MLB Hot Stove: Mets Close Down K-Rod

Reposted from jcanusports.blogspot.com: The MLB Hot Stove was very slow to heat up this year, but the Winter Meetings have arrived and finally we have some movement. The biggest name finding new threads so far is closer Francisco Rodriguez. K-Rod inked a three year deal with the New York Mets today replacing the injured Billy Wagner. K-Rod just broke the single-season saves record and could be the missing piece to the Mets puzzle. The NYM bullpen was one of the worst in baseball last season because they had no shutdown guy for the late innings. Now they do in K-Rod and reports have the Mets pursuing RP Trevor Hoffman as his set-up man. Think about this, the all-time saves leader setting up arguably the top closer in baseball today. The Mets got their man. Other teams have made minor moves that should payoff. The Braves acquired SP Javier Vazquez from the ChiSox about a week ago. Vazquez is a solid starter, but his big game clutchness has been questioned. Vazquez is by no means an ace, but should be a solid 2 or 3 starter for Atlanta. The Cincinnati Reds acquired catcher Ramon Hernandez from Baltimore today for UTIL Ryan Freel. Freel brings a lot of versatility to Baltimore and can start almost anywhere if someone goes down. Hernandez is a solid catcher, but is starting to age I do not expect much from him. Another catcher in Gerald Laird was dealt from Texas to Detroit. The Tigers traded Pudge to the Yankees at the trade deadline opening up a spot for a new player and that will be Laird. The San Francisco Giants inked SS Edgar Renteria and RP Bob Howry. The Giants have been a mess the past few years, but Renteria was very good in the NL in his past and Howry is a great set-up man. The Dodgers resigned Casey Blake and added 2B Mark Lorretta. St. Louis traded for SS Khalil Greene and Boston added Japanese import in P Junichi Tazawa. The core of the free agent class is still available in SP CC Sabathia, 1B Mark Teixeira, OF Manny Ramirez, SP AJ Burnett, and SP Derek Lowe. Sabathia wants to play in California, but the Yankees and Red Sox remain involved. Teixeira has a long list including LAA, BOS, WSH, BALT, and NYY. The Manny market seems thin with only LAD and LAA, but WSH and BALT are rumored to be interested. The market seems to be waiting for CC to sign, but CC seems to be waiting on Teixeira. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.