Opinion

The Detroit Tigers did not offer second baseman Placido Polanco arbitration, which means any team can sign him without having to forfeit a draft pick since he's a Type-A free agent.

Polanco, 34, hit .285/.331/.396 with 10 homers and 72 RBI in 675 plate appearances with the Tigers last season. He only struck out 46 times last season, which indicates he makes contact most of the time.

He has been linked to the Phillies multiple times thus far this offseason as many believe they're eyeing him to be their third base this coming season despite him not playing third since 2004.

The Minnesota Twins have reportedly offered Carl Pavano arbitration.

Minnesota had until Tuesday’s 11 p.m. deadline to offer the right-hander arbitration for next season, but chose to do so early.

Dustin Pedroia, the 2008 American League MVP, is rumoured to moving to shortstop. With the Red Sox looking extremely vacant in that area, Pedroia is looking to step up.

He said to ESPN's Peter Gammons, "They've put it out there, and I've told them I'm all for it. I can do it. I can't wait for [Terry Francona] to call me and ask, 'Can you do it?' I can do it. I really want to do it."

Will he be able perform to high enough standards in a new position?

From what I’ve seen, the case that Edgar Martinez’s fans have cumulatively assembled to argue for him as Hall of Famer almost exclusively mentions only his statistical accomplishments as a hitter, gauged by both the traditional metrics and the advanced, sabermetric kind.

But of course it is people, not assemblages of statistics, who stand as candidates for the Hall of Fame, and that seems to be part of Edgar’s problem.

What do I want for Christmas? A million bucks in small bills. I realize that is not going to show up under my tree, so let me think again.

Oh yeah, how about a baseball style wish list? Yes, that's it!

First, I would like to see Roy Halladay end up with the Cincinnati Reds this offseason. It probably won't happen, but I didn't think I was going to get that "Fanner 50" toy pistol when I was a kid, either.

The year was 1967. The columnist was Leonard Koppett. The topic was trading a player for "a player or players to be named later."

Waiver Deals

In 1967, June 15 was the trading deadline. After that date, only waiver deals could be made.

In a waiver trade, each team is given the chance, based on reverse order of won-lost record, to buy a player's contract.

The major purpose of the procedure was to prevent wealthy teams vying for the pennant from raiding teams that were out of contention.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer , Brian Schneider has signed a two-year contract with the Phillies for $3 Million.

After injuries plagued Schneider for 2008 and 2009, the Mets did not stand in the way of him filing for Free Agency.

During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Schneider had several back and leg injuries and only played in a total of 169 games, and hit .244 with 62 RBI for the two seasons.

The arbitration deadline is midnight, so every team has to decide which players it will offer arbitration to and which it won't. It is an interesting day because it hints at what the team's offseason plans are.

I touched on this back in October but have since changed my mind. I predicted that the Yankees would offer Andy Pettitte arbitration, but not Johnny Damon.

The Red Sox may no longer need a shortstop.

There are some things in life we know to be true.

The sun rises in the East. Politicians are crooks. Family Guy will never be funnier than The Simpsons was at its peak.

And the Boston Red Sox will sign Marco Scutaro.

With Alex Gonzalez headed for Toronto and J.J. Hardy already traded, we’re told that Scutaro, by far the best shortstop in this year’s free agent class, is as good as signed.