2. Derek Lowe
The Mets are after Lowe.

3. Adam Dunn
Dunn might replace Ramirez in Los Angeles.

4. Milton Bradley
The latest rumors have the Cubs most interested.

5. Oliver Perez
Expect the Mets to retain him.

6. Pat Burrell
The Phillies look to be moving on.

7. Orlando Hudson
Sleeper of the free agent market.

8. Bobby Abreu
Breaking down but still a solid player.

9. Ben Sheets
Risky signing but could reward.

10. Randy Wolf
Could quietly be steal of the offseason.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers may have given up in their hope of re-signing Manny Ramirez. If that is the case, Dunn is the next logical option for Los Angeles. He’s not quite as talented but he can replace most of the bop in the middle of the lineup that Ramirez provided.

Baltimore Orioles
After striking out in the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, the Orioles may throw big money at Dunn in hopes that they land a franchise level player. The Orioles are desperate for a big bat and a positive personality if they hope to keep fans around in 2009.

Washington Nationals
Like the Orioles, the Nationals are looking to rebound after missing out on Teixeira. While the team still has a lot of holes, a big bat in the middle of the lineup is arguably their most glaring need. Dunn could fit right in and be the cleanup hitter for the foreseeable future.

Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have a lot of talent and always seem to be right on the edge of actually making a postseason run. With a lot of their bats going quiet at the end of the 2008 season, adding Dunn’s bat may be just the thing to help the Cubs make noise in the playoffs.

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The Angels’ offer is believed to have been an eight-year contract worth at least $160 million. Sources indicate that the Angels didn’t believe they were still in the running and didn’t want to waste time on a lost cause.

Now that the Angels have dropped out, the remaining four teams in the running are the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals and the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox recently said that they were no longer in the running, however many baseball insiders believe that talk from Boston was simply a contract negotiating ploy.

Now that the Angels are out of the running, they could look in a variety of different direction. One option is Manny Ramirez, the former Red Sox who finished last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Other bats they could be looking at include Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu. If the Angels opt for pitching, one option could be closer Brian Fuentes. Fuentas would make sense since the Angels lost Francisco Rodriguez to the New York Mets earlier in the offseason.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

2. CC Sabathia
Although he had a shaky start to the 2008 baseball season with the Cleveland Indians, he was great once he got traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. PREDICTION: Signs with the New York Yankees.

3. Manny Ramirez
Even though Manny Ramirez was hated at the end of his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, he proved that he’s a great player once traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. PREDICTION: Signs with New York Mets.

4. Ben Sheets
The other Brewers pitching free agent, Ben Sheets will garner plenty of interest because teams would love to get a potential ace. PREDICTION: Signs with the Texas Rangers.

5. Adam Dunn
Adam Dunn is a very capable hitter who should help any team drive in runs in the middle of the lineup. PREDICTION: Signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

The Arizona Diamondbacks have watched the Los Angeles Dodgers acquire a couple of big name talents, including Manny Ramirez. Now the D’Backs have made their move by trading three minor leaguers to the Cincinnati Reds for slugger Adam Dunn.

Currently, Arizona only leads the Dodgers by 1.5 games in the National League West. The team’s bats, which were blazing earlier in the season, have cooled off considerably as of late. The infusion of Adam Dunn into the lineup should help tremendously.

Dunn is tied for the lead in home runs in the major leagues. His 32 homers are as many as Ryan Howard and Carlos Quentin have on the season. In addition to his home runs, Dunn is .233 with 74 RBIs. While the batting average isn’t impressive, he does walk a lot and as a result has a .373 on-base percentage. The 28-year-old Dunn will likely bat fourth or fifth in the lineup and play in the outfield for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Earlier in the season, Dunn was criticized by JP Ricciardi during a radio show. Ricciardi, who is the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, said that Dunn didn’t even like the game of baseball. After Dunn responded to the comments, Ricciardi offered a full apology.

The minor leaguers the Reds will get in return for Adam Dunn are Dallas Buck and two minor leaguers to be named later.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Said Ricciardi: “Do you know the guy doesn’t really like baseball that much? Do you know the guy doesn’t have a passion to play the game that much? How much do you know about the player? There’s a reason why you’re attracted to some players and there’s a reason why you’re not attracted to some players. I don’t think you’d be very happy if we brought Adam Dunn here.”

Dunn was obviously not too happy when told about the remarks.

Said Dunn: “I know nothing about this clown. I have no idea who he is. I don’t really care what one guy thinks, to be honest with you. If I’m a GM, I don’t know if I would go out of my way to kind of discredit a player. It pisses me off to be honest with you. He doesn’t even know me. If he knew me, fine, say what you want. This guy doesn’t know anything about me other than what he sees on whatever SportsCenter they have up there. That’s it.”

Eventually, Ricciardi apologized for his remarks.

“I apologize to him. I have to be better than that,” said Ricciardi. “Unfortunately, you get caught in the heat of the moment. I don’t even know Adam Dunn.”

The right way for this saga to end would be the Blue Jays trading for Dunn and Dunn before a Canadian hero. We’ll see if Ricciardi makes the right move.

“What Ricciardi Just Call Me?!?!”

Photo: Newscom

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Currently, the Reds outfield isn’t producing much at the plate. Ken Griffey, Jr., Adam Dunn and Corey Patterson are each batting less than .255. The 21-year-old Bruce will be given a shot to earn an everyday spot in the lineup. Patterson, who is hitting around the Mendoza line, seems to be the most likely one to be the odd man out.

In the minor leagues, Bruce is hitting .364 at Triple-A. He was drafted in the first round by the Reds with the 12th overall selection in 2005. It’s long be known that Bruce is Cincinnati’s outfielder of the future. Apparently, that future begins on Tuesday.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

• Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 p.m. PT — Hiroki Kuroda looked outstanding in his North American debut. I expected the funky delivery that is characteristic of pitchers who come over from Japan, but the velocity caught me by surprise. He was pumping 93-mph fastballs against the Padres. Micah Owings gets the call for Arizona. He dominated the Rockies in his first start of ‘08 (although he only went 1-for-4 at the plate, LOL). Wasn’t there talk that the Snakes might stick Owings in the field at some point? I think that’s crazy, but it would be pretty cool — you know, in the same way that handlebar moustaches are cool.
• Reds at Brewers, 5:05 p.m. PT — Like offense? Josh Fogg and David Bush hook up at Miller Park. The lineups will include guys like Ryan Braun, Adam Dunn, Prince Fielder, and Ken Griffey Jr. I’m going to set the over/under on home runs at seven.
• Yankees at Royals, 5:10 p.m. PT — Two promising young pitchers square off in this one. Zack Greinke seems to have gotten his career back on track, while Ian Kennedy is still trying to figure out how the Rays beat the snot out of him last week. The Royals are 5-2. Heck, the Orioles are 6-1. And people say the world isn’t going to hell in a handbasket.

Rock on, my peeps…

Post from: Knuckle Curve