Today is going to be a very busy and exciting day for NBA fans as so many players will be changing teams or at least be rumoured to be doing so.

We’ve already seen a flurry of activity in the past week with the big Mavericks-Wizards deal and the Marcus Camby trade, among others. And late Wednesday, early Thursday morning, several other trades shook the landscape. Here’s a rundown of the big three:

While Tracy McGrady didn’t wind up in New York as everyone had expected, that ship has not sailed yet. T-Mac was dealt to the Kings in a seven-player trade, but may still be flipped before the Thursday 3 p.m. EST deadline to New York. McGrady must be feeling very unwanted these days, but Fantasy owners who scooped him up are going to want him a hell of a lot more if he’s on the free-wheeling Knicks.

Heading to Sacramento along with McGrady are Carl Landry (a great building block for the Kings) and rookie Joey Dorsey, while the following Kings are on their way to Houston: Kevin Martin (who immediately becomes the No. 1, 2 and 3 scoring option for the Rockets and likely ruins Trevor Ariza’s chance to be a stud in the second half), Kenny Thomas (is he still in the NBA?), Hilton Armstrong (who joins his third team of the season; think he’s having some identity crisis issues?) and Sergio Rodriguez (who deserves more PT, but just can’t seem to get it and I can’t see it happening in Houston).

The Knicks had offered Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, Larry Hughes and draft picks for T-Mac; will the same deal be on the table for the Kings if they try to flip McGrady to New York?

I love the Kings’ acquisition of Landry and am very surprised the Rockets gave him up. But you’ve got to give up something to get something, and with the Rockets’ offense middling at best, Kev-Mart is exactly what they need.

In Sacramento, Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes will suffer with the addition of Landry, while Andres Nocioni will fall off the radar even further – he’s already almost out of the rotation, so it won’t be much of a fall.

Meanwhile, the Bulls have ridded themselves of 2010-11 salary by dealing John Salmons to the Bucks for the expiring contracts of Francisco Elson and Kurt Thomas. Salmons – who has been horribly inconsistent in Chicago – should have more value in Milwaukee. In Chicago, without Salmons, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich will get all the burn they can handle. In Milwaukee, Charlie Bell should shift to the bench (not that anyone cares), but I’m worried about how Salmons’ arrival will affect Carlos Delfino, who has been a real revelation off the wire this season. Delfino has been seeing heavy duty minutes, so I’m going to see how this shakes out for a few games before panicking. If he continues to get close to 30 MPG, he’ll be fine, but if that starts to dip down to 25 or less, owners may need to rethink keeping him.

Clearly, this move is designed to allow the Bulls to go after big-name free agents this summer.

Cleveland was also busy on Wednesday, but it wasn’t about acquiring long-time trade target Amare Stoudemire. Instead, the Cavs landed Antawn Jamison from Washington and Sebastian Telfair from the Clippers. Heading to Washington is Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, a 2010 first rounder and the rights to Emir Preldzic. The Clippers, meanwhile, get Drew Gooden, traded for the second time this week.

This is a fantastic move for the Cavaliers, giving them another great scoring option that can light it up from outside, and they managed to retain J.J. Hickson – meaning their frontcourt remains extremely deep.

So it looks like Stoudemire will stay with the Suns, unless the Heat can somehow come up with a more tantalizing package. Some suggest Miami isn’t really interested in Stat, but is rather making a half-hearted attempt to land him in order to show Dwyane Wade that the organization wants to better itself. Ya, right.

Back in Chicago, obviously Tyrus Thomas and Brad Miller are not headed to Houston for McGrady, so does that mean they are staying put or will the Bulls package one or both of them in another deal?

Keep your eyes open this afternoon. Moves made today could have a great affect not only on the players moved, but on their old and new teammates, so you have to be prepared to react quickly.

The Jay Cutler era in Denver is kaput. Chicago delivered quarterback Kyle Orton, two first round picks (’09 and ‘10) and a 2009 third round pick to the Broncos in exchange for Cutler and a fifth round pick in the upcoming draft.

What does this do for the Bears? It could give them a legitimate quarterback for the first time since Jim Harbaugh back in the early ’90s (gulp). Harbaugh, the head coach of Stanford Cardinal football, led the Bears to consecutive playoff appearances in ‘90 and ‘91.

This move is slightly shocking from the Chicago perspective because it has gone the way of stop gap measures over the years (see Erik Kramer, Chad Hutchinson, Jim Miller). Obviously, when starting Rex Grossman or Orton, the Bears hoped finding a long-term answer would not be a problem. Instead, Lovie Smith played musical quarterbacks and seemingly nothing firmly established for an extended period of time.

Cutler’s skill set boasts arm strength and big plays. If you’ve followed Chicago offense over the years, it doesn’t specialize in long plays because of a lack of playmakers, the overall philosophy and weather conditions. In fact, last season only the Bengals (two) and Jaguars (one) had fewer pass plays of 40 yards or more than Chicago’s three.

If Cutler can come close to his numbers last year, that would mark tremendous improvement from last season’s Ortonpalooza. A look at their numbers from a season ago shows that Cutler could potentially make a difference for a historically lackluster passing offense.

Cutler: 62% completion rate, 4,526 yards, 25 TDs, 18 INTs

Orton: 58% completion rate, 2,978 yards, 18 TDs, 12 INTs

To put that in some sort of historical perspective, Cutler’s statistical performance from last year would rank near the top of the charts in Bears’ history. And that begs the question, will the Bears somewhat alter their philosophy of run, run, run, and run some more?

History says no, but then again, they hadn’t made such a bold move for a quarterback in recent years. Trading a pair of number ones doesn’t mean much if the strong-arm and strong-willed quarterback is handing off most of the time. Remember, this is the same franchise that has never had a quarterback throw for 30 touchdowns or pass for 4,000 yards.

Cutler’s biggest hurdle though may be his skill players. Her will not have Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal to throw to and he’ll have his hands full. “The place where receivers go to die” according to former Bear receiver Muhsin Muhammad, sports an average group of receivers.

In 2008, converted receiver Devin Hester, with 51 receptions, provided the biggest threat from the wide receiver spot for Chicago. Along with Hester, the two most dangerous receivers are running back Matt Forte and tight end Greg Olsen.

From the Bears’ perspective, it finally gives them credibility at the quarterback spot. However, Cutler will have to win over teammates and buck history in the process. The Bears haven’t produced a 1,000-yard receiver since 2002 (Marty Booker). If that trend holds next season, Chicago will likely watch the playoffs from home yet again.

Meanwhile in Denver, this finally ends head coach Josh McDaniels’ biggest nightmare during his brief stint with the Broncos thus far. From a pure talent standpoint, the Broncos get the short end of the stick by acquiring Orton, but they did need some sort of quarterback this year besides Chris Simms.

With question marks at quarterback and running back (Denver must determine which of its 900 backs will be able to stay healthy and actually be effective), the Broncos must cash in on their bounty of picks.

While the move hurts Denver in the short term, with the proper handling it could prosper under the circumstances. The Broncos own three picks in the first 48 selections of the ‘09 draft including two first rounders (12 and 18). Thus, the Broncos can focus on fixing their 29th-ranked defense from last season (by the way, I wonder how Brian Dawkins feels now about signing with the Broncos).

It will be quite some time before a true winner can be declared in this deal due to the number of draft picks involved. One thing appears to be clear, though. Both parties could have handled this matter in a more professional and concise manner. Their indiscretions could very well result in unhappy returns in the 2009 season.

What a day it was. GM Brian Burke was busy; not as busy as I would have liked, but busy nevertheless.

Here is a review of the deals (in case you didn’t know):

1. The Maple Leafs acquired a 2009 second round draft pick and a conditional draft pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Nik Antropov.

2. Toronto traded forward Dominic Moore to the Buffalo Sabres for Carolina’s second round draft pick in 2009.

3. Toronto obtained goaltender Olaf Kolzig, defencemen Jamie Heward and Andy Rogers and a fourth round draft pick in 2009 from the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenceman Richard Petiot.

4. The Maple Leafs claimed goaltender Martin Gerber off waivers from the Senators and defenceman Erik Reitz from the Rangers.

Here’s a tour of the reviews:

Damien Cox, Toronto Star

“The Maple Leafs started the day with five picks in this summer’s draft, selections in the first, third, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. They ended it with eight picks, adding two second rounders and a fourth, as well as an extra conditional selection acquired in the Nik Antropov deal with the Rangers. Nothing spectacular, but certainly necessary. Instead of having one pick in the top 60 selections, the Leafs should have three in the top 50. Instead of having two picks in the top 120, the Leafs now have five.That’s how the restocking of the prospect cupboard starts.”

Interesting that Damien has a positive spin on the Burke’s day…

“Dominic Moore, acquired after waivers last year by John Ferguson, re-signed by Cliff Fletcher and traded away Wednesday by Brian Burke, netted a second-round pick, a net gain for the Leaf organization. And what of Antropov, the 10th overall pick in 1998, moved to Manhattan for a second rounder? Well, the Leafs got a lot of years of service for the Kazakh. We watched him grow from a skinny, confused kid with little ability to speak English into a power forward with scoring ability, not to mention a gentleman and a father. Was he a bust? Well, he didn’t become a star, but look at the other players taken in ‘98. After Vinny Lecavalier went first, the order went David Legwand, Brad Stuart, Bryan Allen, Vitali Vishnevski, Rico Fata, Manny Malhotra, Mark Bell, Mike Rupp and then Antropov. Based on that group, Antropov was a very successful pick by the Leafs. At the end, he was traded because he wasn’t good enough for the dollars he’ll be looking for as a free agent to a team that’s at the very early stages of a long rebuilding period. And if he pans out for the Rangers and helps them win two playoff rounds this spring, the Leafs will get an additional fourth rounder.”

The fact he is so positive scares the hell out of me. Let’s see what the days ahead bring…

Paul Hunter, Toronto Star

“Vesa Toskala is finished for the season. Toskala has been struggling though hip and groin problems and said he would have surgery to correct those issues next week. His spot between the pipes will be filled by former Ottawa Senator Martin Gerber, who the Leafs claimed on re-entry waivers. As expected today, the Leafs also traded Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore, two players who were headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. Antropov went to the Rangers for a second-round draft pick and another conditional draft pick. Moore went to the Buffalo Sabres for a second-round draft pick.”

Just the facts, ma’am!

Stephen Brunt, The Globe and Mail

“Brian Burke has a way with words, and in his current gig, that’s going to come in mighty handy. Yesterday afternoon, at the conclusion of his first signpost day as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was called upon to explain the absence of highlight-reel goals and home runs and one-punch knockouts. The trade deadline had come and gone, leaving the franchise minus a couple of useful pieces they declined to sign for what those players and their agents believed they were worth, Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore. The Leafs are now in possession of a marginal starting goaltender acquired on the waiver wire, Martin Gerber, to replace the now-shelved Vesa Toskala, and have four new drafts picks — two second round, one conditional, one fourth round — to partly fill the gaping hole left behind in that department by previous administrations. But there were no first-rounders acquired, though that was the original asking price for Antropov. There were no bright young prospects added who might some day be part of a contending Leafs team. There was no real blockbuster deal, through which a Tomas Kaberle might have brought something truly significant in return. It was more housekeeping than renovation, which for an understandably anxious fan base might not have been quite the Burkean miracle they had imagined.”

I don’t disagree with anything Brunt says there…

“To get better, the Maple Leafs will have to make far better use of the draft than they have in the recent past. They will have to patiently and skillfully develop those players. They will have to create a positive environment and create cap space so that they can attract free agents. And they will have to get lucky, because however adept Burke is at manoeuvring through the current collective agreement, however savvy he is in his dealings with his peers, at some point his team is going to have to stumble on a franchise player. Today, early in his honeymoon period, most fans are probably willing to take Burke at his word, and to cut him some slack, especially since he declines to make excuses. ‘If you hear me start complaining people should throw something heavy at me,’ he said. ‘I work in one of the greatest cities in the world, I work for one of the greatest teams in the world and we’ll get this sorted out. I didn’t think it was going to be an easy or quick process and it’s not going to be.’ But check in again in a couple of years, on another deadline day, in what will likely be a rather different NHL, with the Leafs’ building process advanced, the stakes higher, and the movie presumably well into its second or third act.”

This passage could have been written at any time during the last nine months. Nothing new here folks, nothing at all.

Tim Wharnsby, The Globe and Mail

“The Toronto Maple Leafs restocked their supply of draft picks, but also have left their roster bare to play out the remainder of this season. Not only did the Leafs deal forwards Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore for a pair of second-round selections yesterday, they also shut down goaltender Vesa Toskala.”

And this is a bad thing? Plummet, Maple Leafs, plummet, for god’s sake!

“Although such talk is taboo, the move enhances the Leafs’ chances of sliding into the bottom five in the league standings and being eligible for the draft lottery. With 18 games remaining, the Leafs are 23rd in the 30-club NHL, six points up on the 26th-place Colorado Avalanche.”

Now you are talking. That is more like it.

“As a fill-in for Toskala, the Leafs plucked Ottawa Senators goalie Martin Gerber off re-entry waivers. Gerber will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and he hasn’t played a NHL game since Jan. 8, when the Senators buried him in the minors. What made the Toskala decision intriguing was that Leafs general manager Brian Burke publicly scolded Toskala last month for poor work habits in practice. The harsh words prompted the Leafs goalie to inform his boss that he took it easy in practice because of his chronic hip problems. After the information session, Toskala, Wilson, Burke and the medical staff discussed their options. When surgery as soon as possible was agreed upon as the best course of action, Burke and his management team began searching for another goalie last week. ‘I have been talking with the team and I’m on the same page,’ Toskala said. ‘We made a decision that is best for me.’”

I am calling bullshit on this one. Bill Watters and Greg Brady have been saying for weeks that Toskala hasn’t been healthy. Then Burke attacks him. I don’t know why, but I am just not buying the chain of events as they are being laid out. This doesn’t smell right. To be honest, who cares?

“Both Moore and Antropov, who were kept out of the Leafs lineup on Tuesday, were moved because they are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer. Antropov was the first to be traded. He went to the Rangers for a second-round pick and a conditional pick. Moore went down the highway to the Buffalo Sabres, also for a second-round selection. These were moves expected to be made by Burke, who will now turn his attention to signing two or three U.S. College players, then the draft and possible trades there as well as the free-agency frenzy in July. ‘We intend to be aggressive on a lot of different fronts,’ Burke said.”

Let’s hope so. I am not thrilled with what happened today. I wanted more. Having said that, it appears to be a start. Maybe more tearing down is needed before the rebuild starts…

Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun

“Brian Burke is committed to rebuilding the Maple Leafs, but other National Hockey League teams were just as determined not to let him do it with their best draft picks. Burke’s attempt to wrestle a first rounder for Nik Antropov and a high second rounder for checking centre Dominic Moore were only partially successful on a day when the Leafs also shut down goalie Vesa Toskala with hip/groin surgery and added goalie Martin Gerber and defenceman Eric Reitz on waivers. Antropov is taking his act to Broadway, dealt to the New York Rangers at today’s 3 p.m. deadline for a second rounder and a conditional pick, likely based on the Rangers making the playoffs. Toronto began the day with a first pick in the top 10 at the June draft and hoping to parlay Antropov into another, but had no second or fourth rounder. It turned out just one first-rounder changed hands as the anticipated slow day because of salary cap concerns came to pass.”

Like his counterpart at the Star, Lance offers no opinion.

Bruce Arthur, National Post

“But you want a deal that epitomizes the new NHL? Try one of the day’s final trades, in which the Toronto Maple Leafs sent an undistinguished gentleman named Richard Petiot to cash-strapped Tampa Bay for the expiring contracts of Olaf Kolzig (torn biceps), Jamie Heyward (concussed), minor-leaguer Andy Rogers, and a fourth-round pick. Kolzig and Heyward are unlikely to play a game for the Leafs; Rogers, from all appearances, is an afterthought. So basically the Leafs are paying the salaries of Kolzig and Heyward until the summer – a total of about US$500,000 – to get a fourth-round pick, while the Lightning save some cash. Toronto can afford it; Tampa cannot. Welcome to the new NHL. ‘I think part of it is people are scared to death of the 2010-11 season,’ Burke said. ‘The coming season, what the cap’s going to be, the cap will be based largely on this year’s revenues, and most of our revenues were in the tills before the bad news really hit. So I think it’s artificial in terms of what revenues will be in a year. But because the cap always follows 12 months of financial developments, my sense is that teams – and I know I am – are scared to death of 2010-11 in terms of committing money or locking up guys. This is where, if you go back to when guys were doing six, seven, 12-year, 15-year deals and patting themselves on the back for how smart they were, I think some teams are really going to regret going that far along.’”

This is not editorial on Burke or the Leafs per se, however, it’s very interesting to see how Burke used cap space and wealth to acquire a later draft pick.

Mike Brophy, Sportsnet

“Toronto’s Brian Burke likely hoped to make a bigger splash than he did as he tries to resurrect the Maple Leafs, but with Antropov and Moore gone, and Martin Gerber tending the net down the stretch, perhaps the Leafs stand a better chance of getting a lottery pick. That, for the record, is a good thing especially if they get John Tavares or Victor Hedman.”

Here’s hoping…

Jim Kelley, Sportsnet

“One could even make a case that the winner is the one that comes up with the most innovative way to perhaps legally circumvent the rules of transaction, much the way Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke is attempting to do in essentially buying a fourth-round draft pick for $500,000 by buying off injured and likely retiring players via a complicated transaction with the Tampa Bay Lightning.”

If it weren’t legal, do you think the league would have passed it?

“Take Burke’s deal with Tampa Bay. Burke may have done something outside the spirit of the rules while working completely within them. He traded Richard Petiot to the Lightning for veteran goalie Olie Kolzig, Jamie Heward, Andie Rogers and a fourth-round pick. Knowing full well that Petiot isn’t likely to ever be a player in the NHL, that Heward hasn’t made it (and likely never will) and that Rogers is also looking at the end of his career, he essentially delivered about a half million dollars in cap space to the Lightning in exchange for a fourth round pick. If this kind of transaction holds up, Burke will have won a battle he’s been losing for years, that being the ability to trade cap space from a team that has it to a team that doesn’t. This bears a whole lot of watching.”

A GM has to do what he can within the confines of the rules. That is a two way street. The Bolts are tight on cash and need any break they can get. The leafs needed a pick and took some dead weight from the Bolts and turned it into a pick.

Howard Berger, National Post

“What seems like an emotional let-down today for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs may ultimately be viewed as the perfect beginning to a long, complicated process. And, don’t fool yourself for even a second into thinking there are any short-cuts in the task of properly re-structuring the Maple Leafs, a franchise that only now – four years after the fact – is starting to be managed compatibly in the post-lockout NHL. Brian Burke was depicted by some as a media manipulator with his tempered comments of the past couple of weeks. He was merely lying in the weeds – managing expectations in the unseemly event he couldn’t re-shape the hockey club with a few bold strokes. In the end, however, Brian was typically shooting straight. He warned observers not to work themselves into a frothing mess over the Leafs’ trade deadline possibilities, suggesting as recently as Tuesday night that it was only the first step in his long-range plan.”

I think Howie is right (I know, two blogs in a row). Lots of us were hoping for much more today and are disappointed with the little that Burke did. I guess in time we will see if it was enough.

“Whether or not that plan actually lifts the hockey club out of its perennial quagmire remains to be seen, and will obviously determine if Burke was, indeed, the best man for the job. But, on the day of his first trade deadline with the Leafs, Brian kept his word. He mentioned on numerous occasions that his primary goal in this initial step was to re-stock the franchise with draft picks that were lost in recent trades, and he did exactly that – acquiring two second-rounders, a fourth-rounder and a conditional selection. In bartering for those picks, he vowed not to take on wasteful salary – contracts of middling players that extend into the 2010-11 season, when the global economic crunch is likely to affect the league’s payroll cap. Again, Burke stuck to his guns. And, the players he moved – Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore – were widely rumored to be going elsewhere as they prepare to test unrestricted free agency this summer.”

Credibility is a good thing in this town. I still am not buying the Toskala thing one bit, but that is a discussion for another day. While all the pundits were yelling bullshit, that Burke is merely playing poker, the reality is he was being pretty straightforward. Not only that, but his near f-bomb on the TSN deadline marathon was priceless.

“So, really, an outbreak of clinical depression should not be endemic among Leaf fans that chose to pay attention, and viewed the 2009 trade deadline for what it was – a table-setting exercise. Much more anticipation can be reserved for the warm months, when Burke will begin to replenish his draft stock, and will have more cap room to work with in free agency than most other big-market teams. It will enable him to sign a premium talent such as Richmond Hill native Mike Cammalleri – a bonafide 40-goal shooter that is young enough, at 27, to be a vital cog on a contending team three or four years down the road. It will allow Burke to try and deal for a top-end player with a contract that does extend beyond next season, now that he eschewed taking on fringe holdovers at the deadline. And, the process of fashioning the Leafs into a winning club will advance to the next level.”

Here Howie heads offside. One, he predicted in his last blog that Burke could make up to six or seven deals if he wanted to. So don’t give me this ‘if you paid attention’ crap. Also, folks, should Burke sign Cammalleri, remember this blog post for when Berger slams Burke for doing so.

“There was much deception from the Leafs – and from Toskala, himself – over the goalie’s suspected groin and hip problems this season. It’s never pleasant to be outright lied to – Ron Wilson, you’ll recall, assured that Toskala’s recent hip examination showed no structural damage – but the Leafs aren’t the only team to go down that path, and it’s understandable that teams would wish to protect their assets in any way possible.”

Hey come on, Howard, it’s not a lie if you know the truth!

“Burke doesn’t yet seem like the “hot shot” he rhetorically called himself on the radio last month. The moves he made at the deadline lacked even a modicum of flair. But, showy maneuvering isn’t the recipe for a pseudo-expansion team with legitimate designs of advancement in today’s NHL. Large steps must be preceded by baby steps.”

Modicum, love it! I don’t necessarily disagree with this comment. I think the Tampa deal was creative, though. Interesting to see Howie give a hat tip to Burke’s moves.

All in all, it was an interesting day. I think the TV networks looked like idiots for being on at 8 a.m. Going from eight to nine hours of coverage translated into an hour of my life I will one day wish I can get back. To me, the big winner of the day was those of you who were on Twitter, and Twitter itself [Note from the Editor: you can now find RotoRob on Twitter]. It was pretty wild to see all the dialogue on it. For those of you who are curious as to what I am talking about, go here and then enter #nhltrade into the search bar and you will see all those who were talking NHL trade deadline over the last several hours. I can tell you that the numbers were staggering. It just proves once again that NHL fans are the most tech savy of any sports fan out there.

Second place goes to the folks over at The Globe and Mail. Their online live blog was good. I don’t think they talked to the room enough, but this was their first time. Coverage on the Fan 590 was weak. Really weak. It started with Hogan and Toth who essentially started the day with nothing to talk about. They seemed almost annoyed to be there. The rest of the day was, well, just boring. I know the moves didn’t really start until later in the afternoon, but man, they didn’t seem to have an real planned programming. I only heard about an hour of Brady and Bill Hayes. In my opinion, it paled in comparison to what the TV guys were doing. Then again, that isn’t a fair comparison.

So technology won the day for me. A buddy hooked me up with his slingbox so i could watch TV on my laptop. It was phenomenal. Add Twitter to that and it was a fun day. Here’s hoping draft days and free agent days are more active in the future. I’ll be back with more thoughts and commentary tomorrow.

Check out more of TSM’s articles here.

After missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993 (considering there were no playoffs in 1994), the New York Yankees have begun an offseason of change.

On Tuesday, the team said adios to Jason Giambi and his porn ‘stache and good riddance to Carl Pavano – who represented one of the biggest mistakes in franchise history – by declining the 2009 options on the pair, making each of them a free agent.

While Giambi stayed somewhat healthy for once, seeing his most action since 2003 with 145 games, he’s clearly not the same player that terrorized AL pitchers and walked away with an MVP award in 2000 for Oakland. His power made a nice recovery in the wake of his involvement in the steroid scandal, and his strike zone judgment bounced back somewhat, but this is not a dude who will ever again threaten the .300 mark. A second half slump (.239 BA, 824 OPS) muted what was otherwise a fine comeback season.

Trying to get a handle on Giambi’s porn ‘stache on again, porn ‘stache off again season was as hard as his balls are shriveled. He hit .164 in April, and then went on a major tear in May and June, before slumping most of the remainder of the year (although he did bash eight homers in August). September was downright awful, as he hit just .226, likely sealing his fate as a Pinstriper.

Talk that Giambi will return to the A’s has heated up as on Tuesday Oakland brought in Bob Alejo as its strength and conditioning coach – the same man who worked for the A’s from 1993 to 2001 and then followed Giambi to the Big Apple.

The Yanks have tossed $5 million at Giambi to go away, rather than pick up his 2009 option ($22 million).

Keeper league owners should note that Giambi has been much better at home than on the road in recent years – particularly in 2002 (929 OPS at home compared to a road mark of just 826). Do note that if he winds up in Oakland, Giambi has hit very well there in the past few seasons, so it’s not all bad news.

Yankee GM Brian Cashman hasn’t ruled out re-signing Giambi at a lower price, and hell, he didn’t even suggest that bringing back Pavano was impossible – even though there’s a better chance that Kirby Puckett makes a comeback next season.

But the fact is that both these dudes are gonzo, and in Pavano’s case, there are probably several million Yankee fans saying ‘don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.’

Pavano’s four-year, $39.95 million deal wound up being one of the most colossally overpriced contracts in Yankee (if not baseball) history, and that’s saying a lot, considering the Yanks have had plenty of them over the years (Andy Hawkins, anyone?).

Pavano made a total of 26 starts over his four years in New York, finishing with a winning record (9-8) and a sweet-ass ERA of exactly 5.00. So, let’s see, toss in the $1.95 million buyout and each of Pavano’s wins cost the Yankees $4,655,556. Uh, yeah.

It’s not as if Pavano’s return to action this season provided any hope that he’s even close to returning to the form that made him an 18-game winner in 2004 and prompted the Yankees to shell out all that cash for him. He was way too hittable, had awful command, couldn’t strike anyone out, and was surrendering too many long balls.

The result was an ERA north of five and three quarters – hardly a number that is going to spur anyone to take much of a chance on him. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked – even given the paucity of starting pitching — if Pavano had to sign a minor league deal.

Finally, in other Yankee-related news, Andy Pettitte has said he’d like to come back and pitch in New York in 2009, confirming a decision he was already leaning towards for a while now.

Pettitte earned $16 million this season, but after going 14-14 (his most losses ever) with an ERA of 4.54 (his highest since 1999), I can’t seem him commanding that kind of money again next year. He was hit to the tune of a .290 BAA – a career worst.

The aging lefty was particularly rancid down the stretch – going 2-7 with a 6.23 ERA over his final 11 starts, and skipping his final outing with a sore shoulder.

Pettitte says his pitching shoulder has checked out and he does not require surgery.

Before moving on to the meat of the deal, let’s look at the potatoes. Samb was the 51st pick in the 2006 draft and has a physique that would make Shawn Bradley cringe. We can only hope he gets enough minutes to have his own “Top 10 Dunks on Cheikh Samb” video on YouTube.

The other spud is McDyess, who will reportedly have his contract bought out and then can magically return to the Pistons Jerry Stackhouse style (although he’d have to wait at least 30 days he if did choose to head back to Motown). I guess it makes sense from a financial standpoint, but I was critical of Denver’s front court depth with injury-prone starters Nene and Kenyon Martin and McDyess would help address that. However, all signs point to a McDyess/Motown reunion if a deal can be reached on a buyout, which would be bad news for Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell, who each looked to benefit from McDyess’s departure.

Now it’s time for the meat. Iverson’s arrival in D-town makes him their top scorer and gives them a fiery competitor in the final year of his contract. He’s motivated and his blue-collar style of play should go over well there. I wouldn’t expect him to last beyond this year, though, as his departure (combined with that of Rasheed Wallace) would put the Pistons well below the cap and give them the chance to target the young player of their choice this offseason. They could also choose to hold onto that space for a year when the likes of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will be hitting the open market. Dumars also reportedly loves Rodney Stuckey, but he was trapped behind Billups, who is under contract through at least 2010-11.

As for Denver, the move does two things: (a) it gives it a better distributor at the point, making Carmelo Anthony the primary option in the offense while moving Anthony Carter to the pine; and (b) it adds value to J.R. Smith (who, even if he doesn’t start, will definitely benefit with extra minutes and touches). Billups also brings a sense of defensive pride and accountability, which the team has to be hoping will rub off on some of their younger talent. The move also should open up some minutes for Linas Kleiza, who no longer has to compete with AI, Melo and Smith on the wings. I like the trade more from Denver’s perspective, and Billups – a Denver native and University of Colorado product – should enjoy his return to the Mile High City.

Fantasy Spin

Winners

Smith is the call here over Kleiza. He was stuck behind AI while the team functioned with a sub par point guard. With Billups in place, Smith becomes the No. 1 off guard. Johnson and Maxiell become more intriguing in the short term but could have their wings clipped if McDyess is only on an extended vacation. Still, grab them in deep leagues.

Losers

While Stuckey may be the future, Iverson is the present and it’s unlikely to come at the expense of Rip Hamilton. Iverson is built to play a ton of minutes and wants to get his numbers with his last chance at a big-time contract looming. In Denver, Carter becomes even more worthless.

This 18-year-old kid, the sixth overall pick in the draft in June, became just the fourth Blue Jacket in team history to score a goal in his NHL debut, but that marks his only point in four games. And since that game, Filatov’s playing time in Columbus has dwindled with each contest, so GM Scott Howson is making the right call here to get this top prospect some much needed action.

Apparently, the AHL can’t contain this 6’0”, 172-pound left winger, as he’s potted two goals with a +1 rating in two games with the Syracuse Crunch. All this guy does is score, and he has a chance to be an incredibly gifted NHL talent in the near future.

Filatov’s rapid development gives the Blue Jackets an interesting dilemma given the fact that three of their top forwards are all left wingers – Rick Nash, Jason Chimera (who looks to be worth a second glance on the waiver wire) and Kristian Huselius, who has cooled now after a blazing start to the campaign. Frederik Modin, also a decent offensive player, is yet another left winger clogging the Columbus depth chart. This team needs to make a deal to clear a spot for Filatov in the not too distant future.

In fact, the Blue Jackets, having lost three straight games after going .500 through their first six games, are quickly sinking in the standings, having dropped to last place in the Central Division. Things don’t get any easier Thursday, when Columbus travels to Colorado as the Avalanche will be pissed after getting shut out in Calgary earlier this week.

Columbus looked to be making some progress last season, setting a franchise record with 80 points, leading to hope that it might make a push for its first ever playoff appearance this season. Those hopes are quickly fading, however, given the team’s moribund offense (less than 2.7 goals per game).

Who knows? If this keeps up, we could be seeing Filatov back before we know it.

Williams immediately becomes a must-own after losing traction recently thanks to a hip injury that had limited his effectiveness (not to mention an unsettled QB situation in Detroit in the wake of Jon Kitna’s injury).

It’s also great news for Tony Romo owners (when he gets back, of course).

If you own Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, Marion Barber or Patrick Crayton, the arrival of Williams definitely affects your dudes. T.O. could do better in this scenario with coverage distracted by the options Dallas throws at them, but will he get the chance?

Harvey has been holding out for the last 33 days, causing a rift between the team and agent Ken Kremer. Apparently, the stumbling block here was escalators that will pay Harvey a bonus if he played 70 per cent of the snaps. The team finally adjusted its offer, adding incentive clauses that kick in if Harvey plays 55 to 75 per cent of the snaps.

That’s a good thing for the rook, considering that after missing training camp and the entire preseason to date, he’ll likely be in no condition to handle a starting role out of the gate. However, the Jags believe that as the season progresses, he’ll become a bigger and bigger part of the defensive scheme.

The deal is for five years and includes over $17.1 million in guaranteed money, has a base package worth approximately $23.8 million and – with the incentives – could be worth over $33 million.

The Jags picked Harvey eighth overall out of Florida.

The signing of Harvey – he immediately reported to Jacksonville Wednesday to sign the deal and take his physical and could play as early as Thursday against the Redskins – removes one distraction from the Jaguar camp. But on the same day as that impasse was finally settled, it was reported that wide receiver Dennis Northcutt is being sued by his former girlfriend, a suit which alleges that Northcutt conspired to beat her up when she was four months pregnant.

Hey, what’s an NFL story without an alleged crime?

The Chicago Blackhawks made a big splash while admittedly overspending in terms of length and dollar amount (hey, at least they’re honest, right?). Brian Campbell leaves the Pacific coast to go to the Windy City, while Cristobal Huet gives the Hawks the most expensive goaltending tandem in hockey history (about $13 million in the crease). For Campbell, that means more of the same — power play time with a very talented core group of players. On the point position, the Hawks have seen a number of different configurations, including the use of their many young blueliners and forward/defenseman/all-around nice guy Dustin Byfuglien. There’s no telling yet who will have the best chemistry with Campbell, and it might even be a forward moving back like Robert Lang (though Jason Williams left via free agency), so the only thing that’s certain is that one of Chicago’s key power play point men will lose ice time to Campbell.

In the crease, no one’s quite sure what will happen with Nikolai Khabibulin, though rational thinking tells us that he will be shipped off so Huet can be the starter come opening night. Still, Hawk management is saying all the right things, such as the team is ready to go with 1A and 1B if need be (and an alternating system similar to what former San Jose coach Ron Wilson did with Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala two seasons ago might be a good way to drive up Khabibulin’s trade value). The bottom line, though, is that Huet will be there for the long haul and Khabibulin will be gone eventually.

Since Campbell left San Jose, what did the Sharks do in return? They got not one but two offensive-minded blueliners. First, the Sharks signed veteran Rob Blake, then they made a blockbuster deal for all-star defenseman Dan Boyle. Boyle immediately becomes San Jose’s go-to point man, but it still remains to be seen how new coach Todd McLellan will handle the rest of the unit. Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski have spent time at the point, and Christian Ehrhoff has shown plenty of offensive potential (and who better to learn from than Blake?). So until McLellan settles on something that works, you can bet that San Jose’s two power-play units will be a mix-and-match test of about ten different guys.

Over in Motown, the Red Wings reloaded by signing Marian Hossa for a one-year deal. It remains to be seen where Hossa will play, but most likely he won’t be lining up with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Instead, look for Hossa to anchor his own line except in special teams and last-minute situations. Because Detroit’s core group of forwards is so deep and diverse, there’s no telling just what coach Mike Babcock will do just yet.

Strange things are afoot in Vancouver (about 20 million strange things sent to one Mats Sundin), but in the meantime the Canucks have jettisoned long-time captain Markus Naslund and brought in Pavol Demitra to be his erstwhile replacement. Demitra, coming off a somewhat disappointing season in Minnesota, was upset with the way the Wild’s defensive system constricted his play. Um, Pavol, you do know that Alain Vignault plays a suffocating defensive style too, right? The Canucks also acquired inconsistent young power forward Steve Bernier, who could wind up anywhere from being the Sedin twins’ crease-crasher to Mike Gillis’ in-game pizza guy depending on how his work ethic goes this season.

The Phoenix Coyotes were a team on the rise last season, and they’ve got an even bigger reason to be optimistic heading into this year. Not only do young players like Peter Mueller and Kyle Turris become a year older, wiser, and stronger, the Coyotes have their first true No. 1 centre since the heyday of Jeremy Roenick in the desert. Acquiring Olli Jokinen cost blueliner Keith Ballard, but it presents so many more options up front for Wayne Gretzky. This looks to be the year the Coyotes turn the page.

The Dallas Stars now have the league’s two most irritating players. Will coach Dave Tippet choose to play newly-signed Sean Avery with superpest Steve Ott, or will he keep them separate to have the irritation spread out? One things for sure: the Stars have the right players to draw penalties — and anger — out of the opposition.

The Ducks kept Corey Perry in the fold with an extension that essentially replicated teammate Ryan Getzlaf’s deal. In need of scoring depth, Anaheim is hoping that Brenden Morrison can revive his career. If Teemu Selanne comes back, it’s almost certain that Morrison will play with the Finnish Flash, most likely with Chris Kunitz, as coach Randy Carlyle hopes to recapture the chemistry that left when Andy McDonald was traded to St. Louis. That’s probably Morrison’s best hope in terms of returning to elite status.

Columbus has been looking for a centre for Rick Nash for a while, and this time, it’s gambling on a young player rather than a veteran like Sergei Fedorov. By acquiring R.J. Umberger, the Blue Jackets are penciling him in to play with Nash and hopefully spread out the offense. They’ll need to succeed since the Blue Jackets’ only other offensive weapon (Nikolai Zherdev) was shipped off to the Rangers for blueline support. Umberger will have every opportunity to reach his potential by playing with Nash, and if the duo manages to find some chemistry, the Blue Jackets will have an offensive anchor to carry them through the near future.

Finally, Calgary signed Todd Bertuzzi. The rest of the world shrugged and laughed.

Let’s focus today on how the departure of defending AL Cy Young winner Sabathia affects the reeling Indians, losers of nine straight games. I mean, obviously, you can’t simply replace a Cy Young winner, but his roster and rotation spot were suddenly opened nonetheless.

Juan Rincon, signed by the Tribe to a minor league deal last month, is expected to get the call Wednesday to take Sabathia’s roster spot. Given how brutal the former top notch set-up dude has been the past two years and the fact that his results at Triple-A Buffalo haven’t been inspiring, I wouldn’t look to Rincon for any help. Manager Eric Wedge says that Rincon’s arm has looked good, especially his slider, but I’m not holding out hope to see the pre-juiced version of Rincon suddenly resurface.

But that still leaves Sabathia’s rotation spot, next needed on Saturday. Ultimately, Fausto Carmona will slide into that spot, but he’s still dealing with a left hip strain. He threw another bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to toss a simulated game Thursday, but then he’ll need a rehab assignment. So don’t look for Carmona to be back in Cleveland until after the All-Star break.

Many people have reported that Jeff Weaver, signed last week to a minor league deal, will get the start Saturday. But Weaver was cut by Triple-A Nashville almost a month ago, and hasn’t pitched since, so he needs to get some work in before he sees a major league diamond again.

The Tribe is very excited by the progress made this season by 23-year-old lefty Dave Huff, a first round supplemental pick in 2006. He’s already shot through Double-A, and is more than holding his own at Triple-A (3.79), but asking a kid who’s made just seven starts above Double-A to start in the majors may be pushing things. Still, Huff has landed squarely on the radar as a prospect worth watching.

Wedge would prefer to select from the group of “guys who have been around for a while.” This leaves some very uninspiring choices from Triple-A, including righties Matt Ginter (6-6, 4.27) and Dan Reichert (1-3, 4.40) and lefty John Halama (4-2, 5.66). I trust you’re not that desperate for pitching help, are you?

From the sounds of it, the trade of Sabathia will not suddenly open the door for any Indian youngsters we really need to be tracking.

However, one Indian prospect worth watching is newcomer Matt LaPorta, the key man acquired from Milwaukee in the deal. He was dominating in the Double-A Southern League, so Cleveland toyed with the idea of assigning him to Triple-A Buffalo after the deal. Instead, the team opted to take a slightly slower approach, sending him to their Double-A Eastern League affiliate. But don’t worry – I suspect he won’t be long for the Eastern League. I have a strong feeling we’ll be seeing LaPorta in Buffalo before the end of the month, and probably in Cleveland by the end of August. Get ready to jump on this powerful kid, who should already be taken in keeper leagues.

It’s been an awfully disappointing season in Cleveland given that this team was built to contend. But the acquisition of LaPorta is a brilliant way to retool on the fly with a bright young hitter, especially considering how quickly he’ll arrive in Cleveland to provide help.

Man, have things ever spiraled out of control since then.

The team barely finished over .500 in 2006, and then plummeted even further last year. While they’ve shown modest improvements this season, in looking at the big picture, things appear bleak.

Even with the retirements of long-time franchise faces Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, the average age of the roster is still close to 31 years of age – the oldest of all major league clubs.

On the horizon, there isn’t much help coming in the near future. Baseball America ranks the Astro minor league system as the thinnest in all of baseball besides the White Sox. (Of course, surrendering their second round pick last year for a clearly done Woody Williams and failing to sign three of their top six picks didn’t help breath life into the system.)

Now, the drama begins.

Shawn Chacon, signed for $2 million in the offseason (when a few extra bucks would have landed Livan Hernandez or Kyle Lohse), finally imploded this week, hurling his own GM to the ground and landing on waivers Thursday afternoon.

He’ll likely never pitch again in the majors after this stunt.

Even though the ‘Stros are scuffling a bit lately, they are just five games under .500, and still somewhat close to the Wild Card leading Cardinals (7.5 games back).

But if this Chacon situation is the start of a major unraveling in Houston, it’s time to consider blowing it up and attempting a major rebuilding program – clearly a bitter pill to swallow for an organization that made the postseason six times in nine years, culminating in the 2005 World Series club.

So should Houston part with its stars and bring back in some much-needed minor league depth in the process? Let’s examine who might be the likeliest of candidates to go should the team opt to empty the cupboards.

Miguel Tejada is signed through the end of next year and owed another $13 million for 2009. His bat has slipped somewhat this year, but he’s slumping badly right now, so it’s not the best time to consider trading him. Tejada is a good team leader, but a declining bat on a 34-year-old shortstop not known for his defensive prowess is not a luxury a rebuilding team should be carrying.

Then you’ve got Lance Berkman, in the midst of a career year at the age of 32. Although he’s cooled somewhat this month, Berkman is still mashing, and he’s under contract until the end of the 2010 season, with a $15 million club option for 2011. He’d bring in a king’s ransom from a team needing an injection of offense, but would it would be horribly demoralizing to see this Texas boy and former Rice star leave Houston. Complicating matters further is his full no-trade clause.

Roy Oswalt is signed through the end of the 2011 with a 2012 club option, but he’s struggling through his worst season yet, so his value isn’t exactly through the roof right now. On the plus side, Oswalt is trending in the right direction, with June being his finest month of the season to date, and more along the lines of what we’ve come to expect from him. Imagine how much he’d bring in return, although, again, there’s a no-trade clause in play here.

Carlos Lee is under contract until 2012, and has been in slow decline for the last three years. Getting anything near market value for him would be huge, but Lee can veto any deal until 2010, so would need to waive his no-trade clause first. It would likely take a team offering him an extension to do so, and I’m not sure anyone would be interested in going there, so Lee is unlikely to be shed.

It will be interesting to see how the Astros decide to handle this situation. But unless by some bizarre happenstance this Chacon episode galvanizes the team and starts a roll, I think owner Drayton McLane, and GM Ed Wade (once he picks his ass off the ground, that is) really need to take a hard look at the long-term future of this club and make some tough decisions as we near the trading deadline.

I doubt this change will do much – I mean, consider the fact that Pentland is the sixth hitting coach for this team in just over a decade since Lee Elia. Elia, ironically enough, has now taken over the struggling Mariner offense again.

Coming off an 88-win season in 2007, expectations were high for Seattle, but since holding its own in April, everything has come unraveled. An 8-20 May, followed by a 2-7 June to date has caused the Mariners to fall 16.5 games off the pace in the AL West, a division they were expected to compete in this year.

It’s easy to blame the sticks, especially considering Seattle was at least a middle of the pack offensive club last season. The Mariners ranks dead last in on-base percentage and OPS and second to last in BA, runs and slugging percentage. Something had to give, so Pentland is the sacrificial lamb.

Of course, the Mariners aren’t the only team to feature a revolving door of batting coaches. The Dodgers are working on their eighth batting guru in eight years (Rick Down, Jack Clark, George Hendrick, Tim Wallach, Eddie Murray, Bill Mueller, Don Mattingly and now Mike Easler), and as the team continues to scuffle at the plate, it’s fair to wonder how long Easler will last.

But of course, the Dodgers – still very much in the race — aren’t being dragged down by their bats the way Seattle seems to have been.

Consider the wake of damage that fantasy owners have felt all too painfully:

• The real problem is the starters who are swinging wet noodles. Richie Sexson’s career continues to spiral downward to the point where he is an all-but-useless fantasy commodity. In his heyday, he would draw close to triple digits in walks. This season, Sexson has managed just 20 free passes in over 200 plate appearances. Of course, with his plummeting power, there’s no real reason to pitch around him, is there?
• Top prospect Jeff Clement, promoted from Triple-A to provide a spark, was a total flop and had to be optioned back down last month. The astronomical number of strikeouts would have been much easier to swallow had he showed any of the power he purportedly possesses.
• Adrian Belte’s power seemed to have returned the past two seasons after an awful start to his Mariner career, but it’s fallen off the table again. The fact that his stolen base total has slipped a bit as well is also hurting Beltre’s fantasy value. He got off to an excellent start, but since the end of April, Beltre has gone from bad to worse – a perfect microcosm of the Mariner season.
• Last year, Kenji Johjima wasn’t quite able to duplicate his excellent 2006 “rookie” season, but was still solid. This year, however, he’s been rancid, and his extra-base pop has completely dried up, forcing fantasy owners to bail on him right, left and centre.
• The Brad Wilkerson signing was a complete waste, and he was gone before the end of the season’s opening month. Now he’s toiling with an offense in Toronto that’s seemingly even more desperate than Seattle’s.
• Since peaking in 2006, Raul Ibanez has been in decline mode, and is no longer a must-own fantasy outfielder. In fairness, he’s been hot lately, but an awful May really hurt his owners.
• Yuniesky Betancourt started the season extremely well, but he’s obviously been drinking out of the same water cooler as the rest of his teammates lately as his season has gone south very quickly. He’s a fringe fantasy option now.
• Ichiro Suzuki is grossly underperforming, but at least he’s headed in the right direction lately. I wouldn’t worry about him given that track record. In fact, I’d say he’s a great buy-low candidate.
• Willie Bloomquist, never a real source of offense, but coming off a career year as a super sub, is still seeking his first extra-base hit of the year. Not exactly supplying much punch off the bench, is he?
• The Mariners promoted another hotshot prospect in Wladimir Balentien, and while expecting a Ryan Braun-type of impact would have been a stretch, the fact is that Balentien doesn’t look ready to offer any help at this point.
• Even something as minor as the collapse of Jamie Burke, who enjoyed a big year as the Mariner back-up catcher in 2007, is hurting. Back-up catchers aren’t expected to contribute offensively, but his .205 BA this year after batting over .300 in 2007 is a massive disappointment.
• Jose Vidro, acquired before last season in a deal that was ridiculed, actually had a decent 2007. This year, however, he’s fallen off the table, and looks just about done. The fact that the Mariners keep penciling him in as the “designated hitter” virtually every day speaks volumes about their lack of offensive depth. Why anyone still owns Vidro in a fantasy league is a mystery beyond my powers of deduction.
• Okay, Seattle only invested $850,000 in Miguel Cairo, a seemingly decent gamble after he supplied some respectable numbers off the Yankee and Cardinal benches last season. However, this is another player who is now a marginal major leaguer. The fact that’s he’s seeing as much action as he has is another indictment of the team’s lack of depth. Cairo should have been DFAed by now.
• Mike Morse, expected to play a key role off the Mariner bench, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in April, further diminishing the team’s reserves.

To be fair, we should talk about the few things that have gone right for the Mariners hitters, a decidedly shorter list:

• Jeremy Reed is back in the majors and is actually playing pretty well — good enough to earn a couple of starts per week. I wouldn’t pick him up or anything, but considering how great a prospect he once was, this bears watching.
• Jose Lopez is enjoying the finest season of his career and he’s really improved his power numbers after an extremely disappointing 2007. He’s almost a must-own fantasy second baseman at this point, especially considering how hot he’s been recently.

San Diego: The Padres made five moves, but three were insignificant signings and one was a re-signing they probably regret, leaving just one impact addition this offseason.

Catcher Michael Barrett, acquired in a mid-season deal with the Cubbies, was re-signed for one year and $3.5 million. This one hasn’t worked out; not only did Barrett just come off the DL after missing almost the entire season to date, but he’s been absolutely awful in his limited PT so far. Remember when this guy was a legitimate fantasy option? Seems a long time ago, doesn’t it?

Randy Wolf, who somewhat bounced back with the Dodgers last year (when he wasn’t hurt, of course), earned himself a one-year, $4.75 million from San Diego. We pegged him as a long shot gamble, and so far, it’s been a pretty good investment, as he’s really cut his home run rate (predictable in his new home park) and has garnered decent fantasy attention. Unfortunately, Wolf is pitching like crap in May, and hence is winding up on the waiver wires, but his last three outings have been solid, so I’d suggest taking another look at the veteran southpaw.

Robert Fick, who has been slipping for a couple of years, got himself a minor league deal from the Padres, but was released before Spring Training. Stick a fork in Fick.

In another ineffectual move, the Padres gave outfielder Jeff DaVanon a minor league deal, and then released him when Fick was set free. At least DaVanon found a new job, however, landing in the ChiSox organization.

Finally, after Tony Clark enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in Arizona last year, the Pads gave him $900,000 for one year. Unfortunately, they were not able to catch lightning in a bottle here, as Clark’s power has completely evaporated, something we sure didn’t see coming.

San Francisco: The Giants only made one free agent move, but it was a biggie as they brought in Aaron Rowand from the Phils. With Rowand coming off a career year, San Francisco committed $60 million over five years for him, hoping he’d help offset the offense lost with Barry Bonds not being brought back. So far, Rowand has surprisingly lived up to the lofty deal, especially in terms of his ability to get on base (11th in the NL in OBP and fifth in BA), something Giants’ fans were rather used to with Bonds. He’s been absolutely on fire lately, and a strong start to the season has gotten even better. I admit that – so far – I was wrong about this one, as I expected Rowand to flop.

Washington: The Nats were somewhat active this offseason, adding four new bodies.

The key addition was bringing in a new starting catcher in the form of Paul Lo Duca, signed away from the Mets for one year and $5 million. Toronto had been rumoured to be chasing Lo Duca, but the Nats won this battle. Unfortunately, Lo Duca got hurt in mid-April, and less than a week after being activated, found himself right back on the DL. He’s likely out until at least after the All-Star game, making this signing a big time flop.

The club also brought in veteran infielder Aaron Boone for one year and $1 million. After an injury cut short his 2007 campaign with the Marlins, he’s become a key backup for the Nats, and has recently taken over at third for the injured Ryan Zimmerman. Boone has been hitting incredibly well this year, showing power like never before (urine sample, please). His play is dictating more PT, and perhaps soon will even make him an attractive target in deeper NL-only leagues.

Another veteran utility man added was Rob Mackowiak, signed for one year and $1.5 million. Unfortunately, this deal hasn’t worked out as whatever happened to Mackowiak’s hitting ability after landing in San Diego last year has gotten worse this season. While he was someone worth looking at last August, he’s now a marginal major leaguer, but the Nats are probably stuck with him for the year given their investment.

Lastly, lefty Odalis Perez was brought in from the Royals for one year and $850,000. This deal is a major bargain, as Perez not only won a rotation spot, but has pitched his best since 2004, when he was a Dodger. The long balls he’s allowing worry me, but for now, Perez looks like a decent gamble in NL-only leagues.

Okay, that’s a wrap for our in-depth recap of the free agency period. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it. Pardon me now, while I go get my sore wrists tended to by a scantily clad 18-year-old who will later hand-feed me Twinkies and Skittles.

New York: The Mets only added one new player, and it was a fairly minor move, but they did re-sign four of their own free agents.

New York re-signed back-up catcher Ramon Castro to a two-year, $4.6 million deal. I’ve always been a big fan of Castro’s, and always wondered what kind of numbers he’d produce with even, say, 250 at bats. Well, a Spring Training injury necessitated him to start the year on the DL, but with Brian Schneider crushing the ball early, it didn’t seem to matter. Well, Castro is back now and Schneider has remembered that he sucks. Still, as great as Castro has done in limited action, he continues to be a non-fantasy factor thanks to his reduced role. If Schneider gets hurt or continues to scuffle, this could be one situation worth watching.

The Mets also brought back second baseman Luis Castillo, rewarding his fine second half by giving him a four-year deal worth $25 million. As per usual, he’s dealing with leg issues that have slowed him, but so far, he’s avoided a DL stint. It’s the same old, same old with Castillo. Unless he’s stealing a boatload of bases (he’s doing okay there) and hitting for a high average (not so much), his complete lack of extra-base power really limits his fantasy use. Right now, he’s only of use in very deep mixed or NL-only leagues.

New York also rewarded a strong 2007 by utility infielder Damion Easley, re-signing him for one year and $950,000. This year, he’s not exactly rewarding them despite making better contact. Easley simply isn’t getting on base enough to be of any use, and he’s really scuffled this month. It looks like it’s about time for this veteran to ride off into the sunset, but before we recite his eulogy, do note that Easley has come back from worse.

The club re-signed a third second baseman in Jose Valentin, penning him to a minor league deal. A neck injury in Spring Training has delayed the start of his season, but he’ll soon be ready to join the team in a utility role, perhaps spelling the end of Easley’s stint with the Mets.

The only newcomer brought in was Tony Armas, signed to a minor league deal. While he didn’t make the team, he is pitching quite well at Triple-A, so he’s someone who deserves another crack at the majors soon.

Philadelphia: The Phils didn’t make an extraordinary amount of moves, but in adding a pair of vets to multi-year deals, they committed a combined $21.5 million in salary over the next two seasons.

Outfielder Geoff Jenkins has been slipping for a couple of years, yet Philly opted to give him a two-year deal worth $13 million. So far, the move hasn’t exactly paid off. While Jenkins has raised his BA, his power hasn’t been this uninspiring since he was rookie. He might have some use in a very, very deep NL-only league, but otherwise Jenkins has no purpose.

A move I like much better so far was the inking of Pedro Feliz to a two-year, $8.5 million contract. Feliz may finally have somewhat solved the third base crisis Philly has endured since dealing away Scott Rolen. He’s hit well this year, enjoying his finest season since 2004. Especially scorching of late, Feliz is beginning to get plenty of attention on the waiver wires, so have a look if you need help at third base.

Finally, the Phillies added Kris Benson to a minor league deal, a low-risk move designed to add depth to a pitching rotation that was decimated by injuries last year. Still working his way back from off-season shoulder surgery, Benson has been pitching in extended Spring Training and could be available to help the club in June. But who cares about him? Let’s talk about his wife instead. Now there’s a real fantasy option.

Pittsburgh: The Pirates were fairly busy this offseason, but all four of their signings were marginal additions.

Chris Gomez was signed away from the Tribe for one year and $1 million and thanks to an injury to Jack Wilson, he’s been needed more than expected. So far, Gomez has delivered in a big way, swinging a .325 bat in limited action. Should he receive steadier PT, he will become an option in deeper NL-only leagues.

Elmer Dessens signed a minor league deal, but he didn’t make the team and was subsequently released. The veteran righty is currently pitching in the Mexican League, and has a nice record despite his way too hittable stuff. Chances are slim that this 37-year-old will find his way back to the majors, unless the Yankees get really desperate (and I’m not available to pitch that day).

Pittsburgh added another vet in the form of Doug Mientkiewicz, coming off a solid year as a backup for the Yanks. Penned to a one-year, $750,000 deal, Mientkiewicz’s power has completely evaporated, making him an essentially useless commodity, fantasy-wise. He may bring veteran leadership, great D and his World Series ring to the table, but what do we care?

Lastly, the Buccos signed Byung-Hyun Kim away from the Marlins for one year and $850,000. It turned out to be a waste of money, as Kim was bitch-slapped badly in Spring Training and the team bought out his contract. See ya.

St. Louis: The Cards didn’t nab anyone big, but did bring in five new free agents last offseason.

Veteran catcher Jason LaRue was signed away from the Royals for one year and $850,000 to be Yadier Molina’s backup. Unfortunately, LaRue’s regression since enjoying a career year in 2005 has continued, and he’s a marginal MLB player now. It wouldn’t shock me if the Cards send him packing soon, although, in fairness, he’s been better in May after a simply awful start put him in deep hole.

With David Eckstein gone, the Cards brought in Cesar Izturis to take over at short. Signed away from the Pirates for one year and $2.85 million, Izturis isn’t hitting as well as he did last year, but has justified his signing by suddenly learning how to take a walk. Although he’s cooled recently, he’s enjoyed a strong month of May, so is someone to consider in a very deep NL-only league.

RHP Matt Clement was added for one year and $1.5 million. Although he hasn’t pitched since 2006, the Cards have had some success with pitchers recovering from injuries, so this might turn out well. Clement is expected to begin rehabbing soon, so we may see him back in the Show sooner rather than later.

Veteran reliever Ron Villone was inked away from the Yankees for one year and $600,000. He’s pitched very well, and is doing a fine job as a lefty specialist, completely overmatching opposing southpaws. This is a bargain signing that flew far under the radar, but was a wise investment even if Villone is the type of pitcher who is much more valuable in the real world as opposed to the fantasy one.

The team also added righty Kyle Lohse for a year and $4.25 million, a move that to date has proved astute. Lohse is no one’s idea of a star, and he’s scuffled in May, but overall, he’s been a solid addition, and has gained some attention in NL-only leagues as a result. Given his diminishing K rate, however, I’d suggest that Lohse is best employed in 4×4 leagues.

Next up, we finally finish this report with the remaining NL teams.

Florida: The Marlins’ sole move on the free agent front was to add veteran outfielder Luis Gonzalez for a one year at $2 million. Now 40, Gonzo has been slip sliding away for years now, but he keeps finding jobs. I mean, a year ago, we were saying he was about done. He’s no longer a fantasy option at all, and at this point is probably just taking at bats away from a youngster who could develop. Still, if nothing else, he brings leadership to a very young team.

Houston: The Astros were very busy this offseason, adding five new bodies and re-signing two holdovers.

Houston signed infielder Geoff Blum to a one year, $1.1 million deal after he enjoyed a decent year as a key utility man for the Padres. Unfortunately, he’s been much more impatient this season, and it’s showing in his results, pretty much the worst of his career through the first two months. We used to think of Blum as a good role player, but now think he’s ready to hang ‘em up.

The Astros also pilfered Doug Brocail away from the Padres for one year and $2.5 million. This is a deal we analyzed closely at the time, thinking then it was a stretch to ask for a repeat of his fine 2007, but in fact, Brocail has been even better so far this season. His control has been absolutely impeccable and he’s thrived as the team’s top set-up man, already equaling his 2007 total for holds. He’s a fine asset for NL-only leagues, and one owners are starting to take a shining to.

Houston wasn’t done picking the bones of the NL West, luring second baseman Kaz Matsui away from the Rockies for three years and $16.5 million, making this the team’s largest free agent deal of the 2007 offseason. Injured earlier in the season, Matsui has yet to live up to the contract. Although he’s scoring plenty of runs batting near the top of a strong Astro lineup, his extra-base pop has slipped as has his BA. Matsui has gotten better as the season has progressed, so we’ll cut him some slack for now.

The ‘Stros re-signed Mark Loretta, yet another second baseman, to a one-year, $2.75 million contract. Loretta did well in a super-sub role last season, but as his role has changed to more of a utility man, his numbers are down significantly this year, especially in the power and average departments.

Houston added some veteran savvy with the signing OF Darin Erstad to a one-year, $1 million deal. Now just a fourth outfielder, Erstad is enjoying a very strong year, so he could have value in the event of an injury to one of the starting three.

Reliever Brian Moehler was rewarded for a strong season by being re-signed for one year and $500,000, however, he hasn’t done quite as well in his swingman role this season. He’s actually done very good work in his four starts, but has been bitch-slapped in his five relief appearances. Overall, Moehler is simply too hittable to be of much use in any fantasy format.

Lastly, Houston gave swingman Shawn Chacon $2 million for 2008 to leave Pittsburgh, where he enjoyed a nice rebound season. Used strictly in the rotation for the ‘Stros, Chacon has done a pretty good job, although the increase in home runs allowed and his declining K rate are bad signs. While his May results haven’t been as good as April, Chacon seems to be gaining a tiny bit of traction in NL-only leagues of late.

Los Angeles: The Dodgers were very active as well, mostly signing or re-signing spare parts, but also landing one of the biggest fishes on the market in Andruw Jones.

Jones wasn’t able to get the kind of deal Scott Boras envisioned for him, considering he was coming off the worst season of his career. Sure, two years and $36.2 million is nothing to sneeze at, but we’re talking about one of the pre-eminent talents in the game. Or at least we were. Jones completely tanked this year, and now he’s undergoing knee surgery that will cost him four-to-six weeks. The Dodgers better hope the real Andruw Jones shows up after his recovery or else this contract will take on albatross qualities very quickly.

Among the low key signings for the Dodgers was the penning of back-up catcher Gary Bennett to a one year, $875,000 deal. Backing up Russell Martin tends to leave you with very little value; batting .190 leaves you with even less.

LA re-signed second baseman Ramon Martinez to a minor league deal, although I’m not really sure why, considering he bottomed out in 2007. At any rate, he didn’t make the team out of Spring Training and he isn’t exactly tearing it up at Triple-A, so we may have seen the last of this ten-year major league veteran.

Another re-signing that didn’t pan out was reliever Rudy Seanez to a one-year, $550,000 deal. Seanez enjoyed a nice year in 2007, but a rough spring caused the Dodgers to set him free in a surprising move. He caught on with the Phils, and has pitched very well, notwithstanding some awful control.

The Dodgers also re-signed first baseman Mark Sweeney, giving him $600,000 after his fine 2007 campaign. Unfortunately, this one isn’t working out so well either, as Sweeney hasn’t been able to hit his way out of a wet paper bag, currently needing to double his BA just to get to the Mendoza Line.

Milwaukee: The Brewers were among the most active teams, adding seven new players to a young and improving team.

Jason Kendall was signed away from the Cubs for one year and $4.25 million to take over at catcher. While he’s slowed after a fast start, Kendall is still enjoying a pretty decent year, as he continues to be a solid on-base guy. He’s starting to make headway on the wires of NL-only leagues these days.

In an effort to fill bullpen holes, the Brew Crew made a couple of moves. David Riske was the biggest investment, signed away from the Royals for three years and $13 million. This one hasn’t panned out yet, as Riske was ineffective before landing on the DL earlier this month because of elbow woes. He’s still dealing with pain, so don’t expect him to return very soon, but once he does, he has a chance to be an asset in NL-only leagues at the very least.

With the departure of free agent Francisco Cordero, Milwaukee brought in Eric Gagne from the BoSox as a replacement, signing him for one year and $10 million. Gagne has been awful, finally landing on the DL last week. So far, this signing has been a colossal bust.

The Brewers inked outfielder Mike Cameron to a one year, $7 million deal, even though a drug suspension was going to cost him the first 25 games of the year. Well, he’s back now and is enjoying a nice recovery after a down 2007. Cameron is hitting for more power than ever before (six homers in May already), making him a very attractive wire pickup of late.

Third baseman Abraham Nunez was signed to a minor league deal in the hopes that he could land a utility role. Not only did he not make the team, but he was hitting so poorly in Triple-A that the Brewers released him. He’s since signed a minor league deal with the Mets’ organization.

Milwaukee also added third baseman Russell Branyan to a minor league deal, bringing in some organization depth. He was molesting the ball down in Triple-A, earning a promotion to the big league team last week. He’s off to a decent start, so is a name to watch in NL-only leagues, if for no other reason than his ever-present home run potential.

Lastly, the Brewers gave Jeff Weaver a minor league deal last month. He’s getting bitch slapped in Triple-A, so I doubt we’re going to see him any time soon. Weaver’s contract allows him ask for a release if he doesn’t get promoted by June 1, but does he honestly believe someone else is ready to give him a chance? Actually, maybe he can return to the Yanks; they probably need him, and surely he has fond memories of his time there. He’s never been the same pitcher since.

Next up, we’ll finish up the National League.

Arizona: The D-Backs, filled with young talent already, were very quiet this offseason as far as free agency went, their only move being to bring in veteran outfielder Trot Nixon on a minor league deal. Nixon looked like he was going to make the team, but he wound up being sent to Triple-A. At this point, he’s just organizational depth.

Atlanta: The Braves also made just a single free agent move, but it was a fairly substantial one as they brought back prodigal son Tom Glavine for one year and $8 million. Although the aging lefty’s durability is beginning to show cracks (he’s already endured a DL stint this season), Glavine’s overall results have been solid after a sub par season in 2007. In fact, he probably deserves a better ERA than he has, given his numbers this month.

Chicago: The Cubs bolstered their pitching, re-signing one of their longtime frustrations and returning a veteran presence that enjoyed his finest seasons in Wrigley.

Kerry Wood, long filled with promise, but often the cause of premature baldness in Chicago area men thanks to his incessant injuries, was brought back for one season at $4.2 million. Installed as the closer, Wood has never been this unhittable, but some reason hiccups have clouded his overall numbers to an extent. Still, I think he’s made the adjustment fairly smoothly, and although the Cubs have plenty of (most say better) options to close, I think the job is Wood’s as long as he’s healthy.

Jon Lieber, who spent four years with the Cubbies, winning 20 games in 2001, was brought back for one year at $3.5 million. Lieber failed to win a rotation spot, so instead has been used in long relief and as a spot starter. He got his crack to return to the rotation earlier this month, but the results were awful. It looks like Lieber’s immediate future is in the bullpen, something that severely limits his fantasy value. Still, it’s been a good fit for the Cubs, so was money well spent.

Cincinnati: The Reds were among the most active teams in the free agent market this offseason, moving to beef up their bullpen, add some rotation depth, bring in a potential impact player and fill some holes.

Cincy’s biggest splash was in landing the top closer on the market, penning Francisco Cordero away from the Brewers with $46 million over four years. He’s paid instant dividends, and although he hasn’t quite matched last year’s career best K/9 rate, Cordero’s done a bang up job at the end of the Red pen. The Reds had the worst bullpen in the NL in 2007. The good news is it’s better this year by over a half run per game; the bad news is it’s still dead last in the NL. Ya…about that middle relief.

The Reds did add Jeremy Affeldt from the Rockies for one year and $3 million, and he’s helped out in the pen as well, leaving the question ‘what the hell is wrong with the rest of Cincy’s relievers?’ At any rate, Affeldt is a workhorse, and although he’s been a bit more hittable this year, he’s never struck out batters at a higher rate than he has so far in 2008. He could be an option in a deep NL-only league, although his recent results are a bit discouraging.

Josh Fogg, who enjoyed a decent year with the Rockies in 2007, was signed for one year and $1.5 million by the Reds. The team quickly realized he wasn’t going to last in the rotation, yanking him after three horrific starts. Since shifting to the pen, Fogg has been much better, perhaps keeping himself in consideration for a spot start down the road. At this point, however, his fantasy relevance is non existent.

Another cheap veteran brought aboard was back-up catcher Paul Bako, signed away from the Orioles for one year and $700,000. Injuries have forced Bako to see way more action than anticipated, and he’s enjoying a career year as a result. He’s showing nice gap power, has been productive and very patient, making Bako a major bargain and even somewhat of an asset in a deep NL-only league.

The Reds took a chance on outfielder Corey Patterson, also luring him away from Baltimore for a year and $3 million. Unfortunately, the enigmatic Patterson hasn’t panned out. His on-base skills, suspect to begin with, have gone completely AWOL, and his power has slipped further. It’s bad enough that he simply can’t compete against lefties; this year, Patterson is swinging a wet noodle against righties as well. He still has some fantasy appeal because of his stolen base potential, but Patterson is finding himself on plenty of waiver wires recently as his play continues to regress.

The Reds got a steal when they signed utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. to a one-year, $500,000 deal. When Alex Gonzalez went down with an injury, Hairston was thrust into a near starting role, and he’s never played better, recording an 845 OPS in 25 games. Hairston Jr. has garnered a modicum of interest in deeper NL-only leagues, and frankly, I think he should garner even more, despite his weak strike zone discipline.

Colorado: The defending NL Champs were fairly active in the free agent market, re-signing three of their own and adding a pair of new arms.

Yorvit Torrealba, who took over as the team’s starting catcher last year, was re-signed for two years and $7.25 million. Unfortunately, his bat has continued to regress, and as a result he’s been losing PT to Chris Iannetta. This virtual job-share scenario has left neither with much value and, so far, suggests Colorado made a mistake with this signing, especially since Torrealba is getting worse as the season progresses.

Re-signing reliever Matt Herges for one year at $2.25 million, however, has worked out well so far. Herges continued to get his career back on track during his first season in the mountains, and this year, he’s been even sharper. If you’re in a deep NL-only league that tracks holds, you’ll want to give Herges another look.

Kip Wells parlayed a decent year in St. Louis into a one-year, $3.1 million deal with the Rockies. While he’s only made one start, Wells was doing a superb job out of the pen for Colorado before blood clots in his hand knocked him out. He could be back in about four weeks, so Wells may still provide the Rox with some value this season.

Mark Redman, a mid-season acquisition last year who really helped the Rockies’ surge to the playoffs, was re-signed for one year and $1 million. Unfortunately, he completely blew up and had to not only be removed from the rotation, but optioned out to Triple-A earlier this month. Colorado didn’t spend much on Redman, so it was a decent signing if for nothing more than some depth.

Finally, Colorado added some bullpen depth by penning Luis Vizcaino away from the Yanks for two years and $7.5 million. Vizcaino has been a steady and durable reliever for several years, but it was clear from the get-go that something was wrong this season and after just one week, he landed on the DL with a shoulder injury. He’s making some progress now, and is expected to begin a minor league rehab stint shortly, so Vizcaino could still wind up justifying his contract, but so far, he’s been a dud.

Next up, we’ll progress through the National League from the Marlins on.

In Parts One and Two, I reviewed the rest of the Junior Circuit.

Oakland: The A’s added two inexpensive veterans this offseason, and neither was really expected to add much more than leadership to a young, rebuilding club.

Reliever Keith Foulke, lured out of retirement for $700,000 for one season, continues to be a health risk, already enduring one DL stay, but when he’s been active, he’s been very steady, proving he has plenty left in the tank. His hit rates haven’t been this good since he acted as the closer on the 2004 Champion Red Sox, and although his command has slipped since he last appeared in the majors, Foulke looks like a decent gamble in deeper AL-only leagues, especially where holds are tracked.

Another veteran who looked about done but is experiencing a revival in Oakland is DH Mike Sweeney, lured away from KC for $500,000 over one season. Sweeney’s days as a productive fantasy option are over, but he’s enjoyed a slight rebound in his power game and, like a good Oakland soldier, is getting on base at a nice rate, thereby making a liar out of me. Sweeney is slumping a bit now, and is a constant injury risk, but for half a mil, he’s getting the job done.

Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay didn’t land any big-name free agents, but with all the money it saved in thread costs on its uniforms by dropping the “Devil” part of its nickname, the Rays went out and landed five players while re-signing one of their own.

The biggest move the team made was the signing of closer Troy Percival to a two-year, $8 million, a contract that’s proving to be a bargain so far. Yes, Percival is a constant injury risk, but he’s showing better command than he ever has, and that’s helping to solidify the bullpen on a very improved club.

Adding another aging, injury-prone vet, the Rays penned Cliff Floyd away from the Cubs for one year and $3 million. Well, surprise, surprise. Floyd needed knee surgery in April and missed almost six weeks of action. He’s back now, and performing well in a limited role, but if you think this is the end of his injury woes, you clearly haven’t been following Floyd’s career.

Tampa re-signed back-up catcher Josh Paul to a minor league deal, but he couldn’t beat out Shawn Riggans for a job, so was released. Since then, he signed a minor league deal with the Houston organization.

In a further move to bolster the pen, the Rays signed lefty Trever Miller away from Houston for one year and $2 million. Miller’s doing his job, dominating lefties, and is seeing enough action to justify his signing as a solid move.

Another inexpensive veteran spare part brought in was corner man Eric Hinske, signed away from the defending World Champion Red Sox for one year and $800,000. Although he’s beginning to show his usual, buffet-table loving, powder-puff hitting self, Hinske burst out of the gates like a man possessed, tearing the cover off the ball in April and garnering surprising waiver wire interest. In fact, he had never played better and despite his recent slump, Hinske’s current OPS of 875 is a career best. Nice bargain here.

The Rays brought back alumni Mike DiFelice, who was the team’s backstop from 1998 to 2001. A backup for the Mets the last three seasons, DiFelice was signed to a minor league deal, one that proved useful when Dioner Navarro got hurt early in the season. DiFelice came up and hit quite well in his limited time and then was DFAed. Thanks for the .300 average, dude. See ya!

Texas: The Rangers made some risky moves this offseason, bringing in some injury prone, some underperforming and some baggage-ridden players (in some cases, a combination thereof), but to their credit, they did not commit more than one year to any of their four signees, one of which was re-signed from 2007.

Texas’s most controversial move was to sign Milton Bradley away from the Padres for one year at $5.25 million. Not only did he bring with him his reputation for squirreliness (I’m being kind today), but he’s traditionally underperformed and proven incredibly injury prone. In fact, he had knee surgery this offseason (perhaps you recall his blowout last year and subsequent injury caused by his own manager Bud Black, who had to restrain him from removing an umpire’s head), delaying his ability to play the outfield for the club. The bottom line here, is that while a few of his homers have turned into doubles, Bradley has still done a bang up job for the Rangers. If he remains healthy, he’s got a chance to enjoy a career year. Smart move, Texas. So far.

Another risky move was the signing of formerly Everyday Eddie Guardado from Cincy to a one-year, $2 million deal. It wasn’t a huge amount of money to lay out, but Guardado brings with him serious injury issues. At any rate, while his K rate is rather pathetic so far, you can’t complain about the results. And he’s generating recent fantasy interest with talk that C.J. Wilson may surrender the closer role.

The Rangers rewarded swingman Jamey Wright for his strong 2007 by re-signing him for $1 million for 2008. Used strictly in relief this year, Wright has done a respectable job, and is showing better command than he has in several seasons. Still, his current role doesn’t offer much in the way of fantasy value, but is providing a nice boost for the club for a reasonable price.

The one move Texas made that has not panned out was the signing of Jason Jennings away from Houston for $4 million for one season. While it appeared that Jennings had bottomed out with the ‘Stros in 2007, apparently he could get worse. A lot worse. He was 0-5 and getting battered like a stepchild before Texas mercifully put him on the DL earlier this month. Don’t hurry back, Jason.

Toronto: The Jays are another team that focused on short-term deals to plug holes, signing four new players and re-signing another.

The Jays’ most significant addition was shortstop David Eckstein, lured away from the Cards for one year and $4.5 million. Unfortunately for Toronto, this deal hasn’t exactly paid dividends yet, as Eckstein has regressed both offensively and defensively and he’s already suffered what is becoming his annual injury. He’s currently on the 15-day DL because of a hip flexor, and let’s hope when he returns (perhaps next week) he can do a better job of getting on base. Installing Eckstein at leadoff is one of the main reasons an already weak Toronto attack has gotten even weaker this season.

Toronto re-signed biker bar bouncer wannabee/catcher Sal Fasano to a minor league deal, but once Rod Barajas was signed (see below), it was just a matter of time before Fasano be sent packing. And sure enough, near the end of Spring Training, he was released and appears to be done like dinner. Well, you can always try to catch him at your local Hog bar.

Barajas, as mentioned, was brought in to be Gregg Zaun’s backup, a shocking development considering he had all but agreed to a deal with the Jays last year only to fuck them and back out at the last minute. Apparently, the Jays don’t hold a grudge, but of course, after his crappy year in Philly, Barajas didn’t command anywhere near the bucks he was being offered before 2007, settling for one year and $1.2 million. Still, Barajas is setting himself up for a better payday next year as he’s swinging a more potent bat than he’s ever showed before. In fact, he’s eating into Zaun’s PT to an extent. If this trend continues – Zaun slipping, Barajas gaining – we could see a change in the guard, so I’d suggest watching this situation. Barajas makes for a decent gamble in deep AL-only leagues at this point.

A strong year with the A’s in 2007 prompted the Jays to sign Shannon Stewart for $1.5 million for 2008. Stewart, of course, came up through the Jays’ system and was with the organization until 2003. Unfortunately, coming back to where it all began hasn’t exactly allowed Stewart to discover the fountain of youth. In fact, he’s been dreadfully unproductive.

Finally, Toronto penned Armando Benitez to a minor league deal. He didn’t make the team out of Spring Training thanks to injuries, and then hurt himself again while on minor league rehab. Finally, he was brought up a couple of weeks ago, but he’s been shelled in his limited appearances. Me thinks this one-time dominating closer is ready to have a fork stuck in him.

Up next, we’ll switch to the National League.

Kansas City: The Royals were somewhat active in the second tier free agent market, penning a pair of arms and an outfielder.

Jose Guillen was lured away from the Mariners for $36 million over three years and promptly landed in hot water with a drug-related suspension that was ultimately rescinded. That was followed by a crappy start in KC, but he’s since turned it around and has flashed some very fine power this month. Guillen is striking out too much for my liking, and overall, I’d label him a disappointment so far, but given his recent turnaround, I’d be willing to suspend judgment for another couple of months.

KC also signed lefty specialist Ron Mahay away from the Braves for two years and $8 million. We had predicted that he could get a multi-year deal, and this was a smart move as Mahay has been remarkable consistent in this role for the past couple of years. I’m always surprised he doesn’t get any love in deeper AL-only leagues. Mahay’s arrival helped improve a bullpen that was already pretty decent.

The Royals also added some depth to their rotation by signing Brett Tomko from the Padres for $3 million over one season. This wasn’t an awful move if they planned to use him strictly as a long man/spot starter, but as we’ve discussed, he’s not particularly good as a starter, but is even worse as a reliever. Unfortunately, he’s been used almost exclusively as a starter and being way too hittable and unable to strike out enough is a recipe for disaster for any starter. Hopefully, KC will rectify this shortly and limit Tomko’s ability to hurt the team.

Los Angeles: The Angels only made one free agent move, but it was a biggie, as they landed one of the most sought after players on the market in Torii Hunter (five years, $90 million). Coming off one of his best seasons ever, Hunter started 2008 like a house on fire, but has cooled since. He’s been durable the past couple of years, so that’s great news, but Hunter’s power has dipped with the move west. Since spanking a pair of dingers on April 7, he has managed just one long ball. The answer to our pre-season question is a resounding “no” so far.

Minnesota: The Twins added a couple bodies, but neither one would fall into what I’d call the ‘sexy’ signing category.

For some reason, Minnesota gave a multi-year deal to third baseman Mike Lamb, getting him away from the Astros with $6.6 million over two years. Worse yet, the Twins believed Lamb was a full-time answer for them at the hot corner. Were they seeing something we all missed over the years? This has been an axe I’ve been grinding for a while; Lamb is fine in a part-time role, but his struggles against lefties were pretty well documented (notwithstanding last season’s excellent performance against southpaws, albeit in a very small sample size). The results have been predictable as Lamb has lived up to his name at the plate and his power, especially, has gone into the tank.

The Twins’ other addition was Livan Hernandez, summoned out of the desert for a year at $5 million. His career has been in free fall for a while, and he looked about a hop, skip and three-run homer away from being done as a starter, so I thought this wasn’t exactly the best use of resources for a rebuilding team. Well, colour me wrong – so far. We all know he’s an innings eater, which isn’t a bad thing to have on a young team, but somehow he’s won six games already. That’s gotten him some love on the waiver wire, but be afraid, be very afraid. The massively improved control is very impressive indeed, but with a strikeout rate that’s completely fallen off the cliff and a hit rate that just keeps rising, it’s just a matter of time before Hernandez blows up. And you definitely don’t want to be around when that happens – he’s a pretty big dude, and it’s going to be messy.

New York: As always, the Yankees were among the most active teams on the free agent market, re-signing five players and bringing in two new ones.

Choosing to bring back catcher Jorge Posada, coming off a career year at the age of 36, was definitely a risky move, especially since they gave him a four-year deal worth $52.4 million. Expecting him to come close to duplicating his 2007 success seems a major stretch, and it certainly won’t happen this year thanks to a shoulder injury that knocked him out at the end of April. Posada is getting closer to returning, but will probably need a rehab stint before suiting up for the Yanks again. Posada hasn’t played enough this year to fully judge the merits of this deal, but the early returns – especially in his walk rates – weren’t promising.

The Pinstripers also elected to bring back Posada’s backup, Jose Molina, after he performed so capably last season. But two years, even at a modest sum (pocket change for the Yanks, at any rate) of $4 million, seems like a stretch, with back-up catchers generally being a dime a dozen. Thanks to Posada’s injury, Molina has already surpassed his at bat total from 2007, but with his .200 BA, he hasn’t been able to hold a candle to Posada offensively.

Lefty Andy Pettitte was brought back for another year at $16 million, and although he began the season on the DL, he’s been mostly effective (especially in comparison the team’s younger starters). His strikeout rate has bounced back somewhat, and he’s getting more ground balls than he has in recent years – a great combination that should ultimately force his ERA down from its slightly bloated current figure. Pettitte hasn’t been dominant, but he hasn’t been hammered either, so he probably deserves a better record and ERA.

In the club’s biggest move and hardest decision, they opted to re-up Alex Rodriguez for ten years at mere $275 million. As we know, A-Rod was coming off a season for the ages, so expecting more of the same would be foolhardy, but even a “down” year for him still puts him among the best in the biz. What was most surprising this year, however, was a quad injury to the normally quite durable star, one that knocked him out a couple of weeks. Okay, so he’s not going to drive in 156 runs this year, but he’s still A-Rod. Whether he can continue to chalk up OPSs of around 1000 for the next ten years, however, is another story altogether.

New York also re-signed long-time closer Mariano Rivera for three years and $45 million. Seemingly annual rumours of his demise have once again been proven exaggerated. After a down year (for him), the Yanks showed their faith, and it’s paid off so far as Mo has been almost untouchable this season. In fact, his BAA of .164 is a career best. I guess he’s not done yet, is he?

Among the newcomers, LaTroy Hawkins parlayed a big comeback season in Colorado into a one-year, $3.75 million deal with the Yanks. Unfortunately, the aging reliever has been awful so far this season, struggling with command issues. He’s pitched much better so far in May after a horrific April, so we’ll cut him some slack, but so far, the investment in Hawkins hasn’t worked out.

Finally, Chris Woodward, who spent 2007 with the Braves, was signed to a minor league deal, but was released during Spring Training, later catching on with the Phils in a minor league deal.

Next up, we’ll wrap up the American League.

American League

Baltimore: The only free agent acquisition for the O’s was the signing of righty Steve Trachsel to a minor league deal. Trachsel was actually somewhat useful for Baltimore in 2007 before being dealt away to the Cubs at the deadline. Asking for lightning to strike twice was probably a stretch, and – surprise – that’s the way things have turned out. A major breakdown in his already shaky control has left Trachsel with a butt-ugly 6.75 ERA and his rotation spot on seriously shaky ground. The O’s have responded by skipping him twice over the last two weeks. Next stop is off the roster.

Boston: The BoSox were busy, sealing deals with six free agents, in some cases their own, in some cases, signing players away from other teams.

Mike Lowell was re-signed to a three-year, $37.5 million deal. The 34-year-old parlayed a career year into a very sweet deal when the perceived market for third basemen suddenly shrunk and he was pretty much forced to return to Boston. Expecting him to duplicate such a brilliant 2007, when he was arguably the MVP of the Red Sox, is unwise, and an early-season injury all but guaranteed it wouldn’t happen. Still, after a sluggish start, Lowell is beginning to pick up his productivity, but I have serious doubts about his ability to drive in 120 runs ever again.

Reliever Mike Timlin re-signed for one season at $3 million. While Timlin experienced yet another renaissance last year (how many is that for him now?), maybe he should have quit while he was ahead. His season began late this year thanks to an injury, and really, he’s still waiting to get his act together. He’s 42 and is averaging 1.5 strikeouts per nine innings. “Hello? Acme? Can you please send over your finest ice floe?”

The club also re-signed back-up catcher Doug Mirabelli to a one-year, $550,000 deal. Of course, Mirabelli’s value can’t be measured on the stat sheet; his main purpose – and he’s damn good at it – was to corral Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball every fifth day. But midway through Spring Training, Boston opted to release Mirabelli and go with Kevin Cash as its backup. Cash is swinging a potent bat – something Mirabelli hadn’t showed in several years, and so far Wakefield’s results haven’t suffered. In fact, he’s improved.

Boston lured Sean Casey away from the Tigers to act as a backup to Kevin Youkilis at first base, signing him for one year and $800,000. This is a move that seems to have affected Detroit more than Boston, as some have pointed to the loss of Casey as a reason the Tigers are struggling with clubhouse chemistry. Having said that, Casey is definitely paying dividends and is adjusting to life as a part-time player seamlessly, judging by his .355 BA. Should either Youkilis or Lowell go down with an injury, the BoSox are covered, making this a very smart investment.

In another move designed to provide insurance to the big league club, the Sox re-signed outfielder Bobby Kielty to a minor league deal. When the Sox failed to deal Coco Crisp, Kielty accepted an assignment to the minors. Boston will likely keep Crisp around for now, with Kielty out thanks to hand surgery, but once he’s ready to return, the team will probably start seeking trading partners again, so Kielty may still play a part on the big league team this season.

In what may have been Boston’s best signing, the team inked a seemingly done-like-dinner Bartolo Colon away from the Angels for one year and $1.2 million. The Sox called him up Wednesday, with Clay Buchholz going on the DL a few days ago, and Colon got the job done, earning the win for his five innings of work. Reports are that his velocity is returning, but he’s definitely not yet at full strength. Colon makes for a great waiver wire selection, as he’s got a chance to help your team if he can stay healthy.

Chicago: The White Sox concentrated on upgrading their woeful bullpen, signing a pair of righty relievers. It’s definitely helped, as the pen’s collective ERA is down over two runs per game this season.

Scott Linebrink, signed away from Milwaukee for an eyebrow-raising four years and $19 million, has helped the most. He’s been almost untouchable and has shown improved control en route to a 1.35 ERA through 21 games. Why he isn’t getting scooped up in more AL-only leagues is beyond me. If your league tracks holds, he’s a must own.

Octavio Dotel, who spent last year with the Royals and then the Braves, was also given a multi-year deal (two years, $11 million). He’s performed well, but better still, he’s been healthy so far. Dotel could also be of use in AL-only leagues, once again especially in those tracking holds.

Cleveland: The Tribe was pretty quiet this offseason, merely luring reliever Jorge Julio away from Colorado for a year and $1 million, to upgrade an already strong bullpen. Shifting back to the AL seems to have worked wonders for Julio, who has continued to revitalize his career. I’d like to see better command, but he’s pitched well enough to work his way into more important assignments should the opportunity arise.

Detroit: The Tigers’ only free agent move was to gamble on the Gambler again, re-signing Kenny Rogers for one year at $8 million. While Rogers has been healthy so far (a rarity in and of itself), and he actually leads the team with four wins, I think we can learn the most from an ERA (6.66) that only the Devil himself would be proud of.

Next up, we’ll examine the second of the American League.

If Kennedy flops again, one name to keep an eye on is Steven White. The Yankees’ fourth rounder in 2003, White keeps improving his Triple-A numbers to the point where he’s sneaking onto the radar as someone who can help the big league team. Ranked by Baseball America as the fourth best prospect in the system in 2004, the 26-year-old slipped from the list the past few years, but his numbers this year are screaming out for attention. Smart owners will listen, as White has won his last three starts and is 4-1, 2.66 overall, with 35 Ks in 47 1/3 IP. I think he’s ready to at least get an audition, and given the holes in the Yanks’ rotation, that may be coming soon.

Another Yankee farmhand who is showing progress this season is outfielder Brett Gardner, the team’s third round pick in 2005. Gardner had an excellent season at Double-A last year, but found the adjustment to Triple-A somewhat challenging after a mid-season promotion. This year, despite some recent struggles, he’s picked up the pace, batting .285 through 36 games and 130 at bats. Gardner has displayed nice extra-base pop, good strike zone judgment, patience and speed. The highest drafted player in the history of the College of Charleston, the 24-year-old Gardner is someone with strong top-of-the-order skills who could carve out a major league career once opportunity comes knocking.

Andrew McCutchen, who we ranked 17th among our top 35 prospects heading into the season, is having some challenges at Triple-A recently, batting just .205 over the past ten games with 14 strikeouts. Let’s bear in mind that he’s still only 21, and overall, I like the progress he’s shown this year, both in terms of on-base skills (20 walks in 39 games after walking just four times in 17 games in his first taste of Triple-A last year) and power (ten doubles, six homers and 19 RBI). This guy’s got speed, developing power and can hit for average. Expect to see McCutchen rise into the top 10 prospects for 2008, assuming he isn’t in Pittsburgh long enough this year to lose his rookie eligibility. Right now, the Buccos don’t have any room for him with all three of their starting outfielders playing well. And with the Pirates actually hanging around .500 still, there’s no reason to start the youth movement quite yet. McCutchen is definitely a name to tuck away for the second half, however.

Remember Scott Strickland? The former Expo spent six seasons in the bigs, recording a 3.34 ERA through 236 games. But he hasn’t appeared in a major league game since 2005 with Houston. Now in the Yankees’ organization, this 32-year-old reliever is pitching pretty well so far in 2008, going 2-0 with a 4.19 ERA and over a strikeout per inning. He’s held righties to a .220 BAA, so perhaps he can still help a major league bullpen.

Still with the Yankees’ Triple-A bullpen, veteran minor leaguer Scott Patterson is starting to figure out this level after some early-season struggles. The 28-year-old righty was dominant at Double-A in 2007, recording a 1.09 ERA with 91 strikeouts and just 15 walks and 45 hits allowed in 74 1/3 IP, earning his first career Triple-A appearance along the way. Well, he started sluggishly this year, but is coming around with seven straight appearances without an earned run allowed, lowering his season mark to 3.00 through 16 games. He’s got good control and is striking out one per inning, so perhaps he’ll be considered as a possible injury replacement on the Yanks should it be necessary.

Billy Traber, who made the team out of Spring Training as the Yankees’ left-handed reliever, has struggled somewhat since his demotion back to Triple-A last month. He actually wasn’t awful in New York, but wasn’t exactly dominating southpaws, so the team felt no need to keep him around. Since his return to the minors, Traber’s numbers aren’t good (4.91 ERA), but his peripherals are strong (six hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in 7 1/3 IP). This 28-year-old could get another shot in the Yankee pen later this season.

Here’s another name to track in the bullpen of the Yanks’ top affiliate – David Robertson. The team’s 17th round pick in 2006 dominated at Double-A, earning a quick promotion to Triple-A. Since taking a beating in his debut, Robertson has settled down with three straight scoreless outings, even earning his first Triple-A win in his last appearance. He’ll need to sharpen his control to get a chance in the bigs, but considering this righty is just 23, let’s cut him some slack as he adjusts to the higher level.

Finally, Steven Jackson is also pitching very well in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre bullpen. Arizona’s tenth round pick in 2004, Jackson came to the Yankee organization in the Randy Johnson trade last year. He began the year at Double-A, but has since been promoted to Triple-A, and although his overall numbers the two levels aren’t eye popping (4.50 ERA through 14 games), his peripherals suggest he’s pitching much better than that, with just 24 hits and eight walks allowed while he’s fanned 28 in 28 IP. He even chalked up his first Triple-A save earlier this week after picking up one in Double-A.