Opinion

For the better part of two months, the only thing fans in Boston and San Diego were talking about was whether the two teams were going to work out a deal that would send Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox.

During that same amount of time, ESPN's Jayson Stark had continued to tell people not to put any stock in the rumors surrounding Gonzalez. Unfortunately for us rumor fans, no one was really listening, because the rumors continued.

"So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak."—Sun Tzu

So in baseball, the way to a World Series is to strike when your division is weak. Although gruff old managers and coaches may risk a platitude or two about playing only against oneself, general managers must think otherwise (e.g. Jack Zduriencik). A baseball team does not simply play against itself. A baseball franchise does not only compete with itself.

Teams exist in divisions. Those divisions can be won. Winning the division gives a team the opportunity to win it all.

Roy Halladay is in Philly. John Lackey is in Boston.

Now is the winter of the Angels' discontent.

Just days after baseball's Winter Meetings ended, after which GM Tony Reagins claimed his team had laid “groundwork,” the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim watched their hard work melt away like snow in the coming spring.

For those unfamiliar with the situation, or if you've just been living under a baseball-free rock, let's recap the events of the Angels' Black Monday:

Lackey Signs with Boston

Let me say to begin that I have long dreamed that the Oakland Athletics would move to my hometown of San Jose.

The issue has long been that the San Francisco Giants "own" the rights to the San Jose market, which in my opinion is anachronistic. 

The San Francisco ownership of the San Jose market is from a time before San Jose became the technological powerhouse of Silicone Valley, and one of the largest cities in America, larger even than San Francisco.

A few months ago it was announced that the 2010 season will be the last one for Bobby Cox. Sure to go down as one of the best managers in baseball history, Cox led the Atlanta Braves to 14 consecutive division titles from 1992-2005.

While Cox has certainly been a tremendous manager, he's had plenty of help from a quality general manager and various coaches over the years. Here's a look at 10 potential candidates to replace Cox in the 2011 season.

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I took a bit of time to offer up my thoughts on the Only Trade That Matters. For good reason, such a deal provokes an instant firestorm of reaction, and there's a point at which you are contributing to information overload instead of getting your message across.

Now that the Cubs have finally moved Milton Bradley, it appears that former Ranger Marlon Byrd is the target of choice for GM Jim Hendry in his ongoing search for a center fielder.

The caveat, of course, is that Byrd must agree to a salary that fits within the budget that GM Jim Hendry has following the Bradley trade. Yes, the Cubs received cash in the deal with the Mariners, but that cash is spread over two seasons, first of all, and second, part of it has to cover the difference in Silva and Bradley's salary.

If you take a quick look at Trevor Cahill's 2009 stats from, say, Yahoo! Sports, you probably would come away thinking "It's not great, but he did okay for a 21-year-old."

Cahill went 10-13 with a 4.63 ERA...something like a No. 4 starter.

However, a deeper look reveals a season built on luck rather than skill, and some serious problems for the righty.

After making major moves this offseason by acquiring 3B Chone Figgins and P Cliff Lee, the Seattle Mariners made another move that will hopefully pay off in the long run.

They allowed the Chicago Cubs to dump controversial outfielder Milton Bradley on them.

Bradley, an All-Star in 2008, was traded to the Mariners for P Carlos Silva and cash.

Yes, he will be more productive than Silva (5-18, 6.81 ERA during two seasons with Seattle...55-26, 4.31 ERA during previous six seasons). This trade shows how desperate the Cubs were to get Bradley out of town.

Only a few franchises in MLB truly understand how to spend money wisely. I would trot out the A's, Twins, Rockies, Mariners, Brewers, Cardinals, Phillies, and the Rays as some of these.

Few do a better job of acquiring the best talent with the least money than the last team in that list: Tampa Bay.

And they've done it again.

Most fans, possibly even many Tampa Bay fans, don't realize that the Rays signed first baseman Ryan Shealy to a minor league deal this week.