Somebody's gonna get rich

Two of the greatest (perhaps the two greatest) pitchers were traded this weekend. Roger Chillingworth heads back to New York from Texas, Jojo Lewis from Texas to Louisville, and Texas comes away with 4 players, 2 from each team, including Josh Block, who could be their new cleanup hitter.

Nicholas Dark returns to Louisville, the team where he started 17 seasons ago. Dark, 2 homers away from 500, will make 3.5 million for 2006.

Free agent season is upon us, and surprisingly, Joey Renseller is attracting the most early interest. My sources tell me that Renseller, who has a career high of 50 RBI, will not even listen to offers less than 8 million, and it may take close to 11 million dollars per year to sign him.

Renseller is often compared to Elvis Dixon for his defense, strike zone judgement, and developing power. He's not as good as Dixon, who signed a 6 year, 72 million dollar contract last offseason, but Renseller is only 24. His numbers compare well to Dixon at the same age.

In addition to Portland, Cleveland, Mars, Springfield, Miami, and Denver have expressed interest in the 3rd baseman. The New York Cobra have yet to get involved, but have the money to do so if they choose. Portland has final say in where Renseller goes as a restricted free agent, but the dollar amount is beyond their control.

Other free agents sure to get big contracts are outfielders Keith Lee, Bobby Rayburn, and DJ Werden, 3rd baseman Anakin Solo, and 1st baseman Bubba Lewis.