CubFanPhilly

Thanx, I appreciate that. :wink: After 92 games played, is this the worst record Cubs have had under Baker? (just wondering) if i remember, we were around the .500 mark in 03 at this time of year as well. Fred i bet could tell ya though :wink: Last year we were 49-43 after 92 games. 2003 is on my old laptop, I never uploaded it to this one. 46-46 in 2003. 53-53 on July 30th before they turned it on. Baseball Reference 2003 Cubs (scroll to bottom)

Cubs get some runs this inning.

1st walk of the ballgame.

No doubt. Unlike last season, the Cubs will have to go through St. Louis to get to the playoffs. The rest of the 2nd half schedule, however, is every bit as soft as last year. btw- the balance of July: PIT (4), @CIN (4), @STL (3) SF (3) ARI (4) . Win fewer than 10 of those games going into that last weekend and I'd be a seller on July 31st.

If the Nationals aren't going to win the division, thus being relegated to the WC then you have to consider the gap as 8.5 (the games the Cubs are behind WAS) and not the 6 games they are behind the Braves. And a 38-36 record gets the Nationals to 90 wins which has been pretty much the minimum for the WC. Good point. But the flip side of that coin is if Washington does tank in the second half, the Cubs are 1.5 out right now. Do I think they'll tank that badly? Probably not. But I could see them go .500 (or slightly worse). That means 89-90 wins could take the WC. CFP

At the break, who's shaping up as the biggest bust this season? Which contract would scare the pants off you long-term?

Baltimore is paying Sosa $9 mil.

I think that's the key. After a quick tabulation of Fred's table, I come up with 21-14.

Well I put us at 44-31 for 89 wins and a chance to sneak into the wildcard. And, yes, I think that's a stretch. 94 wins would take a minor miracle: -Nomar back (and playing well) in 3-4 weeks. -Hairston and Walker batting 1-2 the rest of the season. -Wood, Prior and Zambrano pitching like they did the 2nd half of '03. -Hendry adding both a bullpen arm and an OF by the deadline. 94 wins is 51-24 and a .680 winning percentage. About the best the Cubs could hope for IMO. 89 wins is a .586 WP the rest of the way (possible given the talent on the team and a weaker schedule). CFP

At this point last season the Cubs were 47-40 and went 42-33 the rest of the way to end up 89-73. In 2003, they were 44-43 and finished 44-31 to go 88-74. Where will the team end up this year? First a look at BP's adjusted standings: Division Leaders Team W L RS RA W3 L3 D1 D2 D3 Cardinals 56 32 447 340 49.1 38.8 1.2 3.8 6.9 Nationals 52 36 357 361 42.4 45.6 8.6 9.7 9.6 Padres 48 41 406 384 44.5 44.5 1.4 1.1 3.5 A quick look here exposes the imposter among the division leaders. The Nats adjusted W-L is three games under .500. Based on this and strength of remaining schedule, I'm going to hand the Braves the East (for purposes of this discussion). The Wildcard looks like this: (again BP's adjusted standings): Team W L RS RA W3 L3 D1 D2 D3 Mets 44 44 387 381 46.2 41.7 -0.5 -1.9 -2.2 Phillies 45 44 410 417 45.2 43.8 1.4 0.5 -0.2 Cubs 43 44 394 394 45.0 42.0 -0.3 -2.2 -2.0 Marlins 44 42 383 368 44.4 41.6 -0.4 -1.3 -0.4 Astros 44 43 365 362 43.1 43.9 0.3 -0.6 0.9 Nationals 52 36 357 361 42.4 45.6 8.6 9.7 9.6 Clearly if stats ruled the real world the Cubs would be in the thick of it. Why aren't they? Is it bad managing? Bad luck? Why isn't the team wining at the expected pace? Sound familiar? I'd argue that the answers are the same as last year - all of the above - exacerbated by poor fundamentals. But a closer look at the real standings reveals the Cubs have a shot. Once again the Cubs have one of the weakest second half schedules in baseball: PLAYOFF RACE 07/11/05 Games Remaining - (Contenders) | TOTAL V. TOTAL V. Div. Leaders W-L GB-WC ATL CHI FLA HOU NY PHL SD STL WAS | CONTEND NON-CONTEND St. Louis 56-32 3 14 7 8 3 0 3 X 3 | 41 33 Washington 52-36 11 0 10 7 9 10 6 3 X | 56 18 San Diego 48-41 3 0 3 3 6 6 X 3 6 | 30 43 | Wildcard Race | Atlanta 50-39 - X 3 6 0 10 11 3 3 11 | 47 26 Florida 44-42 4.5 6 3 X 3 6 10 3 7 10 | 48 28 Houston 44-43 5.0 0 10 3 X 4 6 3 8 7 | 41 34 Philadelphia 45-44 5.0 11 3 10 6 9 X 6 0 10 | 46 27 New York 44-44 5.5 10 3 6 4 X 9 6 3 9 | 50 24 Chicago 43-44 6.0 3 X 3 10 3 3 0 14 0 | 36 42 ______________________________________________________________| Totals 47 36 48 41 50 55 30 41 56 | How will the Cubs play against the non-contenders? They need a minimum of 12 games over in these games (27-15). The Cubs have 24 games remaining with the Cards and the Astros (14-10 would be the minimum acceptable IMO). If they go 5-4 in games against contenders they end up 89-73 I think the Nats, Mets, Phillies and Marlins could all end up around .500 - opening the door for a 89-win season to steal the wildcard. I'd prefer 92-94 wins, but I'll take what we can get (as long as any trade to improve doesn't mortgage the next couple of seasons). The Cubs' season is on life support, but the patient's not dead yet. CFP (edit: corrected an error in the schedule table.)

Does anyone think that Baltimore is happy right now about paying Sosa $9 million this season? Does anyone think Sosa would've been significantly better in Chicago this season than in Baltimore's lineup? The Cubs got the better end of this deal - forget about the $13 mil., it's meaningless. The Orioles gambled that Sammy might've rebounded this year. So far he hasn't. The Orioles are grossly over-paying for a guy with a .689 OPS. A guy who's only played in 3/4ths of their games. It's as simple as that. CFP

It's at 39 now with those two added.

What's this game Murton plays? It doesn't look like Cubs baseball.

Thanks.

To some degree, yes, but you also put in a claim often to set up a trade scenario. Patterson could have been claimed, talked to Hendry and Hendry didn't like the trade proposal, pulled back the waiver request, then put him back through again. At THAT point, it's gentleman's agreement to not claim the guy again to simply block a move. It's possible Corey WAS claimed and Hendry didn't like the offers - you know, right about the point at which it was "leaked" that Corey is "available"? ;) And of course there's the possibility that he requested waivers on the majority of the team, and was simply "snuck" through. August waivers are a whole new story, however. But I believe the second time a player goes on waivers (in a given season) they're irrevocable - meaning if another club steps in and snatches that guy you're SOL. The GMs will generally know (or pick up the phone and find out) what the intention is. Hendry wasn't going to lose Corey to waivers and every GM knows it. The only guys that get claimed off waivers are guys the washed-up, over-priced, and under-performing players that the GM wants to cut loose anyway. CFP

btw - I think (as others have said in various threads about this) that there's a gentleman's agreement that you don't snatch another GM's guy off revocable waivers. There's really no point except to tie the other GM's hands. If you do that you can expect retaliation when it comes time to move your guy through. CFP

Time to post a link to this again: Rob Neyer's Transaction Primer Of course Mark Peel can tell you about the 1,000,014 specific circumstances this blurb glosses over. :)

Dumping Wagner wouldn't be a salary dump. Philly is in fine shape financially. It was a question of whether they should be sellers due to their place in the standings. Obviously that isn't a concern now, as they are near first in their division and atop the wild card. Actually the Phillies were $6-7 mil. over their salary budget. Partly because Polanco burned them by accepting arbitration. There was some talk here that Wade would soon have orders to dump salary. The Rollins signing doesn't add much payroll in the short-run and I doubt the Phillies will re-sign Wagner (he's talking about retirement anyway). But i agree, dealiing Polanco and the fact that the Phillies are in contention probably takes them out of seller mode. And I agree this was a dumb move. One of many by Ed Wade. CFP

MacPhail was still the GM then (Hendry was the assistant). If I recall, however, I think Hendry was generally credited for the trade. Hmmm....ok then. So Lets recap some of the pitchers Hendry has dealt or lost... Jones Tavarez Chavez Willis Farnsworth Sisco Sanchez Who am I missing? Beltran & Cruz

Updated 2004-2005 Free Agents by League/Position 08/05/04 - I just did a quick scan of transactions since this was last updated. Please post any corrections you have. NATIONAL LEAGUE Todd Hundley, c Todd Pratt, c Mike Matheny, c Chris Widger, c Eli Marrero, c Alberto Castillo, c Richie Sexson, 1b Robin Ventura, 1b x-J.T. Snow, 1b x-Mark Grudzielanek, 2b Todd Walker, 2b Mike Mordecai, 2b Jeff Kent, 2b Nomar Garciaparra, ss Alex Gonzalez, ss Edgar Renteria, ss Barry Larkin, ss x-Craig Counsell, ss Orlando Cabrera, ss Tomas Perez, ss Neifi Perez, ss Jose Vizcaino, ss x-Chris Stynes, 3b Adrian Beltre, 3b m-Vinny Castilla, 3b Todd Hollandsworth, of Tom Goodwin, of x-Moises Alou, of J.D. Drew, of John Vander Wal, of m-Jeromy Burnitz, of x-Richard Hidalgo, of x-Craig Biggio, of Bubba Trammell, of y-Carl Everett, of Doug Glanville, of x-Marquis Grissom, of Jeffrey Hammonds, of Matt Clement, rhp Russ Ortiz, rhp x-John Smoltz, rhp Antonio Alfonseca, rhp Cory Lidle, rhp Steve Reed, rhp Armando Benitez, rhp Chad Fox, rhp Dan Miceli, rhp Roger Clemens, rhp Paul Shuey, rhp x-Steve Trachsel, rhp David Weathers, rhp Roberto Hernandez, rhp Kevin Millwood, rhp Kris Benson, rhp x-Brian Boehringer, rhp Matt Morris, rhp x-Woody Williams, rhp Chris Carpenter, rhp Cal Eldred, rhp x-Rod Beck, rhp x-Trevor Hoffman, rhp Ismael Valdes, rhp x-Jay Witasick, rhp Dustin Hermanson, rhp Robb Nen, rhp Felix Rodriguez, rhp x-Brett Tomko, rhp Kent Mercker, lhp Jimmy Haynes, lhp Odalis Perez, lhp Wilson Alvarez, lhp John Franco, lhp m-Al Leiter, lhp x-Billy Wagner, lhp Eric Milton, lhp Rheal Cormier, lhp Steve Kline, lhp Sterling Hitchcock, lhp x-Jason Christiansen, lhp David Wells, lhp AMERICAN LEAGUE x-Henry Blanco, c Jason Varitek, c x-Sandy Alomar Jr, c Tim Laker, c Mike Difelice, c Kelly Stinnett, c John Flaherty, c Damian Miller, c Dan Wilson, c Brook Fordyce, c Einar Diaz, c Greg Myers, c Brent Mayne, c x-Rafael Palmeiro, 1b David Segui, 1b Kevin Millar, 1b Tony Clark, 1b Dave Hansen, 1b John Olerud, 1b x-Tino Martinez, 1b Brad Fullmer, 1b Carlos Delgado, 1b Greg Colbrunn, 1b Eric Karros, 1b Pokey Reese, 2b x-Ricky Gutierrez, 2b x-Bret Boone, 2b Eric Young, 2b Roberto Alomar, 2b Carlos Baerga, 2b Jose Valentin, ss m-Omar Vizquel, ss Desi Relaford, ss x-Cristian Guzman, ss Miguel Cairo, ss Rich Aurilia, ss Rey Sanchez, ss Dave Berg, ss Chris Gomez, ss Troy Glaus, 3b Shane Halter, 3b x-Bill Mueller, 3b m-Joe Randa, 3b Corey Koskie, 3b Aaron Boone, 3b Herb Perry, 3b Marty Cordova, of Magglio Ordonez, of Carlos Beltran, of m-Juan Gonzalez, of Matt Stairs, of Ruben Sierra, of Jermaine Dye, of Quinton McCracken, of David Dellucci, of m-Rusty Greer, of Brian Jordan, of Frank Catalanotto, of Danny Bautista, of Steve Finley, of Edgar Martinez, dh Troy Percival, rhp Aaron Sele, rhp Mike DeJean, rhp Derek Lowe, rhp Pedro Martinez, rhp Ramiro Mendoza, rhp x-Mike Timlin, rhp Scott Williamson, rhp Billy Koch, rhp Esteban Loaiza, rhp x-Cliff Politte, rhp Bob Wickman, rhp x-Matt Anderson, rhp Alan Levine, rhp Danny Patterson, rhp Kevin Appier, rhp Jason Grimsley, rhp x-Curtis Leskanic, rhp Brad Radke, rhp x-Jon Lieber, rhp Mariano Rivera, rhp Freddy Garcia, rhp x-Kevin Jarvis, rhp Paul Abbott, rhp Jeff Nelson, rhp Jay Powell, rhp Jeff Zimmerman, rhp Terry Adams, rhp Pat Hentgen, rhp x-Elmer Dessens, rhp Shane Reynolds, rhp Steve Sparks, rhp Omar Daal, lhp Alan Embree, lhp x-Chris Hammond, lhp m-Eddie Guardado, lhp John Halama, lhp Trever Miller, lhp x-club option for 2005; m-mutual option for 2005; y-player option for 2005. 2004-2005 Potential Free Agents by League/Team AMERICAN LEAGUE ANAHEIM (4): Troy Glaus, 3b; Shane Halter, 3b; Troy Percival, rhp; Aaron Sele, rhp. BALTIMORE (5): Marty Cordova, of; Omar Daal, lhp; Mike DeJean, rhp; x-Rafael Palmeiro, 1b; David Segui, 1b. BOSTON (11): x-Alan Embree, lhp; Orlando Cabrerra, ss; Derek Lowe, rhp; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Ramiro Mendoza, rhp; Kevin Millar, 1b; x-Bill Mueller, 3b; Pokey Reese, 2b; x-Mike Timlin, rhp; Jason Varitek, c; Scott Williamson, rhp. CHICAGO (6): x-Sandy Alomar Jr, c; Billy Koch, rhp; Esteban Loaiza, rhp; Magglio Ordonez, of; x-Cliff Politte, rhp; Jose Valentin, ss. CLEVELAND (4): x-Ricky Gutierrez, 2b; Tim Laker, c; m-Omar Vizquel, ss; Bob Wickman, rhp. DETROIT (4): x-Matt Anderson, rhp; Mike Difelice, c; Alan Levine, rhp; Danny Patterson, rhp. KANSAS CITY (8 ): Kevin Appier, rhp; m-Juan Gonzalez, of; Jason Grimsley, rhp; x-Curtis Leskanic, rhp; m-Joe Randa, 3b; Desi Relaford, ss; Matt Stairs, of; Kelly Stinnett, c. MINNESOTA (4): x-Henry Blanco, c; x-Cristian Guzman, ss; Corey Koskie, 3b; Brad Radke, rhp. NEW YORK (7 ): Aaron Boone, 3b; Miguel Cairo, ss; Tony Clark, 1b; John Flaherty, c; x-Jon Lieber, rhp; Mariano Rivera, rhp; Ruben Sierra, of. OAKLAND (4 ) Jermaine Dye, of; x-Chris Hammond, lhp; Eric Karros, 1b; Damian Miller, c. SEATTLE (10): x-Bret Boone, 2b; Freddy Garcia, rhp; m-Eddie Guardado, lhp; Dave Hansen, 1b; x-Kevin Jarvis, rhp; Edgar Martinez, dh; Quinton McCracken, of; John Olerud, 1b; x-Kaz Sasaki, rhp; Dan Wilson, c. TAMPA BAY (5): Paul Abbott, rhp; Brook Fordyce, c; John Halama, lhp; x-Tino Martinez, 1b; Trever Miller, lhp TEXAS (10): David Dellucci, of; Einar Diaz, c; Brad Fullmer, 1b; m-Rusty Greer, of; Brian Jordan, of; Jeff Nelson, rhp; Herb Perry, 3b; Jay Powell, rhp; Eric Young, 2b; Jeff Zimmerman, rhp. TORONTO (7): Terry Adams, rhp; Dave Berg, ss; Frank Catalanotto, of; Carlos Delgado, 1b; Chris Gomez, ss; Pat Hentgen, rhp; Greg Myers, c. NATIONAL LEAGUE ARIZONA (9): Roberto Alomar, 2b; Carlos Baerga, 2b; Danny Bautista, of; Greg Colbrunn, 1b; x-Elmer Dessens, rhp; Shane Reynolds rhp (injured); Brent Mayne, c; Richie Sexson, 1b; Steve Sparks, rhp. ATLANTA (4): Antonio Alfonseca, rhp; J.D. Drew, of; Russ Ortiz, rhp; x-John Smoltz, rhp. CHICAGO (8 ): m-Moises Alou, of; Matt Clement, rhp; Nomar Garciaparra, ss; Tom Goodwin, of; x-Mark Grudzielanek, 2b; Todd Hollandsworth, of; Kent Mercker, lhp; Todd Walker, 2b. CINCINNATI (4): Jimmy Haynes, lhp; Barry Larkin, ss; Cory Lidle, rhp; John Vander Wal, of. COLORADO (3): m-Jeromy Burnitz, of; m-Vinny Castilla, 3b; Steve Reed, rhp. FLORIDA (3): Armando Benitez, rhp; Chad Fox, rhp; Mike Mordecai, 2b. HOUSTON (7): Carlos Beltran, of; x-Craig Biggio, of; Roger Clemens, rhp; of; Jeff Kent, 2b; Dan Miceli, rhp; David Weathers, rhp; Jose Vizcaino, ss. LOS ANGELES (8 ): Wilson Alvarez, lhp; Steve Finley, of; Adrian Beltre, 3b; Todd Hundley, c; Odalis Perez, lhp; Paul Shuey, rhp; Bubba Trammell, of; Robin Ventura, 1b. MILWAUKEE (1): x-Craig Counsell, ss. MONTREAL (2): Alex Gonzalez, ss; y-Carl Everett, of NEW YORK (5): Kris Benson, rhp; John Franco, lhp; m-Al Leiter, lhp; x-Steve Trachsel, rhp; Richard Hidalgo, of. PHILADELPHIA (8 ): Rheal Cormier, lhp; Doug Glanville, of; Roberto Hernandez, rhp; Kevin Millwood, rhp; Eric Milton, lhp; Tomas Perez, ss; Todd Pratt, c; x-Billy Wagner, lhp. PITTSBURGH (2): x-Brian Boehringer, rhp; x-Chris Stynes, 3b. ST. LOUIS (8 ): Chris Carpenter, rhp; Cal Eldred, rhp; Steve Kline, lhp; Eli Marrero, c; Mike Matheny, c; Matt Morris, rhp; Chris Widger, c; x-Woody Williams, rhp. SAN DIEGO (6): x-Rod Beck, rhp; Sterling Hitchcock, lhp; x-Trevor Hoffman, rhp; Ismael Valdes, rhp; David Wells, lhp; x-Jay Witasick, rhp. SAN FRANCISCO (10): Alberto Castillo, c; x-Jason Christiansen, lhp; x-Marquis Grissom, of; Jeffrey Hammonds, of; Dustin Hermanson, rhp; Robb Nen, rhp; Neifi Perez, ss; Felix Rodriguez, rhp; x-J.T. Snow, 1b; x-Brett Tomko, rhp. x-club option for 2005; m-mutual option for 2005; y-player option for 2005.

Possible, of course. But the Cubs just upgraded the biggest black hole on the roster with a guy who's easily one of the 10 best SS in the game (even if you want to include A-Rod). I could argue top five, I think. That's terrific when you've got a shot to contend. Oh, and the compensation picks if the Cubs lose Clement and/or Nomar to FA and the decent prospect they got from Boston should go a long way to re-stocking the farm. CFP

Would you buy "fewer save opportunities because of larger leads"? :wink: I think its up to Hawkins/Dempster/Farnsworth (in that order).

Thanks, I edited it. I knew there were at least a few I missed. FA OF and SS upgrades are already becoming scarce. CFP

Updated 2004-2005 Free Agents by League/Position 04/26/04 - I just did a quick scan of transactions since this was last updated. Please post any corrections you have. NATIONAL LEAGUE Todd Hundley, c Todd Pratt, c Mike Matheny, c Chris Widger, c Eli Marrero, c Alberto Castillo, c Richie Sexson, 1b Robin Ventura, 1b x-J.T. Snow, 1b x-Mark Grudzielanek, 2b Todd Walker, 2b Mike Mordecai, 2b Jeff Kent, 2b Jose Vidro, 2b Alex Gonzalez, ss Edgar Renteria, ss Barry Larkin, ss x-Craig Counsell, ss Orlando Cabrera, ss Tomas Perez, ss Neifi Perez, ss Jose Vizcaino, ss x-Chris Stynes, 3b Adrian Beltre, 3b m-Vinny Castilla, 3b Todd Hollandsworth, of Tom Goodwin, of x-Moises Alou, of J.D. Drew, of John Vander Wal, of m-Jeromy Burnitz, of x-Richard Hidalgo, of Lance Berkman, of x-Craig Biggio, of Bubba Trammell, of y-Carl Everett, of Doug Glanville, of x-Marquis Grissom, of Jeffrey Hammonds, of Matt Clement, rhp Russ Ortiz, rhp x-John Smoltz, rhp Antonio Alfonseca, rhp Cory Lidle, rhp Steve Reed, rhp Armando Benitez, rhp Chad Fox, rhp Dan Miceli, rhp Roger Clemens, rhp Paul Shuey, rhp x-Steve Trachsel, rhp David Weathers, rhp Roberto Hernandez, rhp Kevin Millwood, rhp Kris Benson, rhp x-Brian Boehringer, rhp Matt Morris, rhp x-Woody Williams, rhp Chris Carpenter, rhp Cal Eldred, rhp x-Rod Beck, rhp x-Trevor Hoffman, rhp Ismael Valdes, rhp x-Jay Witasick, rhp Dustin Hermanson, rhp Robb Nen, rhp Felix Rodriguez, rhp x-Brett Tomko, rhp Kent Mercker, lhp Jimmy Haynes, lhp Odalis Perez, lhp Wilson Alvarez, lhp John Franco, lhp m-Al Leiter, lhp x-Billy Wagner, lhp Eric Milton, lhp Rheal Cormier, lhp Steve Kline, lhp Sterling Hitchcock, lhp x-Jason Christiansen, lhp David Wells, lhp AMERICAN LEAGUE x-Henry Blanco, c Jason Varitek, c x-Sandy Alomar Jr, c Tim Laker, c Mike Difelice, c Kelly Stinnett, c John Flaherty, c Damian Miller, c Dan Wilson, c Brook Fordyce, c Einar Diaz, c Greg Myers, c Brent Mayne, c x-Rafael Palmeiro, 1b David Segui, 1b Kevin Millar, 1b Tony Clark, 1b Dave Hansen, 1b John Olerud, 1b x-Tino Martinez, 1b Brad Fullmer, 1b Carlos Delgado, 1b Greg Colbrunn, 1b Eric Karros, 1b Pokey Reese, 2b x-Ricky Gutierrez, 2b x-Bret Boone, 2b Eric Young, 2b Roberto Alomar, 2b Carlos Baerga, 2b Nomar Garciaparra, ss Jose Valentin, ss m-Omar Vizquel, ss Desi Relaford, ss x-Cristian Guzman, ss Miguel Cairo, ss Rich Aurilia, ss Rey Sanchez, ss Dave Berg, ss Chris Gomez, ss Troy Glaus, 3b Shane Halter, 3b x-Bill Mueller, 3b m-Joe Randa, 3b Corey Koskie, 3b Aaron Boone, 3b Herb Perry, 3b Marty Cordova, of Magglio Ordonez, of Carlos Beltran, of m-Juan Gonzalez, of Matt Stairs, of Ruben Sierra, of Jermaine Dye, of Quinton McCracken, of David Dellucci, of m-Rusty Greer, of Brian Jordan, of Frank Catalanotto, of Danny Bautista, of Steve Finley, of Edgar Martinez, dh Troy Percival, rhp Aaron Sele, rhp Mike DeJean, rhp Derek Lowe, rhp Pedro Martinez, rhp Ramiro Mendoza, rhp x-Mike Timlin, rhp Scott Williamson, rhp Billy Koch, rhp Esteban Loaiza, rhp x-Cliff Politte, rhp Bob Wickman, rhp x-Matt Anderson, rhp Alan Levine, rhp Danny Patterson, rhp Kevin Appier, rhp Jason Grimsley, rhp x-Curtis Leskanic, rhp Brad Radke, rhp x-Jon Lieber, rhp Mariano Rivera, rhp Freddy Garcia, rhp x-Kevin Jarvis, rhp Paul Abbott, rhp Jeff Nelson, rhp Jay Powell, rhp Jeff Zimmerman, rhp Terry Adams, rhp Pat Hentgen, rhp x-Elmer Dessens, rhp Shane Reynolds, rhp Steve Sparks, rhp Omar Daal, lhp Alan Embree, lhp x-Chris Hammond, lhp m-Eddie Guardado, lhp John Halama, lhp Trever Miller, lhp x-club option for 2005; m-mutual option for 2005; y-player option for 2005. 2004-2005 Potential Free Agents by League/Team AMERICAN LEAGUE ANAHEIM (4): Troy Glaus, 3b; Shane Halter, 3b; Troy Percival, rhp; Aaron Sele, rhp. BALTIMORE (5): Marty Cordova, of; Omar Daal, lhp; Mike DeJean, rhp; x-Rafael Palmeiro, 1b; David Segui, 1b. BOSTON (11): x-Alan Embree, lhp; Nomar Garciaparra, ss; Derek Lowe, rhp; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Ramiro Mendoza, rhp; Kevin Millar, 1b; x-Bill Mueller, 3b; Pokey Reese, 2b; x-Mike Timlin, rhp; Jason Varitek, c; Scott Williamson, rhp. CHICAGO (6): x-Sandy Alomar Jr, c; Billy Koch, rhp; Esteban Loaiza, rhp; Magglio Ordonez, of; x-Cliff Politte, rhp; Jose Valentin, ss. CLEVELAND (4): x-Ricky Gutierrez, 2b; Tim Laker, c; m-Omar Vizquel, ss; Bob Wickman, rhp. DETROIT (4): x-Matt Anderson, rhp; Mike Difelice, c; Alan Levine, rhp; Danny Patterson, rhp. KANSAS CITY (9): Kevin Appier, rhp; Carlos Beltran, of; m-Juan Gonzalez, of; Jason Grimsley, rhp; x-Curtis Leskanic, rhp; m-Joe Randa, 3b; Desi Relaford, ss; Matt Stairs, of; Kelly Stinnett, c. MINNESOTA (4): x-Henry Blanco, c; x-Cristian Guzman, ss; Corey Koskie, 3b; Brad Radke, rhp. NEW YORK (7 ): Aaron Boone, 3b; Miguel Cairo, ss; Tony Clark, 1b; John Flaherty, c; x-Jon Lieber, rhp; Mariano Rivera, rhp; Ruben Sierra, of. OAKLAND (4 ) Jermaine Dye, of; x-Chris Hammond, lhp; Eric Karros, 1b; Damian Miller, c. SEATTLE (11): Rich Aurilia, ss; x-Bret Boone, 2b; Freddy Garcia, rhp; m-Eddie Guardado, lhp; Dave Hansen, 1b; x-Kevin Jarvis, rhp; Edgar Martinez, dh; Quinton McCracken, of; John Olerud, 1b; x-Kaz Sasaki, rhp; Dan Wilson, c. TAMPA BAY (6): Paul Abbott, rhp; Brook Fordyce, c; John Halama, lhp; x-Tino Martinez, 1b; Trever Miller, lhp; Rey Sanchez, ss. TEXAS (10): David Dellucci, of; Einar Diaz, c; Brad Fullmer, 1b; m-Rusty Greer, of; Brian Jordan, of; Jeff Nelson, rhp; Herb Perry, 3b; Jay Powell, rhp; Eric Young, 2b; Jeff Zimmerman, rhp. TORONTO (7): Terry Adams, rhp; Dave Berg, ss; Frank Catalanotto, of; Carlos Delgado, 1b; Chris Gomez, ss; Pat Hentgen, rhp; Greg Myers, c. NATIONAL LEAGUE ARIZONA (10): Roberto Alomar, 2b; Carlos Baerga, 2b; Danny Bautista, of; Greg Colbrunn, 1b; x-Elmer Dessens, rhp; Steve Finley, of; Brent Mayne, c; Shane Reynolds, rhp; Richie Sexson, 1b; Steve Sparks, rhp. ATLANTA (4): Antonio Alfonseca, rhp; J.D. Drew, of; Russ Ortiz, rhp; x-John Smoltz, rhp. CHICAGO (8 ): m-Moises Alou, of; Matt Clement, rhp; Alex Gonzalez, ss; Tom Goodwin, of; x-Mark Grudzielanek, 2b; Todd Hollandsworth, of; Kent Mercker, lhp; Todd Walker, 2b. CINCINNATI (4): Jimmy Haynes, lhp; Barry Larkin, ss; Cory Lidle, rhp; John Vander Wal, of. COLORADO (3): m-Jeromy Burnitz, of; m-Vinny Castilla, 3b; Steve Reed, rhp. FLORIDA (3): Armando Benitez, rhp; Chad Fox, rhp; Mike Mordecai, 2b. HOUSTON (7): Lance Berkman, of; x-Craig Biggio, of; Roger Clemens, rhp; x-Richard Hidalgo, of; Jeff Kent, 2b; Dan Miceli, rhp; Jose Vizcaino, ss. LOS ANGELES (7): Wilson Alvarez, lhp; Adrian Beltre, 3b; Todd Hundley, c; Odalis Perez, lhp; Paul Shuey, rhp; Bubba Trammell, of; Robin Ventura, 1b. MILWAUKEE (1): x-Craig Counsell, ss. MONTREAL (3): Orlando Cabrera, ss; y-Carl Everett, of; Jose Vidro, 2b. NEW YORK (5): John Franco, lhp; m-Al Leiter, lhp; x-Steve Trachsel, rhp; x-Mo Vaughn, 1b; David Weathers, rhp. PHILADELPHIA (8 ): Rheal Cormier, lhp; Doug Glanville, of; Roberto Hernandez, rhp; Kevin Millwood, rhp; Eric Milton, lhp; Tomas Perez, ss; Todd Pratt, c; x-Billy Wagner, lhp. PITTSBURGH (3): Kris Benson, rhp; x-Brian Boehringer, rhp; x-Chris Stynes, 3b. ST. LOUIS (8 ): Chris Carpenter, rhp; Cal Eldred, rhp; Steve Kline, lhp; Eli Marrero, c; Mike Matheny, c; Matt Morris, rhp; Chris Widger, c; x-Woody Williams, rhp. SAN DIEGO (6): x-Rod Beck, rhp; Sterling Hitchcock, lhp; x-Trevor Hoffman, rhp; Ismael Valdes, rhp; David Wells, lhp; x-Jay Witasick, rhp. SAN FRANCISCO (10): Alberto Castillo, c; x-Jason Christiansen, lhp; x-Marquis Grissom, of; Jeffrey Hammonds, of; Dustin Hermanson, rhp; Robb Nen, rhp; Neifi Perez, ss; Felix Rodriguez, rhp; x-J.T. Snow, 1b; x-Brett Tomko, rhp. x-club option for 2005; m-mutual option for 2005; y-player option for 2005.

Bruce: 1) Care to give any odds on: a) Alou being re-signed?; b) Gonzalez?; c) Sosa extended? 2) What verdict do expect the "jury" to reach? So far, the return on the trade looks shaky at best. Thanks.