Josias Manzanillo is certainly among the top losers from this year's free agent market. Manzanillo had the unfortunate luck to pitch well enough last season to rate an classification of A from the Elias Sports Bureau, meaning that if any team were to sign him as a free agent, they would owe the Pirates a 1st round draft pick. This rarely serves as a large deterrent to clubs shopping the free agent market as those players in the A category are considered worth the loss of the draft pick, but with a 34 year-old reliever like Manzanillo, it can cause problems.

A smart agent likely should have realized Manzanillo was going to have trouble and accepted the Pirates offer of arbitration. However, they probably figured that if the likes of Jay Powell (B, which also means the loss of a first round pick) and Todd Van Poppel (A), could land big contracts, Manzanillo should be able to do so also, so they declined arbitration.

On Wednesday, Manzanillo, still languishing on the free agent market with no teams reporting interest in him, signed a minor league contract with the Pirates. Because he declined Pittsburgh's arbitration offer, he will not only be without the handsome salary that arbitration could have garnered for him, he will also be unable to pitch for the Pirates until May due to rules governing the re-signing of free agents.

Numerous players have been forced to accept smaller than average contracts this off-season. For the most part there's no reason to feel sorry for them, as it was predominantly a case of the organizations wising up and refusing to overpay for minimal talent. However, Manzanillo did pitch very well last season posting an outstanding K:BB of 80:26 in 79.2 IP. He'll be a great bargain for the Pirates this season.

Mike Fetters plans to rescind his trade request rather than risk being released and losing his $2.4M salary. With this signing, I would recommend the Pirates continue to pursue any possible deal to move Fetters. Manzanillo will be fine as their setup man and would potentially be a superior option to Mike Williams as the closer. Pittsburgh has numerous talented pitchers that are already likely be squeezed off the roster, so carrying a potential malcontent is an unnecessary liability, one that they should avoid if at all possible.

Although there has been more reported interest in Rey Sanchez, as of Tuesday he was also without a team. On Wednesday, Sanchez signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox.

Boston was among the group of teams with rumored interest in Sanchez from the beginning. However, following the signings of Quilvio Veras and Gary DiSarcina among others, it seemed as though them might not bother with Sanchez after all.

Despite their other acquisitions, Sanchez is still a favorite to break camp with the team as a second baseman and reserve infielder. His excellent defense compensates a great deal for his relatively poor offense, and with the number of players Boston is likely to carry who are strong on offense while somewhat weak defensively, they need Sanchez's skills.

I expect them to carry Jose Offerman although his offense has declined recently, as he's earning $6.5M and does still have a fairly good bat. Carrying Sanchez makes rostering a defensive liability like Offerman easier.

As for the rest of the roster, in addition to Sanchez and Offerman, I expect them to carry Jason Varitek and one other catcher, likely Doug Mirabelli, Tony Clark, Brian Daubach, Nomar Garciaparra, Shea Hillenbrand, Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon, Manny Ramirez, and Rickey Henderson.

Michael Coleman, Damon Buford, and Jeff Abbott will compete for the remaining utility outfield/back-up centerfield spot. They should pick Coleman as he both has the most upside and is the most deserving; he's also already on the 40-man roster. The other two will be good insurance at AAA Pawtucket.

Carlos Baerga, Lou Merloni, Shane Andrews, and Quilvio Veras will compete for the remaining utility infield position. With Sanchez on the roster, they don't need a back-up shortstop, so that drops Merloni's chances. Veras, if healthy, probably has the best bat of this group, but Andrews and Baerga both have more experience at third base, where Boston lacks a competent starter. Manny is said to have a fondness for Baerga, who has reported lost weight this off-season, so I would say he's the favorite over Andrews. I didn't list DiSarcina in this group as the Sox have no need for him.

Finally, we have another minor league signing for Montreal. Glen Barker agreed to a minor league contract with the Expos on Tuesday. While Jose Canseco has given his endorsement to Lance Johnson, Barker would be a much better selection for the back-up center field job.

Barker reportedly has some of the best speed in professional baseball, which adds to his defensive skills. However he continues to have difficulty making it on base with enough frequency to utilize that tool offensively. If he can ever master plate discipline, he should become a major stolen base threat. Meanwhile, Canseco should probably stick to honing his own skills rather than making personnel recommendations.