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Hache Man · 07-13-07, 09:50 PM

ARod, Posada Eye Free Agency
One day after Alex Rodriguez indicated that he won't negotiate a contract extension during the season and plans to test free agency, the Yankees reportedly told him that they have no plans to bid for him on the open market. If both sides live up to their word, that would seemingly mean that Rodriguez's time with the Yankees will come to an end after this season. Of course, Rodriguez has until November 10 to opt out of his deal and plenty can change before then.

Meanwhile, the Yankees have reportedly approached both Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada about extending their contract before free agency hits this offseason. Rivera indicated that he'd be willing to negotiate now, but Posada followed in Rodriguez's footsteps by saying that he plans to test free agency. "I want to wait," Posada said. "I've never experienced free agency. I'm looking forward to it. First time ever. Probably the only time ever. I want to see what it's all about."

While we all prepare for the various newspapers in New York to publish several billion articles about the contract status of Rodriguez, Posada, and Rivera between now and October, here are some other notes from around baseball …

* After saying earlier this week that he'd likely need offseason knee surgery, David Ortiz revealed Thursday that he's been playing with a torn meniscus in his right knee since the middle of last season. "It wasn't anything major," Ortiz said. "I just kept playing through it last year. This year, it's been bothering me more than it used to." If Ortiz knew about the injury last year, it seems odd that he didn't choose to undergo what is a relatively minor surgery to fix it during the offseason.

Despite the ongoing knee problems, Ortiz went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs Thursday. Much has been made of his decline in power because Ortiz is on pace for just 27 homers after going deep 54, 47, and 41 times over the previous three seasons. However, he's now hitting .319 with a .997 OPS that ranks fourth in the AL behind only Alex Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Pena (and ahead of Gary Sheffield, Vladimir Guerrero, and Justin Morneau).

* Josh Hamilton was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a sprained right wrist that he suffered Saturday. With Hamilton out, Ryan Freel figures to take over as the Reds' everyday center fielder. Freel started in his place Thursday and went 0-for-4, dropping his batting average to a career-low .252 while in the midst of an 89-plate appearance stretch that has seen him draw a grand total of one walk.

Regardless of how well he hits, Freel's excellent stolen-base ability will guarantee that he has tons of fantasy value while playing every day. Beyond that, his starting in center field should keep manager Pete Mackanin from benching Edwin Encarnacion at third base. Demoted to Triple-A in early May, Encarnacion has hit .297 with an .825 OPS in 42 games since returning. Despite that, he's been on the bench for three of the past 15 games.

* I'm still celebrating the Mets' decision to hire Rickey Henderson as their new hitting coach, but they ruined some of my buzz by designating 48-year-old Julio Franco for assignment a few hours later. As fun as it'll be to have Henderson around for daily quotes and stories in the second half, it would have been even better if he was being employed to help Franco with his swing. Instead, Franco will attempt to find another team with which to pursue his goal of playing as a 50-year-old.

While I'd like to spend another 1,000 words discussing the Henderson-Franco stuff, the team's real fantasy news from Thursday is that the Mets recalled Lastings Milledge from Triple-A. With Moises Alou. Carlos Gomez, and Endy Chavez all on the disabled list, Milledge will take over as the everyday left fielder after hitting .342 with four homers and six steals in 19 minor-league games. If he plays well or Alou has a setback, he may keep the job for the next decade or so.

* Originally thought to be headed to the disabled list with a knee injury, Aaron Hill was instead in the Blue Jays' lineup Thursday, going 2-for-4 against the Red Sox. Toronto also got Lyle Overbay back from the DL and Troy Glaus returned as well after sitting out since the Fourth of July with ongoing foot problems. Glaus will resume starting over John McDonald at third base, while Overbay's return sent Curtis Thigpen back to the minors and could lessen Matt Stairs' at-bats.

AL Quick Hits: After numerous setbacks, the Devil Rays are finally expected to activate B.J. Upton (quadriceps) from the disabled list Friday … After aggravating his foot injury Thursday, Melvin Mora is scheduled for an MRI and CT scan … Eyeing a mid-August return, Joel Zumaya (finger) began his throwing program by playing catch Thursday … As expected, the A's placed Rich Harden (shoulder) back on the shelf Thursday, with a month-long absence likely the best-case scenario … Eligible to return next week, Al Reyes (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Thursday … Placido Polanco (strained lat) played in the All-Star game, but was held out of Thursday's lineup … Taking the mound for the first time since June 18, Curt Schilling (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday and said that he expects to return before August … Initially expected to miss 6-8 weeks, Mike Napoli (ankle) now hopes to return Tuesday … One of Daily Dose's "sell-high" picks, Jeremy Guthrie began the second half Thursday with his worst start of the season.

NL Quick Hits: Activated from the disabled list Thursday, Brad Lidge (oblique) figures to take over ninth-inning duties from Dan Wheeler immediately … Out since June 15, Jim Edmonds (back) said Thursday that he's hoping to come off the DL within 7-10 days … Making a minor-league rehab appearance Wednesday in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, Tom Gordon (shoulder) coughed up five runs while recording one out … X-rays on Jose Valentin's hand were negative after he reportedly injured it over the All-Star break while trying to break up a fight in Puerto Rico … Not only did Orlando Hernandez pick up a victory Thursday, the 41-year-old stole his second career base following a second-inning single … After throwing a bullpen session Wednesday, Eddie Guardado (elbow) said that he's ready to come off the DL … Pending free agent Eric Byrnes said Thursday that he'd give the Diamondbacks a "discount" to remain in Arizona, but also mentioned the five-year deals signed by J.D. Drew ($70 million), Gary Matthews Jr. ($50 million), and Juan Pierre ($44 million) as the type of contract that he's likely looking for.

07-13-07, 09:50 PM	#247
Hache Man "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 64,496	Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2007 ARod, Posada Eye Free Agency One day after Alex Rodriguez indicated that he won't negotiate a contract extension during the season and plans to test free agency, the Yankees reportedly told him that they have no plans to bid for him on the open market. If both sides live up to their word, that would seemingly mean that Rodriguez's time with the Yankees will come to an end after this season. Of course, Rodriguez has until November 10 to opt out of his deal and plenty can change before then. Meanwhile, the Yankees have reportedly approached both Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada about extending their contract before free agency hits this offseason. Rivera indicated that he'd be willing to negotiate now, but Posada followed in Rodriguez's footsteps by saying that he plans to test free agency. "I want to wait," Posada said. "I've never experienced free agency. I'm looking forward to it. First time ever. Probably the only time ever. I want to see what it's all about." While we all prepare for the various newspapers in New York to publish several billion articles about the contract status of Rodriguez, Posada, and Rivera between now and October, here are some other notes from around baseball … * After saying earlier this week that he'd likely need offseason knee surgery, David Ortiz revealed Thursday that he's been playing with a torn meniscus in his right knee since the middle of last season. "It wasn't anything major," Ortiz said. "I just kept playing through it last year. This year, it's been bothering me more than it used to." If Ortiz knew about the injury last year, it seems odd that he didn't choose to undergo what is a relatively minor surgery to fix it during the offseason. Despite the ongoing knee problems, Ortiz went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs Thursday. Much has been made of his decline in power because Ortiz is on pace for just 27 homers after going deep 54, 47, and 41 times over the previous three seasons. However, he's now hitting .319 with a .997 OPS that ranks fourth in the AL behind only Alex Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Pena (and ahead of Gary Sheffield, Vladimir Guerrero, and Justin Morneau). * Josh Hamilton was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a sprained right wrist that he suffered Saturday. With Hamilton out, Ryan Freel figures to take over as the Reds' everyday center fielder. Freel started in his place Thursday and went 0-for-4, dropping his batting average to a career-low .252 while in the midst of an 89-plate appearance stretch that has seen him draw a grand total of one walk. Regardless of how well he hits, Freel's excellent stolen-base ability will guarantee that he has tons of fantasy value while playing every day. Beyond that, his starting in center field should keep manager Pete Mackanin from benching Edwin Encarnacion at third base. Demoted to Triple-A in early May, Encarnacion has hit .297 with an .825 OPS in 42 games since returning. Despite that, he's been on the bench for three of the past 15 games. * I'm still celebrating the Mets' decision to hire Rickey Henderson as their new hitting coach, but they ruined some of my buzz by designating 48-year-old Julio Franco for assignment a few hours later. As fun as it'll be to have Henderson around for daily quotes and stories in the second half, it would have been even better if he was being employed to help Franco with his swing. Instead, Franco will attempt to find another team with which to pursue his goal of playing as a 50-year-old. While I'd like to spend another 1,000 words discussing the Henderson-Franco stuff, the team's real fantasy news from Thursday is that the Mets recalled Lastings Milledge from Triple-A. With Moises Alou. Carlos Gomez, and Endy Chavez all on the disabled list, Milledge will take over as the everyday left fielder after hitting .342 with four homers and six steals in 19 minor-league games. If he plays well or Alou has a setback, he may keep the job for the next decade or so. * Originally thought to be headed to the disabled list with a knee injury, Aaron Hill was instead in the Blue Jays' lineup Thursday, going 2-for-4 against the Red Sox. Toronto also got Lyle Overbay back from the DL and Troy Glaus returned as well after sitting out since the Fourth of July with ongoing foot problems. Glaus will resume starting over John McDonald at third base, while Overbay's return sent Curtis Thigpen back to the minors and could lessen Matt Stairs' at-bats. AL Quick Hits: After numerous setbacks, the Devil Rays are finally expected to activate B.J. Upton (quadriceps) from the disabled list Friday … After aggravating his foot injury Thursday, Melvin Mora is scheduled for an MRI and CT scan … Eyeing a mid-August return, Joel Zumaya (finger) began his throwing program by playing catch Thursday … As expected, the A's placed Rich Harden (shoulder) back on the shelf Thursday, with a month-long absence likely the best-case scenario … Eligible to return next week, Al Reyes (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Thursday … Placido Polanco (strained lat) played in the All-Star game, but was held out of Thursday's lineup … Taking the mound for the first time since June 18, Curt Schilling (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday and said that he expects to return before August … Initially expected to miss 6-8 weeks, Mike Napoli (ankle) now hopes to return Tuesday … One of Daily Dose's "sell-high" picks, Jeremy Guthrie began the second half Thursday with his worst start of the season. NL Quick Hits: Activated from the disabled list Thursday, Brad Lidge (oblique) figures to take over ninth-inning duties from Dan Wheeler immediately … Out since June 15, Jim Edmonds (back) said Thursday that he's hoping to come off the DL within 7-10 days … Making a minor-league rehab appearance Wednesday in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, Tom Gordon (shoulder) coughed up five runs while recording one out … X-rays on Jose Valentin's hand were negative after he reportedly injured it over the All-Star break while trying to break up a fight in Puerto Rico … Not only did Orlando Hernandez pick up a victory Thursday, the 41-year-old stole his second career base following a second-inning single … After throwing a bullpen session Wednesday, Eddie Guardado (elbow) said that he's ready to come off the DL … Pending free agent Eric Byrnes said Thursday that he'd give the Diamondbacks a "discount" to remain in Arizona, but also mentioned the five-year deals signed by J.D. Drew ($70 million), Gary Matthews Jr. ($50 million), and Juan Pierre ($44 million) as the type of contract that he's likely looking for.