With a wicked Adam Wainwright curveball thrown past a swinging Brandon Inge for the last out of the World Series, the off season is upon us. Sox fans have endured an interminable postseason, a boring October compared to the last three years, and now some of the fun can begin. The winter meetings are just around the corner and soon the MLB trade and free agent rumors will be sweeping the country. In a matter of weeks, or months, I??ll be tuning into WEEI and refreshing SOSH boards to get the latest scoop on a targeted player.
While the hot stove is enjoyable, it brings out the true meaning of sports. Individual greed and money over team attitude is the key concept. Players that you watch every day during the summer and build this baseball relationship with often depart for other teams. Winter meetings turn into ego matches and morning-hour negotiations that Peter Gammons will surely keep us informed on. All of these projections, rumors and predictions are geared towards that celebratory February morning when the truck is packed for the trek down to Fort Myers, Florida and a new Red Sox season.
It??s fitting that during this point in November, when a Mike Timlin signing and coaching changes are the big news stories, that we get some predictions down on the upcoming free agent market. There are some key, intriguing, franchise players on the list who will likely demand an insane sum of money, and some team will put that insane sum of money in their pockets. I love baseball. So here we go, the top 40 free agents of 2006-07 and where they will wind up come that magical morning in February. Numbers 40 thru 21.?
