Welcome to the first edition of ‘Sleepy Hollow Stars,’ a segment where I discuss sleepers that are not getting the attention they deserve, thus fantasy lineups around the country are hollow without them. OK, so it’s not the most relevant title, but I like it, so I’m sticking with it.

With the first half-week of MLB action commenced, I got to thinking about why some guys are available in my league and I began to look around all ESPN Fantasy Leagues and saw some shocking information. These 25 guys below are not getting the love they need, so take note. The number accompanying each player is the percent of leagues the player is owned in.

Kurt Suzuki (owned in 72.1 percent of ESPN leagues)
This Suzuki is no .350 hitter, but he can hit .290-.300 and he came up with the fourth-best season in my points league last year. This year, he’s an integral part of the Oakland A’s offense (if that’s what you could call it) and needs to be owned in all leagues. Most leagues only require one catcher, so even in the shallowest of leagues (8-10 teams), as one of the top 5 or 6 catchers in the game, Suzuki should be on a team in every league, plain and simple.

Colby Rasmus (66.5 percent)
The sophomore is far from slumping. Hitting behind Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, Rasmus should have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs and the way he’s been stroking the ball, he could reach the 90 RBI plateau. The kid has all-world talent, and this could be the year he is harnessing it. He should be owned in every single league out there at this point, no matter the format.

Kyle Blanks (57.5)
So the Padres don’t really have much of an offense and PetCo park isn’t exactly the easiest place to hit, but Blanks has big-league power and is cleaning up for San Diego, hitting right behind Adrian Gonzalez. Not a bad spot to be. Take notice, this kid will eventually be a 40-homer threat and it could be this year.

Nick Johnson (56.8)
OK, so there is injury risk here, considering he has only played at least 130 games just three times in his career, but he’s hitting in cozy, homer-friendly Yankee Stadium and manager Joe Girardi has him slotted in the two-hole the first couple games so far, hitting right in front of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Could make for a crazy-good season for Johnson.

Delmon Young (24.8)
He was once the most highly touted prospect in the game (think Jason Heyward now), even though that seems like ages ago. Young hasn’t set the world on fire, but has reportedly come to spring training in better shape and with a different agenda—a career year. Hitting behind Jason Kubel, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, Young will get plenty of chances to drive in runs and if he ever finds that power stroke he was supposed to have, could easily drive in 100 runs.

Orlando Cabrera (21.3)
The starting shortstop of a potentially solid lineup in a hitter’s ballpark? Yes, please! Especially when he comes with the hitting pedigree Cabrera has. You know he’ll give you solid average and steals and in that ballpark could set a career high in homers. He could also score a lot of runs hitting two in that lineup. He definitely should be owned in more than 21 percent of leagues, especially when middle infield is so shallow to begin with.

Drew Stubbs (15.8)
Though he’s getting beat out for at-bats by Chris Dickerson in some of these early games, Stubbs will eventually win the center field job in Cincinnati and will take over leadoff duties whenever he is in the lineup. His power has been incredibly uncharacteristic lately (8 homers in a small sample size last season and 5 in spring training), so I wouldn’t count on it, but he’s found his power stroke two separate times, so you never know. Pay for steals and a lot of runs scored hitting in front of Cabrera, Votto and Brandon Phillips.

Josh Willingham (15.8)
He’s got power, that’s for certain. And he’s hitting right behind Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn, so when he does go yard, they likely won’t be of the solo variety. Just sayin…

Carlos Gomez (14.2)
Another highly touted prospect who has amounted to next to nothing thus far in his Major League career. But, he’s hitting two in the Brewers’ lineup, and that means right behind Rickie Weeks, who looks like the Weeks we all knew he could be so far, and directly in front of the best 1-2 tandem in the league—Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, who led the Majors in runs driven in by a duo in 2009. If Gomez continues to earn his at-bats on his new team, he will score close to 100 runs and with his blazing speed, could easily steal 40-50 bags, though 30-35 is more likely.

Austin Jackson (13.6)
The long lost member of the Jackson 5 is the new Detroit leadoff hitter. He’s taking over for Curtis Granderson in center and in the leadoff spot, which should equate to plenty of runs in front of Miguel Cabrera. He’s still very unproven, but 13.6 percent is a joke. That means that 17 out of every 20 leagues is Austin Jackson-less. Man, give the kid some love! Take a chance.

Troy Glaus (11.8)
He’s returning from injury and is getting up there in age, so there’s obviously risk here, but he’s only owned in 11.8 percent of leagues? This is a guy with 30-homer power who is hitting behind Chipper Jones and Brian McCann and ahead of Yunel Escobar and Jason Heyward, so he should drive in and score plenty of runs to go along with his dingers.

Sean Rodriguez (8.8)
He’s the starting second baseman for a possible playoff team in Tampa Bay. Not a bad choice at a thin position.

Skip Schumaker (8.1)
He’s slated as the leadoff hitter for the Cardinals. That means he’s hitting in front of Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. Throw in his .300 batting average and Schumaker will score you plenty of runs at a shallow position.

Scott Rolen (7.2)
OK, so he hasn’t exactly been a fixture of health the past few years, but he’s the five-hitter in a decent lineup hitting behind Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto. Cincy is also a hitter’s park and nobody is behind him crying for playing time, so if Rolen can stay healthy, there’s no reason to think he can’t go .280-20-90 for your team.

Cameron Maybin (5.2)
This is a guy who everybody was just as gaga over last year as they are over Jason Heyward this year. He didn’t perform or get many at-bats, but he still has the skill set and is Florida’s starting center fielder and two-hitter. Pick him up before the rest of the world notices he’s available.

Travis Hafner (4.8)
See Rolen, Scott and Glaus, Troy. Hafner’s in the same boat. He has had exceptional power in years’ past and is hitting in the heart of the order so far this year (cleanup), so he could have a good year. Or, he could prove that he was just on steroids and struggle to hit 15 homers again. It’s a risk, but one I think is worthy of taking.

Aubrey Huff (4.2)
Another benefactor of where he hits in the lineup, Huff is cleaning up for the Giants, which means he is hitting behind Aaron Rowand, Edgar Renteria and Kung Fu Panda himself, Pablo Sandoval. Look for 85+ ribbies from Huff, who is Tampa Bay’s all-time leading home run hitter.

Ian Desmond (3.6)
Alright, let’s face it—a lot of these guys are on this list because of where their managers are plugging them into the lineup so far this season. Desmond is hitting two for the lowly Nationals, but that’s about the best spot you could put a young, up-and-coming top-prospect shortstop. He’s right behind a rejuvenated Nyjer Morgan and just ahead of Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn. Assuming he stays in the two-hole, Desmond should drive in 50-60 runs and could easily score 85-100 runs at a shallow position.

Casey Kotchman (3.2)
Samsies to the opening sentence for Desmond. Kotchman is hitting three for the Mariners so far, which is right behind two on-base machines (Ichiro and Chone Figgins) and ahead of Milton Bradley, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Jose Lopez. Kotchman won’t set the world on fire with his power, but he could be a high-average guy with a lot of doubles and a good amount of RBIs (he had 4 on Opening Day alone).

Akinori Iwamura (3.0)
The starting second baseman for the Pirates, Iwamura figures to be slotted in the 1-3 spots in the lineup throughout the 2010 season. He’s a good on-base guy, so manager John Russell has him slated leadoff, ahead of the uber-talented Andrew McCutchen and Garret Jones, who apparently is for real, leading the Majors in homers and RBIs in the short season to date. Iwamura could easily score 90 runs and could crack the century plateau.

David DeJesus (2.2)
He’s leading off for the Royals and his career track record proves that DeJesus can hit .290 with double digit steals and home runs and somewhere around 75-80 RBIs and runs scored. So why do less than 3 percent of leagues own him? One of the seven wonders of the world, no doubt. Pick him up!

Edgar Renteria (2.0)
Last year, all the talk surrounding Renteria was how his hands had slowed down and his bat speed was nowhere near where it needed to be. Yeah, tell that to Astros, who just gave up five hits and a walk to Renteria the other night. The aged shortstop isn’t what he used to be at the plate, but in a shallow position, he offers stability, good average and runs.

Michael Brantley (1.1)
I’m going to let one of my friends, an avid Indians fan, tag in and take this one: “Michael Brantley will be a star for the Indians. He’s getting a chance to prove himself now and when Russell Branyan comes back from the DL, Brantley will be in at a point where he has forced whoever his manager will be at the time to play him. The kid is a former top prospect who can steal a ton of bags and will play solid defense and provide some pop, so he will warrant at-bats whenever available.”

Jim Edmonds (0.7)
So, Corey Hart might want to go back to singing, because Edmonds is taking at-bats from him by the bushel. Hart, who two seasons ago had the worst OBP of all ML starters, has fallen far from grace and is now in a platoon with Edmonds, a left-handed hitter. Jimmy will figure to see most of the at-bats against right-handed pitchers and when he is in the lineup, which has been a lot in the early going here, he hits five, directly behind Fielder and Braun. Not a bad place to be for a guy who still has plenty pop left in his bat.

Ryan Sweeney (0.6)
Alright, so you catch on to the theme, right? These guys on this list are all a product of their role in their respective lineups. Well, Sweeney is no different and may actually be the biggest benefactor of where he hits. He’s a high-average guy who is still learning the game and adapting to Major League ball and is slotted in the three-hole, behind Mark Ellis and Rajai Davis and ahead of whoever the heck the Athletics consider to be their cleanup and five-hitters on any given day. Sweeney is relatively unknown, but I project him to drive in 85 runs with a .300 average and 10-12 homers based on his contact rate and place in the lineup. Give him some love!

Orlando Hudson is the newly-signed Twin; A second baseman with a very inflated defensive reputation.

Orlando Cabrera is the 35-year-old shortstop who has also been recently signed by a new team: The Cincinnati Reds. He is also the proud owner of a top-of-the-line defensive reputation.

I’m here to break (or at least put a very large dent) in the myth that ties these two players together. These infielders are no longer quality defensive players.

Back when Hudson was playing up in Toronto in 2004 and 2005, he was a fantastic defensive player. Since those days, Hudson has lost a large amount of range while steadily and consistently becoming a sub-par defender at second base.

According to UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating), this Orlando was 3.3 runs below average in 2009; He was 5.1 runs below average in 2008 to top things off. Whether this drop-off was due to his increasing age or increasing injuries, it remains a fact that Hudson is a far-cry from his former self in the field. His reputation as a sterling defender is long overdue for a change.

Hudson is a slightly above average offensive second basemen, and this remains true, but Twin fans better not be expecting a stud in the field as well.

On to the other Orlando. This one is the former World Series champion who is joining the 6th team in his career with the Reds. Cabrera has been a consistently sub-par offensive player the past 2 seasons, posting an identical .705 OPS in 2008 and 2009. His abysmal .316 On-base percentage leaves much to be desired, but as far as shortstops go, you can accept his middling offensive game.

Up until 2009, Orlando had remained a talented defensive shortstop (albeit an inconsistent one). In 2009 however, Cabrera made a drastic switch, and became arguably the worst defender at the position in all of Major League Baseball.

“O.C.” was 15.3 runs below average this past season, which is absolutely disgusting.

Red fans had better hope his massive defensive shortcomings in 2009 were an aberration instead of what the future holds. Because while Orlando Hudson brings better than average offense, Cabrera brings relatively nothing at the plate (outside of an 8-hole offensive player). If Cabrera’s defense doesn’t make a huge recovery in 2010, he will be massively hurting his new-found team.

Cabrera doesn’t produce enough at the plate to make up for anything less than sterling defense. Thank God that Dusty Baker doesn’t believe in patience or players drawing walks, because he’ll now fall madly in love with this Orlando.

2. Jimmy Rollins PHI
Just as J-Roll did in 2007, I am going to go out and a limb and make a bold prediction: Rollins will return to form in 2010. OK, so maybe it’s not that bold of a prediction, but there’s not much bold you can say about J-Roll right now. He’s 31 and appears to be on the downslope, but then again, last year was a fluke poor season. His steals will probably continue to decline, but his average and runs will come back to his career norm, while it appears the power and RBIs are here to stay. If he gets hot and stays healthy, it’s not out of the question to see a 30-30 year as well.

3. Jose Reyes NYM
It seems like Reyes has been around forever, but he’s still just only 26 and will turn 27 halfway through the season. And that’s including the fact that he was a non-factor last year, both in real life and fantasy. Chalk that up to his hamstring injury and if he’s back to 100 percent on opening day, he could end up as the No. 2 fantasy shorstop. I don’t see him overtaking Hanley, but a healthy Reyes could put up a season that will make you stop in your tracks. Expect 35 doubles, 15 triples, 15 bombs, 60 or so RBIs, 110 runs and anywhere from 45-80 steals depending on how often he gets the green light and how healthy his legs truly are.

4. Troy Tulowitzki COL
Tulo is just entering his fourth Major League season and yet he has already seen as many ups and downs in his career as Britney Spears has. After an outstanding rookie season in ’07, Troy epitomized “sophomore slump” with a horrendous 2008 season before coming back with a career year in ’09. So, that being said, what do you expect from Tulo in ’10? He could go two ways. He could be one of those guys who has one season on, one season off and vice versa, kind of like Jason Varitek. Or, ’08 could have really just been a sophomore slump and 2007 or 2009 is the true Troy. However, if it’s the latter option, which season will he have? He stole just seven bases in ’07, but had 20 swipes last year. He hit 32 homers last year, but drove in only 92 while he hit just 24 bombs in ’07 with 99 RBIs. His average was the same, but is he going to hit a lot of home runs and steal a lot of bases or drive in runs and just be decent in the other categories? Tulo’s got a lot of questions surrounding him, so draft carefully, but I think he makes 2009 his usual output.

5. Derek Jeter NYY
If intangibles and career winning percentage counted for anything in fantasy circles, Jeter may be the top draft pick every year. The Captain won himself another championship and very well may have won some fantasy championships for his owners in ’09. After two straight seasons of decline in just about every category, the 35-year-old shortstop seemed to be on the decline, but smacked that idea out of the park like Elin Nordegren smacked Tiger’s car. He made himself fantasy relevant again with a .330 season in which he stole 30 bases and even hit 18 homers. You have to assume he will decline one of these days, but he proved he’s still got it, so I’d say it’d serve you well to draft him in the early-mid rounds.

6. Jason Bartlett TB
Bartlett came out of nowhere to have an incredible fantasy season last year. He transformed from an all-field, no-hit shortstop into a viable starting fantasy option at shortstop. He set career highs in every single offensive category despite missing a month to injury and his peripheral numbers prove that it probably isn’t a fluke. He’s a career .287 hitter who has always been pretty good on the bases, but he turned it up another level in both categories. His power numbers may not be as high as they were last year (14 homers, 66 RBIs), but it’s not like he had a Brady Anderson power surge, so don’t be surprised if he parks 15 balls this year. He is a poor man’s Derek Jeter.

7. Elvis Andrus TEX
Andrus may very well end up ranked higher than both Jeter and Bartlett, but I have him ranked lower just because he is really only a plus in one category right now—steals. His average (.267) was solid for his first Major League season, but his power isn’t there yet and he’s not drawing a lot of walks or scoring a lot of runs yet. He probably will improve in all categories (if he avoids that dreaded sophomore slump), but may not be Top-5 fantasy shortstop material for another year or two.

8. Alexei Ramirez CWS
The Cuban Missile had a terribly down season after a highly profiled rookie year in 2008, and considering the fact that he is almost 29 (though you never can tell with Caribbean defectors), his prime time is running out. I’m real down on him after last year, but considering he will help you in pretty much every category, he gets a boost over the following shortstops, who all have a deficiency somewhere in their fantasy game. Expect a rebound from the South Side version of A-Ram, but his ’08 season may be his limit.

9. Yunel Escobar ATL
Escobar helps you a little in average, runs, homers and RBIs, and he’s a pretty solid option in points leagues. But, he’s not worth a pick higher than the 12th or 13th round and that might even be a stretch. I expect him to hit right around .300 this year, but he probably won’t win any batting titles and I don’t see him ever surpassing 20 homers in a season. Don’t reach for him, but he’s a solid option.

10. Marco Scutaro BOS
I’m sure it comes as a surprise to most people that Scutaro is coming in at No. 10 on this list. Heck, I was surprised when I was ranking it. But, the numbers are there, and he has a better outlet for his skill set now. Boston has a better lineup and ballpark to hit in and he might end up hitting second, so he could easily surpass those 100 runs he scored last year, if he continues to walk at such an incredible pace, that is (90 walks last season). He adds double digit homers and steals with modest average and RBI marks and he does not strike out often, so no matter what format, he shouldn’t hurt you.

11. Miguel Tejada BAL
Miggy’s signing with Baltimore became official just one hour before I wrote this (good timing, I know), but his fantasy value actually probably goes down a little bit than where I had him originally ranked. If Tejada had signed on with Houston again or a place with a better ballpark or better lineup, I would have probably had him in the Top-10 on this list. That’s not to say that Baltimore is a bad lineup or park to hit in, just not as good as he could have done back when he was playing the field. The Orioles boast an up-and-coming lineup, but I worry that they will jump too much on Tejada’s back when the team is struggling to score runs and his 45-year-old knees are too old to take that (he says he’s only 35, but he had us thinking he was two years younger for most of his career, so can you really believe what he says his age is now?). He can still hit for average, though his final AVG has been fluctuating the past half decade or so, but his power is almost completely sapped and he is no longer even a slight threat on the bases.

12. Stephen Drew ARI
After a 2008 breakout season in which he had 76 extra-base hits and hit .291 with 91 runs, I was really high on Drew. I thought he was only going to improve on those numbers, especially because he drove in only 67 runs despite all those XBH. Yet, he was worse in every single category that matters for fantasy except steals, where he stole five bases as compared to three the year before (big whoop. Yeah, I’m bringing that back. Deal with it.). So for this year, what do I expect? To be honest, I don’t know. I don’t know which is the real Drew. He doesn’t appear to be as injury prone as his older brother, J.D., but he is so hot and cold that Katy Perry made a song about him (OK, bad joke, but it’s a good pop culture reference), so I really don’t know what to expect. Draft him in the mid rounds and he may end up being your team MVP, or he may end up with the season he had last year, which was more boring and dull than watching tennis.

13. Ryan Theriot CHC
The Riot didn’t have nearly the season he did in ’08, walking 22 times less and striking out nearly twice as much, but he did hit seven home runs and drove in 54, so at least that benefitted fantasy teams. I expect a little cross between ’08 and ’09, with the average better than it was last year, but the power and RBIs better than they were in ’08. He can swipe 20-25 bags as well, but he also gets caught a lot, so don’t draft him in a league where you get penalized for caught stealings.

14. Rafael Furcal LAD
Remember the days when Furcal was a run-scoring machine who could steal 45 bases? Nowadays, fantasy owners are praying for 90 runs and 12 steals, which were his totals last year. There’s no doubt Furcal is on the downswing, but he is still hitting near the top of the order in front of Manny and guys like Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney, so he still carries some fantasy value. Expect a slight increase in his ’09 numbers, but don’t reach for him.

15. Orlando Cabrera FA
The guy’s a winner. He wins everywhere he goes. I can’t think of a year where he wasn’t in the playoffs since he left the dreaded Montreal Expos team (wow, mention of the Expos just sparked some mid-90s memories). Heck, last year, he even was traded from fantasy pitfall Oakland to Minnesota where he helped the Twins take down the Tigers in their 163rd game of the season. Unfortunately, my last tangent about how great a winner O-dogg is doesn’t help you in fantasy as he probably has had the same kind of winning success on fantasy rosters as he has in real life. He doesn’t really steal bases anymore (had only 13 last year) since he’s getting up there in age, and his average won’t help you, but it won’t hurt you, either. He has slight pop and will score and drive in some runs and he’s a steady perfomer no matter where he lands.

16. Alcides Escobar MIL—Super prospect finally getting a chance, but how will he do?
17. Asdrubal Cabrera CLE—Finally seems to be producing fantasy numbers
18. Edgar Renteria SF—No longer what he used to be, but surely better than last year
19. J.J. Hardy MIN—Classic change of scenery move may help him out
20. Erick Aybar LAA—Can swipe a few bags and hit for a good average
21. Evereth Cabrera SD—Worst of Cabrera SS’s, but can help you in steals
22. Macier Izturis LAA—Likely to steal at-bats from Aybar throughout the year
23. Alex Gonzalez TOR—Yes, he’s still around, though he shouldn’t be in fantasy circles
24. Ronny Cedeno PIT—He looks like my cousin, not that any of you care, but it’s proof that you shouldn’t care about him or anybody below him in your fantasy league, no matter how deep your league is
25. Brendan Ryan STL—Scrappy dude, but that only counts in real life
26. Ian Desmond WAS—He’s a prospect in Washington, if that counts for anything
27. Jack Wilson SEA—Smooth fielder and probably pretty smooth with the ladies, but strikes out with the stick
28. Yuniesky Betancourt KC—Is fast but doesn’t steal, so that’s cool, I guess…
29. Adam Everett DET—Prom queen sexy in the field, flag team ugly with the bat
30. Cesar Izturis BAL—Always vultures playing time no matter who’s in front of him

Adrian Gonzalez for Derrek Lee?

This offseason, the Cubs have several decisions to make that aren’t centered around Milton Bradley. One superstar in particular is the most intriguing, and that player is Derrek Lee. Derrek has had a solid career with the Cubs since coming over from Florida for Hee Seop Choi, but his contract is expiring and it’s extremely unlikely he’ll be resigned. So why not try and trade him and see what you can get? I realize he has a “no-trade” clause, but I think Lee is the kind of player and person to waive the clause since it’s what the team wants.

Another player that should be on the market is Carlos Zambrano. Carlos could be a heck of a trading piece for the Cubs if they wanted to cut payroll. “Big Z” is supposed to make 17.85 million dollars next year, and that’s a pretty steep price for a pitcher that frankly has not lived up to that contract so far. He’s been up and down, losing velocity on that sinker of his, while still not understanding how to pitch in certain situations and not being able to locate any sort of breaking ball consistently. Throw in a couple DL stints, and some comments about retiring after 2012, and not doing his in-between start work and you have a recipe for disaster. With all that said- Carlos still has ridiculous upside and it’s not out of the realm of possibility for certain major league teams who need pitching see him as the ace he isn’t.

If you head west, the San Diego Padres and new GM Jed Hoyer have a major decision to make as well. Adrian Gonzalez is going to be looking at a massive deal after his 4 year 9 million dollar bargain deal is up after the 2011 season. The Padres are a small market team that probably will not be able to sign him to a deal like Paul Konerko’s or Derrek Lee’s or even better. Do they hold onto him? Do they simply offer him arbitration and hope he declines and collect 2 comp picks for the 2012 draft? Do they trade him now as his value is at the highest? Well if I’m Jed Hoyer- I would definitely look into trading him if you won’t be able to put pieces around him due to no money. Especially with teams having bidding wars over him as he would be the most sought out player not named Roy Halladay this winter. Boston is definitely going to be in the talks seeing the bridge that was built this winter between the two teams. But who else could give the prospects needed while being able to pay him the money he’ll want and deserve?

The Giants are a team on the rise, and they arguably have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. They have Tim Lincecum who should be a 2 time “Cy Young”-winner this winter, Matt Cain had an outstanding season and is still unbelievably young, and they have “uber prospect” Madison Bumgarner on the way up. Brian Wilson anchors the bullpen. The problem the giants have is simply they can’t hit. Sure they have the panda, and they might bring back Freddy Sanchez, but they’ll likely lose Bengie Molina while bringing up Buster Posey, but there isn’t any sort of power hitter in that lineup. Trading for Adrian Gonzalez won’t be possible seeing as they play in the same division- so where do they turn?

If you read my Jose Reyes article, you’ll already understand why the Mets should trade him. So let me tell you about the series of deals that could take place this winter, and how it helps every team involved.

Deal 1- The Chicago Cubs trade first basemen Derrek Lee to the San Francisco Giants for 2B Nick Noonan, RHP Henry Sosa, 1B Kyle Nicholson, RHP Kevin Pucetas. Why does this make sense? The Cubs are able to cut payroll while getting 4 young players to add to their growing system. They also get the value for a guy they’ll likely lose at seasons end. The Giants add the power hitting, middle of the order first basemen they need without giving up they’re best prospects. They’ll also have a chance at resigning Lee as he’s a California native.

Deal 2- The Chicago Cubs trade Carlos Zambrano (while eating 3 million of his salary this year) to the Mets for SS Jose Reyes. The Cubs are able to further cut they’re high payroll while adding the speed and lead-off hitter they need. Reyes is only making about 9 million for next year and is still young while being able to move Ryan Theriot to second base to platoon with Mike Fontenot. That will allow Lou to use Jeff Baker in a “Mark DeRosa” type role.  The Mets get that monster pitcher that would suit they’re big pitchers ball park. It will serve them well as they now have a go to guy behind Johan Santana. Throw in the health of the rest of the superstars on that team and they could now contend for the east. Well- if the Mets and Cubs make these deals- what do u do about the positions? Continue reading.

Deal 3- The Chicago Cubs sign LHP Randy Wolf to a 1 year 5.75 million dollar deal.

Deal 4- The Chicago Cubs resign Rich Harden to a 1 year 2 million dollar deal with incentives that can make it a 5 million dollar deal.  These deals only cost the cubs about 2.5 million dollars in they’re Payroll for 2010, while lowering it for 2011 and 2012.

Deal 5- The New York Mets sign Orlando Cabrera to a 1 year 4 million dollar deal. It’s a simple stop gap move and it’s not a bad one while waiting for Wilmer Castro or Reese Havens to emerge.

Deal 6- The Chicago Cubs trade RHP Jeff Samardzjia (if he waives no trade clause), RHP Henry Sosa, SS Hak Ju Lee, 1B Jake Fox, RHP Chris Archer to the San Diego Padres for 1B Adrian Gonzalez. The Cubs have now successfully replaced Derrek Lee with a younger, more powerful first basemen whose making way less money while not giving up Starlin Castro or Josh Vitters. Unfortunately they had to give up Chris Archer whose going to be a good one, but this is a trade they have to make. The Padres get well compensated for the loss of they’re best player, but it was the necessary move unfortunately. Until baseball inputs a salary cap- smaller market teams will a lot of the time lose they’re stars. That’s the way the game is right now.

Obviously, the series of deals that I outlined would take a ton of work to get accomplished. But the facts remain the same. These teams have some serious questions to answer about all the players above- and this is definitely a realistic possibility. These players will be talked about in trade talks this offseason, and usually where theres smoke- there’s fire.