thomsonmi

:headshake :headshake Sometimes I'm glad that I can't get Chicago sports radio here in Boulder, Colorado. Of course, out here us Colorado football fans have our own daily dose of bad news going on. It couldn't possibly be worse right now than being a CU, Bears, White Sox, and Bulls fan.

It's not quite correct to say that ARoD has agreed to this being done outside the Union rules. I'm no fan of MLBPA but let's get the facts right. According to ESPN, ARod has said the following... "In the spirit of cooperation, I advised the Red Sox I am willing to restructure my contract, but only within the guidelines prescribed by union officials," Rodriguez said Thursday in a statement he read to The Associated Press. "I recognize the principle involved, and fully support the need to protect the interests of my fellow players. "If my transfer to the Red Sox is to occur, it must be done with consideration of the interests of all major league players, not just one. Any statements by club officials suggesting my position is different than stated is inaccurate and unfortunate."

You guys are missing the point. The White Sox are stealing Nomar from the Dodgers based on what they are offering the Red Sox and that whoever the young pitcher we are giving the Red Sox is wanted by the Rangers in the Nomar deal. So, the idea that we could throw in just any young pitcher and still be part of the deal is just not true.

Tom Hicks, Rangers owner, has set deadline of 6pm eastern tomorrow for the deal according to ESPN news.

:fthecubs Long-rumored trades ready to pop WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Alex Rodriguez Rangers Red Sox Dec. 16 - The on-again, off-again trade of A-Rod to Boston for Manny Ramirez now is being talked about as a foregone conclusion. The Boston Globe writes Tuesday the deal "is on the verge of being realized;" the Boston Herald writes, "It is going to happen;" and the Dallas Morning News indicates "a deal could be announced before the end of the week." Boston would get A-Rod and the remaining seven years and $180 million on his contract (although the deal likely will be restructured in some way). Texas would get Ramirez and the remaining $100 million or so on his contract, along with some prospects. One hangup has been the Rangers' insistence that Boston include as much as $5 million per year to help pay Ramirez's contract. Boston ownership has resisted, but there have been suggestions the Red Sox could get creative in the package they send to Texas. The Morning-News suggests Boston could trade reliever Scott Williamson to Chicago, then ship whatever starting pitcher it gets in return on to Texas. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Nomar Garciaparra Red Sox Dodgers Mariners? Dec. 16 - How quickly things change. Over the weekend the Red Sox were talking about repairing their relationship with Nomar and discussing parameters for a contract extension. Now they're discussing parameters of a trade that would send the veteran shortstop to the Dodgers. The Boston Globe reports the teams have discussed a package that would include 19-year-old pitching prospect Greg Miller, the Dodger's minor-league player of the year, and possibly another pitching prospect, either or both of whom could then be sent to Texas to complete the A-Rod trade. It's also possible the Dodgers could include a major-league pitcher, but Odalis Perez reportedly is no longer being discussed. Seattle appears to be the only other possible destination for Garciaparra, with the Orioles signing Miguel Tejada, the Angels apparently dropping out and Boston unable to drum up interest from other franchises. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Vladimir Guerrero Expos Orioles Marlins Angels Braves? Mariners? Dec. 16 - With the winter meetings breaking up Monday and most key parties traveling, there was little progress on negotiations between Guerrero and the Orioles. However, the Baltimore Sun reports the outfielder's initial proposal to the team was for $145 million over eight years -- $18.1 million per. The Orioles' current offer is for five years and $65 million -- $13 million per year -- and it's unclear if the team would be willing to add years to the deal. There have been concerns in the past about how well Guerrero's back will hold up as he gets older. But at this point there are no other teams competing to sign Guerrero, and the O's are unlikely to bid against themselves. Also working in the Orioles favor is that Guerrero shares agents with Miguel Tejada, who signed Sunday for six years and $72 million. But Tejada's deal is backloaded and will cost the Orioles only about $7 million next season. That could leave the Birds room to add Guerrero, as well. The belief has been it will take at least $15 million per year to get Guerrero signed. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Ivan Rodriguez Marlins Orioles Dodgers Cubs A's Tigers Dec. 16 - Hold the phone on the Pudge-to-Baltimore talk. The L.A. Times reports the Dodgers have jumped into the bidding for the veteran catcher and might be willing to come up with the four-year, $36 million offer he's reportedly seeking. The Orioles' offer has been reported at three years and $21 million, with the opportunity to earn another $3 million per year in incentives. That is thought to be about as high as the Birds want to go for Rodriguez, because they feel they can get Javy Lopez for less. If the Dodgers were to get Rodriguez, they could either deal Paul LoDuca (Oakland has expressed interest, and Baltimore could be if it loses out on both Pudge and Javy) or move him to first base. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Rich Aurilia Giants Blue Jays Mariners Tigers Red Sox Rockies Dec. 16 - Toronto has spent most of the offseason building its pitching staff, but the San Francisco Chronicle reports the Blue Jays now are trying to join the AL East's run on shortstops. With Derek Jeter in New York, Miguel Tejada in Baltimore and A-Rod apparently heading to Boston, Toronto is making a strong push to land Aurilia. Other teams reportedly in on Aurilia include the Red Sox (as a second baseman), the Mariners (shortstop or third base), and the Rockies. However, Colorado likely can't compete with the money other teams can offer, and the Mariners recently re-signed Carlos Guillen. But either Guillen or Aurilia could be moved to third base. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Todd Walker Red Sox Rangers Indians Dodgers Angels Tigers Cubs Giants Royals Dec. 16 - The Rangers reportedly have approached Walker about playing second base for them in the event Alex Rodriguez is traded. Texas would move Michael Young to shortstop. The overture from the Rangers has put the Indians' offer on hold. Cleveland offered Walker a one-year deal that is thought to be for no more than $1.5 million, with a club option for 2005. Walker had been seeking a deal closer to three years at $4 million-plus per, and he was thought to have a number of potential suitors. His agents, Alan Meersand and Brian Carlin, have been working hard to create a market, floating teams like the Tigers, Cubs, Royals and Giants as possibilities. Walker hit .283 with 13 homers and 85 RBI for the Red Sox last season. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Javy Lopez Braves Orioles Marlins Dec. 16 - Reports are Lopez is still seeking $24 million over three years, and the Orioles haven't budged off their initial proposal of $18 million over three years. But with the Dodgers getting in on negotiations for Pudge Rodriguez, Lopez's bargaining position could improve. But as long as the Marlins are the only other team to publicly acknowledge interest in the former Braves catcher, maybe it won't. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Magglio Ordoñez White Sox Dodgers Orioles Angels? Dec. 16 - If they don't land Garciaparra, the Dodgers still want to make a run at Ordoñez, reports the L.A. Times. However, White Sox GM Kenny Williams reportedly is insisting that reliever Guillermo Mota be part of a four- to five-player trade, and the Dodgers don't want to part with Mota. Ordoñez is entering the final year of his contract and will make $14 million next season. Given that the Dodgers also are in discussions with the Mariners about a Paul LoDuca-for-Freddy Garcia trade, there is speculation L.A. could acquire Garcia, then spin him in a package for Ordo&ntiulde;ez. Chicago previously had expressed interest in the M's Garcia. Previously, the Baltimore Sun indicated the Orioles could pursue Ordoñez if it can't sign Vladimir Guerrero. Anaheim was said to pondering an offer of closer Troy Percival or center fielder Darin Erstad for Ordoñez, but the Angels have since committed big money to pitchers Kelvim Escobar and Bartolo Colon and might not be willing to take on Ordoñez's salary. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Paul LoDuca Dodgers Mariners A's? Orioles? Dec. 16 - With the Dodgers entering the bidding for Pudge Rodriguez, LoDuca could become even more expendable. The L.A. Times indicates some in the organization are concerned about LoDuca's declining production since his break-out rookie season, and the team has offered him in at least two proposed trades already this offseason. There have been reports the Dodgers and Mariners are discussing a trade of LoDuca for right-hander Freddy Garcia, with Garcia then possibly included in another deal for hitting. The A's expressed interest a while back, but they traded for Expos catcher Michael Barrett on Monday. If the Orioles fail to land either Javy Lopez or Rodriguez, they could look to L.A. and LoDuca instead. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Jacque Jones Twins Diamondbacks Dodgers Padres Dec. 16 - The Minneapolis Star-Tribune indicates the Padres are unlikely to meet the Twins' asking price of top pitching prospects and are resigned to dropping out of the running to acquire Jones. Arizona remains a possibility, with ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hearing the D-Backs could offer reliever Matt Mantei in exchange. The Star-Tribune suggests the Dodgers might be a possibility, as well. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Jose Guillen A's Angels Dec. 15 - As the winter meetins wind down, the outfielders are falling into place. With Jose Cruz Jr. landing in Tampa and Carl Everett in Montreal, the Angels are closing in on a deal for Guillen, who hit .311 with 31 homers and a .569 slugging percentage for the Reds and A's. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Freddy Garcia Mariners Dodgers Padres White Sox Red Sox? Dec. 15 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports the Mariners and Dodgers are in dicussions regarding a trade of Garcia to L.A., possibly for catcher Paul LoDuca. The paper suggests L.A. could then spin Garcia off in a deal for some more offense, possibly to the White Sox in a package for Magglio Ordoñez. The Mariners have been shopping Garcia and would like to get a deal done before the Dec. 20 deadline for tendering contract offers. Seattle has been undecided whether or not to tender the big right-hander. San Diego also has been mentioned as a possible trade destination for Garcia, either straight up for Phil Nevin or packaged with Jeff Cirillo for Nevin, with the Mariners eating some of Cirillo's salary. Previously, the White Sox were said to be interested, and with Bartolo Colon leaving for Anaheim, that interest might be rekindled. Garcia's name also has been discussed in connection with the Red Sox (for Trot Nixon). WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Sidney Ponson Giants Orioles Cardinals Rangers Mets Yankees Blue Jays White Sox Dec. 15 - There are growing indications that Ponson could return to the Orioles, who traded him to San Francisco last July. The Baltimore Sun reports that Orioles execs met with Ponson's agent this weekend in New Orleans. Ponson, a 17-game winner last season, has become more attractive because San Francisco didn't offer him salary arbitration and he won't require draft-pick compensation. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Sterling Hitchcock Cardinals Padres Reds Rangers Giants Diamondbacks Dec. 15 - Hitchcock appears to be leaning toward the Padres on a one-year deal, but the talks are ongoing. He couldn't work out a deal with the Cardinals, who declined to offer him arbitration, after going 5-1 with a 3.79 ERA for St. Louis after being acquired from the Yankees in August. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Arthur Rhodes Mariners A's Braves Phillies White Sox Dec. 15 - In the wake of losing closer Keith Foulke to Boston, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports the A's are pursuing former Mariners set-up man Arthur Rhodes. But the Braves, Phillies and White Sox are also interested in the 34-year-old left-hander. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Shane Reynolds Braves Diamondbacks Giants Dec. 15 - Both Arizona and San Francisco have holes in their rotations and are talking with Reynolds, who went 11-9 for the Braves last season. The Arizona Republic suggests that the relationship between Reynolds' agent, Tommy Tanzer and the Diamondbacks could tip that scale in Arizona's favor. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Jeromy Burnitz Dodgers Rockies Pirates Rangers Dec. 15 - The Rockies are said to be zeroing in on Burnitz, who has expressed interest in playing on the West Coast. Colorado might be close enough for the veteran outfielder, who hit 31 homers last season for the Mets and Dodgers. The Pirates have said they'll definitely be interested in Burnitz if he's still on the market in January and willing to sign a one-year deal. Burnitz made $11.5 million last year while finishing up a two-year, $20 million deal. He won't get anything close to that in 2004. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Roger Cedeno Mets Mariners Padres Dec. 15 - The Mets are desperately trying to unload Cedeno, and reports out of the winter meetings this weekend indicate they could trade bad contracts with the Mariners and acquire third baseman Jeff Cirillo for Cedeno. New York wants to go after Reggie Sanders but must free up some salary space first. The Padres and Mets also have been discussing a swap of Cedeno for outfielder Terrence Long and pitcher Kevin Jarvis. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Odalis Perez Dodgers White Sox Cardinals Dec. 15 - While the long-discussed trade of Perez for Paul Konerko or Carlos Lee might never happen, the Dodgers and White Sox reportedly are discussing a trade involving Chicago's Magglio Ordoñez, and Perez could be included in that package. The Konerko deal has been bouncing around the rumor mill for weeks, but Dodgers' GM Dan Evans won't pull the trigger unless Chicago substitutes Lee for Konerko. The Cardinals also are said to be interested in Perez. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Billy Koch White Sox Mets Dec. 15 - Talks between the Mets and White Sox regarding Koch appear to be ongoing. The teams began discussing a trade for the closer in mid-November, but New York apparently wanted to pursue closers on the free-agent market first. The Chicago Tribune reports the initial discussions with New York centered around Mets reliever David Weathers, but New York reportedly wanted the White Sox to help cover the $2.775 million difference in the two pitchers' salaries. The Mets think the combination of manager Art Howe and pitching coach Rick Peterson can help Koch recover the form that enabled him to save 44 games for Oakland in 2002. After being traded to Chicago, Koch's number dropped dramatically. He saved only 11 games and had a 5.77 ERA for the White Sox last season. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Scott Sauerbeck Red Sox Cubs Dec. 15 - The Newark Star-Ledger reports the Red Sox have a deal in place to send Sauerbeck to the Cubs. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Juan Gonzalez Rangers Expos White Sox Dec. 15 - The Expos have Gonzalez on their list of potential candidates to replace Vladimir Guerrero, along with Carl Everett and Jose Guillen. But the White Sox are also interested in Gonzalez in case they deal Magglio Ordoñez, with the Chicago Tribune reporting that White Sox GM Ken Williams met with the outfielder's agent at the winter meetings. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Jeff Weaver Yankees Dodgers White Sox? Dec. 13 - Agent Scott Boras told reporters at the winter meetings in New Orleans that he doesn't expect the Dodgers to spin Weaver off into another deal once they officially acquire him from the Yankees in the Kevin Brown trade. There were earlier reports that the Dodgers and White Sox were discussing a trade of Weaver for Frank Thomas, but that doesn't appear likely at this point. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Greg Maddux Braves Cardinals Giants Cubs Dodgers Padres Dec. 12 - Maddux's asking price reportedly is two years at $11 million per, and indications are that will be too rich for the Padres' blood. St. Louis might emerge as the favorite for Maddux, who has acknowledged a preference for remaining in the National League and pitching for a team with a chance to win. Maddux has expressed interest in returning to Chicago, where he began his career, but it's not likely the Cubs will spend that kind of money when their starting rotation already is a team strength. The Giants have been mentioned, too, but the price tag likely is too steep. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Ugueth Urbina Marlins A's Twins Rangers Pirates Orioles Mets Cubs Dec. 13 - Insider's Jerry Crasnick is hearing that the A's, the loser in the Keith Foulke derby, could emerge as the favorite to land Urbina. With the Red Sox out of the picture now, Peter Greenberg, Urbina's agent, told Crasnick that at least four teams have been in contact with him regarding the former Marlins' closer -- the A's, Twins, Rangers and Pirates. The Orioles also have expressed interest, with VP Jim Beattie telling the Baltimore Sun, "If you had someone that can maybe take the pressure off Jorge (Julio), that would be fine. It's not a priority for us ... (but) if certain things fell into place, we're not going to run away from that. That would certainly improve our ballclub." Baltimore has Julio (61 saves the last two seasons) at the back of its bullpen. The Mets were thought to be among the leaders for Urbina in the early part of free agency, but that talk has fallen off the table in recent weeks. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Terrence Long Padres Mets Dec. 13 - Discussions that would send Long and pitcher Kevin Jarvis to the Mets for outfielder Roger Cedeno are back on, according to numerous reports. Reports of the proposed trade first surfaced immediately after San Diego acquired Long from Oakland in the Mark Kotsay deal. This trade essentially would be a swap of bad contracts (Cedeno's and Jarvis'), with Long included to make it worth the Mets' while. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Rafael Palmeiro Rangers Orioles Angels Dodgers Yankees Braves? Marlins? Dec. 12 - Palmeiro reportedly is the Orioles' top first-base target, though the veteran still lists the Angels, Dodgers and Yankees, as well as the Orioles, among the team's he is considering. Palmeiro made $9 million in Texas last season, and the Rangers reportedly offered him $2 million to return. The Angels have indicated they only want Palmeiro if his asking price drops. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Paul Konerko White Sox Dodgers? Orioles? Dec. 12 - Last week it appeared Konerko was close to returning to the Dodgers in a deal for Odalis Perez, but with the Dodgers apparently on the verge of unloading Kevin Brown, they're less likely to want to trade Perez. The Orioles could be interested in Konerko, but his $8 million salary might scare them off. Baltimore already owes David Segui $7 million, and they're unsure whether he'll be able to play or if they can collect insurance to cover the contract if he doesn't. WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY Darren Oliver Rockies Giants Diamondbacks Dec. 12 - N.L. West rivals San Francisco and Arizona both are pursuing left-hander Oliver, who went 13-11 for the Rockies last season. The 11-year veteran made $350,000 last season but reportedly is seeking $2 million.