MLB

The San Francisco Giants were one of the big surprises that nobody talked about last season. After finishing the 2008 season with an abysmal 72-90 record, the Giants bounced back with a 16 game turn around and just missed out on the post-season finishing 88-74.

The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to trade for coveted pitcher Roy Halladay in a three-team blockbuster that would send Halladay to the Phillies and Cliff Lee to the Mariners.

Sources say Halladay would agree to a long-term contract extension that would complete the deal. Halladay would go to the National league while Lee would return to the American league where he won the 2008 Cy Young award.

The winter meetings are underway, and multiple important details have already dripped out.  Jason Bay is unlikely to re-sign with Boston.  Because of this setback, the Sox have taken the opportunity and extra money from not signing Bay, and have invested it in John Lackey, a 31-year-old ace.  The deal is about the same as Burnett's.  Five years for about 82.5 million dollars. 

The never-ending game of one-upmanship continues.

The Boston Red Sox are reportedly on the verge of inking the top pitcher on the market, John Lackey, to a five-year, $85 million contract.

Reports out of Boston claim that Lackey took a physical with the Sox on Monday, an indication that an official deal is close.

It took five months longer than we expected, but Roy Halladay is a Philadelphia Phillie.

According to Jon Heyman, the Phillies have agreed to a three-team trade with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners that will send Halladay to Philadelphia, Cliff Lee to Seattle, and a package of prospects from the Phillies and M's to the Blue Jays.

Halladay, 32, will sign a contract extension with Philadelphia to complete the blockbuster.

John Lackey pitched the first game of a double-header between his Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park back in 2007. 

The Angels' ace had looked good, dominant even, all season long. But this just wasn't his day.

After surrendering five runs in the first inning, Lackey walked off the back of the mound and muttered to himself, glaring up at the outfield bleachers and shaking his head as he did: “F*** this place.”

That was then. This is now: John Lackey is the newest addition to the Red Sox' parade of aces. 

Arte Moreno had us all fooled.

Thanks to the free agent signings, the stadium improvements, and the winning ball club, we all thought Anaheim was a big market city.

We loved the atmosphere at Angel Stadium, the rally monkey, and the perennial winner.

You fooled us all, Arte!

I looked the other way when the Angels lost Chone Figgins—no easy task when you consider it was a loss within the division.

I understood when word came that no attempt was being made to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero. 

It's been a busy Monday with pitchers moving around the league.

Earlier this afternoon, it was reported that the Red Sox and John Lackey agreed to a five year deal worth around $85 million dollars.

Lackey was in negotiations with teams like the Yankees, Mets, Mariners, and Rangers among others, but now, he lands in Boston.

It's a solid move for the Red Sox, who get a top pitcher and a playoff-experienced pitcher to add to a rotation with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester at the top of it already. Lackey probably will be the number two pitcher in that rotation.