Baseball’s annual general manager’s meetings are currently going on, and these meetings usually signal the beginning of the “hot stove league”, the period in the off-season that major league teams begin building their teams for the following season through free agent signings and trades. The first major trade of the meetings was announced yesterday, as the Florida Marlins dealt one of their young stars, 2nd baseman Dan Uggla, to the Atlanta Braves for infielder Omar Infante and pitcher Mike Dunn. For the Marlins, it was one of their classic money-dump moves, as Uggla is due for a huge contract and recently turned down an offer from them. Former Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez is now taking the helm as Bobby Cox’s replacement with the Braves, so the move makes total sense for them and vastly improves their lineup. Pitcher Cliff Lee is the hot free agent commodity this year, and his agents have already met with representatives of the Yankees and his current team, the Texas Rangers. I think the fact that the San Francisco Giants won the World Series this year, with a lineup of mostly low-cost players, may keep the big money from flowing in free agency this year like it usually does, as teams look at what they have on their roster, compare it to what the Giants accomplished, and decide to either go with their home-grown talent, or improve their teams with a timely trade or two. Lee and outfielder Carl Crawford should wind up with big paydays, but after them there won’t be any huge signings. Two other potential big name free agents are Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko, who would be attractive to a team looking for that one last big bat missing from their lineup. I don’t see either Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera leaving the Yankees. The 2 World Series teams have already made moves to save money, with the Giants choosing not to resign Edgar Renteria, and the Rangers declining next year’s option on Vlad Guerrero. Major League Baseball, like most other sports, is a copycat league, and with the big spenders like the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers and Phillies not having ultimate success this past year, this may be the year of teams staying the course with what they have in their own system, with pressure being put on managers to do what San Francsco’s Bruce Bochy did this past season – keep your team competitive, get hot at the right time and ride the wave to a title.
MLB – Baseball’s Hot Stove League
17
Nov