Preview/Prediction

When the Mariners traded Cliff Lee to Texas last July, the focus was on having Justin Smoak as part of that package.

Unfortunately, much of the talk from that trade has not been the potential of Smoak, but the issues that come with one of he other pieces of that deal.

Josh Lueke.

Cliff Lee is a Philadelphia Phillie. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez are Boston Red Sox. Russell Martin is a New York Yankee. Jayson Werth is a Washington National.

Yes, this offseason has been full of big-name players switching teams. But we're not even close to being done yet.

The Los Angeles Angels missed out on Crawford and Lee, so they will almost certainly make some sort of big move before the 2011 season starts. In fact, they are interested in four of the five players on this list.

That man is smiling because Adrian Beltre is currently the "hottest" item left on the Major League Baseball winter stove now that Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn have found greener pastures.

Or more luxurious estates with more elegantly manicured lawns amidst a community with higher gates.

You say potato, I say potato...

Cliff Lee is officially a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. The papers have been signed and sealed. Now it’s up to Lee to deliver.

The organization is counting on him to do just that, to the tune of a cool $120 million.

Even a case of short-term memory loss can’t erase the memory of Jason Bay’s first season as a New York Met. Granted, it wasn’t a full season due to the concussion he sustained at Dodger Stadium, but it’s just too early to call Bay a free-agent bust.

The offseason which some hoped would build upon last year's isn't exactly going so well. Shaun Marcum was shipped off to Milwaukee, John Buck bounced to Florida, and Scott Downs got the money he was looking for in LA. Kevin Gregg isn't likely to come back either. 

Overbay is now a Pittsburgh Pirate. Good luck trying to get five million dollars worth of value from him... 

The New York Yankees have an abundant amount of money to spend after losing out on signing Cliff Lee, who went to the Philadelphia Phillies.

All possible options will be tried, as cash is never short in New York and especially when the team is in need. Nobody puts Baby in the corner; not the Phillies, not Lee and certainly not a lack of free agents.

Shocker alert: With pitcher Cliff Lee signing with the Philadelphia Phillies, Vegas now considers the Phils the heavy betting favorites to win the 2011 World Series. Online betting giant Sportsbook.com currently has them listed at +160 to win it all.

The Yankees didn't get their man this winter, but who might be heading to the Bronx next offseason?

Cliff Lee is a great pitcher and makes the Phillies the clear cut favorite to win it all next season in my opinion, but the Yankees are still a very talented team, and if they can swing a few trades here and there, they could easily wind up right in the middle of the playoff picture.

The big news today is that Cliff Lee rejected the Yankees. Red Sox fans have every right and reason to be delighted by this news. However, the Yankees did quietly sign Russell Martin this morning. The ramifications of Martin going to New York are not nearly as intriguing as those of Lee not going to New York, however they are still of particular interest to Red Sox fans.