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Heating up the hotstove

It’s really shaping up to be an interesting off-season in Major League Baseball. We’re coming off a year where a team won their first World Series in 20-something years over a former doormat who somehow looks like a potential dynasty. Both New York teams closed down their home fields without playoff appearances and an AL juggernaut failed to make it out of the first round. It looks like the entire NL West will be disassembled as well — with the exception of the San Francisco Giants who already were trying to rebuild. In fact, the moving trucks have already fired up their engines.

The Oakland Athletics look like they’ve won the right to trot out Matt Holliday for a season before he departs for free agency next winter. It really makes no sense for the A’s to make this deal after selling off their best assets mid-season and basically packing it in. They’re going to have to make several more moves to be considered a contender and I just don’t see that happening in the 2009 season. Holliday is represented by agent/devil Scott Boras so you know he’ll be seeking an astounding amount of money for his stud client. Knowing how thrifty Oakland has been in the past, there is no reason to think that their new lone all-star representative will be around for too long. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he’s dealt at the deadline this coming season.

The Jake Peavy sweepstakes are reaching a boiling point and whoever lands this stud will be getting a Cy Young candidate in his prime. It looks like the possible destinations are either to Atlanta or to the Cubs, with the Dodgers as a longshot. Dealing away a proven arm like Peavy makes no sense for the Padres. They’ll never get back in return what Peavy has given and does still do for them. And seriously, if he goes to the Cubs, that would give them the most ridiculous rotation ever with (assuming they resign) Dempster, Peavy, Harden, Zambrano and Lilly. Where is the weak link there? They could win 120 games, easily.

The Padres have also pretty much slapped the face of Trevor Hoffman now, by pulling their lowball contract offer and sending him walking. Why pull an offer to the face of your franchise? The only Padre who might be more recognizable than Hoffman — the all-time saves leader — is Tony Gwynn. Hoffman had been with San Diego for 16 years and now they’re forcing him out. It’s despicable.

Even the lowly Nationals have started to reshape their roster by trading for Scott Olsen and Jason Willingham of the Marlins. I hope the two minor leaguers that Florida are getting are better than Emilio Bonifacio, a .243 hitter. This trade doesn’t make sense from the Marlins standpoint unless they do see something in those two kids.

As for where Manny, CC and the rest of the big names, we’ll find out where they’ll be calling home come Thursday.

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