Monday, December 19, 2005

No Nomar

Suprise, surprise. Nomar Garciaparra isn't coming to Cleveland, opting instead to wear Dodger blue for the upcoming season.
But Nomar's decision probably had less to do with money and more to do with Mia Hamm.
Garciaparra and his soccer-star wife own a house in the Los Angeles area, something that had to have contributed to his decision.
Nomar's contract isn't beyond Cleveland's grasp, either: one year at $6 million. It's a reclaim-my-career contract, similar to the one Kevin Millwood signed with the Indians for the 2005 season.
Play one year. If that goes well and the injury bug stays away, the door is once again opened for the big bucks.
The difference is, the Dodgers will have a fighting chance to keep Garciaparra if all goes well next season. Cleveland, not so much.
The Indians, meanwhile, put some names in the hopper for the right-handed set up man's job, signing a pair of blasts from the past --Danny Graves and Steve Karsay -- to minor-league contracts today.
Graves' career is in tatters after a couple of dismal years with the Reds and Mets. Karsay was cut by the Yankees midway through last season with recurring back problems.
It is a similar approach to what the Indians took in signing Scott Sauerbeck and Bob Howry two years ago. Roll the dice on a player down on his luck and rub your rabbit's foot. With Sauerbeck it worked. With Howry it worked too well, as he bolted to sign a multiyear deal with the Cubs last month.
In New York and L.A. and Chicago, the suspense comes on the field in September and October. In Cleveland, it comes over the news wire in December.

1 comment:

Zach said...

I'd feel a lot better if they signed a bat for right field. I know Reggie Sanders is an NL guy, but he can't be worse than Casey Blake.