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 - 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.