Big Unit's Days with D-Backs Could Be Numbered

Padres closer Trevor Hoffman might not be the only future Hall of Famer changing teams this offseason.

Randy Johnson, five victories short of 300, could be in his final days with the Diamondbacks.

Johnson, 45, has yet to file for free agency and will not file until he has exhausted his possibilities with the D-backs, according to one of his agents, Barry Meister.

Time, however, is running out.

The last day for players to declare free agency is Thursday. And neither seemed especially optimistic on Monday that a deal would be reached.

"It's hard to say how it will turn out," one Diamondbacks official said.

Johnson earned $15.1 million last season. He has not earned less than $9.1 million since 1998. And after going 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA and pitching 184 innings last season, he probably is not interested in a major paycut.

The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, surely are not enamored with the idea of paying $10 million or more to a 45-year-old pitcher with a history of back trouble — even though Johnson's countdown to 300 victories likely would boost attendance.

Just last Friday, the Diamondbacks dismissed 31 front-office employees, citing rising costs and the troubled economy. The team says it maintains one of the largest full-time workforces in baseball, but its budget is an obvious concern.

If Johnson became a free agent, he surely would be attractive to certain teams on a one-year deal. The market is relatively thin in starting pitchers, and Johnson would be highly motivated as he pursues 300 — and beyond.

Braves to Padres: "Let's go"

The Braves are getting fed up.

After trying for more than a month to acquire Padres right-hander Jake Peavy, the team is beginning to explore other options, major-league sources say.

The Braves would still take Peavy, mind you. But they have informed the Padres that they could shift course rapidly once the free-agent market opens on Friday.

The Padres regrouped Monday and sent revised proposals to both the Braves and Cubs, according to one source. Officials from both teams, however, insist that their offers are not likely to change.

The party line from the Padres is that they are in no hurry to move Peavy and will keep him if they do not receive the right combination of players.

Others, however, speculate that the Padres' front office might be in disarray — speculation that only figures to gain momentum now that the team is parting with Hoffman.

Owner John Moores is going through a divorce and could sell the club. Club president Sandy Alderson says the payroll could be as low as $40 million. The front office, frequently described as "top heavy," includes a wide range of opinions.

Then again, in the case of Peavy, the Padres might simply be waiting to the last possible moment to make the best possible deal.

The risk in that strategy is that it might cost them the players the Braves are willing to trade for Peavy — shortstop Yunel Escobar, either right-hander Charlie Morton or left-hander Jo Jo Reyes and either center fielder Gorkys Hernandez or Jordan Schaefer.

The Cubs might be offering a more established pitcher, left-hander Sean Marshall and perhaps a top prospect of their own, Class A third baseman Josh Vitters. But Escobar likely is the best player in either team's proposal, and the Cubs cannot give the Padres a center fielder as promising as Hernandez or Schaefer.

Still, the Padres obviously are intrigued by the Cubs' package; otherwise, they already would have traded Peavy to the Braves.

A rotten farewell

Parting with a fading icon is never easy, but the Padres' treatment of Hoffman was needlessly disrespectful.

Hoffman, 41, was the face of the franchise, a pillar of the San Diego community, a Padre since 1993. Yet, according to sources, the team pulled its offer — and reduction in salary from $7 million to $4 million — without even honoring Hoffman's request to meet with Moores and Alderson.

The Padres should have sat down with Hoffman, thanked him for his contributions and explained that they were moving in a different direction

They should have said, "Trevor, we do not want to insult you with an offer we know you will refuse. You will always be a Padre. We will honor you appropriately. But you deserve a chance to play in one last World Series, and you will have a better chance elsewhere next season."

The result would have been the same, but Hoffman would have been given the farewell that he deserves, with the club maintaining its dignity.

Of course, such a stance would have required the Padres to tell the truth about their 2009 plans. Instead, they mistreated one of the most important players in team history.

Musical chairs with closers

The sudden availability of Hoffman raises the possibility that one or more of the top free-agent closers might be left without a high payroll slot — and leaves the Mets almost certain to find a quality replacement for the injured Billy Wagner.

The Mets can choose among Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood and Hoffman. No other team considers the signing of a closer to be as high a priority. Not the Tigers, not the Cardinals, not the Angels and certainly not the Padres.

The Tigers do not intend to pay top dollar for a closer. The Cardinals want a stopgap until Chris Perez is ready to assume the role full time. The Angels and Cubs also could replace closers from within, and the Indians ultimately could be left with a bargain.

The Indians came extremely close to signing Hoffman after the 2005 season, and the team's GM, Mark Shapiro, has kept in touch with the pitcher ever since. Hoffman's 3.77 ERA last season was his highest since 1995, but he still converted 30 of 34 saves, striking out 46 and walking nine in 45 1/3 innings.

Inside the Marlins-Nationals deal

The Nationals' acquisitions of left-hander Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham reflect not just the team's willingness to raise payroll, but also its increased investments in scouting and player development.

Two of the three players the Nats sent the Marlins were minor leaguers whom the team drafted out of high school in 2007 — infielder Josh Smolinski, who signed for $452,500, and pitcher P.J. Dean, who signed for $120,000.

The Nationals were not nearly as aggressive in the draft under Major League Baseball's ownership, and they rarely took on salary in trades.

But with this deal, they acquired two established major leaguers who will receive significant raises in arbitration the next three seasons but remain under club control.

The Marlins, meanwhile, obtained two high-ceiling types as well as second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, whose role is to be determined. Dan Uggla is likely to remain with the team, perhaps even at second base, where his value is highest. Bonifacio then could become a super utility man, perhaps enabling the Marlins to trade Alfredo Amezaga, who is coveted by many clubs.

Few teams identify young talent as well as the Marlins, who acquired pitchers Dontrelle Willis and A.J. Burnett early in their professional careers. But the team has now traded Olsen, Willingham and first baseman Mike Jacobs since the start of the offseason. Reliever Kevin Gregg likely is next, and right fielder Jeremy Hermida is another possibility.

Around the horn

Rival executives continue to question Olsen's makeup, and one general manager thought it was fitting that the pitcher went to the Nationals, a team that routinely welcomes players who are considered, well, head cases. "He only makes the Nationals' clubhouse that much stronger," the GM said, sarcastically . . .

Free-agent third baseman Casey Blake is 35, but his agent, Jim McDowell says, "It's reasonable to think he'll get a three-year deal." Blake has averaged 599 plate appearances over the past six seasons. He can play first base and the outfield as well as third, and his versatility increases his trade value. McDowell disputes the notion that Blake, a native of Indianola, Iowa, is intent on returning to the Midwest, saying, "He doesn't have any particular leanings." . . .

Sources indicate that the Cubs' four-year offer to free-agent right-hander Ryan Dempster is in the range of Kyle Lohse's new $41 million deal with the Cardinals. Dempster surely would prefer to exceed Carlos Silva's $48 million free-agent contract with the Mariners last offseason, but most executives consider that deal an aberration — read: mistake. Dempster, 31, pitched more than 200 innings last season for the first time since 2002, raising concerns about whether he can sustain such a workload. Still, teams such as the Braves and Blue Jays surely will consider him attractive . . .

Kudos to new Brewers manager Ken Macha for naming Willie Randolph his bench coach and showing no signs of insecurity despite working on only a two-year contract. Macha, however, missed a chance to assemble a truly enviable staff when he bypassed Rick Peterson, Randolph's former pitching coach with the Mets, in favor of Bill Castro, the Brewers' longtime bullpen coach. Macha and Peterson were close as A's coaches, but they had a falling-out that Macha apparently has not forgotten. Either that, or the Brewers simply wanted to promote from within.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

Read more of Ken's columns here.