Theo made his
first move yesterday, picking up 2B
Todd Walker from Cincinnati in return for two Red Sox minor leaguers TBD. They hadn't offered arbitration to Rey Sanchez, mediocre at second last season. The Sox will be Walker's fourth team in as many years, but his numbers have improved with each trade.
He's also got his eye on Jose Contreras, who defected from Cuba to Mexico in mid-October. Cuban refugees to the U.S. are automatically granted residency, and a resident ballplayer can immediately enter the amateur draft. As a resident of Mexico, though, Contreras could be admitted to the U.S. as "a Person with Extraordinary Ability", avoid the draft and go right to the bigs as a free agent. (El Duque: Cuban refugee ---> Costa Rican resident ---> $6m Yankee contract.) But Contreras is DQ'ed from free agency until he can prove his status to the satisfaction of MLB and the INS.