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Since free agency began in November, Matt Holliday and Jason Bay have been the consensus two best hitters on the free agent market.

The general thought seems to be that while Bay is a great hitter, Holliday was the more desirable free agent for several reasons:

* Age: Holliday is almost 30 years old and should be entering his prime years. In contrast, Bay will be 32 years old this season.

January 6, 2010. If you're a baseball fan, chances are you know what that date means.

It is a great day for anyone who loves baseball. On January 6, 2010, the Baseball Writers Association of America will announce who, if anyone, they will bestow the greatest honor any baseball player can receive, induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

The San Francisco Giants announced Tuesday that infielder Juan Uribe will return for a second season by the bay, a one year deal worth 3.25 million dollars, much more then he made last season.

What does this mean you ask? It means that Uribe will see much more time on the field then he did last season, which makes the typical Giants fan like you and me jump up for joy.

Because of this, GM Brian Sabean deserves some applause. However, only Sabean knows how to screw up a good thing.

To commemorate Randy Johnson's retirement, here are some details about his earliest days in the majors, pitching for the Expos. The Big Unit made his major league debut on September 15, 1988 as the tallest player ever to play in the majors, supplanting 6-foot-9 Johnny Gee, a left-handed pitcher who played for Pittsburgh and the New York Giants during the Second World War.

A newspaper reported:

Twins left-handed relief pitcher Jose Mijares has long been a highly-rated prospect, with a low-90s fastball and an excellent slider. He appeared to live up to the hype as a rookie in 2009, posting a 2.34 ERA.

Ah, but wait.

Mijares' FIP was 4.01 last year. His xFIP was even worse at 4.43.

Those numbers suggest that Mijares was one of the luckier pitchers in baseball last year.

So, is Mijares a very good pitcher, or is he just an average pitcher who benefited from good fortune in 2009?

It's finally official: the St. Louis Cardinals have retained All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday.

Holliday and the club announced today that they've agreed to terms for a 7-year/$120 million contract that will keep the sweet-swinging slugger in St. Louis through 2016.

The deal comes complete with a no-trade clause and a vesting option for 2017 that will kick in if he finishes in the top 10 for the 2016 National League MVP voting.

I think we can go ahead and throw out the sexy trade rumors that we've all heard (and which I promoted here and here ) since the Vazquez trade.

It’s truly happy “Holliday” in St. Louis, though us Cubs fans may not enjoy our New Year's quite as much now.

For the Cubs division challenger and long-time bitter rival St. Louis Cardinals put a dagger into the rest of the division by announcing the team has re-signed free agent outfielder Matt Holliday to a seven-year, $120 million contract.

Dear Hollywood Elite,

How many of you have been to a Dodgers game? (Yes, Alyssa Milano and Larry King, I see you.)

How many of you have dated a Dodgers player? (Yes, Alyssa Milano, you can stop waiving your hand now.)

Lastly, how many of you are interested in an intriguing business opportunity that could potentially save the Dodgers and help resurrect Los Angeles' dying economy? (Please step to the front, Kardashian family.)

Hollywood Elite, I offer you a simple proposal: buy the Dodgers from Frank McCourt.

I am a New York fan, plain and simple. I despise the Red Sox and absolutely hate everything they stand for. So why would I be writing a piece trying to diagnose Red Sox front office miscues?

Because the Red Sox are beginning to look a lot like the Yankees of a few years ago.