Here's what
the big board looks like so far after the midnight non-tendering deadline, in terms of options that would only cost money:
Not available:Available:- Toby Hall, Dodgers
- The No. 1 target in my 21 possible backup catchers list only costs money now. Say, didn't we save $9 million and change by trading Freddy Garcia? Say, might Hall be interested in only a one-year deal so he can test the catcher market again? Say, why can't Kenny Williams make this happen? Enough with the Alomars, already.
- Rod Barajas, FA
- The Rockies were rumored to have interest in his services, but Torrealba's presence negates that. Barajas may have overplayed his hand this season, rejecting starter money in Toronto and not finding a lot of offers elsewhere. He doesn't hit lefties much better than he hits righties, but he's better than A.J. defensively and not a zero with the bat.
While we're at it:- Jayson Werth, Dodgers
- Springfield native. He's right-handed, can play all three outfield positions, has plus speed, occasional pop. He's also missed a boatload of time and hasn't been around long enough to show if he can hit lefties.
- Scott Schoeneweis, Reds
- He'd make a nice second lefty out of the bullpen. Too bad he 1) bitched while with the Sox, and 2) is represented by Scott Boras. So in other words, no way in hell.
- Jon Knott, Padres
- I'd never heard of him before today, but last year in Triple-A, the first baseman/outfielder Knott hit .331/.405/.646 against lefties. We were just talking about Craig Wilson in the last post, and this guy appears to be a Craig Wilson that people like me haven't heard of. An intriguing possibility should the Sox go in that direction -- which they likely won't.