Dodgers close to signing Sweeney

ESPN is reporting that the Los Angeles Dodgers are close to an agreement with Mark Sweeney on a 1-year contract. New manager Joe Torre has expressed his desire to have a veteran presence on the bench and it looks like the team is going to listen.

Originally the team was looking at Tony Clark, but he signed with the San Diego Padres earlier in the week. So after that Mark Sweeney became a logical choice as he can play first base and the outfield. He's also one of the best pinch-hitters in baseball history. He's a career .260 hitter in 13 seasons. Last year he led the majors with 24 pinch hits an a .316 average in the role. Over his career he has 163 pinch hits, second all time behind Lenny Harris.

Once this deal is done I'd have to say its neither a good or bad signing. It's just a signing that gives Joe Torre the type of team he likes. And even in his years with the New York Yankees he loved his veteran presence on the bench. And with a younger team like the Dodgers that's not a bad idea. Somewhat of a plus thou having that good of a pinch-hitter on your bench in the National League.

Blanton trade rumors.

Trade rumors surrounding Oakland Athletics pitcher Joe Blanton continue to heat up. The Denver Post reports that Oakland is asking for Andre Ethier, Andy LaRoche and a prospect from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cincinnati Reds have also been showing extreme interest in Blanton. Oakland's been asking for Homer Baily or Johnny Cueto, Joey Votto and a prospect in those talks.

Basically you can tell that GM Billy Beane of Oakland, is looking for an overwhelming package. Can you blame him after the Erik Bedard and Johan Santana trades? He's got the best available arm on the market right now and he's going to make people pay if they want it.

Here is the Denver Post article from today.

Here is a link to MLB Trade Rumors where you can also find more info on the Blanton situation.

Ben Wallace on the move?

Could Ben Wallace on the move soon? There's two games left for the Chicago Bulls before the all-star break and speculation is growing that these could be his last 2 games in the Windy City. The Bulls were originally talking with the Los Angeles Lakers about a trade but then the Lakers went after Pau Gasol instead. The two teams being most rumored right now are the Utah Jazz and the New York Knicks.

The Jazz rumor is more out financial need then getting a big man. A consideration is Andrei Kirilenko for Wallace. Sounds a lot like the Lakers and Miami Heat trades of the past few weeks where the talent didn't quite make sense going back and forth. But the reason is money of course, and Utah is (no matter how much i hate to use this term) a small market team. Kirilenko's contract has an extra season then Wallace's, including the last year being worth $17.8 million. In the long run the Jazz would save $21 million if they did that swap. And then would have more money available to re-sign star point guard Deron Williams, who is eligible for an extension this summer, and Carlos Boozer.

Now to the Knicks. ESPN had a report this past weekend of Wallace for Quentin Richardson, Malik Rose and Fred Jones. And there's no secret that Big Ben has told friends he wants to play in New York.

The Utah deal if it could ever happen would make the most sense for the Bulls as they'd get all-star talent that plays defense. Where the Knicks deal will left them dump Wallace off on someone and let Joakim Noah take over as the team's center full time.

Here is an article in the Chicago Tribune about this.