The Yankees are showing interest in 1B-3B Shea Hillenbrand.

Yankees P Scott Proctor might be moved to the rotation for 2007.

The A’s have promoted bench coach Bob Geren to be the clubs next manager.

The Red Sox are showing interest in former Expos and Brewers P Tomo Ohka, who was a former prospect in the Red Sox organization.

SS Alex Gonzalez has been offered a 3-year, $15 million contract from either the White Sox or Reds.

A’s owner Lewis Wolff said the club will consider bringing in OF Barry Bonds to replace the all-but departed DH Frank Thomas.

The Orioles could persue either Mariners 1B Richie Sexson or Reds OF Adam Dunn this winter.

The Cubs are open to trading C Michael Barrett for some pitching help.

The Astros and Rockies have discussed a trade that would bring P Jason Jennings to Houston while sending either OF/2B Chris Burke or P Brad Lidge to Colorado.

The Mets are showing interest in P Adam Eaton, but his agent says he believes the Mets have Eaton as a “backup choice”.

SNY had former Met Lee Mazelli in their headquarters for an interview yesterday. It is believed he would work during Mets broadcasts.

The Red Sox could try to convince P Roger Clemens to return to Boston to be the teams closer.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Yankees have agreed to trade P Jaret Wright  to the Orioles in exchange for P Chris Britton. The Orioles are also expected to recieve $4 million to help pay off Wright's $7 million salary.

Britton was 0-2 with a 3.35 ERA and one save in 52 games as the set-up man behind closer Chris Ray. Wright finished 11-7 with a 4.49 ERA.

I think the Orioles are run poorly than the Knicks. Seriously. When was the last time they made a good move? Melvin Mora? That was 7 years ago. They need to clean house, and it starts up top with owner Peter Angelos.

From Newsday…

USA Today reports that Staten Island Little League president Bob Johnson went after George Steinbrenner and Alex Rodriguez for what he felt was some kind of hand out he and his team were entitled to simply because they play little league in the same city as the Bombers.

But Johnson reserved ire for Rodriguez, baseball's highest-salaried player, too.

“Everything
counts, don't get me wrong, but it's disappointing. And A-Rod, he plays
$1,000 a hand in poker, he might as well throw $1,000 in our dugout. I
don't want Steinbrenner's money. I want A-Rod's money. He's making $20
million a year,” Johnson told the paper.

Johnson contacted the Mets as well, but received no response.

These days, Fred Wilpon lets Omar Minaya do the talking.

This is a very different Mets front office from the ones in years past. Steve Phillips was very tight lipped about what he was up to, and Fred Wilpon, never a particularly chatty man, would at least entertain an interview or two to give his state of the union address. Jim Duquette was a quick and devestating (the K word) blip on the Mets front office radar. Some might say there were too many cooks in the kitchen for Jim to take all the blame. He was the man given all the responsibility, with none of the power. Today, Omar is the Mets mouthpiece, blessed by Fred to pretty much have carte blanche and thats just how Fred likes it.

In an article in the New York Times, Murray Chase chronicles the new Met front office and the two suddenly quiet owners in New York.

He does, as well, point out that Brian Cashman, after all these years, still does not hold all the keys to the Yankees castle…

In February 2005, a column appeared in The Times reporting that when the Yankees signed Jason Giambi as a free agent in 2001 they deleted, at his agent’s request, all mentions of steroids from the contract.

Hearing
the report on a radio talk show while he was driving to work, Cashman
called the show and labeled the report hogwash. The next day the team’s
chief operating officer acknowledged that the Yankees did precisely as
was reported.

Cashman did not make a second call to the talk show saying: “Oops, never mind. I was wrong.”

Cashman can think he has all the authority, but as long as he works for Steinbrenner, the Yankees have a higher authority.

Steinbrenner on the surging Mets, from Newsday.com…

Something tells me they're ready for your team too. See you next month, George.