Kuzul

MLB Spring Training is now just a few weeks away, and two of the biggest names looking to rebound from lost seasons in 2010 are Joe Nathan and Chipper Jones.

Nathan missed the entire season after blowing out his arm early last Spring Training and having Tommy John surgery.  But prior to that, he had been one of the best and most consistent closers in baseball.  He’s looking to regain that form in 2011.  As reported on TwinCities.com, Nathan expects to be ready to throw with no restrictions when pitchers and catchers report on February 17th.  His return to full strength is a key for a Twins team that lost a number of relievers this offseason.

Meanwhile, Chipper Jones has also quietly been rehabbing in his attempt to return from suffering a torn ACL last August.  He had previously been contemplating retirement, walking away into the sunset with the only Major League manager he had ever known, Bobby Cox.  But the injury was one factor that convinced him to give it one more go.  As reported by MLB.com, he’s battled some tendinitis recently, but has had no other setbacks, and is also planning on being ready to go in a few weeks.  With a more potent Braves lineup around him, like offseason acquisition Dan Uggla, Jones’ ability to get back in the swing of things is one of the team’s major question marks.

But if he is healthy, he’ll be another reason why the Braves can again contend this year.

Vladimir Guerrero joining the Baltimore Orioles is something that seems inevitable, but nonetheless, it hasn’t happened yet.

The O’s are still the only team confirmed to have offered Vladdy a contract, supposedly a one year deal for between $3 to $5 million.  The holdup is that Guerrero is looking for something more along the lines of $8 million.  Even that is a far cry from the 2 year deal for $16 million that he was said to be seeking at the beginning of the offseason.

The problem for Vlad seems to be that he’s past his sell by date.  Most other AL teams in need of a DH have found their solution for 2011.  Minnesota kept Jim Thome.  The Yankees signed Andruw Jones.  The Rangers are using Michael Young after Adrian Beltre supplanted him at third base.  The Rays took a chance on Manny Ramirez.  The A’s signed Hideki Matsui.  The Angels committed significant money to bring in Vernon Wells.

So while he’s certainly still a feared hitter, whatever market he once had has dried up.  His camp has tried to make the Orioles outbid themselves by floating a rumor of a better offer being out there, but that offer has never materialized, and the O’s seem to be standing firm.  Maybe he just doesn’t like Baltimore?

He’s still got a gun for an arm, but his dwindling mobility have limited his value.  Whenever he finally swallows his pride and goes to Baltimore, expect another big year from a seriously ticked off (read: motivated) Guerrero.

Freddy Garcia recently was speculated to be returning to the Chicago White Sox, where he’s enjoyed most of his success in the latter years of his career, but he seems to have done an about face.

According to a report in ESPN New York, Garcia has agreed to terms with the New York Yankees on a minor league contract.  Perhaps he thought he had a better chance of winning with the Bombers, or perhaps they just offered a sweeter deal.  Garcia will earn $1.5 million if he makes the team, with the chance to round that figure out to a cool $5.1 million through performance bonuses.

It’s a bit surprising that Garcia would have to settle for a minor league deal, coming off a highly respectable season with Chicago where he went 12-6 with a 4.64 ERA, and considering that he sports a 133-87 career record.  He also has established himself as a big game pitcher during his brief exposure to the postseason, where he’s gone 6-2 with a 3.11 ERA in two trips.

He’ll compete with fellow recent signee Bartolo Colon for a spot at the back end of the Yankees rotation, and will give them greater depth should the inevitable injury arise.  He’s also insurance in case Andy Pettitte stays home.  Oh wait, I already talked about that.

The New York Yankees has agreed to a one-year, minor league contract with starting pitcher Freddy Garcia, according to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick.

Just after a few days of expressing interest in pitching for the Yankees, Garcia gets what he wants and Brian Cashman has made his best move this offseason by signing Garcia.

Although 36 by opening day, Freddy Garica is still durable and won 12 games with an ERA of 4.64. Fans say Garcia will allow one home run every five days at Yankee Stadium, but they also need to realize that he pitched at U.S. Cellular Field, another hitter-friendly park.

Also of note is that he pitched 157 innings, so he is certainly an innings eater—or at least better than Sergio Mitre.

Some fans may oppose the signing, as they say Mitre is actually effective as a starter. However, Garcia is much more dependable, and Mitre is only good when he pitches frequently out of the bullpen.

It seems he will fit into the Yankees starting rotation as a No. 4 or 5 guy, pending Spring Training.

And with Andy Pettitte seeming to lean towards retirement more and more with each passing day, Garcia and youngster Ivan Nova seem to be the front runners for the rotation job. As competition, there is still Bartolo Colon, Mark Prior, Andrew Brackman, and Sergio Mitre as well.

Garcia is anther option if things all fall apart for New York. However, what makes this decision such a great one is that the deal is only worth $1.5 million, with incentives only reaching to $3.6 million.

With the way he pitches, this was a steal.

Another reason why this was the best move for Cashman was because of the preceding events. For example, the signing of Rafael Soriano was an excellent addition to the bullpen, but it weakened the GM-owner relationship.

Signings of Colon, Prior, Feliciano, and Martin are all moves that are decent, but they are all risks except Feliciano, and Garcia is still more valuable as starting pitching was needing more upgrade(s).

After missing out on Cliff Lee, and recently Justin Duchscherer, this was a move Cashman had to make, and he came through.

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While the major deals of the MLB offseason have long since had all their i’s dotted and their t’s crossed, there are still some last rounds of spring cleaning that need to take place before everything is set.

A bit of moving the furniture around, if you would.  Contract extensions to be signed, arbitration hearings to be avoided, and few free agent stragglers here and there.

So without further ado, here’s a rundown of the latest news of the day in baseball.

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It would have appeared that the Chicago White Sox had parted ways with pitcher Freddy Garcia after the 2010 season.  However, a return to the south side may still be in the cards for the veteran right-hander.

If a report from SI.com is accurate, the White Sox may be looking to bring Garcia back into the fold.

Garcia hasn’t been signed by another big league club as we head into February.  The Yankees and Orioles have shown interest, but New York’s signing of Bartolo Colon may have signaled the end of their courting of Garcia.

What does that mean for the White Sox?

Garcia went 12-6 as Chicago’s fifth starter in 2010.  Despite a 4.64 ERA, his win total was third highest on the team.  For the price of a million dollars, he proved to be a bargain for the club.

Ozzie Guillen, White Sox manager and related to Garcia by marriage, has shown that he can get production from the 35-year-old hurler in two different stints with Chicago.  Would Kenny Williams pony up enough scratch to extend Garcia’s second run with the organization?

More importantly, how would re-signing Garcia shake up the White Sox pitching situation as it currently stands?

Garcia would likely be back in the starting rotation, which would mean two things:

1.  The White Sox are looking for insurance because they realize Jake Peavy may not be ready for opening day.

2.  The White Sox plan to use Chris Sale out of the bullpen, at least for 2011.

One could speculate that signing Garcia on the cheap could pave the way for a starter to be dealt.  If that was the plan, why wait until now to make this move?

The Sox didn’t expect Garcia to be on the market for this long.  He still may sign with another team, but the fact that Chicago may be back in the mix could be an indicator of how the White Sox rate their pitching corps going into Spring Training.

Or could it be Ozzie Guillen’s way of helping out Garcia by generating some interest for a guy who proved to be a valuable arm last season?

With Guillen, you never know.  We’ll see how the rumors shake out this week.

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It’s almost February and that means pitchers and catchers will be reporting to spring training in just a few weeks; it also means that the free agent signings are coming to an end. It’s rapidly becoming time for coaching staffs to be extending training camp invites to a group of players – a few of which may be lucky enough to land the last few rosters spots on a team. 

Even though, for the most part, all the real impact players have long been signed to teams,organizations are still paying attention to some free agents that can make a difference for a contender or fill a vital role/position for any team. Just look at the San Francisco Giants in 2010 if you’re wondering why teams are maintaining interest in the players left unsigned (they’re World Series run couldn’t have been achieved without players like Cody Ross, Pat Burrell, etc).

So, let’s take a look at each team, individually, to see who they’re still interested in… 

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As the last dying embers of the Hot Stove flame begin to blacken and fade, let’s take one more look at who is still out there.

At this time of the year, free agents can often be had at a discount, hungry as players are to find a team and get down to the work of getting ready for the season to come. There are still a few potential impact players floating around, as well as many more who could prove to be valuable additions in the right place.

We’ll wade through the flotsam and jetsam and pick out those ten remaining diamonds in the rough, in this, our late January free agent reset.

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This offseason marks a turbulent time for Major League Baseball, as several key names around the league are free agents, and many of them have already begun the steps towards a new team and a new beginning. 

By now, experts and analysts everywhere are already buzzing about the possibilities of blockbuster trades and big-name free agent signings.

Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has leaked to the media his plan to add starting and relief pitching, and maybe acquire a power bat if the price is right.

With this in mind, let’s explore the possibilities no one is talking about.

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Dome catwalks, bad umpiring, and opponents forgetting how to play, oh my.

The Chicago White Sox have won seven out of their last eight games and have lost half a game in the American League Central division standings, sitting 4.5 back with 24 games remaining. A yellow brick road is nowhere in sight and mix the above three with the Minnesota Twins and you have yourself a done-for Dorothy, getting no help.

No scarecrow, no tin man, no lion. The White Sox are on their own.

What can’t be added to the fairytale-turned-nightmare is injuries to the White Sox.

Gordon Beckham was hit in the hand Aug. 30, against the Cleveland Indians. On Tuesday, Beckham said the pain was the most intense and that he couldn’t hold a bat. Beckham went on to claim it feels like it hurts in a different place every day.

Not good.

Beckham was scratched from Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers and manager Ozzie Guillen plans to shut him down for a couple days. Beckham hit .354 in July and .309 in August. 

Paul Konerko sat out for the second consecutive day Tuesday due to lower back issues. Konerko said he felt discomfort in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday. He played in Game 2, but was taken out later in the game.

This injury is not expected to be serious, but the White Sox can’t afford to have their MVP, and at least a top five MVP candidate for the American League in any intelligent sports follower’s eyes (Jayson Stark, if you’re reading…), sit out any games.

This was all before Tuesday’s game.

You’re already looking at having to play Omar Vizquel and Mark Kotsay for Beckham and Konerko. Now the White Sox may need to find another pitcher.

Freddy Garcia had to leave in the second inning of Tuesday’s game due to a sore back, which caused the starter to leave a start last week after four innings.

Garcia has been an unexpected horse this year, and logic says he’s due for an injury. Unfortunately, this is the worst time, especially with Jake Peavy being gone for the season.

The White Sox may have to start thinking of using a four-man rotation rather than wasting every fifth start on a guy like Carlos Torres.

It’s that time of year where logic doesn’t make sense.

And to cap off an injury-filled night, Manny Ramirez left after getting plunked for the second time of the game. Ramirez took a fastball from Tigers’ Robbie Weinhardt after taking a ball in the elbow from Justin Verlander earlier in the game.

Ramirez is thought to be OK, but once again, this is no time for “OK” to mean “be back in a couple games.”

The White Sox are running out of time, while running out of players as well.

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