Fungos 11/28

A quick glance at what’s making news around the baseball pages…

• The Brewers are now linked to middle reliever David Riske. After slamming the Brewers for the moves thus far, this would be a nice pickup for them. Riske is a solid middle reliever who may be able to close in the NL if he had to. He is a better value as a middle man, but he is the one free agent middle man (as I said in a previous Fungos) that I would invest in. The Brew Crew would still need a closer, but this would be a nice addition.

• Speaking of potential closers, Octavio Dotel’s agent says he is completely healthy (what’s he supposed to say?). More importantly, he said that Dotel would consider being a middle reliever for certain teams. I think it’s a nice ploy to drive up his value as the big market teams are pretty set at closer. I know a certain team in Milwaukee needs a closer. That seems like a good match to me.

• The LA Times is reporting that the potential Miguel Cabrera to the Angels deal has hit a bit of a snag. Supposedly, the Angels are saying they don’t want to give up Howie Kendrick and Jeff Mathis. Sounds like good old fashion gamesmanship here. These two teams fit perfectly for a deal, so I would expect this deal to get done.

• The Twins and Red Sox are rumored to be discussing a trade that doesn’t involve Johan Santana. The Twins have interest in Coco Crisp who would probably do really well in the less intense Minnesota media climate. The Twins have some good arms in the minors to complete this deal.

• In other Twins news, Ken Rosenthal speculates that if the Twins do trade Johan Santana, closer Joe Nathan could be next. Honestly, the Twins are one of my favorite organizations in baseball as they have developed a ton of talent in order to stay competitive. But, if this is all true, it seems as if they are blowing up the team just to blow it up. If they are shopping Nathan, they probably could get quite a haul for him with more than a few teams looking for a closer.

• The Chicago White Sox seem to be leaning towards bringing back Aaron Rowand to be their centerfielder once again. That’s one team that I think Rowand would actually have a nice impact on. He was a leader in their clubhouse before he was dealt and someone who is well liked. I think he’ll get overpaid, but Chicago knows exactly what it will be getting. Rowand would not have to deal with unrealistic expectations if he goes back to Chicago. It’ll be interesting to see if Rowand wants to go back there.

• In the “What are you thinking?…unless you know something I don’t” department, the Orioles are shopping lefty ace, Erik Bedard. Their latest partner is the Dodgers. LA has many good prospects, but I don’t think a deal gets done until Miguel Cabrera is dealt. Another rumor is that the Mets made a run at Bedard too. I really don’t see them having a good enough package to offer. I still can’t believe the O’s would deal Bedard unless they know he is not healthy nor likely to stay healthy.

That’s it for today. Enjoy the day! Fire back.