Gentlemen, Start Your Arms Race

Well, the exclusive negotiation period of free agency has come to an end without any marquee re-signings, so Stubby and El Matador will now determine their (inflated) value on the open market. They will join A.J. "Don't Call Me Carol" Burnett, Kevin Millwood, Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner and a host of lesser free agent pitchers. This is a fairly thin free agent market, so salaries will probably get out of whack quickly, (though there was a much deeper pool of talent last year and salaries still got out of whack quickly) and my inclination is to say goodbye, thanks and good luck to Esteban and Hector and go looking for their 2006 equivalents. Capitol Punishment has a rundown of the 2nd-tier free agent hurlers.

Rumor has it that Diamondbacks SP Javier Vazquez will request a trade to an east coast team, so that he can be nearer to his home and family in Puerto Rico. Javier's remaining 2-year, $24 million contract make it next to impossible for him to return to his Expo roots, but maybe he'll satisfy another team's need for pitching, freeing up a free agent for the Nats. Positive spin.

In other news, Boz reads the ownership debacle tea leaves and predicts an eventual victory for the Lerner family; The Chief gets 1 lousy third place vote for the NL Cy Young, and Nationals.com checks in with the Arizona Fall League.

Happy Veterans Day!