Free Agency

Teams just aren't spending money like in previous times.

With several franchises hampered with lucrative long-term deals that create little financial flexibility, general managers are looking to get a little more creative these days about how they allocate payroll.

A lot of teams just don't have the ability nor resources to spend lavishly, so every signing becomes critical in the pursuit of a World Series ring.

It's been an eerily quiet offseason for most clubs.

While teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers have all been among the most active thus far, most have remained rather inactive in the early part of the free agent season.

With so many long-term contracts in the past that have proven to be a burden to clubs down the road, general managers aren't spending lavishly like in previous times.

It's a bad time to be a remaining free agent, because the amount of money left to spend is shrinking by the day. 

The name Bartolo Colon and the New York Yankees should never be linked in a sentence again this offseason.
 
Yes, Colon won the 2005 American League Cy Young Award, but that is not what resonates in my memory.
 
Back in 2008, the Red Sox were the only team interested in signing the overweight pitcher, who stood at 5’11" and tipped the scale at 245 pounds. Making seven starts as a member of the Red Sox, the injury-prone Colon found himself back on the DL again.
 

I have mentioned this a few times already, but he is worth the attention again.
 
Rafael Soriano is still a free agent, available and on the market. Whatever it is shocking considering he was the AL’s dominate closer in 2010 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
 
Even before Cliff Lee’s decision, Soriano as a player would have been more than enough for the New York Yankees to walk away with heads high.
 

There were conflicting reports this weekend that the New York Yankees were actually discussing whether or not they should bring in one-time Boston Red Sox villain and now free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez.

It was first reported on Thursday night, December 23, by YES Network’s Jack Curry that the Yankees were internally debating if they should sign Ramirez.

On Sunday, December 26, George A. King III of the New York Post reported that the Yankees do not have interest in Ramirez.

It's possible that the expectations for Erik Bedard, especially considering what Bill Bavasi sent to Baltimore to get him, added to the perception that he's a jerk. He's not a great interview. He gives that little smile when asked a question he doesn't like. There is a belief that he doesn't care.

Chien-Mang Wang is a National again this year.  To many it may be surprising that he even was a National last year considering he never pitched an inning.  Wang must have made strides rehabbing last year though because he was offered and accepted a $1 million contract (with $5 million in incentives) from the Nationals.  

With Christmas just around the corner, and the Winter GM Meetings already a thing of the past, Major League Baseball's Hot Stove league is well underway.

Going into this offseason, there was much talk about guys like Cliff Lee, the one true ace available, Jayson Werth, considered the best offensive threat on the market, and Carl Crawford, the superlative all-around threat coming off of arguably his best season.

In the 2010 World Series, the San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers in five games. 

After the immediate celebration, shortstop Edgar Renteria was named World Series MVP, and rightfully so. Over those five games, Renteria batted .412 with two home runs and six RBI.

It was nice to see Renteria win, as he had missed nearly half of the regular season with various injuries. Rather than retire, he chose to come back for one more year, hopefully with the Giants.

The Minnesota Twins, long known for their patient approach to the offseason, have quietly rebuilt their middle infield, and added new, intriguing arms to a retooled bullpen. 

There are many questions still needed to be answered for the Twins this offseason. Here's a look at the moves made so far this winter by the Twins.

Who's Gone

JJ Hardy, SS: Traded to Baltimore Orioles