Joe Kennedy, most recently of the Toronto Blue Jays, died suddenly this morning at his home in Florida. Kennedy was 28 and is survived by his wife and one-year old son.

The BALCO Federal Grand Jury has indicted Barry Bonds on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.

More to follow, I'm sure.

UPDATE [5:34pm]: ESPN.com has further coverage.

In the National League, that is. The Cubs have acquired Steve Trachsel from the Baltimore Orioles for 3B Scott Moore and reliever Rocky Cherry. Trachsel's 4.48 ERA is just a touch above the AL average of 4.43, but how he has managed to remain that close to the mean is a mystery to anyone below Operating Thetan VIII. Trax has allowed 220 walks plus hits in 140.2 innings while striking out just 45 batters. His 45-to-69 strikeout-to-walk rate is one of the worst I have ever seen for someone still collecting a Major League paycheck.

Via Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports, Mark Teixeira to the Braves is all but done, with a medical review the only thing holding up the agreement. Texas would get Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Class A shortstop Elvis Andrus and two pitching prospects. A nice haul for the Rangers, depending on the prospects, and a big short-term windfall for the Braves, who have struggled to get production at first this season.

Things in the NL East just got a whole lot more interesting, folks. Stay tuned.

UPDATE [11:35pm]: Pitching prospects rumored to be in the deal, coming from the Braves, include Matt Harrison and Jo-Jo Reyes. The Braves are also said to be getting reliever Ron Mahay from the Rangers in addition to Teixeira. Mahay has a 2.78 ERA despite mediocre peripherals.

Tex is hitting .297/.397/.524, is a switch-hitter and a very good gloveman at first.

UPDATE [12:03pm]: Looks like Harrison is included. It's a good deal for both teams, short-term for the Braves and long-term for the Rangers. Braves' GM John Schuerholz likes to lock up impending free agents long-term (a la Tim Hudson), but look for the Scott Boras-represented Teixeira to hit the free agent market following 2008, his final year of arbitration eligbility. Carlos Delgado is also set to hit the market following next season, so connect your own dots there.

UPDATE [12:06pm]: ESPN.com is reporting it now, too.

Tony La Russa was arrested this morning and charged with drunk driving.

The 62-year-old La Russa gave two breath samples and had a blood alcohol content of 0.093 percent, Jupiter police said in a statement. Florida's legal driving limit is 0.08 percent.

Undercover officers saw La Russa's SUV partly in an intersection around midnight and not moving despite two green lights, police said. Officers knocked on the vehicle's window and La Russa did not initially respond.

The SUV was in drive and running, with La Russa's foot on the brake, police said. When he eventually woke up, the officers asked him to get out of the car.

So what do we make of this story?  Anyone think it is a big deal?  I, for one, would be pissed if it were Willie.

I'd expect such behavior by star athletes, but to see it by such a revered manager is pretty surprising.  Then again, I know that some states have lowered the DWI threshold from .10 to .08, and he blew a .093, so it's not like he was completely 'faced.

But to "fall asleep" (read: pass out) at a stoplight with your foot on the brake?  That's bad.

Schadenfreude, anyone?

Update: Here is an ESPN story with a little more information.

Shortstop Michael Young has reportedly signed a five-year, $80 million extension with the Rangers. This is interesting to Mets' fans because:

a) In his chat at DallasNews.com yesterday Evan Grant intimated that the Rangers couldn't afford to sign both Young and Mark Teixeira to long-term deals.

b) Teixeira is a free agent after 2008.

c) Carlos Delgado is also a free agent after 2008.

Teixeira is just 26 years old, and even in an off year in 2007 he still hit .282/.371/.514 with 89 walks and 79 extra-base hits. He also hit .291/.394/.605 in the second half. He also has two gold gloves and, unlike some other players, advanced defensive metrics tend to support the voters on this one.

After complaining of stomach pain last Sunday, former Mets' and current Pirates' outfielder Xavier Nady was hospitalized for three days this week with an inflamed intestine. He is going to be tested for Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the GI tract. Nady's cousin has the disease.

A good friend of mine died three years ago due to complications related to Crohn's. He consistently suffered from digestive problems and turned to alcohol to stem his discomfort in the short-term while ultimately dooming him in the long-term. Here's hoping everything works out for Nady, who was embraced by Mets' fans during his short stint in orange-and-blue.

More information on Crohn's Disease can be found at Wikipedia.

Some notes from around the league:

• The Phillies have signed Brett Myers to a three-year extension that will keep him in burgundy through the end of the decade. Good for the Phillies, not as good for the women of Philadelphia.

  (Source = Phillies.com)

• Tony Armas Jr. is off the market, having signed a one-year deal with the Pirates worth $3 million. Seems like a decent risk for the Bucs, considering what mediocre pitching is going for these days.

  (Source = Bucs Dugout)

• The Diamondbacks have made some crummy deals over the years. It's hard to argue with #1.

  (Source = AZ Snakepit)

• Jose Lima is the worst Royal ever?

  (Source = Royals Review)

• The Almighty Blez talks to Billy Beane. Again. (Part One, Part Two and Part Three)

  (Source = Athletics Nation).

According to multiple sources, Barry Zito has agreed to terms with the San Francisco Giants on a seven-year, $126 million deal, which breaks down to an average annual value of $18 million per season.

The Mets looked like the frontrunners for a while, what with their deep pockets, pitcher's ballpark, National League, pitching coach, etc. It turns out that the Giants were able to offer all of those things except the pitching coach, but made up for that fact by offering a couple of years and a couple of million dollars more than the Mets were rumored to be offering.

The Mets' inability to sign Zito is bittersweet. Bitter because they could really use a young, dependable, very good pitcher. Sweet because I would have been borderline-apoplectic if they had spent that much money on Barry Zito. The hope all along was that the Mets would nab the lefty with an offer that probably wouldn't be the highest on the table, but with Zito being represented by Scott Boras, that was probably too much to wish for.

With Zito now unavailable, the Mets will turn either to the depleted free agent crop (Tomo Ohka anyone?), the trade market (offering the Pelfreys, Humbers and Heilmans of the world) or just going with what they've got in hopes of keeping it together until Pedro gets healthy.

A question for you guys: Did the Mets screw the pooch here in possibly playing these negotiations too casually? Should they have just thrown whatever it took to get Zito to Shea? Did they play it correctly, and were smart to let Zito sign elsewhere when the terms got as high as they did?

• Astros acquire Jason Jennings from Rockies for three players.

  The three players are Willy Tavares, Taylor Buchholz and Jason Hirsh. Hirsh was the top pitching prospect in the Astros' system, and Buchholz has good potential as well. Jennings has a 622-to-425 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his career. He *has* been a decent groundball pitcher, though. Still, it looks like the Astros probably gave up a lot here.

  (read more at Purple Row and Crawfish Boxes).

• Rangers sign Eric Gagne, Kenny Lofton to one-year deals

  Gagne will earn $5 million base plus innings pitched or games finished bonuses, while Lofton will make $6 million. Gagne won the Cy Young just three seasons ago, but he has been a physical wreck the past two years, pitching a combined 15.1 innings. It'll be worth the risk if they get 50-60 appearances out of him. Lofton has been more than decent the past two seasons, at least against right-handed pitching.

  (read more at Lone Star Ball).

• Mariners ink Miguel Batista for three years, $24 million

  Well, Batista is a good bet to throw 180 innings, and he probably won't embarrass anyone out there. He's probably not appreciably worse than Gil Meche (he might even be better), whom the Royals will pay $55 million over the next five seasons.

  (read more at Lookout Landing).