Obsessions

I've always been told that I have a very obsessive personality and I would have to agree. I really don't see the point in putting energy into an activity if can't enjoy and appreciate every aspect of it. On the flip, I have a very short attention span. I can learn everything about a subject and then drop it like a bad habit, which is usually easier said than done but I've been able to manage quite well at it. I find it quite awkward to possess both qualities at such equal ranks, but have always been able to manage.

I will always remember the defining time period in which "obsessive" wrote itself on my forehead.

I was mid teens and I had just moved to Virginia. It wasn't too long before I was looking for something to dig into to keep my mind off the newness of another town and another group of friends to fit into. My best friend, "Big B", already lived here and was into BMX. He liked to make dirt jumps and ride with a few friends he already knew from here. Anyways, needless to say, I dove in head first. Got a bike and started riding.

It wasn't too long before I had to ask Mom and Dad for a real bike, the one I got from Wal-Mart just wasn't cutting it. I didn't go to a bike shop and pick one off the rack though, I did my research and ordered all the different parts off the internet. I still remember putting it together. But with me the story goes cold and a few years and two bikes later, I lost the ambition. It's quite sad to look back and realize how much time I put into it and I am not doing it anymore. I loved the industry and the people running it, the rider owned aspect and where it was headed. The friends I made from riding were the realest people I knew, genuine, and were just down for fun. Thanks guys.

"The Fanatic"

Sick days were all used up.

I realized I haven't been on here as often as I first wanted to be. I've been pretty sick the last couple day and besides that, just wanted some signings to occur before I wrote again. So, I gave it a week or so and here I am again.

Probably the biggest transaction since my last piece was Roy Halladay- Cliff Lee trade. The Phillies figured Lee was going to test the free agent waters after next season and had the opportunity to acquire "Doc" and extend him for at least three years. Lee was traded to the Mariners for Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies and Juan Ramirez and Kyle Drabek, outfielder Michael Taylor and catcher Travis D'Arnaud were sent to Toronto. Apparently, this was a disappointing haul for Roy Halladay and Toronto.

The Athletics' got involved on the back end of this trade acquiring Micheal Taylor for Brett Wallace.

The Red Sox signed both John Lackey and Mike Cameron. Cameron has great defense and 25-30 home run power. Lackey will certainly serve as a third ace probably fitting into the second slot of the rotation. Personally, I didn't see either of these coming. Jason Bay seemed to have priced himself out of Boston due to his need of a fifth year on contract, so Boston moved on. And for Lackey, maybe a precursor of expecting not to be able to sign Josh Beckett after this year. I don't really see Beckett moving out of Boston unless one of the Texas teams (his home state) open their wallets for him.

South Chicago made a trade for Juan Pierre for John Ely and Jon Link. Pierre will likely serve as the Sox' new lead-off man, he has detrimental speed and no opportunity to use it in LA anymore. LA will also send a lot of cash, almost $10m, to Chicago as part of the trade.

Baltimore made a couple of moves signing new closer Mike Gonzalez to a two-year deal worth $12m and $4m more in incentives. The other move coming in the name of Garrett Atkins who was non-tendered by the Rockies recently. The deal is one-year worth $4.5m and has a team option worth $8.5m for 2011.

The Yankees sign oft-injured Nick Johnson to a one-year $5.5m deal with a mutual option for 2011 worth the same. Johnson will serve as the Yankees' DH and will back up Mark Texiera at first base. He should be able to stay healthy as a DH.

The Cubs finally got rid of Milton Bradley as he goes to Seattle for a bad contract swap of pitcher Carlos Silva. Seattle is hoping the presence of Ken Griffey Jr. will have a good impact on Bradley as his second chances are running out.

That's it for now as my head is still so stuffy I can barely see the screen anymore. I hope y'all are feeling better than I am.

"The Fanatic"

Atlanta Braves

The Braves, sad to say, have not shown themselves to be true contenders for quite a few years now. Although, they did make a run at the post-season late last year, their efforts fell short with a week left and missed the glory once again.

The team doesn't have a payroll comparing to bigger markets like New York, Boston, or Philadelphia, but they're not broke either. Last year they were willing to infuse money into their starting rotation signing Derek Lowe and trading for Javier Vasquez. I loved the Lowe sign due to his dependability and durability, albeit paying slightly more than I thought he is worth. Lowe struggled a bit this year but did his job eating up innings and keeping the bullpen fresh. Vasquez on the other hand, dominated and was among leaders in strikeouts era and innings pitched. He quickly became the staff's ace over Lowe and never looked back.

Atlanta also has two young guns in that of Jair Jurrjens and rookie Tommy Hanson. Jurrjens was acquired from the Tigers two years ago and has been all that was advertised. Hanson dominated, although his stats won't completely show his effectiveness. He did place high in the Rookie of the Year voting though, deservingly. Tim Hudson is coming back from injury and will be around for another few years and import, Kenshin Kawakami, is also likely to stay in the startng rotation.

This off-season they seem to be doing the same with the bullpen. The Braves have already signed Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito and traded arbitration acceptor Rafael Soriano to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jesse Chavez. They now seem to have a very healthy, dominant late-inning corps. So with pitching up to par, and a little overloaded, the Braves are wanting to trade Derek Lowe after free agent John Lackey comes off the market. Earlier reports were that Atlanta wanted a big bat outfielder for Lowe but apparently are looking for a different type of return as of now.

The Braves could be using the Lowe salary saved for perhaps Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. Both are left fielders, and both have big power. This is the type of move that would benefit them the most, but money is an issue with smaller market teams and big free agents. Atlanta might look to some less attractive yet productive hitters such as Xavier Nady, who is coming off a injury-full 2009. They also might want to revisit a Brewers trade of Corey Hart plus prospects, but Hart is coming off quite a few disappointing seasons and will be a complete gamble that he will rebound. The team could also try trading for a first baseman and let top prospect Jayson Heyward start the season roaming Turner Field. I don't really see this happening though because of first base prospect Freddie Freeman being so close to emerging.

Atlanta has a hole at first base after Adam Laroche hit the market. The Braves have a few options for this void, one being resigning Laroche, but only if he'll accept a one-year deal. I have an idea for moving the aging-third baseman, Chipper Jones, to first base and signing a third baseman. Perhaps Mark DeRosa could fit that bill. The Red Sox tendered a contract to Casey Kotchman and I believe Atlanta could trade back for him. There are plenty of options, albeit some nicer than others, but only time will tell which path Atlanta takes to fill their voids and it would be nice to see the team shake things up a bit.

"The Fanatic"

Boston Red Sox

There's a lot of debate from fans and reporters alike on what the team should be doing this off-season to make the team better. I don't like reading some of the other fan's opinions because they seem mainstream and not thought through very well. Nobody really comes up with alternatives to discuss. There's been a lot of bad-mouthing about the Mike Lowell trade. The backlash is understandable if you look at Lowell's professionalism and ability shown in Boston, but people should trust that their organization is doing the right thing.

Boston will be paying 3/4 of Lowell's salary, $9m, for him to play in Texas. They will, however, receive catching prospect Max Ramirez as compensation.

Now, the grief I have with this is were paying $9m to unload Lowell and it doesn't seem like there are better options on the market for first or third base. I'm saying first as well because, first baseman Kevin Youkilis can also play a pretty good third base and he could just be moved to third. Reports are that Boston likes free agent Adrien Beltre to fill the void at third. Less realistic options are keeping Casey Kotchman as a starting first baseman and moving "Youk" to third. Versatile Mark Derosa is another decent option at third but was injured late last season and might be questionable.

These are all decent options but fans want the splash, the big bat that will make them happy, make a difference. Not always as easy as the Yankees make it look. The Red Sox do need to make a splash though, they need to do something big. They need two big bats, one of which is expected to be Jason Bay in left field. If he ends up signing elsewhere, the general consensus seems to be that they will pay what would then be, Mega-Agent Scott Boras' ransom on Matt Holliday. I have an idea of what they should do for the other one.

One year ago the Angels let Mark Texiera test the market. "Tex" landed the deal he wanted with the Yankees and won a WS ring. But I think the real winners here were the Angels. They let him walk because they had a kid waiting in the wings who got his opportunity and boy, did he not waste it. Kendry Morales. Morales nearly mirrored Teixiera's stats highlighting the same amount of doubles, 43, same range in power 34 to 39 while having a higher batting average of .306 to Tex's .292 and slightly lower OBP(on-base percentage) .355 to .383. Morales also got payed nearly $20m less.

Sorry, I babbled on a bit there. Anyways, I propose the Sox should do what they can to acquire Morales to play first and move Youkilis to thrid base. Casey Kotchman was an Angel before he was shipped to the Braves for Texiera and then sent to Boston for Adam LaRoche this past mid-season. I think an offer of Casey Kotchman, newly acquired catcher Max Ramirez, minor league first baseman Lars Anderson and pitcher Micheal Bowden might interest the Angels. I would even throw in reliever Manny Delcarmen and possibly a mid ranged outfield prospect for him.

You might think to yourself that that would be a lot for one guy, but I see huge things for Morales in the future and I think he'd be worth it.

Kotchman has two years left on his contract and Lars Anderson should be ready to replace him at first by then. Max Ramirez could reinforce the Angels trade for Roy Hallady that they are discussing now, either to use him in the deal or replace Mike Napoli who is said might be involved. I would place Bowden in this deal because he's young and what seems to be the next pitcher in line for the majors but won't crack Boston's rotation. Plus, who doesn't like extra pitching in a deal. Which is why I would throw in reliever Manny Delcarmen as well. He had a rough but good year and might like some new scenery while getting back on track. I'm not sure if an outfield prospect is what they need but there are three spots out there and I'm sure they could add some depth at one of them.

So there it is, that's what I believe the Red Sox should be doing this off-season. I would love to see them do this, and I hope the Lowell deal is a precursor. We'll see.

"The Fanatic"

The end of the Winter Meetings

Well, the meetings are over and everyone has, is, or is going to be going home today or tomorrow morning. It's been a busy week for most teams and there's a whole lot more to come. As expected, there were a lot of trades that got worked out, namely the three-way blockbuster between the Tigers, Yankees and Diamondbacks. I had a lot of fun writing about the meetings and can't wait to do it again next year.

However, the "Hot Stove" is just heating up.

Developments on the Mike Lowell for Max Ramirez trade have seemed to have made there way to a tentative agreement, pending physicals. Many think if this gets finalized, something far better for Boston should be coming. To me, this deal just doesn't make much sense unless it's a precursor for something huge. Let's hope, because if it doesn't spell something far better than the too-expensive Adrien Beltre, this deal is a complete bust. And I just don't think that's GM Theo Epstien's style.

Not a free agent sign, but the Rockies did tie up catcher Chris Ianetta's arbitration years with a three-year $8m deal with an option on what would be his first free agent year in 2013. I'm not quite sure what the option year is worth yet.

The week did survive the signings of the big fish. John Lackey, Jason Bay and Matt Holliday are still without employers, but I don't think anybody really expected them to sign so soon anyways. The trade block, on the other hand, did say goodbye to Edwin Jackson and Curtis Granderson of the Tigers and Rafael Soriano of the Braves. Kevin Millwood and Matt Lindstrom also gave goodbye's to their former employers, the Rangers and Marlins respectively. Toronto, however is still waiting for its ransom to be paid on Roy "Doc" Halladay and Milton Bradley is still a Cub. Sorry Chicago!

For right now, That is all the notable updates I have. Tomorrow, I plan on starting a new series featuring teams needs and how I think they should fill their voids. Stay tuned.

"The Fanatic"

Winter Meetings, Day 4

I am very excited right now, although it has nothing to do directly with baseball.

I was IM'ing with a friend that I used to play ultimate frisbee with and he has a blog website that he writes on. So I thought to myself, "This could be a good catalyst for what I want to start doing." Anyways, I asked him what the site was all about and it was perfect. I got logged in and transferred my previous posts over and BAM!, I have a website. Thanks Jake.

Once I was all set up I took a shower and started reading from my sources. There has been a few new developments this afternoon as well as some previous issues I remembered I wanted to touch on.

The Rule 5 draft has started today. The Rule 5, in a nutshell, helps balance the minor league system a little bit. A team can pick any minor league player who is not currently protected by a MLB 40-man roster. There is a price for this player though. The pick costs $50,000, and if the player does not remain on the selecting team's MLB roster all year, they have to be offered back to the original team at half price. This draft is not to be mistaken with the Rule 4 draft otherwise known as "The Draft" or "Amateur Draft".

The Astros made another addition, signing third basemen Pedro Feliz to a one-year deal at $4.5m. He's making and additional $5m from the Phillies after having his contract bought out. The Astros seem to be spending more than they implied they had in payroll. The signing also led me to remember Placido Polanco was signed by the Phillies to replace Feliz at third. Polanco played second base for the Tigers the last few years. I did not know he could play third, but apparently the Phillies did and the signed him to three years at a tune of $18m. I thought he'd get more.

The Rangers and Red Sox are discussing a deal that would send Mike Lowell and nearly 3/4 of his salary($9m) for minor league catcher Max Ramirez. Lowell is coming off injuries and has a big contract. He mentioned earlier this month he would switch from third base to first and could also DH for the Rangers. The Red Sox need catching depth and have the extra money to send out for the trade to happen. I'm a little torn on this idea. Yes, they need the catching depth, but no, they don't need to trade Lowell to get it. He only has one more year on his contract and was pretty productive even though he was injured.

The Red Sox might be looking at Adrien Beltre for a third base option if the trade does indeed go down. Beltre is coming off a down-year offensively but has a great glove. I feel they're better off moving Kevin Youkilis to third and making the blockbuster trade for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez of the San Diego Padres. Although, I wouldn't agree if it means sending no-hit wonder Clay Buccholz to get him. But, the Sox have managed to make some trades that didn't involve him so we shall see.

Speaking of the Red Sox, they signed Marco Scuturo to a two-year $12.5m deal with a mutual option for 2012 a week ago. Great sign for both, Scuturo gets to starting gig after a great year in Toronto and the Sox get a good bat at shortstop who can still go get the ball. Today, they acquired Boof Bonser from the Twins for a player to be named later, most likely an A or AA player.

"The Fanatic"

Winter Meetings, Day 3

I didn't have a chance to write yesterday. I know, I cried too. I held off to do it all last night because when I sat down to do it mid-day, there wasn't much happening. But, my plan backfired as most of them do. Amber and her brothers took a trip back in time. They played "Everquest" when they were younger and found a new version that they could play. So, as soon as I heard that they were going to do that, I knew I wouldn't be writing anytime soon. I didn't mind though because it's always nice to have your girlfriend or wife interested in some kind of video game. Makes life just a little bit easier.

So, here I am, 12 hours later trying to catch up. And, oh boy, did I miss a lot!

The Pirates signed Bobby Crosby to one-year, $1m plus incentives. Crosby was a good infielder for the A's before lots of injuries hampered his career. The signing indicates he's healthy now, but we'll see for how long. Earlier last month, the Pirates traded bullpen arm Jesse Chavez for second baseman Akinori Iwamura of the Rays. The Pirates made the trade to open up international affairs, Japanese players in particular.

The Astros acquired former closer Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins. The Astros were ready to lose Jose Valverde to the market and they needed a back-up plan. Minor leaguers Robert Bono and Luis Bryan plus a rule 5 draft pick was sent to Florida. They also signed former closer Brandon Lyon to a three-year $15m deal. I'm surprised he got more than $11m, but good for him.

The Mariners signed journeyman Corey Patterson to a minor league deal. No big deal here.

The Rangers are sending Kevin Millwood and $3m to Baltimore for Chris Ray. I like this trade for the Orioles, they needed some better than they have pitching. Texas will sign Rich Harden with the money saved on the trade. The deal is worth a base of $6.5m with $3.5 in incentives and the team holds and $11m option for 2011. To me, this is a good deal for both sides. Harden is injury-prone, but if he stays healthy, he gets payed. The Rangers get a dominant pitcher and don't lose too much money if he gets hurt again. Plus, I like Harden over Millwood as I think most will agree, and now they have Chris Ray too, for the same amount of money.

I originally thought Rafael Soriano was going to be trade to the Orioles, especially after the Chris Ray trade. But, apparently the Rays are going to get him instead. The Braves will likely get Jesse Chavez in return, who came to Tampa in the Iwamura trade. I like this deal for both sides, especially the Braves, who were somewhat blindsided by Soriano's arbitration acceptance. The Rays will finally have better than an "ok" closer.

The Brewers singed LaTroy Hawkins to a two-year $7.5m deal. Not a big deal to me, I don't really like Hawkins' style, but whatever.

And lastly, Andy Pettite resigned with the Yankees. I know, the biggest shocker of the day. Not! I don't even know why they report on this, my three year old son could have told you it was going to happen. $11.75m deal. *Sigh*, I hate the Yankees!

"The Fanatic"