A number of free agents still on the market did not make the Leftovers' lineup or pitching staff. I was going to spend today covering most of those players and wrap up this series of articles, but there are still so many guys out there that I decided to finish pitchers today and postpone discussing the remaining position players again.

David Wells is expected to sign with the Yankees any day now. We even have information as to the likely structure of his contract, which would have much of its total potential value tied up in incentives. Given the combination of Wells' back problems and past dominance, it makes sense for any team looking to sign the pitcher to use incentives to keep their liability low if he injures himself again. If everything proceeds smoothly, I would expect to hear a formal announcement of Wells' return to the Big Apple by the end of the weekend. However, it did seem that he was on the verge of signing with the Diamondbacks prior to Christmas, so until the deal is officially announced, I won't comment further.

When the Orioles manage to make the right decision and demote you in favor of youth, you know you should probably take some time to re-evaluate the direction your career is headed. Actually, some aspects of Jose Mercedes' performance improved last season as he brought his K/BB ratio up very close to two. He also performed very well for his Dominican League team this off-season, which should increase market interest. However, a club should still be able to add him to the bottom of their rotation at a fairly inexpensive price. Some have suggested that he might be headed to Minnesota, as they will need rotation help after they honor Rick Reed's request to be traded. Milwaukee would be another team where he would fit well. He could eat innings and fill in while some of their other pitchers recover from injuries and/or attempt to avoid them.

Pete Harnisch had exploratory surgery on his elbow in early August during which the doctor found and repaired a small muscle tear and removed a bone chip. He was offered arbitration by the Reds but turned it down. The two sides have been unable to agree on how much of the contract should be tied up in incentives, and Harnisch is now considering retirement at 35. He doesn't give up a lot of hits, so he might work well in Detroit, where the ballpark would also help him to control his gopher ball tendencies. However, I doubt that he will be able to talk another team into guaranteeing anything more than what Cincinnati has offered.

The Kansas City Royals non-tendered Paul Byrd, sending him to join those left on the free agent market. While traditionally a starter, injury troubles have reduced Byrd's performance levels to the point where he might not find a club willing to give him a spot in their rotation. He might work well as a swingman in Seattle while their young pitchers mature. It would also be a handy place for him to sign considering that when he retires from baseball, he should be able to get a job as a Kelsey Grammer look-a-like for public appearances in the area. Check out his picture in STATS 2001 Scouting Notebook to see why.

Jimmy Haynes became a free agent after he was non-tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers. The move makes sense considering the injury problems of Haynes and the rest of the Brewers' staff, as well as the salary Haynes would have likely been awarded through arbitration. He'd be decent filler for the bottom of some rotation, but again I would use incentives to keep the total price of the contract low.

Aside from differing injury histories, Mike Thurman and Jimmy Haynes are somewhat similar players. Thurman might choose to sign a minor league deal with Montreal, but if he doesn't, either pitcher might work well on LA or Baltimore. In fact it might be interesting to see a team sign them both, let them compete for the starting job in spring training and demote or release the loser. Other clubs could sign them and leave them in AAA for depth in case of injury.

Boston showed interest in Ron Villone in early December, but their other transactions make me doubtful that they will move forward with anything there. Villone is a useful guy to have around and one of the few lefties still on the market. He does well in middle relief with spot starts, and could probably even start full-time. He'd be a good pickup for a lot of teams, but I think that he would work well in Arizona, since it looks like they aren't going to be able to sign David Wells.

The Cubs are rumored to have interest in free agent Mark Wohlers. However, they don't currently have enough room on their roster for all of the pitchers that already deserve to be in the majors. I think that Wohlers might fit well in Boston and benefit from whatever attention manager Joe Kerrigan could provide him.

One of three pitchers associated with the revolving door in Philadelphia's bullpen, Ricky Bottalico is another reliever who's likely seen the last of his closing days but could still provide a team with a good though expensive setup man. The Phillies non-tendered reliever John Wasdin. I would look for him to re-sign with Philadelphia or Baltimore, as both clubs could use him in their bullpens. Lastly, Rick White was non-tendered by the New York Mets, and I believe that Philadelphia should probably pursue White to bolster their pen