Veteran lefty starting pitcher Jamie Moyer is going to be 49 years old on November 18th and he is almost all the way back from Tommy John Surgery, which caused him to miss the 2011 season. Pitchers coming back from Tommy John Surgery usually gain a few mphs on their fastball, which could get him back into the mid-80’s with his fastball. He last pitched in the majors in 2010 with the Phillies and he worked in 19 games (all starts) in which he was 9-9 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. It’s hard to bet against Moyer getting all the way back, as experts have tossed dirt on his career way too many times and he keeps coming out on top. Here is a pitcher who has won 20+ games twice in his career (2001 + 2003) when he was 39 and 41 years old! He has won at least 15 games 5 times in his career and he has reached double digits in wins 14 different years. Moyer has now pitched 24 seasons in the majors, working in 686 games (628 starts) in which he is 267-204 with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Here’s to hoping that Moyer sticks around for 33 more wins and a rubber stamp to Baseball’s Hall of Fame!

67-year old manager Tony LaRussa has gone out on top after deciding to retire after winning the World Series for the third time in his career in 2011.  LaRussa retires as the #3 manager in wins with 2,728 of them.  He is only behind Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763) in career wins.  Tony LaRussa managed 33 years in the major leagues and he compiled a 2,728 - 2,365 (53.6%) record during the regular season.  He was also 70-58 (54.7%) in the post-season in his career as he won 6 pennants and 3 World Series.  His World Series wins game in 1989 with the Oakland A’s and in 2006 and 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals.  LaRussa will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, five years from now.

This is going to fun watching how many relievers change teams over the winter. Here is where I see everyone landing when the music stops:

CLOSERS:

Jonathan Papelbon - Minnesota Twins - The Twins make a huge splash and get the best closer on the free agent market.

Heath Bell - San Diego Padres - Heath Bell likes living in San Diego and the Padres give him a nice deal to stay.

Ryan Madson - Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies will ante up to keep Madson as he was outstanding as the full-time closer last year.

Jose Valverde - Detroit Tigers - I think the Tigers will pick up Valverde’s $9 million dollar option for 2012.

Francisco Cordero - Cincinnati Reds - The Reds would be smart to pick up Cordero’s $12 million dollar option for 2012.

Francisco Rodriguez - Toronto Blue Jays - The Blue Jays get K-Rod at a nice price and make him their closer.

Kyle Farnsworth - Tampa Bay Rays - The Rays will definitely pick up Farnsworth’s 2012 option valued at $3.3 million bucks.

Frank Francisco - New York Mets - The Mets get Francisco for a nice bargain price and make him the closer for 2012.

RIGHTIES:

Rafael Soriano - New York Yankees - Rafael Soriano will without a doubt exercise his player option for 2012 valued at $11 million bucks.

Joe Nathan - Minnesota Twins - The Twins decline Nathan’s option but bring him back to set up Papelbon.

Brad Lidge - Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox sign Lidge and let him compete with Daniel Bard for the closer’s job in spring training.

Matt Capps - Milwaukee Brewers - Matt Capps replaces K-Rod as John Axford’s set-up man.

Jon Rauch - Chicago White Sox - The White Sox like stocking up with good arms in the pen, so Rauch should fit right in.

Jonathan Broxton - Toronto Blue Jays - The Blue Jays like taking chances on guys with nice upsides, and Broxton fits the bill.

Octavio Dotel - Philadelphia Phillies - Dotel gives the Phillies a set-up man that they can trust.

Joel Peralta - Tampa Bay Rays - The Rays reward Joel Peralta with a nice raise.

Kerry Wood - Chicago Cubs - Kerry Wood signs another bargain deal to stay with the Cubs in 2012.

Jason Frasor - Tampa Bay Rays - The Rays wanted to improve the bullpen a tad for 2012 and Frasor is a nice upgrade.

LaTroy Hawkins - Baltimore Orioles - The O’s are desperate for bullpen help, so look for them to sign up Hawkins.

Chad Qualls - Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies snare another solid veteran for the pen.

Todd Coffey - Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers need to replace a lot of the bullpen, and Coffey would be a nice fit.

Mike MacDougal - Los Angeles Dodgers - The Dodgers re-sign MacDougal for 2012 and they give him a nice raise for a job well done in 2011.

Luis Ayala - Seattle Mariners - The Mariners need help in the bullpen and Ayala doesn’t demand big bucks.

Micah Owings - Arizona Diamondbacks - The D-Backs bring back Owings.

Takashi Saito - Detroit Tigers - The Tigers get some help for the 7th inning for 2012.

Fernando Rodney - Washington Nationals - The Nationals like hard throwers out of the pen, so Rodney should fit in.

Juan Cruz - Chicago Cubs - The Cubs continue to rebuild the bullpen.

LEFTIES:

Darren Oliver - Texas Rangers - The Rangers will bring back Oliver for 2012.

Mike Gonzalez - New York Yankees - The Yankees need a situational lefty and Gonzalez fits the bill.

Jeremy Affeldt - Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers have not had a good lefty out of the pen in the long time, that ends in 2012.

George Sherrill - Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies get a second lefty in the pen to team with Antonio Bastardo.

Javier Lopez - Arizona Diamondbacks - The D-Backs need a solid left in the pen, so they steal Lopez from the rival Giants.

Arthur Rhodes - St. Louis Cardinals - I see the Cardinals declining Rhodes option for 2012 and bringing him back for less.

John Grabow - Kansas City Royals - The Royals need a second lefty for the pen, and Grabow comes at the right price.

The free agent market has a lot of starting pitching available. Here is where I see them landing this winter:

RIGHTIES:

Hiroki Kuroda - Los Angeles Dodgers - Hiroki Kuroda has stated that it’s L.A. or Japan. I think the Dodgers are going to bring him back for 2012.

Roy Oswalt - Texas Rangers - I see the Phillies turning down Oswalt’s option for 2012 and Oswalt is the perfect replacement for C.J. Wilson.

Javier Vazquez - Florida Marlins - Ozzie Guillen will talk Vazquez into pitching at least one more year for the Marlins.

Edwin Jackson - Kansas City Royals - The Royals are going to ante up for Edwin Jackson as starting pitching is the only weakness on the team right now.

Ryan Dempster -Chicago Cubs - The Cubs hope that Dempster rebounds in 2012, because they are going to be paying him $14 million bucks when he exercises his player option.

Aaron Harang - San Diego Padres - The San Diego Padres are going to pick up Harang’s option for 2012 valued at $5 million bucks.

Jason Marquis - Colorado Rockies - The Rockies need help in the rotation so they bring back an old friend in Jason Marquis.

Freddy Garcia - Los Angeles Dodgers - The Dodgers ink a solid veteran for the #5 spot in the starting rotation.

Brad Penny - Baltimore Orioles - The Orioles need another veteran for the rotation to team with Jeremy Guthrie and Penny fits the bill.

Joel Pineiro - Cleveland Indians - The Indians need a veteran for the #5 spot, so why not give Pineiro a chance to get his career back on the right track?

Livan Hernandez - New York Mets - Livan Hernandez would benefit from pitching in CitiField half of the time. Plus, he’s an innings eater.

Jon Garland - New York Mets - This Mets get a nice deal on Garland with him coming off of shoulder surgery.

Chien-Ming Wang - Washington Nationals - The Nationals invested a lot of time and money on Wang’s rehab. Now he starts rewarding them.

Bartolo Colon - Chicago Cubs - The Cubs sign up Colon for the back end of the rotation with his new bionic arm.

Rich Harden - New York Mets - The Mets take another low risk/high reward chance on Rich Harden.

LEFTIES:

C.C. Sabathia - New York Yankees - Even if Sabathia opts out, no team is going to offer him more money than the Yankees will.

C.J. Wilson - New York Yankees - The Yankees ink C.J. Wilson, who will thrive pitching half of his games in Yankees’ Stadium.

Mark Buehrle - Florida Marlins - Mark Buehrle follows Ozzie Guillen to Miami to pitch near the top of the rotation.

Erik Bedard - Seattle Mariners - Erik Bedard goes back to Seattle to reward them for sticking by him when he was injured.

Bruce Chen - Kansas City Royals - The Royals will bring back Chen, who has been their most effective starter the last two years.

Chris Capuano - Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox tried desperately to get their hands on Capuano near the end of the season. They will finally get him.

Paul Maholm - Kansas City Royals - The Royals nab Maholm as they continue to rebuild their starting rotation.

Jeff Francis - Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox take a flier on Francis.

Zach Duke - Toronto Blue Jays - The Blue Jays take a chance on Duke at a nice bargain price.

Free agency is the easiest way to make your baseball team better, because all you have to give up is cold, hard cash to sign players. Here is a very early forecast on where I see free agent position players landing in 2011:

CATCHERS:

Yadier Molina - St. Louis Cardinals - The Cardinals hold a $7 million dollar option for the 2012 season on Molina and they are going to pick it up.

Ramon Hernandez - Cleveland Indians - The Indians is a good spot for Hernandez to land. This makes Carlos Santana the everyday 1B in 2012.

Ryan Doumit - Minnesota Twins - Ryan Doumit gives the Twins protection at catcher and 1B, and he can DH when needed.

Rod Barajas - Pittsburgh Pirates - Rod Barajas jumps at a chance to remain a starting catcher in the show.

Chris Snyder - Houston Astros - The Astros need a veteran catcher to help out with the pitching staff and Snyder fits the bill at the right price.

FIRST BASE:

Albert Pujols - Florida Marlins - The Marlins offer way more money than the Cardinals do to secure Albert Pujols. He becomes the cover boy of the Media Guide as he draws hispanic fans to the new stadium in droves.

Prince Fielder - Chicago Cubs - New main man Theo Epstein makes his first big splash with the Cubs in securing the second best free agent on the market.

Derrek Lee - Milwaukee Brewers - Lee signs a 1-year deal to replace Fielder and improve the Brewers’ defense with his Gold Glove.

Carlos Pena - New York Yankees - The Yankees were after Pena at the trade deadline. He has the perfect swing for Yankees Stadium as the new DH.

Casey Kotchman - Tampa Bay Rays - The Rays re-sign Casey Kotchman and give him a nice raise for a job well done in 2011.

Lyle Overbay - St. Louis Cardinals - The Cardinals bring in the lefty swinging Overbay as a part time player.

SECOND BASE:

Robinson Cano - New York Yankees - The Yankees quickly pick up Cano’s $14 million dollar option for 2012.

Brandon Phillips - Cincinnati Reds - The Reds pick up Phillips’ $12 million dollar option for 2012.

Aaron Hill - Arizona Diamondbacks - The D-Backs will decline Hill’s $8 million dollar club option for 2012, but he will re-sign with them for less.

Kelly Johnson - Toronto Blue Jays - The Blue Jays like what they saw out of Johnson in the last couple months of 2011.

Mark Ellis - Colorado Rockies - The Rockies will bring back Ellis on a new deal as they love his defense and they way he plays the game.

SHORTSTOP:

Jose Reyes - San Francisco Giants - The Giants add a ton of speed to the top of the lineup.

Jimmy Rollins - Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies re-sign Jimmy Rollins after missing out on Reyes.

Rafael Furcal - Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers sign Furcal with the idea of him giving the lineup a spark in 2012 and beyond.

Marco Scutaro - Detroit Tigers - The Red Sox decide to go with Jed Lowrie at SS in 2012 and decline Scutaro’s option. He then signs with the Tigers and he is a perfect fit there.

Yuniesky Betancourt - Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pirates sign Betancourt to a 1-year deal and he proves to be a nice upgrade over Ronny Cedeno.

Ronny Cedeno - Houston Astros - The Astros sign Cedeno as a stopgap until one of their youngsters is ready to step up.

Clint Barmes - Minnesota Twins - Clint Barmes gives the Twins a nice upgrade offensively and defensively at SS.

Alex Gonzalez - Tampa Bay Rays - Gonzalez signs a 1-year deal with the Rays to buy time for the young players on the rise at SS in the minor league system.

THIRD BASE:

Aramis Ramirez - Chicago Cubs - Theo Epstein convinces Ramirez to stay with the Cubs with a nice contract extension.

Edwin Encarnacion - Toronto Blue Jays - The Blue Jays will pick up Encarnacion’s $3.5 million dollar option for 2012 as he swung the bat well for them last year.

Kevin Kouzmanoff - Seattle Mariners - The Mariners try to get some offensive help on the cheap with Kouzmanoff.

LEFT FIELD:

Michael Cuddyer - Washington Nationals - With Mike Morse moving to 1B, Michael Cuddyer replaces him as the starting LF. The Nationals need more offense and Cuddyer will give it to them.

Josh Willingham - Boston Red Sox - The Boston Red Sox need help in RF and they could use Willingham’s bat. They will probably overpay for him.

Juan Pierre - Florida Marlins - Juan Pierre returns to Miami along with Ozzie Guillen. He likely winds up in CF, unless the Marlins deal Logan Morrison, which would move him to LF.

Johnny Damon - Tampa Bay Rays - Johnny Damon returns to the Rays for less money than he made in 2011. He continues making a serious push for 3,000 hits and a automatic punch ticket to Cooperstown.

Raul Ibanez - Baltimore Orioles - The Orioles are likely going to non-tender Luke Scott over the winter. Raul Ibanez makes perfect sense to serve as the O’s new DH.

Ryan Ludwick - Minnesota Twins - The Twins need a bat to replace Michael Cuddyer and Ludwick is a good choice.

Juan Rivera - Los Angeles Dodgers - The Dodgers will re-sign Juan Rivera at a bargain price.

CENTER FIELDERS:

Coco Crisp - Washington Nationals - The Nationals decide to sign Coco Crisp to play CF instead of paying a huge ransom for either B.J. Upton or Denard Span in the trade market.

Grady Sizemore - Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies take a nice low risk/high reward chance on Grady Sizemore with the idea of playing him in LF.

David DeJesus - Cleveland Indians - The Indians look for a bargain and DeJesus falls into their laps because of the off-year he had in 2011.

Rick Ankiel - New York Yankees - Rick Ankiel has a nice power swing for Yankees’ Stadium as a backup player.

Nate McLouth - San Francisco Giants - The Giants get McLouth on the cheap and give him a chance to get his career back on the right track.

Aaron Rowand - Chicago White Sox - The White Sox ink Rowand to be a solid backup player for them in 2012.

RIGHT FIELD:

Carlos Beltran - New York Yankees - The Yankees decide to decline Nick Swisher’s option for 2012 and sign Carlos Beltran (a much superior player) to replace him.

Nick Swisher - Los Angeles Dodgers - Nick Swisher decides to head out west after the Yankees decline his 2012 option. He almost signs with the Giants before signing with the Dodgers to play for his old coach in N.Y., Don Mattingly.

Jason Kubel - Minnesota Twins - The Twins beat out a lot of suitors to bring back Kubel.

Magglio Ordonez - Arizona Diamondbacks - The D-Backs sign Ordonez to platoon with Parra in LF in 2012.

Cody Ross - Chicago Cubs - The Cubs get a solid veteran for RF on the cheap.

Kosuke Fukudome - San Diego Padres - The Padres get a nice deal in signing Fukudome, who tries to help the offense in 2012.

J.D. Drew - Oakland A’s - J.D. Drew is a pure Moneyball player, so look for GM Billy Beane to bring him in on the cheap and give him a chance to redeem himself in 2012.

DESIGNATED HITTERS:

David Ortiz - Minnesota Twins - The Twins bring Big Papi back to see if he can give them a nice boost in the middle of the lineup.

Vladimir Guerrero - Oakland A’s - The A’s pick up Guerrero with the idea of giving him a nice slot in the batting order everyday as the DH.

Hideki Matsui - Boston Red Sox - The Boston Red Sox sign Matsui in desperation after Big Papi decides to jump ship.

Jim Thome - Philadelphia Phillies - Jim Thome signs a 1-year deal with the Phillies to provide protection in case Ryan Howard misses the start of the 2012 season.

Jorge Posada - Seattle Mariners - Jorge Posada proved in the second half last season that he still has a little something in the bat. And everyone knows the Mariners could use the help.