Is Francisco Rodriguez going to walk after this season?

Purgatory

C.C. Sabathia’s future with the Cleveland Indians is up in the air at this time. Sabathia last season was 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA, and the husky left-hander won the American League Cy Young award last season and is looking for a contract in the Johan Santana range. The Indians are offering somewhere between $17 and $18 million per year over four years. The Indians owe it to Sabathia to give him a contract extension, but the disappearing act he pulled in the ALCS last year does not make him even worth the original contract offers of $17 million. If Sabathia has another year like last season, though, the Indians will have to pay what he wants.

Going Home

First baseman Tony Clark and the San Diego Padres completed a $900,000, one-year deal. Clark wont is not an everyday play out in San Diego but he will be a great clubhouse leader. Clark hit .249 with 17 homers and 51 RBI in 221 at-bats last season and slugged .511 as a pinch hitter and spot first baseman. The switch-hitting first baseman will spend a lot of time on the bench unless Adrian Gonzales goes down to injury. When interleague action starts, it might be worth throwing Clark into a fantasy line up when the Padres go to the AL parks.

Pudge

At 36-years-old, Ivan Rodriguez claims there is a lot of baseball left for him. If he played any other position besides catcher that is a believable statement. Most catchers start seeing their knees fall to pieces by 35 and never really get the chance to play again. If there is any player out there capable of defying the odds, it is Pudge. Rodriguez is in the final year in Detroit and would like to stay. The Tigers will likely avoid paying Rodriquez another $13 million, but the man wants to retire in Detroit. If Rodriguez puts together another All-Star-caliber season, it will be hard for the Tigers to let him go. The only thing in the way of keeping him right now is Brandon Inge. If the Tigers cannot trade Inge to someone, then they may consider moving him to catcher, as a backup to Rodriguez this year, and insurance in case he is gone next year.

K-Rod could be K-Gone

Francisco Rodriguez is last to Spring Training, and the Angels insist it has nothing to do with his contract. Rodriguez is waiting for an arbitration ruling, but even if he gets what he wants for this season, he could be headed to free agency.

Next offseason has the potential to be the dominated by closers. There are currently at least five big name closers with one-year left that could hit free agency in November. Rodriguez has the most saves ever recorded by a pitcher under the age of 26, and he will be taking that to free agency while he asks for more money than B.J. Ryan received 2005.

The question is, will the contract pressure help or hurt him? While some, like Carlos Silva, helped their cause significantly in their walk year, the same cannot be said for others, such as Andruw Jones, who arguably cost himself millions with his poor 2007 performance.

Fogg-y Judgment

At best a .500 pitcher, Josh Fogg has averaged around a strikeout every two innings and an ERA of close to 5.00 throughout his career, yet coming into free agency he was seeing a three-year deal worth $21 million. The Colorado Rockies offered him one year at $5 million contract, and he rejected it. Fogg is now likely to end up with a weaker team than the Rockies receiving less money than the Rockies offered.

Two teams looking for starters still are the Nationals and Astros, and both might be good fits for Fogg. While he is far from the most desirable option, Fogg might be one of the best options remaining, and while the Astros and Nationals might not be the best suiters, beggars cannot be choosers.

Blanton on the Block

Joe Blanton is definitely on the trading block, and many people are shocked that a deal has yet to occur. The Reds, Dodgers, Rays, Yankees, Red Sox and the Twins have all shown interest in the pitcher, but none are willing to pay a significant price for him. The Red Sox and the Twins both have a spot for him, but the Twins are unwilling to make a move, and the Red Sox do not want to trade Coco Crisp for pitcher that will block prospects from coming up.

For right now at least, it looks as if Blanton will be on the Athletics’ Opening Day roster.

Noteworthy News

• The Astros won their arbitration case against right-handed closer Jose Valverde. Valverde led the big leagues last year with 47 saves, and asked for $6.2 million, while the Astros offered with $4.7 million.


• 19-game winner Chien-Ming Wang lost his arbitration case against the New York Yankees. Wang was asking for $4.6 million and received $4 million from arbitration.


• Érik Bédard has agreed to a $7 million, one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners, avoiding arbitration with the team that acquired him last week. Bedard was 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA last year for Baltimore. Considering the price the Mariners paid for him in talent traded, look for talks to continue on a long-term deal.


• The Orioles have agreed to a one-year contract with outfielder Luke Scott. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Scott was among five players acquired from Houston in December for shortstop Miguel Tejada.