John Smoltz and Brad Penny are on their way to the Red Sox. Rocco Baldelli was already in Boston, holding up his new jersey. After missing out on Mark Teixeira, the biggest free-agent prize of the offseason, the Red Sox were poised to make a series of smaller deals that would essentially complete their roster.
Crank up the AC/DC, Milwaukee: The Brewers have landed career saves leader Trevor Hoffman, solving a shaky closer situation that could have gone into spring training with no clear-cut favorite. Hoffman's agent, Rick Thurman, credited Milwaukee for being "diligent and aggressive" in its pursuit of Hoffman after Brewers players called to recruit him.
Milton Bradley's talent is undeniable when he's healthy and that's why the Chicago Cubs gave him a $30 million, three-year contract to be their right fielder and a run producer in the middle of the lineup. It's the other issues that have often overshadowed his on-field accomplishments -- tantrums and angry outbursts throughout a decade-long career with numerous teams.
Carl Pohlad rose to the pinnacle of the business world, earning billions and gaining a measure of fame as owner of the Minnesota Twins. His son recalled at Pohlad's funeral Thursday that his father cared little about the trappings of wealth. "He had little interest in nice cars," Bob Pohlad said in a eulogy for his father, who died Monday at age 93.