Friday Hot Stove

It's been a bit since we've taken a look at the non-Yankees hot stove, primarily because NOTHING has been going on, but here we go.

Eric Chavez is pissed and who can blame him. The A's have already dealt their best pitcher, Dan Haren, and their best slugger, Nick Swisher. When asked if he thought the A's would sign Barry Bonds, Chavez's response said it all. "If he's in uniform next year, there's a 90 percent chance it will be with the Oakland A's," Chavez said. "It will be old, broken-down guys, me, [Mark] Kotsay and Barry, and a bunch of 19-year-olds."

Chavez addressed his own future as well. "I told Billy [Beane], 'I know what you're doing, if you want to move me, do what you have to do,'" Chavez said. "It's motivation to get healthy, play well and then see what happens. To be honest, with everything that's going on, there's probably no reason for me to stay around, it doesn't add up with what's happening."

Talk about being desperate for pitching- The Royals have inked Hideo Nomo to a minor league deal. The 39-yr old right-hander has not pitched in the majors since a brief stint with the Rays in 2005. He's also recuperating from elbow surgery.

There's no question that players perform better when there's a contract on the line. Manny Ramirez is no exception. 2008 is the final guaranteed year of his contract, and Peter Gammons reports that Manny has become a workout maniac.

Desperate for pitching, part II - the Cardinals have signed Matt Clement to a 1-yr, incentive laden deal. Clement, who is still recovering from elbow surgery, is guaranteed $1.5 million.

The Rockies are close to signing former Blue Jays' pitcher Josh Towers to a 1-yr, $1.8 million deal.