MLB

In the offseason, much is made of the comings and goings of established major league players in free agency.

But many often overlook the same thing happening in the minor leagues.

In the "Recapping Minor League Free Agent Losses" series, I'll be looking at what, if anything, each team is losing at the minor league levels.

I'm not going to bother covering every player, because not all of them are very important and I have little to say about many of them. I'll just be touching on those who I think could be of value to another team in free agency.

Angel management used to be very forthcoming with fans in the past.  Whether it was real or imagined we fans always felt as if we understood the direction the team was going.  That could mean something non-baseball related, like the clubs desire to improve our experience in the stadium, to the intricacies of player movement.

When the club signed Mark Teixeira the risks were spelled out to fans.  Where Teixeira was plan A, Kendry Morales was plan B.  It was clear, it was spelled out it was, and it remains a good way to do business.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com , the Washington Nationals are about to sign former Pirates' closer Matt Capps to a one-year deal. Capps' agent, Paul Kinsler, is denying any deal is close, but Olney says "multiple sources" are confirming the story.

Why would Capps, who was courted by a dozen teams, want to play for Washington?

With Christmas a couple of days away, Ruben Amaro Jr. has finished the majority of his shopping.

He signed Placido Polanco as his new third baseman, retooled the bench with Juan Castro, Ross Gload and Brian Schneider, and traded for Roy Halladay.

The only item left on Amaro's to-do list is to solidify a bullpen that blew 22 saves and had a 3.91 earned run average last year, which ranked ninth in the National League.

We have all been aware of the changes the Yankees made so far in the nearly two months removed since they won the 2009 World Series.

They brought in Javier Vazquez, Nick Johnson, and Curtis Granderson, while Hideki Matsui and Phil Coke departed to other teams.

As of right now, Johnny Damon's status is unknown.

Some feel like he might be back with the Yankees, and some feel like he won't be coming back.

According to the New York Daily News, the Yankees are not interested in bringing Damon back, especially with his contract demands.

Considering that we're in the home stretch of the holidays, it's very apropos that Rogers Sportsnet is rolling out a special this evening that's sure to get you in the giving spirit.

I encourage you to check out Vernon Wells "Perfect 10" documentary on Sportsnet tonight starting at 7:30pm EST.

There's something cooking in New York and no, it's not the Mets.

You'll see him soon—showing up in his typical attire, the red and white suit, with his aged hat.

His socks sit about knee high, tucked under his insulated leggings to keep warm in the coldest days of the year. Waiting all year to deliver his special treat that he has given fans worldwide, near or far, for quite some time.

His name? Not Santa Claus, but Charlie Manuel.

However, it seems that each smile sender seems to have the same persona. Heck, everyone loves them, giving a not so far-fetched idea that Charlie Manuel is Santa Claus.

When Francisco Cordero left the Brewers after the 2007, he was an elite reliever no matter where you looked in his stats.

His 44 saves, 2.98 ERA, 2.24 FIP, 2.82 xFIP, 2.12 tRA, and 2.70 True ERA all confirmed that Cordero was excellent in 2007.

These same stats all pointed to a 2008 downturn for Cordero. Some (34 saves; 3.33 ERA) didn't indicate the precipitous decline of others (3.77 FIP; 3.98 xFIP; 4.35 tRA; 4.56 True ERA), however. Whatever the case, Cordero seemed to be in decline.