Opinion

The thrill is gone. At least in Anaheim.

Chone Figgins, the spark plug for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, has left sunny Southern California behind in favor of the soggy skies of Seattle.

Well, that, and a four-year contract reportedly worth $36 million.

Shocking as it may be to some—and it certainly is to me—Figgins has traded in his halo for the drab blue/green garb of the Seattle Mariners, a divisional rival of the Angels and one that looks to improve dramatically next season.

Next week will begin the annual General Managers meetings in Indianapolis. Many expect the free agency period to really get into motion once those meetings take place.

Yankees' GM Brian Cashman has a lot of decisions to make as far as the 2010 roster, which will be looking to defend their World Series.

Everyone has been talking lately of the rumors of the Yankees making a trade to get Blue Jays' starting pitcher Roy Halladay to add to the staff that already includes CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

Well, the last two days were exciting, weren't they?

Two legitimate end-of-the-'pen options coming in.

Sure, they're 38 and 39, but Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito's track records indicate that they know what they're doing.

Wagner is sitting just a few saves short of 400 with 1,092 career Ks.

Saito sports a career 2.05 ERA that he has accumulated since turning 36 in his first Major League season with the Dodgers.

Despite their injury 'issues' (and I use 'these' for a reason), these guys are solid pick-ups.

If you follow the San Francisco Giants, you're probably hoping that budding super-star Pablo Sandoval won't be the only threat in the Giants lineup next season.

However, if you're Giants GM Brian Sabean, you are currently shedding no ray of light on that happening. Actually, he is doing the exact opposite.

With potential free agent infielders being snatched up faster than the testimonies of Tiger Woods’s mistresses by tabloids, I figured I had better relate some thoughts about the Twins infield situation before the market is completely dry (which, at this pace, could be any day now).

Okay Angels fans, we’ve got a "good news, bad news" situation on our hands.

The good news: Word on the street is the Angels are again in the hunt for the great Roy Halladay.

The bad news: Word on the street is their offer might include Jered Weaver.

And that is very bad news, indeed.

This past postseason's umpiring led to a renewed debate of whether major league baseball should implement video replay. Baseball is known for its tradition and resistance to change. So what does baseball do?

The issues involved are clear: umpires believe their authority would be threatened and do not like being second-guessed, MLB and the television networks want there to be a flow to the game, all the while teams, players, and fans want the right call to be made.

There is a simple solution to this problem that would appease all of the involved parties.

The L.A. Angels have been one of the many potential suitors seeking to make a trade to land Roy Halladay, the Toronto Blue Jays' ace. The Angels will need to trade a lot as Halladay will cost a pretty penny.

The Angels should trade players that are at their peak value, and who the team could easily lose in one more season.

The Blue Jays expect a team to hand over one of its young starting pitchers to get Halladay. Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, and Joe Saunders are all options.

This year 171 players filed for free agency.

Of the 171 total free agents, 99 are from the National League and 72 are from the American League.

Unlike last year’s class of free agents, only a select few in this crop figure to land blockbuster deals.