For those of you who thought baseball season ended a few weeks ago with the Giants bringing the first World Series title to San Francisco, you couldn't be further from the truth. Every team, including the champion Giants, is already preparing for the 2011 season as if spring training was just around the corner. For the first time, free agency in Major League Baseball began just five days after the conclusion of the World Series, not 15 as in years past.
With owners and general managers meeting this week during the annual winter meetings, the baseball hot stove has only begun to heat up. Teams have already made decisions about both players and managerial issues. The Giants announced that they would not resign this year's World Series MVP, Edgar Renteria, and managers and general managers alike have been hired across the league.
Even though the meetings soon will conclude and the winter months approach, there is still much action to take place in baseball. Free agency during baseball's offseason is full of calculation and suspense that no other sport can match. This year in particular there is quite an interesting cast of free agents worth discussing. Many of the big names have been part of American and National League champion teams during the past few years and should continue to put up big numbers for the beneficiaries, who will ultimately be able to get deals done.
The biggest name in free agency this year is, of course, pitcher Cliff Lee. He has played in consecutive World Series for different teams, coming out on the losing end both years. Lee, who dominated in most of his postseason starts in 2009 and 2010, is expected either to resign with the Texas Rangers or to sign a huge deal with none other than the New York Yankees. Both teams have much more than money to offer Lee. He seemed to fit in well in Texas, leading the talent-rich team to its first World Series appearance in franchise history. He definitely benefits from the presence of the team's new part-owner and president, Nolan Ryan, one of the best pitchers ever to have played the game. In New York, however, he has the opportunity to reunite with former teammate and fellow ace CC Sabathia, along with a near-guarantee to contend for a title each year.
The Yankees have their stake in quite a few other free agents - Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte are all up for free agency this year. Although the Yankees would love to sign all three players, the Jeter deal seems to be moving more slowly than expected, and Pettitte is still weighing his option to retire. The three players have been key contributors to the last five Yankee teams that won championships.
As for the top outfield free agents, the two big names have also played in a World Series at least once during the last three years. Jayson Werth of the Philadelphia Phillies was never a regular starter until he became a large reason for the Phillies winning it all in 2008. Werth is now a free agent for the second time in his career, but it is the first time that he is available as one of the top outfield bats in the game.
Another electrifying outfielder with no contract is Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford - who, at 29 years old, is a free agent for the first time in his career. Speculations of Crawford signing with the Yankees have been circling the outfielder for more than a year now, and it is time to see again if the Yankees can use their wallet to lure some of the best talent to the Bronx.
As that just about finishes the list of the top-tier free agents of 2010-11, there are still a number of players who can sign smaller contracts and still help their team win. Rangers designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero showed this year that although he may not be able to play the outfield like he did as a kid, the 35-year-old can still hit for an average of .300 and drive in more than 100 runs year after year. Look for an American League team to sign the 2004 AL MVP to fill a void at the designated hitter position in their lineup.\nComing off of a 17-11 season with Minnesota in 2010, veteran Carl Pavano can prove a viable option for teams looking for a solid No. 3 or possibly 2 man in the starting rotation. Pavano will not be expensive and is definitely a player who can help a team reach the playoffs, as he did with the Twins in 2010.
One last name to keep an eye on in the hot stove is first baseman Adam Dunn. The 31-year-old slugger has not hit less than 38 homers in a season since 2003. After spending his entire career without a postseason appearance, he must be itching to play on a competitive team. Dunn's bat will undoubtedly help whichever team signs him. As the Nationals look to get younger, Dunn will probably no longer fit in Washington for reasons other than his 6-foot-6, 287-pound frame. Nevertheless, Dunn will surely get a call from clubs lacking the power of a legitimate first baseman.
Free agency in baseball is wildly more unpredictable than you may think. Because of lopsided budgets, it is often the teams from New York, Boston, Philadelphia and so forth that end up signing the high-profile players. But as you know, there are factors at play other than just money. One thing that can be said for sure is that as the Florida Marlins expect to have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball yet again, no big names will be "bringing their talent to South Beach"
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