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Let's get to the fantasy impact of a couple more recent transactions:

Rays sign OF Pat Burrell

The Rays let DH Cliff Floyd leave via free agency, and clearly upgraded with his replacement. Despite being BA-challenged (.257 career), Burrell is as steady as they come in the power department. Check out these sets of numbers from 2005-08:

Home runs: 32-29-30-33

OPS: .892-.890-.902-.875

If you draft Burrell as, say, a No. 3 fantasy outfielder, you know exactly what you'll be able to expect. He'll DH most of the time for the Rays, with sleeper candidate Matt Joyce platooning with a righthanded batter to be named (possibly Fernando Perez) in right field. I've got Burrell in the low 30's in my outfield rankings.

There's no mystery in Philly, where Burrell's spot has been taken by free agent signee Raul Ibanez, who got $14 million more in guaranteed money than Burrell did. Yikes.

Indians acquire IF Mark DeRosa for three so-so minor leaguers

DeRosa's age 33 season was ridiculous, as he posted career highs in home runs (21), RBI (87), runs (103), OPS (.857) and even stolen bases (six). He didn't just surpass his previous bests - he completely obliterated them by so much that you probably need to look at the year as an aberration, and plan on him returning to a .280, 12-homer, 75-run kind of season. You're better off betting the money wheel in Vegas than banking on a repeat performance.

DeRosa qualifies at second base, third base and outfield, and is a borderline fantasy starter at the keystone, where I've currently got him ranked 12th. He'll play third base for the Tribe, moving former top prospect Andy Marte to the bench, or Buffalo, or Japan, or the new independent league in Flopistan. Damn him for getting my hopes up.

To replace DeRosa, the Cubs recently signed second baseman Aaron Miles. Miles hits for a decent average (.289 career), but doesn't run or hit for power or do anything else that might make you want to draft him in a mixed league. Mike Fontenot is probably the better option, but even though he hit nine homers in 243 at bats last year, he's not exactly Ryne Sandberg himself. Since these two guys will probably wind up sharing time, I think we should make a pact to avoid any Cubs' second basemen in our drafts. Deal?

Orioles sign SP Mark Hendrickson, Rockies sign SP Jason Marquis

I'm lumping these transactions together because they have something in common: You shouldn't draft either pitcher under any circumstances. Hendrickson has a 5.07 career ERA, and shows no evidence that he'll ever be a good starter. Forget about him.

Marquis - who's an alumnus of the world-famous South Shore Little League, just like me - has been a homer-prone pitcher for most of his career, and is moving to Coors Field. This is like finding a little kid with a gas can, and handing him a book of matches. Stay away.

That's all for now - I'll be back Monday with more transaction analysis. Have a good weekend.