Baseball is back!!!

After a fun and wild football season, I'm back to talk fantasy baseball. With pitchers and catchers reporting in only 24 days, spring training is just around the corner. I wanted to start off the 2009 season by reviewing some of the biggest names that have changed teams and the impact that could make on their stats. New York's teams have seen most of the biggest signings, so let's start there...

C.C. Sabathia SP NYY, Mark Teixeira 1b NYY & A.J. Burnett SP NYY - We'll start with the Yankees who are back in the game with a big splash this off season. Getting arguably 2 of the best SP options, as well as one of the best free agent bats, give the Yankees a huge makeover in one fail swoop. They'll still have Arod, Jeter, Cano and the rest, but with Teixeira they get a legit power option to replace Jason Giambi and solidify the 1b position. Teixeira can hit anywhere, so this move doesn't boost his value a ton, but hitting in that lineup is bound to help his numbers. The pitchers' value should get a bigger bump because of the run support they're likely to get, as well as having Mariano Rivera closing games. Sabathia will still go as one of the top 5 SPs, while Burnett's still an injury risk, but could give you solid numbers if you're willing to take the risk.

Fransisco Rodriguez RP NYM & J.J. Putz RP NYM - The Mets made their own splash across town by adding 2 of the best bullpen arms available. KRod maintains his top position in the closer rankings but coming off a career high in saves should give you a slight pause if you're planning to draft him. Putz's value takes a huge hit as he'll set up KRod now, but he's worth grabbing later as he could fill in nicely if KRod were to get injured.

Matt Holiday OF OAK - Another of the top bats moves from the friendly confines of COL to the spacious OF in OAK. We all know the perception that Coors Field has, but we also know that Holliday can hit anywhere. It's yet to be seen how much of a hit his value will take, but I'm betting on him still putting up 1st or 2nd round numbers. He could be a steal if he falls to far.

Kerry Wood RP CLE - After a great comeback with the Cubs last year as a closer, he was shipped to CLE to take over there. He's always an injury risk, but proved he could handle the role well last year. I'd be willing to gamble on him again, but make sure you grab some insurance late.

Those are just a few of the big names that have changed teams this off season. We're still waiting for Manny Ramirez to sign, but where ever he lands he should produce, as long as he's happy.

I'll be back soon to layout my writing plan for the year as well as touch on some draft tips as we get closer to the start of spring training. Stay tuned.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to plug a couple of great sites to check out. www.fantasybaseballtrademarket.com as well as www.mockdraftcentral.com are a couple of great places to start your preparations for the 2009 season.