So the Red Sox are going to pigeon-hole Youkilis again?

You know Theo, a 100 million development machine doesn't mean #### if you keep humping the legs of the 2004 team.

I read this in hard copy yesterday while getting my oil change. A's fans, is it really that close to certain that Macha will be gone? That really shocked me.

OT: Sports Weekly has gone up in price AGAIN, now to $1.75 per issue. I used to be a devoted reader, but that price is ridiculous.

Manny for Beltran. That'll be interesting...

Some of these managerial moves seem pulled out of thin air. Dusty to the Mariners?

A's fans, is it really that close to certain that Macha will be gone? That really shocked me.

If Macha really wants out, I guess. It certainly is that certain that Bob Geren would replace him (I know that from an insider-ish source).

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski is denying rumors that he may re-sign

I'm assuming the hyphen is a typo...

Maybe Youks is supposed to take Millar's spot?

Dusty to eht deep blue sea would be more like it.

And would the Mets (or anybody) really trade, well, anybody for Manny. I mean, seriously, Manny can mash but he's old, can't play the field, is goofy...even 5 more years like 2005 for Beltran are better than 3 years of Manny, no?

What is the comparison of Manny vs Beltran in remaining contract $$ and years? Might be a win, win deal.

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No. Even a declining Manny will outproduce Beltran in every offensive aspect for the remainder of the deal except SB's.

I don't know if Youks hits quite enough to justify moving him to 1B, though he'd almost certainly be better than Millar. So I'd prefer to see Mueller move on.

Macha's dream job is Pittsburgh? I guess he prefers winning 70 games a year to competing for playoff spots. Oakland should be awesome in 2006, as well.

I agree on Macha - why he would want to leave a better situation simply to come home is perplexing. I understand he would probably get more money from Pittsburgh, but professionally, would you rather sit in the Oakland or Pittsburgh dugout? There have been reports lately about Dave Littlefield interjecting himself into the day-to-day operations of the roster - setting the rotation and mandating certain players get playing time (which is a good thing as long as it involves the younger players).

Still, Macha would be a good candidate for the job, if he could infuse Littlefield with some of that Beane magic and verve. And a dash of Eric Kubota for Ed Creech wouldn't hurt.

Macha is from Pittsburgh. [Gratuitous insults about Midwest rustbelt cities deleted.]

I'd rather have Mueller than Millar.

Annual Manny trade rumor? Yawn.

"I understand he would probably get more money from Pittsburgh, but professionally, would you rather sit in the Oakland or Pittsburgh dugout?"

I understand he would probably win more in Oakland, but personally, would you rather be at home with your family or live in an apartment 3000 miles away 9 months of the year

I pray that we keep Beltran. This year was an aberration offensively. Manny would hurt us in the field and on the bases.

Now for a delicious daydream. The Red Sox dump Millar and he joins Embree and Bellhorn.

even 5 more years like 2005 for Beltran are better than 3 years of Manny, no?

If 2005 is the best you can get out of Beltran, then I'd much rather have Manny.

Beltran can't even out-play Brady Clark. Unless he can return to at least his 2001-2003 level, he's tougher to trade than Manny, since he's got more years on the deal.

Dusty Baker, Cubs

•Survival odds: 95%

No, Baker isn't going to Los Angeles. Or Arizona. Or Tibet. Baker is staying in Chicago for the final season of his contract, and then, it may be his choice to see where he wants to go in 2006. If the Cubs win next season, he can write his own contract.

•Prediction: Baker stays in Chicago one more year, then heads to the Mariners.

Aagh! Shoot me! Shoot me now! "If the Cubs win" my @$$.

On another note, has anybody ever heard Bob Nightengale talk? He was on XM last month and the nasally Woody Woodpeckerish voice of his was almost unlistenable.

Plus, he's a moron.

Why wouldn't trading Manny for Beltran be a loss? I know Beltran is younger, and he may very well excel again when he's fully healthy, but he's not the calibre of hitter that Manny is.

Theo may be thinking that this is his chance to buy low on Beltran, but that's risky. Maybe LFers are easier to find on the cheap, too, but surely, they could find someone for CF that would be readily available and inexpensive.

So what if Beltran's 2005 is the outlier? The last time the Sox got a centerfielder coming off a down year, his name was Johnny Damon.

That's not to say I'd rather have Carlos than Manny. It's a tough call. If his head stays on straight (it's all relative), he's great for the Sox.

No way the Mets trade Beltran. Even after this season, he is too inextricably linked to the core of what the Mets hope to become over the next five years. He is supposed to be the icon. It didn't work out this year. It very well might in the years to follow. He was too big a catch though for the Mets to give up on so soon.

Billy, Minaya could say, "I've recognized my mistake, I have to be proactive and willing to do that. We are bringing in a bat, which we need." He'd be overstating what we learned about Beltran this year, but there's a way around it.

"Minaya could say, "I've recognized my mistake, I have to be proactive and willing to do that."

and fire Randolph??????
it can't happen soon enough
he had Cairo in RF today

Dusty to the Mariners?

I don't think it's so implausible. It won't happen this offseason but I could see them as a potential suitor if they have an opening and Baker is looking for a new gig.

First of all, they have deep pockets. Dusty's position as a highly paid manager excludes most teams right off the bat. Seattle has cash, a more traditional outlook, lots of crusty vets, and is in need of the type of legitimacy that a big name manager brings to the team.

I understand he would probably get more money from Pittsburgh, but professionally, would you rather sit in the Oakland or Pittsburgh dugout?

That book made it sound like Oakland is not a very good gig for a manager to have. Perhaps Macha wants to go somewhere that will give him more control. In Pittsburgh's situation, they will probably have to cede quite a bit in order to lure a candidate with other options.

but surely, they could find someone for CF that would be readily available and inexpensive

Corey Patterson would be a good risk. I get the sense that the Cubs have undervalued those things he does well because he doesn't fit the protoype they've tried to force him into.

He often looks bad but he isn't a bad player. Sure, he's no superstar and he would be one of the weaker players on Boston's roster but he would help provide financial flexibility and fill a position that doesn't have many options on the market this offseason.

Hell, with the Cubs' outfield situation they may even consider adding Millar to the roster as a net positive.

Hell, with the Cubs' outfield situation they may even consider adding Millar to the roster as a net positive.

Bite your tongue.

Is it just me, or did he rip the entire "buzz" section from Gammons'last notes column?

I thought this was interesting:
Tracy has done a fine job in Los Angeles, but it doesn't seem to be enough. GM Paul DePodesta is comfortable with Tracy, but ownership wants him gone.

That's a bit different than the line that Plashke has been pushing. In fact, if anything, that reads as an endorsement of DePodesta.

I'd also think Macha might be likely to head south to LA rather than go home to Pittsburgh.

I have a lot of trouble understanding why Pgh. would be a better job than Oakland. First off, Littlefield may not be Billy Beane, but he keeps pretty tight control over the manager. He's very much into having all his underlings toe the party line. More importantly, both the GM and the manager in Pgh. are restricted by the short-term profit priorities of the ownership. Aside from the lack of talent, I'm increasingly coming to believe that ownership plays a significant role in personnel decisions, especially over youngster vs. veteran decisions. Some of the writers covering the team have started hinting at this recently, too. I think it would be very difficult, for instance, for the manager to bench a struggling veteran if he had a big contract. I don't think the baseball people are free to make those decisions.