Kelvim

Escobar

According to the Boston Herald, the A’s and Cardinals are also interested in Escobar. The Boston wishlist is also believed to include Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver, Sidney Ponson, Steve Trachsel and Cory Lidle.

The rumor had left-hander Ted Lilly and right-hander Joe Blanton going to Toronto, but it doesn’t currently look like the trade will happen.

Although it has not been made official, Escobar has said he was told he would be pitching on three days rest on Tuesday, after throwing only 97 pitches on Friday night. If so, he becomes a two start pitcher this week, a valuable commodity in the last week of fantasy baseball.

He left Sunday’s game in which he won, and outpitched Kevin Brown, with the blister, but seems fine now. Keep Escobar active.

The safe play is benching Escobar. If you need wins, though, might as well stick with him.

Escobar will mix in a few breaking balls and changeups in his next bullpen session Tuesday and hopes to pitch in an exhibition game the second week of March. ''I let it go a few times, and it feels strong,’' Escobar said. ''There was no hesitation, because I’ve been throwing pain-free since I got here. I just have to make sure everything is 100%. I don’t want to suffer a setback.’'

The Angels are still describing Escobar’s problem as arm tightness. If he doesn’t start throwing soon, then we could get a real diagnosis. Escobar himself admitted that the tightness is in his shoulder.

This is of some concern. If Escobar remains limited into March, it will be time to drop him on draft lists.

Angels’ GM Bill Stoneman wants to sign a starter with a track record of pitching deep into games and avoiding injury. Escobar hasn’t been on the DL in five years, but he’s also never pitched a full season of starter’s innings either. Still, he’s a more affordable option than Bartolo Colon, Sidney Ponson, or Kevin Millwood.

The Angels didn’t confirm or deny the report. The Herald reports that neither the Blue Jays nor Red Sox would go over $5 million per season in their bids for Escobar. If the report is true, it’s bad news for Bartolo Colon, who loses one of his top suitors.