Baseball

Atlanta Braves' general manager Frank Wren has laid a big egg thus far in his handling of his team's bullpen situation this offseason.

Concerned that Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez would be too expensive for the cost-conscious Braves to retain, Wren wasted no time in signing Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito to fill their roles.

The tally: $10.2 million, 78+ years of age, two saves, and one Tommy John surgery.

(Originally posted on 4SportBoston.com)

The Phillies’ recent trade for Roy Halladay has been the talk of the town.

They acquired baseball’s premier pitcher. The only pitcher who could be better than Halladay right now would be Tim Lincecum.

The Phillies made a risky move trading away their ace pitcher Cliff Lee, but that makes the deal all the more interesting. Will the big risk equal a big reward? Or will it go down in flames?

It's still only December, but the news on Major League Baseball has certainly taken center stage for much of this week, most of the attention coming as a result of the mega-deal between Toronto, Seattle, Philadelphia and (obscurely) Oakland. It was literally a one-of-a-kind deal, with two Cy Young Award winners on the move.

The deal means that Cliff Lee lands in Seattle, where he will certainly boost the Mariners' playoff chances as they creep ever closer to the Angels' divisional mini-dynasty.

Now that John Lackey is off the table, there are three basic categories under which the high-profile free agent pitchers lie.

The first group consists of pitchers like Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smolt—future Hall of Famers who are past their primes but still have some gas left in the tank.

That's right. Few will have the courage to agree with me, but I'm sayin' it anyway.

In 2009, the San Francisco Giants' superlative right-hander, Tim Lincecum, won his second consecutive National League Cy Young award.

The East Coast establishment of Major League Baseball watched in horror as the Freak made it two-for-two—two full years in the Show, two Cy Youngs—and did so in dominating fashion:

2009: 15-7, 32 GS, 225.1 IP, 4 CG, 2 SHO, 68 BB, 261 K, 2.48 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 6.7 H/9, 10.4 K/9, .206 BAA, .271 OBPA, .290 SLGA, .561 OPS

As they did throughout last week's winter meetings, rumors continue to swirl today about a potential trade between the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres.

The proposed swap would send San Diego's two-time All-Star first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, to Boston in exchange for what would presumably be a package of top prospects.

The Dodgers were relatively relaxed during the winter meetings last week. After trading Juan Pierre they are now looking to make some moves with the money they saved.

According to the LA Times Friday, Jamey Carroll, a free agent that played as utility infielder with the tribe the past two seasons, will sign with the Dodgers pending a physical.

The Seattle Mariners are among three MLB teams that have never been to the World Series.

This season, they are hoping that will all change.

Aside from the 2004 WNBA Champion Seattle Storm, Seattle hasn't had a championship team since the NBA's Sonics won in 1979.

The Seattle Seahawks lost Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Seattle Mariners won 393 games from 2000-2003, including an MLB-record 116 in 2001. The result? Two ALCS appearances, both lost to the New York Yankees.