Hot Stove Roundup - Blockbuster!

The Trades section is being moved to the front this week because, well, yeah:

Trades:
The big news of the week is, of course, the Lee/Hallady deal. It's a big trade, involving four teams and eight players changing hands. First, a look at who went where:

Hot Stove Roundup - Thoughts on the Winter Meetings

It was a crazy week, as pretty much every team and baseball agent was in Indianapolis for the MLB Winter Meetings:

Free Agency:
This seems like a great year for aging catchers! Hot on the heels of last weeks signing of Gregg Zaun comes the signings of Jason Kendall and Ivan Rodriguez to two-year deals. Both players are going to teams that haven't made the playoffs in years and expect to win. Rodriguez will most likely be a backup for the Nationals, but Kendall is expected to be the regular catcher for the Royals next year. Maybe the Royals are hoping he'll bounce back for them after he had a career low in batting average(.241) and slugging(.305). His 134 games played is also his lowest in 10 years. Well, at least the Royals are trying to do something in free agency for once.

Hot Stove Roundup - Free Agency Heating Up

Finally, with Winter Meetings about to start, some moves are being made:

Free Agency:
The big winners this past week were the teams of the NL East. For starters, the Phillies signed C Brian Schneider and Placido Polanco, who is expected to play third next season. The Schneider signing is more about taking away an asset, as he was signed from the Mets. He is expected to back up Carlos Ruiz, but other than their differences in age, their pretty much interchangeable. Neither will give big offensive numbers, but on the Phillies lineup, they don't really have to. The Polanco deal is a much better signing. He is a huge improvement over Pedro Feliz, and has a history in Philly, where he had career high in homers in 2003 and 2004 before being traded mid-season in 2005. His career +.300 batting average and .348 on-base will fit right in the lineup.

Hot Stove Roundup - Rumors and Signings

Its been a week, and not much has happened in free agency. The high-profile players are still out there, but some needs are being filled:

Free Agency:
The Toronto Blue Jays signed SS Alex Gonzalez to a one-year deal with a club option for 2011. One has to wonder what exactly the Jays plans are with this signing. Compared to Marco Scutaro, their previous SS, Gonzalez is a downgrade. With Scutaro eligible to be a free agent but waiting on an arbitration offer, the Jays may not be expecting to get him back. This would be a huge blow for the organization, as Scutaro is coming off a year where he had career highs in almost every offensive category. The only real advantage Gonzalez has is age, as he is 2 years younger than Scutaro. With Gonzalez now signed and Scutaro expected to play elswhere, the Red Sox and Dodgers look like his most likely landing spots.

Hot Stove Roundup - Covering the Top Free Agents, and a look at Aroldis Chapman

We're one day into free agency and not much is happening. It looks like most teams are waiting to see what the Yankees do, which is a fairly silly thing to do:

Free Agency:
This week, we'll take a look at the top three free agents this off season:

Matt Holliday:
No stranger to moving around, Holliday could be on his third team in the past two years. After spending his first five seasons with the Colorado Rockies, he was traded to the Oakland A's after the 2008 season, then to the St Louis Cardinals at mid-season. Though his numbers have declined over the last two season, he remains one of baseball's best hitters. Coming up on 30-years-old in January, his production should stay around .320 BA/.400 OBP/25 HR or better for a few more years. Lucky for him, it looks like a lot of teams will need a corner outfielder this year. However, the Angels and Giants have already publicly claimed they aren't interested, and I get the feeling the Yankees will get outfield help from within the organization this year. With the Red Sox looking at him and Jason Bay, he's most likely to end up there or stay with the Cardinals.

Hot Stove Roundup - Week 1

With the MLB season about a week-and-a-half in the past, its time to start taking a look at the offseason moves as teams try to improve for next season. Without further ado, here is the first installment of the weekly Hot Stove Roundup:

The Sunday News - 11/8/09

Week 10 college football upsets: Northwestern 17 - No. 4 Iowa 10, Stanford 51 - No. 8 Oregon 42, Oregon State 31 - No. 20 Cal 14, Navy 23 - No. 22 Notre Dame 21 [ESPN]

Ty Law is coming out of retirment to sign with the Denver Broncos. [Denver Post]

Cal RB Jahvid Best suffered his second concussion in two weeks in the loss to Oregon State. [Sporting News]

Manny Ramirez has exercised his option to return to the LA Dodgers. [Reuters]

The Philadelphia Phillies picked up their option on Cliff Lee. [MLB.com]

The Milwaukee Brewers traded SS J.J. Hardy to the Minnesota Twins for CF Carlos Gomez. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

The Arizona Diamondbacks have picked up their option on Brandon Webb. [AZ Central]

Chicago Bulls F Tyrus Thomas is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured right forearm. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Detroit Pistons F Tayshaun Prince is out indefinitely with a rupture disk in his lower back. [Detroit Free Press]

Memphis Grizzlies G allen Iverson has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team to handle undisclosed personal issues. [NBA.com]

NY Islanders D Radek Martinek will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Also, one of the Islanders prospects, Bobby Hughes, has been arrested on sexual assault charges. [Examiner.com]

Phil Mickelson has won the WGC-HSBC Champions bye one stroke. [Golf Monthly]

Zenyatta remains undefeated in 14 starts, winning the Breeders' Cup Classic. She is the first mare to win the Classic, and is expected to be retired. [Chicago Tribune]