More Wheeling and Dealing

Stop the Presses — The Mike Lowell-to-Texas deal is not going through.  Mike Lowell has a torn ligament in his right thumb requiring surgery, and the Rangers rightfully said, “No deal.”

The Sox are stuck with his $12 million 2010 ten contract, although their hope is that Lowell will play well enough in Spring Training that the Rangers want to go forward with the deal after all.  Good luck on that one, Red Sox Nation.

The A’s are reportedly close to signing Coco Crisp to a one-year deal for around $5 million.  This is another straight Money Ball move.  Crisp was hurt last year (bad shoulder) and hit only .228, but his on-base percentage was .336, which is pretty good for a centerfielder who is great defensively when he’s healthy and who runs on the base paths as well as he does.

If Coco is as healthy in 2010 as he was in 2004, 2005 and 2007, the A’s will get a bargain.  It’s a $5 million risk for the A’s; but with Coco still only 30 next year, it’s a good risk for the A’s to take, given their present, limited financial resources.

On the subject of the A’s finances, my gut feeling is that the A’s will eventually move to San Jose, and the Giants will get some kind of pay-out from MLB to give up their territorial rights to Santa Clara County.  It’s ultimately best for baseball for the A’s to play in the best Bay Area market after San Francisco, and more interest in baseball regionally is ultimately good for the Giants, given inter-league play and A’s-Giant’s new, true rivalry.

Still, the Giants have something of value in their territorial rights, and they ought to get something for those rights, even though the Giants will in the long run probably benefit from the move as much as they’re hurt, because they’ll get much more interest from fans in Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano Counties than they do with the A’s playing in Oakland.

The Marlins offered Cuban defector and fireballer Aroldis Chapman a five-year $13 million contract, in the hopes that he might take less money to play eventually in Miami.  It’s a good move by the Marlins, even though I expect Chapman to go to the highest bidder, because it doesn’t hurt to make an offer — they might get lucky.

I heard a hint of a rumor that the Yankees are considering trading Nick Swisher.  I hope not, just because it would be such a dumb move.  Swisher had an .869 OPS last year, a career OPS of .817, and he’ll be 29 next year.  2010’s not the year to get rid of Nick Swisher.  2011, maybe, but definitely not 2010.