Farmer Ted

Torreabla will never be a Met. Not after Omar pulled his offer to work a deal for [cough] Schneider.

Free agents-to-be, according to another website. Age of player in ( ). All injuries should be healed by next spring thus 1B, LF, a few starters, and a reliever or two should be on the menu. Catchers Brad Ausmus (41) Paul Bako (38) Rod Barajas (34) Josh Bard (32) Michael Barrett (33) - club option Henry Blanco (38) Ramon Castro (34) Sal Fasano (38) Toby Hall (34) Ramon Hernandez (34) - $8.5MM club option with a $1MM buyout Jason Kendall (36) Jason LaRue (36) Victor Martinez (31) - $7.7MM club option with a $250K buyout Bengie Molina (35) Jose Molina (35) Miguel Olivo (31) - $3.25MM mutual option Mike Redmond (39) Ivan Rodriguez (38) Brian Schneider (33) Yorvit Torrealba (31) - $4MM mutual option with a $500K buyout Javier Valentin (34) Jason Varitek (38) - $5MM club/$3MM player option plus incentives Vance Wilson (37) Gregg Zaun (39) - $2MM club option with a $500K buyout First basemen Rich Aurilia (38) Russell Branyan (34) Miguel Cairo (36) Frank Catalanotto (36) - $5MM club option with a $2MM buyout Tony Clark (38) Carlos Delgado (38) Nomar Garciaparra (36) Ross Gload (34) - $2.6MM club option Eric Hinske (32) Nick Johnson (31) Adam LaRoche (30) Doug Mientkiewicz (36) Kevin Millar (38) Chad Tracy (30) - $7MM option with a $1MM buyout Daryle Ward (35) Dmitri Young (36) -$6MM option vests with 500 PAs in '09 Second basemen Ronnie Belliard (35) Jamey Carroll (36) Alex Cora (34) Craig Counsell (39) Mark DeRosa (35) David Eckstein (35) Jerry Hairston Jr. (34) Orlando Hudson (32) Akinori Iwamura (31) - $4.25MM club option with a $250K buyout Adam Kennedy (34) Felipe Lopez (30) Mark Loretta (38) Pablo Ozuna (35) Placido Polanco (34) Freddy Sanchez (32) - $8MM club option with a $600K buyout; vests with 600 PAs Juan Uribe (31) Shortstops Orlando Cabrera (35) Alex Cora (34) Craig Counsell (39) Bobby Crosby (30) Adam Everett (33) Chris Gomez (39) Alex Gonzalez (32) - $6MM mutual option with a $500K buyout Khalil Greene (30) Jerry Hairston Jr. (34) John McDonald (35) Marco Scutaro (34) Miguel Tejada (36) Omar Vizquel (43) Jack Wilson (32) - $8.4MM club option with a $600K buyout Third basemen Rich Aurilia (38) Adrian Beltre (31) Geoff Blum (37) Aaron Boone (37) Craig Counsell (39) Joe Crede (32) Pedro Feliz (35) - $5MM club option with a $500K buyout Chone Figgins (32) Nomar Garciaparra (36) Troy Glaus (33) Mike Lamb (34) Melvin Mora (38) - $8MM club option with a $1MM buyout Pablo Ozuna (35) Robb Quinlan (33) Juan Uribe (31) Left fielders Garret Anderson (38) Marlon Anderson (36) Jason Bay (31) Emil Brown (35) Carl Crawford (28) - $10MM club option with a $1.25MM buyout Johnny Damon (36) David Dellucci (36) Cliff Floyd (37) Matt Holliday (30) Jacque Jones (35) Gabe Kapler (34) Greg Norton (37) Wily Mo Pena (28) Manny Ramirez (38) - $20MM player option Dave Roberts (38) Fernando Tatis (35) Center fielders Rick Ankiel (30) Rocco Baldelli (28) Marlon Byrd (32) Mike Cameron (37) Endy Chavez (32) Coco Crisp (30) - $8MM club option with a $500K buyout Darin Erstad (36) Ryan Freel (34) Jerry Hairston Jr. (34) Reed Johnson (33) Andruw Jones (33) Gabe Kapler (34) Mark Kotsay (34) Corey Patterson (30) Scott Podsednik (34) Right fielders Bobby Abreu (36) Jermaine Dye (36) - $12MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout Brian Giles (39) Vladimir Guerrero (34) Eric Hinske (32) Geoff Jenkins (35) - $7.5MM mutual option with a $1.25MM buyout Gabe Kapler (34) Austin Kearns (30) - $10MM club option with a $1MM buyout Jason Michaels (34) Xavier Nady (31) Magglio Ordonez (36) - $18MM club/vesting option with a $3MM buyout Randy Winn (36) Designated hitters Hank Blalock (29) Jason Giambi (39) - $6.5MM club option with a $1.25MM buyout Ken Griffey Jr. (40) Aubrey Huff (33) Hideki Matsui (36) Gary Sheffield (41) Matt Stairs (42) Mike Sweeney (36) Jim Thome (39) Starting pitchers Brandon Backe (32) Miguel Batista (39) Josh Beckett (30) - $12MM club option with a $2MM buyout Erik Bedard (31) Kris Benson (34) Daniel Cabrera (29) Chris Capuano (31) Bartolo Colon (37) Jose Contreras (38) Doug Davis (34) Justin Duchscherer (32) Adam Eaton (32) Shawn Estes (37) Josh Fogg (33) Freddy Garcia (34) Jon Garland (30) - $10MM mutual option with $2.5MM or $1MM buyout Tom Glavine (44) Mike Hampton (37) Rich Harden (28) Mark Hendrickson (36) Livan Hernandez (35) Tim Hudson (34) - $12MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout Jason Jennings (31) Jason Johnson (36) Randy Johnson (46) John Lackey (31) Cliff Lee (31) - $8MM club option with a $1MM buyout Braden Looper (35) - option Rodrigo Lopez (34) Jason Marquis (31) Kevin Millwood (35) - Rangers can decline $12MM salary for '10 unless he reaches 180 innings in '09 Brian Moehler (38) - mutual option Brett Myers (29) Vicente Padilla (32) - $12MM club option with a $1.75MM buyout Chan Ho Park (37) John Parrish (32) Carl Pavano (34) Brad Penny (32) Odalis Perez (33) Andy Pettitte (38) Joel Pineiro (31) Sidney Ponson (33) Mark Prior (28) Horacio Ramirez (30) Jason Schmidt (37) John Smoltz (43) Tim Wakefield (43) - perpetual $4MM club option Jarrod Washburn (35) Brandon Webb (31) - $8.5MM club option with a $500K+ buyout Todd Wellemeyer (31) Kip Wells (33) Randy Wolf (33) Closers Ryan Franklin (37) - $2.75MM club option with a $250K buyout Mike Gonzalez (32) Kevin Gregg (32) Trevor Hoffman (42) Fernando Rodney (33) Rafael Soriano (30) Jose Valverde (30) Billy Wagner (38) - $8MM club option with a $1MM buyout Right-handed relievers Luis Ayala (32) Danys Baez (32) Joaquin Benoit (32) Rafael Betancourt (35) - $5.4MM club option Chad Bradford (35) Doug Brocail (43) - $2.85MM club option with a $250K buyout Chad Cordero (28) Elmer Dessens (38) Brendan Donnelly (38) Octavio Dotel (36) Kelvim Escobar (33) Eric Gagne (34) Tom Gordon (42) LaTroy Hawkins (37) Matt Herges (40) Bob Howry (36) Jason Isringhausen (37) Jorge Julio (31) Masahide Kobayashi (36) - $3.25MM club option with a $250K buyout Brandon Lyon (30) Gary Majewski (30) Guillermo Mota (36) Troy Percival (40) J.J. Putz (33) - $9.15MM club option with a $1MM buyout Juan Rincon (31) Duaner Sanchez (30) Rudy Seanez (41) Russ Springer (41) Julian Tavarez (37) Luis Vizcaino (35) - $4MM club option with a $500K buyout David Weathers (40) Jamey Wright (35) Yasuhiko Yabuta (37) - $4MM club option with a $500K buyout Left-handed relievers Joe Beimel (32) Alan Embree (40) - $3MM club option with a $250K buyout Scott Eyre (38) Casey Fossum (32) John Grabow (31) Eddie Guardado (39) Ron Mahay (39) Trever Miller (37) Will Ohman (31) - $2.2MM club option with a $200K buyout Darren Oliver (39) Glendon Rusch (35) Scott Schoeneweis (36) Brian Shouse (41) - club option Ron Villone (40) Jamie Walker (38)

Carter gets stranded in AAA because Youkilis, Papi, Kotchman and now Gonzalez can all play first. He's probably that happiest fucker in New England right now.

I never had a problem with Wagner other than the 2006 NLCS. Spoke his mind and didn't give a fuck about hurting anyone's feelings. I hope he knocks Papelbon's teeth out.

No shocker here. From ManU to the Yankees...a front-running SOB, Beckham. http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2009/08/0825_david_beckham_546638_x17_exc.jpg

I was quite struck by the Nazi-genre film angle. Very interesting. Colonel Landa was very well played. I'd recommend it.

Why send Misch down? They could just bring up Ken next week.

They'll probably offer Dice K in return.

Missed Billy last night. What did he hit on the radar gun?

Greys Anatomy Doucher. http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2009/08/0820_eric_dane_1047362_inf_exc.jpg

Pudge REALLY wanted to be a Met once, too. Great talent but I suspect he's on the steroid list. That's anotheer conversation...

Was in the mezz halfway down the rightfield line. I thought Finley had it. It was the peeps in the LF upper deck that started going crazy when I knew.

Another conspiracy theorist on the WBC and injuries. I subscribe to the theory, wholeheartedly. By Eddie Mayrose, July 9, 2009 Under Commissioner Bud Selig�s reign, Major League Baseball has become more and more about marketing and sales and way less about the fans or even the game, itself. If there�s a way to create a new revenue stream or bump up the current prices, Selig and his merry band of carpet baggers, baseball�s owners, will leap at it with no regard for who may be incurring the cost. Looking forward to taking your kids to an afternoon game on a summer Sunday? Check back with the team two weeks prior, as ESPN may have moved it to Sunday evening; a privilege the Commish and Co. signed away for extra cash when the last network deal was inked. Ticked off at the ridiculous prices being charged by the Mets and Yankees in their new homes? Selig can�t wait to tell anyone who�ll listen that he thinks the ducats have been priced responsibly. Even the nice patriotic gesture that sees teams wear Stars and Stripes hats on the three national holidays that fall within the season has been corrupted. Last year, when they debuted, each team wore a blue version of the cap, which was a big seller among fans. However, when Memorial Day rolled around this year, a red edition adorned the heads of all big leaguers. Let�s face it, how many more blue lids were actually going to be sold? As for the kids who thought they�d be wearing the same apparel as their heroes? Let Dad pony up another thirty five bucks and they�ll be up to date. But, it is Selig�s most far reaching money grab, the World Baseball Classic, which has managed to put the players, themselves, in jeopardy. A made for television event played in 2006 and 2009, the WBC, features professional players representing their native countries in a two week tournament played at the beginning of March; or the time when most are just beginning the routine of preparing for the season. That many of the players might not be ready to compete so early was an issue seemingly disregarded as soon as a network exec reached for his checkbook. That there didn�t seem to be a whole lot of interest among fans was another factor that was ignored. So, on the games went, with their consequences to be realized during the regular season. Of the 115 MLB players that participated in the event, 24 have spent time on the disabled list this year; more than twenty percent. There have been 7 more that have missed time to injury during the season but have not been disabled and still another 10 experiencing seasons that range from extremely sub-par to career-worst. That�s thirty five percent of those who played in the Classic having to deal with an unexpectedly disappointing season. Hope the payday was a good one, Bud. Now, there are more than a few injuries that would have occurred no matter the situation. You can�t blame Cesar Izturis� appendicitis or Brian McCann�s adverse reaction to laser surgery on the WBC. But some interesting patterns still exist. The Mets, for instance, not only sent the most players to the tournament but have had the most land on the DL. Even the Japanese, two time winners of the Classic and renowned for their conditioning, have seen no less than four from their roster miss time to injury. Former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was ridiculed at time by owners and fans alike for invoking the �best interest of the game� clause. Maybe that�s something Selig should consider. For, as the accompanying list shows, the �best interest of the game� is clearly not being served by the WBC. These players are paying the price for a shortened Spring Training. Unfortunately, until it hits him in his wallet, Selig probably won�t care. DISABLED LIST Mike Aviles Brian McCann Alex Cora Oliver Perez David Davidson J.J. Putz Carlos Delgado Jose Reyes Stephen Drew Carlos Ruiz Jose Guillen Carlos Silva Scott Hairston Joakim Soria Chris Iannetta Ichiro Suzuki Akinori Iwamura Edinson Volquez Cesar Izturis Joey Votto Daisuke Matsuzaka Brad Ziegler MISSED TIME Carlos Beltran Miguel Cabrera Carlos Guillen Chipper Jones Evan Longoria Hanley Ramirez Shane Victorino UNDERPERFORMING Joel Hanrahan Matt Lindstrom Jose Lopez Magglio Ordonez David Ortiz Roy Oswalt Jimmy Rollins Jonathan Sanchez Geovany Soto Fernando Tatis http://thisisdiversity.com/articles/all/929/world-baseball-classic-proving-hazardous-to-health-of-mlb-players

John Manuel, Baseball America, tags the Mets as draft losers and cheap ass bastids. New York Mets: While the crosstown Yankees spend money like nobody's business in the draft, the Mets toe the line. Sure, they paid top pick Steve Matz an above-slot bonus, as he got $895,000, almost $400,000 more than the recommended slot. That's a Mets rarity, and with no first-rounder (lost for signing free agent Francisco Rodriguez), Matz basically got a first-round bonus. The Mets failed to sign their fifth- and sixth-rounders, and only had two players -- Matz and 13th-round pick Zach Dotson, a Georgia prep lefty signed for $500,000 -- who signed for as much as the Yankees gave their 44th-round pick. No large-revenue team uses its money less in the draft than the Mets.

What about Pelham Bay which is the Bronx but really more like CT?

Help is on the way. Hooray. New York reliever Billy Wagner also rejoined the team and is expected to be activated from the disabled list Friday.

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Detroit Tigers bolstered their offense for a pennant drive by obtaining first baseman Aubrey Huff from the Baltimore Orioles for a minor leaguer. "I've been in last place basically my whole career, so this is an exciting time for me," Huff said. "I'm looking forward to it." The Tigers began Monday leading the Chicago White Sox by 2 1/2 games in the AL Central. The last-place Orioles obtained pitcher Brett Jacobson from Detroit and assigned the right-hander to Class A Frederick. Huff is batting .253 with 13 homers and 72 RBIs. The 32-year-old Huff recently hit his 200th career homer and should fit in nicely in a Detroit lineup that ranks 11th in the AL in runs and seventh in home runs. Still, with the non-waiver trading deadline passed and little talk of a deal, Huff expected to finish the season in Baltimore. When he was summoned to manager Dave Trembley's office Monday afternoon, Huff figured it was for a pep talk. Then Huff saw Orioles president Andy MacPhail sitting with the skipper and suspected something was up. "I didn't really expect anything," Huff said. "I cleared waivers and there wasn't a lot of interest I'd heard of. So this one kind of hit me out of left field." Huff said he was sad to leave an Orioles team finally reaping the benefits of rebuilding through youth. "This is probably the best young talent I've been around and I've been around some young talent. ... You got an All-Star in Adam Jones, and a superstar in Nick Markakis that nobody knows about," he said. "(Brian) Matusz, (Chris) Tillman, all these young guys coming up. It's a very exciting time here and Baltimore should have a lot to look forward to." Huff spoke briefly with Detroit manager Jim Leyland by telephone Monday and said he expects to join the Tigers on Tuesday, when they open a three-game home series against Seattle. Jacobson was 1-3 with six saves and a 3.74 ERA in 35 games with Class A Lakeland this season. The Orioles didn't immediately replace Huff on their 25-man roster and were prepared to play a man short against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

David's vision must still be blurry. No other explanation for wearing this shirt. http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/08/18/alg_wright-early.jpg Still wearing that Flavor Flav watch, too.

I'm thinking Livan knocks it dead or he's dead.

Switched over to NESN in between innings to catch a Red Sox score. Frank Viola doing color and sounds pretty good. Any openings at SNY?

I love Ralph Kiner. He sounds great.

the metal edging on the glass railings at the bottom of the stairs and aisles throughout the ballpark are in the process of being removed. KC, it may be called bitching to some, I like to think of it as caring in mob-like fashion. Glad that they listened. Shocked that they did.

Victorino files a police report against the fan who dumped the Old Style on his head.

I was hoping for a Pacific Northwest swing.

They immortal. Really.