Baseball

Rumors have been flying about him since the trade deadline last July. Padre fans, as well as the San Diego media, sat on the edge of their seats as the hours and minutes ticked away, wondering if Adrian Gonzalez was about to be traded.

The deadline came, and the news that followed shocked everybody when it was learned that it was Jake Peavy that had been dealt and not Gonzalez.

Now that the offseason is in full swing, the Gonzalez rumors have started to fly once more—though this time they don't involve the Boston Red Sox.

As you know, Albert Pujols won his second consecutive National League Most Valuable Player Award. He didn't just win it, he won it unanimously. Every single voter had him as their No. 1 pick.

Pujols' exploits have been well chronicled. I think he is the best baseball player who is currently playing baseball on Planet Earth. Some would disagree, but that is the prerogative of baseball fans everywhere.

While we shower Prince Albert with praise that he is absolutely deserving of, I would like to ask a question. Is he the best player to ever play for the St. Louis Cardinals?  

I remember being about five or six years old and writing a letter to Santa every year around Thanksgiving. I would grab a sheet of the paper with the HUGE lines, and write a list as long as I could, with the smallest chicken scratch handwriting I could muster. It would include all things Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, or Darkwing Duck. And I would never get everything I wanted, but if I had gotten just one or two of the items on my list, I would always be exceptionally happy.

I expect this list to have a similar effect.

With the list of potential free agents being adequate at best, this Hot Stove season will be heated with potential trades. Leading the list of "Who Will Win The (insert name) Sweepstake" is Roy Halladay.

The current market seems to include both Los Angeles and New York teams, Boston and Chicago Cubs. I expect this list to grow with Atlanta, St. Louis and Philly jumping in the game.

Before deciding who will win and pay at least $120 million over six years, we need to understand what the Toronto Blue Jays need and who they may want.

Needs

The Red Sox finally winning the World Series was the best and worst thing for the franchise. It was the best day in most (well, at least mine) Red Sox fans' lives, and finally shut Yankee fans up, for at least one season.

On the flip side, winning championships is addicting for die-hard sports fans. Now, Red Sox nation wants to win every year.

Brian Cashman won't meet with the Steinbrenner family until next week to discuss what the team's 2010 payroll is going to be, but regardless of what they tell him, he won't make the same splash he did a year ago.

"We spent a lot of money last year," said Cashman, who dumped a combined $429 million on Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte and watched the quartet play a big part in the Yankees winning the World Series . "We're not going to spend as much this year."

Before you read any further, I would like to issue a disclaimer of sorts. Despite all the buzz around the Internet about Adrian Gonzalez and/or Miguel Cabrera, I don’t believe that either will be traded this offseason.

Furthermore, I would like to go out on a limb and say that even if they were to be traded, I don’t see the Mets on the receiving end of either of the potential deals.

The New York Daily News printed its second (at least) article in the past week regarding a deal in the early stages of talks between Royals and the Mets.  In this deal, Kansas City would be sending Jose Guillen to New York, presumably eating a chunk of his $12 million salary for 2010, for Angel Pagan.  

Roy Halladay's pitch hand is strong.

So strong, in fact, he's got practically every team in the Majors falling all over themselves to make sure it belongs to them. 

Top prospects, proven starters, first born children—all being offered up like sacrificial lambs to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Halladay's unique services, but one team has emerged as a potential front-runner.