Slot work

ONLY IN AMERICA can an 18-year-old from Coleman, Mich. walk into a room and demand millions of dollars. And only in sports are people dumb enough to hand it over.

This brings us to the season nine amateur draft in the Wailing Onion. Usually I do the top 10 or 12 picks, which is about all I can take until getting bored. We'll see how this goes.

1. ST. LOUIS: Vernon Myers, RHP. This high school from Michigan is going to be a hero one day. Until then, his current ratings are better than some of my major leaguers. Gulp. Anyhow, great splits and control from this kid.

2. NAWLINS: Derrik McPherson, 2B. Arguably the best player in the draft, McPherson is a four-tooler, with speed as his only real downside. He has strong contact and power numbers and a solid eye. His defense isn't too shabby either.

3. SANTA FE: Dontrelle Harding, SS. The 19 year old has some growing up to do. Good contact. Great power. Meh splits and, for a shortstop, he has rightfielder's defensive projections.

4. MILWAUKEE: Norm Crawford, LHP. The first southpaw was a nice prize for the Miller Time. Strong splits and good control and velocity numbers from this kid.

5. CHICAGO(A): Geraldo Tavarez, RHP. Nineties splits. Mid-80s control. Solid glove. And the tool wants to finish college.

6. CINCINNATI: Willis Lindblom, SS. A legit shortstop (defensively), Lindblom has monster power numbers and solid splits. Downfall is mediocre contact.

7. WASHINGTON: Amos Sowders, RF. Great health and durability. Great power. Great splits. Great eye. And that's about it.

8. SEATTLE: Ariel Espinoza, 3B. Like my tires, Espinoza is well balanced. Mediocre contact, paired with solid splits, power and eye. His defense is pretty good too. Overall he's good, but not great.

9. MINNESOTA: Ham Thielman, RHP. Surprised that the Ham dropped this far, but that's likely due to his signability. Great control and velocity, and good splits. His health is troublesome. The Hammer remains unsigned.

10. VANCOUVER: Ajax Robbins, LHP. A lefty closer, Robbins mixes great control and velocity. Really, really strong durability and health numbers.

11. SAN ANTONIO: Junior Mendoza, SS. A shortstop built to play third base. When he makes contact, the ball is likely to fly. Strong power and splits and a really sharp defensive makeup. Good durability but lousy health, much like my wife.

12. FRESNO: Bill Elster, SS. Across the board, he's projecting on the cusp of a five-tooler. Of course, if he doesn't sign it could be a problem.

13. TEXAS: Melvin Baldelli, SS. Solid defense and good offense. The power is impressive. The splits are not.

14. ROCHESTER: Ivan Garces, LHP. Good control and splits for this 19 year old lefty. I'd be a little concerned about his near even flyball/groundball ratio.

15. NORFOLK: Sam Rando, LHP. Great velocity and control mix. Splits are good and the flyball/groundball ratio are meh.

Other notes:

• Garry Miller at the 33rd pick is the $1m break. No. 34 signed for $960,000.
• Round one lasted 57 picks with A and B supplementals.
• Mr. Irrelevant? Portland's unsigned pitcher Rudy Matthews. At pick No. 827, Rudy is a pitcher and even that is a stretch.
  

Week IV

The calendar says, "Thursday." My class doesn't show for another 45 minutes. I think it's time, ladies and gents, for week four of The Onions!.



We've bounced back here at Control from a nifty snowstorm which closed my office early, canceled my Thursday evening teaching assignment. Today, it got to the low 40s in Syracuse and most of last week's snow has melted. My in-laws, on vacay in Myrtle Beach, called to complain about the weather last night. I took the opportunity to make fun of them and said that next year, they should just give me the $500 they spent on airfare and I'll go on vacation.

Enough chatter.

TRENDSPOTTING

• Tip of the glass to reigny for clocking the longest losing streak in season nine. His 11-gamer heading into the PM2 cycle is keeping my underperforming bunch out of last place in the AL South.
• And while we're on the subject, thanks to Ralph and Mark for handing me a 1-7 record during our interleague meetings.
• Arizona's five-game winning streak is the current Best of the Bigs and is made even more impressive with their sub-.500 home record.
• Speaking of homewreckers (well, if you say it fast it kinda sounds the same), San Francisco is 31-9 on the road. Not what one would call a hospitable guest. They also have top record in the WO at 58-14.
• Boston's Howard Lee is toting the league's longest hit streak at 17 games. He's also sporting league highs in home runs (26) and RBI (82) and is this weeks The Onions! Player of the Week.
• Congratulations to Gene Koehlert, Texas' only league leader from the plate. His 317 at-bats are a source of Texans pride.
• AL pitching is leaving a bit to be desired this year. Of the top 20 pitchers in earned run average, THREE -- Lewis Harang of Rochester, Les Carroll of Chicago and Tom Miller of Texas -- are from the junior circuit. You know the pitching is bad when my team is in the equation.
• Allen Glynn earned two more wins this week, giving the Jacksonville starter 15 on the season. Barring an injury or one of Mark's players running him down with the bullpen cart, he will likely break the single-season wins mark held by Portland's Larry Dickens (24 last season).

WHAT ABOUT NERIO?
A new feature of The Onions!, we'll take a look at how everyone's favorite roid head, Nerio Turner, is faring. Suffice it to say, it's not going well in Washington for the 34-year-old. He has four hits in 13 at bats for the Senators. Nerio has one home run but only seven appearances thus far. Eek.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OR-BER NIETO?
Another new feature, we'll try to track down the world traveling Orber Nieto as he tries to stay with one team for an entire season. All we need is Rock-a-pella to do the theme song.

Anyhow, Orber has been with Houston since a mid-season trade in season eight. In 55 games played, he is hitting .272-16-33 with a respectable .936 OPS. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old is out with a back injury for the next five cycles. This makes injuries to his back, shoulder, knee, hammy and hip during his career. But, with five teams in nine seasons, he's got to have some great frequent flier mileage.

DISABLED, DISMEMBERED AND DISEMBOWELED
Note: Disemboweled was the first "dis" word to come to mind. I need help.

A quick check of the disabled list shows one new member of the 60-day vacation club. Bartolo Cordero of Kansas City is gone for the season with a torn hamstring. Very nice. Five new entries on the 15-day include Hiram Boone and his blistered finger.

INTERNATIONAL FREE AGENTS
Amazing how baseball can mend fences between nations. Venezuelan-born third baseman Carlos Cervantes signed with Washington. Maybe one day Hugo Chavez and the United States will be able to put aside its differences. Of course, Cervantes' record setting $18.2m bonus payment would do it for me too.

NOTABLE TRANSACTIONS
There was one trade this week. St. Louis and San Francisco swapped minor leaguers.

A draft review is forthcoming. It'll take a few days as I'll be out of town this weekend.

The Onions!

We're a hearty bunch here in Syracuse. In Washington, 12-18 inches of snow paralyze a city. Here, the TV weatherheads say that the roads might be slippery. The 'Cuse is looking at 18 inches of snow by tomorrow morning's rush and the county has banned travel after 6 p.m. At right is a photo of a street near my house.

Me? My office closed at 2 p.m. and the college cancelled classes tonight, which means a slightly early Week 3 version of The Onions!

Trendspotting

• Fist pounds to Sandshark who turned an eight-game winning streak into a two-game loser. And, congrats to Memphis for matching him almost win-for-win and keeping San Antonio at bay.
• Boston's seven-game win streak is the top one in the majors.
• Conversely, Buffalo is amid a five-game losing streak.
• Portland's Vin Dali holds the crown of longest hit streak. Of Dali's 27 hits this season, 16 have come during the streak.
• Fausto Valdivia (ARI) and Glendon Borders (VAN) have 14-game hit streaks.
• A.J. Lemke is The Onions! Player of the Week. Lemke is working a 12-game hitting streak and sporting league-leading .412 batting averages and a 1.211 OPS for the Oogle Birds.
• The top 10 pitchers by wins? All NL pitchers. From Allen Glynn (10-1) and Trent Milligan (9-1) to the five tied with seven wins, not a one comes from the American League.
• Oh, and of those 10 pitchers, half of them pitch for either Ralph or Mark.

Disabled and Dismembered

No one joined the 60 this week, but new comers to the 15-day DL include Erubiel Sosa (JAX), Harry Palmeiro (SFE), Julio Castillo (NY) and Ralph Hayes (ROC). Everyone has minor stuff, including a couple of bad knees.

Transactions of the Week

• 50 people (50!) were reactivated from the disabled list throughout the Wailing Onion. Another 45 went on. Oy!
• The first trade in a while sends Santa Fe centerfielder Peter Kim to Memphis for Octavio Guzman and Tony Santiago.

The Onions! Week Two

The Ash Wednesday version of The Onions! as we here at Control will be spending Thursday evening watching the Syracuse-Georgetown basketball game. I don't have a particular dog in this race as I once worked at SU and spent my childhood as a Hoyas fan. It should be a great game.

Trendspotting

• Hey Texas! Way to make losing an art form with the current six-game streak.
• On the flipside Chicago's Black Stockings (9) and San Juan's Reales (8) have the longest winning streaks in the league.
• San Francisco's magic number can start being calculated. The Oogle Birds are 26-4 this season. Their Achilles' Heel? Playing at home, where they've lost **three** games.
• Willie Campos (CHI-N) and Darren Thomas (POR) each have 15-game hitting streaks heading into Wednesday's PM2 cycle.
• Pedro Contreras (BUF) is getting some Nerio Turner-esque respect with eight intentional walks. Not bad for a guy with a .790 OPS.
• Dangerous hitters of the week: Darryl Bravo (JAX) and Sammy Gonzales (NY) who are hitting home runs every 7.60 and 7.68 at bats, respectively.
• From the "Don't Believe the Hype" department, last week's Player of the Week Heath Gwynn (NO) has cooled off. He's down to a 1.200 OPS and has seven hits in his last 46 at bats. Slacker.
• Allen Glynn (JAX), Johnny Robinson (LA), Sammy Dickey (MEM) and Norm Sanders (SF) and Kareem Duckworth are the notable starters with perfect records. Glynn leads all at 7-0. Robinson follows at 5-0, while the rest are 4-0.
• Glynn is The Onions! Player of the Week this week. He strikes out 4.5 batters for every walk issued and rocks a 0.91 WHIP. That's enough for me.
• I changed my mind. Norm Saunders gets the POW honors. Started twice. Won twice. Gave up two earned in 13 innings, struck out 11 and walked five. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Injury Report

The 60-Day grew this week, as LA's Lawrence Fuller (elbow tendinitis), Chicago-N's Heath Fox (same), Santa Fe's Darrin Serafini (same) and New York's Davey Torres (sore shoulder) all hit the long-term list.

Notable names on the 15-day include Washington slugger Nerio Turner (the juicer has a stiff oblique) and Rochester's Sammy Unamuno (back strain).

International Free Agents

Hello Enrique Berroa! Buffalo just signed this reliever up for a $7.5m bonus. Pablo Santana joined the Chicago-N organization, thanks to a $2.4m bonus.

Transactions of the Week

Feb. 12: New York declines the Rule V return offer of Wilt Wood from Washington. Good thing to since Wood was heading to the DL.

Feb. 14: Minnesota released David Santayana. Two weeks after his international signing, he wears out his welcome and gets released. Sayonara Santayana!

• 
  

The Onions! Week One

Trendspotting

Double Digits: Fist pounds and chest bumps to the four teams that have amassed 10+ wins through 14 games. Take your bows San Francisco (12-2) and the trio of 10-4 Memphis, Phila and Nawlins.

Road Warriors: San Francisco is an impressive 7-0 when its on the road. Only Vancouver's 6-1 mark is close.

Going Streaking with Frank the Tank: Five players have had a hit in each of the first 14 games. Most impressive in the bunch is Heath Gwynn of Nawlins, who is batting .509-6-18 with a 1.600 OPS. Ouch babe. He gets The Onions! first Player of the Week award.

Set 'Em Up, Knock 'Em Down: Jacksonhole's Allen Glynn is 4-0 and rocking a spiffy 29/3 K:BB ratio. He'll get the first Pitcher of the Week award.

Doing More with Less: Remember Philadelphia's 10-4 record? It's being done on the backs of an team offense batting a WO DFL* .206.

*DFL = Dead F--king Last

DL Review

15-Day

Louis Paul: The Chicago hurler has a stiff groin. Nothing one of those Korean massage places couldn't handle.

Juan Ferrer: St. Louis' pitcher has an inflamed shoulder.

60-Day

Luis Osoria (DC): Comes off the DL in five days.

Pascual Lopez (MEM): Nerve irritation in his forearm. Yikes. He's done for the year.

Terry Reed (SFE): Wonky shoulder. Should be back after the All-Star break.

IFA Watch

This week's big signing was the unfortunately named Harry Limon. The Dominican centerfielder got $1.7m. His offensive numbers are indeed offensive, but he covers the field well. He has Johnny Damon's arm, but damn he's fast.

Transaction Watch

Feb. 10: Washington promotes Nerio Turner. In 45 AAA at-bats, Nerio had zero home runs. Eek.

Feb. 8: San Antonio declines the Rule V Return of Jose Perez from Chicago (A). A 28-year-old corner outfielder, Perez is now back at AA.

Thanks for the Draft Picks

There is some advantage to having Donovan Leiter and Benny Aybar pass through town. These Type A free agents landed my Texans five draft picks in the Top 50, including my original No. 13 pick. Not too shabby. Let's take a look at the other Type A's and B's that moved and who will have to pay extra attention to their draft formulas this spring...ahem:

Jacksonville also landed four picks (23, 42, 51, 139) when Sammy Williams (Boise) and Enrique Cortes (New Britain) bolted town.

Boise got three picks (40, 59, 73) for Bunny Stoops and Julio Fernandez. However, it forfeited its original first-round pick when it signed Williams.

Milwaukee gained three picks (36, 48, 59) . Garrett Collins brought the first and last pick when he signed with Chicago, while Tony Tanaka's signing with Memphis resulted in a Type B pick at 48. The Miller Time also hold the No. 4 selection.

On the flip side...

New Britain's first draft pick is in the fifth round, thanks to the signing of Willie Diaz, Bunny Stoops, Dorian Piper and Sammy Williams. They created nine draft picks for other teams with the sandwich picks and a Type B signing.

And finally...

Bret Laker's failure to accept San Francisco's offer means the Oogle Birds pick up a second round pick at number 87

Washington gets Type D compensation for Dennis Rolls, who demanded $7.5m and never signed. That earns andysox a third-round pick at 120.

Coaching Roundup

Someone made a point in the chat area that this year's coach hiring was the smoothest ever. I tend to agree. It was also one of the most lucrative times ever to be a coach -- 11 coaches nabbed $3 million or more. Here's some highest-paid coaching facts:

• Lloyd Staley got $4.7m to oversee Vancouver's defense.
• Houston laid out $4.0m to hire David Pote.
• Pedro Merced of San Antonio is the highest paid 1st base coach at $1.5m, while Portland shelled out $1.4m for third-base coach Matty DeJesus.
• New Britain paid $1.7m for Julian Bravo to mentor its AAA pitchers, making him the highest paid minor league coach.
• Los Angeles laid out $300K+ each for two rookie level coaches.

Record Watch

We're still a relatively young league so most of our career record holders are still active. But, there are a few that could fall in season nine.

HITTING

• Hits: James Gao (FRE) enters season nine as the all-time leader with 1,641. Pat Saunders (FLA) and Dave Adams (ARI) trail at 1,625 and 1,589 respectively.
• OPS: Timo Phillips holds the record at 1.072, but remains unsigned. Al Mendoza sits at 1.053 and with Portland, you never know what could happen.

PITCHING

• Strikeouts: Wayne Ramsey remains unsigned with 1,070 strikeouts. Chicago Black Stockings' Art Shelley is 94 away from claiming the title.
• Worst ERA: William Gonzales and his 6.14 ERA are retired, but Benji Santiago is not. Vancouver will trot out Benji and his 5.85 ERA. You never know.
• Appearances: Al Ibanez (SF) has 542 and is 29 away from Angela Acosta's mark of 571.

A Chechako, A Summer Knight and a Booze Hound...Hey Oh! (Part 2)

Season 9 is nearly upon us and there's only one question -- who wins the NL west, Portland or San Francisco? The Oogles are the defending world champions and have the target on their back after cruising to championship (the Oogle Birds lost four playoff games in their run to the title). In the mean time, can Memphis and San Juan post consecutive 100+ win seasons? I could write individual team previews, but who's got time for that?

Let's look at the NL...

NORTH: There's nothing to say when you win a division by 25 games. Chicago ran away with things and then added Louis Fleming and Slash Miles. Milwaukee and Minnesota were both active in the off season, and I respect Cincinnati for standing pat and developing the kids. Only one question...will someone mount a challenge?
CARNAC SAYS: Chicago in a walk.

EAST: Now, here's an interesting division. All quality teams that would run rampant in the AL, but when packed into one division, we get everyone's favorite word -- parity. Philly has a solid core of pitching, but went out and got Guy Freel and Frank Thome, plus slotted Frank Thome at third. Florida brings Kyle Merritt, Hal Riccardi and David Aquino back to the hill. Buffalo adds a pair of free agents in Pete Baker and Denny Katou. Washington has been trading like the world is going to end. Questions: 1) Does Florida have the offense to make a challenge? 2) Does Philadelphia have the pitching to hold Florida off?
CARNAC SAYS: Pick 'em. Push. It's a cop out. Take either Philadelphia or Florida.

South: Because the East and West are so strong, we get another semi-stinker division. KPMcClave took Jacksonville to 99 wins and a 21-game division win. And, just to keep it interesting, he went out and dropped $70+ million in free agency. Houston, Santa Fe, New Orleans? They'd probably kick my team's ass, but instead they'll spend the year watching Jacksonville's. Question: Did KP budget himself into a corner if something goes wrong?
CARNAC SAYS: Jacksonville.

West: And then there is the toughest division in Wailing Onion. Why? Fresno was 40 games out last year with 74 wins. Los Angeles was 35 back with 79 wins. Either one would have made wild card challenges in the AL. Sandleaguer and cheez have the misfortune of battling it out between Portland and San Francisco. Question: Does it matter who actually wins this division?
CARNAC: San Francisco wins it, Portland gets the wild card.

A Chechako, A Summer Knight and a Booze Hound...Hey Oh!

Season 9 is nearly upon us and there's only one question -- who wins the NL west, Portland or San Francisco? The Oogles are the defending world champions and have the target on their back after cruising to championship (the Oogle Birds lost four playoff games in their run to the title). In the mean time, can Memphis and San Juan post consecutive 100+ win seasons? I could write individual team previews, but who's got time for that?

Let's start our division previews in the AL...

NORTH: Quick math here. The East division has budgeted $372 million on payroll this season. Boise imported Aaron Camilli to play left and shored up its bullpen with the signing of Shayne Swift. Chicago reloaded the chamber, locking up Stewart Toombs, Garrett Collins and Earle Edmonds. On the opposite end, New Britain supplemented its homegrown talent with some older, familiar names--Vern Dunwoody, Dorian Piper, Sammy Williams. Questions for this season: 1) Can New Britain's Steve Hollins keep it up after his very quiet .313-32-115 season? 2) What kind of difference will Lewis Harang make for Rochester? 3) Is there enough fire power in Boise to make it happen in a hitter-friendly park? 4) Will this be the year for Chicago?
CARNAC SAYS: Boise

EAST: San Juan hit .299 as a team last year. Six regulars topped .300, led by Warren Hamill's .350 average and 1.050 OPS. The rotation took a hit, though, when Germany Smart skipped town. Naturally, ownership made up for it by signing offensive powerhouse Sammy Carr. New York was spared a loss with Jimmie Walters resigning, anchoring a tough rotation. Boston returns a pair of 15-game winners in Lawrence Johnson and Horacio Baez. Norfolk went out and signed one of the big free agents this season, locking up Donovan Leiter. Questions: 1) What's San Juan got up its sleeve? 2) Does Boston even count as a real city? 3) Can New York pull it together and give the Reales a run?
CARNAC SAYS: San Juan by a whisker. New York gets a wild card.

SOUTH: Memphis posted 103 wins. They lost Tanner Howard, but added Tony Tanaka to join Tomas Julio and Tom Green. Texas lost its two late-season pickups in Benny Aybar and Donovan Leiter, but the club had its best season in years (literally) and is trending upwards. San Antonio took a step back in season eight. Is this the sign of a decline? St. Louis had some fine individual performances last season but they couldn't put it together.
Questions: 1) Floyd Brock won the Cy Young award, but what's left in the tank? 2) Are Midre Navarre and Rudy Fingers enough to make up for losing Leiter and Benny Aybar in Texas? 3) Was season eight a blip on the San Antonio/Little Rock radar?
CARNAC SAYS: Memphis

WEST: Traditionally one of the toughest divisions, only 13 games separated first and fourth place. And, none of these guys wasted time getting better. Arizona returns Vic Brock, Doug Pride and Duke Harper off of career seasons. KC brings back a scary core with Odalis Cervantes, Erubiel Blanco, Brent Scutaro and Albert McPherson. Questions: 1) Will Vancouver and Seattle make the run to close the gap between KC and Arizona?
CARNAC SAYS: Pick 'em. Either KC or Arizona with the other team taking the wild card.

NL comes tomorrow or the next day.

Hall of Fame?

So, the new update brings us the Hall of Fame. After much deliberation, we've been offered criteria and the opportunity to nominate. Now, I don't believe we're able to nominate yet, but check your World Office menu.

Confusing is what we've been offered as eligibles. I won't dispute Len Heiserman, who has a .283 BA and .923 OPS, plus 247 home runs. The remainder of the position players leave a little to be desired -- Mule May? Lefty Hodges? Carl O'Connor??

Tony Dodd is the only pitcher under consideration. Again, he was a good closer -- 248 saves, 314 strikeouts in 396.2 innings pitched -- but still a 3.20 ERA and 1.25 WHIP? Meh.

The Smell of Money

Editor's Note: If you don't understand the photo, check your local listings for the next showing of "Trading Places." It's appointment viewing.

You can hear the crackle of the fire as the money burns its way out of the budget and into the payroll column. There's no surprise as to the two top spending teams--Chicago's AL franchise and Jacksonville tallied almost $200m in signings this season. Here are the three teams which awarded more than $50m in free agent deals this spring:


Chicago (A): $108.3m

Stewart Toombs: Four years, $80m

Ray Stone: Two years, $8.9m

Garrett Collins: Two years, $15m

Earle Edmonds: One year, $4.4m

Jacksonville: $74,3m

Joe Stein: Four years, $38m

Tony Snow: Three years, $12.3m

Benny Aybar: Four years, $24m

Chicago (N): $53m

Louis Fleming: Three years, $31.5 + $2m bonus

Skeeter Green: Two years, $3m

Slash Miles: Three years, $14.1m

Sadie Mecir: One year, $1m

Tomas Torres: Two years, $2.4m

http://kateskitchentable.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/the-dukes.jpg

Team Preview: Texas

So, what's doing in the Lone Star state?

First, I was serious about my wild card chase last year. Was it foolish to trade off two high-rated prospects for two guys that went to free agency this year? Maybe. But, it gave me some decent perspective on what I needed to look for in order to win.

That said, my goal for season nine is .500 baseball. I've gone from destroying this franchise to a decent rebuild. Had I not flubbed the draft last year, I think that I would be in better long-term shape. Stupid formula.

The core of the team is the middle of the field--Rigo Cordero and Philip Miller. Cordero is an all-star who got a nice long-term deal on the heels of arbitration and Miller is on the verge of a breakout. Gene Koehlert in center gives Texas its first top of the order threat in a long time. One of the pickups from last season's wild-card tradefest was Andrew Thome, a nice little hitter out in right. Vic Mercado had a very off year at third, but I'm hoping for big things.

The rest of the team is a retread. Yes, I'm going to trot out Karim Castro and Billy Anderson. They are both solid contact guys with decent splits. Yes, they are both 38 years old each, but gave me more consistent hitting then some other last season (I'm looking at you Mercado).

Pitching. Well, we're old. Rudy Fingers is 28 and is a nice piece. Remove him and the average age of the rotation is 36. Midre Navarre, Tommy Ayala, Benny Pujols and Tom Miller have seen better days, but consistency is still something they bring. The bullpen is okay. Swindell closes and a trio of

Diamond Notes

Let's get right to the news, shall we?

• Word from control is that free agents are now allowed to think for themselves. Numerous owners have reported that players willing to negotiate at the end of last season were shutout of the negotiating window in beginning of this year. The result? Benny Aybar to Jacksonville and active markets for Jimmie Walters and Stewart Toombs.
  
• The standout deal has been San Francisco's swap of Alberto Beltran to New Orleans for Freddy Chen. Chen was New Orleans' top pick in the season eight draft and has been progressing nicely toward his projections (overall in the 80s; 60s contact, 70s splits). Beltran has started 30+ games each of the last six seasons, and was 14-10 for the Oogles last season. Mark also manages to shed a hefty contract--Alberto was in season two of a five-year, $32.5m deal.
• Memphis picked up a new closer in Brett Dougherty. The 28-year-old lefty saved 19-of-24 for intradivisional rival San Antonio (nee Little Rock). The cost? Two low-level prospects projecting in the 70s.
• Portland management has been hot on trading 25-year-old phenom Julian Santana. The reigning three-time Cy Young award winner and four-time all-star is making $8.6m this season as part of a five-year, $45.5m deal. Santana has yet to reach his gaudy projections, which are almost all above 90. In return, the Beavers are looking for first-class power hitting.
• The rumored destination for Santana? San Francisco. Well, it could have been. Sources report that the Ralph-Mark über division nearly got incestuous when Portland offered Santana in multiple packages, which would have sent Harpo Dunn and Jorge Benitez to Portland in return. Both times, the Oogles said no.
  
• While we're talking rumors, one out of Texas had Kansas City picking up all-world shortstop Garry Hutton from the Texans in exchange for stud hurler Max Roosevelt and others. Sources say that Texas ownership blinked and pulled the deal at the last minute. What a little bitch that owner is...
• Hutton was also rumored to be on the move to Washington, D.C. but salary cap restrictions have kept the shortstop in Texas.
• Speaking of the Texans, they shipped Tony Machado and a minor leaguer to intradivisional rival San Antonio for Weldon Terrell. Machado won his arbitration case this season. And, Esteban Hernandez takes a walk. The 31-year-old was dealt to New Orleans for Rudy Fingers. Both deals have yet to be completed.
• Rumors of teamwide dissent regarding Rigo Cordero's long-term deal to avoid arbitration have surfaced. Reports have Cordero forcing Texas management negotiate the deal while Texas GM jaredpaventi was distracted by people at a dinner party.
• In other news, try explaining to people at a dinner party that you had to go negotiate a contract with an imaginary baseball player.
  
• Lookout for Santa Fe. The Booze Hounds moved Lou Magruder and AAA shortstop Jimmy Linton to Fresno for a pair of low-level minor leaguers in a yet to be approved deal.
• Philadelphia has been active, acquiring the horribly named Germany Smart from San Juan. There's a joke to be made about a guy from Illinois named Germany playing American baseball in Puerto Rico who was traded to Philadelphia...I'm just not sure what it is. Nonetheless, sour also sent first baseman Del Clifton and cash to Seattle for a AA prospect.

Diamond Notes

Just because we're waiting for shynet doesn't mean there isn't grist for the mill. Oh no, Diamond Notes are BACK!

• Free agent outfielder Stewart Toombs has been taking meetings with potential suitors at his home in Maine. The Los Angeles expat has received some heavy notice from Seattle who are prepared to pay "Heiserman" money for the 29-year-old. To make room, the Nightmare are trying to shop leftfielder Will Montgomery. Monty is arbitration eligible this off-season.
  
• Speaking of arbitration, it looks like a few fan faves are heading to the hearing table. Texas' Rigo Cordero, Arizona's Bo Foster, Boston's Lawrence Johnson, and Phila's Kareem Duckworth head the non-NL West class.
• Speaking of the NL West, Mark and Ralph might have to dip into the kid's college funds to handle their arbitration cases. Portland's Julian Santana filed at $7.7m, Philip Thompson at $8.4, Josias Veras and Larry Dickens both filed in the $5m range. Garland Nathan filed for $8.7m in San Francisco.
• Texas will be an active player again in the pitching market. Late season acquisitions Benny Aybar and Donovan Leiter are both eligible for free agency. Aybar is seeking a deal for three years in the neighborhood of $6m per. Leiter is long gone, refusing to negotiate during the team's window. He'll ask for $6.3m on the market, but is expected to flirt with the $10m mark.
• And if Leiter is going to hit the market looking for $6.3, what will Jimmie Walters ask for on the open market and can madmuldoon afford it?