Just announced is another big signing of one of the "top" free agents on the market. Torii Hunter is packing his bags and going to Disney Land, literally. The Angels have landed the center fielder at the reported price of 5 years around $80 million. They are hoping he can provide some protection for Vlad Gurrero in the middle of that line up. But don't think that this is the end of the dealing for the Angels this off season.

A couple of days ago, in a move that puzzled me, they traded Orlando Cabrera to the White Sox for starting pitcher Jon Garland. It made no sense to me at the time. If you were looking to add offense in the off season, then why move one of your most productive players who happens to provide leadership and possess a couple of gold gloves? I'll tell you why.

Although the initial reaction from manager Mike Scioscia is that they intend on keeping Gary Mathews Junior who they signed last year to a 5 year $50 million deal, let's be real. The idea of being able to platoon him in the outfield so that he, Gurrero, Garret Anderson and Hunter can all split time at DH is nice, but not realistic. In most cases, you don't pay someone $10 million to platoon in the out field. Especially after the allegations of Mathews receiving shipments of HGH but quote "never used them". When the news of this came out Angels owner Arte Moreno publicly announced his displeasure. He simply does not want his name or his organizations name associated with any steroid talk. But then again who does.

So I would look for this. Baltimore is in need of a center fielder and the Angels still need a third baseman or a short stop. Enter Miguel Tejada. Yes his numbers have fallen over the past couple of seasons but he is still a very productive and durable player. He's played on the west coast before and Moreno loves to bring in Latin players, and they love to play for him. The Angels could package Garland or Ervin Santana along with Mathews and maybe a low level prospect to bring Tejada over. He could then move to third base or play shortstop, depending on what the Angels want Chone Figgens role to be. Perhaps they would include Maicer Izturis in a deal with the O's or just use him off the bench.

Don't count them out of the Miguel Cabrera sweepstakes either. In this scenario Mathews stays simply because there is no way Florida takes on the contract considering they are trying to move Cabrera because they don't feel like they can afford the nearly $8 million he's due to make through arbitration in the coming year. They might feel willing to part with Howie Kendrick now, who seems to be the centerpiece of the deal that the Marlins would like. They will try to package Santana into the deal, but the Marlins will likely decline for two reasons. The first being that he is arbitration eligible next season, a situation the Marlins are always trying to avoid. The second reason is that he has well documented struggles pitching on the road (7-16 with an ERA over 7 over the last 2 seasons). I don't know if he just feels more comfortable in front of home fans or not. One thing is for sure if he does feel fan pressure, he wouldn't feel it from the hundreds of home fans that attend Marlins games.

If they do go this route Kendrick won't be the only piece they'll have to part with. Expect them to have to include prospects like 3B Brandon Wood, reliever Chris Bootcheck, pitcher Nick Adenhardt, or possibly the aforementioned Izturis. Another potential big chip that would almost certainly seal the deal would be including rookie of the year candidate Reggie Willits, an up and coming youngster who now becomes semi-expendable if they are not able to move Mathews. I would expect they (Angels) would be looking for another player in return, possibly a middle infielder. Dan Uggla would make the most sense on both sides as both Kendrick and Uggla are second basemen.

The bottom line is this. The Angels have been very close to being able to win a second world series for the past 3 or 4 years. They have failed every year since acquiring Gurerro to land another big bat. Since winning the World Series in 2002 they have missed the playoffs twice. They were swept twice by the Red Sox, and lost 4-1 in the 2005 ALCS at the hands of the White Sox. The window of opportunity is closing. Although it appears the AL West will be theirs to loose in the upcoming seasons, they will still have to contend in the post season with the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, or Tigers. Pitching has not been the problem; it has clearly been the lack of offensive production. It is beginning to look as though management has finally accepted that you can't just put the pressure on the pitcher and the defense by stealing bases and running first to third. Sometimes, you just have to be able to simply out slug your opponent.

I know. All Sox fans want Lowell back, and why not? He's been solid gold the past two seasons after his career was said to be over. There is no doubt he is as valuable as any one in that clubhouse, and he brings his A game any time he steps on the field.

But the fact is the Red Sox have set a value on him and they don't appear to be willing to budge. This has worked well in their favor in the past, i.e. Johnny Damon, and Pedro Martinez. Johnny wanted more money and found it, but is now a high priced fourth outfielder and DH. Pedro wanted the fourth year and they thought they would be lucky to get the third out of him. I'm not saying by any means that Pedro is washed up, but the Mets just paid him 15 million dollars to rehab for all most entire season, something Boston was happy to avoid.

So where do they go if Lowell finds that fourth year even if he winds up playing first base for the New York Yankees? If that happens then New York succeeds in two ways. Strengthening there own club while weakening their rivals. There are some internal options. They could sacrifice infield defense and move Youkilis's gold glove to third where he is no where near the defender he is on the other side. This would shift Ortiz to first and Manny to DH, but would give them a very fast, potentially great defensive outfield in Ellsbury, Crisp and Drew. They could move Youk to third and pursue a first baseman through trade, bring up minor leaguer Chris Carter or perhaps turn outfielder Brandon Moss into a first baseman.

So let's explore the possibility of the big trade dangling out there for Florida's Miguel Cabrera. The Dodgers and the Angels are said to be the front runners because they have the prospects it would take to get this deal done. The angels appear reluctant to give up second baseman Howie Kendrick and for good reason. When asked if he found anything surprising this year from Kendrick, manger Mike Scioscia said " I was surprised he didn't bat .360". The kid can flat out play ball.

The Dodgers have youngsters such as Andre Eithier, Matt Kemp, and Andy Laroche. All very promising players who have put up good offensive numbers in a tough hitters park, much like Pro Player Stadium where the Marlins call home. But the Red Sox have something that neither of these two teams have. On top of the players it would take to get the deal done, Boston has a good relationship with the Marlins front office. Theo and Florida GM Jeffrie Loria co-hosted the GM meeting this year and together changed how business is done. Every one just kind of stands up in a room together and one by one tells other GM's their goals for the future. Let us not forget that 2 years ago they made a trade in which Florida got the top rated shortstop prospect (and later rookie of the year as well as a superb sophomore season) in all of baseball. In return the Red Sox got a frontline Starting pitcher and a "hefty" contract of Mike Lowell that the Marlins, the last big one they couldn't wait to unload. Point being they have scratched Florida's back once and are in a position to have theirs scratched in return.

Boston has the prospects. There's Clay Bucholz, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, Daniel Bard, Justin Masterson, Brandon Moss, Jed Lowrie, Nick Hagadone, and Michael Bowden to name a few. Surely the Marlins could find a combination of prospects form this list that fits their fancy. If that's not enough, they could always use what everyone loves, cash. It's hard to imagine parting with some of these guys but you have to understand what comes back in return.

Miguel Cabrera is a Hall Of Fame caliber bat with tremendous upside. He has already won a world series as a rookie, and done it by playing in tough environments like San Francisco, Chicago (and believe me those fans thought it was their year), and where he would have to play at least 10 times a year in New York. If they were to make this trade they would need to sign him to a long term deal as he is only arbitration eligible for the next 2 years. He is a career .320 hitter and the fastest ever to reach 500 RBI's. His defense is not stellar but he gets the job done. He puts up Alex Rodriguez like numbers, and actually had a better defensive zone rating at third than Rodriguez did this past season. If he were to come to Boston he would also have the comfort of a gold glove first baseman to throw to.

The one knock on him is that he is eating his way into another position. He has acknowledged this and says he is going to work his hardest in the off-season to remedy his condition. But the one thing he has always really lacked is veteran leadership. Florida sold off most of their team shortly after his arrival to the big leagues, and all of the sudden he was the veteran on the team. If he were to end up with the Sox there is no doubt that the work ethic of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez would rub off almost instantaneously. It was Manny that made Ortiz realize how important it was to keep in shape not only during the season but in the off season as well. There is no doubt the kid can hit, but if he was to be able to learn form Boston's left right tandem, then the sky would truly be the limit.

From the organizations stand point it makes sense. Manny is entering the final year of his contract and it is unsure if they will pick up his 20 million dollar options in the years to come. If they don't, they might be able to sign him to another contract for less money per season, but nothing is a given. Cabrera's is certainly a formidable bat to replace Manny with and keep that left right combo in the 3-4 spot alive and well. The Red Sox, in most cases, don't like to extend contracts to players over the age of 35. Cabrera is young enough (24) to lock up in a 10 year contract. Who knows, maybe they could include a weight clause like they have for Schilling as a means to protect their investment. In today's market a ten year 180-200 million dollar contract might even be viewed as a "bargain".

Will it happen? Possibly. Did Boston offer Lowell a contract they knew he wouldn't take like the Yankees did to Joe Torre? It's not out of the realm of possibility they are merely trying to save face with the fan base that was chanting "resign Lowell" throughout the World Series celebration and parade. Epstein is not afraid to make what is perceived as an unpopular move if he feels it will benefit the long term plan of the club (see Nomar). This much I do know for sure. What ever happens they will not stay put this off season. Every year they make their best efforts to improve the club.

I know. All Sox fans want Lowell back, and why not? He's been solid gold the past two seasons after his career was said to be over. There is no doubt he is as valuable as any one in that clubhouse, and he brings his A game any time he steps on the field.

But the fact is the Red Sox have set a value on him and they don't appear to be willing to budge. This has worked well in their favor in the past, i.e. Johnny Damon, and Pedro Martinez. Johnny wanted more money and found it, but is now a high priced fourth outfielder and DH. Pedro wanted the fourth year and they thought they would be lucky to get the third out of him. I'm not saying by any means that Pedro is washed up, but the Mets just payed him 15 million dollars to rehab for all most entire season, something Boston was happy to avoid.

So where do they go if Lowell finds that fourth year even if he winds up playing first base for the New York Yankees? If that happens then New York succeeds in two ways. Strengthening there own club while weakening their rivals. There are some internal options. They could sacrafice infield defense and move Youkilis's gold glove to third where he is no where near the defender he is on the other side. This would shift Ortiz to first  and Manny to DH, but would give them a very fast, potentially great defensive outfield in Ellsbury, Crisp and Drew. They could move Youk to third and pursue a first baseman through trade, bring up minor leauger Chris Carter or perhaps turn outfielder Brandon Moss into a first baseman.

So lets explore the possibilty of the big trade dangling out there for Floridas Miguel Cabrerra. The Dodgers and the Angels are said to be the front runners because they have the prospects it would take to get this deal done. The angels appear reluctant to give up second baseman Howie Kendrick and for good reason. When asked if he found anything surprising this year from Kendrick, manger MIke Scioscia said " I was surprised he didn't bat .360". The kid can flat out play ball.

The Dodgers have youngsters such as Andre Eithier, Matt Kemp, and Andy Laroche. All very promising players who have put up good offensive numbers in a tough hitters park, much like Pro Player Stadium where the Marlins call home. But the Red Sox have something that neither of these two teams have. On top of the players it would take to get the deal done, Boston has a good relationship with the Marlins front office. Theo and Florida GM Jeffrie Loria co-hosted the GM meeting this year and together changed how buisness is done. Every one just kind of stands up in a room together and one by one tells other GM's their goals for the future. Let us not forget that 2 years ago they made a trade in which Florida got the top rated shortstop prospect (and later rookie of the year as well as a superb Sophmore season) in all of baseball. In return the Red Sox got a frontline Starting pitcher and a "hefty" contract of Mike Lowell that the Marlins, the last big one they couldn't wait to unload. Point being they have scatched Floridas back once and are in a position to have theirs scratched in return.

Boston has the prospects. There's Clay Bucholz, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen, Daniel Bard, Justin Masterson, Brandon Moss, Jed Lowrie, Nick Hagadone, and Michael Bowden to name a few. Surely the Marlins could find a  combination of prospects form this list that fits their fancy. If that's not enough, they could always use what everyone loves, cash. It's hard to imagine parting with some of these guys but you have to understand what comes back in return.

Miguell Cabrera is a Hall Of Fame caliber bat with tremendous upside. He has already won a world series as a rookie, and done it by playing in tough enviroments like San Fransico, Chicago (and believe me those fans thought it was their year), and where he would have to play at least 10 times a year in New York. If they were to make this trade they would need to sign him to a long term deal as he is only arbitration elligible for the next 2 years. He is a career .320 hitter and the fastest ever to reach 500 RBI's. His defense is not stellar but he gets the job done. He puts up Alex Rodriguez like numbers, and actually had a better defensive zone rating at third than Rodriguez did this past season. If he were to come to Boston he would also have the comfort of a gold glove firstbaseman to throw to.

The one knock on him is that he is eating his way into abother position. He has accnowledged this and says he is going to work his hardest in the offseason to remedy his condition. But the one thing he has always really lacked is veteran leadership. Florida sold off most of their team shortly after his arrival to the big leagues, and all of the sudden he was the veteran on the team. If he were to end up with the Sox there is no doubt that the work ethic of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez would rub off almost instantaneously. It was Manny that made Ortiz realize how important it was to keep in shape not only during the season but in the off season as well. There is no doubt the kid can hit, but if he was to be able to learn form Boston's left right tandem, then the sky would truly be the limit.

From the organiztions stand point it makes sense. Manny is entering the final year of his contract and it is unsure if they will pick up his 20 million dollar options in the years to come. If they don't, they might be able to sign him to another contract for less money per season, but nothing is a given. Cabrerra's is certainly a formidable bat to replace Manny with and keep that left right combo in the 3-4 spot alive and well. The Red Sox, in most cases, don't like to extend contracts to players over the age of 35. Cabrerra  is  young enough (24) to lock up in a 10 year contract. Who knows, maybe they could include a weight clause like they have for Schilling as a means to protect their investment. In todays market a ten year 180-200 million dollar contract might even be viewed as a "bargain".

Will it happen? Possibly. Did Boston offer Lowell a contract they knew he wouldn't take like the Yankees did to Joe Torre? It's not out of the realm of possibility they are merely trying to save face with the fan base that was chanting "resign Lowell" throughout the World Series celbration and parade. Epstein is not affraid to make what is percieved as an unpopular move if he feels it will benefit the long term plan of the club (see Nomar). This much I do know for sure. What ever happens they will not stay put this off season. Every year they make their best efforts to improve the club.

We don't know if he'll dawn the uniform next year or not, but it really goes with out saying we will always owe him a hero's welcome. We all know what happened in 2003 with Aaron Boone and the weeks of sorrow that engulfed the nation for the following weeks. It didn't last for long when at Thanksgiving it was announced that the best big game pitcher in modern history was making his way to Bean town.

Immediately, we all felt better. With the 1-2 punch of Schilling and Pedro, the 1000 run offense and a solid closer at the back end, we all felt like it would finally be our year. Although, that's always the way it was. He changed the (I'm not going to single handedly. More credit has to be given to ownership and management) whole persona of an entire franchise. No longer are they the guys who always came up just short in 7 game series, now they are the model franchise. Surpassing who we all hate, the New York Yankees. Seems odd to say, but it might be the truth.

We might not all like to hear the guy talk, but we love to see him compete. The guy is a winner. We all know about his preparation, but the numbers don't lie. He is 11-2 in the post season and has numbers very comparable to the great Whitey Ford in that category as far as innings pitched, ERA, and strike outs. Understand that the other people on the list are guys like Atlanta's big three, Rocket, Pettite, Wells, and El Duque. Those are guy's who were literally there every year. When Whitey pitched, it was the World Series and that was it. For the most part the other guys benefited from LCS and eventually, Divisional series play.

It's hard to say that any one has made more of their post season starts (other than maybe Josh Beckett now). Consider this, He's been to the post season 5 times, and pitched in 4 World Series while collecting three rings. He is undefeated in elimination games and will forever be remembered for giving the gutsiest performance in the history of the game. Only twice has he given up more than 2 earned runs and once was with his tendon flapping in the win. His 2 losses came 11 years apart, again one of them when his ankle was injured, the other when he was just a baby in Philly. And Sox's fans know this, the 2 times he's pitched in the playoffs; he's brought us the trophy.

For some reason he's talked about as a border line hall of famer. It boggles my mind that there is any question. He has 216 wins, 3000 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.46 while pitching through the steroid era. He has also pitched on some dreadful Phillies teams who blew a lot of saves for him. He's a guy who doesn't walk any one and strives for perfection. One of my favorite stats is in his career with the bases loaded he has only walked 2 batters. He's also a guy who never let the error bother him, allowing only 65 unearned runs in 20 seasons. Talk about a master of control.

Anyway, that's not really the point here. The point is this is a guy that should never be booed when he enters Fenway, even if he were to pitch for a team like the Yankees, although he says he won't. We've heard that before Johnny Damon. Curt, you'll never read this and you won't be alone. But thank you. You've certainly accomplished a lot in just 4 years in Boston. You've done twice as much in those 4 years as the former greats had done in the previous 86. Any time you need a standing ovation just get on the T and take the green line to the Fens. You should have no problem finding one from the faithful.