Nomar has narrowed his choices down to four teams, none of which play their home games at Miller Park. Big surprise, this: I think I'm the only person who really thinks he ought to be considering a post-baseball career of sausage racing. Here's the scoop:
At this point it is difficult to label any of the four teams as a favorite to win Garciaparra's signature. Calls to Garciaparra's agent Arn Tellem were not returned.
Nomar could put up some nice numbers in Houston, and if he stays healthy he could be the difference between a middling Astros team and a mildly competitive one. (Of course, this guy could help a bit, too.)
I hope he goes to the Indians. In many ways, Cleveland is the AL version of the Brewers: run well on a relatively tight budget; develops great players (Crisp, Sizemore, Cliff Lee, Sabathia, Victor Martinez) from within and signs budget veterans to fill in the gaps; in a position to compete despite having at least one rich competitor in the division. Cleveland's biggest problem last year was lack of power at the corners--1B, 3B, and RF were all below-average, while they got great production from catcher, 2B, SS, and CF. If Nomar can start at third, he could do a lot to solve that problem, even if he doesn't hit any better than he has the last couple of years.
But please, whatever happens, don't sign with the Yankees, Nomar. It just wouldn't be right.