It's the most wonderful time of the year. No, I'm not talking about the holiday season; I'm keeping my ears and eyes tuned into the Major League Baseball winter meetings.
These meetings last for four days where baseball team's general managers will convene to discuss available free agents and trades for certain players.
This year, many rumors are swirling around the league because there is a weak free agent class. The main position for free agents is center field, but many teams are looking to improve their pitching staffs.
Players like the Minnesota Twins' ace pitcher Johan Santana, Oakland Athletics' pitchers Dan Haren and Joe Blanton, Baltimore Orioles pitcher Erik Bedard, and Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis and third baseman Miguel Cabrera are all said to be available via a trade.
Many of the usual big-market teams like the New York Mets and Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs and White Sox are all the front-runners to lure these players to their teams.
This is what really ticks me off about major league baseball. Every year, it seems the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
If the Yankees somehow acquire Santana and sign him to a long-term contract, the team will have spent about $500 million on five players this off-season. That's right, 500 is the number. That is totally ridiculous.
No team should be able to spend this much money in one off-season. It's not fair to the rest of the teams in the league that can't afford to acquire these players. There is not enough parity in baseball; almost every year, the same teams are in the playoff chase at the end of the season.
What prospects are the Mets going to give up to obtain a frontline pitcher to lead their rotation?
It's not fair for teams like the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Kansas City Royals; they're not in the race and therefore can't attract players to come to their teams. I'm sure both of these teams have major league ready prospects that could be serviceable to play in the big leagues next season.
Wouldn't it be interesting to see one of these teams fighting for a playoff spot in the month of September? Well, the only way for this to happen is if they have the right players to get them there.
The only thing stopping these teams from getting to the post-season is that they don't have enough money to afford to go out into the market to purchase free agents. Players also don't want to go to these teams because of their poor play in previous seasons.
I wish one player would dare go to a mid-market team and lead them to October baseball. Then, more players would be willing to go to the same team and lead them to a world series.
I know it's only December and the regular season doesn't start until April, but baseball is a 12 month season now. There is a high amount of interest from fans and the media throughout the year and this is great for the sport.
My favorite part about the meetings is the forums in which fans get to participate. I love going to sports Web sites like ESPN.com or CBSsportsline.com and reading trade proposals by fans. Some fans make these crazy one-sided deals for their favorite team that doesn't make any sense.
The meetings are exciting for baseball because it is America's pastime. Fans have the same passion for the game now as they did when they were growing up. The only other sport that people can possible say this about is football.
Nobody cares about watching hockey and basketball in December when it is an 82 game schedule that doesn't end until April. In football, there are a select number of teams fighting for a playoff spot, so some fans have lost interest in their teams already.
People are looking forward to the beginning of baseball and the winter meetings give fans an opportunity to think about what their team might look like next season. Or if they get bored, go to one of the forums and just post an all-star lineup that you wish your team consisted of. If the Yankees can spend $600 million, you should be able to do it too in your fantasy world.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
