On the heels of their amazing 2008 championship run, the Rays made a terrific signing on Monday when they reeled in a World Series opponent with a bargain of a contract. By signing former Phillie Pat Burrell to a two-year deal worth $16 million, the Rays have upgraded their offense without breaking the bank and without doing major damage to their defense. With Carl Crawford entrenched in left field, Burrell will be doing what he should be doing--and that's DHing on a regular basis. Burrell's 30-plus home run power and .350 to .360 on-base percentage will be welcome additions to an offense that sometimes struggled to score runs last summer, even in winning the AL pennant. With Tampa Bay's young pitching and dynamic defense already in place, the Rays could be an even more well-rounded team in 2009, a scary thought for both the Red Sox and Yankees...

The signing of Burrell has apparently directed another free agent, Jason Giambi, toward the Bay Area. The A's have reportedly signed Giambi to a one-year contract, with the possibility of an option year. Either way, it's a far cry from the ridiculous three-year demand that Giambi had made earlier in the off season. This figures to be a good news/bad news signing for the A's. Giambi can still hit with power and draw walks, making him a potentially capable left-handed complement to Matt Holliday. But Oakland fans will also have to suffer while watching Giambi stumble his way around first base, since there's no room at DH, where Jack Cust is already stationed. Having watched Giambi play first base for the better part of the last seven years, I can say this with little hesitation: "The Giambino" is the worst defensive first baseman I've ever seen, worse than Mo Vaughn, Dave Kingman, Don Baylor, and a host of other lead gloves. Brutal. Awful. Pick your adjective in assessing Giambi, they all fit in describing the second coming of Dr. Strangeglove...

We're now one week away from the Hall of Fame election, which will likely feature two electees, with an outside shot at a third. Rickey Henderson remains a lock for Cooperstown immortality; the only question is whether he will break the 95 per cent barrier. Now in his final year on the ballot, Jim Rice will join him, but the vote will be close, with the former Red Sox star coming in just above the 75 per cent mark needed for election. And based on what I'm hearing, support for Andre Dawson is building among the members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Dawson, who received 65 per cent support last year, may threaten the 75 per cent mark. It's an outside shot--but that's a better shot than what I would have predicted for "The Hawk" 12 months ago. 

It's almost unfathomable that only three years ago Andruw Jones hit 41 home runs and slugged .531 while playing a Gold Glove center field. Here in 2009, the Dodgers are so desperate to rid themselves of Jones, coming off a .158 campaign at the plate, that they've reworked his contract, reducing his current-year salary to a more manageable $5 million.

But will any team want Jones, even at that reduced rate? I wouldn't, not unless Jones and the Dodgers were willing to cooperate. First, Jones would have to promise to lose at least 15 to 20 pounds; he's obviously overweight, especially for a major league center fielder, a position that requires more than its share of mobility. If he doesn't reach the weight limit by a certain date in the spring, he would stand to forfeit some salary. Additionally, with rumors flying about Jones having eye trouble, he would have to undergo a rigorous eye examination as a way of discovering some underlying problem with his vision. And then the Dodgers would have to pick up at least half of his $5 million salary for 2009, along with all of the money that they've arranged to defer. If all of those conditions were met, then and only then should a team like the Yankees or Braves consider making a deal to bring Jones on for a spring training look-see.

I might also be tempted to ask Jones for documentation about his actual date of birth. Jones is supposedly 31, set to turn 32 in April. Given his drastic decline over the past three seasons, it's not unreasonable to think that Jones may have fudged his birth date at some point. Otherwise, we'd have to surmise that he's undergone a remarkable  and nearly unprecedented decline for a player who is still a relatively young man.

Obviously, Jones brings with him a surplus of risk for 2009--and beyond. But if he and the Dodgers take the necessary steps, he might become a more reasonable risk for some team that finds itself desperate to find a new center fielder. 

Billy Cowan was once described as the "epitome of a fringe ballplayer." While hardly flattering, that characterization was dead solid perfect in assessing the journeyman outfielder, who bounced from the Cubs to the Mets to the Milwaukee Braves to the Phillies to the Yankees to the Angels during an eight-year career that spanned from 1963 to 1972.

Cowan was never close to being the best player on any of his teams, never an All-Star, and will certainly never make the Hall of Fame. Yet, he receives more autograph requests through the mail than most journeyman outfielders of similar vintage--if only because of his amusing 1972 Topps card. Opting to have some fun with Cowan, the Topps photographer lined his head up perfectly within the confines of the old halo at Anaheim Stadium, now known as Angel Stadium of Anaheim. At the time, the ballpark still featured a large halo at the top of a tower within the perimeter of the ballpark. (I may be wrong, but I believe that the halo is now featured in the stadium's parking lot.). One thing I've always wondered about the Cowan card is whether the outfielder was actually aware of what the photographer was doing. It certainly looks like the photographer intentionally set up the photo so that Cowan's head was right in the middle of the halo, but I'm not sure that Cowan realized that. Either way, Cowan has maintained his sense of humor about it--along with his willingness to sign the card when it's sent to him in the mail.

The 1972 card, by the way, was the last one issued for Cowan, who played in only three games--all as a pinch-hitter--before drawing his release that season. While the Angels contended that Cowan was no longer a useful player--after all, he was 0-for-3 as a pinch-hitter and had struck out 41 times against only seven walks in 1971--Cowan felt differently.  Once labeled by The Sporting News as the "Clarence Darrow of the clubhouse," Cowan filed a grievance against the Angels through the Players' Association, claiming that the release occurred for reasons other than baseball ability.

As the Angels' top pinch-hitter in 1971, Cowan contended that California had cut him loose because of his active role as the Angels' player representative, which was like being branded with a scarlet letter at the time of major collective bargaining friction between the players and owners. Like Cowan, three other player representatives for the Angels had also been relocated, with infielders Jim Fregosi and Bobby Knoop sent packing in trades and catcher Bob "Buck" Rodgers demoted to the minor leagues. The Angels, like the 23 other teams in existence at the time, decided to strike at the tail-end of spring training, delaying the start of the 1972 regular season--and perhaps influencing the eventual end of Cowan's major league career.

Thankfully, the end of that career didn't come before the manufacture of one of the quirkiest cards in Topps' history. If for no other reason, Billy Cowan, fringe ballplayer, will be remembered for that. And that's not a bad legacy at all. 

No one seems to know for sure whether the Giants really did make a four-year offer to Manny Ramirez, but their rumored interest in the future Hall of Famer does make some sense. The Giants need offensive help all over the diamond--whether it's a corner outfield spot, first base, third base, or second base--and when it comes to pure hitters, there's no better short term fix on this year's free agent market. Here's where the problems lie for the Giants. They'd be crazy to give the aging Ramirez a four-year contract (which has been rumored), not when there hasn't been a single team to step forward with even a three-year offer. The Giants also need to refrain from viewing Ramirez as a cure-all. No one player, not even one with Ramirez' bat speed and pitch recognition, can make a miserable offense a good one. If the Giants sign Ramirez, they need to spend what it takes to bring in at least two other big hitters--think Adam Dunn and Ty Wigginton--as a way of making their offense respectable in 2009. With Ramirez and Dunn anchoring the middle of the offense and supporting one of the best young rotations in either league, the Giants would become instant contenders in a mediocre NL West...

Earlier this week, the Indians did well in acquiring the versatile and valuable Mark DeRosa from the Cubs, especially without having to surrender any top level prospects. Although DeRosa will be 34 in February and isn't likely to match the career season he had in 2008, he's the latest example of a veteran player reaching his full offensive potential under Sweet Lou Piniella, the unofficial guru of hitting. DeRosa represents a major upgrade at third base, a problem area for the Indians since the mid-season trade of Casey Blake. DeRosa is actually a better version of Blake, with his increasing patience, improved power, and his ability to play just about everywhere on the infield and the outfield. If he can sustain at least some of the improvement that he showed under Piniella's influence, he'll be a positive asset for the Tribe in 2009...

In compiling a partial list of baseball people who died in 2008, I failed to include at least two significant contributors to the game. Buzzie Bavasi, one of the greatest general managers in major league history, and John Marzano, the affable MLB.com host, both left us this past year. Here are short tributes to them... As the architect of eight pennant winners and four World Champions, Buzzie Bavasi oversaw the development of a flurry of young Dodgers during the fifties and sixties. Along with fellow Dodger patriarchs Branch Rickey and Walter O'Malley, Bavasi belongs in the Hall of Fame... A former backup catcher who once famously sparred with Paul O'Neill, John Marzano became an energetic talk show host and a beloved member of the MLB.com staff before dying all too young in a tragic fall at his home.

January 1st is a time to begin anew, to make plans to change our bad habits and come up with better ones. Yet, I also find myself thinking about the past, specifically about those who left us over the recently concluded year. Baseball lost a number of terrific personalities and contributors, and while the game remains great, their departures leave us a little bit emptier. In tribute to them, here's a glance at a few of those good souls we lost:

Dock Ellis... An underrated pitcher and two-time World Champion, he gave the game many breaths of color and life before dedicating his efforts to fighting drug abuse...

Dave Smith... Though forgotten in retirement, he was one of the game's most quietly consistent closers of the 1980s...

Sal Yvars... Though mostly a backup catcher, he played a major role in the New York Giants' intricate sign-stealing system of 1941...

Red Murff... He was the scout that discovered Nolan Ryan for the Mets, who enjoyed at least few of The Express' benefits before giving him away to the Angels...

Herb Score... If not for an errant line drive in 1957, he might have gained as much longevity as a pitcher as he eventually did as a broadcaster...

Preacher Roe... He didn't overpower hitters with strikeouts or fastballs, but still managed to collect outs for the Dodgers, doing so with equal efficiency as a starter and reliever...

Tom Tresh... For one year, he was the 1960s equivalent of Derek Jeter, but found most of his playing time in a Yankee outfield that was searching for successors to a departed Maris and a fading Mantle...

Bruce Dal Canton... He was the "other" knuckleballer on those Braves staffs of the 1970s, before forging a legacy as one of the game's great minor league instructors...

Eddie Brinkman... Along with Tiger teammates Norm Cash, Dick McAuliffe, and Aurelio Rodriguez, he helped form one of the best defensive infields of the early 1970s...

Mickey Vernon... The consummate gentleman, he proved that nice guys could also succeed as great players...

Don Gutteridge... The oldest living former manager at the time of his death, he had the misfortune of managing the White Sox at one of the low points in franchise history ...

Skip Caray... He brought humor and sarcasm to the broadcast booth, making the Braves bearable (and even entertaining) during the Rafael Ramirez years...

Jerome Holtzman... He did much more than invent the save rule, bringing a sense of history and style to baseball writing in the Windy City...

Red Foley... Simply put, this New York sportswriter set the standard by which all official scorers should be measured...

Bobby Murcer... A personal favorite, he brought joy to two different generations of Yankee fans, first as an All-Star player, second as an affable broadcaster, and always as a gentleman... 

Steve Mingori... He was so brilliant at playing the role of lefty bullpen specialist that one wonders how he might have fared if given the closer's role in Kansas City...

Jules Tygiel... He proved that academics could also be great baseball writers, all the while educating thousands about the historic roles of Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey...

Bob Howsam... He belongs in Cooperstown, which would be a fitting tribute to his legacy as the underrated architect of the "Big Red Machine."...

Johnny Podres... Brooklyn Dodgers fans will always revere him for his two-hit shutout in Game Seven of the 1955 World Series, while pitchers of later generations will thank him for his wisdom as a pitching coach...

Walt Masterson... A close friend of Ted Williams, he made two All-Star teams and scores of friends during a long life in baseball... 

Now that we've had a few days to digest the major transaction of last week, it's time to ask the question: what effect will the addition of Mark Teixeira have on the rest of the Yankees' lineup configuration? More specifically, the Yankees need to find a new role for Nick Swisher, who was originally targeted to play first after being acquired for Wilson Betemit. They also need to figure out roles for Xavier Nady and Hideki Matsui, while deciding who will play center field on a regular basis.

In the aftermath of the Teixeira signing, I've heard a few observers suggest that the Yankees will put Swisher in center field, sandwiched between Johnny Damon in left and Nady in right. That alignment would maximize the Yankees' offensive potential, but would also leave them with a below-average defensive center fielder, continuing an unsavory tradition that first began with Bernie Williams' declining years. Personally, I think the Yankees want better defense in center field, a desire that will lead to Brett Gardner winning the position in spring training. 

Another potential solution, one that seems to be more popular, would be to trade one of the following: Swisher, Nady, or Matsui, thereby alleviating the logjam in right field and DH. Some teams have already shown interest in one of the spare outfielders, including the Reds, Giants, and Mariners. If I were in the shoes of Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman, I wouldn't necessarily vote against that possibility, but only if the Yankees could acquire something of value in return, specifically a veteran center fielder or a backup catcher, or a useful pitcher. There should be no giveaways here; if the offers for Nady, Swisher, and Godzilla are subpar, the Yankees should keep them all. There's nothing wrong with having one of those veterans on the bench each day. The Yankees have operated without a competent bench for far too long.

Barring a trade, here's the alignment I would try, one that would make defense and flexibility higher priorities. I'd put Swisher in right field, where he would platoon with Nady. I'd tell Nady to bring his infielder's glove to spring training and be ready to put in work as a backup at both the hot corner and first base. Matsui would remain in the DH role, where he would give way to Jorge Posada on days in which the Yankees faced left-handers. And then I'd hand the center field reins over to Gardner, who gives the Yankees the most range and speed of any of their outfielders. If Gardner, batting ninth, ends up a failure against major league pitching, then the Yankees can always try Melky Cabrera or Swisher later in the season.

Defense, flexibility, and the bench. Those should be the Yankees' points of emphasis. Either directly or indirectly, Teixeira will help all three areas. Now it's up to Cashman to make the next right move.

Each winter brings outrageous free agent demands by players and their agents. At the start of the current off season, Scott Boras let it be known that he wanted a ten-year, $250 million contract for prized client Mark Teixeira. Last week, Boras "settled" for an eight-year deal worth $180 million. But even Boras' initial demands don't represent the most outrageous request by an agent or player this winter. No, that honor belongs to Jason Giambi, who has had the gall to insist that the A's give him a three-year contract running through the 2011 season. That would be a three-year contract for a 38-year-old, one-dimensional slugger with a bad body and a severe lack of athleticism. That would be three years for a guy who plays first base with all the dexterity of a stone statue, and will be limited to DH duty for the balance of the contract. That would be three years for a streak hitter who disappears for long stretches, making him an offensive non-entity because of his lack of foot speed and inability to make contact. Is Giambi out of his mind? How did A's GM Billy Beane prevent himself from keeling over with laughter after hearing that particular demand from Giambi's agent? I mean, you can't write this stuff...

Because of Giambi's desire a three-year deal, the A's have turned to two other free agents of left-handed vintage, Bobby Abreu and Garret Anderson. Abreu makes some sense because of his ability to maintain a high on-base percentage and steal bases, but Anderson is harder to figure. Never a patient hitter, Anderson doesn't draw walks the way the A's would like their sluggers to do. He also has a bad reputation for failing to run out grounders and pop-ups, a criticism that dates back several years with the Angels. Frankly, I'm surprised the A's haven't made a run at underrated free agent Adam Dunn, whose combination of power and patience makes him the consummate "Moneyball" player. Dunn also has seen his market shrink this winter, making it possible for the A's to sign him to a three-year deal at reasonable terms. With Dunn and Matt Holliday in the middle of the Oakland order, the A's would have their best one-two power punch since the hey day of Giambi and Miguel Tejada...

Dunn's former team, the Reds, made a risky signing over the weekend. They inked the non-tendered Willy Taveras to a two-year contract, thereby committing themselves to him as their new leadoff man. Taveras is a good defensive center fielder with plenty of range, but his .320 on-base percentage is less than satisfactory in the leadoff spot. And while he did lead the major leagues with 68 stolen bases, it's always a bad sign when your stolen base total exceeds your runs scored total; Taveras scored a mere 64 runs in 2008. He's really only a slightly upgraded version of Omar Moreno, which is fine when you have players like Bill Madlock, Dave Parker, Willie Stargell, Bill Robinson, and Mike "The Hit Man" Easler batting behind you, but the Reds don't have that assemblage of talent backing their leadoff man. In an ideal world, Taveras should be batting eighth in a National League lineup, but the Reds don't have anyone else who fills the bill properly...

With Taveras in place, the Reds now have two-thirds of their outfield set: Taveras' presence in center and allows Jay Bruce to move to right field, where he'll be a better long-term fit. Still in need of someone to play left field, the Reds are considering moving Edwin Encarnacion from third base to the outfield, but they'd first have to sign Ty Wigginton. The Reds have also made contact with the Yankees about one of their spare outfielders, either Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady, or Nick Swisher. Let's rule out Matsui, mostly because no one knows whether his two surgically repaired knees will hold up playing the outfield. IT could come down to a preference for either Nady (who can be a free agent after 2009) or Swisher (who is signed long term), with the Yankees likely looking for two solid bench players in return. A package including a catcher (Ryan Hanigan?) and an infielder like Jeff Keppinger could get it done, or perhaps Keppinger and a B-level prospect. 

As I'm watching my daughter open the last few of her Christmas presents, I'm trying to come up with some kind of connection between our precious American holy day and our great game of baseball. I wanted to come up with an All-Christmas or All-Holiday team, but I can't find enough names with a Yuletide tie-in to make it work. So we'll have to settle for learning about the one major league player who had the ultimate Christmas name.

His name is Steve Christmas, who played for the Reds, White Sox, and Cubs in the mid-1980s. He was a left-handed hitting catcher who spent years in the minor leagues before finally cracking the Reds' 25-man roster as a backup in 1983. Christmas' major league career would probably be best described as non-descript, but it is interesting that he managed to play for both of the Chicago teams over the span of only three seasons. His array of teammates included two Hall of Fame catchers, Johnny Bench with the Reds and Carlton Fisk with the White Sox. He also slugged .727 in 1984, even if that season consisted of a mere 11 at-bats.

Outside of his family, friends, and hometown compatriots, most baseball fans probably don't remember much about Steve Christmas. Hopefully, that has changed now that you've read these few paragraphs. And maybe we'll think about him a year from now, when the next Christmas holiday happily rolls our way.

In the meantime, here's wishing Steve Christmas the merriest of holidays. Additionally, I hope all of our readers and fellow MLBloggers have had a wonderful Christmas.  And here's hoping for a better New Year in 2009.

By now most of you have heard that former Pirates ace Dock Ellis died on Friday. He was only 63, waiting for a liver transplant that never came. Ellis never won a Cy Young Award, never won as many as 20 game in a season, and will never make the Hall of Fame, but nonetheless forged one of the most fascinating lives of any ballplayer in major league history.

Everyone seems to have a distinct memory of Ellis; some remember him for pitching a no-hitter while on LSD, while others recall him for once wearing hair curlers during pre-game workouts at Wrigley Field. I'll certainly remember him for both of those bizarre incidents, but also for a whole lot more, including his contributions to the 1971 Pirates, his battles with George Steinbrenner, and his one-man war against the Reds. I'll also remember him for the good work he did after he retired, counseling youngsters against the ills of drug use, a problem that plagued him throughout his own playing career. Ellis once said that he was "on drugs every time I took to the field." He didn't make that statement with any pride, or with any hint of laughter; if anything, he was ashamed, and determined to prevent kids from repeating the same mistake that he did.

I'll also remember Ellis for the fine work he did in trying to institute prison reform in Pennsylvania. As a member of the Pirates, Ellis regularly visited inmates throughout the state, asking them about their lives and how it could be improved behind bars. This wasn't glamorous work, nor did it bring him much recognition, but it exemplified Ellis' belief that even convicted criminals deserved to be treated with some level of decency.

Perhaps Ellis sensed that he himself might eventually spend some time in jail. After all, with his heavy drug abuse and wild lifestyle, prison might have seemed like a real possibility. Thankfully, Ellis turned that lifestyle into something far more productive. For nearly 30 years, he counseled youth against drug abuse, using his experiences and his motivational speaking ability to make a difference.

Even though Ellis is gone now, we can still learn from his lesson. We can--and do--make mistakes. But once we recognize our failing, let's do our damndest to make up for it.   

Like most members of the media, I don't believe for a moment that the Red Sox have completely fallen out of the Mark Teixeira pursuit. Owner John Henry says his team won't "be a factor," but it sounds like he's trying to send a dual message to agent Scott Boras: a) don't use our bids to jack up the asking prices of other teams and b) get back to us when you're ready to make a deal.

This doesn't mean that the Red Sox will end up with Teixeira, because Boras is all about extracting the highest possible bid. If the Nationals or the Orioles offer him the most money, then I think he'll sign with one of the two Beltway teams. If the Red Sox or Angels can match the highest offer, then one of those teams will win out because they offer the best chances of contending right away.

In one respect, Teixiera doesn't make the greatest sense for the Red Sox. Let's consider that their top-rated prospect is a first baseman, Lars Anderson, who is probably one year away from playing in the major leagues. In fact, some scouts believe Anderson could hit in the big leagues right now. If the Red Sox were to sign Tex, they would have no place to play Anderson, who also would find himself blocked at DH (by David Ortiz).  The Red Sox need to ask themselves if that's the kind of problem they want to create, especially at the cost of about $180 million, which is likely what it will take to sign Teixeira...

As long as Teixeira remains unsigned, there will continue to be little action on the free agent hitters market. Manny Ramirez won't sign until Tex has set the market, even though their disparate ages make them difficult to compare. If Tex signs with the Red Sox, I think the Yankees will make a hard run at Ramirez. If Tex ends up signing with the Angels, Nats, or Orioles, then they might go the cheaper route of signing Adam Dunn, who might be the most overlooked of the big name free agents. Dunn, like Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell, is finding the market particularly soft for one-dimensional hitters who struggle to play the outfield...

Finally, this story didn't receive the attention that it should have, but one of the great closers of the 1980s passed away earlier this week. Dave Smith, the anchor of the Astros' bullpen for much of that decade, died from a heart attack on Tuesday. He was just 53.

Smith, it seems, was always underrated, both during his career and in retirement. Maybe it was his name, which was so plain-sounding. Or perhaps it was his physical appearance. Smith was one of the most unathletic pitchers I've ever seen. With his large gut, paunchy face, and bushy blond hair, Smith looked more like a retired surfer than a star reliever. He didn't throw hard either, but instead relied on a devastating change-up. When Smith had good command of his change, hitters found him close to unhittable. From 1985 to 1990, Smith quietly assembled a stretch of hallmark seasons for the Astros. He became a component of some awfully good pitching staffs--an underrated and essential component.