Opinion

The Hot Stove is in full baking mode this week and there is much talk about the Mets being interested in Orlando Hudson, Marco Scutaro, and possibly Mark De Rosa.

There are many holes that the Mets need to fill before Spring Training ,but I do not think that second base is one of them.

They need pitching first and foremost, an upgrade at catcher and first base, and an everyday power-hitting left fielder.

I admit this time last year I was one of the first fans to say "Luis Castillo does not belong here, eat his contract and move on please."

At first glance, Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire hasn't accomplished anything too extraordinary over his eight-year career.

Sure, he has led the Twins to five American League Central championships and has a career record well above .500 (709-588), but the Twins have won just a single playoff series under Gardenhire and have a dismal 6-18 postseason record.

I've been doing my fair share of reading on this site among others about the Cubs' interest in Granderson and what people think of the possible acquisition. Very interesting.

Right now on the Cubs' depth chart, young gun Tyler Colvin is the starting center fielder. As of now, I don't see the Cubs taking a risk on the young guy by throwing him into the mix right away. At least I wouldn't.

Filed: Nov. 18, 2009

Have you ever found yourself reading a well-written piece and feeling like it all sounds logical and sensible, but then you think about it a little more and wonder if the writer is off his meds?

I had a moment like this when I read a recent piece by Fox Sports writer Dayn Perry , who proposes in the column a number of moves that teams need to make this offseason.

To start, if you're wondering what the Rule Five draft is, you can read this Wikipedia article for a quick explanation. In short, it's a way for players who are stuck in an organization to quickly advance to the major leagues with another team.

If a player is selected, they have to remain in the majors for the entire season. If the team can't keep them there, they are offered back to the original organization. In 2008, the Yankees lost Reegie Corona, Ivan Nova, Zach Kroenke, and Jason Jones in the Rule Five draft. 

Wow. Just as I thought the Reds had given up on any hope they had for Ramon Hernandez, he slides in the back door. Cincinnati just signed him to a one-year contract (with options) worth $3 million.

The Reds had declined his $8.5 million option earlier, and many, including myself, were not sad to see him depart. Ryan Hanigan can play the position for one-eighth of the price or less, and just as well I might add. I had big plans for that money!

Before Yankee fans decide to jump the gun and call me out on this, I'm just going to congratulate them on a terrific season.  They overcame adversity and gelled as a team and won when it mattered.

Ron Gardenhire has long been considered one of baseball’s best managers.

In 2009, he proved his mettle once again by leading the Minnesota Twins to yet another division title in the American League Central.

The pennant marked his fifth division title in eight seasons as the Twins’ skipper.

The Baseball Writers Association of America did the right thing by giving the Cy Young to Zack Greinke. Though not your typical runaway candidate, Greinke did everything right on a team that played so horribly wrong throughout the season. Greinke didn't have an impressive win/loss record, however he certainly made up for it all other categories.