Welcome back to the Hot Stove League running commentary, where I rate the major (and minor) off-season moves throughout the league. Plenty of hirings, firings, dumpings, and resignings still going on. Track 'em all.

October, November, and December.

Arbitration numbers and status appear at the bottom.

1. 1/13/05: Union management and Major League Baseball finally hear the call from the players to adopt a stringent steroid policy. While nothing is truly finalized yet, the agreement set in place will help clean up baseball. It will not solve baseball's problems, address economic issues, or even reduce home runs. But it may reduce injuries and post-playing health issues for the players in the game. And believe me, this is the players pushing this issue, not the owners. Owners want to see the big beefy guys breaking bats as they hit 500 foot home runs. That puts fannies in the seat. Purists are noted for being cheap too.
2. 1/8/05: Indians make some noise, finally adding pitching by signing Kevin Millwood. Millwood, who signed a ludicrous deal to leave Atlanta for Philly, probably signed a much toned down deal to go to Cleveland. He was a dismal 23-18 in Philly, with an ERA well over 4.00. A year with a young, talented Cleveland team will help. This team has been making a lot of intersting moves into contention this off-season without blowing up its core.
3. 1/11/05: Diamondbacks pony up a bit, trading newly acquired Dioner Navarro, Danny Muegge, Beltran Perez, and William Juarez for Shawn Green and $10 million and signed Green through 2007 for $32 million. The D-backs get $19 million, Shawn Green, Javier Vazquez, and Brad Halsey for Randy Johnson and three prospects. Green started slow, still recovering from surgery, but finished the season fairly hot. His bat should help Troy Glaus and Luis Gonzalez. LA gets their next primetime catcher in the 20-year-old Navarro and three pitchers, none of whom have shown all that much so far.
4. 1/25/05: Marlins open up the checkbook and sign Carlos Delgado to a four-year, $52 million deal. The hodgepodge of Hee Seop Choi and Jeff Conine didn't cut it last year for the Marlins. Conine is now 38 and that lower back will limit his effectiveness in 2005; Choi was dumped on LA. Delgado contributing 99 RBIs in just 128 games in Toronto last year and will break the 400 home run mark during the early portions of this contract. With the rest of the lineup, the Marlins will put some fear into the hearts of pitchers. This is not your small ball Marlins.
   
   What's interesting about this contract is that Delgado takes a $16 million pay cut for 2005, but increases back into the double digits for 06-08 and a big option for 2009. The Marlins are paying Pudge Rodriguez and Mike Hampton the salary savings this year. But this also signals that the Marlins could be up for sale at some point this year. The Marlins now must focus on pitching and middle infield depth.
5. 1/7/05: White Sox bring A.J. Pierzynski back to the AL Central. The contract is pretty cheap for this former All-Star — $2.25 million. However, will his brash personal style, which has irritated teammates, coaches, and most importantly umpires, cause more problems than he's worth?
6. 1/27/05: Remember me? I was Hideo Nomo once. Now I'm on a minor league deal, spring training invite for the Devil Rays. While he is 37 years old, this is a great no-risk addition. If his shoulder is healthy enough, the D-Rays have three legit starters in Scott Kazmir, Dewon Brazelton and Nomo, with Mark Hendrickson as a #4. While this isn't the Cubs 1-4 punch, it's better than Tampa has ever had.
7. 1/3/05: Tigers sign Ramon Martinez to a one-year deal. While not the punchiest of hitters, he will serve well as a veteran backup for both Carlos Guillen should he get injured again. This gives the Tigers nice depth up the middle, with Omar Infante capable of replacing Fernando Vina at 2B full-time at the end of 2005, when his contract expires.
8. 1/20/05: Rangers reup both John Hart and Buck Showalter. Last year's success without the A-Rod albatross clinched their return. Dumping oft-injured vets like Brian Jordan and Rusty Greer will help pave the way for the next generation. The AL West is in flux, with the Angels spending like mad, Seattle shifting personnel like mad, and Oakland, well, Oakland is run by a madman. Billy Beane. John Hart may be the most stable GM in the division. Now to get them over the hump.
9. 1/11/05: Indians bring in Juan Gonzalez via a minor league deal. He'll make $600k if he makes the squad and has incentives up to $2.55 million total if he can stay healthy enough to produce. Something tells me that if Juan Gone pockets close to $2 million, the Indians are contenders.
10. 1/19/05: Nationals realize they can sign free agents, and take a fairly cheap rider on Estaban Loaiza for $2.9 million. Loaiza nearly won the Cy in '03 and made $4 million in a disappointing 2004 season. The Nationals starting rotation is solid: Loaiza, Livan Hernandez, Tony Armas, Jr., and Toma Ohka all now signed. Sun-Woo Kim and John Patterson will fight for the #5 spot.
11. 1/26/05: Mariners bring in Cuban exile Yuniesky Betancourt on a four-year, $3.65 million deal. Betancourt is a young middle infielder with some chance of sticking around for a few years, and this is a cheap way to sit on him until he's truly ready. He hasn't been overused in the Cuban system. Ironically, the Mariners designated the son (Adam Looper) of the scout (Benny Looper) who watched him in Mexico last winter to make room. Thanks Dad!
12. 1/14/05: Braves replace JD Drew (and by proxy, Gary Sheffield) with... Raul Mondesi for only $1 million, plus incentives, a far cry from the $13 million paid by the Yankees in 2003. The Braves were short in the outfield last year, relying too much on Charles Thomas, Eli Marrero, and Dewayne Wise. They still need another good signing like this.
13. 1/11/05: Mets put more fannies in the seats by signing Carlos Beltran. Wow he was amazing in October. Two questions remain — can he do it again and can the Mets get to October? The Mets have made a lot of noise this off-season, their noisiest since acquiring Mo Vaughn and Pedro Astacio.
14. 1/6/05: Cardinals sign Mark Grudzielanek to a one-year deal. The Cards have Bo Hart and Hector Luna as young potentials, but Grudz provides the experience neccessary to replace this half of the double play combo. The Cards are definitely weaker up the middle with Eckstein and Grudz, but a heck of a lot lighter in payroll.
15. 1/12/05: Blue Jays get Shea Hillenbrand from the Diamondbacks for Adam Peterson. Peterson was drafted four times — 1998 by the Phillies, 2000 by the Royals, 2001 by the Yankees, and finally signed in 2002 with the Blue Jays. If he can get his game under control, he'll break into the bigs this year as a middle reliever with a possible transition to #5 starter. The corners are now reset in Toronto (with the loss of Delgado and the addition of Corey Koskie); look for Eric Hinske to be DH or be gone. Hillebrand is arbitration-eligible, however, and may win his case.
16. 1/19/05: Mariners get a few right. They sign Aaron Sele to a minor-league deal and invite him plus Kit Pellow, Wiki Gonzalez, Benji Gil, Ricky Gutierrez and a few others with some major league time to spring training. All of these guys will be on the 40 man, if not 25.
17. 1/19/05: Braves show remarkable restraint by signing Brian Jordan for $600,000, plus another $400k in bonus clauses. Jordan spent most of 2003 and all of 2004 in a state of "ding". The Braves outfield now stands as Raul Mondesi, Andruw Jones, and Brian Jordan. Three years ago, we'd concede the NL East with this outfield troika. Now Mondesi and Jordan are placeholders until 2006, when Kelly Johnson, Ryan Langerhans, Esix Snead, and/or Jeff Francoeur should be ready to step up. But right now, the outfield bench is bare. Don't be surprised to see someone like Ben Grieve, Rusty Greer, or Doug Glanville wind up in Atlanta.
18. 11/18/05: Indians take on Alex Cora for two years, providing more depth during a nice off-season for this team. The pieces of an interesting rebuilt puzzle are falling into place.
19. 1/17/05: Devil Rays make a better signing at 2b (see below) in Roberto Alomar. While he appeared in a career low 56 games last year due to a broken hand, $600k is pretty cheap for one of the best second basemen still out there.
20. 1/27/05: White Sox continue the continous revamping process, signing Japanese 2B Tadahito Iguchi fairly cheaply (two years, $4.95 million). This will shift Juan Uribe to short permanently. Again, the Sox look like they've done a tremendous amount of shuffling in the off-season, but will it work or produce another 83 win season? I don't like the chemistry of this team; a fiery manager, a highly paid oft-injured star hitter, a tempermental catcher, a few recent imports, an insane outfielder, and a terrible fanbase (in terms of behavior). Add losing the two best players (Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez) and you have the potential for serious disaster. These aren't your Boston "Idiots".
21. 1/28/05: Yankees stuff Doug Glanville in the minors. Given the trouble the Yanks have had keep outfielders healthy and happy over the past few years, Glanville provides valuable assistance if someone goes down. But he'll need the reps in Columbus; if he makes the 25 man roster, he'll not be as productive or useful.
22. 1/14/05: Cubs make a nice minor-league signing in Chad Fox. Given how middle relief has been their concern over the past few years, Fox adds a veteran arm at a cheap price, stashed away until needed.
23. 1/24/05: Pirates sneak Ben Grieve into their minor league system. This effects two nice things for the Bucs: 1) Keeps him off of Atlanta's bench 2) Provides some mid-summer lefty pop if Jason Bay slumps or Matt Lawton gets injured.
24. 1/13/05: Brewers take a minor league flyer on veteran Rick Helling to soak up innings. He'll make the roster as a starter unless his arm has completely fallen off.
25. 1/24/05: Reds sign Rich Aurilia to a minor league deal. Aurilia has been on the decline for a while yet, and looked horrid in the stretch last year, but Felipe Lopez may need to play a bit of 3B and neither Alexander Machado nor Ray Olmedo look ready. This gives them veteran depth at a cheap price.
26. 1/19/05: Rangers stash Mark DeRosa in their minor league system. With Soriano, Young, and Blalock around, DeRosa won't be needed unless someone goes down with an injury. But bench depth is key in this league, and having someone who has done well in the post-season is key to a stretch drive.
27. 1/17/05: Twins bring in Eric Munson on a minor league deal to support Terry Tiffee, Michael Cuddyer, and Juan Castro at 3B, and backup Justin Morneau at 1B. He'll make $700k if he cracks the 25 man roster, but is a nice experienced guy to have kicking around, just in case. He's another flexible guy for the infield, and has some pop.
28. 1/10/05: Pirates bring back Todd Ritchie with a minor league contract. Welcome back Todd.
29. 1/13/05: The owners approve the sale of the Brewers to Mark Attanasio. While I approve getting rid of Bud Selig as an owner because of the conflict of interest and mismanagement of this franchise over the years, Attanasio comes with some questions. Two huge ones are his associations with Global Crossing and Drexel Burnham Lambert and Michael Milken. On the positive side, he will try to "right the ship" within five years and will put the team back up on the market.
30. 1/19/05: Orioles will capture some media attention this spring after signing hard-luck story Tony Saunders to a minor league deal. Saunders has twice broken a bone in his arm while pitching. If he makes it onto the 25 man roster at any point this year, he's comeback player of the year. I just hope he doesn't end up losing his arm.

1. 1/11/05: Yankees officially acquire Randy Johnson from the Diamondbacks for Javier Vazquez, Brad Halsey, Dioner Navarro and $9 million in cash. They also extended Johnson's contract by two years. Yes, Randy Johnson is a bona fide Hall of Famer who is still pitching enar the top of his game. Yes, he's the pitcher I'd least like to face. But the Yankees are forcing themselves to pay for more talent down the line by dumping their best catching prospect, a potential starter, and a starter for a 41-year old starter. Yes, last year was incredible, WHIP-wise. But his innings are down, and his strikeouts per 9 are down. Getting Johnson is not a cost-effective move, and will cost the Yankees more and more as time goes on. Kudos for Joe Gariagiola, Jr. for getting the most out of this deal.
2. 1/3/05: Angels continue the organizational personality disorder by changing the franchise name to the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim". This is the fourth team name since 1961, and third since moving to Anaheim in 1966. This sort of combines two of the names (Los Angeles Angels and California Angels) in a dumbass attempt to increase marketing dollars. But how can you occupy two cities at once? And will the Angels be somehow confused with the Los Angeles Angels of Bel-Air? Of the 29 other franchises, five are fairly sensibly named after states (Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, Florida, and Arizona) and one after a region (Tampa Bay). But no team claims two cities. That's saved for the NFL Oakland/LA/Oakland Raiders.
3. 1/6/05: Tigers add another catcher to their roster by snagging Vance Wilson from the Mets for Anderson Hernandez. Hernandez was stuck behind several folks in the Tigers organization, so he's not a big loss. But I have to question adding Vance Wilson when the Tigers have Brandon Inge, Chris Shelton, and Ben Petrick able to be backup catcher for I-Rod.
4. 1/18/05: Normally, I won't comment on a resigning. But the Phillies have shown why they've blown the division the last two years — overspending. Placido Polanco, who is expected to backup Chase Utley this year, was signed to a $4.6 million deal to avoid arbitration. While Polanco is a good utility player, that's far too much for a backup. So either he cripples Utley's development by getting more playing time, or he collects a nice stipend for pinch hitting.
5. 1/11/05: Dodgers overspend on Derek Lowe, sinking $36 million into him for 4 years. While Lowe was lights out in October, he was lit up much of the season. While LA is the right place for Lowe, and the Dodgers now have a solid starting four, this is a team that needed to spend on hitting, particularly a 3B. Will they go after Hinske?
6. 1/23/05: Astros sign John Franco to a one-year deal. Normally signing a middle reliever to a one-year, $700k deal is a good thing. John Franco, however, is a middle-aged reliever. He's 44 years old and had a 5.28 ERA in 52 games with the Mets last year. He started 2004 slow and didn't pick up any speed, losing 7 games and only contributing 11 holds. He also didn't pitch for an entire month of at the end of the season, allowed 1/3 of an inning at the end of the final game in 2004.
7. 1/11/05: Last year, I liked the Padres late-season and off-season moves. This year, I'm appalled. Signing Chris Hammonds adds to the list of question marks about this franchise.
8. 1/28/05: Twins realize that there are players out there available for signing, but bring in Armando Rios on a minor-league deal. I've liked Rios a lot in the past; good role player, decent off the bench, and he hit well in limited minor league action last year. But his knee is a tremendous question mark, and the Twins are incredible deep in the outfield — seven major league caliber outfielders all younger, faster, and healthier than Rios. Sadly, Michael Restovich will be traded if he can't crack the roster.
9. 1/31/05: Jeff Nelson decides that the Mariners are worth one more shot, and signs a minor league deal. Nelson has burned so many bridges in this league, it's surprising he did find a job. After lambasting GM Pat Gillick for not making a trade in 2003, Nelson found himself shipped to New York for Armando Benitez and cash. But it's not the first (or last) time he'd get in trouble. He wound up arrested for assaulting a Red Sox groundscrewman later that season. It was surprising for him to wind up back in New York, as he had a screaming match with Joe Torre that resulted in his exile from New York to Seattle. Regardless, it's clear that he's on a severe decline anyway. Plagued by elbow troubles, he made 29 appearances for Texas last year, sporting a 5.32 ERA after a 4.59 ERA with the Yanks in 2004.
10. 1/5/05: Devil Rays bring in another weak-hitting shortstop in Alex S. Gonzalez. The hardest hit from a Devil Ray shortstop last year was Julio Lugo on his wife (granted, he was with the Astros then). With Upton to be the starting SS of the future, Gonzalez will see more time at 2B. I'd rather see the Devil Rays pick up Alex Cora.
11. 1/26/05: Red Sox trade away Doug Mientkiewicz and cash for Ian Bladergroen and a one-year rental on the last out from the World Series. Petty move on the Red Sox part. While Bladergroen looked good in his second year of A-Ball, the 44th round pick is still 3 years away from the bigs. And he won't come up through Pawtucket. Mientkiewicz brings fantastic fielding to Shea, veteran dugout leadership, and a clear focus. He'll also be a sought-after player for stretch drives if the Mets aren't in it.
12. 1/13/05: Devil Rays sign Danny Bautista as backup outfielder for a year. With Cruz, Badelli, and Crawford, Bautista isn't all that necessary. Josh Phelps will handle DH duties more than Bautista as well.
13. 1/24/05: Diamondbacks save Tony Clark from signing a minor league deal by giving him a one-year major league contract. Clark is a triple threat — can't hit lefties, has lost a lot of speed on the basepaths, and has declined a bit with the glove. Your first baseman shouldn't be a classic 8/9 hitter.