Friday, February 22, 2013
These veterans may be done
By Jason A. Churchill
While just a few of the top free agents remain -- most notably Jose Valverde and Kyle Lohse -- there are a couple of former-star veterans that may not find homes and end up following journeyman backstop Brian Schneider into retirement.
It seems Vladimir Guerrero is already done -- he did not play in the majors in 2012 -- but Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu could begin life after baseball this spring. Both players are without contracts for this coming season.
Jason Giambi, who found his name on the long list for the Colorado Rockies' managerial gig, signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians, but it's conceivable that he ultimately hangs it up this spring if he doesn't make the roster.
Manny Ramirez's desire to return to Major League Baseball may prove unfruitful, and Scott Rolen may simply choose to hang up the spikes after more than 16 seasons.
Omar Vizquel is finally done, having accepted a roving instructor's job with the Los Angeles Angels this week.
It appears as if there may be enough interest in right-hander Roy Oswalt that he won't call it quits just yet, though he may not sign until May or June, like last year. The Mets, reported Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com earlier this winter, have nothing going on with Oswalt at the moment.
It's been weeks since the names of Damon and Ramirez have been linked to teams and Nick Cafardo reported before Christmas that Damon would retire if he didn't find a team before spring training. Spring games are underway and Damon has yet to sign. Abreu's name was linked to the Rays and Marlins earlier this month and CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman suggested the Orioles could be a fit and they have yet to sign another similar player.
