NL East

Yes, I am fully aware that this was yesterday’s news, but it’s hard to write when you leave your laptop in your office and your home computer catches a virus.

Yesterday was a tough day for The Ghost of Moonlight Graham. I was home sick, my computer crashed, and the UMass Basketball team lost their home opener dropping them to 0-2 on the season.

It’s hard to win when you don’t have a point guard who can facilitate an offense and you have to settle for jump shots the entire game.

The Phillies' top priorities this offseason are to upgrade the bench, find a new third baseman, and retool the back end of the bullpen which was so good in their World Series-winning season two baseball years ago.

On Monday, they made a huge step towards improving the bench when they decided to remove Eric Bruntlett from the 40-man roster, which means he will become a free agent.

My preseason NL Rookie of the Year pick: Cameron Maybin

NL Rookie of the Year winner: Chris Coghlan

At least I got the team right.

According to ESPN.com, Florida Marlins left fielder Chris Coghlan has been voted National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Outside of Roy Halladay, the player we are most likely to hear involved in trade rumors is Florida Marlins 2B Dan Uggla. This really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone as any player on the Marlins making more than $1 million is a trade candidate.

So if the Marlins are to trade Uggla, what type of player are they trading, and what type of return should they expect?

As always, here are the pros, the cons, and the potential suitors for Uggla.

Pros

In Ken Rosenthals’ Latest Buzz From The MLB Offseason piece on FOXSports.com , he mentions that the Washington Nationals are receiving strong interest in OF Josh Willingham.

I have always liked Willingham and have believed he has been one of the more underrated players in the game for the last couple of years. I guess underrated comes with the territory when you play for the Florida Marlins and the Nationals.

In a move that has been rumored for weeks, the Atlanta Braves and Tim Hudson made it official today when the former University of Auburn standout signed a three-year contract extension.

The three-year deal is worth $9 million per season and includes a club option for 2013.

This deal doesn’t come without its risks. Hudson is 34-years-old and is coming off Tommy John surgery. The first two years of this deal will probably be worth it to the Braves, but it’s hard to imagine a 37-year-old pitching like a $9 million pitcher.