The Dog Days (of the Offseason)

This is a brief post because I'm sure that many minds out there, my own included, are elsewhere at this time of year. The dog days of the baseball offseason have arrived. Trees are bare, the air is frigid, and a thin layer of frost covers baseball fields everywhere. Thanksgiving is a week away, and Christmas looms on the horizon.

Let's be honest: it's not always easy to keep up with Hot Stove reports and MLB Network while visions of sugar plums are dancing in our heads.

But nonetheless, a couple of intriguing moves have stirred the baseball world this week, including the blockbuster trade of Detroit Tigers' first baseman Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Ian Kinsler.

Four new managers have been hired: Rick Renteria is the new man in charge on the North Side of Chicago, ex-Pirate skipper Lloyd McClendon takes the helm for the Mariners, longtime pitching coach Bryan Price takes the manager's seat for the Reds, and former All-Star catcher Brad Ausmus will assume responsibilities in the Motor City.

What do these moves mean for the teams involved? Time will tell.

But for now, put on your warm stockings, prop your feet up by the fire and pour yourself some pumpkin-spice eggnog. Keep your TV and your smartphone apps ready though--with big-name free agents such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Robinson Cano and Carlos Beltran on the market, the coming weeks may bring big news.

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"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."

-Rogers Hornsby

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/rogershorn104218.html#sOmikOvdEwcLKoDp.99

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/rogershorn104218.html#sOmikOvdEwcLKoDp.99