Cubs Interested In Crosby?

The Cubs have some interest in Athletics shortstop Bobby Crosby, the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting. The Cubs have several options up the middle, so the A's would probably need to eat most of his 5.25 million dollar contract. Crosby hit .237 with 7 HR in 145 games for the A's last season, and made 17 errors at shortstop. I expect the Cubs to play this one slow, hoping the A's will release him. Stay tuned.

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Cardinals Looking For A Lefty?

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Cardinals are looking for a lefty compliment to Trevor Miller. With Dennys Reyes closing in on a deal with an unknown team - not the Athletics - expect remaining lefties Joe Beimel and Will Ohman to sign relatively soon. The Phillies, Cardinals, and Athletics are the known teams eying a lefty, so the next signing could trigger deals for Ohman and Beimel.

The Phillies recently made an offer to free agent lefty Will Ohman, and the Cardinals have shown interest, but have yet to join the Pirates, Marlins, and Padres, all of whom have made an offer. I expect Reyes to have a deal done by next week, with the remaining lefties signing soon after.

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Manny, Dodgers Close In On Deal

UPDATE 2: MLB.com is reporting that the Dodgers and Manny Ramirez have agreed to a two year deal worth 45 million dollars.

UPDATE: ESPN.com has retracted the story after Scott Boras denied the report. Manny is in fact flying to Los Angeles to meet with Dodgers executives and hopefully sketch out a deal to get Manny in Dodger Blue by the weekend.

ESPN.com's Enrique Rojas is reporting that the Dodgers and Manny Ramirez are closing in on a two year deal, worth 45 million dollars. If the deal goes through, Ramirez should be in camp with the Dodgers Wednesday. Boras finally pulled the trigger when he knew the price was starting to seriously fall. The Dodgers can't be too upset by this outcome. They got him for the price that worked for them.

I think Ramirez may be out to prove some people next season that he was worth all the money. All eyes will be on Dodgertown tomorrow when Manny reports to camp. And I wouldn't be surprised to see that Dodgers season ticket sales are up by the end of this week. 

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Blue Jays Interested In Crosby

The Blue Jays, who pursued shortstop Orlando Cabrera in a sign-and-trade deal with the White Sox, would like a potential starter to play shortstop. Crosby, who last season hit .237 with 7 HR 145 games for the Athletics, won the Rookie of the Year in 2004. However, Crosby has never carried much of an average, and his power numbers steadily declined. Injuries have been a factor in his development, and his defense hasn't given teams reason to pursue him. 

The Blue Jays currently have Marco Scutaro starting at shortstop, so expect them to make a move by Opening Day. They did inquire about now Mariners infielder Ronny Cedeno when he was with the Cubs, as with Jack Wilson of the Pirates. In December, GM J.P. Ricciardi told me that the Blue Jays have virtually no money to spend. With the economy worsening, and the Blue Jays already forced to cut jobs, it is likely that they cannot take on too much extra payroll.  

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Mets Interested In Pudge?

Newsday is reporting that the Mets are still interested in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez. The Mets are worried about current backup Ramon Castro's durability, and believe Rodriguez would better compliment the lefty Brian Schneider. Rodriguez is a great leader and would definitely have an impact on some of the Mets' young pitchers. Last season, Rodriguez hit .276 with 7 HR in 115 games for the Yankees and Tigers. 

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2009 Detroit Tigers Projection

DH Gary Sheffield

.252 AVG, 18 HR, 55 RBI

C Gerald Laird

.266 AVG, 9 HR, 44 RBI

1B Miguel Cabrera

.318 AVG, 38 HR, 132 RBI

2B Placido Polanco

.313 AVG, 8 HR, 57 RBI

3B Brandon Inge

.235 AVG, 15 HR, 62 RBI

SS Adam Everett

.222 AVG, 3 HR, 32 RBI

LF Carlos Guillen

.294 AVG, 14 HR, 74 RBI

CF Curtis Granderson

.288 AVG, 26 HR, 75 RBI

RF Magglio Ordonez

.311 AVG, 23 HR, 109 RBI

SP Justin Verlander

13-9 W-L, 4.16 ERA, 152 K

SP Armando Gallarraga

9-11 W-L, 4.58 ERA, 146 K

SP Jeremy Bonderman

8-9 W-L, 4.34 ERA, 116 K

SP Edwin Jackson

12-10 W-L, 4.65 ERA, 128 K

SP Dontrelle Willis

8-12 W-L, 5.05 ERA, 103 K

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Quick Hits: Atkins, Schilling, Pena, Athletics

Quick Hits:

• Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins could be traded by the Rockies if he does not improve on his numbers, according to the Denver Post. While he 21 homeruns last season, his BB/K has dropped from 1.04 in 2006 to 0.40 in 2008. His extra base hits have dropped significantly, as has his OBP.  As for who would be interested, it is hard to say. The Astros would be smart to take a look at Atkins, despite a weak farm system.
• Free agent veteran Curt Schilling said he would be open to the idea of playing for the Cubs or the Rays, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting. Cubs manager Lou Piniella said he would be open to the idea and GM Jim Hendry said he would be willing to listen. Schilling in a big game pitcher who could help the Cubs at the bottom of the rotation.
• The Nationals are looking to unload some outfielders, and hope to move Wily Mo Pena, among others, by Opening Day. Pena could make for a decent reserve outfielder, but the Nationals would have to eat most of his salary for a deal to be made.
• The Athletics locked up Orlando Cabrera, but are closing in on an agreement with infielder Nomar Garciaparra, Buster Olney is reporting. Not only that, but they are in negotiations with free agent reliever Dennys Reyes. 

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Nationals President Kasten In Charge, For Now

Washington Nationals President Stan Kasten is taking over as GM during the Nationals search to find a replacement for Jim Bowden. Kasten has never been a GM, but was the GM of the NBA franchise Atlanta Hawks, and was the Braves' team President in 1999. Kasten has contacted several teams about possible trades, as well as the agent of Ryan Zimmerman to discuss an extension. 

Kasten would be smart to pick Mike Rizzo, who is very qualified and familiar with the organization. His ability to evaluate talent and experience with developing a franchise make him the perfect man for the job. Rizzo, who worked with the Diamondbacks for seven seasons, brought the Diamondbacks minor league system to the top after being ranked 29th in baseball in 2001.

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A's, Cabrera Agree To Deal

The Athletics and shortstop Orlando Cabrera have agreed to a one year deal worth 4 million dollars. Cabrera, assuming he passes a physical, will join the A's by the end of the week. Cabrera sat around all offseason waiting for an offer that never came. Most teams shied away from Cabrera because he would have cost them a first round draft pick. Cabrera is a Type-A free agent, so the A's will forfeit a second round pick in June's MLB Draft. 

Cabrera is an all around solid player who will make the Athletics a lot stronger. With Giambi, Holliday, Ellis, Cabrera, and several young outfielders behind some young promising pitchers, the A's could be in the hunt for a playoff spot. Cabrera hit .281 with 8 HR and 19 SB in 161 games for the White Sox last season, but is a .226 career hitter in Oakland in 137 at-bats.

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Manny, Dodgers Not Far Apart

SI.com's Jon Heyman is reporting that the Dodgers and Manny Ramirez are about 1.5 million dollars apart in negotiations. According to Heyman, Ramirez's offer to the Dodgers is a two year deal worth 43.5 million dollars while the Dodgers are holding at a two year deal worth 42 million dollars. Both deals include an opt clause after the first year, so the Dodgers may be holding out in hopes of using the 1.5 million dollars elsewhere.

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Orioles Sign Eaton

The Orioles and Adam Eaton have agreed to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, Roch Kubatko is reporting. Eaton, who was 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA in 21 games last season, was released Friday by the Phillies. If Eaton makes the team, he will cost the Orioles just 400,000 dollars.   

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Nats GM Bowden Resigns

Amidst controversy, Nationals GM Jim Bowden resigns. Although he maintained his innocence, he said he did not want to be a distraction. "I have become a distraction. Unless you are Manny Ramirez, there is no place for distraction in baseball. I want to be able to turn the page and I want this franchise to be able to have everybody, from the media to the fans, focus on what the game is about. It's about the players. It's about what happens on the field."

Bowden had a .439 winning percentage with the Nationals, but he lost 102 games in 2008, the worst in his sixteen year career as a GM. At this point, I suspect that Mike Rizzo is the leading in-house candidate. It is still early in Spring Training, and it would be better if someone familiar with the organization be put in charge. 

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