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Where will Bengie end up?
This from my local paper today.....
Top Sports
Molina waiting for offers to come in
BY CHRIS GABEL, Sun Sports Editor
Dec 5, 2005
As the major league winter meetings began Monday in Dallas, Bengie Molina was here in Yuma patiently waiting. The veteran catcher who spent the past seven seasons with the Los Angeles Angels is a free agent, and one who should receive great interest from multiple teams this offseason.
"It's very unpredictable. Right now, I'm just waiting and being part of the whole free-agent game," Molina said Monday from his Yuma home.
One team with interest in the Arizona Western alumnus was the New York Mets, but they traded for Phoenix-area product Paul Lo Duca late Sunday night in a move that could weaken Molina's value on the open market.
Molina said the Mets had a three-year offer on the table before acquiring Lo Duca from the Florida Marlins for a pair of minor leaguers. That leaves the Astros, Padres, Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Rockies in search of help behind the plate. Arizona has expressed interest in both Ramon Hernandez, who was with San Diego last year, and Molina, who made $3 million last season when he hit .295 with 15 home runs and 69 RBIs in 119 games.
"That whole catching sweepstakes is of interest," D-Backs managing partner Ken Kendrick said, "in that there may be one more player than there are teams that need catching.
"(The Lo Duca trade) takes out the highest bidder. Obviously, we like all three guys. We have what we think are fair limits" on a salary.
The D-Backs would like to sign their catcher for two years, and could make an offer as early as today. Molina, 31, said he is realistically looking for a deal in the two- to four-year range.
"One of the things you learn ... it's hard to be patient, but sometimes you are rewarded for that," Kendrick said.
Molina, a Gold Glove winner in 2002 and 2003 who hit homers in each of the first three games of this year's Division Series against the New York Yankees, said the opportunity to play close to his family is something he would enjoy.
"If we can come up with a deal in Phoenix that would be great," he said. "Playing close to my family and friends here in Yuma would be great. We'll have to see what happens."
Molina said he has not ruled out returning to the Angels, with whom he won the 2002 World Series and a team his younger brother, Jose, is still a part of.
"I would love to go back," Bengie Molina said. "I owe a lot to the Angeles. I would not be where I am without all that they did for me. But, and that's a big but, it's tough when that team isn't willing to show appreciation for all that you've done for them."
Information from the East Valley Tribune was used in this story.
© Copyright, YumaSun.com
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Originally Posted by Kingdom_of_Zito
