Some teams have been noticeably quiet so far in this Hot Stove Season.  Let’s take a peak at some smaller market teams and see what’s going on:

• The Oakland A’s are still deciding whether or not to rebuild this offseason.  If they decide to rebuild, General Manager Billy Beane will entertain offers for young ace Dan Haren, of whom they can expect a bounty in return.   The A’s have also seemingly taken themselves out of any Barry Bonds sweepstakes due to the whole federal indictment thing. 
• The Arizona Diamondbacks have been relatively quiet so far.  However, they have been tied to possible bottom barrel bargains like Matt Clement or Bartolo Colon if the price is right.   My guess is they’ll let Livan Hernandez fleece someone else.
• The Washington Nationals have been mentioned as a sleeper in the Torii Hunter sweepstakes, but it appears more likely that they’ll sit back and try to grab a leftover center fielder like Corey Patterson or Mike Cameron, if anything.  Also, GM Jim Bowden is known to fire up a huge fleece every now and then, so don’t take your eye off of the Nats.  The Padres are interested in Ryan Church, for example, and Bowden is apparently asking for a lot.
• Kind of an old rumor, but the Tampa Bay Rays are one of ten teams interested in Troy Percival.  Not a bad idea for a small market team - take a chance on an old fire baller and see what happens.   The Rays are also in on Juan Uribe.

Filed under: Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals