Desperation

The Yankees appear ready to sign Sidney Ponson on Friday. How bad does your rotation have to be to consider Sir Sidney as an integral part of your rotation?

The Cardinals are just as desperate for starting pitching. They are only 4 games in front of the Reds, and a couple of weeks ago virtually every game featured a Bullinger or an O. Perez. Yet they dumped Ponson, paying off his contract. That's the sign of a guy who really stinks.

As we evaluate potential fixes to the Giants' roster, let's thank our lucky stars that we don't appear to need a starting pitcher. Plus, Brad Hennessey is waiting in the wings. It makes you wonder if there really is a trade market for Jamey Wright if the Yankees are this desperate. The Cardinals signed Jeff Weaver, and half of BABI bid on him as a free agent on Tuesday.

The big question is: When Ponson fails, as he surely will, who's next? Jose Lima's still out there.

Meanwhile, the Reds and Nats made a strange deal today, particularly from a fantasy standpoint. The Reds sent Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez, two real hitters to Washington for Gary Majewski. They even threw in former closer of the future and current stinky starter of the present, Ryan Wagner. I have a feeling that the Reds' GM Wayne Krivsky must have seen my note about Lopez last week. Not only did the Reds jettison Lopez this week, but the Meat League Pickled Pecklers waived him in favor of Jose Reyes in the Meat League mid-season redraft. You might consider that an obvious move, but stolen bases are not a category in that league. We dumped him strictly based on his hitting.

Speaking of the Reds, George let Boof buy Eddie Guardado this week. Let's see if that makes a big difference at the end of the year. On the other hand, spending that FAAB money may make it harder for Boof to buy Reds' closer of the near future, Majewski, who he's already had on his team twice this season.