SweetSpot Roundup 12/3

Disciples of Uecker (Brewers): Free Agent Pitching is Dropping Like Flies
The Brewers seem to always need pitching and, as Jack notes, they're running out of options.

Fungoes (Cardinals): Theriot or Ryan is a false choice
Pip's got some reactions to the Ryan Theriot trade.

The View From the Bleachers (Cubs): Is Carlos Pena a bad fit for the Cubs?
Scott Caruso thinks Carlos Pena needs to come to the North Side, like, yesterday.

Dodger Thoughts: Dodgers, Martin appear to have split over $800,000
Could that little money really have made that much of a difference to the Dodgers?  Oh well, enjoy Rod Barajas, City of Angels.

Bay City Ball (Giants): Is Burrell Back?
Chris is cautiously optimistic that Pat Burrell's coming back at a bargain basement price.

Mets Today: Will White Sox Want K-Rod?
Like, as a bouncer or something?  Joe's optimism knows no bounds, apparently.

Nationals Baseball: The was quick wasn't it?
"Raise a glass to Kenny Williams who once again builds a winning team by paying top dollar for B/B+ talent. Most MLB teams are obsessed with a "Pay for the A talent, bargain everything else" line of thinking (some not even "pay for the A talent") leaving an exploitable gap for good to very good players if you are willing to throw away draft picks. Kenny is just the man to exploit that gap."

Ducksnorts (Padres):  One-Hit Wonders, Atlee Hammaker to Jerry Johnson
This is an incredibly fun series Geoff's doing to highlight forgotten Padres who only got one hit with the team.  This installment features a Friar with a unique connection to modern baseball history.

Crashburn Alley (Phillies): CSI One-Liners, Baseball Style
This is hilarious.  Click and enjoy.  YEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!

Redleg Nation: This Day in Reds History, Rule 5 Draftee Jerry Lynch
He's no Johan Santana, or Shane Mack for that matter, but Jerry Lynch is still one of the best Rule 5 picks of all time.

Ghostrunner on First (Blue Jays): Men Among Boys
"Blinded by the overt sexiness of the team and the cool NorCal locale, I blinded myself to the insanity (or is it inanity) of the National League West."

The B-List Indians Blog: Contractual Obligations and Chanelling the Stooges in the NL West
Steve looks at attractive trade targets in the NL West.

Pro Ball NW (Mariners): Rule 5 Possibilites 2
The M's have a lot of room to add Rule 5 guys, here are some options that you've probably heard of before.

Baseball Time in Arlington (Rangers): Adam Dunn Signs With Chicago
Interesting conversation starter: "The amount of attention paid by the typical fan to the mainstream defensive metrics has skyrocketed over the last several years, and more than once I've distinctly felt that the pendulum had swung too far, too fast. Defense was dramatically undervalued for years relative to offense, but in no way does that mean the two are incapable of swapping places -- my overriding point being that if you're going to evaluate a player, you have to take every component of his overall value into account."

The Ray Area: The old Non-Trade, Trade
The Cubs guys want Carlos Pena, which is ok with the Rays guys, because they want Derrek Lee.

Fire Brand of the American League (Red Sox): The Captain is Back
Not everyone is excited about their team resigning their team captain.

Royals Authority: Where There's Smoke...
Craig Brown says, "I think it’s time to start thinking about Zack Greinke as a former Royal."  Wow.

Nick's Twins Blog: A Cursory Glance at Pavano's Potential Suitors
Nick thinks it's likely the Twins won't get a 1st rounder as compensation for Type A Free Agent Carl Pavano.  Can't say I disagree with him here.

Sox Machine (White Sox): Kenny gets a Christmas Donkey; now it's Dunn's turn
What a strange headline.  But it's solid analysis.  As Jim points out, Adam Dunn's never had to deliver on a huge contract before.

It's About the Money, Stupid (Yankees): Salary Caps are Bad for Small Markets
"The problem with a cap, from the perspective of a small market team, is that it inevitably comes with a floor, and a salary floor limits your ability to cut costs in order to increase profitability if you’re a lower revenue team....Long story short: salary caps are bad for everyone but the richest of owners, and everyone in baseball is much better off for not having one."  Discuss.