New York

A season of torturous happiness and excitement was capped off when Aubrey Huff Zoolandered his famed rally thong in front of thousands of overjoyed Giants fans on the steps of City Hall.

As the realization set in, and the splurging on championship gear began for fans, the organization was quickly back to work. At hand was a task completely foreign to San Francisco -- how to defend a championship. 

With the Winter Meetings in full swing, teams are scrambling to find pieces to add. The New York Mets held nothing back in telling fans that they wouldn't be big players in free agency, but would be bringing back players.

Never a dull moment in the land of the New York Yankees, and this offseason is no different.

The early talk was Cliff Lee and Derek Jeter. Now that Jeter is signed, all the attention is focused on the big name lefty, Lee.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman was apparently frustrated and somewhat annoyed with the pace of the Lee negotiations.

WOW!

That's what came to mind when I read about the Washington Nationals signing OF Jayson Werth to a 7-year $126 million deal. Jayson Werth? Really?

That got me thinking. If Werth can command that kind of money, what is Carl Crawford worth? In the simplest terms, he is worth more. Let's take a look at a few ways Jayson Werth made sure he is going to get it.

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Courtesy of Yankees 'n More

The clock struck midnight, and the deadline for MLB teams to tender contracts passed. Of course, non-tendering doesn't mean you can't or won't return to that club, but often times it's a good sign that the team, player or both wanted to go in a different direction.

Let's take a look at some of the players who were non-tendered and where they might catch on.

LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, Seattle Mariners

The Yankees nearly made a trade for a catcher this week.

According to the New York Times' Michael S. Schmidt, the Yankees and Dodgers nearly had a deal worked out that would have sent Francisco Cervelli to Los Angeles for Russell Martin.

The Dodgers did just non-tender Martin, making him a free agent, so now the Yankees wouldn't have to give up anybody if they wanted to pursue Martin to be their next catcher.

No it’s not Jeter, Rivera or Pettitte and as far as I know Cliff Lee has never been a Yankee so who could it be?

As I type with complete and utter nausea, the player is Sergio Mitre.

No, this is not a joke, as the Yankees have signed Mitre for another year at $900,000 to bring his talents back to the Bronx.

What talents convinced the Yankees to make this decision?

Please, someone let me know ASAP.

The 2011 Major League Baseball season seems a long ways away, but it is never too early to take a glance at potential impact rookies for next season.

Jeremy Hellickson, 23, a pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, leads a group of 10 players who are ready to make an impact on their respective teams in 2011.

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Update: According to Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York, this NY Post report is not true, quoting a source that said, “Nothing’s happening there yet,” adding, “It sounds like a lot of BS being put out by the agent.”