Fat Fausto

It's hip to have a hip problem, and Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was well ahead of the trend with last year's hobbler which caused him to miss two months. It's not the hip, however, that was the concern when Cleveland opened spring training.

Fausto Carmona said he did report to spring training overweight, but is in better condition now.

"I've lost a few pounds," said Carmona, dripping sweat after his postgame sprints Wednesday. "I'm feeling much better."

Carmona, listed at 6-4 and 230 pounds, threw two scoreless innings Wednesday in the Tribe's 5-4 exhibition victory over the Cubs.

"Mentally, I've been just trying to throw the ball to the middle of the plate and not try to do too much," said Carmona, who walked 70 and struck out 58 last year.

If Carmona isn't keeping his weight in check, his stats could continue to take that hip check they suffered last year.

Fantasy Analysis: Two years ago, Carmona was hip as a fantasy staff ace. He won 19 games, and he finished fourth in Cy Young voting. His numbers, however, did not overwhelm. He gives up a high number of base runners for a top-tier pitcher, and he doesn't strike people out. At best, Carmona is a three-category starter in a five-category league, and that's if he can keep that WHIP down. He's no better than a middle-round option at this point.

Skipping on Schumaker

The Cardinals' "Schumaker at second" project continues with the pint-sized outfielder adjusting to his assignment in the pivot.

Schumaker misplayed a couple of routine choppers Sunday, suffering the first setback in his transition from outfield back to infield.

“Those ground balls the other day are outs,” Schumaker said. “Pitchers expect those balls to be out and so do I. So I have to get that down.”

On the first play, he stayed back on the ball, then rushed his catch-and-flip to get the force-out at second base. He cuffed the ball as a result.

On the second play, Schumaker backed up on a chopper -– and the last bounce ate him alive.

“Once I backed up, I was praying the ball would go into my glove,” he said after the game. “It didn’t.”

Good luck, Schu. Here's hoping for your sake things work out, but I'm not entirely certain you're the right fit for the Redbirds at second long-term. And it's not your glove I'm worried about. It's your bat.

My point about Schumaker's bat is this: last season the average Major Leaguer hit .260 with a slugging percentage of .413. That means a player's isolated slugging percentage was 153 points higher than his batting average. Schumaker's ISOSLG was just 104 points above his batting average (.406-.302=.104). He gets slap hits, but a .300 hitter without pop has a lot less impact on a game than a guy who hits .280 with average power.

Neither Adam Kennedy (.092 SLG) nor Aaron Miles (.081 ISOSLG) were better options than Schumaker bat-wise at second for St. Louis. That said, Schumaker offers very little pop, and his lack of base stealing and less-than-ideal OBA for hitting leadoff (.359) make him expendable down the road.

In fact, all of these second baseman put up better "pop" numbers than Schumaker last season (ISOSLG):

Mike Fontenot, CHC (.167)
Ricky Weeks, MIL (.161)
Kaz Matsui, HOU (.134)

That's just the NL Central. Freddie Sanchez, PIT (.100) was the only 2B in the Central with less pop than Schu last year, but his career ISOSLG is .117. Schumaker's minor league ISOSLG is only .095.

That said, the Cardinals must be considering Schumaker their best option right now at second base but not necessarily for the future, and certainly not considering he is already 29. You can find players much younger than Schu who have more upside. I like Skip, but not enough to bank on him long-term.

Nasty Boys part II?

All three of the Cardinals closing candidates -- Chris Perez, Jason Motte and Ryan Franklin -- looked good against the Dominican Republic today.

Veteran Ryan Franklin, dazzling in his first outing, retired all six men he faced. Young Chris Perez, who had struggled in his first two outings, had a perfect inning; Josh Kinney, who had walked four hitters in two previous innings, didn't walk anybody and Jason Motte worked his third straight scoreless inning.

That has me wondering: might the Cardinals end up going with a three-man closer like the Cincinnati Reds of yesteryear? I'm not saying Perez / Motte / Franklin will ever be as talented as Randy Myers / Rob Dibble / Norm Charlton, but maybe it's time to bring back the three-headed committee approach.

Now that I look at it, Charlton wasn't much of a closer. Myers did most of the work for the 1990 Reds while Dibble closed out more games in 1991. Tim Layana equaled Charlton with two saves in '90! Ted Power had the third most for Cincy in '91 with three. What a bullpen!

Can the Cardinals-Pedro talk

The buzz centered around a meeting between the Cardinals and Pedro Martinez on Thursday morning, but as soon as the headlines rolled around for Friday, it was over. Pedro Martinez is not, and will not become, a closer candidate for the Redbirds (last graph).

Intrigue over approaching former Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez as a potential closer will go no farther. The club now views projected set-up man Ryan Franklin as its alternative to Chris Perez and Jason Motte should the younger pitchers not assert themselves this spring.

Something tells me Pedro still wants to start. If he can get a gig as a fifth starter somewhere else, he'll take it.

Fantasy Impact: Much has been made of Jason Motte's makeup as a future closer, but what's not to like about Perez? This battle could go on and on and on.

Banged-up BoSox on the mend

It must be hip to have a hip problem. First Chase Utley, then A-Rod and then, well, before A-Rod, actually, there was Mike Lowell.

Lowell is progressing nicely from right hip surgery and could play his first exhibition game "within a week," according to manager Terry Francona.

"We're getting into that area now where we can maybe think about DHing [him] a couple of at-bats, and then [have him] play third," Francona said. "But I bet you were getting close enough where it will be within a week. He's doing good. He's doing fine. He's running the bases. Every step he's supposed to do, he's done. We'll do our best to ease him in as much as we can where he gets comfortable baseball-wise."

The Red Sox need Lowell now as much as ever. He was really their fallback option at third this season when any chance to sign Mark Teixeira was nixed when the Yankees signed him. If Tex went to Boston, Kevin Youkilis would slide to third and Lowell would be the odd man out.

J.D. Drew is also back to baseball after a cortisone shot in his back.

In fact, Drew said that his lower back has been at its best of late when he's on the field. It's normally when he's sitting at home or doing some other idle activity when it tightens up.

"It seemed like the more I got it loose and moving around, I wasn't really having any issues out there playing," said Drew. "That was encouraging. But it is aggravating to be sitting at home and what we call dancing in the chair, back and forth, trying to get in a position that doesn't really stiffen up. I had good days and bad days, and hopefully, this will give me the benefit of getting freed up and having a lot of good days."

The purpose of the shot was to get some scar tissue out of the facet joint and reduce the inflammation.

Drew played just 109 games last season with injury problems, but he did hit the 140-game mark each of the two seasons prior.

Fantasy Impact: Drew and Lowell are big time gambles in fantasy ball this year. If you draft one of the two, chances are you got them as a high risk, high reward type in the second half of your draft. Take other third baseman and outfielders before drafting Lowell or Drew. Ideally, Lowell is more of a corner infielder or a backup while Drew is a fourth outfielder who hits like a No. 3 if he can hit that 140-game plateau.

Yankees third base options

Peter Gammons, commenting on the possibility of Alex Rodriguez missing an extended period of time this season with his hip injury, brought up two possible trade candidates for New York in terms of replacement third baseman. Adrian Beltre, who's coming back from a shoulder problem, is likely on the block in Seattle. Garrett Atkins, who has a one year deal through 2009 in Colorado might also be attainable via trade.

Update: Oddly enough, Atkins was scratched from today's Rockies game due to a hip flexor injury.

If A-Rod can't come back...

Boston's coverage of Alex Rodriguez's hip injury included this forward-looking musing on the outside chance that the ailment becomes career-threatening.

The Rodriguez news, changing by the hour, has more immediate impact on the Sox. A-Rod seems certain to miss the beginning of the season, could be out until late summer, and may have a career-threatening condition with $275 million still owed from the Yankees.

While that money could impact the Yankees over the years, with YES Network money and the New Yankee Stadium set to open in April, I don't see New York entering any financial straits, perhaps, ever.

Winners and losers in Manny deal

I find the LA Times coverage of Manny Ramirez's signing odd, if not overly cynical. The Times' headline on Wednesday's agreement between the Dodgers and Ramirez: Manny Ramirez deal with Dodgers: Who won?

Bill Plaschke says Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti was the big winner, "correctly reading the market and holding firm despite a winter's worth of criticism.''

You can follow Plaschke, by the way, at twitter.com/latbillplaschke.

Jeff Passan of YahooSports! writes that all the stalling still didn't give the Dodgers enough time to recognize "the gravity of their mistake.''

As for Ramirez, he reportedly will appear at a news conference tomorrow in Arizona, but he spoke to T.J. Simers last night and revealed that he was close to returning to Mannywood.

I guess it's not just the paper that has the cynical view of the deal being between enemy combatants "The Dodgers" and "Manny Ramirez." Jeff Passan obviously sees it that way, too, that the Dodgers and Ramirez were at war over the contract, and there's obviously a winner and a loser between the two.

That's hard to say, and it's not really what negotiating is about. I remember early on in my career, when negotiating my work contracts, I was told the best deal resulted in both sides feeling like they could've done better, meaning each gave a little to get closer to what they wanted. What someone wants vs. what they get is not necessarily winning and losing. It's what's attainable vs. what isn't attainable at the time. The Dodgers, in a bad economy, decided they could only spend so much. Manny Ramirez found he couldn't get more money elsewhere and took the best offer he could get from Los Angeles.

There's no winner or loser here. Ramirez got a ton of money ($45M over 2 years). The Dodgers got one of the top offense outfielders in baseball. If anyone lost, it is the National League West, and perhaps whoever else offered up Ramirez a contract.

Even with a torn labrum A-Rod should shine

So Alex Rodriguez will attempt to play through pain. A torn labrum in his right hip could eventually require surgery, but A-Rod will tough it out for now.

"There's two courses of action concerning what he has," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said Thursday from Tampa, Fla. "There is treat it conservatively, which would imply rest, exercise and treatment. Or you can treat it aggressively, which is by surgery. At this point in time, we are going to go the conservative route."

There have been comparisons of A-Rod's injury to Chase Utley's. Utley played last year with his own hip injury and is just getting back to playing baseball again after surgery in late November.

Recently we have seen other high-profile baseball players undergo surgery to address labral injuries, including Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell. Utley, for one, had labral surgery in late November and is optimistic that he'll be ready for Opening Day. "Optimistic" is not "certain," though, and the time lapse between Utley's surgery and Opening Day will be about 19 weeks.

So, let's see how much Utley's numbers suffered from 2007 to 2008 to see what kind of impact we might see in A-Rod's 2009 season, assuming he can play through the pain like Utley did.

Utley
2006 - AB: 658 R: 131 HR: 32 RBI: 102 SB: 15 OBA: .379 SLG: .527 AVG: .309
2007 - AB: 530 R: 104 HR: 22 RBI: 103 SB: 9 OBA: .410 SLG: .566 AVG: .332
2008 - AB: 607 R: 113 HR: 33 RBI: 104 SB: 14 OBA: .380 SLG: .535 AVG: .292

A-Rod
2006 - AB: 572 R: 113 HR: 35 RBI: 121 SB: 15 OBA: .392 SLG: .523 AVG: .290
2007 - AB: 583 R: 143 HR: 54 RBI: 156 SB: 24 OBA: .422 SLG: .645 AVG: .314
2008 - AB: 510 R: 104 HR: 35 RBI: 103 SB: 18 OBA: .392 SLG: .573 AVG: .302

Utley's numbers over the past two years were most significantly impacted with his broken hand back in 2007. That injury caused him to miss several weeks in the late summer, retarding what might have been a career year. That said, Utley might've been on a growth trend that was further retarded in 2008 with the hip injury. His numbers in 2008 included a better slugging percentage than in 2006 and a better batting average, showing that despite the hip injury he was still playing at a very high level.

Of note: Utley stole 14 bases in 2008 despite the hip problem, which was just a couple of bags short of his career high and one short of his 2006 total when he batted 51 more times.

Fantasy Impact: If he can tolerate the pain, A-Rod has every ability to play with this injury and play well. Utley did not experience much of an impact in terms of matching his stellar numbers from previous seasons. A-Rod shouldn't either. If you think it's worth risking an eventual surgery or midseason shutdown, A-Rod is still a first round draft pick and high-end candidate to anchor your fantasy team's offense.

Matty and the mic

MLB Network just gained a little notoriety thanks to Matt Vasgersian. He curses. On TV. Viewer discretion is advised...

Pre-mature Manny?

The LA Times published a report titled "Manny Ramirez is back with the Dodgers," which was removed from the Times website several minutes later.

Could this mean that something's changed again in the Manny saga? Just saying...

Mid-season WBC games?

Tovin Lapan believes the World Baseball Classic needs to follow other world sporting competitions (his example is soccer's World Cup) and become a mid-season tournament rather than a spring afterthought.

It will need to take some tips from soccer's World Cup, one of the greatest sporting events around, to truly capture the attention of the baseball world:

1. Too many players sit out the WBC for dubious reasons because their loyalty to their ballclub and the signer of their checks still trumps playing for their country.

2. Even baseball fans would struggle to recall that Japan won the first WBC, and South Korea won the 2008 Olympic gold medal, but every soccer fan knows that Italy won the last World Cup and Spain is the reigning Euro Cup champ. Baseball fans need to get more familiar with international squads, which will come with increased exposure.

3. Once the WBC does gain the type of notoriety mentioned in points 1 and 2, then it will be able to suspend the MLB schedule in order to hold the games. If the Classic were held when players were at their peak, say in the middle of the traditional season, instead of in pre-season when they are just getting back into shape, the quality of play would be better and the games more exciting. After all, the NHL suspends its season for the Winter Olympics, and European soccer leagues work around the World Cup.

There are all sorts of problems with these points, including the fact that soccer takes a much different toll on the body than baseball does, and rarely does a team play more than two games in a week in soccer. But the biggest problem with the WBC is its lack of tradition. World Cups in soccer are nearly as old as the sport itself. When there were no multi-million dollar contracts from club teams, soccer players felt more of a loyalty to playing for the national team for free. A certain glamor became attached to playing for country, and soccer players and fans alike have developed a unique bond with their tournament that stands the test of time. The WBC enters the baseball world at a time of mega-deals between teams and players, meaning loyalty is firmly established between player and ballclub and not player and country. This situations makes it a lot more difficult to get players to risk injury and play for free.

Moving games to mid-season and perhaps taking a couple of weeks off to play the games might help build interest and attract players, but this could mean scrapping the All-Star game in favor of the international tournament. None of it, however, is likely. The grueling nature of a 162-game baseball season and the lack of traditional rivalries between nations in the sport means the classic will struggle to gain legitimacy in the near future.

A-Rod's hip

The hip that's potentially forcing Alex Rodriguez out of the World Baseball Classic is not a new injury, according to Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

"Alex expressed a little stiffness. There was really no pain," Girardi said on Wednesday, a day after the 33-year-old slugger played for the Dominican Republic in a tuneup for the World Baseball Classic. "We just thought it was best because he had some minor issues last year with it. We'll have a better idea after today with what the course of plan is."

The team announced on Tuesday that Rodriguez would get his hip checked by Dr. Marc Phillipon in Vail, Colo., on Wednesday afternoon. An exam Saturday revealed a cyst in the hip.

"Whenever you have something going on, you're concerned," Girardi said. "The fact he didn't have a lot of pain is a little bit more comforting. He's been able to play, and play at a high level. It hasn't kept him from doing anything. It hasn't kept him from driving the baseball. That's the good thing."

At this point it sounds like the Yankees and Rodriguez are trying to stop the injury from becoming a bigger problem, but if the issue lingered through the offseason into the spring there might be more to it than needing rest.

Acta: We don't want Barry

Nationals Manager Manny Acta summed up the interest level of at least one "rebuilding team" in Barry Bonds at his morning press conference.

"[Laughing]... it's not a match for us," Acta said. "I don't think at this stage of his career that Barry is going to pick a team that is rebuilding anyway."

Bonds would put people in the seats at Nationals Park, but that's not the direction the team is going in.

"Yeah he will, but that's not the main point here. It's trying to win, win in the long term basis and give a chance to younger guys."

The Nationals might not want Barry, but he would pick any team at this point. The only teams that might remotely be interested in him are the playoff contenders that fall into desperate straights later in the year.

They're the only ones that will even consider bringing on Bonds, and they won't be desperate for at least a few more months.

Pudge wants to play; Mets want Pudge?

Ivan Rodriguez doesn't want to talk about his ever-shrinking physique, but he does say he's looking to play baseball in 2009 at the major league level after playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

“I’m expecting soon something to happen,” Rodriguez said yesterday after training at the Red Sox [team stats] minor league facility, where the Puerto Rican team will work out this week. “I’m ready to play for a major league team.”

There's at least one team willing to talk. The New York Mets would like Rodriguez to compliment Brian Schneider in a platoon- or reserve-type role.

Fantasy Impact: Rodriguez's numbers had slipped in recent seasons to that of a fringe starter for most fantasy formats. A platoon situation would take him off the fantasy radar entirely.

A's to sign Cabrera and Garciaparra?

One day after closing in on a contract with shortstop Orlando Cabrera, the Oakland A's are close on signing Nomar Garciaparra. He and Cabrera wouldn't be battling for playing time.

If signed, Garciaparra would provide depth at first base and third base, as well as serve as a righthanded bat off the bench.

Because of injuries, Garciaparra played in only 55 games for the Dodgers last season, hitting .264 with 8 homers and 28 RBIs.

Cabrera and Garciaparra won't take time from one another, but neither is a great fantasy option. Garciaparra won't play enough to make a dent. Jason Giambi and Daric Barton will get the lion's share of time at first, and unless Eric Chavez goes down (which is likely), Garciaparra won't get much time at third, either.

Cabrera is an average to above fantasy guy at short, but at 34 his value is likely to slip more toward average than above in the coming seasons.

Not so easy Edinson

The New York Post publishes the contracts of several pre-arbitration eligible players. What's striking is Edinson Volquez's money vs. someone like Garrett Olson or Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Among notable signings are...
Garrett Olson ($420,000), Texas' Jarrod Saltalamacchia ($410,890) and Cincinnati's Edinson Volquez ($440,000).

Certainly Volquez is hurt by his youth in this case.

Not so Sori about his defense

Sabernomics.com, in a short review of John Dewan's The Fielding Bible II, lists the top defensive players at each position with regard to "runs saved."

Pos. - Player - Runs Saved
1B - Albert Pujols = 61
2B - Chase Utley = 63
3B - Pedro Feliz = 50
SS - Adam Everett = 48
LF - Alfonso Soriano = 42
CF - Carlos Beltran = 44
RF - Alex Rios = 49
C - Jason Kendall = 27
P - Kenny Rogers = 27

The shocker? Alfonso Soriano in left field. He's been ripped repeatedly for his defense at Wrigley Field. There is, however, merit to his high standing here. Soriano does have the ability to throw from left, recording the fourth-most assists from left field (10) in MLB. His five double plays from the outfield led the majors.

Is he an adventure in left? Yes, but it's traditionally the weakest defensive position in baseball. Maybe he's not so bad in terms of his peers.

Running Reds

The Reds' homer-hitting approach is getting a bit of a makeover this year with Dusty Baker interested in Willie Taveras and others running more on the base paths.

Baker is planning on having his team run much more this season, and he hopes using that aggressiveness will create more scoring opportunities.

"No. 1, you manage to your personnel. The personnel we have has more speed," Baker said. "Plus, nine years of losing the other way, you have to try something. Don't you think?"

Also, part of the revised focus is better pitching and defense -- both weaknesses in the past. Reds pitching staffs have routinely been around the National League's bottom in team ERA the past eight years. Last season's defense was second from the bottom in the NL.

Here's guessing that this story gets covered as "the Reds will run more in 2009," but actually, Baker seems to be talking about well-rounded-ness. Teams that have a more complete makeup have a better chance to win.

How many single-dimension offenses relying on the home run win championships? Not many. Last year's Chicago White Sox succeeded in winning a division with a homer-only approach. They didn't go any further.

Barry wants to play baseball... again

Barry Bonds wants back into baseball, and with his perjury trial on delay his agent is pushing for a return.

Borris said Bonds wanted to play in 2008, but no teams were interested in signing the all-time home run king, even at the minimum salary.

"Major League Baseball was successful in conspiring in keeping Barry out of uniform in 2008. Unless they have a change of heart or see an error in their ways, I seriously doubt that clubs will give him the opportunity to play this year," Borris told the newspaper.

USA Today reports Borris has been working in conjunction with the players association to investigate the union's collusion allegation, which MLB denies.

I wonder if anything changes with teams' interest this time around. Last year I was shocked that nobody jumped on the chance to have Bonds' bat in their lineup for at least part of the season. Now I'm expecting everyone to lay off after Bonds didn't play in all of 2008. He's 44, he just missed an entire season, and he's a PR nightmare, I think.