Winter Baseball Report

We find it easy this time of year to focus on the NFL intensively, but there is always news from the baseball world in the months leading up to spring training. I personally have decided to make a conscientious effort to stay on top of MLB happenings during the off season and spring training.

With that, I bring you the first MLB Report.

It’s being reported that the Texas Rangers have offered one time slugger, corked bat connoisseur, and suspected juicer ‘Slammin’ Sammy Sosa, a minor league deal. Texas, where Sosa started his career in 1989, is rumored to be close to a minor league deal which will get Sammy’s foot in the door for Spring Training.

"This is about giving a guy a second chance," general manager Jon Daniels said.

Great. Sammy’s GOOD for baseball. Just like Crack is good for kids…

What the hell are the Rangers thinking? Signing this guy to any sort of contract would be an absolute disaster. They should put a call into some of the Cubs who played with Mr. Sosa in his prime and see what they think of him. Not to mention the reaction Sosa would get standing in right field in virtually any MLB park outside of Texas. There’s a reason he hasn’t played in the league since 2005.

More on this story next week.

The Chicago White Sox have come to terms with their Super Star 3rd baseman Joe Crede.

Yes, I said SUPER STAR. Anyone who watched the MLB Playoffs in 2005 would know this kid from small town Missouri is the real deal.

By inking Crede to a one year, $4.94M contract, the Sox have avoided arbitration, but this season may be his last in a Sox uniform. Crede has been plagued by back problems for years, resulting in the Sox brass to refrain from signing Crede to a multi-year deal. They’ve also got 24 year old Josh Fields, a huge minor league prospect at 3rd base.

Crede’s future may be a question mark heading into the ’08 season, but for now he’s a member of the White Sox and that’s all that matters.

On the other side of town in Chicago, the Cubs have asked one time prospect and second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ himself Mark Prior, to take a pay cut. Prior, 1-6 with a 7.21 ERA last season, made $3.65M in another season shortened by injury. It was reported that he was seeking $3.875M payday this season. The Cubs have offered him $3.4M.

Prior, who has been with the Cubs since 2002, has only broken the 200 inning plateau once, in 2003, when he went 18-6 as a starter. Since then, he’s 18-17 and has pitched a total of 327.6 innings, with only 43 in the 2006 campaign.

In other Cubbie news, Carlos Zambrano has come to the table with a request for a considerable increase in pay. Last season Zambrano, 16-7 with a 3.41 ERA, was one of the few bright spots in a long and dismal year which ended with the departure of manager Dusty Baker. Zambrano’s paycheck? A respectable $6.65M. The Cubs have reportedly offered him $11.025M a year, a nice payday for the man who has emerged as the ace of the staff. But Zambrano has bigger plans. He has requested $15.5M in arbitration, and based on the Cubs’ spending as of late, he just may get it.

But the man who stands to make out the best this off-season may be Florida star Miguel Cabrera who is seeking $7.4M a year from the Marlins. Florida has offered Cabrera $6.7M. If Cabrera gets his way, he’s looking at a $6,928,000 a year raise. Not bad.

Here’s an interesting tidbit about the arbitration process: Overall, players in arbitration averaged a 109 percent increase last year

Other News:

It appears JD Drew’s 5 year $70M deal with Boston isn’t a done deal. The agreement was announced on Dec. 5, but as of today, Drew still does not have a contract with the team. Boston is concerned with Drew’s surgically repaired right shoulder.

Major League Baseball has chosen Yankee Stadium as the sight of the 2008 All Star Game. That will be a nice tribute to the stadium which has stood since 1923, which is closing in 2009.

The St. Louis Cardinals passed a series of screenings by the Department of Homeland Security and were at the White House the other day to meet President Bush after winning the 2006 World Series. David Eckstein presented Bush with a Cardinals jersey. Not present: Albert Pujols. He must have figured he looks too middle-eastern.

And finally, the San Francisco Giants announced they are having the largest scoreboard of any MLB park installed for the 2007 season. Is this a sign that Bonds’ head has grown even larger? Must be the flaxseed oil cream.

That’s it for now. Look for this column every Wednesday!