The moment we have all been waiting for has finally come; Roy Halladay is no longer a Blue Jay.

But interestingly, Cliff Lee is no longer a part of the Phillies.

It was no surprise that the Phillies would have to give something up to get Halladay but no one really saw this one coming with the success that Lee showed in this past postseason.

“How are the Red Sox any better than the Yankees?” It’s a question I hear often when I walk the streets of Cleveland dressed in Boston paraphernalia.

Most of my fellow Indians fans see the two big-market clubs as equally evil; as long as they both buy our players and beat us in the playoffs, it doesn’t matter who is worse.

Knowing that trying to convert my peers to dual fandom would be futile, I usually respond by explaining to my questioner why the Red Sox are the lesser of two evils.

This is the second in my new series in which I will name what I feel are the top ten players in each MLB franchise's history.

Despite a slow start as a franchise, the Rays finally seem to be heading in the right direction, as years of drafting at the top of the draft have led to a bevy of talented young players.

I have included the players stats during their time with the team, as well as where those stats rank all-time for within the franchise.

I look forward to hearing where you the reader would differ in your top ten, and I welcome your comments.

Amidst the Monday news of the Red Sox signing pitcher John Lackey and outfielder Mike Cameron came a truth that far too many are just sweeping off to the side like it doesn't matter—Jason Bay will not return to Boston next season.

While Theo and the gang may be ready to just move on quickly, I'm not fully prepared to drive Bay to the airport just yet. Bear with me for a minute, throw on some Pearl Jam (his at-bat band of choice), and grab some tissues if you start getting emotional. We'll get through this together.

Preface: Cliff Lee was undeniably awesome in most of his starts for the Phillies in 2009. 

Unfortunately, the Phillies are not owned by Comcast Spectacor and do not have an endless revenue stream.  Phillies fans must also realize that Ruben Amaro, Jr. would like to keep his job past 2010.  So, while the fans would like to sell out for 2010, RAJ must maintain the health of the franchise while still improving the current model.  He has done that this week, if all reports are indeed true. 

Let's get some housecleaning out of the way first. 

Despite all of the whining and complaining from the vocal minority this off-season, the Mets are doing all the right things.

They have already made two major upgrades at shortstop and center field.

Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are much better players than Alex Cora and Angel Pagan.

For those that just want to look at the Mets record last year and ignore the fact that we had injuries to three of our four best offensive players, let me remind you that the Mets entered June seven games over .500 at 28-21 and just a half game out of first.

The baseball dominoes are beginning to fall, and it won’t be too long before the Washington Nationals know which free agent(s) will bolster their starting rotation.

Now that John Lackey is destined for Boston, and Roy Halladay is about to become a Philadelphia Philly, the rest of that second tier of starters is about to play their own version of musical chairs.

The White Sox have made a few moves this offseason to bring in guys that were at one time good, and at this current time fall somewhere between “ok ” and “retired .”

However, since the Tigers have decided that owning good young players is “soooo last year” and the Twins don’t have the resources to add to their team, the Sox seem to be the favorite in the AL Central for next season.

The Houston Astros signed Jason Michaels to a one-year deal on Monday, inking the outfielder for $800,000 with a club option for 2011.

With Michaels’ signing, the Astros are now at their max in terms of their 40-man roster and will spend the rest of the off-season searching for players the club can ink to minor league contracts.

“It’s nice to return to a place you are familiar,” Michaels told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (Houston’s beat writer). “Not just with the guys on the team, but with the surroundings and stuff like that. I’m glad it was able to be worked out.”

The sudden interest in former Pirates closer Matt Capps really has me scratching my head. I guess teams smell blood, and want to seize an opportunity to sign a pitcher recently given his walking papers by a team badly in need of pitching but who realizes his value in arbitration would be over-inflated by his save totals.

It may seem a cheap and easy way for the Cubs to improve the bullpen. But not so fast.

Sure, he saved 27 games last season. But if there is a stat more meaningless than saves, then I haven't seen it yet.