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Hot Stove Report and Selig Nonsense

© Bryan Walker

The free agents are available. But until the Big Four (ARod, Manny Ramirez, Mike Hampton, Mike Mussina) are signed, don't expect many other players to be picked up. Most teams are holding their money in hopes of getting one of the Big Four and to see what the market values will be for second tier free agents. The Great Eight free agents (the Big Four plus Darren Dreifort, Denny Neagle, Juan Gonzalez, Charles Johnson) set up the remaining class of the market. The players themselves aren't saying where they're going, but here's the latest rumors.

Alex Rodriguez: The Mets dropped out, supposedly, but they will be back in it. Peter Gammons hinted in his latest that ARod wants to sign with Atlanta. I still can't imagine someone paying him $20 million per season.

Manny Ramirez: Regardless, it looks like Manny and his agent should have taken the $17 million per season that the Tribe offered him. Because if the two big pitchers sign first, then there will be less money in the market for him. Colorado, Texas, and Seattle are reportedly interested, and of course the Mets and Yankees.

Mike Hampton: The word has long been that he wants to stay in the National League, but his agent reported this week that Hampton has narrowed his choices down to 10 teams: two AL and eight NL.

Mike Mussina: The Yankees camp has been leaking that Steinbrenner will not be outbid for Mussina. It was reported that the Yankees offered a deal worth $14-15 million per season. Mussina has been contacted by Jeter and Torre. In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Mussina laid out his criteria for selection: "You can sway people with the way they treat you. If someone offers $2 million less per year, but really treats you great, that can sway you, even though someone else has offered more money. When you get to the monetary levels that we have come to now, you have other criteria that become important to you. What kind of organization do they have? Do you have a chance to be competitive? Where is it geographically? How do they treat you?"

Until these four find a new home, its unlikely that we'll see where any of the other big four are going. Anyone who doesn't get Mussina or Hampton will probably go after Neagle or Dreifort. And whoever doesn't land ARod or Ramirez will seek Gonzalez.

Bud Selig testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on antitrust, business rights and competition. He assured them that the current financial structure in Major League Baseball will be changed. According to Selig, 18 to 20 of the 30 teams will lose money in 2000. Personally, I've got two problems with that statement. One, I don't believe for a second that over half of the teams lost money. Two, if Selig means what he says, then we can expect another work stoppage in baseball come October of 2001.

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