I promised you all that there would be a post every night from Indianapolis, and well…I lied.  I was a little busy trying to find a job!  The interesting this was, there really wasn’t that much going on in Indy this week.  If you’d like a list of EVERY single transaction from the last four days, you should click HERE.  I’ve always been a big fan of ESPN.com, and they did a great job keeping on top of everything, including staff hiring’s and front office stuff.  We could certainly break down every single deal that went down, but we’d be here forever.  So let’s just talk about the three biggest trades or signings that came out of the Winter Meetings this week.

Chone Figgins signs with Seattle – This was a big deal.  It was the first major signing of the off-season, and it came from the Mariners.  This was a signal; the Mariners were going to sprint out of the gate this off-season, and they wanted to spend.  Seattle wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and this manifested itself pretty quickly; the Mariners have now been linked to Jason Bay and John Lackey.  If they decide to break the bank and sign all three of those guys, they will be a force in the AL West next season.  The Mariners are also still involved in talks with Adrian Beltre. This would mean that Figgins could play a different position, as Beltre is the incumbent third-basemen; Figgins would be an upgrade over Michael Saunders in left.  Ichiro is also interested in this signing because he stands to lose his spot in the leadoff position.  It’s pretty unlikely, but possible.  They will probably end up hitting 1-2 or 9-1 with Figgins in the 2 or 9 spot. My question: Do you really want to spend $36 Million on your number 9 hitter?

Curtis Granderson is traded to the Yankees – You should always expect the Yankees to make big news in the off-season, and they certainly didn’t disappoint this year. Of the four days in Indy, this deal caused the most stir and was the only headline maker.  Let’s see if I can put this in print so that it can be understood: The Tigers trade OF Curtis Granderson to the Yankees for OF Austin Jackson and LHP Phil Coke.  Detroit also sent RHP Edwin Jackson to the Diamond Backs in exchange for LHP Max Scherzer and RHP Dan Schlereth.  To finalize the deal, New York sent RHP Ian Kennedy to the D-Backs.  This was a good trade for everyone involved, including the players.  Granderson is a great clubhouse guy, and New York fans will love his work ethic. Now the Yanks can focus on bringing back Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui to play DH, and they’re good to go.  The D-Backs get two great young arms out of this deal as well.  Edwin Jackson should thrive in the NL West, thanks to the big ballparks, and the AAAA National League hitters.  Having said that, I think the Tigers are the clear cut winners on this deal.  They get they flame throwing lefty from Arizona, Max Scherzer and one of the best outfield prospects in all of baseball.  I think most importantly, the Tigers got a lot younger, AND received four players!  Even if only two of these guys become everyday players the Tigers win, and it’s very possible that two OR three of them could be on the 40 man roster when the season starts next April.

The Rangers big week – I wrote last week that I was surprised that the Rangers stayed in the playoff hunt so late into the season, and I am equally surprised by the moves they made at the meetings.  Surprised, and extremely impressed.  The Rangers traded RHP Kevin Millwood to the Orioles for RHP Chris Ray and LHP Ben Snyder.  Ray will be an excellent addition to the Rangers bullpen, and will most set-up for Frank Francisco.  Snyder is probably a year or two away from pitching in the big leagues, but his first season in the minors was a great success.  Out of the bullpen last year, he pitched 97 innings, struck out 86, and had a 2.88 ERA.  The Rangers also added RHP Rich Harden to the rotation, and this could turn out to be the signing of the year.  Harden is injury prone, and he is pulling in seven and a half million bucks next season.  But, when healthy, there is no one better.  In his career he’s averaged more than a strikeout per inning, while only allowing two walks per nine.  Harden has also come out in the past two days stating that he’d like to pitch two hundred innings this year for the Rangers, which would be a career high.  What’s lost in all of this is the grudge factor.  The A’s traded Harden to the Cubs before the trade deadline in 2008, and you have to believe that he wants to stick it to his new division rival, Oakland.  Texas is a tough place to pitch, but Harden has a point to prove and I think he could be one of the surprise stories of 2010.

So New York, Detroit, Arizona, Texas and Seattle all had good weeks.  And there will be a LOT more teams to add to that list before baseball Spring Training starts, and we’ll have all the news and analysis right here at ChrisSpez.com.  Enjoy!