Three GMs told us in the last week they'd be reluctant to trade a big-time prospect for a potential free agent who could get them to the playoffs if they can't be reasonably sure there will be playoffs to get to. And even longer-term deals could be impacted.

"Say you're acquiring a player who's under contract beyond this year," said one exec. "Say it's a guy making $4.5 million next year. Then say there's a strike and it lasts till next April. Are people going to be coming to the park next year the way they did this year after something like that? And if they don't, now you've added $4.5 million to your payroll and you're stuck with it. So it had better be a hell of a player."

"It's a good idea in a lot of ways," said one scouting director. "Right now, the Yankees can just go buy players all over the Caribbean, and they can afford to make a mistake. But most of us can't afford to make a $3-million mistake on a 16-year-old kid from the Dominican. So that part's good. But how we'd do it, I still have no idea."

There are worries that teams which have plowed big bucks into academies in Latin America would be reluctant to give up that investment. There are questions about whether all countries would be included, since Japan, Korea and Taiwan have their own pro leagues and their own rules. There are serious questions about whether teams could get accurate pictures of the real names, ages and citizenship of players supposedly eligible who live in remote areas.

And then there is the most fundamental question: Given that the draft of American kids has increasingly turned into a signability festival instead of a draft that truly sends the best players to the neediest teams, why expand such a flawed model to include the rest of the planet?

"It's based on a structure that's not working domestically," said one GM. "So I'm not sure it would accomplish much. I'd like to see us improve our own draft first."

Among this GM's suggestions:

Limit eligibility to high school graduates, college seniors and two-year junior-college players. ... Move it back to July 15, give players a month to sign and then return all unsigned players to the pool. ... Hold combines that would allow the best players to play against each other. ... And establish a slotting, signing-bonus scale similar to that of the NBA -- the only "cap" major-league players would ever support, to ensure that the biggest dollars went to players in the big leagues instead of kids who'd never played in a game with a wood bat.

Jeff Weaver remains a big commodity, with the Red Sox and Diamondbacks scouting him lately. And Damion Easley, Bobby Higginson and either Shane Halter or Craig Paquette are eminently available. If the Tigers would take on Denny Neagle's contract (and they're interested), they remain a candidate to make a big deal with the Rockies.

Kent then lurched toward Bonds, bringing Dusty Baker into the fray. And Kent is said to have hurled a couple of barbs Baker's way, too, including a suggestion that "this is Barry's team, not yours."

On the one hand, this stuff happens. On the other hand, sources say Kent's teammates haven't been real thrilled with his refusal to admit he injured himself on his motorcycle this spring -- or with his general detachment from the rest of the club ever since.

Meanwhile, Kent has had a mediocre year, when stacked up against his previous excellence. In 23 at-bats after intentional walks to Bonds, he had exactly five hits (.217). And while he had 39 more at-bats than Bonds with runners in scoring position through Tuesday, he had only one more RBI in those situations (27-26).

In other words, the chances of Kent re-signing with the Giants after this season appear close to zero.

When the Mets' franchise value was appraised at "only" $391 million -- as opposed to the $500 million offered by the Cablevision folks three years ago -- Doubleday announced Tuesday he was suing to block the deal.

That's amazing enough. But the really fascinating question is: Whom will he be suing?

The appraisal was made not by an independent appraiser, but by Robert Starkey, who works for the commissioner's office, and formerly served as an accountant for both Bud Selig and Carl Pohlad. The commissoner's office has based at least some of its claims of financial woes on declining franchise values, so there have been several raised eyebrows in the industry over what Doubleday described as a lowball appraisal of his own franchise.

So could Doubleday wind up suing Major League Baseball? He isn't saying, but stay tuned.

People around baseball continue to express their puzzlement over why the Phillies have such a mediocre record with good talent. But Bowa has made it clear he thinks it's time for the Phillies to build around a different core group. Among his comments to Rumblings and Grumblings this week were all these remarks:

"This team has not won. The nucleus of this team has not won except for last year. There's a reason for that. It's a mental thing. You have to have the right mentality to play on a winning team. Forget the physical tools. Everybody that puts on the big-league uniform has physical tools or else they wouldn't be in this game. ...

"I think they were ready to build on Scott (Rolen). Now they are ready to build on Pat (Burrell), (Jimmy) Rollins, (Marlon) Anderson, (hot prospect Marlon) Byrd, (Brandon) Duckworth, (Vicente) Padilla. Its a different core players now and I think that's good. They haven't been successful the other way. . . .

"They had an opportunity to grow with this team. For some reason, it hasn't worked out that way. It doesn't mean they're not good. It just hasn't worked out. There's a new core group of guys, and they bring a lot on energy to the park. They are a lot different personality, and I think sometimes that's good. I think it's good when you have given that core group an opportunity to take it to another level and it hasn't happened. Then you have a new generation ... "

Get the impression this is one manager not too fond of his team?