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<title>Andruw Jones Signs With White Sox</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/andruw-jones-signs-with-white-sox/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/white-sox/" rel="tag">White Sox</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/al-central/" rel="tag">AL Central</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mlb-free-agency/" rel="tag">MLB Free Agency</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/andruw-jones-headshot-150.jpg" alt="Andruw Jones" /><a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Andruw+Jones/">Andruw Jones</a> can start a day early on his Thanksgiving celebration, because word Wednesday afternoon is that <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091125&amp;content_id=7718234&amp;vkey=news_mlb&amp;fext=.jsp&amp;c_id=mlb" target="_blank">the veteran outfielder has signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox</a>. There's no word on financial terms yet, but it appears the Sox are hellbent on shoring up their bench as they've now signed Jones and <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/omar-vizquel/4306" class="injectedLink">Omar Vizquel</a> in the very young free agency season. <br /> <br /> Jones resurrected his career in Texas a bit in 2009, hitting 17 homers and putting up a .782 OPS in 82 games despite his .214 batting average. That's not a great line, but it's a huge improvement over his .158/.256/.249 disaster with the <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/dodgers" class="injectedLink">Dodgers</a> in 2008. He didn't play the field much for Texas in 2009, but he didn't really embarrass himself in his few showings out there, so he's probably a capable fourth outfielder, even if he's not the Gold Glove center fielder he once was.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/andruw-jones-signs-with-white-sox/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19254735/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/andruw-jones-signs-with-white-sox/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/25/andruw-jones-signs-with-white-sox/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Andruw Jones</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-25T16:32:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Marlins Likely to Keep Jorge Cantu</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/23/marlins-likely-to-keep-jorge-cantu/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/marlins/" rel="tag">Marlins</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-east/" rel="tag">NL East</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mlb-hot-stove/" rel="tag">MLB Hot Stove</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/jorge-cantu-running-bases-150.jpg" alt="Jorge Cantu" />Jorge Cantu is likely to stay in a <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/marlins">Marlins</a> uniform in 2010, <a href="http://hotstove.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/11/cantu_likely_to_remain_a_marli.html">MLB.com's Joe Frisaro is reporting</a>. Cantu's coming off of a couple of decent seasons in Florida after being pulled off the scrap heap by the Fish in 2008, so this sort of news should be unsurprising. Of course, when talking about the Marlins and keeping people around, one can't take anything for granted. <br />
<br />
This move is likely made possible by the Marlins' plan to trade <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/dan-uggla/7692">Dan Uggla</a>, who's looking at a substantial raise on his $5.35 million salary in arbitration this spring. Cantu, on the other hand, made $3.5 million last year and will probably be looking at a smaller raise in his second year of arbitration.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/23/marlins-likely-to-keep-jorge-cantu/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19251531/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/23/marlins-likely-to-keep-jorge-cantu/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/23/marlins-likely-to-keep-jorge-cantu/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Dan Uggla</category><category>Jorge Cantu</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-23T18:31:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Stephen Strasburg's Knee Injury Will Not Require Surgery</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/stephen-strasburgs-knee-injury-will-not-require-surgery/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nationals/" rel="tag">Nationals</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-east/" rel="tag">NL East</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/prospects/" rel="tag">Prospects</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/stephen-strasburg-afl-150.jpg" alt="Stephen Strasburg" />The <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/nationals">Nationals</a> learned Friday that the knee injury suffered by <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/stephen-strasburg/8562">Stephen Strasburg</a> <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2009/11/strasburgs_injury_wont_require.html">will not require surgery to repair</a>. It's instead been diagnosed as a dislocated knee cap. As painful as that sounds, there's no ligament damage and the Nats' phenom will only require rest and some rehab to get the knee back up to full strength, though he'll still miss Saturday's Arizona Fall League championship game. <br />
<br />
Considering those that witnessed the injury firsthand saw Strasburg crumple while playing long toss on Thursday and reported hearing a popping sound (often a telltale sign of ligament damage), this is obviously great news for the Nats. I can't even fathom following up a 103-loss season with a serious knee injury to the highest-paid draft pick in baseball history.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/stephen-strasburgs-knee-injury-will-not-require-surgery/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19248863/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/stephen-strasburgs-knee-injury-will-not-require-surgery/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/stephen-strasburgs-knee-injury-will-not-require-surgery/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Stephen Strasburg</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-20T23:14:00 00:00</dc:date>
</item><item>
<title>Jason Marquis Wants to Pitch for Mets</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/jason-marquis-wants-to-pitch-for-the-mets/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mets/" rel="tag">Mets</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-east/" rel="tag">NL East</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mlb-rumors/" rel="tag">MLB Rumors</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" alt="Jason Marquis" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/jason-marquis-rockies-150.jpg" />In the six weeks since the <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/mets" class="injectedLink">Mets</a>' disastrous season has ended, lots of people have opined on how to fix the Mets. One person who'd like to chip in to the conversation is <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/jason-marquis/6493" class="injectedLink">Jason Marquis</a>. The Mets need to add a starter and, well, what do you know! Marquis is a free agent starter! After adding those two together, the Staten Island native has gone ahead and <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/marquis_calls_mets_perfect_fit_QGphXd1rykil0xkRX8Tk7L">declared himself a "perfect fit" for the Mets</a>. <br />
<br />
Marquis had a nice enough year for the <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/rockies" class="injectedLink">Rockies</a> in 2009, notching 15 wins, a 4.04 ERA, and his first career All-Star nod. He's not a <em>bad</em> pitcher. He'd make a nice enough fit for a contender looking for a back-end starter to eat some innings and not embarrass himself. For a team like the Mets that trotted out <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/mike-pelfrey/7807" class="injectedLink">Mike Pelfrey</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/john-maine/7386" class="injectedLink">John Maine</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/oliver-perez/6945" class="injectedLink">Oliver Perez</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/tim-redding/6754" class="injectedLink">Tim Redding</a>, and <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/livan-hernandez/5734" class="injectedLink">Livan Hernandez</a> after <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/johan-santana/6441" class="injectedLink">Johan Santana</a>, well, I dunno if I'd call him a "perfect fit."<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/jason-marquis-wants-to-pitch-for-the-mets/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19248531/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/jason-marquis-wants-to-pitch-for-the-mets/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/20/jason-marquis-wants-to-pitch-for-the-mets/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Jason Marquis</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-20T16:02:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Jason Schmidt Likely to Retire</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/jason-schmidt-likely-to-retire/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/dodgers/" rel="tag">Dodgers</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/sf-giants/" rel="tag">Giants</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-west/" rel="tag">NL West</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" alt="Jason Schmidt" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/jason-schmidt-side-150.jpg" />Though he hasn't made anything official and he's gone ahead and filed for free agency, <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Jason+Schmidt/">Jason Schmidt</a> is sounding more and more like a man who's thrown his last major league pitch. When approached by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091118&amp;content_id=7685064&amp;vkey=news_la&amp;fext=.jsp&amp;c_id=la&amp;partnerId=rss_la">Schmidt says that he field for free agency simply to "keep his options open," but in his mind, he retired when his season ended in August</a>. <br />
<br />
If that is the case, that means that Schmidt's All-Star career will end with a whimper. After signing a three-year, $47 million contract with the Dodgers prior to the 2007 season, two shoulder surgeries limited Schmidt to only 10 starts in Dodger blue. Because of the injuries, he missed all of the 2008 season and huge chunks of 2007 and 2009. <br />
<br />
The nature of his contract and the amount of time missed to injury (Schmidt ended up being paid almost $5 million per start in LA) are what a lot of people associate Schmidt with now, but there was certainly more to his career.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/jason-schmidt-likely-to-retire/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19245529/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/jason-schmidt-likely-to-retire/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/jason-schmidt-likely-to-retire/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Jason+Schmidt</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-18T21:24:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Footprints in the Snow: Reds</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-reds/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/reds/" rel="tag">Reds</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-central/" rel="tag">NL Central</a></p><em><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/"><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" alt="Jay Bruce"  src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/jay-bruce-150aj111609.jpg" />Footprints in the Snow</a> is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.</em><br />
<br />
The <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/reds" class="injectedLink">Reds</a> are at a crossroads. They've compiled some nice young talent at the major league level with guys like <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/jay-bruce/8171" class="injectedLink">Jay Bruce</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/joey-votto/7946" class="injectedLink">Joey Votto</a>, and <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/johnny-cueto/8172" class="injectedLink">Johnny Cueto</a> (plus the injured <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/edinson-volquez/7639" class="injectedLink">Edinson Volquez</a>) and they have some prospects close to the big leagues in <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/drew-stubbs/8528" class="injectedLink">Drew Stubbs</a> and Yonder Alonso, but that might not be enough to get them quite over the top in 2010. <br />
<br />
This winter the Reds have to decide what to do with their roster. Should they keep some of their older, more expensive players and gun for what might be a weak division, or should they sell off on the veterans and try to rebuild a core around the younger guys before they leave town? <hr size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" width="90%" />
<div align="center"><strong><a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/">More Footprints in the Snow</a></strong></div>
<hr size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" width="90%" /><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-reds/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19241249/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-reds/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-reds/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Aaron Harang</category><category>Bronson Arroyo</category><category>Footprints in the Snow</category><category>Jay Bruce</category><category>Joey Votto</category><category>Johnny Cueto</category><category>Ramon Hernandez</category><category>Walt Jocketty</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-17T11:00:00 00:00</dc:date>
</item><item>
<title>Footprints in the Snow: Pirates</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-pirates/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/pirates/" rel="tag">Pirates</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-central/" rel="tag">NL Central</a></p><em><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="Andrew McCutchen" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/a-mccutchen-150aj111609.jpg" />Footprints in the Snow</a> is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/" class="injectedLink">MLB</a> teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.</em><br />
<br />
The Pittburgh <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/pirates" class="injectedLink">Pirates</a> wrapped up their record 17th consecutive losing season last month by avoiding 100 losses with a rain delay. During the season, they traded away four Opening Day starters, plus two starting pitchers and two of their better relievers. It might be easy to say that the Pirates have their work cut out for them this offseason if they want to avoid losing season No. 18. <br />
<br />
It's not quite that straightforward, though. The team does have a pretty solid core of youngsters, so anything they do this winter has to be accomplished without blocking players like <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/lastings-milledge/7706" class="injectedLink">Lastings Milledge</a> and <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/andy-laroche/7928" class="injectedLink">Andy LaRoche</a> from getting at-bats so that the team can accurately assess just what they have in those players. <hr width="90%" size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" />
<div align="center"><strong><a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/">More Footprints in the Snow</a></strong></div>
<hr width="90%" size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" /><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-pirates/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19239764/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-pirates/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-pirates/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Akinori Iwamura</category><category>Andrew McCutchen</category><category>Andy LaRoche</category><category>Footprints in the Snow</category><category>Lastings Milledge</category><category>Zach Duke</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-17T10:00:00 00:00</dc:date>
</item><item>
<title>Footprints in the Snow: Cardinals</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-cardinals/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/stl-cardinals/" rel="tag">Cardinals</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-central/" rel="tag">NL Central</a></p><em><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="Matt Holliday" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/matt-holliday-150aj111609.jpg" />Footprints in the Snow</a> is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/">MLB</a> teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.</em><br /> <br /> The <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/cardinals">Cardinals</a> increased their win total from 86 to 91 in 2009, and in so doing they won the National League Central going away. They had both the presumptive NL MVP (<a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/albert-pujols/6619">Albert Pujols</a>) and two of the top candidates for the NL Cy Young (<a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/adam-wainwright/7048">Adam Wainwright</a> and <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/chris-carpenter/5771">Chris Carpenter</a>) on their club. <br /> <br /> Despite that very good season, there were promptly dumped out of the playoffs in three games by the <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/dodgers">Dodgers</a>, and they suddenly find themselves facing an uncertain offseason with key free agents and the contract of a certain once-in-a-generation first baseman looming over everything. To say this offseason is important for the Cardinals would be an understatement. <hr width="90%" size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" />
<div align="center"><strong><a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/">More Footprints in the Snow</a></strong></div>
<hr width="90%" size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" /><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-cardinals/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19239772/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-cardinals/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-cardinals/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Adam Wainwright</category><category>Albert Pujols</category><category>Chris Carpenter</category><category>Footprints in the Snow</category><category>John Mozeliak</category><category>Matt Holliday</category><category>Tony La Russa</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-17T08:00:00 00:00</dc:date>
</item><item>
<title>Footprints in the Snow: Brewers</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-brewers/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/brewers/" rel="tag">Brewers</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-central/" rel="tag">NL Central</a></p><em><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/"><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" alt="Prince Fielder" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/prince-fielder-200aj11109.jpg" />Footprints in the Snow</a> is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.</em><br />
<br />
If I wanted, I could copy and paste the main points of the <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/brewers">Brewers</a> "Footprints in the Snow" from last year and they'd still be valid. After losing <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/cc-sabathia/6603">CC Sabathia</a> and Ben Sheets, the Brewers failed to address their pitching woes and dropped from 90 wins and the wild card to 80 wins and a long winter. <br />
<br />
Their offseason this year should follow a similar track, only now with the added pressure of <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/prince-fielder/7290">Prince Fielder</a>'s ticking free agency clock. The Brewers are experiencing the worst feeling a small-market club can; that of the window closing. What can (or will) GM Doug Melvin do to avoid squandering his team's chances? <hr size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" width="90%" />
<div align="center"><strong><a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/">More Footprints in the Snow</a></strong></div>
<hr size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" width="90%" /><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-brewers/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19241991/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-brewers/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-brewers/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Carlos Gomez</category><category>Footprints in the Snow</category><category>Prince Fielder</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-17T07:00:00 00:00</dc:date>
</item><item>
<title>Footprints in the Snow: Astros</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-astros/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/astros/" rel="tag">Astros</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-central/" rel="tag">NL Central</a></p><em><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/"><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/lance-berkman-200aj111609.jpg"  alt="Lance Berkman" />Footprints in the Snow</a> is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.</em><br />
<br />
After hanging in contention until early August, the Astros bottomed out with a 23-36 finish in the season's final two months. That culminated in Cecil Cooper's firing and Brad Mills' hiring. The squad Mills inherits is full of both veteran players and holes that will make it hard for him to returnthe team to where owner Drayton McLane thinks it belongs -- the top of the NL Central. <br />
<br />
That's because the Astros are currently caught in Ed Wade Purgatory. He can do just enough to keep his veteran squad in pseudo-contention, but probably not quite enough to get them into a real playoff race. That won't stop him from trying, though. <hr size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" width="90%" />
<div align="center"><strong><a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Footprints+in+the+Snow/">More Footprints in the Snow</a></strong></div>
<hr size="2" color="#eeeeee" align="center" width="90%" /><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-astros/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19242139/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-astros/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/17/footprints-in-the-snow-astros/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>brad mills</category><category>Drayton McLane</category><category>Ed Wade</category><category>Footprints in the Snow</category><category>Humberto Quintero</category><category>J.R. Towles</category><category>Kazuo Matsui</category><category>Lance Berkman</category><category>Michael Bourn</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-17T06:00:00 00:00</dc:date>
</item><item>
<title>Brewers Decline Option on Looper</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/brewers-decline-2010-option-on-braden-looper/</link>
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<comments>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/brewers-decline-2010-option-on-braden-looper/#comments</comments>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/brewers/" rel="tag">Brewers</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-central/" rel="tag">NL Central</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mlb-transactions/" rel="tag">MLB Transactions</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/braden-looper-brewers-150.jpg" alt="Braden Looper" />The Brewers will not pick up <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Braden+Looper/">Braden Looper</a>'s $6.5 million option for next year, <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/69985072.html">Tom Haudricort of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting</a>. They'll have to buy his deal out for $1 million, and <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/69988612.html">it's all being done in the name of financial flexibility</a> for the team to pursue more pitching on this winter's free agent market, according to GM <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Doug+Melvin/">Doug Melvin</a>. <br /> <br /> That's an understandable stance since Looper wasn't great in Milwaukee in 2009 (he won 14 games, but had a 5.22 ERA and poor peripherals) but it really leaves the Brewers with <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Yovani+Gallardo/">Yovani Gallardo</a>, <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Manny+Parra/">Manny Parra</a>, <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Jeff+Suppan/">Jeff Suppan</a>, and probably <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Dave+Bush/">Dave Bush</a> (he's seen by some as a non-tender candidate now that he's entering his last year of arbitration and will likely be due a raise on his $4 million 2009 salary, but that seems unlikely with Looper's salary off the books) as starting pitchers right now. Melvin better have some plan in mind or things are only going to get worse for the Brewers' pitching staff.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/brewers-decline-2010-option-on-braden-looper/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19239245/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/brewers-decline-2010-option-on-braden-looper/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/13/brewers-decline-2010-option-on-braden-looper/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Braden Looper</category><category>Doug Melvin</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-13T15:45:00 00:00</dc:date>
</item><item>
<title>Ross Ohlendorf Has an Internship With US Department of Agriculture</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/ross-ohlendorf-has-an-internship-with-us-department-of-agricultu/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/pirates/" rel="tag">Pirates</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-central/" rel="tag">NL Central</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" alt="Ross Ohlendorf" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/ross-ohlendorf-relsease-200.jpg" />Once the baseball season ends, most players (or at least the ones that don't play winter ball) do everything they can to enjoy the few months of downtime they get with their family and friends before the rigors of spring training and regular travel begin again in February. Pirates' pitcher <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Ross+Ohlendorf/">Ross Ohlendorf</a> is a little different. After his breakout year with the Pirates in 2009, he's spending the early part of his winter break on an internship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And <a href="http://rossohlendorf.mlblogs.com/">he's writing a blog about it</a>. <br />
<br />
Ohlendorf is already well-known to some baseball fans because of his college career. He went to Princeton, where he wrote his senior thesis on sabermetrically evaluating major league teams' first-round draft picks over a set period of time. So he's obviously a smart guy, and he's never been afraid to admit it. In fact, he sounds pretty excited about this internship. Click after the jump to read part of his first (and so far, only) post.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/ross-ohlendorf-has-an-internship-with-us-department-of-agricultu/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19233577/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/ross-ohlendorf-has-an-internship-with-us-department-of-agricultu/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/ross-ohlendorf-has-an-internship-with-us-department-of-agricultu/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Ross Ohlendorf</category><category>Ross+Ohlendorf</category><category>RossOhlendorf</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-11T15:52:00 00:00</dc:date>
</item><item>
<title>Griffey Agrees to One-Year Deal With M's</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/ken-griffey-jr-re-signs-for-one-more-year-in-seattle/</link>
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<comments>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/ken-griffey-jr-re-signs-for-one-more-year-in-seattle/#comments</comments>
<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mariners/" rel="tag">Mariners</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/al-west/" rel="tag">AL West</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mlb-transactions/" rel="tag">MLB Transactions</a></p><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/ken-griffey-jr-swing-150.jpg" alt="" /><a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Ken+Griffey+Jr/">Ken Griffey Jr</a>. is <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4644525">returning to Seattle for at least one more season</a>. <br /> <br /> The story was originally reported by ESPN and confirmed in a statement by the team Wednesday afternoon.<br /> <br /> The future Hall of Famer agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Mariners that's similar to the one he signed prior to the 2009 season. Griffey returned to the city he became a star in last year after spending nearly a decade in Cincinnati and hit .214/.324/.411 with 19 homers over 117 game for the Mariners.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/ken-griffey-jr-re-signs-for-one-more-year-in-seattle/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19232984/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/ken-griffey-jr-re-signs-for-one-more-year-in-seattle/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/11/ken-griffey-jr-re-signs-for-one-more-year-in-seattle/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Ken Griffey Jr</category><category>Ken Griffey Jr.</category><category>KenGriffeyJr</category><category>KenGriffeyJr.</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-11T12:47:00 00:00</dc:date>
</item><item>
<title>Mariners Talk Extension With Jack Wilson, Rejected by Russell Branyan</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/mariners-talk-extension-with-jack-wilson-rejected-by-russell-br/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mariners/" rel="tag">Mariners</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/al-west/" rel="tag">AL West</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mlb-rumors/" rel="tag">MLB Rumors</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" alt="Jack Wilson" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/jack-wilson-throwing-mariners-150.jpg" />The Mariners built their 24-win improvement in 2009 on both a renewed focus on defense and finding contributions from cheap, unexpected players. With that in mind, <a href="http://blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners/2009/11/10/the-mariners-are-after-their-own/">it's no surprise that they approached</a> both <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Jack+Wilson/">Jack Wilson</a> and <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Russell+Branyan/">Russell Branyan</a> about contract extensions, a little more than a week before both players hit the open market. <br />
<br />
The offer to Wilson was reportedly a multi-year deal that would presumably be for less money per year than the $8.4 million team option that the M's hold on the shortstop. The offer to Branyan was apparently a one-year deal that <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091110&amp;content_id=7649426&amp;vkey=news_sea&amp;fext=.jsp&amp;c_id=sea&amp;partnerId=rss_sea">the slugger has already turned down</a> in hopes of milking a two-year deal out of someone, though he says he'd prefer to remain in Seattle.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/mariners-talk-extension-with-jack-wilson-rejected-by-russell-br/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19231859/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/mariners-talk-extension-with-jack-wilson-rejected-by-russell-br/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/10/mariners-talk-extension-with-jack-wilson-rejected-by-russell-br/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Jack Wilson</category><category>Jack+Wilson</category><category>JackWilson</category><category>Russell Branyan</category><category>Russell+Branyan</category><category>RussellBranyan</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-10T20:07:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Joe Torre May Not Retire After 2010</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/joe-torre-may-not-retire-after-2010/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/dodgers/" rel="tag">Dodgers</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-west/" rel="tag">NL West</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mlb-rumors/" rel="tag">MLB Rumors</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/joe-torre-walking-150.jpg" alt="Joe Torre" />For most of the summer, <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Joe+Torre/">Joe Torre</a> indicated that he was planning on retiring from managing after his contract with the <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/dodgers">Dodgers</a> expires in 2010. Both he and people who have followed his career closely noted that he's made similar statements in the past, and he's still in the dugout. Accordingly, Torre admitted to T.J. Simers on Sunday that <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers8-2009nov08,0,6385807,full.column">he's considering negotiating a contract extension with the Dodgers</a> that would keep him in L.A. beyond the 2010 season. <br />
<br />
In his two years with the Dodgers, Torre's taken the team to the NLCS twice, but failed to get past the <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/phillies">Phillies</a> both times. Dating back to his years with the <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/yankees">Yankees</a>, he's taken his team to a playoff spot in 14 consecutive seasons. Unsurprisingly, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti indicates in the same story that he'd be happy to negotiate with Torre, should he want an extension.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/joe-torre-may-not-retire-after-2010/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19228155/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/joe-torre-may-not-retire-after-2010/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/08/joe-torre-may-not-retire-after-2010/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Don Mattingly</category><category>DonMattingly</category><category>Joe Torre</category><category>JoeTorre</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-08T17:20:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Giants Ace Tim Lincecum Busted for Possession of Marijuana</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/tim-lincecum-busted-for-marijuana-possession/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/sf-giants/" rel="tag">Giants</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-west/" rel="tag">NL West</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mlb-police-blotter/" rel="tag">MLB Police Blotter</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" alt="Tim Lincecum" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/tim-lincecum-sidelines-150.jpg" />Tim Lincecum was cited by the state police in Washington <a href="http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2009/11/05/tim-lincecum-arrested-on-charges-of-marijuana-possession/">for possession of marijuana</a> this week. The pot was found in his car after he was pulled over for speeding near the Oregon border on Oct. 30. It was a small amount, and the police determined that Lincecum was not intoxicated while driving, so he's been cited for misdemeanor possession. After his hearing on Nov. 23, that will likely be the last we hear of this particular incident. <br /> <br /> Andrew Baggarly, the <em>San Jose Mercury</em> writer who wrote the blog entry linked above, guesses that this incident won't be much more than an embarrassment for Lincecum and that it's unlikely to affect his potential arbitration hearing early next year. He's probably right that it'd be wrong for the <span class="injectedLink">Giants</span> to accuse their superstar pitcher of being a dirty hippie for having a few grams of pot in his car, but that's a funny mental image I'm stuck with and now I hope you are, too.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/tim-lincecum-busted-for-marijuana-possession/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19225680/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/tim-lincecum-busted-for-marijuana-possession/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/05/tim-lincecum-busted-for-marijuana-possession/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Tim Lincecum</category><category>TimLincecum</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-05T20:03:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Rays Trade Akinori Iwamura to Pittsburgh for Reliever Jesse Chavez</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/rays-trade-akinori-iwamura-to-pittsburgh-for-reliever-jesse-chav/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/pirates/" rel="tag">Pirates</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/rays/" rel="tag">Rays</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/al-east/" rel="tag">AL East</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-central/" rel="tag">NL Central</a></p><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/11/akinori-iwamura-dugout-150-1257292633.jpg" />In a surprising piece of mid-World Series news, the <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/rays">Tampa Bay Rays</a> and <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/pirates">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> have <a href="http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/pbc/archive/2009/11/03/pirates-close-to-acquiring-iwamura.aspx">agreed to a trade this afternoon</a>. Tampa will send second baseman <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/akinori-iwamura/7908">Akinori Iwamura</a> to the <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/pirates">Pirates</a> in return for relief pitcher <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/jesse-chavez/8334">Jesse Chavez</a>. According to the same report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (who broke news of the Pirates' involvement in the trade after <a href="http://blogs.tampabay.com/rays/2009/11/rays-working-on-iwamura-deal.html">the St. Petersburg Times first reported an Iwamura trade this afternoon</a>), no cash or other players are involved. <br />
<br />
Iwamura, 30, is due $4.25 million in 2010 and the emergence of <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/ben-zobrist/7829">Ben Zobrist</a> makes that a price the <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/rays">Rays</a> clearly weren't eager to pay for a player who'd likely be a utility man for them in '10. The Pirates, however, are looking to add payroll after cleaning house last year and have a gaping hole at second base, so Iwamura is a logical addition for them.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/rays-trade-akinori-iwamura-to-pittsburgh-for-reliever-jesse-chav/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19221558/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/rays-trade-akinori-iwamura-to-pittsburgh-for-reliever-jesse-chav/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/11/03/rays-trade-akinori-iwamura-to-pittsburgh-for-reliever-jesse-chav/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Akinori Iwamura</category><category>AkinoriIwamura</category><category>Jesse Chavez</category><category>JesseChavez</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-11-03T18:56:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Giants Sign Freddy Sanchez to Extension</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/giants-sign-freddy-sanchez-to-extension/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/sf-giants/" rel="tag">Giants</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-west/" rel="tag">NL West</a></p><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/10/freddy-sanchez-swing-150.jpg" />The <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/giants" class="injectedLink">San Francisco Giants</a> announced today that they've come to terms with second baseman <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/freddy-sanchez/6999" class="injectedLink">Freddy Sanchez</a> on a two-year deal. Terms weren't announced, but with the <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/giants" class="injectedLink">Giants</a> holding an $8 million option on Sanchez, it's probably safe to assume that the cost for them per year will be less than that. T<br /> <br /> That option would've vested for Sanchez on its own if he'd reached 600 plate appearances, but a shoulder and knee injuries limited him to just 25 games in a Giants uniform after he was traded to San Francisco from Pittsburgh. The shoulder's been a nagging problem for Sanchez for some time, but when healthy Sanchez has been one of the best hitting second basemen in the NL over the past few seasons, being named to three of the last four All-Star teams and winning a batting title in 2006.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/giants-sign-freddy-sanchez-to-extension/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19217448/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/giants-sign-freddy-sanchez-to-extension/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/giants-sign-freddy-sanchez-to-extension/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Brian Sabean</category><category>BrianSabean</category><category>Freddy Sanchez</category><category>FreddySanchez</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-10-30T22:35:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Rockies Near Extension With Jim Tracy</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/rockies-near-extension-with-jim-tracy/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/rockies/" rel="tag">Rockies</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/nl-west/" rel="tag">NL West</a></p><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="Jim Tracy" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/10/jim-tracy-nlds-200.jpg" />The <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/rockies" class="injectedLink">Rockies</a> and manager <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Jim+Tracy/">Jim Tracy</a> are <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_13662110?source=rss">nearing a three-year extension</a>, the <em>Denver Post</em> is reporting, though an official announcement on an extension will likely wait until after the World Series. Tracy took over for <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Clint+Hurdle/">Clint Hurdle</a> after Hurdle was fired on May 27 and led the Rockies to a 74-42 record and the wild-card berth in the National League playoffs. <br /> <br /> When Tracy took over, the Rockies were 18-28 and 14 games behind the <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/dodgers" class="injectedLink">Dodgers</a> in the NL West. Under Tracy, they challenged L.A. for the division title. That sprint to the playoffs makes this extension more or less a foregone conclusion. What team in their right mind wouldn't extend the interim manager that had his team playing at a 103-win pace over a large chunk of the season?<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/rockies-near-extension-with-jim-tracy/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19214279/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/rockies-near-extension-with-jim-tracy/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/28/rockies-near-extension-with-jim-tracy/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Jim Tracy</category><category>JimTracy</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-10-28T20:45:00 00:00</dc:date>
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<title>Kenji Johjima Signs With Hanshin Tigers</title>
<link>http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/kenji-johjima-signs-with-hanshin-tigers/</link>
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<description><![CDATA[<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/" title="Pat Lackey"><img src="http://o.aolcdn.com/art/ch_fanhouse/images/staff/pat-lackey_ftrd.jpg" alt="Pat Lackey" height="40" width="40" /></a>by <a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/bloggers/pat-lackey/">Pat Lackey</a><p>Filed under: <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/mariners/" rel="tag">Mariners</a>, <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/category/al-west/" rel="tag">AL West</a></p><img hspace="4" border="1" align="right" vspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/mlb.fanhouse.com/media/2009/10/kenji-johjima-wbc-150.jpg" alt="" />Just a few days after announcing that <a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/19/kenji-johjima-is-going-back-to-japan/#cont">he won't return to the Seattle Mariners in 2010</a>, <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/players/kenji-johjima/7687">Kenji Johjima</a> has signed a four-year deal with the Hanshin <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/tigers">Tigers</a> of the Japanese Central League. <a href="http://www.npbtracker.com/2009/10/johjima-agrees-with-hanshin/">NPB Tracker says the deal is a four-year deal worth the equivalent of $27.25 million</a>, which is a pretty nice deal for him after opting out of the $16 million owed to him by the <a class="injectedLink" href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/mariners">Mariners</a>. <br />
<br />
Johjima spent the first nine seasons of his career with the team currently known as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in NPB's Pacific League, and there <a href="http://thebaseballcube.com/players/J/Kenji-Johjima.shtml">he was a 30-homer player between 2001 and 2004</a> before hopping across the Pacific to the Mariners. After struggling with the Mariners the past two years, the decision to move back to NPB clearly makes a ton of sense; he'll make more money, he'll be back home, and the smaller parks may give him a chance to regain his power stroke.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/kenji-johjima-signs-with-hanshin-tigers/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/forward/19211654/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?rank=&amp;fc=1&amp;url=http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/kenji-johjima-signs-with-hanshin-tigers/" title="Linking Blogs">Linking&nbsp;Blogs</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/kenji-johjima-signs-with-hanshin-tigers/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description>
<category>Kenji Johjima</category><category>KenjiJohjima</category><category>Yusei Kikuchi</category><category>YuseiKikuchi</category>

<dc:creator>Pat Lackey</dc:creator>
<bloggerSlug>pat-lackey</bloggerSlug>
<dc:date>2009-10-27T12:16:00 00:00</dc:date>
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