Recently, Tony LaRussa made some waves in the space where a team's closer is important.  He said former Card's ace, Chris Carpenter.  Now the St. Louis Dispatch reports the team is looking to offer one of it's surplus outfielders for a power, closer-type bullpen arm.  The paper also relays that LaRussa is also open to converting a veteran starter to the closer role.

Man, the Cardinals seem to really be intent on sending the message to second-year relievers Chris Perez and Jason Motte that they are not going to close.  More kindly, neither will be given a glamor job without earning it.  I can slightly understand that, but at what point are these public statements too much?

As for the surplus outfielders, here are the players to watch:  Skip Schumaker, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Brian Barton and Chris Duncan.  Amongst these, Ryan Ludwick would probably bring the best power arm with Brian Barton and Skip Schumaker fetching more of a closer project despite neither being arbitration eligible.  In between is Rick Ankiel and Chris Duncan.

The question is which bullpen arms/veteran starters who could close are available for an outfielder.  My guess is Chris Carpenter closes for the Cardinals.  However, that is a cop-out.  I should at least try to name a fit or two.

1.  San Diego Padres' Heath Bell for Brian Barton:  The Padres are in fire sale mode, the 31-year-old Bell enters arbitration this winter, and the 26-year-old Barton can play centerfield.  This makes better sense with Ryan Ludwick, but he is also a 1st-year arbitration player.
2.  Seattle Mariners' Miguel Batista and Aaron Heilman for Ryan Ludwick and Chris Duncan:  What is worse?  The Mariners' bullpen or the team's outfield power?  My guess is new GM Jack Zduriencik will decide to take the power combo over two bullpen arms.
3.  Washington Nationals' Jack Hanrahan for....:  Can anyone imagine Nationals' GM Jim Bowden hearing outfielders are available and not trying to acquire one?

Actually, this morning's SLD reports Cardinals' GM John Mozeliak has prioritized dealing for a starting pitcher and letting Chris Perez and Jason Motte handle late inning duties despite manager Tony LaRussa's misgivings.

Buster Olney reports the New York Yankees will trade either OF/1B Nick Swisher or OF Xavier Nady.  Dealing one of them will have positive effects on the playing time of the outfielders left behind, and on the one dealt.

Without Swisher or Nady, the playing time of Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner increase assuming catcher Jorge Posada remains an effective backstop.  Otherwise, Hideki Matsui will be sent to the field with Jorge filling the DH slot.

Whoever is dealt will see his ABs go north of 500.  This is a win-win situation for the players - both major league and fantasy.

I sitting at the kitchen table loading up a Triscuit with my sister-in-law's famous chicken salad watching the MLB Network Hot Stove Report.  The roundtable discussion is about the Chicago Cubs' signing of OF Milton Bradley to a three-year, $30 million contract.

Out of nowhere, the gentlemen to the far right of my television screen drops a bomb.  The signing of Bradley could mean the Cubs could trade Alfonso Soriano! 

No one else in the studio blinks.  I did pause before putting away the chicken-salad-loaded Triscuit though.

Buster Olney hits upon quite a few free agent rumors in his behind-the-wall Sunday column.  Amongst the more interesting tidbits is his speculation that the Oakland A's will sign DH Jason Giambi and the Tampa Bay Rays will sign OF/DH Pat Burrell and reports that pitcher Ben Sheets medical records have team concerned with his shoulder and not the forearm that sidelined him at the end of 2008.

Of the two speculative signings, I can't see too much wrong with either assuming the contract length is minimal for Giambi and understandable given Burrell will be filling the DH role for the length of the deal unless the Rays intend to move Carl Crawford to right field.  In Oakland, a multi-year contract will have Giambi blocking one of the few proven power prospects in the minor leagues right now - 1B/3B/OF/DH Chris Carter.  Nevermind leaving the A's with nowhere to go with Eric Chavez if his multiple surgeries make 3B too challenging for him to do anything but DH over the last two years of his contract.

In Tampa, I don't have as many concerns about a Pat Burrell deal.  The team doesn't have any hot power hitting prospects who would be blocked at DH or in the outfield over the next two seasons.  According to John Sickels, the Rays don't possess any 1B/DH types in their Top 20, and the top OFers either missed a full season in A-ball (Desmond Jennings) or are 25-years-old without the power game to DH (Fernando Perez) regularly.

I like both Jennings in three seasons and Perez this season as a major sleeper in AL-only formats, but neither is threatened by Patt Burrell over the next two seasons.

On Friday, rumors of a Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles trade involing SP Gavin Floyd and 2B Brian Roberts surfaced.  After a couple days, the O's local paper still hasn't run a piece on it although Pete Schmuck has a blog entry about it.

This trade seems to have the makings of a buy low/sell high for the White Sox GM Kenny Williams.  Exchanging a failed prospect who exploded in 2008 thanks to BABIP-defying stats for one of the very few legitimate lead-off men in baseball is brilliant.  Selling the 17 Wins is smart baseball, but I seriously doubt the Jim MacPhail of the Orioles doesn't already know this.

One can't help wondering how much better Brian Roberts' power would increase in Chicago, though.  Would he return to the 18+ HR level he reached in 2005?  Or would he disappoint all the dreams of sugar plums the same way Nick Swisher did last season?

Nick Carfado of the Boston Globe reports the San Francisco Giants have offered Manny Ramirez a three-year contract with an option for a 4th season.  However, there is no dollar figure accompanying the report.

Staying with West Coast news from the East Coast Boston Globe, Mr. Carfado also reports Adam Dunn is Plan B for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the event Manny Ramirez really has a second serious suitor.  With James Loney at 1B and really inexpensive, I'm not convinced Dunn would be a great signing for the Dodgers at anything more than a one- or two-year deal.

Wherever Manny signs, I don't see any effect on his fantasy value with the almost-unneeded-to-say fact he won't hit as well over a full season in LA as he did in the two months he spent there last season.  However, I would have some concern Adam Dunn's streak of 40-HR seasons could end if he is no longer hitting in freidnly confines for 81 games a season.