Cubs add Nady, A's reach for Sheets...

The Cubs have reached a tentative one-year deal with 31 year-old outfielder and righty-hitting Xavier Nady, pending a physical. Nady had his SECOND Tommy John surgery last season and only played in 9 games total, with 2 of those coming in the minors. His last full season was .2008, split between the Yankees and Pirates, when he hit 25HR, knocked in 97RBI, and finished with an .OPS of .867. He hit .330 with an .OPS of .919 for the Pirates in 89 games in 2008, so I'm hoping that had more to do with his familiarity and success in the National League than a hot 90-game period. It seems Nady will be the fourth outfielder, and most likely spell rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome against lefthanders.

On the West Coast, the Oakland Athletics signed righthanded starting pitcher Ben Sheets to a one-year deal, in the $8-$9 million range. As everyone has probably already said, that is a GREAT deal, considering Sheets didn't even pitch in 2009. The money is guaranteed, and there have been performance bonuses included. Sheets made 94 starts from 2005 to 2008, never making more than 31 in one season, and his ERA was never higher than 3.82. The Cubs and Rangers were also interested in Sheets, but I'm sure they backed off after it was learned that he was seeking more than a few million dollars over one year. The A's rotation will most likely consist of Sheets, Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden, and either Vin Mazzaro or Gio Gonzalez. Look for this rotation to be a force to reckoned with in the next 2-3 years, as Cahill, Anderson, Braden, Mazzaro, and Gonzalez are an average age of 23 years old.