Johnny Damon needs to change agents. Sheets got what we all thought was too much. Damon, not as much.

So about the same as what Arizona will be paying Brandon Webb ($8.5M), whose option they picked up in November.

Screw the Original Big Three...AL West in the hizzy. That division has cornered the market on "hmm..that's a good move" moves this offseason.

That division has the market cornered on good moves? The same division that gave Fernando Rodney 11 mill? Give credit to the A's, but the Angels have made some pretty dimwitted moves.

Oh Sheet ..............

I couldn't agree more, gum.

I'm still a little peeved The Rangers didn't sign him last year. I think they could have easily locked him in for similar money, especially since this is only a one-year deal. Based on Sheets' history as a player, I felt signing him then was a safe bet, as he strikes me as the kind of guy who genuinely wanted to work hard, rehab, and do well when he came back. From the reports on his recent workouts, it looks like I was right (...for once.). In light of them sending Millwood to Baltimore, having Sheets in the rotation here to fill that void would have been nothing short of brilliant. Instead, we get Oliver, who, the last time I saw him throw in a Ranger uniform, bounced three pitches off of the grass 15 feet in front of the plate.

Still, the AL West is going to an absolute hoot, this season. I cannot wait to see what the Mariners and A's look like when they trot out onto the field here in Arlington. I think the ownership issues here have completely harpooned what they planned to do in the off-season, and they've been eclipsed by what Seattle and Oakland have been doing. I think they'll still compete, but I'm not making any predictions of the Rangers taking the Division.

Good money for a #3-4 pitcher who missed alot of time last season and is coming off surgery.

And if he isn't healthy, the A's are just out $8 million. It must be nice to be able to place a $8 million bet on red on the roulette wheel.

OK, Rodney was a bit of a headscratcher (as a Tigers fan I'm all too aware of this). Still: Figgins, Bradley-for-Silva, the Felix extension, Harden, Pineiro, Matusi and now Sheets...the West has done well for itself this Hot Stove Season.

MLB last night said the Rangers look good in the long run, they have stock piled some good young players and Ryan is working on pitchers, maybe they make some progress this year.

Hicks should have never gotten involve with the Chelsea soccer club,
sometimes these guys get really greedy. The Glazers have some trouble too in Erope becuase of big bonus money they took from
Manchester United, don't mess with the British Soccer Clubs man.

It's $10 million plus incentives, not $8 million:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/01/athletics-eyeing-sheets-or-damon.html

Wow, that's one helluva great contract for Ben Sheets. I'm floored. But where's the outrage? The Yankees give that kind of an outrageous contract to Sheets and I'd have to wear ear plugs for a week.

I cannot believe that Ben Sheets can command and get a contract for $10 million after being out of baseball last year. Billy Beane must have something up his sleeve, but it is not money!

So now we are looking at:

- Sheets
- Duchscherer
- Braden
- Anderson
- Cahill

Although Braden and Anderson won't pitch back to back.

Except for the injuries, there is a lot to like there. But injuries are the elephant in the room, aren't they?

The top three guys in that list missed a minimum of 2 months. Duke and Sheets missed the year. That's a lot of risk for a contending team, but with at least two guys at AAA who started more than 10 games for the A's last year Beane can take that risk.

Also, remember that $ 8-10M is the slot money for the A's take-a-risk veteran. First it was Frank Thomas, then Mike Piazza, then Gumby, all those guys made around $ 8M. The extra $2M comes from not paying for a complementary Mike Sweeney or Garciaparra.

Given that Duke and Sheets will be trade bait if they pitch well, the A's actual exposure is much less, as I'm assuming they have some insurance coverage for really lengthy injuries.

And Sheets appearances may well arouse the slumbering fans to come to the park once in a while. Some people in the East Bay actually recognize that name.

Still, where will the A's find any offense? Nobody in the starting 9 had an OPS over .800 last year. Keep repeating that before you get too excited about the team.

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