Is there any water boiling on the hot stove??

Barry, Do you have the right Devon White? I do not see either the Reds or Braves mentioned in his background. It was my understanding that this team was trying to become the Reds East and Braves North when it came to players and development.

Barry - what's the status of the negotiations on Zimmerman's supposed long-term contract?

Yawn.

Thanks, Barry. Will be looking forward to the double-barreled coverage next week, as well as any single-barreled coverage that there might be.

Thanks for bringing back the snark, ChrisC!

Re: Who'd be looking for relief help on the AL side? Among Seattle, Detroit, and Minnesota, my guess is that none really need middle relief. Seattle and the LAA have very deep bullpens (and real lights out closers ;-), Detroit I think has depth (but I forget if Rodney or Zumaya was hurt at the end of the year). you don't quite know about minnesota until the roster settles (both Nathan and Santana maybe moved). Still they have some depth. CWS just signed Linebrink. Red Sox might be looking for morer depth as they can only be happy with Papelbon - Okajima - Del Carmen (Timlin is an FA). Also looking for a backup catcher. It would not be a salary dump, but there is a potential fit for Rauch and a catcher (not MI - they have Cora under contract as a backup).

some comments about project type FAs from Jason Stark on his ESPN blog...

=======

• It's always tough to know what to make of winter ball. But one pitcher in the Venezuelan league who has generated surprising buzz is 29-year-old reliever Travis Hughes, whom the Red Sox allowed to become a six-year free agent after a season as their Triple-A closer in Pawtucket. Hughes has kicked around the minor leagues for 10 years, without ever having any big league success. But he had a 1.91 ERA for Pawtucket, and opponents are hitting just .132 off him this winter.

One scout returning from Venezuela even described him as "overpowering at times." But an executive of another club wasn't sold. "He knows how to pitch, but he's got very average stuff across the board," the exec said. "To me, he's an 11th or 12th pitcher on a staff."

• Meanwhile, a hitter in Venezuela who has popped a few eyeballs is Jody Gerut, who is trying to prove he's over his knee issues. Well, here's a good way to prove that: bat .390, with a .488 on-base percentage. Which what Gerut is doing. "He's raking," said the same scout. "He should wind up in somebody's camp."

"I've been sucked into a Sean Taylor story for the weekend . . ."

Looking forward to that, Barry. I'm still in a bit of a daze, both over how quickly and tragically the event unfolded and how clueless a lot of the media still seem to be about it.

I want to see less dismissal, fluff, and superficial hand-wringing, and more of this kind of thoughtful indignation and cultural questioning (irrespective of whether readers agree with it or not):

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7499442

Not that I have any particular rant of my own to add, at least not a cohesive one worthy of the keyboard of a Jason Whitlock (or of a Barry Svrluga). But I deeply believe that the college and pro sports cultures have needed a knock upside the head for too long. That Sean Taylor had to die to provide it is something that should worry us all.

ChrisC, please. We prefer Braves MidAtlantic.

Hendo, I agree with you that something is needed to address the culture problem, but I'm not sure Sean Taylor is an apt fit for that knock upside the head (though, God bless him, he loved a good knock).

I'm not sure he's not, either. I think this story is particularly unsettling to so many folks because Taylor himself is such a blank slate. We hear what his friends said, what his family said, what journalists who covered him said, and what fans said.

But all of those things are based on where those folks stand. This whole miserable situation has been more about us than about him, because nobody really knows all that much about him. We all see his loss as the loss of ourself. I guess it really is true that no man is an island, unto himself...

some other ideas of "bargain" trade opportunities from Ken Rosenthal...

===========

Bargain pricing

Circumstances can make a player available, and a wise shopper will find an inexpensive bonus:

LHP Chris Capuano, Milwaukee. He is left-handed and he is durable.

C Ramon Hernandez, Baltimore. There is a growing market for catchers.

UTIL Jeff Baker, Colorado. He doesn't fit with the Rockies, but he has power potential and can play first, third, left and right.

SS Joaquin Arias, Texas. He's a solid prospect, but with Mike Young entrenched in the big leagues and Elvis Andrus moving up in the system, Arias gets squeezed out.

LHP Cliff Lee. An 18-game winner two years ago, he spent the second half of last season at Triple-A Buffalo.

Some other thoughts on "bargain" trade targets from Ken Rosenthal (if this double posts, i apologize, i hit submit but don't see my post).

==================

Bargain pricing

Circumstances can make a player available, and a wise shopper will find an inexpensive bonus:

LHP Chris Capuano, Milwaukee. He is left-handed and he is durable.

C Ramon Hernandez, Baltimore. There is a growing market for catchers.

UTIL Jeff Baker, Colorado. He doesn't fit with the Rockies, but he has power potential and can play first, third, left and right.

SS Joaquin Arias, Texas. He's a solid prospect, but with Mike Young entrenched in the big leagues and Elvis Andrus moving up in the system, Arias gets squeezed out.

LHP Cliff Lee. An 18-game winner two years ago, he spent the second half of last season at Triple-A Buffalo.

No problem with the double post, 231. (You might try refreshing the page once or twice after you post; sometimes it takes it a minute or so to catch up.)

Hernandez and Lee are already exciting some interest, from the Mets among others. Lee, in particular, could be fun to watch, particularly if he can start to move his pitches around some.

And if Arias is healed from his shoulder surgery, he could be a find.

Capuano and Baker don't excite me.

I don't know why, but I'd be in favor of Capuano. Maybe it's because two seasons ago I picked him up for a month or so for my fantasy team and he threw a few solid high-K wins in there for me before I traded him for a closer. Those kinds of memories are hard to shake.

Egad, Jody Gerut sure looks like someone worth a ST invite. At least.

yeah, gerut sounds just like a bowden project. can't remember if he's LH or RH.

Just saw this nugget:

Terrmel Sledge is taking a two-year, $2.85 million contract to play in Japan with the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Sledge was kept on the Padres' 40-man roster after hitting .210/.310/.360 in 200 at-bats last season, but he didn't seem to be in their plans for 2008.

So for those (and you know who you are) that criticized Bowden for trading Wilkerson and Sledge for Soriano, the results are now final. He gave up nothing, got a really good something for a year and then translated it into to two good picks for the future.

Baker would excite me on another team not named the the Nats that already have 3 corner outfielders, 2 first basebmen and a third basemen. If you get Cap on the cheap it might be worth it, as he has 2 more years before free agency. Arias would be great but my guess is the Rangers will move him to get a CF and i doubt they'll bite on Nook. Hopefully the Nats can find another solid Rule 5 guy next week, hopefully something will get done this weekend.

Jody Gerut is a LH, and apparently he's got a cannon in the outfield. It would be fun to have him for a defensive replacement, then the corner outfielders could keep those runners from rounding the bases.

I love plays at the plate. Especially since the ump usually has to wait a second to make the call. The suspense is great.

Also this little nugget from the NY press:

"...But Minaya already has explored other options at catcher, inquiring about the Rangers' Gerald Laird, the Orioles' Ramon Hernandez and the Nationals' Brian Schneider. Even the Giants' Bengie Molina reportedly could be available."

The Mets may have inquired, but I can't imagine they liked the asking price from the Nats.

Gerut was one of the AL ROYs in 2003 along with hideki matsui and Angel Berroa in a split vote. Had him on my fantasy team as a FA pickup. He went into a wicked slump 2d half of 2004, was hurt I believe, and traded for Jason Dubois in 2005.

Do NOT replace Ryan Church with Corey Patterson!!!!!!! (See Ladson article on Nats' web site expressing interest in Patterson).

The Nats FO has been awfully quiet. Might something be brewing for the week in Memphis? Would it be a shock if the Nats do nothing next week? I think only minor deals will involve the Nats. Face it, they really don't have much to offer, unless they trade some of the recent draftees. Hopefully, that won't happen. Perhaps Church might be traded, not earth shattering news there. I still would like them to pursue Mike Cameron (is he still available). If they did that, they could keep Church for the first 25 games in center, until Camerons suspension runs out.

For Christmas, can I have Andruw Jones and Livan Hernandez?

Per MLB.com: "The Nationals are looking for a center fielder . . . [Corey] Patterson could be a cheaper alternative if Washington can't sign [Andruw] Jones. Patterson also could be the leadoff hitter that the Nationals are looking for."

I don't know who dreams up some of this stuff. (Surely not Bill Ladson alone.) Let's compare Patterson with the guys the Nats trotted out to center field last season:

Church: .272 / .349 / .464, 3 SB, 2 CS
Logan: .265 / .304 / .345, 23 SB, 5 CS
Patterson: .269 / .304 / .386, 37 SB, 9 CS

So the plan would be to ship Church out of town and acquire a Nook Logan lookalike? Somebody please help me understand the logic here.

Of the guys on yesterday's potential trade list, here's the deal the makes most sense to me:

Dmitri Young, Jon Rauch, and Ryan Church to the Mariners for Richie Sexson.

1. Sexson has one year left on his contract only. The Mariners have one of the more bloated payroll structures in baseball - spending $107 million last year. The salary swap would be Sexson's $15 million for Young, Rauch and Church's $6 million or so.

2. Putz is a good closer, but they could use more bull pen arms.

3. Sexson fits the profile of big middle of the line up bat the Nats need.

4. Sexson's position situation is a bit more flexible than Dmitiri's. He can actually play LF if and when Nick Johnson returns.

5. Sexson's only 33 and doesn't appear to be in decline.

6. Two LH bats would balance out Seattle's line up which tends to be RH dominant. They are also a little thin in the OF right now.

7. Mainers use the salary savings to get the starting pitching they crave.

Should I call JimBo?

sexton doesn't appear in decline? by what measure? his OPS has dropped every year since 2003, bottoming out last year at 694. His slugging declined by 100+ pts last year. he hit 205 and had a 295 OBP (both numbers below nook, robert fick, deangelo jimenez, and joel hanrahan). his RBIs have declined the last three years (121/107/63). he went from an extra base hit every other game to one every 3 games last year.

can't imagine this being a deal that makes any sense for the Nats. no need to take on extra salary for less production (and removing three players from the roster for one).

Remember, 231 that he missed 40 games due to injury last year. That had a lot to do with his lower numbers, both in terms of totals (RBIs and HRs) and percentages (SLG and OPS). One could argue I suppose that he is "damaged goods" as a result, but I'm also realistic enough to know that the Nats aren't exactly giving up Babe Ruth to get him. This is a guy who has averaged 37 HRs and 117 RBIs over his career. I'll concede that maybe the Nats only need to give up two of the three players.

Unless Young, Rauch, and Church are all on the cusp of precipitous decline, no way would I trade any of them for Sexson, much less all three.

Young for Felix Hernandez... or Ichiro Suzuki... now that I could see.

We might not have Jake Peavy or Albert Pujols, but let's not undervalue the guys we do have.

i don't really look at "totals" as much as i look at things like OBP, OPS, and the like. those tell a better story because they don't vary by ABs.

look at the full picture. sexton's declined for 4 years. more gradual at first, but last year was a huge drop. his numbers in 2006 were a drop from 2005. and even his 2006 numbers weren't much different from young's 2007 numbers, if you look at OPS. young's OBP made up for the slugging. even if you blame it on the injury, i would just say that only adds to the potential for continued decline.

granted you would probably see more HRs from sexton, but is that really worth throwing church and/or rauch into the equation? and he's only 2 yrs younger than young (34/32). maybe if he was 28... but i think sexton's best seasons are behind him. let's go after someone who's not in decline and not get a "name" for name's sake.

let's not get silly in the other direction with hernandez and ichiro, hendo... ;)

I'm not going to argue with either of you, 231 or Hendo. Your points are valid ones. I guess what that brings us around to then is that the Nats really cannot add a potential big bat. They have no all-stars or even potential all-stars to trade right now, the later being young guys who've shown they can at least dominate AAA. No one is giving away Albert Pujols. I was simply trying to put forward a deal that another team might actually be willing to make. The only way the Nats will get a potential big bat is to do it by trading for someone who is a risk and is overpaid.

The question then is whether we think Rauch, Church, and Young are replaceable parts, long term. I think they are. They are all past prospect stage - some of them well past it. If the Nats want to take a shot at getting a big bat, then this trade MIGHT make sense. As I have said previously though, I prefer patience.

"Sometimes buying the farm isn't such a bad thing."

I hereby re-inaugurated my sloganeering campaign to encourage the Nationals to focus on what's really important -- restocking the minors.

So we get some big name free agent to add to our team? "Whoop-di-woo." Who's going to take over for him in 2013? Better yet, who's going to take over for him in 2010 when he gets hurt because he's old (by baseball standards, no disrespect!)?

Every move.

At every level.

That this club makes.

Needs to benefit our farm system.

Looks like pitching is not as tragic a situation as it was. Fielding and hitting are certainly a disaster. Let's do this rebuilding thing right.

Please don't bring up Ichiro. I don't need the false hope that daydreaming would bring. He would solve so many of our problems (leadoff hitter, speed, CF defense), not to mention making inroads in the Asia market.

#4,

I understand the point you're trying to make. you certainly have to give something to get something. but richie sexson, while he is definitely overpaid, is no longer a big bat. at this point, salaries aside, i don't think i'd trade him straight up for church. just my opinion, of course. but i think his prime prime has long been receding in the rear view mirror.

"let's not get silly in the other direction with hernandez and ichiro, hendo... ;)"

OK, not Hernandez. But Ichiro, yes.

what it means, #4, is that we won't acquire a big bat by trading away what are spare parts, whether it's spare parts to us or spare parts to them. and i don't see enough reward in going after someone like sexton. if we want a real big bat, we'll have to give up someone of more value, and i'm not sure i see a need for that this year.

I expect a quiet meeting for the Nats next week, and to head off the "why aren't they doing anything" talk let's look at what's aleady "done", WMP in LF - if he can produce for a whole season what he did for us in Sept. we won't need a sexton/dunn/jones hitter (not at their cost and not this year anyway).

Also with Guz, NJ, Patterson back (always end a prayer with Amen!). We actually have few holes to fill, what of those above that do crap out we can try to replace via mid-season trades, but remember that this is a team that played 500 ball from May on and with the above improvements and most importantly a little more stability (especially in SP) this team has a legit hope of contending for the wild card in '08 - probably right about where the Braves were for the season, and without mortgaging the teams future!

Love the slogan, Sect. 506. Did you cc Stan and Jimbo on that one?

---

"Sometimes buying the farm isn't such a bad thing."

I hereby re-inaugurated my sloganeering campaign to encourage the Nationals to focus on what's really important -- restocking the minors.

"But i think his prime has long been receding in the rear view mirror."

I'll let it go after this, I promise. In 2006, his last healthy season and just one year ago, Richie Sexson had 40 2Bs, 36 HRs, and 109 RBIs. The year before that was even better, more of everything including significantly more BBs. Remember he did this in a park, Safeco, that was a WORSE offensive park than even RFK in 2006. Safeco ranked 29th that year. I don't think his production is that far in the past.

Opening Day Lineup:

SS guzman
CF church
3B zimmerman
1B dmitri
LF wily mo
RF kearns
2B lopez
C schneider
SP bergmann

first, look at all the stats, not just 2b/hr/rbi. second, look at the 3-4 yr numbers and watch the decline (and keep in mind injuries).

OPS
910/842/694
SLG
541/504/399
OBP
369/338/295
AVG
263/264/205
BB (leaving out the lost 04 season, using 03, 05, 06)
98/89/64/51
ABs
558/591/434
Isolated Power (4 yr trend)
344/278/240/194
AB/HR (4 yr trend)
10/14.3/17.4/20.7

these are all bad trend lines. add that to age and injury, he's a big risk. if he was a FA and we could get him inexpensively, i'd be all for it. but to acquire him in a trade? nah.

The Nats can add the big bat they need by signing Jones but (and I believe most everyone concurs) it must be at the right price.

Since I boycott all things Oriole I have lost track of Patterson's career. I remeber him as a very promising prospcet in Chicago but obviously the bloom is off the rose. Are his problems something that can be fixed - or is this just as good as he gets?

Nats should be sellers and not buyers in this market. A Sexson or even a Cameron would not plug enough holes to make this team a contender. Guys to look for are blocked minor leaguers, formerly highly regarded young guys who initially stumbled, and the like.

Cleveland has a number of OFs at AA and AAA - so many that Brian Barton, a BBA top 100 prospect last year, is available in the rule 5 draft. Ben Fransisco, Shin Soo Choo, several others, with only LF open at the majors level. Belliard played well there, and if Asdrubal is SS, Peralta 3B, then they might want Belliard as Barfield insurance.

Jed Lowrie, SS, OBP .393 / SLG .503 over 500 ABs in AA/AAA this year, if he is not part of a Johan deal. Previously mentioned Sox need for bullpen depth and backup catcher.

Jeff Clement of Seattle, stuck behind Jojima. If Rauch and Young would get Clement, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Cordero alone would also make sense (Safeco is a place he could pitch).

he got a little better with the Os, particularly in 06, but i think he's gone about as far as he'll go and he's really just a 4th OF. just not consistent enough.

jon, have you seen something that hints that cleveland is going to move peralta to 3b and asdrubal to SS? i see them as peralta still at SS and asdrubal at 2B, with 3B being some combo of blake/marte (if he improves). haven't seen anything anywhere suggesting differently.

seattle definitely does not need a closer. putz is top shelf. they wouldn't give up that much for cordero.

sexson is too much a free swinger. must be nice having a 6-9' 1b to throw to though. his kind of power wouldn't be affected much by big or small stadiums. if he hits it it's gone. he just can't protect his strike zone. and since we already have wily mo. we don't need more adam dunn or sexson types.

OF and 1B are the logjam. we need middle infielders and pitchers and prospects.

if we are stuck on moving felipe then colorado or minnesota could be nice fits for us. both need a 2b. i still think we only do this if we get stud prospects. i'm convinced felipe will much be better this year. might be better to trade him midseason if at all.

No one in baseball has ever done better at buying the farm than Washington Nationals players. Walter Johnson bought the farm, which, as it turns out, was a good part of Montgomery County.

As far as overvaluing a player, let's remember that virtually every G.M. who isn't new to his position does that. Any G.M. who signed, traded for, or developed a player, has a stake in that player. To not overvalue him is, essentially, an admission of having made a mistake somewhere down the line.

One of the best ways to get a "bargain" is to trade for a player that the current G.M. had nothing to do with. That G.M. will have (presumably) evaluated the talent as an outsider. One of the problems with that is that it often puts you in the position of needing to deal with a situation like the Orioles, where you may have a completely dysfunctional club and it may be impossible to do a true evaluation of any player. In addition, you might have to deal with an owner who can and/or has overridden the G.M. The Yankees under the first incarnation of George Steinbrenner would be another example.

And now back to my mantra for '08: Until we see how GEICO/FBR/Mars field plays, let's not make any precipitous decisions.

i think minnesota likes their youngster, alexi casilla, at 2B. Not sure they're happy with brendan harris at SS. i have a feeling they'd like to add a better starter at middle infield, put casilla at the other spot, and use harris as the utility guy. don't know if they'd consider lopez to be that guy.

colorado, that may be workable. i think they'd prefer carroll to be a utility guy, too. and kaz looks like he's gone. but i'm not sure what they'd offer for lopez.

OT for baseball but WTOP is reporting that several people have been detained in relation to Sean Taylor's death:

http://www.wtop.com/

According to MLBTRADErumors.com, the Nats have traded Schneider and Church to the Mets for Lastings Milledge.

Dang, #4... you just beat me...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Thank God he's going somewhere he'll be appreciated!

But also, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Saw that on the RI blog, 1a. The word from Sean Tay's former lawyer and friend was that "it 'was not random, they knew it was Sean's house.'"

Who knows whether that means it was a murder attempt or a burglary. Sharpstein (who gave the quotation above) has maintained all along that this was murder. I think the Miami PD is undecided.

More on topic, the Lerners issued a very respectful statement about five hours after his death was announced:

"The Lerner family and the entire Washington Nationals organization and ownership group express their heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Sean Taylor and the Washington Redskins. Sean will be missed for his talent, his competitiveness, and his presence. The loss of one so young and full of promise and possibilities diminishes us all."

I'm glad they did this. They're part of the DC sports family now and the whole goal we have for the Nationals is that they're accepted into this community. Showing support when a tragedy affects one family member is an important part of being a sibling -- and hopefully, one day, an equal sibling.

Sob...

From Wikipedia...

"Lastings Darnell Milledge (born April 5, 1985) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals as well as a rapper. He was the youngest player in the National League during the 2006 season.[1]"

From me...

Lastings [RF] Milledge?!

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spmilledge1201,0,1176471.story

The Mets have traded Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church, a baseball official confirmed this afternoon. Milledge was believed to be a major chip in the Mets' pursuit of an elite starting pitcher this offseason, but that apparently was not the case.

Can someone explain to me how this is a good trade?

Well, that's one shoe down. And if Church and Schneider had to be dealt, this is just the kind of deal that should have been made: one for youth, immediate impact and high upside.

I'll miss 'em, though.

Welcome aboard, Mr. Milledge.

I can't, 506, but perhaps Barry can. He has a new post up.

---

Can someone explain to me how this is a good trade?

I am disappointed that Brian will not play at the new stadium as a home team member. But at least he does not have long to wait for the Mets new stadium.

Milledge is our centerfielder. Some will report that many teams do not think that is his long term position, but it will be his position in 2008. Pena, Milledge, and Kearns. Flores takes over at C until we trade/sign a catcher (not named Barett)

i don't know what to think. millege's stock has gone down considerably the past 18 months or so.

if he turns out to be who the mets expected him to be 18 months ago, it will be a good deal. will he turn out to be that guy? i don't know.

it definitely means the Nats need to delve a little deeper into the FA catcher market now. or another trade. i like flores, but i'm not sold that he's ready to catch 130 games at the ML level.

506,

I can't. But I'm sure that Bowden will have ample opportunity to justify the deal. He's been trying to get rid of Church since the team arrived in DC, so that's not really a surprise, and Milledge is the flashy kind of player that he likes. But I can't quite understand moving Schneider unless they plan on making a deal for another catcher. As much potential as he showed at times last year, I don't think that Flores is ready yet.

This is a great trade. Milledge is 22 and all upside. Will Milledge and Flo be better than Schneider and Church this year? Maybe, maybe not. Will they be better in years to come? For sure. Schnieider's got, what, one more year on his contract? And Church was never going to be given the chance here. In terms of building a better team for years to come, I like this.

Barry, get your a$$ out of the stool at the Tune Inn and get on this Milledge trade, bub! I don't pay ~ $.29/day for home delivery to wait more than 20 minutes for online rumor confirmation.

well met's fans are pretty upset. that's always fun. i'd love to see lineup with milledge/flores on sunday season opener vs mets. bowden smiling in new stadium pointing at everyone's shoes. ex-expo gm is finally paying us back for stiffing us out of sizemore/lee/phillips.

anyway. i'll miss schneider big time. didn't take long for me to be wrong about that opening day lineup...

I hate the part where you have to give up someting to get something. Look for NYC to package Church in another deal and move him for pitching before the year is over.

so does this put wily mo and kearns in a head to head competition next year with maxwell filling the open spot in 2009?

or does this mean one of them is getting traded right away also...

just to clean up a few old items:

231: Peralta to 3d, Asdrubal to short would put ACab back at his natural position. Many say Peralta's glove isn't good enough for short. Paul Hoynes, the Indians beat writer for the Plain Dealer, is a fan of Peralta's D and knocks this down whenever he is asked but acknowledges it has been discussed in his 11/11 post. Other talk suggests seeing if there is a market for Peralta (see Phil Rogers on ESPN's Hot stove preview for Indians).

Long term - re: dealing with the Mariners - Cordero would be a set up guy and allow them to move Morrow to the rotation. They'd still have Sherrill, O'Flaherty, a comebacking Mark Lowe, and others for the middle innings. You are right - Putz is one of the elite closers. Never was suggesting Cordero would replace him.