Rumor Mill

Outfielder Bernie Williams may be left out in the cold next season with an over-stacked New York Yankees roster, but Jorge Posada, teammate and close friend of the 16-year veteran, says Bernie has no plans to retire. He claims Williams wants to play one more year, so there is a possibility that he will be sporting a new uni in 2007.

The Minnesota Twins continue to target free-agent pitcher Bruce Chen, as the club would like to bring in another arm for the bullpen to take some of the workload off of lone lefty reliever Dennys Reyes. Chen, 29, has been with eight different teams in his 8-year Major League career and compiled an 0-7 record with a 6.93 ERA in 40 games (including 12 starts) last season with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have contemplated signing left-hander Joey Eischen, who missed most of last season after having surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. Eischen, 36, has been throwing off a mound for two months and is expected to be ready for spring training. His best season was with the Expos in 2002 where he went 6-1 with a 1.43 ERA in 59 appearances, striking out 51 batters in 53.2 innings pitched.

The St. Louis Cardinals will most likely learn this week whether or not their two-year offer to free-agent pitcher Jeff Weaver is enough to keep the right-handed hero happy. GM Walt Jocketty and Superagent Scott Boras expanded their negotiations last weekend, with the club apparently raising the deal's annual value, but standing firm on its two-year framework.

According to Victor Zambrano's agent Peter Greenberg, the New York Mets are one of five or six teams who are interested in the right-hander. Arm trouble limited him to five starts with the Mets in 2006 before he resorted to Tommy John surgery last May. Zambrano is expected to reach a decision later this week, with the club hoping the surgery will improve his performance. He went 7-12 with a 4.17 ERA in 31 games (27 starts) in 2005.

[Yahoo Sports]