A tough call in Tampa

Jason Isringhausen's signing by the Tampa Bay Rays is going to make this spring bullpen-watch for fantasy owners. Isringhausen will directly compete with Troy Percival for closing duties with the Rays.

Tampa Bay is banking on Isringhausen's 2008 season being an aberration. His body of work allows that having him in camp is a risk worth taking.

"Gosh, I hear nothing but good things about this fella," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "We're looking forward to seeing him out there."

Isringhausen has compiled 293 career saves, sixth highest among active players and 22nd on the all-time list. Since 2000, his 284 saves rank tied for third (with Billy Wagner) among Major League pitchers, trailing only Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. He is also the all-time Cardinals leader with 217 saves.

Isringhausen was selected to the National League All-Star team in 2005 and the American League squad in '00. He has pitched in five postseasons with St. Louis and Oakland and reached the World Series in '04. In 23 career postseason appearances, he is 4-5 with 11 saves and a 2.36 ERA; he saved a career-high 47 games in 2004, tied for the NL lead.

Count incumbent closer Troy Percival among Isringhausen's biggest fans after watching him pitch from the opposing dugout in the AL and being teammates with Isringhausen with St. Louis.

Yes, but dont' forget Grant Balfour, who'd appear to have a great makeup for a closer. The Rays also have David Price, who certainly could end up in the rotation. He's also got an impressive makeup for closing out baseball games. Whomever wins the job, they could easily tally 40 saves for a young contender.

Twins ink Crede

Joe Crede agreed with the Minnesota Twins to a 1-year incentive-laden contract. He's likely to be the Twins regular third baseman this year.

The Twins will sign Crede to one-year deal with a base salary of $2.5 million with the chance to earn as much as $7 million with appearance bonuses. The bonuses begin once Crede reaches 250 plate appearances and tops out at $7 million when he makes his 525th plate appearance.

Crede, while traveling to Fort Myers, has run into weather problems - in Minnesota. The Twins had scheduled a 3 p.m. press conference but that now has been pushed back until they learn when Crede will arrive in town.

Joe C. is the man! He’s producing all the way from the Twin Cities!

This a is very, very good deal for the Twins. A $7 million base salary seemed too high. A $5 million base seemed reasonable. But a $2.5 million base really helps the Twins out from a risk standpoint. If Crede is healthy, he should play like a $7 million player. If he breaks down, the Twins have a good Plan B in Brian Busher and Bredan Harris. And there’s money available to add move talent - perhaps a free agent reliever like Juan Cruz.

This also means the Twins will have to make another 40-man roster move to clear space for Crede. Update: To make room for Crede, the Twins have placed injured righthander Pat Neshek on the 60-day disabled list. Neshek will miss the entire 2009 season because of Tommy John surgery.

Agreed that Crede will be a great addition in Minneapolis. If his back is OK, he can field with the best of them, and he offers another bat that Minnesota craves. Solid pickup. What the White Sox cast off could end up hurting them in their own division.

Jose, can you leave?

The Esmailyn Gonzalez fiasco landed Jose Rijo a leave of absence from his front office position with the Washington Nationals..

Earlier this week, MLB investigators determined that Washington prospect Esmailyn Gonzalez had been signed by the Nationals while using a false name and age. The player, thought to be 16 at the time of his July 2006 signing, was actually four years older, and named Carlos Alvarez Daniel Lugo. Rijo brokered the signing, which rewarded Gonzalez with a $1.4 million signing bonus, the most Washington has ever paid for an international player.

While orchestrating the deal, the Nationals dealt with a Dominican street agent, Basilio Vizcaino, a childhood friend of Rijo's.

"Jose is on a leave," Washington team president Stan Kasten said. "With all the questions swirling and all the work being done still on this matter, we felt it would be a good time to be away from here."

Kasten said that Rijo remains an employee of the organization, but there is no timetable for his return.

Sounds like the Nationals are trying to determine how much Rijo knew about Gonzalez. Did he defraud his own team, or was he made a sucker by his own friend?

No Moneyball

Looks like a couple of Yankees got to experience a life less fortunate thanks to the Stanford scandal. Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady can't get to their fortunes.

Damon and Nady told FOXSports.com Friday morning that as a result their finances were frozen because of money they have with a Stanford company.

"I can't pay bills right now," the 35-year-old Damon told the website.

"That started on Tuesday. I had to pay a trainer for working out during the offseason. I told him, 'Just hold on for a little bit, and hopefully, all this stuff gets resolved.'"

Said Nady: "I'm affected in some ways; I have the same [advisor] as Johnny,"

"He said I didn't have money with Stanford [investments]. But all my credit-card accounts are frozen right now because of that situation. I'm trying to get an apartment in New York. I can't put a credit card down to hold it."

I bet that trainer wouldn't postpone payment with many clients less pocketed than Damon.

Roberts staying in Baltimore

I like the Orioles's 4-year $40-million deal with Brian Roberts. He's a spark-plug type who turns 32 in the fall, but he's growing better with age, and seems to be in his prime.

The Orioles faced constant rumors about his availability, and now that they've locked up a good second baseman for years to come, they can focus on pitching and power hitting.