Opinion

Paul Hagen wrote a story in yesterday's Philadelphia Daily News informing fans to expect a few fireworks in free agency. Hagen tells us that he doesn't think there will be any introductions of any new Phillies anytime soon.

Going into this offseason the Arizona Diamondbacks identified three areas they wanted to address before Spring Training 2010 arrived.

They wanted to find one or possibly two candidates for the starting rotation, a veteran position player that could come off the bench and provide an offensive spark, and they wanted a veteran in the bullpen to anchor the young pitching staff.

The Diamondbacks hoped to fill at least one of these needs through a trade but conceded they would be active in the free agent market, something the team has not been in the past.

The Boston Red Sox are reportedly  interested in four different free agents who are represented by Scott Boras.

Two of them, Matt Holliday and Mike Gonzalez, have been rumored to go to the Red Sox numerous times. The other two, Adrian Beltre and Rick Ankiel, have never before been even thought as potential acquisitions.

I don't want a lot for Christmas, I've got pretty much everything I could want. I have a a nice cell phone, an iPod Touch, an Xbox 360 with Xbox Live, and there is a car waiting for me when I get my driver's license in the near future. Recently, I've been spoiled by my sports teams. But I'm not (too) spoiled. I understand the value of hard work. I get that money (technically) doesn't grow on trees. What else could I want?

I won't be asking for a whole lot for Christmas this year, but at my age, I'm a little old to be asking Santy Claus to bring the presents this December.

It's closing in on Thanksgiving and baseball circles are starting to heat up with discussion about players moving from one city to another.

The wonderful part of being a fan at this time of year is the speculation that comes with rumors, whispers, and just throwing junk at the wall to see what sticks.

In the spirit of discussion, I present to you an idea for discussion: the Cubs should explore trading third baseman Aramis Ramirez to the Phillies.

First, let's walk through the foundation of why this deal would even be a consideration for either side.

From Plato to Voltaire, the Republic has been the government of choice for intellectuals for millennia.

Dismissive of people’s ability to rule themselves, yet similarly wary of totalitarianism, they champion a government run exclusively by the most enlightened members of society.

Garrett Atkins is a man without a job, yet he is still gainfully employed.

It may sound like the ultimate contradiction, but it’s merely a sign of the times in Major League Baseball.

Many teams are currently at a tipping point with overpriced, underperforming veterans.

While Scott Rolen is still in the "honeymoon" stage with the Reds, I will be evaluating him on a 40-game season.

His hitting is better than average, which should be expected for a .284 lifetime hitter. He didn't exhibit the power that I was so hopeful he would. Three home runs in a quarter of the season make it elementary enough to do the math; 12 home runs would not cut it for a corner infielder. He had a decent OBP as well at .364.

If the Washington Nationals are planning on extending the contract of first baseman Adam Dunn, they had better do it soon because it looks as though the period of contractual sanity is over.