The 2010 Hardball Times Annual

This season, I have been contributing to the Hardball Times and HEATER Magazine, both of which are coming out with annuals that review the 2009 season and look forward to 2010. Whether for yourself or as a gift for the holidays, I endorse each site's annual. Today, I'll talk about the 2010 Hardball Times Annual. The 2010 Graphical Player Annual will come in a couple days. You can purchase the THT Annual through this link.

Thumbs Up to Scutaro

As Harold Ramis once said to Seth Rogen in Knocked Up after Seth knocked up his one night stand, "This is a good thing." It may have looked tragic at the time, but he got a beautiful daughter out of it and even got to spend the night with Katherine Heigl. Not a bad haul for a drunken mistake. The same can be said for the signing of Marco Scutaro. It wasn't quite the way we planned it (myself not included, I like Toronto import, especially given the alternatives), but it's what we have. Maybe the little guy will grow up to be a Rembrandt, maybe he'll be an alcoholic, but either way, he's ours and we need to love him. But let’s get something straight. There is a lot to like here – and signing Scutaro is like making the best of a bad situation. The nuts and bolts of Marco Scutaro are that he is an average fielding shortstop with plus offensive skills for his position. These kinds of players do not grow on trees...

Red Sox ink Marco Scutaro

Marco Scutaro has inked a two-year deal to be a Boston Red Sox, reports Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse. The money is unknown, but I would hazard a guess at $15 million -- $7.7 million per year -- with a mutual option for a third year. (And I think I'm trending optimistic.) Given Placido Polanco got three years, I am surprised Scutaro settled for two. It's an especially nice coup on Boston's end. What is not to like about the deal? I was prepared to dislike the trade at three years, but now I'm neutral about it. There are pros and cons to the deal.