Earning Their $100+ Million----Which Players Have, Haven't And Won't?

The whole Manny Ramirez saga has put the issue of salary and a player's overall worth into serious debate. Manny and his agent Scott Boras staged this power play to force the hand of

the Red Sox into either extending his contract or trading him; it's clear that Manny wanted no part of the two option years held by the Red Sox when he and Boras think that another $100 million is in the offing as a free agent after the season.
I went into which teams would have the money and the incentive to give Mark Teixeira (also represented by Boras) the $200+ million he's going to want as he enters free agency----Braves Should've Taken The Diamondbacks Deal For Teixeira, 7/30/08----but Teixeira is 28-years-old, is a Gold Glove first baseman and doesn't have the reputation for tantrums affecting his play like a Manny Ramirez does. Teixeira's going to get his money; it may not be the $230 million being suggested, but he's likely to get a deal that, in total with incentives and options, surpasses $200 million from someone and he'll probably perform well enought to justify it; but what about the other $100 million players in baseball? How many have, haven't or won't justify the money? Let's take a look:

Money Well Spent:

• Alex Rodriguez

You can say what you want about ARod as a person or as a post-season performer, but

the guy puts the numbers up in the regular season year-after-year and he'll go down as one of the best, if not the best, baseball player in history. He's been greedy for money, but he's gotten it, so it can't be said that he overestimated his monetary value. Supposedly pulled an end-around on Boras to return to the Yankees after opting out of his contract, but conspiracy theorists wouldn't be out of line to believe that the whole thing was part of a master plan the duo cooked up to get ARod a raise while tidying up his image----and it's worked to a point because ARod got his raise, stayed with the Yankees, and looked like he was acting as his own man rather than Boras's stooge.

• Derek Jeter

Jeter's mostly been known for intangibles, leadership and winning, but that diminishes the fact that he's been a great player. Because he's so well-respected and beloved for his on and

off-field exploits (accrued without ever embarrassing himself or the organization, unlike ARod), it's easy to forget what a career he's put together. The ten-year, $118 million contract he signed in 2001 has become a bargain.
The Yankees are going to have a dicey situation on their hands as Jeter's free agency begins to beckon in 2011. If Brian Cashman's still the GM, it's likely he'll want to keep Jeter's salary at age 37 within reason and he'll be emboldened because it looks like he was right about holding a hard line with Jorge Posada. Jeter isn't greedy, but he is proud and stubborn; while he probably realizes that he's not the player ARod is on the field, he'll want to be compensated fairly for his four rings and those intangibles even if his performance declines as he ages. The Yankees won't be able to stomach allowing Jeter to leave and finish his career in another uniform, but he would leave the Yankees if he had to. If Joe Torre is still managing the Dodgers, they're a landing spot and so is his hometown Detroit Tigers. The Steinbrenners won't let Jeter leave, so he's going to get paid at his advanced age as some sort of severance for his career even if it's unwarranted by recent performance; it's only fair.

• Manny Ramirez

The lovable character exemplified by the bizarre behaviors that resulted in his quirks being

justified as "Manny being Manny" has been transformed into a greedy, self-important, team-sabotaging jerk by his latest tantrum which resulted in the Red Sox dumping him and two prospects, plus a load of cash for Jason Bay. No matter what the latest image of Manny portrays, he justified every penny of that contract by helping the Red Sox win two championships and functioning as a bodyguard batting behind David Ortiz which helped create the legendary Big Papi. Despite all of his distractions, lazy fielding and jogging to first base----the incident against the Angels wasn't something new; he just jogged slower than usual----the numbers went up every single year and as much as the Red Sox want to say "good riddance", their front office is smart enough to know they're not going to replace his bat easily or cheaply.

• Miguel Cabrera

He'll be a DH by the time Gary Sheffield's contract expires (or possibly before); he's lazy and lets himself get out of shape if he's disenchanted by team performance, but despite adjusting to several new positions and a new and struggling team, he's still having a very solid year at the plate and will put up good numbers by season's end. Still only 25, the Tigers are going to get great production from him for the next eight years and by then, his $20+ million salary may seem reasonable. By next year, I'd expect a return to the MVP-quality Cabrera he was with the Marlins.

• Johan Santana

The Mets needed to get him to appease the fan base after the collapse of 2007 and he's been very good this year despite ill-informed criticism from the likes of Christopher "Mad Dog/Biggest Idiot In the World" Russo that Santana is "overrated". It sometimes takes a new player a year to get used to New York and Santana is still only 29 and keeps himself in great shape. This is in many ways a transition year for the Mets and once Santana's comfortable, he's going to dominate in years to come.

• Carlos Beltran

An example of a player who took a year to get comfortable in New York and began putting up the numbers. He gets ripped for what he isn't and doesn't get credit for what he is. Beltran's very reserved and streaky, but by season's end the numbers are on the board and he gets more big hits than people realize because they focus on his missteps in the clutch. He's still only 31, so he should perform through the length of the contract.

• Jason Giambi

Amid all the admissions and references to steroids and growth hormone, Giambi is still the biggest star to admit to using PEDs and he's played well after handling the roasting he got for telling the truth. I'd be curious to see how many reporters who advocated the equiavalent of a lynching for the beefy first baseman have apologized to him after his comeback. He's put up what the Yankees expected when they signed him despite the controversy and his injuries. Giambi will always be an on base machine and is well-liked in his clubhouse and throughout baseball.

• Carlos Lee

The gregarious El Caballo hits his 35 homers, drives in his 100 runs and is well-liked as a person, but he also gets on base; hits .300; doesn't strike out; is a better outfielder than he's given credit for; and plays hard. He won't get the credit he deserves until he's on a playoff team, but is a winning player.

• Albert Pujols

Forever an example of a player comfortable in his surroundings and willing to sacrifice $100

million to stay there. Pujols signed a seven-year, $100 million contract with a $16 million team option in 2011 to stay with the Cardinals. Pujols would get more money than Teixeira would as a free agent and could easily demand that the Cardinals renegotiate or force a trade. He'll deservedly be known as the anti-Manny/ARod to the point of shortchanging himself of a lot of money that he deserves.

Money Poorly Spent:

• Mike Hampton

The only positive thing about this stupid contract for the Rockies and GM Dan O'Dowd was

that he was able to get rid of it. $121 million for the pitcher who was likely the last big ticket free agent pitcher who decides to sign in Colorado, humidor or not. Hampton pitched well in the first half of his first season with the Rockies, but was subsequently terrible over the last year and a half with the team. Pitched reasonably well with the Braves in 2003 and 2004; missed most of the last three years with injuries. A contractual disaster in judgment and practice for everyone but Mike Hampton.

• Todd Helton

People get really angry when I have the audacity to mention the possibility that Todd Helton's massive numbers were aided not only by the air in Colorado, but by PEDs. I've said it numerous times, if a nice and socially concerned guy does something that pretty much everyone else is doing to keep his job and feed his family, then that doesn't make him a bad person a la Barry Bonds, who'd be a jerk if he'd never allegedly* touched steroids or HGH. I've never heard Helton's name metioned in any of the reports or accusations, but his power numbers have fallen off the cliff since 2004. The length of the contract makes it seem worse than it is; Helton's only making $16.6 million through 2010 and $19 million in 2011 when he'll be 38 and might not even be an everyday player anymore. The Rockies might be able to unload him for another team's bad contract before then.

• Ken Griffey Jr

Griffey's accomplishments will be appreciated more and more as the years pass and it's

recognized that he played clean in a dirty era, but he should never have left Seattle and if he did want to leave Seattle so badly, he should've accepted the deal to go the Mets after the 1999 season. He was injury-prone and dour in Cincinnati, expecting a hero's welcome and receiving lukewarm support for a hometown product. Griffey took short money to go to the Reds, but all involved would've been better off, financially and on the field, if he'd played elsewhere.

• Kevin Brown

Brown actually pitched very well in his three fully healthy seasons after signing with the Dodgers. He logged 252 innings in his first season and won 18 games in 1999 and 230 innings with 13 wins in 2000 while pitching well enough to win over 20 both years; he could also have won 20 in 2003 at age 38. This contract could possibly have worked out had Brown stayed healthy, but his stressful motion and back problems hindered him. Looking back, $105 million over seven years wouldn't have been an outrageous amount of money if Brown had stayed healthy and gotten more support; the Dodgers might've gotten four 20-win years out of him and it would've been seen as a smart signing. Brown's personality, which was prickly, was also a factor for critics of the deal. I don't think Brown was necessarily a bad guy, he was just intense and didn't like the press which gave them reason to rip the contract and the person.

Likely To Be Money Poorly Spent:

• Alfonso Soriano

Soriano is a bad, indifferent outfielder who keeps getting hurt. He insists on batting leadoff when he should move down in the lineup to take advantage of his power and is going to be making $18 million annually from 2011-2015 when he'll be between the ages of 35 and 39.

• Barry Zito

Zito's pitched better lately and his velocity has crept back up to the mid-and sometimes

high 80s, but the Giants are going to have to beef up their offense and hope that Zito has a career renaissance and return to his Cy Young Award winning form from 2002. It's possible, though unlikely, that Zito could provide a couple of 15 win years and make the contract easier to swallow if he learns to pitch with diminished stuff and is healthy.

• Vernon Wells

A disaster in the making and another example of Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi's ineptitude. Wells received a $25 million signing bonus with his $126 million, seven-year extension in 2006 to forego free agency; the contract also has a full no-trade clause. He'll only receive $10 million in 2009, but $21 million in 2010; $23 million in 2011 with----big surprise----the

Ricciardi-specialty, an opt-out of the contract after that season. Unless he becomes Willie Mays, Wells isn't going to opt-out of the rest of the contract, which will pay him $21 million annually in 2012,13 and 14.
This would be palatable if Wells was a $126 million player, but there are $100 million players (Pujols, ARod, Cabrera) and there are players making $100 million----there's a difference. And he's been injury-prone and just plain terrible since signing the contract; Wells dropped from 32 homers in 2006, to 16 in 2007 and 9 in an injury-plagued 2008. Extra moving boxes to be donated for the departure of J.P. Ricciardi should be addressed to:

Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club
1 Blue Jays Way,
Suite 3200, Rogers Centre,
Toronto, ON M5V 1J1

Paul DePodesta's Pretentious, Self-Serving Blog And Other Stories

• The best laid plans of the pompous and inept:

I've just about given up trying to understand how even the most ardent and determined Moneyball advocates can still defend Paul DePodesta and the Padres. No one has provided

any explanation----and it doesn't even have to be a good one, something would be welcome no matter how absurd----for his on paper and in practice ineptitude in not only working for the Padres, but in his time as the GM of the Dodgers. I'm not going to get into any conspiracy theories, but for Moneyball believers, who put so much emphasis on results over appearances, there has to be an agenda in defending the likes of DePodesta whose main attribute as an executive seems to be that he's one of them.
I was looking at his blog and besides the fact that it's pompous, condescending and simply boring (to quote Ball Four, his writing would "gag a maggot"), it's also delusional and self-serving. If I were team chairman John Moores, I would tell DePodesta to shitcan the blog and get to work and making the team that he helped formulate less of a laughingstock. I honestly believe that on the day he started the blog----May 9th----and the Padres were sitting at 12-23, he truly believed that the team, as constructed, was going to experience a "market correction" and end up at the top of the NL West standings and have a great shot at winning a championship.
I'm not throwing stones here because I too fell, in part, for the press coverage of how "smart" the Padres were; how they built an economical and structured team formulated to not only win but to make money, by looking past their drastically flawed roster and barren minor league system to pick them to finish at

79-83. There were credible people who picked them to win the World Series, so it's not a narrowly made mistake. Now, as the team has stumbled into a worst-case-scenario, there's little left for DePodesta and his defenders to do but repeatedly attempt to extol his virtues as an executive and try to find ways to promulgate the myth that the team is "building for the future".
They're building for the future with Greg Maddux. They're building for the future with Brian Giles. They're building for the future with Trevor Hoffman (who blew another game last night). They're building for the future with journeymen like Scott Hairston, Jody Gerut, Michael "The Right Hook" Barrett. They're building for the future alright----if it's the decaying wasteland from The Terminator films and the post-apocalyptic scenario.
His blog is agenda-driven and without any firm concept of reality. It would be refreshing if he openly said the words, "Y'know what? It took awhile for me to wake up to the reality, but this team's crud." Instead, we get reports on the minor league system and the Latin American free agent signees; we get professorial primers on the post-trading deadline ability to make deals by getting players through waivers; we get delusions and defense of the indefensible; and we get DePodesta increasingly functioning as the Padres front man which, mark my words, will result in current GM Kevin Towers being allowed to leave and DePodesta taking over as GM after the season. And I'm still waiting for a realistic defense of the Padres front office, but one doesn't appear to be forthcoming. Perhaps it's because no one could come up with one----even one that's patently absurd and unbelievable to even the most intense sabermetricians----because the results are on paper and in practice for all to see on a daily basis.

• Angels 1-Yankees 0:

The Angels were hot before they got Mark Teixeira and now they look even more

energized. That's one of the aspects of making a bold and somewhat risky move like the Angels made in getting a player like Teixeira that the sabermetricians don't appreciate and account for when they say that Teixeira's acquisition is only for the post-season because they've already won the division; it's a signal to the team that the organization is serious about going for it NOW!!! That they're jolting the roster with electricity because they believe in what they have and needed that one piece to win a championship.

Now, it may not work; there's every possibility that the Angels run into a hot pitcher like a Joba Chambelain or Jon Lester; or a young team that doesn't know any better and jumps into the playoffs fearless and unconcerned about pressure like the Rays and the Angels get bounced in the first round before they know what happened; but the signal was sent that the organization is in it to win it this year and that adds a spark like the Angels are experiencing since the trade.
On the Yankees side, they've run into that hot team and are getting caught in the crossfire, but it must be frustrating to get such a good performance from a guy like Sidney Ponson only to see it wasted. He has only so many good games in him and they have to win them when they get them.

• Rangers fire two coaches:

I'm starting to like Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels. First he impressed me by dumping the aforementioned Ponson while he was pitching well for them because he was causing trouble within the team and now he dumps pitching coach Mark Connor and bullpen coach Dom Chiti

to get a head start on next season when the Rangers might have a chance to contend if their pitching improves.
These moves may have come from the notoriously deliberate and ruthless Nolan Ryan, but it makes sense for the Rangers to do this now to give the new coaches----Andy Hawkins and Jim Colborn----a head start to look at what's there and what can be salvaged before deciding whom to keep and whom to dump. They're playing well and may finish over .500, but if their intent is to be in a genuine playoff race next year, they're going to have to straighten out or improve their pitching and letting the new coaches evaluate makes plenty of sense.
On another note, here's the clip taken verbatim from the Associated Press report on the firings on ESPN:

Rangers manager Ron Washington called the firings "the toughest thing I've ever had to be a part of. But sometimes you've got to go in a different direction."vf cbhngvfbnvcfvbhnm,vg

It makes perfect sense until the last----words? prayers? spells? chants?----I don't know what that last thing means. Is it some kind of code? Was Washington so broken up that he started muttering incoherently? Or did the reporter's cat walk across the keyboard and accidentally press "SUBMIT" before the story was done? Is it a way to send the fired coaches to another dimension so no one can hear their story? Any ideas? Anyone?

• More on the Brett Fav...ruh saga:

Brett Fav..ruh clearly has no motivation to preserve his legacy as the ultimate gamer (which was pretty absurd to begin with and more of a media creation than objective reality) if he's really thinking about taking the Packers offer of $20 million to stay away from camp and to stay retired----ESPN Story.
First, he has to have enough money to live like a king for the rest of his life with or without the $20 million that the Packers are offering. Second, either he wants to play or he doesn't; is

that money going to replace his desire to play football somewhere? Anywhere? Part of Fav...ruh's appeal to the masses was that he always looked like he'd be just as happy playing on a sandlot with four spectators as he would in front of 50,000 maniacs who wanted to coronate him at home, or kill him on the road. Now the desire to play is absorbed by money?
If he has any interest in retaining some shred of his reputation, he has to come back and play be it with the Jets, Bucs, Vikings, Packers or whoever; if he doesn't, he'll have tarnished his well-crafted image, perhaps beyond all repair if he hasn't already by considering the offer to begin with. So much for the simple, country guy who just wants to play football for the joy it brings him and his fans, who are probably becoming more and more disenchanted with their hero every time this story takes another embarrassing turn. And I don't need to see any weepy press conferences when he receives the check to stay away either.

Braves Should've Taken The Diamondbacks Deal For Teixeira

• Braves trade Mark Teixeira to Angels for Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek:
  

It's hard to criticize an aging, fading, injury-riddled team for getting some good return on a player that they weren't going to have past this season anyway, but if the choice for the Braves was between the deals offered by the Diamondbacks and the Angels, then they picked the wrong one.
The rumored Diamondbacks deal----Chad Tracy and Micah Owings for Mark Teixeira----is superior to what they got from the Angels in Casey Kotchman and minor league RHP Stephen Marek. Tracy has had injuries over the past two seasons that have curtailed his production, but he's been healthy since being activated in late May and his production should return to what he showed in 2005 and 2006 in which he hit 20+ homers and had solid batting averages and on base percentages; he can also play first and third base and the outfield. Owings has been terrible since his 4-0 start, but at the very least, he can be a middle-to-back of the rotation innings-eater assuming he's healthy. After his start on Monday in which he got pounded by the offensively-challenged Padres, Owings was sent to Triple A.

I'm admittedly not a fan of Kotchman. He doesn't have enough power for a first baseman or a player of his size (6'3", 215) and he's moving from one pitcher's park in Angels Stadium to another one in Turner Field. Eventually he'll perhaps develop into a consistent 20 homer guy or thereabouts. Minor league pitcher Marek is going to be 25 next month and was moved to the bullpen in Double A; his control has been good enough and he racks up the strikeouts. Keith Law writes on ESPN that Marek has a "bad body" and a delivery that isn't smooth. Unless Owings is hurt, the assessment of Marek and that he's still in Double A at age 25 as he's making the transition to the bullpen makes the decision to choose the Angels deal all the worse for Braves GM Frank Wren.
Teixeira fills a massive void in the Angels lineup and makes them genuine championship contenders instead of a team that wins their division then runs into the Red Sox in the playoffs and loses because of their lack of power. As good a player as Torii Hunter is, he wasn't the sufficient lineup bodyguard for Vladimir Guerrero that Teixeira is. The ballparks are similar enough that Teixeira's production for the Angels should be close to or better than it was with the Braves; he's a Gold Glove first baseman which also fits into the pitching and defense philosophy that permeates the Angels organization. It's not going to hurt that he's entering a situation where the team has needed a basher for years and he's well-suited to be the missing piece to lead them to a championship; this should also appeal to Teixeira's desire to get paid after the season when he enters free agency.
Considering Teixeira's free agent status after the season is a major factor as well.
Teixeira's agent is Scott Boras and there's never been any pretense with the player regarding where he wants to play and whether or not he'd be willing to take a "hometown discount" to go anywhere. He wants his money and in an era where the players who feel the same way are using a public relations spiel to justify where they end up (it's usually with the team that offers the most money), Teixeira has never implied any intention of signing with a team that doesn't offer him the best deal and that's refreshing.

The problem he's going to have is that there are only a very limited number of teams that have the ability to pay him what he's going to want; and even fewer teams that are willing to pay him the money he's going to want. Jayson Stark is reporting on ESPN.com that Boras's initial demand is going to be for an ARod-like (of 2000 anyway) $230 million over ten years. The teams that could meet the asking price are as follows: the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, White Sox, Tigers, Angels, Rangers, Mariners, Mets, Phillies, Cubs and Dodgers. Going one-by-one, how many would be willing to meet that asking price?
The Yankees are a possibility considering the money that's coming off the books after this season, but it's hightly unlikely if Brian Cashman is still the team's GM. In looking at the way the team has functioned since Hank Steinbrenner took over, Cashman has had his judgment usurped several times in the off-season, specifically with Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada and it looks like Cashman was right about not committing four years to Posada. Other than that, despite Hank's bluster, he hasn't really interfered with the running of the team; there was the move of Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation, but they were going to do that with or without Hank demanding it. If Cashman is still the Yankees GM, he won't want to have another $200 million player especially as he's trying to pare down salary.

The Red Sox aren't going to go that high either, but they're a workable option if they do finally move on from Manny Ramirez; Kevin Youkilis could play left field just as adequately as Manny does. Teixeira's from Maryland, but as said before, he's not giving the Orioles a discount and baseball boss Andy MacPhail seems to break out in hives at the mere suggestion of committing so much money to one player; plus the Orioles are about three years from contention, so what do they need Teixeira for?
The Tigers have some money coming off the books and a spot open at first base since they've moved Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Guillen all over the chess board this season, they could move him to the outfield next year; they're a possibility. The White Sox aren't going to go as high as Boras wants, but if they can unload Paul Konerko and decline Jim Thome's option, they've got the holes and the money available if the price comes down. The Angels aren't going to meet Boras's asking price either and whether or not Teixeira likes playing in Anaheim won't enter into the equation (he liked Atlanta as well), but he might end up staying there. Forget the Rangers and if the Mariners are starting a rebuilding project, they don't need Teixeira. The Mets are starting to look likely to pick up Carlos Delgado's contract option and aren't paying an outsider $200 million to anger David Wright and Jose Reyes; they also just gave Johan Santana $137 million and the vault for those massive long-term deals is closing for the Mets. The Phillies and Cubs don't need him; and the Dodgers aren't going to pay another player that amount of money after the Andruw Jones disaster.
Teixeira's problem with seeking such a monster contract isn't only the limited number of teams that can pay it, but that some of those teams might pull themselves out of the bidding because they already have a first baseman or they might look at how the Braves didn't contend with Teixeira, so why would he be worth that kind of money to begin with? Winning a title will only help his cause though and for a team like the Angels, he's exactly what they needed to protect their big hitter and supplement that great pitching staff by adding a proven run producer and they didn't give up all that much to get him.

• A quote from The Sopranos that fits the Jarrod Washburn situation:

Buster Olney linked a Seattle writer, Larry LaRue, who suggests that the Mariners shouldn't give away a pitcher like Washburn who's, "a potential No. 3 or No. 4 starter next year". This assertion reminded me of the next-to-last episode of The Sopranos as the Lupertazzi crew plots the assassination of the Sopranos family's upper managment team:

Butch DeConcici: Tony Soprano, obviously. Plus Silvio Dante, and we think, Bobby

Baccilieri.
Ray Ray: That mortadell's number three? He used to be Junior Soprano's driver.

I couldn't help but think of this quote at the mere suggestion that Jarrod Washburn would be a number three starter considering his performance (the last two months notwithstanding) over his time with the Mariners. If they think he's going to be a number three starter for any team other than one that's going to win a max of 73 games, they're kidding themselves; if someone offers to take the contract, the Mariners should jump at the chance no matter what's coming back.

Predictions (Guesses) As To Who Will And Won't Get Traded (And Where) By July 31st

Here are my guesses as to who gets traded where and who doesn't get traded at all:
Will Be Traded:

• Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Cairo, Seattle Mariners to New York Yankees:

I have to believe that cooler heads will prevail, the Mariners will lower their demands just to get out from under Washburn's $9.375 million contract for 2009 and send him to the Yankees

for whatever the Yankees want to give up. The question with Washburn is whether his performance since early June is to be believed or if the mediocre-to-bad pitcher he's been since joining the Mariners is the reality; my guess is that it's the former and the Yankees would be hoping to get some use out of him to win right now. They'd probably be better off just keeping what they have and seeing what comes available during August as more teams fall out of contention and look to shed salary.
There was talk that the Mariners would send both Washburn and Jose Vidro to the Yankees for Kei Igawa, but that was just to match up salaries. I think the Yankees would like to have Cairo back given his history with them and the success the Yankees have had with veteran utilitymen (Luis Sojo, Cairo) who provide surprisingly clutch hits in the post-season.

• Arthur Rhodes, Seattle Mariners to New York Mets or Chicago Cubs:

I think the Mets are still thinking about how Rhodes came into the game against them as an emergency closer on June 23rd and blew away both Carlos Delgado and Damion Easley as the tying runs at the plate. I also think that the Mets are concerned about Pedro Feliciano's struggles this season and Rhodes is a playoff-tested veteran.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella relied heavily on Rhodes while managing the Mariners and would presumably love to have him again for similar reasons as the Mets would want him.

• Raul Ibanez and Miguel Batista, Seattle Mariners to Arizona Diamondbacks:

Ibanez is a lefty bat who hits for power and Batista has already had two stints with the Diamondbacks, and is known and well-liked in Arizona. The Diamondbacks have the organizational depth to make a bigger splash and have been spoken of as landing spots for the likes of Mark Teixeira, but Ibanez should become cheaper as the deadline gets closer. I would think that the Mariners would kick in some money just to get Batista out of town, especially if they unload Washburn first.

• Kevin Millar, Baltimore Orioles to Florida Marlins:
  

Millar is a gregarious veteran who's won before and was a popular member of the Marlins earlier in his career. He's a dangerous righty bat who can play first base and the outfield and wouldn't cost much in terms of players or money and is a free agent at season's end.

• Chad Bradford, Baltimore Orioles to St. Louis Cardinals:

The Cardinals desperately need some bullpen help and Orioles president Andy MacPhail probably wouldn't mind hurting his former employers the Cubs by sending the Cardinals an unsung veteran reliever with post-season experience. Bradford's signed through next season at $3.5 million. The Cardinals also need to do something to placate an increasingly frustrated manager Tony La Russa; he's not going to stick around forever with a team that doesn't want to spend any money to improve at mid-season when he's doing what is perhaps the best managing job in his long and storied career.

• David Eckstein, Toronto Blue Jays to Los Angeles Dodgers:
  

The Dodgers have been scouring the big leagues for a shortstop to replace the injured Rafael Furcal. They've been focusing on Jack Wilson from the Pirates and checked in on the likes of Edgar Renteria, but they'd be better off with a fiery, post-season hero like David Eckstein who wouldn't cost that much, but would be a huge pickup for the stretch run.

• Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds to Los Angeles Angels:

The Angels are saying that they're likely to stand pat, but they're going to need another bat to get past the likes of the Red Sox in the playoffs and Dunn wouldn't cost much in players, can play first base, the outfield or DH and would slide neatly into the Angels lineup while being comfortable with the laid back atmosphere of Los Angeles.

Won't Be Traded:

• Brian Fuentes and Matt Holliday, Colorado Rockies:
  

There will be many teams chasing Fuentes more than Holliday because he'd be a cheaper

acquisition, but the Rockies fancy themselves as contenders even though they're eleven games under .500. Considering their comeback last season; that they're only six games out of first place and should be getting Jeff Francis back soon, they have an argument to hold their fire and see what happens and take the draft picks they'll get after the season when Fuentes leaves via free agency. The only way they trade Holliday is relating to the Red Sox/Manny Ramirez situation and it's a complicated deal to make on short notice.

• Mark Teixeira, Atlanta Braves:
  

There won't be any way to get equal value for Teixeira; the Braves won't even be able to make up for what they traded to the Rangers last year to get Teixeira. They're not that far out of contention to make it worthwhile to trade him even though the state of their pitching staff and rampant injuries doesn't bode well for a climb back into contention. They might as well just hang onto him and take the draft picks after the season.

• Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox:

As I said a couple of days ago, the only way this would happen is if a complicated three-team trade between the Red Sox, Phillies or Mets and Rockies will send Holliday to Boston. Other than that, they'll sit tight with Manny, eat his crud and hope that he helps them win another title. It's not like these Manny-blowups weren't predictable before the season started and things moved along without him getting an extension or having his contract options exercised. If the unlikely happens and the suggested three-team trade comes to pass, I would expect Fuentes to end up in Boston as well.

• George Sherrill, Baltimore Orioles:

Unless they're bowled over by a desperate team, the Orioles have no earthly reason to trade Sherrill now. He's not going to be a free agent until after 2012 and if they decide to trade him, they can probably get as much, if not more after the season than they will right now.

• Vicente Padilla, Texas Rangers:

The big problem with Padilla is that two of the teams that could really use him already had

him in the Diamondbacks and Phillies and probably aren't going to want to go down that road again. He's been very good this year and only has one more year on his contract with a 2010 option, so he's an attractive option for teams desperate for starting pitching. The Cardinals would be a good landing spot but I think he'll end up staying in Texas at least until the winter.

Other teams that should be clearing out the house like the Nationals, Astros and the Padres have either made some strange maneuvers (Jon Rauch from the Nats to the Diamondbacks for one minor league infielder; Randy Wolf to the Astros for unfathomable reasons) or are just content to hang onto what they have and go down their current dead-end road (the Padres).
The trading deadline in recent years has either been heavy on rumors and light on action or vice versa; there are many teams in playoff contention this year, but that doesn't mean any deals of consequence are going to happen even if they should for the benefit of all involved.

Was It Hank Or Was It The Rangers Bullpen?

• Yankees 18-Rangers 7:

Hank Steinbrenner will undoubtedly think that his demands for more offense had something to do with the 18 runs the Yankees scored, but it had more to do with the Rangers

bullpen than any fear the players had of the Baby Boss. I kept flipping back and forth from this game to the other games and that seventh inning was interminable. The main culprit out of the Rangers bullpen was converted outfielder Warner Madrigal. Madrigal was all over the place and looked lost, which considering he's only been pitching since 2006, is completely understandable. For a Yankees offense that had been so terrible recently, beggars can't be choosers, but if Hank or anyone else thinks that this is the opening to the floodgates of the Yankees offensive powerhouse, they should probably think again. A good question would be why Rangers manager Ron Washington chose to put Madrigal in that situation with a 7-6 lead and a pretty good chance of sweeping the Yankees.

• Scott Rolen or Troy Glaus?

Who would the Blue Jays rather have right now? Would they have been better off keeping a

motivated Troy Glaus, who has a player option at the end of this year and is desperate to produce to get another, perhaps his last, big contract? Or would they rather have Scott Rolen,

who (along with the years remaining on his bloated contract) was supposed to bring "intangibles" and "hard-nosed play" but has only brought his declining production and injuries?
Glaus is hitting well and if he opts out of his contract may be putting himself on the Mets radar as a possible reasonably priced option at first base next year. Rolen plays hard, there's no question about that, but the injuries have taken their toll on his performance and the Blue Jays can't be happy with what he's providing for them in relation to Glaus with the contract obligations factored in. This was not a smart trade for the Blue Jays in part because they did the Cardinals a favor by getting Rolen out of Tony La Russa's sight and in part because he's a shell of what he once was, but they'll be paying him a lot of money in the coming years.

• Rockies 8-Padres 1:

I guess the Padres reached their run quota for the week on Monday when they scored 15

and decided to put the bats away. All kidding aside, they'd better start making their moves quickly because Randy Wolf has been getting blasted and the veterans for whom they might get some value----Brian Giles, Greg Maddux, Trevor Hoffman----are aging and are seeing their skills decline by the day. This season is lost and not dealing the dead weight (Khalil Greene included) is going to hinder the organization even more than they're stinginess and insistence on going with shaky veterans has hindered them already.

• Phillies 7-Braves 3:

Amid all the ridicule directed towards the Mets, the Braves have been just as bad and as unlucky in their veteran players health and free agent signings. It's an interesting question as to what they're going to do because they're sort of contenders in a league where everyone's one hot streak away from leaping into first place, but they, like the Mets, don't look very impressive.
They're not going to be able to retain Mark Teixeira and they have to start thinking about

what the team might look like without John Smoltz and Tom Glavine (although Glavine has been on the mound so rarely this year that it's like he never even returned). It would take some guts to do it, but would the Braves, if they continue on their current road, listen to offers for Tim Hudson? It looks bleak and with the core of the team either injury-prone (Chipper Jones); injured (Glavine and Smoltz); underachieving (Jeff Francouer); and playing with one eye on free agency (Teixeira), they might have to strongly consider moving forward and replenishing the organization rather than playing for a hopeless cause. The talent just may not be there for the Braves.

• Brewers 4-Diamondbacks 3:

For the way he's saved their season, Salomon Torres deserves consideration for the All Star game. Without him solidifying the closer's role, the Brewers may already have begun a sell-off and be playing for a new manager.