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My baseball people are telling me things may start heating up on the free agent market. Spring training is a little over a month away and now that the holidays are in the rear view mirror and the new year is here, free agents will be getting antsy.

Pat Burrell signed a 2 year, 16 million deal with the Rays. Very nice signing by the small market team. He can DH for them and play a little outfield. He hits lefties well and the team last year had trouble against lefties. He should hit .275, 25 HRS and 80 RBI’s.

The Cubbies are also close to signing Milton Bradley to a 3 year, 30 million deal. Not sure this is a very good signing. There is no DH in the NL and they guy is always hurt. They will be lucky to get 80 games from him in the outfield. I wonder where this leaves Abreu? 8 million and 10 million for guys that are about as good as Abreu. He will be lucky to get 12 million a year.

Tex is scheduled to be announced tomorrow by the Yankees. It is funny how the Yankees sign these guys to huge contracts and then it takes 2 weeks to be official. I wonder what they do during the 2 weeks before it is official? They seem to get vetted better than an Obama cabinet member. The Yankees would never have signed Bill Richardson.

The Dodgers have reworked Jones contract and he will only be due 5 million in 2009, then will be a free agent in 2010. Should the Yankees trade for him or wait for him to be released and sign him?

He will be 32 this season. He has had some really great years as a centerfielder. He has won gold gloves playing centerfield. Is he overrated? Is he on the quick decline of his career? Would New York revitalize his career?

When he is right, he is a very good right handed bat. The Yankees would not have to give up much for a trade. He would be cheaper than Cameron.

I lean towards taking a chance on him but then I have always thought he is overrated. He never hits for average (.259 career BA), strikes out a lot like Cameron and will make the great play in centerfield but is not solid.

A while ago I heard Aaron Rowands name thrown around. Now that guy can cover some ground and is a gamer. It would take more to trade for him but I have read the Giants are shopping him.

So, who should battle for centerfield in spring training? Melky vs. Gardner? Cameron? Jones? Rowand?

Welcome to 2009. Hopefully it will be a great year for the Yankees. On paper, they look very good but games are not played by what is on paper. The team has to go out and produce. Torre needs to do a good job managing, they need to stay healthy. Injuries were a big factor last year. Losing Wang and Posada were 2 big loses. Every team has to deal with injuries but the Yankees lacked depth last year. This is why I think the team needs to hang onto Swisher, Nady, Matsui and Damon. This is also why I think they need to sign Pettitte. Having Hughes, Kennedy, Aceves, and others at AAA will be better than having to rely on Ponson again if Burnett’s elbow acts up or Pettitte shows his age.

The team still needs some bench help and as January rolls on and free agents get desperate they should be able to add to the bench. Funny how Boras is now talking with the Dodgers after they contacted Dunn. Lowe was offered 3 years and 36 million from the Mets, a far cry from the 5 years, 90 million he was looking for. Giambi and others may only get 1 year deals. Small market clubs like the Rays love that.

I know this is a baseball blog but there is not much Yankees baseball or baseball in general to report.

The Cowgirls finish 9-7? I was hoping to see TO cry last night. He destroys every team he plays for.

Good to see the Broncos get steamrolled by the Chargers. I will never forget “The Drive”.

Tough for the Pats to go 11-5 and not make the playoffs. Will Brady be the same next year? Will Cassel be retained or let go and start for another team?

My Brownies went a terrible 4-12. Savage and Cremmel are gone. Quinn should start in 2009. The Dolphins have shown that you can go from zero to playoffs in 1 year.

Wow, how bad are the Lions. 0-16. I wonder what that locker room was like yesterday. Orlovsky, a UCONN alum got some playing time. Hopefully he will play some more in 2009.

I was looking at this weekends matchups and it looks like every road team is favored. Super Bowl prediction. Titans vs. Giants.

Ok, not really. He signed a 1 year deal with the Giants yesterday. Do the Giants care more about attendance from statistical milestones or winning games. Johnson’s 300th win will be the highlight of the Giants 2009 season.

It is December 28th and things (besides the Yankees) are still pretty slow. Usually by the new year most of the bog name free agents have been signed, sealed and delivered. It is going to be an interesting January. The players will most likely cry collusion when Manny gets a 2 year, 30 million deal or Lowe gets a 3 year 45 million deal. Hey, the economy is bad and the owners are calling players/agents bluff. Manny could of had a very nice contract in November but he waited. Abreu should have played some defense and maybe the Yankees pick up his 16 million option. Too bad he just sailed along in 2008.

I hope Pettitte takes the 10 million deal. He deserves another year in pinstripes. He is and always will be a gutsy pitcher. I met him in 1995 and got his autograph. I could tell then he was a real down to earth guy.

With the signing of Tex to play first base in 2009 the consensus on blogs and sports radio is that one of Nady, Matsui, Damon or Swisher will be traded.

Nady is arbitration eligible and will probably make about 6 million in 2009 so he has some value. The issue is the Yankees gave up a good set of prospects to get him. Plus he is a pretty good right handed bat.

Swisher is not even 30, has a good contract for the next 3 years and can play first, right or left. He also has some value but again, the Yanks gave up some good prospects to get him and he has not even played a game in pinstripes.

Damon is the Yankees leadoff guy and can play left and center in an emergency. He also has a no trade clause which makes it tough to move him. Damon will be a free agent after 2009 and will cost 13 million.

Matsui probably has the least value to the Yankees but also the least value to other teams. He has shown a lot of wear and tear two out of the last three years. He also has a no trade clause and will be a free agent after 2009 and is due 13 million.

The plan before Tex was signed was to have Swisher at first, Nady in right, Damon in left and Matsui DH. Then have Gardner or Melky battle it out for center. With that in mind I wonder if the Yankees keep all 4? Depth is a great thing in the majors. If Swisher is willing to play a little first, a little left, a little right and a little DH he should be able to start 5 games a week. Damon is not a youngster, nor is Matsui. They will need breathers during the week. I think a rotation Tex (mostly at first), Damon, Matsui, Nady and Swisher is not a bad thing. And if Gardner and Melky totally stink you suck it up and put Damon in center full time, Nady in right full time and Swisher in left full time. Not the ideal outfield defense lineup but then it allows Tex to play first and Matsui DH full time.

This makes me think unless the Yankees get blown away with a trade proposal, they may keep all four guys.

Are the Yankees the evil empire and bad for baseball or are the Yankees playing within the rules and are good for baseball?

Let me know what you think.

Well, how is that for warming things up in the hot stove league. I am driving home from work and listening to the fasn and I hear the big news of the day is Texiera signs with… I was 99% sure it would be the Sawx but then I hear Yankees. I was shocked.

Remember about a month ago I said the Yankees may spend half a billion dollars this offseason on free agents. Even as I typed it I had doubts. A month and 424 million later and that statement does not seem so far fetched. If they add Pettitte for 10 million, that could up the total to 434 million.

Are the Yankees done? I and many other guys that follow the team thought they were done after Burnett. Never count out Cashman. Wow. Will he now go after Lowe? Sheets? Manny? All of the above? Sign Sheets to be a middle reliever?

Now the team will look to trade Nady, Swisher or Matsui, ideally Matsui. Damon is the leadoff hitter and can play LF, DH a little and be the emergency centerfielder. Sweeny Murti said sign Tex and trade for Aaron Rowand. Would a Nady and Melky deal get Rowand to play CF. He is a great defensive centerfielder and with him, Damon and Swisher in the outfield, it would be a nice defensive outfield.

I feel a little bad for Swisher unless they trade him. He wanted to play first, seemed like a nice guy but will either not play for the Yankees or be the RF (or 4th outfielder).

Merry Christmas everyone and thank you Brian Cashman.

Not much at all going on in baseball news. It has been a very slow hot stove league so far. The most news has been teams pulling OUT of bidding on free agents. Agents must be poopin in their pants because the old game of wait and see is not working. With this economy, teams are not going to spend a lot (unless you are the Yankees). Even the Yankees are looking at a lower payroll of about 190 million in 2008.

Usually by January all the big names have signed, the last of the free agents are looking for 1 year deals. This year guys like Tex, Manny, Sheets, Lowe, Fuentes, Abreu, Giambi could all still be looking for work in the new year. Spring training starts early because of the WBC. There will be some nice deals for teams available in February. Giambi, a 20+ million guy last year might be lucky to get 10 million in 2009. He may be looking at a 1 year deal for 7-8 million. A team like the Rays love this market.

Maybe the Yankees can gegt Tex at 7 years, 120 million. With Boras stalling there has to be a 170-190 million deal out there but if he waits too long, teams will move on like the Angels did this weekend. Most likely he will sign with the Sawx for 8 years, 170 million.

On Yankees.com they had a story that the Pettitte signing is inevitable. That no team is pursuing him and that he wants to pitch one year with the Yankees makes it look like he will be back in 2009.

Boras says he wants 195 million for Tex. Manny will easily want 3 years at 25 million a year. I doubt the Yankees will sign either of them at that rate. Maybe if the market falls they can swoop in. Cashman wants roster flexibility and build with youth. Signing Tex to a 10 year deal will go against exactly what Cashman is trying to do.

I am glad to see the Melky for “K” Cameron did not go through. The Yankees need guys who work the account and make contact, not 150 strikeout guys.