AL East

According to ESPN, the Toronto Blue Jays are trying hard to sign slugging first baseman Carlos Pena to a contract.

The Blue Jays are without a first baseman, as Lyle Overbay became a free agent. The Jays were not interested in his services, so they passed on re-signing him.

The Jays, who were the most powerful extra-base-hitting team last season, appear to want to just keep adding to the power that gave them so much success last season.

Cliff Lee is, as expected, the most coveted free agent as the MLB Winter Meetings open this week in Florida. Despite the Boston Red Sox' acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez and the mega-deal between Jayson Werth and the Nationals, Lee remains at the forefront of the rumor mill as proceedings begin.

As a Red Sox fan, I'm as happy as anyone that the Red Sox have acquired Adrian Gonzalez. However, Boston's work is far from done in this offseason: if they are to succeed in 2011 and beyond, the Red Sox need Carl Crawford and several relievers.

It really seems like the Orioles are running in quicksand, doesn't it?

On the day of the biggest trade to hit Baltimore since the Erik Bedard deal, the team is still overshadowed by Boston's trade for Adrian Gonzalez and Toronto shipping Shaun Marcum off to Milwaukee.

Such is life in the American League East.

The Baltimore Orioles have sent relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio to the Arizona Diamondbacks for their slugging, strikeout-prone third baseman Mark Reynolds.

Even though it happened only a couple hours ago, every Orioles fan knows that by now.

Reynolds is a legitimate, right-handed power bat, having hit 32 homers last season, and 44 in 2009.

This wasn't exactly a forward-thinking weekend for the Yankees, was it?

The trade appeared finished on Saturday, was dead in the water on Sunday, and on Monday, the Boston Red Sox unveiled their new first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, to the media.

In a trade years in the making, the Red Sox sent top pitching prospect Casey Kelly, outfielder Raymond Fuentes, and power-hitting first baseman Anthony Rizzo to the San Diego Padres. In return, they get a player long-coveted by Boston’s front office.

Have you ever hear the expression “swing hard in case you hit it”? Well, that is the epitome of Orioles newly acquired third baseman Mark Reynolds.

Reynolds was traded for on Monday morning, just after the first day of Major League Baseball’s winter meetings in Florida began. In return, the Orioles gave away relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio (from Triple-A Norfolk).

Despite rumblings that a trade would not go through due to the belief that a long-term contract would not get done, Adrian Gonzalez was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for coveted pitching prospect Casey Kelly, first base prospect Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Reymond Fuentes and a player to be named later.

Adrian Gonzalez is officially a member of the Boston Red Sox. He was introduced during a brief, 30 minute press conference at Fenway Park this afternoon.

Now that the dust has cleared, Red Sox fans want to know how he'll do in Boston.