Since the Mariners recently designated Bret Boone for assignment, it occured to me that this could happen to anybody really. It also occured to me that Sidney Ponson could be a prime candidate for such a thing.
The DFA rule, for anyone unfamiliar, basically means the team would have ten days to try to trade Ponson, release him, or send him to the minors.
And while he's been pretty damn bad at pitching, it's worth thinking about, because you run the risk of paying him to not pitch for you (which at this point I think is preferable to paying him to pitch), or Ponson's refusal to report to the minors, or a total lack of interest from all of major league baseball in taking him in any trade whatsoever, though I have to think someone would, don't you?
If they did this and didn't acquire a starter out of it via trade, or get someone else in another deal, it would likely mean John Maine taking Ponson's spot.
At this point, Ponson's sole value is occasionally going deep into a game and giving the pen a rest for a night. It is certainly a useful skill, but it doesn't happen often.
So what would you do if you were the GM?