MLB

Everybody seems to love the New York Yankees trade with the Atlanta Braves for Javier Vazquez. The Yankees traded OF Melky Cabrera, LHP Michael Dunn and Low-Low A (although highly rated) pitcher Arodys Vizcaino to get the former Yankee right handed pitcher.

The San Francisco Giants clearly need some offensive help from the free-agent market but re-thinking the way they evaluate their own home-grown talent would help boost their offense from within.

For instance, while the Giants have a plethora of inconsistent young talent including players who may or may not develop into everyday starters, Nate Schierholtz doesn't belong amongst that group.

Throughout the past couple years Giants fans have grouped together such players like John Bowker, Eugenio Velez, Fred Lewis, Travis Ishikawa and Schierholtz in the same category.

It sure is going to be fun watching the Washington Nationals play baseball now that the adults are in charge.

Former general manager Jim Bowden would address a specific need by signing dozens of players in the hopes that one of them might make the team.

Now that the pitching prospects breakdown is out of the way, it’s time to take a closer look at the infield position players for the 2010 Houston Astros.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have come to terms with reliever, Bob Howry , reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic [Hat tip MLB Trade Rumors].

Terms of the deal are not immediately available, however it includes an option for the 2011 season and is rumored to be worth somewhere in the ball park of $2 million to $3 million.

I would like to preface this by saying that I am not a Mets fan. However, I do think many of their fans are not giving the team enough credit. The team is very good at its core, and many seem to forget that they entered last season as contenders before a slew of injuries. The team does need some revamping, though. So, if I were in their place, I would enact the following multi-step plan for the off-season to try and make the team competitive in 2010:

Let Jason Bay and Bengie Molina wait.

The Aughts began with the San Francisco Giants on top of Major League Baseball, almost literally. They finished with the best record in baseball in 2000, came six agonizing outs away from the World Series in 2002, and made it back to the postseason in 2003.

They were strong contenders in 2001, 2004, and 2005 (although I'm being liberal with "strong" on that last one).

Then came the Darkness. Or maybe it was a Fog.

Los Gigantes slid into baseball obscurity, toiling in the cellar of the Show's weakest division.

Even though the end of the holiday season is approaching, that does not mean that teams cannot continue searching for some gifts! Here is a look at some key free agents left on the market, and where they may end up.

Matt Holliday, OF

Teams interested: St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles.

This morning, Joe over at River Avenue Blues pointed out a few things about the Yankees' left field situation. In short, he suggested that the Yankees will be signing someone to complement the outfield and not necessarily take Brett Gardner's starting spot.

The New York Yankees faced a risky off-season but Brian Cashman and the Yankees did well in keeping the franchise from breaking down. The Yankees lost two starting position players from a year ago but made smart moves to enhance confidence for 2010. The signings of Andy Pettitte and Nick Johnson, plus trades bringing in Javier Vazquez and Curtis Granderson made it easier to forget about Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon.

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