EVIL~! alkeiper

Cincy declines arbitration to Ruben Mateo, Reggie Taylor, and Russell Branyan. No surprises with Mateo and Taylor. They've shown little in the majors. Branyan might make a nice corner outfielder/backup third baseman for a club.

Red Sox released Gabe Kapler, Damian Jackson, Lou Merloni, Edwin Almonte, Scott Sauerbeck, and Jason Shiell.

Phillies won't offer arbitration to Valerio de los Santos, making him a free agent (credit mlb.com) Mariners are still awaiting an announcement. With their new GM at the helm, who knows what they'll do.

One among many, yes. Fortunately the O's seemed to have turned a corner the last few seasons.

What I mean is that the O's signed him based on a single good year he had the previous year. He hit well, played a full season, and the O's signed him without considering his past injury concerns or performance.

Well, he hit .334 the year before. Let this be an object lesson for teams signing players who suddenly have a great year in their mid 30s. They almost always regress.

They REALLY need to dump Segui. He does nothing but get hurt. I'd toss him out as a player to be named later and grab me a decent bullpen guy. I like Mora at third, I'd put Gibbons at first, Bigbie in left, Vlad in right and Cust as DH With Segui's $7 Million contract, I doubt the O's would get anything in return. Fortunately for the Orioles, he's a free agent after this season.

Non-tenders continue, as the Angels let Shawn Wooten go, and the Cardinals released Gene Stechschulte.

Batista is gone. Indications are Melvin Mora will play third next year. My tenative list shows David Segui at first, Larry Bigbie in left, Jay Gibbons in right, and Jack Cust as the DH.

Marvin Miller checks in on the A-Rod situation. Miller was the head of the Players' Association when they gained free agency. http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/reds...hs_in_on_issue/

Indians non-tender Danys Baez and Carl Sadler. Sadler's questionable as a big leaguer, but Baez is quite decent, now that he's kept his walk totals down. The Phillies expressed interest previously, but I think they've moved on. Still, he'll land somewhere. Orlando Palmeiro declined arbitration, making him a free agent. He's got no power whatsoever. I wouldn't go out of my way to sign him.

A's non-tendered Frank Menechino, Jeremy Fikac, and Mark Redman. Menechino has been quite pedestrian the last two years, so no surprise there. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Red Sox take a look. He can play multiple positions, and he's got good plate disapline at the very least. Jeremy Fikac posted great numbers at AAA Sacramento. He could be a nice middle reliever next season. Mark Redman is quite the surprise, seeing how the A's just traded for him. He could make a nice 4/5 starter for a team needing a little insurance.

I've got the O's rotation as..... Rodrigo Lopez Omar Daal Kurt Ainsworth Eric DuBose John Stephens Alot of youth in that rotation. Great potential, so their season could go either way.

It won't be until 2005 that even Hudson becomes a free agent. Zito and Mulder have another year after that. Rockies signed Jeromy Burnitz, and cut Jay Payton, Kit Pellow, and Scott Elarton. Payton is an interesting case, as he hit 28 home runs last year, albeit in Coors Field (15 were on the road though).

I could try drafting a center this time.

Doesn't the same situation apply to Manny Ramirez now?

I already dumped Mihms. LaFrentz I'm just sitting on because I can't replace him anyway, as he's already on my injured reserve.

In any case, its killing my team. My bench has two guys who aren't playing, and its really hampering my team right now.

Just as well. I'm tired of talking about it anyway. Hopefully the free agency talk heats up soon. Non-tender deadline is tomorrow, meaning teams can decline to offer contracts to players and make them free agents. Reports are that the Expos will let Orlando Hernandez go.

This is getting obscene. My team has absolutely collapsed, and the Bulls and Sixers refuse to put Curry or Iverson on injured reserve.

B.J. Surhoff declined the O's offer of arbitration. The O's have until Jan. 8 to sign him. The Braves signed Antonio Alfonseca to a one year contract. Alfonseca is generally criticized, but he's not a BAD pitcher. He's better than Roberto Hernandez and Jose Mesa at the least. He shouldn't close, but he could be effective as a middle reliever.

Well, as another pointed out, A-Rod is two years younger. And A-Rod's contract runs out a little after he turns 36. Plus, A-Rod is a better player with a higher walk rates, which means he's a better bet for future success.

I agree with your sentiment regarding Manny and Nomar, but I have to take issue with this statement. What's the guarantee Nomar will be as good when he's 35. He'll almost certainly decline somewhat. Giving Nomar an insanely long contract is the kind of thing that can bury the team, long term.

I've got news for you. A-Rod has made his team better every year he's been in the majors. His Mariners made the playoffs three times. As for the salary. The Rangers had a $90 million payroll their first three years with A-Rod. Subtract A-Rod's contract and you're paying the rest of the team around $68 million, which is more than the last two World Series winners spent. A-Rod is not a drag on the Rangers. He's been the best player in the league every year he's been on the team. What kills teams is guys who contribute nothing, not players like A-Rod. I missed the part where A-Rod ever DEMANDED a trade.

Kevin Millwood accepted arbitration and remains with the Phillies. I gotta say I'm very excited about the upcoming season. The Giants signed pitcher Adam Pettyjohn. After all he's been through, it would be nice to see him manage a comback. Pettyjohn's Story: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/200...jazayerli.shtml