…well look at who has finally arrived…
MLB.com’s Kevin Czerwinski reports that Alay Soler arrived in America last Thursday and began working out at the Mets Spring Training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla, today…
It has been 16 months since the Mets first signed the 26–year-old Cuban All-Star to a three-year, $2.8 million deal…
“I’m very appreciative that [...]

The Mets have exercised the 2006 option of RHP Steve Trachsel and declined the options on RHP Braden Looper and 1B Doug Mientkiewicz…
“Even though we declined Braden’s option, we still plan on having conversations with his agent,” said Mets GM Omar Minaya… 
In other roster news, the Mets shifted Mike Cameron, Bartolome Fortunato,Tyler Yates, Felix Heredia and [...]

…the buzz from the bronx is that the yankees have had talks about whether C Mike Piazza could serve as a part-time designated hitter and catcher with jorge posada…the discussions were literally just that, brief discussions…but it was discussed never-the-less…
…speaking as a mets fan, i’m not sure i could handle this…if piazza becomes a yankee, [...]

…the cubs have been mentioned to me in nearly every conversation that i’ve had with baseball insiders about the current hot stove market…
…some have even suggested the cubbies could spend close to $30 million in player acquisitions…
…while it sounds like they hope to make a pitch at RHP A.J. Burnett, they’re drooling at the thought of [...]

Mets site reporter Marty Noble answers questions from his e-mailbag at MLB.com…
Of note, Noble writes, “At this point, Jae Seo is likely to be in the rotation unless personnel changes are made.”…

Last Friday, as part of TheHotStoveReport.com podcast, I talked with Will Leitch, editor of Deadspin.com, about the role that blogs can play in the hot stove league…For those who were unable to listen to the interview, here is a quick written recap…enjoy…

…though it’s still very early, several baseball people seem to feel that toronto and texas are likely destinations for RHP A.J. Burnett…
…from what i can gather, burnett is looking for a four-year deal worth roughly $50 million…
…which is a lot of money for what he’s shown to be…
…also, it is sounding like the yankees have no interest in [...]

…the buzz out of tampa bay is that teams in need of a second baseman are quite curious about the status of 2B Julio Lugo…
Though Lugo has played roughly 10 percent of his career at second base, he hasn’t done so on a regular basis since his rookie season in 2000…
Last year with the Devil [...]

To trade Lastings Milledge, or not to trade Lastings Milledge – that is the subject of Ben Shpigel’s column in the New York Times…
…this is an outstanding read…
“If the Mets are looking to trade him, I know 29 teams who would be more than happy to take him off their hands,” a veteran National League [...]

Japanese Baseball C Kenji Johjima has officially filed for free agency and will pursue a career in the Major Leagues, writes Japan Today…
The 29-year-old Johjima hit .309 with 24 homers and 57 RBIs in 116 games last year before ending his season with a broken shin…
“I will play for a team that needs me as a regular [...]

In The Sporting News, Ken Rosenthal writes that the Nationals plan to spend heavily on pitching this off-season, targeting LHP Jarrod Washburn, RHP A.J. Burnett, Matt Morris and Kevin Millwood…
…i read this note in the sporting news to say the nats plan to get all four pitchers, which is highly unlikely…i’m guessing rosenthal means these [...]

…people familiar with arizona’s off-season plan say it is very likely one of Chad Tracy, Conor Jackson or Carlos Quentin will be traded for a top pitching prospect…
Spanning 503 at-bats in 2005, the 26–year-old Tracy hit .308 with 27 HR with a .359 OBP…

In the Daily News, Bill Madden suggests that the Yankees could look to trade Carl Pavano…
…easy come, easy go…
…this is a luxury small market teams most definitely do not have…

The Boston Herald writes that the Red Sox have expressed interest in acquiring D’Backs 1B-3B Chad Tracy…
…the buzz out of phoenix is that the d’backs may be looking to cut roughly ten percent off their payroll…leaving it nearly impossible for them to entertain acquiring manny ramirez, as some have speculated they could look to do…
…so, why [...]

In the New York Post, Joel Sherman writes that Bobby Valentine could be a candidate for the managerial job available with the Dodgers, assuming Orel Hershiser is named the team’s new General Manager…