Baseball shifts into shopping mode

Baseball's period of negotiating exclusivity concluded Thursday, the result being a few home-field signings (Ken Griffey Jr.(notes), Bobby Abreu(notes), Tim Wakefield(notes), etc.) and, importantly, the Yankees buying enough time for their organizational meetings and to – get this – present general manager Brian Cashman with his payroll budget.

I'm sure that'll be arriving any minute now.

By gilded palanquin, on the backs of six interns.

Many teams could use a strong corner outfielder like free agent Matt Holliday
(Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Any payroll that starts with a 2 does not count as a budget any more than a Diet Coke with that double cheeseburger and chili fries qualifies as restraint.

This is among the biggest days of the year at Scott Boras Corp., when franchise owners are cordially invited to lose their fiscal minds. The best part, the spirit of it all lasts for months, ending, usually, with Boras himself waving from the balcony while the crowds below cheer.

Like his Mark Teixeira(notes) auction of last winter, Boras again has the showiest pony, though this one – as Cardinals fans might recall – lacks Teixeira's defensive standing.

Still, Matt Holliday(notes) is a big, scary offensive being who so far has shown he can hit at altitude and behind Albert Pujols(notes), and then for average, power and on-base percentage. He won't be 30 until January, so he's young. He is the son (and brother) of a coach, so he gets the game. He's been a postseason hero (NLCS MVP, 2007) and anti-hero (ahem).

In what looks a little like a sucker's winter – an owner can get players, but how many good ones are out there, and in that void will the average ones insist on being paid like good ones? – there'll be Holliday and Jason Bay(notes) as clear difference makers, along with John Lackey(notes), and maybe that's it. The alternative is to pony up the players for Roy Halladay(notes) or Adrian Gonzalez(notes) or, if Jack Zduriencik is in the mood to listen, Felix Hernandez(notes).

Another variable: Potential belt-tightening in places such as Detroit, Cincinnati, Houston, Texas and L.A.

It's a lot to think about so close to Thanksgiving. But here's a look at some of the possibilities, before the Yankees have to call in two more interns.

• Matt Holliday, LF. The list of teams that could use a corner outfielder who hits like a corner outfielder is long. The list of teams that can afford one in the prime of his career is considerably shorter. In a winter with no competition beyond Bay, Holliday, like Teixeira before him, probably is bigger than the economy. The possibilities: New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs.

Lackey

• John Lackey, SP. Lackey's market is all over the place, mostly because he's the only available ace, even if he qualifies more in attitude than body of work. He's had some arm issues the past couple seasons, but likes to finish what he's started, isn't afraid and is a commanding clubhouse presence. Estimates have him pulling anything from A.J. Burnett(notes) money (five years, $82.5 million) all the way to Barry Zito(notes) money (seven years, $126 million). The possibilities: Los Angeles Angels, Mets, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Mets, Red Sox, Yankees, Washington Nationals (he won't pitch for the Nationals).

• Jason Bay, LF. Bay's agent, Joe Urbon, has called his man ''the most complete player in this free-agent class,'' a direct assault on Team Boras. Rumor has it the players' union has scheduled a debate for the lobby of the winter meetings hotel in Indy, for which both agents have been asked to wear cups and mouth guards. Bay, 31, remade himself in Boston (a polite way of saying people noticed him when he got out of Pittsburgh) and had another productive season. His possibilities include almost everyone who loses out on Holliday: Red Sox, Mets, Mariners, Yankees, Angels, Giants, Mariners.

• Chone Figgins(notes), 3B/LF. In a pinch, he could even play a little center for you, or second, or even short. While he dampened a wonderful season with yet another soggy October, Figgins, 32 soon, embodies the game's post-steroid lean toward speed, touch and gap-to-gap hitting. He's an AL lifer, but has NL skills – in interleague play he has batted .309 with a .376 on-base percentage. Possibilities: Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Mets, Angels, Mariners.

Damon

• Johnny Damon(notes), LF. He just turned 36, just muscled up on the new Yankee Stadium for 24 home runs (matching a career best) and just won another ring. Damon still has a certain something, as evidenced by his Game 4, ninth-inning dunk and dash, providing the pivotal few minutes of the World Series. He might already be a DH, but might have another get-by season in left. Possibilities: Yankees, Red Sox.

• Adrian Beltre(notes), 3B. Seattle – the ballpark, the distance from L.A., the direction of the club – never seemed to fit. Amazingly, Beltre is just 30 and ready for a second long-term contract. We'll see how the market treats him this time. He's healthy and catches everything, but is a career .265 hitter with runners in scoring position (Figgins, by comparison, has hit .312 in those situations). Beltre does some things well, and could indeed end up being a bargain. Possibilities: Phillies, Angels, Orioles, Mariners.

• Marco Scutaro(notes), SS. Another guy who'll show up and play his position every day, or a utility type in case of emergency. Few players have worked harder for a rewarding free agency than Scutaro, who turned Cito Gaston's admiration into a full season at shortstop for the Blue Jays and the best numbers of his career. Possibilities: Toronto Blue Jays, Phillies, Angels, Orioles, Oakland Athletics.

• Andy Pettitte(notes), SP. Looks like Pettitte has another season or two in him, if he wants them, after 14 regular-season wins and four more in the postseason. At 37, Pettitte could start thinking about Hall of Fame numbers and keep pitching. Possibilities: Yankees, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers.

Wolf

• Randy Wolf(notes), SP. Since returning from Tommy John surgery mid-season 2006, the left-hander is 36-25 with a 4.10 ERA. He just threw a career-high 214 1/3 innings, made a career-high 34 starts, and had a 3.23 ERA. The Dodgers, of course, thought so much of him they pushed him back to Game 4 of the NLCS, a poor decision. He's better than you think he is. Possibilities: Los Angeles Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Rangers, Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks.

• Jose Valverde(notes), RP. Depending on preference, there are plenty of potential closers to choose from (Rafael Soriano(notes), Mike Gonzalez(notes), Billy Wagner(notes), Fernando Rodney(notes), J.J. Putz(notes), Takashi Saito(notes)), and Valverde could be the best of the bunch. He went 47 (for the Diamondbacks), 44 and 25 (Astros) in saves the past three seasons, and has been effective if you don't mind unsightly. Possibilities: Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Astros, Orioles.

• Aroldis Chapman, SP. Everyone sees Chapman's potential. And everyone wonders if he has the drive, aptitude and attitude to make something of it. Of course he has the big fastball. His secondary pitch, the slider, is not nearly as impressive. He's young and athletic. He also was barely out of the Red Sox's offices when unflattering photos of him surfaced on the Internet. The very definition of risk assessment here. Possibilities: Yankees, Mets, White Sox, Red Sox, Braves, Orioles, Cubs, Cardinals.

• Vladimir Guerrero(notes), DH/RF. Big Daddy had trouble staying on the field in '09, so his numbers began to reflect the way he carries himself to the plate and back. He hit pretty well from May on, hit nine home runs in August and had some huge at-bats against the Red Sox and Yankees in October. What he has left, at 34-ish, is anyone's guess. But, by the end, he looked like he could still hit, and he insists he can still play right field. We'll see. Possibilities: Angels, Rangers, A's.

• Hideki Matsui(notes), DH/LF. He still hits lefties and righties, but, like Guerrero, is starting to look a lot like a full-time DH. The early word had the Yankees choosing between Damon and Matsui and letting the other one walk, which could still happen. Possibilities: Yankees, Rangers, White Sox.

Smoltz

• John Smoltz(notes), SP/RP. The question general managers have: Can Smoltz deliver 25 to 30 starts? In 15 last season split between Boston and St. Louis, his ERA was well into the 6's. Maybe another offseason will heal his body, which, by the way, is 41 years old. And maybe this means a return to the bullpen. Possibilities: Cardinals, Mets, Dodgers, Rangers, Astros, Cubs.

• Joel Pineiro(notes), SP. Just in time for free agency, the 31-year-old right-hander dropped his best big league season. He'll stand in behind Lackey with the second-tier guys, maybe just after Wolf and Pettitte, before Rich Harden(notes), Erik Bedard(notes), Jon Garland(notes), Jarrod Washburn and Carl Pavano(notes). Possibilities: Cardinals, Mets, Brewers, Twins.

• Jarrod Washburn(notes), SP. He had arthroscopic knee surgery in October, the need for such a procedure almost certainly explaining his bumpy second-half starts for the Tigers. He had pitched effectively for 20 starts in Seattle and, at 35, would seem to have capable years ahead. Possibilities: Brewers, Twins, Mariners.