his
act together and pitch well for you in case Anthony Reyes
isn’t ready or if somebody’s going into the Cal Eldred
broken-down failed former prospect slot in the pen. But I also remember
LaRussa and Duncan hoping the same thing about Eric Show
once upon a time. Encarnacion could be adequate, but I don’t really see him
being a good replacement for Reggie Sanders, let alone Larry
Walker
, and I guess I’m prone to remembering LaRussa’s
“village idiot” showdown with Ruben Sierra when I
ponder Encarnacion’s proclivity for hacktasms at the plate and the
occassional on-field Merkle. Spivey isn’t the worst possible replacement for
Grudzielanek at second, certainly, but if anyone’s expecting him to be
something more than a fill-in who can hurt the occasional lefty and play an
adequate second, they’re going to be disappointed. Is this really the sort
of supporting cast you wanted to surround your core of Edmonds-Pujols-Rolen
with? As much ground as I expect a Clemens-less Astros team to lose, I’m not
sure if the Cardinals aren’t going to fall even further, creating all sorts
of hope in Wrigleyville and Milwaukee.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS
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Signed LHP Mike Stanton to a one-year contract. [12/24]

Signed RHPs Tony Armas Jr. and Ramon
Ortiz
to one-year contracts. [12/29]

Signed INF-R Jamey Carroll to a one-year contract. [1/4]

Signed RHP Luis Ayala to a two-year contract; signed OF-L
Michael Tucker to a one-year contract. [1/9]

Signed C-L Brian Schneider to a four-year contract and 1B-L
Nick Johnson to a one-year contract. [1/17]

Signed C-R Wiki Gonzalez to a minor league contract with a
spring training NRI. [1/24]

Signed 1B-L Daryle Ward and LHP Valerio De Los
Santos
to a minor league contracts with spring NRIs. [1/27]

Agreed to terms with RHP Felix Rodriguez on a one-year contract;
signed SS-R Royce Clayton and OF-L George
Lombard
to minor league contracts with spring NRIs; outrighted RHP
Francis Beltran to New Orleans. [2/2]

Signed RHP Steve Watkins and LHP Micah
Bowie
to minor league contracts with spring training NRIs; signed
LHP Oscar Alvarez and RHP Billy Sylvester
to minor league contracts. [2/3]

Signed RHPs Andrew Good and Anastacio
Martinez
and OF-L Mike Vento to minor league
contracts with spring training NRIs; signed RHP Justin
Echols
and RHP David Gil to minor league
contracts. [2/6]

Signed 1B/C-R Matt LeCroy to a one-year contract;
designated RHP Darrell Rasner for assignment. [2/8]

Signed LHPs Mike Bacsik and Jim Crowell
with spring training NRIs; signed 3B-R Brandon Larson to a
minor league contract. [2/9]

Sold INF-R Jamey Carroll to the Rockies. [2/11]

It’s a little hard to know what to make of the Nats’ moves. Should we really
expect them to get by with Armas and Ortiz in the fourth and fifth slots of
the rotation, and/or fighting with the equally unintimidating Ryan
Drese
for time on the mound? Yes, Ortiz will be better in RFK than
he was in Cincinnati, but everybody should pitch much better in Washington
than in a bandbox. An NRI like Kyle Denney might expect as
much, while making no great difference in terms of the Nats’ shot at
contending, which should already be seen as something of a dead letter.
Heck, I expect Rodriguez will do a wonderful job of resuscitating his career
with the decision to come to the Nats, and whether that makes him a deadline
deal reliever or gifts him with a more lucrative free agency next winter,
it’s a good move for all concerned.

As far as depth, things are a little more interesting. I definitely like the
decision to ink LeCroy to be Brian Schneider‘s
lefty-mashing caddy, and he can also fill in at first base for Nick
Johnson
now and again. I guess I’m a little curious about the
offense/defense balance, since LeCroy can’t stop the running game any better
than to shout out “Stop! Or I’ll say ‘stop’ again!” In a good
pitcher’s park, should you worry more or less about that? I suppose it
depends on who’s on the mound, but late in games, when that extra base might
make all the difference, you’re usually catching relievers, who might be
worse than your average starting pitcher when holding runners. I guess we
shouldn’t expect LeCroy behind the plate late in a game all that often in
the first place, but I wonder about the tactical balances to be struck.
Happily, if it’s a matter of trying to squeeze out another at-bat from him
against a lefty, you could always settle for a double-switch that puts
LeCroy on first if Johnson isn’t due up for a while. Should make for some
fun boxscoring and pondering at the ballpark, if nothing else.

What might not make quite so much sense is the team’s mass acquisition of
other backup catchers. There’s no real gain to trying to corner the market
on aspiring third catchers, so I’m not quite sure why the Nats had to have
Gonzalez, Brandon Harper, and Alberto
Castillo
, not to mention sometime-catcher Robert
Fick
. And all Michael Tucker does is give Frank
Robinson a slightly less terrible alternative to Ryan
Church
than Brandon Watson, this on a team that’s
also still taking Tyrell Godwin seriously enough to have
him on the 40-man, and still playing make-believe about Alfonso
Soriano
in the outfield. There are a lot of Bowden’s standard
last-chancers, guys like Larson, Ward, Lombard, or Bowie, not great
ideas or bad in themselves as much as symptomatic of the combination of
Bowden’s predilections and a cupboard left bare by Omar Minaya.

I suppose Nats fans might take solace that the decision to sign Clayton
gives the team a challenger to Cristian Guzman‘s dual role
of starting shortstop and worst regular, with the hope that if Clayton wins,
at least he might provide solid glovework. There’s still the matter of the
expense of having Guzman around, but another season like last year, and I
don’t think the Nats could pay a Korean League team to take Jim Bowden’s big
mistake off of their hands.

Thank you for reading

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