Tim Hudson will stay if the A’s put money on the table. Clear and simple, his agent knows the game and will see where the A’s want to go in the negotiations. Seeing Mulder and Zito struggle last year might swing things in Hudson’s favor since he is the most reliable of the three. His propensity to break down is disturbing as well as his avoidance to throw a split finger pitch last season. He is Pedro like in that he wants the ball in the big game and will deliver. I’d sign him before the other two. It’s a gamble but he’s married and a more mature man. If I was investing my millions in the future I’d put it on Hudson. Plus I wouldn’t wait around if I was convinced he is healthy.

Click below for more!I agree with most fans, there is no upside breaking up the big three at this time. With frontline pitching so scarce in the big leagues and their salaries manageable why weaken the strongest part of the team? Now with that in mind the A’s need to secure a real righthanded bat for the lineup. Eric Chavez is not Sheffield, Vlad, Manny, Ortiz, Beltran, or any of the top sluggers in the game. He should hit fourth or fifth with a legit bat in the three spot. That’s where I’d be looking if I was Oakland. I would seriously trade any minor leaguers in the organization to get that done. The bull pen is critical to any team’s success. Dotel might be the answer for next year, he had immense trouble getting lefites out, but if you just limited him to a max of one inning each time out I think he might be strong enough to get the lefties. He was overworked in his first full season as a closer. Next year he might be OK if handled better. This means a veteran is needed in the eighth inning. Chad Bradford seemed to come apart and the manager didn’t have the same confidence he had in him in 2003. Rincon can get a lefty out, but he always makes me nervous falling behind in the count. I’d concentrate on an eighth inning man and leave Dotel where he is because I don’t see a real ninth inning alternative out there.

The Cubs will move Sammy Sosa no doubt about it. Same situation that A Rod got into last year with Texas. He must and will go. Dodgers could trade Shawn Green for Sosa I’m not sure the Mets are still dumb enough to take both Sosa and an over the hill Mike Piazza to spring training. Piazza should become a DH right now and not go back behind the plate next season as he seems to want to do for NY.

Arizona will make some sort of financial settlement with Wally Backman who gave up pursuit of the Mets job once Arizona showed real interest in giving him the manager’s job in Arizona. His background was more than common knowledge in the industry and Arizona dropped the ball and has hurt Backman’s career and chances of being hired by another team. Not excusing his past but he didn’t put himself in this position, Arizona did by firing him after orally agreeing to the contract which should be binding.

Yankees will certainly go after Eric Milton. They need a lefty starter and he is the best available and they will over pay to get him. They didn’t pick up Jon Leiber’s option thus giving Leiber leverage to be wooed by Boston and Texas. If the Yanks do sign him to a 2 year deal as they seem to want to do, they will pay through the nose to do it. Should have picked up his one year deal and gone from there.

Derek Lowe is on the Yankee radar screen which means no matter where he ends up he is going to be a very rich man.

Angels are trying to market themselves as the Los Angeles Angels. Let’s see what the city of Anaheim has to say about it since they have a contract requiring them to be called the Anaheim Angels.

I still say Jermaine Dye is worth a look by the Giants. If he doesn’t get a real contract offer by a team that has a chance to succeed in the next year or two, if I was Dye I’d see if the A’s would take him back for a one year 4 million dollar contract and hit fourth. Now that would be one probelm solved by Oakland. He’s worth the gamble.

Anyone signing Troy Percival has to worry about his loss of velocity and his new reliance on off speed pitches. This is trouble waiting to happen.

Forget about Jorge Posada being traded, he is owed so much money in the next few years that only the Yankees can afford him and he’s already there.

Nomar to the Yankees? Why not? At the least he is creating a market for himself by sucking the Yankees into the picture. Angels still seem to be the team to beat for his services.
Marty