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| One of Brian McNamee's lawyers said Sunday he believed the Justice Department will open a criminal investigation into Roger Clemens ' denials of doping, according to a Fox Sports report.
The newest development adds more drama to what were sure will turn into an ESPN soap opera as the chairman of a congressional committee said comments attributed to one of the pitcher's lawyers could be interpreted as trying to intimidate a federal law enforcement official. "I think there will be a criminal prosecution after Wednesday, and that means there will be grand jury proceedings and subsequent proceedings," said Richard Emery, one of McNamee's attorneys. Hardin was quoted in Sunday's New York Times as saying it would be "brazen" and "unbelievable" if IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky, a key prosecutor in the BALCO drug cases, attends the hearing.
"If he ever messes with Roger, Roger will eat his lunch," Hardin was quoted as saying.
Rep. Henry Waxman, the committee chairman, wrote a letter to Hardin on Sunday saying that some comments by Hardin and McNamee's lawyers were "inadvisable." "SpyGate" has nothing on the "RogerRoid" drama heating up in Washington. |
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| Continuing their tradition of not going to arbitration with players in the Theo Epstein era, the Red Sox have agreed to terms with first baseman Kevin Youkilis according to the Boston Globe. Youkilis will make $3 million dollars this year according to the one-year deal. Youkilis was asking for $3.7 million, while the team offered $2.525 million. |
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| Adam Loewen, P, Baltimore Orioles | Sunday 2/10, 6:28 PM CT |
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| After the Eric Bedard trade the Orioles have only Jeremy Guthrie, Adam Loewen and Daniel Cabrera penciled into the starting rotation; but Adam Loewen is coming off elbow surgery and continues to progress in his rehab, according to the Baltimore Sun. The left-hander said Friday that his arm is getting stronger and he feels as if he never had surgery. Before his elbow broke down last year, Loewen went 2-0 with a 3.56 ERA in six starts. With any semblance of a productive or promising spring, Loewen will garner some attention in AL-only formats. |
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| Aubrey Huff, DH, Baltimore Orioles | Sunday 2/10, 6:22 PM CT |
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| The Orioles would love to move one of their high-priced veterans to create some roster flexibility, reports the Baltimore Sun. However, that's easier said than done, and it might not be possible. They have shopped outfielders Jay Payton and Jay Gibbons and designated hitter Aubrey Huff and found no takers. Only Aubrey Huff has any fantasy value and that rests in the AL-only container. |
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| The Orioles want to bring in at least one veteran starter to eat innings and to offer insurance so they won't have to rely so heavily on unproven youngsters, according to the Baltimore Sun. The free-agent market is thin. Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia are too risky for health reasons. Kyle Lohse and Livan Hernandez are probably too expensive. Jeff Weaver and David Wells might carry too much baggage. That leaves Josh Fogg and Steve Trachsel as the most likely candidates. Trachsel threw 141 innings for the O's in '07 walking 69 and striking out only 45. |
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| When the offseason began, it was expected that Miguel Tejada would be the first Orioles veteran standout to be traded, followed by Erik Bedard and then Brian Roberts. The Baltimore Sun reports that with Tejada and Bedard gone, and Roberts' future hanging in the balance, talks with the Chicago Cubs are in fact ongoing. The report noted that the belief in Baltimore is that the Orioles will keep their All-Star second baseman for now and revisit trade talks before July's trade deadline. |
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| Troy Rench of the Denver Post reports that the Dodgers have an interest in free agent Livan Hernandez. The projected rotation for LA has Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Jason Schmidt rounding out the starting five; but Schmidt's health has reportedly raised some red flags within the Dodgers front office and the organization will make sure they have plenty of options if Schmidt isn't registering 90 plus on the radar gun this spring. |
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| Shawn Estes, P, San Diego Padres | Sunday 2/10, 5:43 PM CT |
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| Shawn Estes has emerged as a dark horse to be the Padres' fifth starter, according to the Denver Post. While the soft throwing Estes is well past his 15-minutes at the big league level, any pitcher that starts half of their games in PETCO Park has to be a NL-only fantasy consideration. |
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| According to Rockies beat writer Roy Rench of the Denver Post, Colorado will reach contract agreements with Brad Hawpe and Garrett Atkins soon, while going to an arbitration hearing with Brian Fuentes.Outside of future Hall of Fame first baseman Todd Helton, Colorado is young and locking up Hawpe and Atkins ,will make one time Sports Illustrated cover boy Clint Hurdle, sleep much better for the next half-decade. |
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| Brad Hawpe, RF, Colorado Rockies | Sunday 2/10, 5:33 PM CT |
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| According to Rockies beat writer Roy Rench of the Denver Post, Colorado will reach contract agreements with Brad Hawpe and Garrett Atkins soon, while going to an arbitration hearing with Brian Fuentes. Outside of future Hall of Fame first baseman Todd Helton, Colorado is young and locking up Hawpe and Atkins ,will make one time Sports Illustrated cover boy Clint Hurdle, sleep much better for the next half-decade. |
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| Franklin Morales is the Rockies' great exception, reports the Denver Post.
At 22, logic screams that he should spend part of this season in Triple-A, refining his mechanics, majoring in humility, but like unlike other scrutinized prospects, Morales defied experts last season by succeeding in the big leagues after struggling to win games in Double-A. Morales needs only to capture a sliver of command and understand he doesn't have to throw every pitch 100 MPH to be effective at the top level. When the Rockies report to Tucson this week Morales will begin his fight for the final spot in the rotation. His competition will be Kip Wells, Mark Redman and Josh Towers. A productive spring for the young Morales would allow Colorado to realistically compete for another trip to the Fall Classic. |
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| Joe Blanton, P, Oakland Athletics | Sunday 2/10, 4:51 PM CT |
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| The Denver Post reports that Oakland's asking price for pitcher Joe Blanton is steep. According to the report -- when the Dodgers made a play for Blanton -- the A's ask for Andre Ethier, Andy LaRoche and a prospect. Oakland GM Billy Beane is not only retooling his roster, he is loading up with youth, talent and the epitome of "Money Ball" personnel. |
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| It's official according to the Athletics team website. Mike Sweeney's days with the Kansas City Royals are over. On Sunday, he agreed to a Minor League contract with the Oakland A's.
Sweeney said he'd report to the A's Major League camp on Wednesday with pitchers and catchers.
"They want me to play first base and DH and be a veteran presence for the younger guys like Eric Chavez," Sweeney said from his San Diego home. Sweeney's at-bats will be limited playing behind Dan Johnson, Daric Barton and Jack Cust and expecting him to stay healthy if he did play is truly the definition of fantasy-insanity. |
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| General manager Brian Cashman won a personal victory by convincing the New York Yankees' hierarchy not to meet the Minnesota Twins' asking price for lefthander Johan Santana according to The Sporting News. Consider these six starters: Kevin Brown, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Javier Vazquez and Jaret Wright. Cashman either traded for them or signed them as free agents since 2004.
Only Pavano lasted longer than two seasons with the Yankees, and he has been injured most of the time. Johnson is the only member of the group to win more than 16 games with the Yankees. The experts, Las Vegas bookmakers, have the Yankees on average at 5-1 odds to win the World Series, their longest odds in the last 10 years.
The future rests with young pitchers Joba Chamberlain, Philip Hughes and Ian Kennedy, Cashman said. Getting tied up in a long-term deal with Santana would be risky and payroll-crushing, Cashman insisted. |
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| Mark Sweeney, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers | Sunday 2/10, 4:14 PM CT |
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| The Los Angeles Dodgers are nearing agreement on a one-year major league contract with free agent Mark Sweeney according to a report on ESPN.com. "It's not a done deal, but we're moving in the right direction,'' said Sweeney's agent, Barry Axelrod. Sweeney, 38, has 163 pinch-hits to rank second on Major League Baseball's career list behind Lenny Harris. He led the majors with 24 pinch hits and batted .316 in the role last season. Sweeney's fantasy value rests in deep NL-only formats.
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| Mike Hampton thinks this might finally be the year that he is able to avoid the DL and earn his paycheck after being limited to just 69.1 innings last season. "My arm does feel better," Hampton said. "When I throw, the pain I had that [last year] — we thought we knew what it was but it wasn't — is not there." As for his hamstring? "There's still some tightness but not much soreness," Hampton said. "It doesn't limit me off the mound." Hampton is nothing more than a late flier in fantasy league's this season considering he has posted an ERA below 4.00 in more than 150 innings only once since 2001. Leave him on waivers and monitor his progress. Atlanta Journal Constitution |
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| Manny Ramirez has been training like a football player lifting heavy weights this off-season in hopes of rebounding from his worst season since 1994. He has also spent time working on his flexibility to avoid the nagging injuries that have become common place. Manny is just 10 HR shy of 500 for his career, and he is still just 35-years-old on opening day, so there is certainly a chance he could rebound this season. 2007 was the first time since 1998 that he failed to hit 30 HR with 100 RBI as he was limited to just 20 longballs and 88 RBI. Boston Globe |
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| C.C. Sabathia appears content with the amount of dollars that the Indians are offering but not the length of the contract after seeing the contract Johan Santana received from the Mets. "There's no question C.C. wants to stay here and there's no question we want to keep him here," GM Mark Shapiro said. "The only question is can we find a business deal that is deemed to be equitable and fair by both parties?" Sabathia will likely want a 6-year deal, the Indians have not yet gone beyond four years. Sabathia is only 27-years-old and has won in double-digits while hurling at least 180 innings in each of his seven seasons. That Cy Young on his mantle certainly doesn't hurt either. Cleveland Plain Dealer |
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| Ben Sheets, P, Milwaukee Brewers | Sunday 2/10, 12:07 PM CT |
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| Ben Sheets hopes that he will be able to stay healthy this year after a rigorous off-season training. "It's not conditioning. It's just a pattern of bad luck for him," manager Ned Yost said. "Hopefully, that will change and he can go the full year healthy and be dominant like everybody knows he can be." After three straight years of 200+ innings, Sheets has been unable to record even 160 the past three years. Still, over the past three years he has posted a 3.63 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 8.08 K/9IP and a stunning 4.97 K/BB ratio. A huge risk on draft day, but few have a higher ceiling. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
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| Rickie Weeks is a prime breakout candidate in 2008, just ask manager Ned Yost. "I consider it almost a done deal," said Yost. You saw what he can do in August and September last year. It was unbelievable, the difference in how he swung the bat [after finally getting healthy]." Weeks will bat leadoff for the Brewers and after hitting .273-11-17-44-15 over his final 43 games, Weeks is certainly in line to be a big-time performer this season. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
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| Ryan Howard, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies | Sunday 2/10, 11:54 AM CT |
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| Ryan Howard appears headed to arbitration as he and the Phils still cannot bridge the gap between the $10 million he asked for and the $7 million that was offered. The hearing is scheduled for February 20th. This whole thing seems stupid. The only reason Howard is in this spot is cause the team needlessly blocked his ascension to the majors with Jim Thome or he would likely have two more season's under his belt. Regardless, things could get ugly in the arbitration process so why not just sign the slugger to a huge deal and be done with it? If it doesn't get worked out, look for Howard to take out his frustration on opposing pitchers this season. Philadelphia Enquirer |
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| Nate McLouth, CF, Pittsburgh Pirates | Sunday 2/10, 11:49 AM CT |
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| Nate McLouth and Nyjer Morgan will open spring training in a battle for the starting spot in CF, but it appears that McLouth has the slight advantage in the battle given his left-handed power bat that produced 13 HR last season in 329 AB. McLouth also stole 22 bases for the Pirates. Whoever wins the battle figures to bat leadoff, but for fantasy purposes it looks like McLouth is the player to grab late for his combo of power and speed, that is unless Morgan wins the battle for the spot. Pittsburgh Post Gazette |
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| Conor Jackson lost his biggest competition for playing time when it was learned that Tony Clark will spurn the teams offer and instead play for the Padres in 2008. Jackson has hit .288 with a .368 OBP the past two seasons while producing 15 HR in each season, a sub par total for a 1B. While Jackson doesn't figure to morph into a 30 HR beast this season, now that he will likely be given 550 AB he certainly makes a fine target as a middle infield option in mixed leagues. |
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| Tony Clark, 1B, San Diego Padres | Sunday 2/10, 11:40 AM CT |
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| Tony Clark signed a 1-year contract for about $900,000 to serve as the team's top bat off the bench in 2008 though the contract wont be official for a day or two. Clark apparently turned down a 2-year deal to stay in Arizona to move back to where he grew up. He still provides plenty of pop (17 HR last year) and clubhouse leadership, but with Adrian Gonzalez the team's best hitter entrenched at 1B, Clark's chance of playing in as many games as his 113 of last year seem slim even if he pinch hits all the time. San Diego Union Tribune |
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| Brandon McCarthy battled injures, which limited him to just 101.2 IP, and ineffectiveness, including a 4.87 ERA and 1.56 WHIP, in 2007. In order to combat this he has added about 15 pounds to his slender 6'7" frame while deciding to use his curveball as more of a complementary pitch in 2008. McCarthy had a stellar minor league career built largely on an ability to control the strikezone, a skill that eluded him last year with a pitiful 1.23 K/BB ratio. If he can command his pitches there is no reason to think that he cant be a solid or pitchers on most fantasy staffs. Dallas Morning News |
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| C.J. Wilson hopes to be able to hold on to the closer role this season, and the best way to do that may be for him to control the strikezone after throwing far too many pitches in some outings last season. He also needs to hold off Eddie Guardado who was recently added to the team. Wilson had a solid '07 season with 12 saves and 63 K in 68.1 IP, but he averaged 17.6 pitches per inning in his 14 saves chances, and the team would like to see him cut that total by about two pitches and inning if possible. Dallas Morning News |
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| Kevin Millwood will need to rebound this year in order for the Rangers to have a shot in the AL West. "He's taken his conditioning to a different level," said Mark Connor, the team's pitching coach. "But, as time goes by, you have to do that. He's worked hard on his core. I think he's on a mission because he wasn't satisfied with the way things went last year." Millwood threw only 172.2 innings, just the second time since 2002 that he has failed to throw 200, and his 5.16 ERA and 1.62 WHIP were clearly the worst numbers of his career. At 33-years of age, the question becomes how much gas does he have left in the tank pitching in that home park in Texas? Dallas Morning News |
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| Scott Olsen, P, Florida Marlins | Sunday 2/10, 10:52 AM CT |
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| Scott Olsen hopes that all the work he has done of late will help to erase any felony charges that have been filed against him for the DUI and resisting arrest incident last season. "We anticipate that all felony charges against Scott will be dismissed this month,'' his attorney, Lawrence Reynoso, said. Hopefully with that situation settled Olsen can get back to being the promising pitcher he appeared to be after posting 166 K and a 1.30 ERA in 2006 and not the horrible performer who lost 15 games with a 5.81 ERA and 1.76 WHIP last season. Palm Beach Post |
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| Kevin Mench, LF, Toronto Blue Jays | Sunday 2/10, 8:51 AM CT |
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| Kevin Mench and the Texas Rangers are discussing bringing the former Rangers OF back to Texas, but the club wants to make sure that if they bring him back, he is willing to accept a demotion to Triple-A if he doesn't make the big league club out of spring training. The team is set with starters in the OF in Marlon Byrd, Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley (when healthy), so Mench would have to battle for one of the backup spots with David Murphy, Jason Botts and Nelson Cruz to make the team. MLB.com |
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| Roger Clemens' lawyer says he can prove that he wasn't at a Jose Canseco party in 1998 as claimed by former trainers Brian McNamee. The evidence comes from a sworn affidavit from Canseco saying he wasn't there as well as brodcast tapes that specifically mention that Clemens wasn't there. Really, this is getting a bit ridiculous isn't it? Whether or not the guy did PEDs has nothing to do with some random party 10 years ago does it? Should we really be subjected to this type of nonsense on an almost daily basis? AP |
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