Baseball

And in a classic Billy Beane signing, it looks like the Athletics have found their ace:

It's been noted in traditional media sources, online, blogs, and reader comments on this and other sites that if Matt Holliday is not signed by the St. Louis Cardinals, they will move to their best Plan B: re-signing Mark DeRosa. 

DeRosa is a name that has been bandied around quite a bit in connection with several teams. I have to admit I'm a little stunned by just how interested teams are reported to be in him and at the amount they've been potentially interested in spending on a player who has been mostly a non-impact one for most of his career.

The Angels made their second big free agent signing by coming to terms with Fernando Rodney on a two year/$11 million dollar contract:

With Matt Capps seemingly on his way to the Nationals and the Cubs still in need of a right handed set-up man at the back of their bullpen, I ask, why not turn to an all too familiar face in Kevin Gregg?

Let me start out by saying I am a Cubs fan, and this suggestion is in no way meant as ill will towards the North Siders.

Simply put, Kevin Gregg is not a closer, at least not in large market such as Chicago where each outing is put under a microscope. While he was seemingly unable to take the pressure of the ninth inning, he is in no way a bad pitcher.

This Column Originally Published at GetOutofMyBallpark.com

Ever since the end of the season, and all of Theo Epstein's "Bridge Year" crap, the Sox have been in a state of flux.

The departure of Jason Bay (unless... ), the attempted trade of Mike Lowell, and the signings of Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron, and John Lackey have in many ways opened up more questions than answers.

During the course of the last week-to-ten-days, Red Sox Nation has been deluged by a succession of articles detailing Jacoby Ellsbury’s defensive inadequacies in center field.

In the aftermath of the team signing CF Mike Cameron and RHP John Lackey, there has been rampant speculation that the ballclub would ship Ellsbury and RHP Clay Buchholz to the San Diego Padres for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry almost made another free agent mistake on Wednesday. Thankfully, money means more to some players than the chance to win.

Former Pittsburgh closer Matt Capps, who was on the Cubs radar as a potential setup man for closer Carlos Marmol, agreed to a one-year deal with the Washington Nationals. Capps will reportedly get a base salary of $3.5 million, with another $425K in performance incentives built into the deal.

Adding Capps could have been the final piece in the puzzle that gets Hendry fired if he had taken the money in Chicago.

By Caesar Cliffius

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The Atlanta Braves and third baseman Troy Glaus are close to signing a contract. ESPN reported that the only object in the way of signing Glaus is a physical exam. MLB.com is already showing Glaus in a Braves cap on his profile page.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Seattle

Not a creature did stir, nor squeak, nor rattle

The seats were placed 'round the diamond with care,

In hopes that a playoff berth soon would be theirs.

The fans were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of championships danced in their heads.

This year, the team really closed up the gap

We're all over the Jose Valverde situation today as Nick Piecoro adds in this note about the Diamondbacks and Valverde: