Well, originally meant for Friday Morning Closer (obviously that didn't happen) I thought I'd share some of the stuff I came up with.  Afterall, it would just go to waste if no one checked it out.

A Retrospective

With all of the options that are being picked up, inlcuding those that come to the chargin of the athlete (I'm talking to you, Gary Sheffield), you have got to look back at 2005's free agency and admit, those deals are pretty great now.

How stupid do the Red Sox look now that they thought that Johnny Damon wasn't worth 4 years, $52 million, especially when they'll likely have to enter the Gary Matthews Jr. Sweepstakes and have to overpay for the Rangers' centerfielder.  The Texas Rangers were thought to have been nuts in signing Kevin Millwood for 5 years, $60 million.  Now Millwood is going to be a bargain now, especially at a time the Rangers are going to have to jump into the free agent market again.  

 As is the Toronto Blue Jays "overpaying" for closer B.J. Ryan.  Now it's viewed to be one of the most important signings in the off-season, especially in a season where the closers market is viewed to be extremely weak, with the names of Eric Gage and Kerry Wood being the most marquee names on the roster.

The point I'm making is that several teams last season took the initiative to gamble on free agent prices rising.  WIth the luxury tax rising and revenue doing the same, we may look at the free agent class of 2005 with envy in a few years, as these teams enjoy the services of these cheaper players for years to come.

Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano left the team's facility in Fort Myers, Florida, apparently frustrated with his lack of progress in his attempt to get healthy enough to be able to pitch in winter ball.  Liriano, 23, went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA during the season and was considered a frontrunner for the AL Rookie of the Year award before the injury.  After struggling through an Aug. 7 start against Detroit, he left the game because of elbow soreness.  A brief stint in rehab followed, and Liriano returned to the mound Sept. 13 against the A's.  He cruised through the first two innings and appeared to be back to form before once again leaving the game early with elbow pain and was shut down for the season.  He was diagnosed with a mild sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament, an injury team doctors had hoped would clear itself up through rest and rehabilitation. 

The problem is that this injury is starting to resemble the early symptoms of a possible ligament tear, and would require Tommy John Surgery.  The Twins were hoping that it would not come to that, as seen from a rotation that fielded two rookies, one retiring pitcher, and one inconsistent one behind Johan Santana.  But maybe in the long run it would be the best.  Paul Byrd of the Cleveland Indians said that he suffered a similar condition for years until he finally decided to undergo the procedure, which he credits for reviving his career.  Maybe it’s time that Liriano sat down with the team, tell them of his intentions to have the procedure done, and explain that this way would be the easiest way for both parties.  Liriano would get his career back on track and the Twins would benefit from a healthy Liriano the next year, rather than see him waste another year and have to have the surgery later.

Seattle Is Under The Gun

With All-Star center fielder Ichiro Suzuki entering the final season of his contract in 2007, questions abound concerning his long-term prospects with the team.  Suzuki has said that he would not seek a contract extension, though he would listen if the Mariners offered one.  However, reports have been coming out of Seattle that Suzuki is becoming increasingly frustrated with the Mariners’ lack of competitiveness and will take this year to evaluate how close the Mariners are to competing.  If he thinks they are on the verge of returning to their winning ways, Ichiro will stick around.  If no, Suzuki will test the market, where as a centerfielder and a leadoff man, he’ll earn a king’s ransom.

Seattle has the makings o####ood bullpen and the infield is set with Johjima, Sexton, Lopez, Betancourt and Beltre and some promise on the outfield corners.  The problem is pitching and the DH, and neither will come cheap for the Mariners.  Which leaves the Mariners in an odd position.  They could try and splurge, but free agency is a crapshoot and the market is going to be nuts this off-season, with lots of teams expected to splurge on a pitching class that is dubious at best.  Seattle looks like their attempting to build a young team that can contend for the long haul, and not just the near future.  And keep in mind that Ichiro is now 33 and has maybe three years of elite play before he hits his decline stage.  At the very least, the Mariners are two years from becoming serious contenders in the division (sorry sleepless, if you’re reading this, but it’s true).

To be blunt, the Mariners need to sit down and discuss where Ichiro fits into the grand scheme of things.  If they feel that Ichiro can contribute something in the grand scheme of things, then by all means, make every effort to re-sign him.  But if the Mariners feel that Suzuki would have more value leaving Seattle, then they should make every effort to trade him in a market that, without a clear cut star defensive centerfielder, would give them the most #### for their buck.

Free Agency Rumblings And Grumblings

·          If the Mets lose the bidding for Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt and Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Mets are expected to be heavy players for Mark Mulder and Ted Lilly, two former Oakland teammates that could benefit from being reunited with former Oakland and Current Mets Pitching Coach Rick Peterson.  Many blame Mulder’s injuries and inconsistency that have hampered Mulder since he was traded to St. Louis to the fact that he was no longer being tutored by Peterson.  Lilly has fared better, but wasn’t nearly what he was with Oakland. 

·          Despite the fact that Julio Lugo is coveting the Mets second base job, the Mets are internally discussing Giants 2nd Baseman Ray Durham instead.  He won't come cheap, as the Mets would have to bid against the Dodgers and the Giants for his services, but many in the Mets love Durham’s skills as well as his work ethic, plus the fact that he has none of the baggage of Julio Lugo, who was less than thrilled with his time with the Dodgers and has a history of spousal abuse.

·          Don’t believe the hype that the Cubs will center a trade with the Yankees around Mark Prior and Alex Rodriguez.  Though Prior was a former Number One pick for the Yankees that they failed to sign, this deal would be a certified bust for the Yankees as Prior can’t be relied on to stay healthy.  Any deal with the Yankees for Rodriguez would have to be centered around Carlos Zambrano or no deal at all.

·          Texas Rangers Utility Starter Mark DeRosa could remain in Texas and still play alongside Hank Blalock in the lineup.  There has been some talk that maybe DeRosa could become the regular starting third baseman with Blalock being moved to the Designated Hitter role permanently.

Friday Morning Closer

Here’s my two-pitch outing for the day.

Mets & Twins Are Very Vulnerable

With the losses of Pedro Martinez and Francisco Liriano, the Mets and the Twins are looking like very favorable matchups to their opponents that they’ll meet in October.

Both teams are currently scrambling to try and piece together rotations for the post-season, despite some crippling losses.  The Twins, outside of Johan Santana, are fielding a group of first year prospects.  No offense to the Twins scouting department, but many of these guys aren’t ready.  Matt Garza, despite his talent, has been hit hard a few times, and is clearly not ready.  Carlos Silva has been awful and Brad Radke is a ticking time bomb.  As for the Mets, their entire rotation was built around Pedro, who is done for the year tanks to a calf muscle tear.  With that in mind, Orlando Hernandez, hardly a scary pitcher anymore, will be the Game 1 Starter, with Tom Glavine and Steve Trachel, a pair of soft throwing older pitchers, will be starting Games Two and Three.  John Maine is arguably their best pitcher at the moment, and he could be thrust with the enormous responsibility to keep the Mets alive in a five game series that could send the National League’s best team back home earlier than anticipated.  And while New York can mash, no offensive minded club has won the World Series since the Anaheim Angels back in 2002.

While many analysts are quick to say that both teams have solid bullpens that can shut down opponents in the later innings, this rationale is severely flawed.  A bullpen is only as good as it’s starters, and if the starters flame out quickly, the result could be ugly as the bullpens of both teams will be worked over.  Even worse for the Twins, at the moment, they’ll projected to face the Yankees, who have a dangerous lineup that will tax the Twins’ starters and relievers into submission.  As for the Mets, they may escape the first round if they face the Padres, whose lineup is severely flawed.  But if the Houston Astros were to overtake the Cardinals for the division crown, the Mets had better hope and pray that they don’t advance to the NLCS.

Bonds is Delusional

I know Ken Rosenthal went over this not too long ago, but I have to say my piece.  To quote Dusty Baker “Barry’s crazy.”

Bonds is going to play again next year, that much we know, but he’s not going to get the money that he thinks he should earn.  He needs to realize that his days of being a tenured player who collects his salary, no matter what his playing status is, are over.  He’s stated that he wants to return to the Giants for one final year, but his desire is to obtain a contract for at least $10 million dollars to return.  However, he’s not going to get that, thanks to his age combined with a tolerance that has finally been reached because of years of being abused by their franchise player or simply for the desire to move on. 

Would the Giants love to have Bonds back, to squeeze one final buck out of his home run chase that has less credibility than the Incredible Hulk hosting an anger management workshop?  Sure.  Bonds has always been a hot ticket in San Francisco and the locals would flock to A####mp;T Park to watch dingers fly into the bay.  But Giants owner Peter Magowan has made it clear that he has no problem moving on without Barry and won’t bow down to the surly left fielder if he threatens to leave again.  Magowan also has realized that as long as Bonds remains on the team, he can’t rebuild the Giants into a contender.  The farm system offers little in return, as the pressure to win with Bonds has cost the team several high draft picks that would have benefited the Giants about now.  Plus, Magowan also has the safety blanket of hosting the All-Star Game, which will keep butts in seats for this year alone. 

If Magowan decides to keep Bonds around, the contract will likely be similar to that of what Frank Thomas signed, though the base salary will be far higher than the $500,000 that Thomas signed for when he went to Oakland.   The most likely scenario would be a contract with a base salary of $4 to $5 Million Dollars, with incentives pushing the total to $8 or $9 million.  It would be generous, and would give the Giants some protection if Bonds suffers a relapse of his 2005 season.  However, Bonds will likely balk at the prospect of having to earn his millions, and has stated before “There will never be incentives in my contract. Ever. Ever. Ever."  

Even if Bonds rejects such a deal, he’s got to realize that there is little other options available for him to go to continue his pursuit of Aaron.  Much has been made of him playing for the Athletics, but the fact of the matter is that ownership, plus GM Billy Beane, aren’t going to go for the public lambasting that they’ll receive from signing Bonds, plus he’s going to demand far more than Oakland would be willing to pay.  As a final factor to consider, Bonds has poisoned many a clubhouse over the years.  Would Oakland be willing to kill it’s free spirited clubhouse culture (though it would be great TV to see Bonds and Nick Swisher come to blows) just to have the publicity of a home run chase?  I don’t think so.

Would Bonds try to reunite with his former manager Jim Leyland?  It’s a possibility, but the Tigers are in search of a player that can contribute long term to the team, and not just as a one-year rental.  Bonds also isn't the best player to have around a young team, with his odd behavior, his prima-donna attitude, and his bizarre sense of humor.  Other than that, there are few other places Bonds could go to, as the cloud of controversy, plus the horrible reputation he has built for himself has closed off many former places that may have once entertained having Bonds on the roster. 

Bonds stated when he first returned to San Francisco that it was wonderful to come home again.

Now, home might be the only place willing to have him.