Observations from Spring Training

MESA - Next year is here. 

Or so the Cubs are hoping. They've tweaked and twittered with their lineup. Milton Bradley and Kevin Gregg in, Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood out.

After two straight seasons of being swept in the first round, Cubs GM Jim Hendry has decided his team was too right-handed to break the Billy Goat Curse, and has brought in the brittle Bradley to infuse some lefty life into the right-leaning Cubbies.

Lefty Mike Fontenot will start at 2B and switch-hitting Aaron Miles will also spell the infield, but will all the left-right, fair and balanced lineup in the world help the mounting expectations on the Northsiders to win a World Championship? 

Probably not.

But Jake Peavy sure would help. Check back in July on that front.

But for now, some random observations from a recent trip to Arizona, where the Cubs lost four of five games.

WHITE SOX: Jeffrey Marquez, who came over in the Nick Swisher trade, looks rock solid against the Cubs in Las Vegas as he continues to make his bid to be Chicago's fifth starter. Marquez threw three scoreless innings, giving up one walk and one hit, while striking out two. Marquez forced Alfonso Soriano to pop out twice on three total pitches. Look for him in AL only leagues now and a deep sleeper in mixed formats. Also, in deeper AL leagues, keep Gordan Beckham on the radar.

L.A. DODGERS: This team looks very mediocre offensively without Manny Ramirez, although Matt Kemp looks like the top-40 overall pick that most people are predicting. Some of his production depends on where Joe Torre slots Kemp, but against the Cubs, he recorded a single, stole a base and was caught one other time. So far, he's 3 of 5 in spring training SB, and has 2 HR, making another 20-35 campaign not too far fetched.

BREWERS: When you look up and down this offensive lineup, all you see is fantasy studs: Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart....shoot, even J.J. Hardy and Mike Cameron are useful mixed-league players. But against Carlos Zambrano, the Brew Crew was quieter than the Bratwurst in the Great Sausage Race. Try to get a piece of this offense if you can. But as far as the pitching staff, outside of Yovani Gallardo, don't waste your time.

RANGERS: Just a fun team to watch. And with Arlington as a pressure-cooker to play in, look for big numbers. Josh Hamilton is the biggest name and has forearms the size of tree trunks, although they're completely tattoed. Hamilton's story is quite inspiring, almost as much as watching him sign for 45 minutes before the game, posing for pictures with anyone who asked. Keep Chris Davis on your round 6-7 radar. And don't reach too high for Ian Kinsler. A 10th overall pick is plenty high enough.

ROYALS: Besides looking very short, Kansas City did very little to stick out. Alex Gordon has a cannon and is promising, but strip away his name and .260-16-59-9 is just not worth a top 150 pick, so don't reach. I tucked Mike Jacobs and his 32 HR 2008 campaign away on one of my auction teams for a buck.

Manny turns down Dodgers' latest offer

It's almost hard to imagine.

In an economy this bad, anyone would turn down a 2-year, $45 million deal.

But then again, it is Manny Ramirez.

After the Los Angeles Dodgers worked to restructure the deal to Manny's specifications (including making the second year a PLAYER option), the free agent dreadlocked one told L.A., naah, I'm good.

What?

Turn down a guaranteed $45 million in a time when it seems like 45 million are unemployed?

I sure hope Manny and agent Scott Boras know what they're doing.

Word is, they want to get paid what Manny is worth. Well, newsflash, he's only worth what a team is willing to pay.

The market has dried up faster than Tiger Woods' Match Play performance, and the Dodgers have come out and said they feel like they're negotiating with themselves.

This game of chicken doesn't appear to be ending any time soon.

Manny needs L.A. And L.A. needs Manny.

In the end, a deal will get done, but neither may be happy.

Fantasy Spin: The only really valuable Manny is one that's paid according to him. Is Manny a top 5 player? Possibly. Is he worth more than 25/1 or 45/2 at his age? Not in these economics. What may hurt his fantasy value most is Boras' inflated value of him. If Manny thinks the Dodgers are going cheap on him, there's a chance you could see Sulking Mannny and not NLCS Manny. And he difference is about two rounds in a fantasy draft. Either way, you can't expect him to do what he did in the last half of last year. He's not going to hit .350. That was a contract year and this will not be. Early-to-mid second round is the earliest I'd bite.

Coming soon: Look for a position-by-position fantasy preview, starting next week, just in time for your draft.

Dunny, Abreu go cheap; Manny too?

Alas, with pitchers and catchers reporting next week, some of the biggest names are finally getting signed.

The market for second-tier hitters predictably was going to be hurt by the economy, but who saw this coming?

• Bobby Abreu: Signed a 1-year, $5 million deal with the Angels today. What?!? This, from a guy who was looking for a 3-year, $48 million dollar deal back in November. I know, it includes some incentives, but talk about bargain basement time. Everything must go. I guess the thinking is, sign for one years, and hope the market rebounds in 2010.
• Adam Dunn: Signed a 2-year, $20 million deal with the Nationals. Nobody knew exactly where the Dunn market was, but for the only legit 40-HR guy in the game, this is equally stunning. Possibly more shocking is that he signed with the going-nowhere Nats. 

What does this mean for the Manny Ramirez market? Well, it's hard to know for sure, but if I was Man-Ram, I might be thinking twice about putting on that addition to the house. 

Yeah, right. He'll still probably come close to the 2-year, $45 million deal that the Dodgers offered a couple months ago. It's hard to undercut an earlier offer to a guy like Manny and expect him to perform. 

L.A. is the perfect fit. He knows it. The Dodgers need him desperately. It's just a big game of chicken between Scott Boras and the Dodgers and this time, I think Boras is going to have to blink first.

The Giants have shown some interest, but comments this week seem like they've cooled their interest and there's no other viable big-money match for Manny. Could he end up with less than 2/45? It's possible. The Dodgers may stick to the 1/25 approach that Boras scoffed at, seconds after it was put on the table.

Boras is excellent at creating an inflated market, but after the Dunn/Abreu signings, it's clear, there isn't a market.

The Cubs, who gave Milton Bradley 3 years, $30 million, have got to be shaking their head. Yes, Bradley gives you power/average/speed and is a good defender in right. But he's only played over 101 games twice in his career (since 2000). 

I'll take Dunn's five straight years of at least 152 games and 40 HR in a heartbeat over Bradley. Sure, Dunn strikes out three times a game, but stick that  .381 lifetime on-base-percentage between Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez and then who are you going to pitch around? And Abreu is an RBI machine and still has the speed Lou Pinella covets, even if his defense is slacking.

But this isn't a rant about the Cubs, more about Manny. Good luck getting that 3rd or 4th year. If Boras can pull this off, you'd better be putting an addition on his house. 

Fantasy spin: You can sufficiently take Adam Dunn off your keeper list now, unless it happens to be a 65+ keeper format. Playing in D.C. with a cast of characters, Dunn's production should easily dip to the 30-35 HR level with possibly less than 100 RBI. Couple that with a .240 average and he's no longer special. The only caveat is if you're league includes .obp, in which case you could justify making him a top 50 player, but nothing higher.

As far as Abreu goes, this might actually increase his value a tick. Sure, he doesn't have the Yankee lineup around him, but that one in Anaheim is just as intimidating and now he's in a system where they run at all costs. Look for Abreu to push 40 steals with similar so-so power numbers (20 HR, 105 RBI). But if he can stay healthy, you might be looking at a 2nd or 3rd round steal.

After Aroid report, who's to blame?

Not surprised.

That seems to be the general reaction of SI's report that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003.

Which doesn't make it right. It's just that the more names come out, whether it's Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, the more you realize that the steroid issue was so wide-sweeping in the late-90s and the earlier part of this decade, it's becoming a non-story.

So, Arod is really Aroid. Add another log on the fire. Yawn. Back to the Manny watch.

The fact that Arod admitted to doing performing-enhancing drugs in a Monday ESPN interview is actually the brightest part of this story. Baseball fans are forgiving of a lot of thing, but we don't like a phonie.

Please don't insult our intelligence with the insistent denials.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not condoning this. And I'm not advocating that 'roids were good for the game. Or that Arod is a hero because he came clean.

Here's the deal: The game knew what was going on and did nothing about it for years and years, while the home run ball exclusively saved its hide and padded its pockets with a revenue stream that no one could have imagined after the 1994 strike.

Talk radio and sports Internet sites have been rampant with the Aroid talk since news broke Saturday and that's exactly what it is - a talker. And it's a slow news day.

But as much as I'm not an Arod fan, seems he's not getting a fair shake here.

The 2003 test when he was with the Texas Rangers was completely anonymous and done just to get a percentage of how many players were actually using. Why the results were not destroyed is the most interesting part of this story.

I've been taking an unscientific poll trying to get an estimate of the percentage of MLB players who were using steroids before testing. The over/under is somewhere around 65 percent.

Think about all the players you've heard come out and preach about how wrong steroids are. How many have done that? Hmmm....

I remember John Smoltz speaking up once. And, um ... well ... uh, hmmm ... lemme get back to you on that.

If there were that many players who have always been clean, don't you think they'd be a little more vocal about this issue?

Is Arod guilty? With this report and admission, the answer is yes. And he's also guilty of lying to Katie Couric in a Dec. 2007 interview, which is exactly why Bonds is in so much hot water. It's not so much that he used 'em, but he lied about it.

And of course Bonds did so to a Grand Jury, which is just a scoch more serious than Katie Couric.

Why players don't come out and admit to using steroids is the biggest mystery. Those who have admitted it to at least some degree -- Pettitte, Giambi and Brian Roberts for starters -- are being treated with much more respect in the court of public opinion than McGwire, Bonds and Clemens who are clinging to their denial like saran wrap on a slab of Alaska Salmon.

I guess it's all about their chances of getting into the Hall of Fame. Popular opinion is that the old-timers voting will never enshrine someone who did performance-enhancing drugs.

But the rub is, that in the next two decades, it may be as high as 7 or 8 out of 10 players on the ballot have "experimented" at some point in their career. The real numbers we won't ever know.

That most were never caught is really not the issue.

The issue is that 1). It was more the rule than the exception and 2). It wasn't illegal. At least not by baseball's rules. So, why hold it against a player when it comes to the Hall?

If anything, blame baseball, and everyone who knowingly kept silent, for not cracking down sooner. Blame the game's greed of filling seats, selling merchandise and signing lucrative TV contracts at any cost.

That is, until Congress intervened. Had they not, we still might not have testing.

For years, MLB looked the other way.

It's about time fans do the same.

Let's move on.

Fantasy Spin: With your draft coming up in the next month or six weeks, you have to ask yourself what this will do to Arod's draft status. Do you drop him out of the first round?

With all the testing going on now, I doubt seriously, he's been using 'em in the past few years. And you saw what he did in 2007. Could that have been 'roid-inflated? Possibly. But the risks of getting caught are just too great. That was probably more about a contract year than anything.

A top-3 pick in most mock drafts, I wouldn't take Arod before 7 or 8 this year, not because his production will suffer because he's off the juice. But because of the pressure. Arod is one of the biggest image guys in the game and he puts tremendous pressure on him. With this news following him around this year, like a Springsteen roadie, you can only imagine many long 0-4 summer nights with 2 Ks.

Will he hit .290, 35 HR an drive in 110? Probably. But don't expect too much more.

Braves, Red Sox, Cubs getting busy

Let's go already. 

What has been a painfully slow offseason for second-tier free agents is starting to run wild, like a Lindsay Lohan Internet rumor.

The Braves and Derek Lowe have agreed to a 4-year, $60 million deal today and the Mets have dangled a reported 3-year, $30 million offer in front of Oliver Perez's nose.

With names like Sabathia, Burnett and Teixeira safely tucked away in pin stripes, it's the rival Red Sox who have started to spend fast and furiously.

Here's a break down of where some of the most active teams stand in their offseason shopping spree.

ATLANTA BRAVES: For some reason, they let John Smoltz walk after 21 years of service, for a somewhat measly $3 million. Boston offered Smoltz $5.5 million, while Atlanta's best offer was $2.5 million. Both had about $5 million worth of incentives, although Boston's were more realistic to reach. 

Either the Braves have suddenly gotten cheap (which doesn't seem to be the case with the Lowe signing) or they know something about Smoltz's shoulder (he's not due back 'til June 1). It's likely Smoltz will end up as an 8th-inning guy, so he probably isn't worth a gamble before the last couple rounds.

The Lowe signing gives the Braves a top-of-the-rotation starter, although some would argue he's not a true No. 1. At $15 million a year, he's probably a tweener between a 1 and 2 starter and given the economy, I'd say Lowe did pretty well. Especially for someone who turns 36 in June. Be wary, fantasy owners, and don't reach for a guy who has been mainly a journeyman who put together a fine contract season in hitter-friendly Dodgers Stadium against a very weak N.L. West. That ERA and WHIP might take a whippin' when you play the Mets and Phillies 19 times a year.

Adam Dunn has been linked to the Braves, but after the Lowe signing, I'm guessing the coffers are a little bare. A trade for current Yankees Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady is more likely. Either guy could be an every-day starter in Atlanta and be a nice 4th OF in mixed leagues.

The Braves still need starting pitching, so don't rule out a revisit to a Jake Peavy trade, but unless the new San Diego ownership brings down the price tag, don't count on it.

CHICAGO CUBS: The past week has been like Christmas Eve around Wrigley. One surprise after the other, mostly good, although we're hoping one or more of Jim Hendry's recent moves doesn't turn into a lump of coal in the stocking.

First, Mark DeRosa, possibly the Cubs MVP last season, was traded for three Cleveland Indians pitching prospects. Hmmmm. This, on its face is very bizarre, especially on a team that is as close to rebuilding as Harry Caray was to buying a 12-pack of O'Douls.

The same day the Cubs signed Aaron Miles, who put together a fine .317 average last year in regular duty for the Cardinals and as scouting reports go, can play every position DeRosa can, plus center field. Still, it's a definite power downgrade (4 HR, 31 RBI compared to 21 and 87), but the company line is Miles is coveted for his left-handed bat (he's a switch-hitter) and the Cubs save roughly $3 million this year. Miles and Mike Fontenot will battle, and possibly platoon, at 2B. Neither is worth a roster spot, unless you're in an NL format.

Of the three Indians pitching prospects, only Jeff Steven (the closer for the USA team in Beijing), who struck out 81 batters in 58 1/3 innings between AA and AAA, is deemed MLB ready.

Days later, the Cubs sent Jason Marquis and almost a million to the Rockies for RP Luis Vizcaino, saving almost $5 million in payroll.

The in-between-the-lines here is the Cubs are setting up another run at Peavy. They've cleared some cap room, opened up a starting slot and added some pitching prospects.

But with both the Padres and the Cubs ownerships in flux, we'll have to wait a couple more weeks, likely, before anything happens.

In the meantime, the Cubs inked Milton Bradley to a 3-year, $30 million deal. Do I like the deal? Not really. Yeah, Bradley led the A.L. with a .436 .obp in 126 games last year, but 106 of those were as DH, and since 2000, he's only played in more than 101 games one other time (141 games with the Dodgers in 2004). Not to mention the Cubs are his 7th team in 10 years. Red flag, anyone? Bradley's not someone I'm willing to pay market value in an auction draft.

Personally, for similar money you could probably have signed rather Adam Dunn, who has played at least 152 games the past five season and sports a career .381 obp. But at least the Cubs can turn the third year into an option if Bradley breaks down bad this season.

Under the radar, the Cubs signed Joey Gathright to a 1-year, $800,000 deal to be an extra OF and late-inning pinch runner/defensive replacement. Not only does Gathright have wheels, he can jump over cars. Seriously.

Another possible signing for the Cubs is Japanese lefty Ken Takahashi, which if this happens, you can almost bet he'll be known as just "Ken" around the Friendly Confines.

Why sign another reliever? Quite possibly, simply to give Kosuke Fukudome some company in the clubhouse. The Cubs have three more years and $36 invested in Fukudome and if it helps make him more comfortable, it might be worth it.

Takahashi, er, Ken, is shown here with a blazing 142-km fastball. OK, it's not that great once you convert, just 88.6 mph, but with a 123-km change-up (76 mph), he looks great ... at least in this Japanese League game:

RED SOX: Finally, the team that seems to be the most active in the past five days is Boston. Almost as if GM Theo Epstein has money to burn after missing out on Teixeira, Boston has signed mostly insurance guys in Smoltz, Brad Penny, Rocco Baldelli and Takashi Saito. 

If there's one common thread in all these signings, it's that they're all high risk/reward guys under market value given heavy incentive-laden contracts. Each name has plenty of fantasy relevance attached to it and if just two of the four signings work out, Epstein will come out smelling like a rose. If I had to guess, Penny might be the one who ends up with the most fantasy impact in 2009, followed by Baldelli.

MANNY RAMIREZ: This is turning into a two-team game of poke between the Giants and the Dodgers, with Scott Boras the dealer. My guess here is the Giants are not as desperate as the Dodgers and are just making sure they don't get him for a song. Of course, with old-timers Randy Johnson and Jason Giambi in the fold, the Giants may want Manny to help round out the shuffleboard game.

Burnett to Yanks; Peavy deal dead

Just when you thought the Yankees had made their big splash, a second cannonball has landed.

New York and A. J. Burnett have just agreed to a 5-year, $82.5 million deal, merely hours after the Yanks opened the coffers to sign C.C. Sabathia to a 7-year, $161 million contract. 

First-name initials must be all the buzz in the Bronx this offseason. Too bad B. J. Ryan wasn't available.

The scary part after these two signings is that the Yankees might not be done. How can that be, after cutting checks worth $243.5 million in the past 48 hours? Consider both Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi had huge contracts both come off the books.

And don't forget the Yankees open up a new revenue-streaming stadium in April. 

But even with the deepest pockets in pro sports, landing a third big fish, Mark Teixeira, is probably not doable. Teixeira reportedly has 8- and 9-year offers on the table from Baltimore and Washington in the $150-$160 million range and the Red Sox are said to be serious bidders as well.

Look for Teixeira, a Maryland native, to sign with either the Red Sox, Orioles or Nationals -- probably in that order -- as the Angels appear to be both too far from home and not desperate enough to hand out a 10-year deal, which Teixeira reportedly covets.

The aging Yanks, however, will still try to upgrade their lineup as a Melky Cabrera-Mike Cameron swap is very possible. A Robinson Cano-Matt Kemp swap has also been rumored.

Peavy-Cubs deal dead: In the end, Cubs GM Jim Hendry just couldn't justify adding to the already bloated payroll of the Cubs, without adding the coveted left-handed bat. 

The sticking point in a complicated three- or four-team deal was how much money the Cubs would have to eat of Jason Marquis' $9.5 million contract.

As a Cubs fan, it pains me to see the Cubs getting cheap, right at the doorstep of adding one of the Top 5 pitchers in baseball. After all, what is the best way to get out of the first round? Exactly. Elite pitching.

But I understand the ownership situation is dicey at best. And I would love the chance to land a Brian Roberts or Rafael Furcal, although it sounds like Milton Bradley is the most likely bat headed to the Windy City.

Phillies sign Ibanez: The biggest news out from the World Champs had been Cole Hamels calling the Mets, "Choke artists," until Philadelphia shored up its outfield by giving Raul Ibanez a three-year, $30 million contract.

Indians close with Wood: Talk about a deal taking forever to close. Sounds like this deal is done, just held up by Kerry Wood passing a physical, which is no small feat. Terms are reportedly $20 million over 2 years, with a third-year option.

In other news: The Blue Jays are buying into the Matt Clement comeback trail, giving the rotator-cuffed pitcher  a minor league contract... the Orioles are trying to move the control-plagued, strikeout phenom Daniel Cabrera ... a Julio Lugo-Eric Byrnes deal fell apart, probably after the Diamondbacks looked at splits of Lugo last season ... on a related note, Felipe Lopez, who was a stolen base fool for the Reds before falling off the fantasy map in Washington, signed a one year deal worth $3.5 million with Arizona to replace free agent Orlando Hudson ... the Indians tendered a contract for C Kelly Shoppach and why not after the backup catcher hit 21 HR, filling in for Victor Martinez ... the Cubs, Rays, Angels and Dodgers expressed interest in RBI-machine Bobby Abreu, although the Angels and Dodgers appear to have a glut in the OF, especially if the Dodgers sign Manny Ramirez, who is reportedly miffed at the lack of offers flooding in ... the Mets traded for J.J. Putz on Thursday, giving them possibly the best back end of the rotation, after having arguably the worst before the week began. 

Yanks sign Sabathia; Peavy to Cubs?

Really, not much has transpired since the end of that wacked-out World Series. 

Until the past 24 hours, that is.

The Winter Meetings usually yield some big-name free agent signings and like clockwork, this morning, sources say the Yankees have signed C.C. Sabathia, the most coveted free agent pitching prospect. The deal is worth $161 million over 7 years, which would be the largest deal ever for a pitcher, fourth largest for any player.

There had been so much talk that Sabathia wanted to go to the left coast. Of course, by most accounts, no team could offer him more than $100 million. So now with the extra money, he can just buy a private jet to fly to his northern California home. Sheesh. So much for the downturn in the economy.

Fantasy spin: Not a huge fan of Sabathia, after the Brewers rode him into the ground, throwing him approximately 4,000 innings in the month of September. Weight has also been an issue for Sabathia and you wonder if the new contract will impact his size and/or effectiveness. Still, pitching for the Yankees, he'll undoubtedly be a top 5 pitcher in almost every publication, starting in a couple weeks. I'd stay away, unless he drops outside the top 10.

K-Rod to Mets: So, a three-year, $37 million deal for former Angels closer Fransisco Rodriguez, who set the saves record this year with 62? This is about half the money K-Rod wanted, according to initial reports. Call it a perfect storm that cost him a fortune. Economic downturn. Glut of free agent closers. Few suitors from big markets. And truthfully, the Mets were bidding against themselves on this one. There is a $14 million, fourth-year vesting option, which sounds tricky, but even still, the Mets have immediately upgraded their bullpen and with one signing are suddenly the favorites in the NL East again.

Fantasy spin: Closers are so interchangeable in fantasy, I wouldn't waste a top pick here. K-Rod was fourth or fifth on most expert's lists going into 2008 and he finished with 62 saves. Nobody saw that coming. And nobody will be shocked if he only saves 35 for the Mets, which could happen as the Angels' small ball mentality tends to maximize save opportunities, which reminds me, don't sleep on whoever wins the Angels closer job. Could easily be 50 saves this year and he'll probably be cheap.

Peavy to Cubs? Well, not just yet, but no rumor has had more legs and a longer shelf life than this one. I've never seen a GM be so forthright to try to trade a player to one specific team. Partly because Peavy has a very limited no-trade clause and the Braves backed out and decided to pick up Javier Vazquez (cough, bit mistake), from the White Sox. Only the stock market sank lower than Ozzie Guillen's faith in Vazquez down the stretch.

But back to Peavy. The latest rumor has the Cubs, Padres and Phillies set to pull off a three-way deal. These are tricky, but occasionally done, as opposed to fantasy, where I've never seen it happen, despite many attempts. The skinny: Peavy goes to the Cubs; Jason Marquis to the Padres (with the Cubs eating half or more of the $9.5 million owed). Mark DeRosa goes to the Phillies, who in turn send the Padres more pitching prospect and possibly a top catcher prospect.

Let's see: Peavy for Marquis and DeRosa....uh, where do I sign? Yes, Peavy had a stint on the DL, but when you check out his stats the past four seasons, the guy has simply been the best pitcher in baseball not named Santana. DeRosa was money last year and is a nice, sturdy, flexible player. Marquis had his moments the past two seasons, mostly mixed. If the Cubs can pull this off, someone needs to just go ahead and mail Jim Hendry GM of the Year award.

Fantasy spin: Won't spend too much time, since it hasn't happened yet, but uptick Peavy slightly as a 20-win season becomes a legit possibility. His ERA/WHIP might take a hit, though, going from Petco to Wrigley.

Wood to Indians? Keeping it close to Wrigley, the Cubs closer Kerry Wood is now a free agent after the Cubs decided they had other pressing needs (and capable Carlos Marmol locked up). The Cleveland Indians, who have tried 75 options in the past two seasons at closer, are close to giving Wood a two-year deal with a vesting option (argyle, I presume). Nobody knows the exact terms, but the Detroit Free-Press says it's worth around $20 million. Not sure why they're the only ones reporting this.

Fantasy spin: Mid to late rounds, after all the name brand guys are gone, take a flier on Wood, but temper the expectations. Wood has been to the DL so often (12 times), I think he's built a summer home there.

Other tidbits: Mike Lamb re-signed with the Brewers....the Dodgers gave Casey Blake $17.5 million over 3 years and Mark Loretta $1.25 million over 1 year ... the Rockies are close to locking up former A's RP Alan Embree ... the Orioles sent Ramon Hernandez and between $2 and $3 million to the Reds for Ryan Freel, which has to have Cincy fans holding their breath, hoping that surely, they're not putting their trust in Corey Patterson.

There's also a bazillion rumors out there, 85 percent of them never come to fruition, but I'll be reporting on the key chatter as the Hot Stove season really heats up.