Rumblings: Thornton, Crawford, and Harris

Teams that are out of contention might be looking ahead to this year's class of free agents, but if you trust the rumors, this year's class will be especially thin. Teams are attempting to retain control of top-shelf talent, and most of the biggest free agent names are in the process of negotiating extensions.

Gordon Thornton

The highest paid player in the ABL, Montreal's Gordon Thornton, may continue to receive his handsome paychecks. The center-fielder is in his contract year, but he has not performed his best, batting .270 with 3 HR. This is not preventing Bandits management from trying to sign him to an extension. Sources in their front office tell me that a contract in the neighborhood of five years and $100 million has been discussed. Thornton would continue to make his league-best $20 million per year, but management is pushing for a team option on the final two years. Additionally, the Bandits may be willing to trade Thornton, even after re-signing an extension.

King Crawford

Los Angeles has no plans to rebuild, and that means finding a way to keep two of their top players on the dark side. Ace Kingfish Crawford is dominating opposing hitting this season (he has a 7-1 record and 1.41 ERA), and GM Hays loves a dominant arm. Rumor is that Crawford is seeking an extension at $16 million per year. Tommy Harris is a tougher call, but the Evil Empire needs bats: the right-fielder has 8 home runs and is slugging under .400, but he is still one of the better hitters on the team. Harris may even be rewarded with a contract equal to that of Gordon Thornton's and make $20 million per year. If Los Angeles signs both, it will mean a lot of money, but they have a lot of cap room.

As previously reported, Seattle is rumored to be negotiating with center-fielder Edgar Johnson.