When Hall freezes over:

Poor Benji Molina, who weeks ago found himself without a chair when the music stopped and still is looking for a team. What were the odds that Alan Embree (Padres), Fernando Vina (Mariners) or, for that matter, Bret Boone would get jobs before Molina, who hit .295 with 15 homers and 69 RBI last year? Molina turned down three years, $21 million from the Mets and will probably wind up with a one-year deal from the Blue Jays. But now that Molina can probably be signed on the cheap, maybe the Yankees should consider signing him and releasing Jorge Posada (who they have to pay anyway next year) in order to save themselves $12 million on the '07 option that kicks in if he starts 81 games in '06? Just a thought, although they would probably have to first consult with Randy Johnson.

Now, I don't want to release Jorge. I like Jorge. Jorge's a good guy and a smart, good player. But, back in my plan, I mentioned signing Molina to split time with Jorge. Jorge could take some time at DH, possibly 1B (no idea?). He'd take time at DH away from Bernie (I'm not saying that's good or bad, but that would be a result). Back then, it did seem pretty unlikely. But, as Molina does not yet have a team, you never know. I don't want to pay Molina backup money, I want to pay him virtual starter money. Not the deal he probably could have received at the beginning, but good money nonetheless. Might he be up for a 1 year deal on a top contender and then next year, depending on what we do with Jorge, we could bring him back or let him go.

Looking back at that plan, there were 10 guys out of the 25 that we did not have under contract. We got 3 of the guys I wanted - Matsui, Bernie and Cairo. Damon for Torii Hunter (the one trade in the plan). Stinnett for Molina (as of now). Andy Phillips for Tino. ? for Damian Jackson. Farnsworth for Ryan. Dotel for Gordon. Myers for Sauerbeck.

Via Derek Jacques.