Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

There are only 4 teams in the AL who haven't scored 100 runs as a team yet and there are only 4 teams that haven't allowed 100 runs yet. Somehow both Oakland and the White Sox have managed to be on both lists... The New York press is into protecting Joe Torre mode and shifting the blame for the Yankees bad start onto GM Brian Cashman. Before blaming Cashman for the poor state of the Yankees pitching - let's look at who the Yankees signed this offseason and who they could have signed. They signed Kei Igawa (who came up big for them yesterday), brought back Andy Pettitte (a very good move) and re-signed Mike Mussina (they pretty much had to do that - 2-years $23 million). When you look at the free agents who could have made a significant impact - only three stand out (Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt and Randy Wolf) and all three of those signed deals with West Coast teams because they wanted to be in California. Realistically there wasn't much else Cashman could have done except for out-bidding the Red Sox for Daisuke Matsuzaka. If Cashman has an off-season sin - not getting Dice-K is it but I don't think that sin will cost him his job... It will be interesting to watch the Kirk Radomski situation unfold. Radomski admits dealing steroids from 1995 to 2005 but that's not something you just fall into. You don't just leave college and immediately start dealing cocaine (for example) without first being exposed to cocaine. It seems a rational assumption that Radomski was exposed to steroids use while working in the Mets clubhouse. Look for additional scrutiny to start falling on players like Jeff Kent, Bobby Bonilla and Howard Johnson who were three of the big sluggers during Radomski's time with the Mets... Julian Tavarez starts for the Red Sox today against the Yankees. I wish there was some place I could bet that Tavarez hits either Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez. If there was a place that took such bets - I'd probably parlay that he hits them both... I think Nick Cafardo is right on in his analysis of the A-Rod out clause in his contract:

Understanding the way Scott Boras operates and the inclusion of an out-clause in Alex Rodriguez's contract, I'm one of the few who believe A-Rod will stay with the Yankees. He'll stay with some enhancement to his contract, despite the current insistence of Yankee management not to tinker with the deal -- of which Texas is footing $21 million (of $81 million) over the final three years from 2008-10. Boras has perfect leverage in this case. Never mind the Angels, the leverage comes in the possibility that the Red Sox would be interested. The Yankees didn't want Gary Sheffield going to Boston, so they picked up his option and dealt him safely to the Tigers.

Only a couple of teams could afford A-Rod (the Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers and Angels). You can probably take the Mets off the list because they have David Wright at 3rd and Reyes at SS. You can also probably take the Dodgers off the list because they have Furcal at short and prospects like Andy LaRoche and Brandon Wood for 3rd. Couple that with the fact that the Yankees won't want A-Rod going to the Red Sox plus the fact that there really aren't any big name free agents next year (assuming the Cubs get a contract done with Carlos Zambano) - Carfardo is correct in that the Yankees will re-tool A-Rod's contract and he'll be in pinstripes next year.