Ken Macha is the new Milwaukee manager. Dale Sveum is staying on as the team's hitting coach.

Ruben Amaro Jr. takes over as Phillies' GM. Pat Gillick is going to remain with the team in an advisory capacity. In the early 1980s he was a bat boy, so I guess this is an example of working your way up.

Reportedly Matt Holliday will be traded -- not to the Cardinals (who were said to be including both Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker in a deal), but to...Oakland!

WTF? The A's usually are on the other side of these type of deals, getting rid of players about to hit free agency.

Comcast Sportsnet here just reported that the 2008 World Champion Phillies have re-signed P Scott Eyre, and that their opening game in 2009 (against the Braves at CBP) has been moved to Sunday night, April 5 to be the MLB season opener on ESPN.

Seattle hires Don Wakamatsu, Oakland bench coach, as their new manager. He's the first Asian-American manager in MLB history.

Boston trades its cereal outfielder.

Mike Mussina reportedly will retire.

1. Wakamatsu joins new Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra (who's half-Filipino) as new Asian-American head coaches in the major leagues. Are there any Asian-American coaches in the NHL or NFL?

2. Now all those Red Sox fans can still wear their Ramirez jersies. It'll just refer to Ramon, rather than Manny.

I can't recall any.

Chase Utley to have hip surgery -- so now that the season is over and the World Series has been won, they can reveal that he was indeed hurt. They're giving a rough estimate of 4 to 6 months but seem to think he'll be ready on or close to Opening Night.

I see Hank S going to Mussina and offereing a truck load of cash to pitch for 1/2 the season.

Moose is not as big an egomaniac as Clemens; that won't work.

I wish Utley the best; he's probably been the second-best player to Pujols in the NL for 3 years.

Interesting. The Boston Globe reports that the 2008 World Champion Phillies have made a contract offer to free agent pitcher Derek Lowe. They've previously said that they planned to re-sign Jamie Moyer and have one of many (Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ, and others from the minors) compete for the final spot in the rotation after Hamels/Myers/Moyer/Blanton.

If the Phils are serious about Lowe, does this mean they don't think they'll re-sign Moyer? It was a bit of a surprise when they didn't offer arbitration to Moyer. The word was that the team wanted flexibility. If Moyer (or, for that matter, Pat Burrell) had accepted arbitration, then they might have to pay more in 2009 salary than they'd like, when they already have 10 players eligible for arbitration (including Ryan Howard again, plus Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino).

The Red Sox have added another Japanese pitcher. 22 year old righthander Junichi Tazawa joins Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima on the BoSox's pitching staff. Tazawa is a prospect who came not from the Japanese major league, but from a 'company league' (he played for the Nippon Oil ENEOS in the Japan Industrial League).

They're holding the winter meetings in Las Vegas. The Phillies' beat writer for the Phila. Daily News paints a scenario about what could happen: "In other words, should an enterprising media member or low-level non MLB staffer catch wind of the Yankees' imminent signing of CC Sabathia, it wouldn't be terribly difficult for said person to scamper across the lobby at the Bellagio and throw a grand down on the Yankees to win the World Series before their odds drop. It'd be the gambling equivalent of insider trading."

Reportedly that the Mets have signed K-Rod to be their new closer.

There's speculation that the Phillies might get Mark DeRosa from the Cubs for a prospect or two, which would be part of a deal sending Jake Peavy from the Padres to the Cubs. DeRosa would play second if Chase Utley can't start the season on time, and then move to left field after Utley returns.

Mark DeRosa pobably had his best offensive year in 2008 with 21HR, 85RBI, .285BA. If he could replicate that for the Phillies especially in left field then I would be ok with trading for him. But he could just as easily fade so it's a small gamble at 5.5 million a year.

Meanwhile The Mets for the second time in two years, have made one of the biggest splashes of the winter meetings by signing K-Rod. They will pobably be the pre-season favorites again to win the division. If they can't win it this year with Santana and K-Rod then they who can they win it with.

oh please, they're not the preseason favorites to win the division. the garbage bullpen still needs to be overhauled. K- ROD just guaranteed that they'll be competitive in september 'til they blow game #162 again.

K-ROD for 3/37 + 14 M vesting option is a bargain for an elite closer in his prime. i couldn't be any happier.

And the ridiculous contract the Yankees offered to Sabathia and yet the Mets and Yanks have reportedly asked the city for another $400+ million for their stadiums. I am getting sicker and sicker of baseball each year.

It's our feed-the-rich NY government you should be sick of.

sabathia is a yankee. 7 years, 160 mill. wow.

Recession what recession? When it comes to basball, it's a different financial world from what the rest of the nation sees. Here is what we have so far:

Highest paid starter in history with Sabbathia's 160 million.
Second highest paid closer in history on a per year basis with K-Rod's 12.33 million year not including the vesting year. Actually if you consider that Joe Nathan at age 33 just got 47 million over 4 years, that 37 million may be a bargain.
(Rivera has the record with 3 years 45 million)

And now, I hear the Nationals want to offer Mark Texiera 180 million over 8 years. This would be a record for a first basemen. If he gets paid this tidy sum, I can only imagine what Ryan Howard will ask for when he becomes a free agent.

yanks have gone crazy offering burnett 5/92 mill. omg.

i doubt tex signs with the nationals.

mets get JJ putz, jeremy reed, and sean green from seattle for aaron heilman, joe smith and endy chavez.

i certainly love this deal, but i'm heartbroken for losing endy and joe smith.

Is there a source saying a deal is done? All I've heard is that there's a possible 3-team trade going on involving the Mets, Mariners and Indians.

The Phillies have traded for catcher Ronny Paulino. Woo....hoo?

WFAN and SNY report it's a done deal.

METS GET:
(from Mariners)
J.J. Putz

(from Indians)
RHP Sean Green
OF Jeremy Reed

MARINERS GET:
(from Mets)
Aaron Heilman
Endy Chavez
Maikel Cleto
Ezequiel Carrera
Jason Vargas
Mike Carp

(from Indians)
Franklin Gutierrez

INDIANS GET:
(from Mets)
Joe Smith

(from Indians)
Luis Valbuena

Now we just need Derek Lowe and what my Yankee friend tells is a must, Manny Ramirez.

lowe is too expensive for the mets, plus he's 36 years old.

pass.

From what I've read, Lowe -- or more precisely, his agent Scott BorASS -- wants 4 or more years in a contract. That's why it's considered unlikely that the Phillies would sign him (and they deny the prior report saying they made him an offer).

The Padres-Cubs talks regarding Jake Peavy are now over.

Reportedly the Phillies may sign Chan Ho Park. Ugh.

The Phillies have signed Raul Ibanez to a 3-year contract, which ends any interest in bringing back Pat Burrell. Which is fine, except Ibanez bats lefthanded. So much for having a balanced lineup. And he's 36. I can easily see his production dropping.

Yankees reach agreement with A.J. Burnett to the tune of 5-years $82.5 million. While Burnett has great stuff, his career record is 87-76 and only once won more than 12 games a season (this past season's 18 wins).

While the Yankees continue to spend I can imagine a lot of teams will be (sensibily) tightening their belts.

Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star today suggested Trading Halladay only fair (to Halladay). As Halladay's (131-66 career record) one-time teammate Burnett gets a monster deal with the Yankees, Hallday, a genuine ace, has been loyal to the Blue Jays who keep promising that they will be a contender. But it's never happened and likely never will while J.P. Ricciardi is GM.

And... that $30 million the Phillies are throwing at Raul Ibanez (who used to be a regular DH) does seem excessive. True, they say "He is one of just five outfielders who have driven in at least 100 runs in each of the past three seasons. The others: Carlos Beltran, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee and Bobby Abreu." But he turns 37 in June, and I'd be surprised if he can keep it up in the second and third year of the deal.

Boston Red Sox unveil new cap and jersies.

mets relief pitcher schoeneweiss traded to arizona diamondbacks.

hallelujah!

the horrific bullpen of 2007 and 2008 can finally be laid to rest. hopefully.

what is burrell's asking price? mets badly need an outfielder.

My reception is a bit lukewarm on getting Ibanez. While he has decent numbers the question is how long will they last. I am sure with the Phillies it was just about saving money. Ibanez gets 10 million a year at age 36. Burrell who is 32 will probably want 14-16 million a year. Pat's power numbers are better while Raul has been a better hitter for average, so in the short term perhaps it will be a wash.

The spin they're spinning on Ibanez is that his numbers are just as good or better against LHPs than RHPs but I assume teams will still bring in lefties out of the bullpen often in 2009. That's why having a righthanded hitter between Utley and Howard would still be helpful in my view.

The latest "team-to-beat" pronunciation:

The 2008 World Champion Phillies re-signed Jamie Moyer -- giving him the guaranteed 2-year deal he wanted. The indications were that they were only willing to give 1 guaranteed year and then a club option. So they'll be paying him at age 48 even if his performance slips.

They also agreed to terms with Chan Ho Park, pending a physical. Reportedly it's a 1-year, $2.5 million deal plus incentives As I said before: ugh.

Chase Utley spoke to the media today. About his surgery: "Now I kind of have a nice little pretty hip...it’s pretty. You should see the x-rays. It’s pretty."

About dropping the f-bomb at the parade: "That was definitely an emotional day that we all had...that drive down Broad Street to the park was one of the best days of my life. I imagine for a lot of Phillies fans it was the same. I could have used different words to express myself. At the time I didn’t. I tell all kids not to use that word. If they’re 29 and they win the World Series, I think they can say that. But I definitely would say to all the kids out there, kids, it’s a bad word. Don’t say. And I’m dead serious."

The owner of the Red Sox says that, after hearing of the other offers to Mark Teixeira, that Boston "will not be a factor." If this isn't some sort of negotiating ploy, then it might increase the odds of his returning to the Angels. They've reportedly offered him an 8-year deal. Baltimore (his hometown team) has reportedly offered 7 years/$150 million (and is said to be unwilling to go beyond that), and Washington supposedly is willing to give him 8 years/$160 million. If Teixeira does go back to the Angels, that would make for one less team that might bid for Manny Ramirez.

Sources saying the Angels have stopped their pursuit of Mark Teixeira.

Yankees have now committed $159 million to just 14 players for next year. "New York still hopes to re-sign Andy Pettitte and has several players eligible for salary arbitration: pitchers Chien-Ming Wang and Brian Bruney, and outfielders Melky Cabrera and Xavier Nady."

AP reports Teixeira has agreed to an 8-year, $180 million deal with the Yankees.

I have to say, if they can throw around $423.5 million to just 3 free agents, there's no reason they should get any more tax money for that new stadium. Will the NYC taxpayers revolt or just lead the cheers?

(Edit to correct -- $180 mil, not $160 mil.)

The taxpayers are sheep ... and also too worried about their personal debts and job security.

Damn Yankees...

By the way, Is Teixeira really worth 180MM?

Absolutely ridiculous... when will they learn though that $$$ doesn't buy championships?

But everyone will sing their praises again before the season starts only to be wrong again.

Good luck trying to get past the Red Sox and the defending division champs.

The Yankees make me sick.

the yankees and mets have the biggest payrolls in AL and NL respectively. no, it doesn't guarantee anything.

tex is so overrated. he's a .290 career hitter and he got an A-ROD contract? ridiculous. he's a good all-around player, but not an elite player.

Yankees have also signed Chien-Ming Wang to a 1-year $5 million deal. Not sure why they throw multi-year deals at other players while not rewarding their own player (career 54-20 record) with a multi-year deal.

well, Wang just missed more than half a season. They'd look mighty foolish giving a multiyear deal if he proves fragile.

It's the Yankees; they can afford to pay a high-quality slugger like an "elite player." He makes them substantially younger, better defensively, and brings bop.

Kevin Mench, who had a brief stint with the Blue Jays last season, signs with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japanese league.

I'm starting to wonder if Manny will get signed at all, after his antics last season in Boston. He had an amazing second half in LA, but all that proved was that what he did in Boston was purely to get out. Who would want that on their team? He should NOT wind up in New York! I wouldn't wish that on either team, even the Yankees!

Any team who's on the cusp of contention who can afford Manny would be nuts not to bid.

Hahaha... That's the sound of seamheads laughing at Dusty (Walks are Overrated) Baker getting the leadoff man of his dreams, Willy Taveras, who just signed with the Reds and takes 4 balls about once a week.

Apparently Derek Lowe is close to signing with the Mets.

He'd make a nice #2 starter. Good groundball pitcher with decent/good defense him. I'll approve of the signing.

On the bottom crawl on the new MLB Network, they stated that Scott Boras told the Mets they'd have to offer $16 million/year to get into the Lowe negotiations. The prior reports, if I recall, were speculating Lowe would get 3 years, $12 mil/year from the Mets.

Pat Burrell signs with Tampa Bay. Two years, $16 million. He got $14 million last year, so he's taking a pay cut to (apparently) be the DH. During interleague play with the Phillies during his career Burrell hit .153 with 1 HR and 7 RBI in 22 games as DH, for what it's worth.

Milton Bradley has reportedly agreed to a 3-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs.

What a fantastic deal for the Rays! Nothing to complain about at all.

A lineup with some combination of Crawford/Upton/Longoria/Pena/Burrell in it is pretty dang good.

Buster Olney tonight saying the Rays are the favorites to win the AL East again... so take that $400 million and shove it, Yankees!

The Rays got a pretty good deal signing Burrell for 16 million over 2 years. There was a rumor that prior to the end of the World Series the Phillies offered 22 million for two years but Burrell declined it. After the season's end, the Phillies were not going to offer arbitration lest Pat get even more money than he did last year. If the 22 million offer were true then Pat lost out.

He Who Shall Not Be Named picked up by the Rays 1 year/1 million. Not bad at all. The Rays have really gone out and addressed the few issues they needed to address... basically hitting against lefties and RF. Matt Joyce will probably start in AAA now and allow Gabe Gross to platoon with HWSNBN to more than capably platoon in right.

Can spring training start soon please?

Jeff Kent has retired from Baseball after 17 years.

Brad Ausmus (the ♥ of my life) has signed with the Dodgers, as the backup catcher.