January 28, 2009 - Mark Redman Follow-Up - Baseball Evolution first unveiled the Mark Redman Award in 2006, meaning that we have some follow-up data for half a dozen Redman winners. We know who the 2009 winners are, but what does that mean for their 2010 campaigns and beyond? The answer may not be quite what you expect, although it still isn't good news for Edwin Jackson and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

01/26/2010: A Harden Act to Follow? - Rich Harden made his major league debut with the Oakland A's in 2003. The A's went 493-407 (.548) from the beginning of 2003 through Harden's departure on July 8, 2008 including 58-31 (.652) in Harden's starts. Since then, Oakland has gone 101-132 (.433). Harden would seem to have almost as much impact on Oakland winning as the also oft-injured Kerry Wood has on the Cubs.

But Harden signed with the Rangers earlier in the offseason and Kerry Wood is under contract with Cleveland. If only there were another talented-yet-constantly-injured right-hander on the market that Oakland could add to return to their 90-win ways... oh that's right! Ben Sheets signed with the A's for a one-year, $10 million contract today even though he missed all of last year following elbow surgery and averaged 24 starts per season in the four years prior to that. He might be just what the A's need! .  --KG

January 21, 2010 - The Mark Redman Award is given annually to the pitcher in each league that most personifies crashing back down to earth after a strong start to the season. We find a plethora of candidates in each league for the 2009 Mark Redman Award, making the winners not as clear-cut as in some past seasons.

1/11/10 - McGwire Admits to Steroid Use - Mark McGwire has confirmed what most of the baseball world has suspected for a decade or so by admitting to steroid use throughout his baseball career. He remains one of a select group of players from the past two decades not to have lied about being clean and becomes one of an elite few who admitted to his misdeeds without someone holding hard evidence against him.

While McGwire's character remains commendable, several points about his confession leave a bad taste in the mouth. McGwire said that steroids were "readily available" as early as 1989, which may open the eyes of some people who believe that the Steroid Era did not begin until the mid-to-late 90s.

More importantly, knowing now for sure that McGwire used steroids for most of his career, we will never know what kind of a career he would have had without them. McGwire's best-ever home run rate of once every 10.6 at-bats will be forever questioned, and whether McGwire would have been forced to retire at the age of 37 just 17 homers shy of 600 if he hadn't been using steroids should be forever questioned. --KG

It's the end of the decade. Time to evaluate the best players of the past ten years and to prognosticate who the best players of the next ten years will be. Asher and Keith have collaborated to provide lists, rankings, stats, and commentary for the BaseballEvolution.com All-Decade Team.

Amidst a blockbuster deal with so many moving parts, it's difficult to get a firm grasp on who came out ahead. The Mariners have clearly positioned themselves as 2010 contenders, but did they pay too hefty a price for one roll of the dice? The Blue Jays have declared themselves to be in full-blown rebuilding mode, but how long before they can again field a competitive team?

Of course, the Phillies' side is most baffling of all. They swapped one group of prospects for another and one ace pitcher for another. It might take a health care bill-sized article to cover all of the nuances of this trade, so Keith just takes a stab at one: Cliff Lee versus Roy Halladay.

Coming off an injury that sidelined him for all of 2008, Alex Gonzalez of the Marlins (/Reds/Red Sox) uncharacteristically improved as the season went along. A shift to Fenway Park aided him as well. Several other players went the opposite route in 2009, behaving more like Gonzalez did in his heyday. Here, then, are the players that fell the furthest off the face of the earth in 2009.

You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold'em, know when to walk away, and when not to bite on an aging player coming off a career year. Here are five winners and five losers from the winter meetings in Indianapolis, according to Keith's winter meetings roundup.

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