KEEPING UP WITH HOORELBEKE, CHRISTIAN AND YANKEES HOPEFUL MIKE O'CONNOR

A few notes from the world of baseball transactions today since this is an off week for the Independent Baseball Insider which returns next week with a complete rundown of the unusually large contingent of Atlantic League (and Independent) players headed to major league spring training camps.

Power-hitting Jesse Hoorelbeke is on the move.

Veteran Atlantic League fans cannot help but remember Hoorelbeke's three seasons in Bridgeport (2007-09) when the big first baseman hit 33, 28 and 23 home runs for the Bluefish and averaged just under 100 runs batted in per year.

He has been in the Independent ranks in Fargo, ND the last two summers, hitting another 44 round-trippers in a much shorter season. The homer total dropped to 15 one year ago, and now he has been dealt to a new team in the same league (American Association), going to Laredo, TX in a swap for pitching.

"It's never easy to move players who have been major contributors to our success," said Fargo Manaager Doug Simunic. "Jesse ws a great player for us and a great guy, but we felt we needed to upgrade our pitching" and "to get talent you have to give up talent." Hoorelbeke will be 34 throughout this season.

LEFTY MIKE O'CONNOR GETS LOOK FROM YANKEES

Veteran Mike O'Connor is the most recent pitcher to join the impressive list of Atlantic League grads with major league spring training invitations. O'Connor, 31, will try to grab one of the left-handed relief jobs in the New York Yankees bullpen.

He went 0-1, 2.70 in nine appearances for the New York Mets last season. O'Connor's Atlantic League time was with Southern Maryland. He also has been in the majors with Washington, logging some time in both '06 and '08.

PREDICTING THE FUTURE FOR BLUE CRABS' JUSTIN CHRISTIAN

Another onetime Blue Crabs player, Justin Christian, could not be blamed if he has a long face today.

Only days before spring training, San Francisco designated the 31-year-old outfielder for assignment when it signed major league vets Ryan Theriot and Guillermo Mota and needed 40-man roster space.

Christian, who played briefly at Southern Maryland at the start of 2010, is getting some nice support from certain Bay Area media because of the way he played the outfield and hit .255 in 18 games for the parent Giants late last season.

What could happen is that some other team will claim Christian (although 40-man space is pretty sparse right now) or the Giants could re-sign him if he clears waivers and bring him right back as a non-roster player. This would give the speedster, who pilfered 54 bases in 137 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season (and three more with the Giants), a renewed opportunity to be a spare outfielder in San Francisco. Christian also has had 24 games with the New York Yankees during his career.

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