Diamond Notes

We here at the blog are saddened that Peter Gammons is leaving the Worldwide Leader in Sports, but are dually happy that we get the MLB Network (thanks DIRECTV!). Before we kick the wife out of the house so I can wrp her Christmas gifts, let's take a look at the notes and rumors in the Wailing Onion:

• The annual Seattle Selloff has begun. Richard Coppinger, Mark Chen, Sean Mantei and Orber Nieto are all on the move.
  
• Speaking of Seattle, management is looking to kill two birds with one stone on Nieto. Seattle added his nearly $6m annual salary early this season but is now looking to move him. One of the upper echelon hitters in WO history, Nieto could be headed to his seventh franchise. Clubhouse cancer? Maybe. Management killer? Perhaps. Potential Tiger Woods paramour? Stay tuned...
• The biggest screw job in baseball goes to the second place team of the NL West at the end of the season. If the season ended today, San Francisco wins the division while Portland finishes two back. Both teams are moving along at a .700+ clip. And, the second place team gets stuck in the wild card. The rest of the division leaders are floating at 53-54 wins while soursurfer's Philly Flash would land in the second wild card game at 50-47.
  
• And seriously, raise your glasses to Mark and Ralph. They earn dap on patience alone, building their teams from within and signing their kids to long-term contracts.
• Texas made two moves to lock up their team as they make a playoff push, acquiring Andrew Thome and Donovan Leiter, giving up Farmer Fordham and up and comer Orval Cunningham. Leiter locked up his first win against division leader Memphis and Thome has three hits in two games since coming over.
• Speaking of trades in the AL South, Little Rock has been busy. The most notable of their three trades in one day was sending Al Ibanez and his 1.80 ERA out of the bullpen to San Fran.
• Little Rock had initiated trade talks with Texas prior to the Leiter trade, but Texan management nixed the deal due to its no intradivision trade policy.
• Philadelphia's minor selloff also including the departure of 37-year-old setup man Earle Edmonds, who heads to Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubbies.