MLB Hotstove Signings

Baseball's Big Signings


I know i said i was going to write about basketball at the end of this week, but i just cant help writing about all the happenings in baseball right now.  All of the signings and trades in the past week have got me longing for spring training.  So here is what i think about who is moving towards improvement and who is making a slide downward.
First of all, the Boston Red Sox have went from the team in the AL East that was constantly looking slightly up to the NY Yankees to equals with the pinstrippers.  With the signing of Gonzalez and Crawford i think that the Red Sox have become a favorite to win the AL East.  The lineup should go a little something like this if you are wondering 1st Ellsbury, 2nd Pedroia, 3rd Youkilis, 4th Crawford, 5th Gonzalez, 6th Ortiz, 7th Drew, 8th Saltalamacchia, 9th Scutaro.  This lineup is LOADED.  I can not put into words just how excited i am to see the Yankees and Sox battle it out in the AL East this year. 
Conversely, the Tampa Bay Rays are going in the opposite direction.  I love Joe Madden's managerial skills, but the blow that hes been dealt to his line up is going to be tough to recover from. The loss of Crawford and Pena could cause Dick Vitale to lose the rest of his hair watching his beloved Rays play next season.  Look for a 3rd place finish out of the Rays in the East next year.
The South Side Sox had another big signing this week.  Paul Konerko is back in a White Sox uniform and this was a smart move.  Last year Konerko hit 39 homeruns, and batted .312 with 111 RBI.  He combined with the Adam Dunn signing makes the White Sox a big player in the AL Central.  On the bad side of things the White Sox did lose a key piece of their bullpen with JJ Putz going to the Diamondbacks, last season Putz had a 2.83 ERA and had 65 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched.
On the other side of Chicago, the Cubbies signed Carlos Pena, this was a key pick-up with loss of Derek Lee last year to Atlanta during the stretch run.  I must say the Cubs need PITCHING,  without it they will again be a disappointment in the highly competitive NL Central. 
Here are some other signings
Rockies sign Ty Wiggington
Braves sign George Sherrill
Mariners sign Miguel Olivo
Brewers signed Shaun Marcum
Orioles signed JJ Hardy
This has been an active offseason and its been fun to watch.  I cant wait to see what else happens