The free-agent signing period has started and, though many teams will wait until Dec. 1 to see whether a player’s former club offers him salary arbitration, there will be some signings now. For instance, Jeremy Affeldt did not require the compensation that other relievers might. I’ll entertain any questions you have about trades or free agents or anything else that might transpire in baseball’s usually busy off-season.

***Q: Have just heard over the radio that the Giants have signed Affeldt.
I have a feeling he was the Cardinals top target since he also had
some success as a starter. Any idea who might be their priority now?

A: Cardinals didn’t have as much interest in Affeldt as I thought, mostly because lefthanders hit .269 against him. Consider these two names: Will Ohman (.200 vs. lefthanders) and Arthur Rhodes, who is 39 but held lefthanders to a .103 mark with Florida after joining the Marlins in the second half.

***

Q: I’d like to see the Cardinals put together a trade w/ Oakland,  in which Rick Ankiel and Sean Marshall are the center pieces.  I think we need the starting pitching, and Marshall is young and lefthanded.  We have strength in the OF position, Ankiel isn’t as young as people think, and I don’t think we’ll pay him when he can become a free agent—so I’d like us to deal from a position of strength and get value in return.  I’m prepared to be told what a bad idea this is (again!!), but I’d appreciate your thoughts on the idea.

Thanks,

Bill T.

A: Bill,  Marshall is a nice arm, but the A’s didn’t get much out of him after they got him from the Cubs in the Rich Harden trade. To move Ankiel, I  would have to get a better pitcher than that.

Q: Commish - Recently the Yankees submitted a huge offer to C.C.
This made me wonder. What do other G.M.’s do when a team comes right out of the box with an offer that they know they cannot match?  Do they submit an offer anyway? Or look for an angle? Please enlighten us. It is indeed a privilege to communicate with a Hall of Famer such as yourself. Thanks Mr. Hummel.

A: Thanks, Roger.The Yankees’ offer for Sabathia will scare off some teams, but some West Coast clubs (Dodgers, Angels) will hang in there, even at a lower figure, because they figure Sabathia might want to play there, rather than New York. Milwaukee is in the bind, though. The Brewers’ initial offer of $100 millon for five years was just that _ an initial offer. But GM Doug Melvin isn’t happy the Yankees raised the ante that much. He can offer more, but not that much more.