HAMILTON, SWISHER, ICHIRO: BASEBALL MOVES FAST SOMETIMES

My, how things change in baseball and sometimes in the blink of an eye.  Leverage and team changes all at the drop of a hat and the suddenly there are teams scrambling and others alittle richer with talent.

I had Josh Hamilton pegged to go back to the Rangers this season. But the Angels stepped in and worked out a 5 year deal worth $125 million, read HERE. Wow.

Before that signing even happened, I had Nick Swisher pegged for the right fielder of the Cleveland Indians, read I'LL BET YOU NICK SWISHER SIGNS WITH THE INDIANS. After the Hamilton trade, the Rangers will get worried and start scrambling and any money they have, they will probably now throw at Nick Swisher. I can't imagine it doesn't play out that way.  The Rangers are still tough, and if they add a talent like Nick Swisher, it will be a decent replacement for Hamilton. Sure, The Indians can up their game to pay for Nick, but let's face it, the Indians aren't a competitive team and sure, you can want to go there as a player and try to turn that franchise around behind Tito Francona, but it won't be easy. The Rangers are contenders, the Indians are not. Players want a chance to win, not a chance to carry a team on their back.

There are always those great last minute signings or stories about greed and other stories about guys just happy and content as a ballplayer too. Like Ichiro Suzuki for example. He's a guy who's accomplished so much as a ballplayer already with Seattle and right now is content and happy to stick with the Yankees as they try and hammer out a deal. Yes, the Phillies offered Ichiro a 2 year deal, and according to reports, HERE, he turned it down. Why? Because he wants to be a Yankee and once the season ended, he said it. Since then,  he's been consistent with that fact. Now, the Yankees were offering 1 year, but I believe the Yankees will in fact add on 1 more year to their contract with Suzuki. That would allow Ichiro to roam right field for 2 years, plus, it would make Ichiro happy and it would help the Yanks... getting Ichiro 3000 hits as a New York Yankee brings money to the Yankee franchise... you can't lose. (More on 3000 hits this weekend on BYB by the way.) Hopefully that deal gets done before the weekend is up. We will see.

Yup, things are happening fast in baseball and it's been interesting this winter. I just wish the Yanks would be alittle more aggressive in their signings. Yankeeland is getting anxious!

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