Welcome back to the Hot Stove League running commentary, where I rate the major (and minor) off-season moves throughout the league. Sorry I've gotten around to rating the November trades so late, but better late than never. I will rate the remaining free agents over Thanksgiving. Plenty of hirings, firings, dumpings, and resignings still going on. Track 'em all.

October moves, DecemberDecember, and January moves.

1. 11/3/04: Astros name Phil Garner manager. I was surprised Garner didn't earn more votes for NL Manager of the Year, but he certainly righted the sinking ship in Houston.
2. 11/29/04: Blue Jays steal the SkyDome for a pittance from Sportsco International. This vastly improves the value of the franchise. Granted, the SkyDome is perhaps one of the three worst ballparks in the majors, but owning your home on the cheap is well worth it.
3. 11/5/04: Cubs resign Neifi Perez. Perez was dumped by the Giants last season, and signed by the Cubs to a minor-league deal. He hit .371 in 23 games, and will provide valuable backup to Garciaparra if he resigns, and could be the Cubs starter if needed next year. He provides excellent bench depth.
4. 11/3/04: Mets name Willie Randolph manager. The Mets made two outstanding moves in management this off-season, getting Randolph and Omar Minaya. But can Randolph deal with failure as Minaya tries to remake this team? Hopefully, the New York media will be patient...
5. 11/30/04: Indians snag several high-potentials in minor league deals. Erick Almonte, Jeff Liefer, and John Rodriguez all have major league potential. Rodriguez showed a lot of potential at Columbus last year and should make the 25-man.
6. 11/19/04: Angels dump clubhouse cancer Jose Guillen on the Expos for prospects Juan Rivera and Macier Izturis. Izturis and Rivera both hit well last season, and will provide some much needed bench depth once the regulars are all healthy (Kennedy will start 2005 on the DL). The Expos, of course, get screwed in the deal. They've essentially now traded Javier Vazquez and Scott Stewart for Jose Guillen (suspended at end of last season), Nick Johnson (.251-7-33, on DL at end of season), and John Patterson (5.03 ERA, on DL from May to mid-July).
7. 11/8/04: Padres sneak Darrall May and Ryan Bukvich from the Royals for Terrence Long and Dennis Tankersley. Getting rid of Long helps reduce the outfield overcrowding. Bukvich for Tankersley is fairly even at this point (Bukvich has more potential), but May is an innings-eater and should enjoy some success with a decent team behind him. And the Pads save $500k to boot.
8. 11/10/04: This may have flown under your radar, but the Rockies bring back Jerry Dipoto as director of professional scouting. Dipoto will hopefully find the Rockies some pitching gold. He knows the ballpark, and he's a young, new-minded player. He's a bit spiritual for my tastes, but having survived cancer (at age 25) and having to retire due to a bulging disc at 32, he's allowed some leeway.
9. 11/26/04: Mets snag Rick Down away from the Yankees, signing him to be the hitting coach. Down is well-experienced in the league; I'm surprised he hasn't been in the circle for bench coach/manager jobs.
10. 11/19/04: Padres add more young pitching by acquiring Randy Williams from the Mariners for underperforming prospect Billy Hogan. Hogan was a disappointment this year, hitting .217 in A ball after a promising 2003 Rookie League. Williams is major-league ready now, showing a lot of strength against lefties in AAA.
11. 11/23/04: Gabe Kapler flees the Red Sox, opting for the Yomiuri Giants instead, with a nice $2 million price tag. That's far above his US worth, and will give him a chance to show what he can do playing every day if he stays healthy.
12. 11/21/04: Blue Jays snag Sueng Song off the waiver wire. They are building a fairly international team here; hopefully, this will appeal to the locals.
13. 11/17/04: Brewers sign Pat Borders to a minor league deal. Borders was a large help for the Twins down the stretch, and should serve more of a coaching role than catching role.

1. 11/1/04: Diamondbacks hire Wally Backman, then fire him shortly thereafter. Besides doing a background check (which should have been done when he was hired for A ball), there were many other strong candidates for this position. Backman's temperment, not dissimilar from Larry Bowa's would have caused more problems than fixed, in my estimation. It's time for Joe Garigiola, Jr. to go.
2. 11/27/04: Pirates severely cripple themselves by trading catcher/leadoff hitter Jason Kendall for has-been closer Arthur Rhodes and fair-to-middling lefty Mark Redman from the A's. While Pittsburgh saves about $8 million over the next two years, they will send $5 million of those savings back to the A's in 2007 to pay for Kendall's contract. Kendall will probably be traded in 2006 anyway when any of Landon Powell, Kurt Suzuki, John Baker, or Jeremy Brown show that they are ready to take over.
3. 11/14/04: Giants pick up Omar Vizquel to the tune of $12.25 million over 3 years. The Giants also have Deivi Cruz ($800,000/1 year) at the 6-hole for next year. I think Vizquel is past his prime — while his bat woke up last year (protected better by strong young hitters), his range is showing signs of decline. He'll be 40 when this contract expires...
4. 11/16/04: Expos weigh themselves down with Vinny Castilla, who signed for $6.2 million over 2 years. Castilla made $1.2 million last year and hit 35 dingers with 131 RBI. While 21 of his homers came on the road, he hit an lousy .218 away from Coors Stadium, and only drove in 51 RBIs. This team would have been better suited keeping the younger, faster Tony Batista at that price.
5. 11/24/04: Pirates give up on fomer first-round pick JJ Davis, sending him to the Nationals for Antonio Sucre. Sucre has shown a talent for one thing so far — striking out. He'll probably never make it to Nashville.
6. 11/23/04: Twins sign Juan Castro to fill the gap at short, left open by Christian Guzman's free agency departure. Castro has been stuck behind Barry Larkin in Cincinnati for years after never really making it in LA. This won't be a bad signing if rookie Jason Bartlett becomes the starting shortstop, since Castro can play second, short, and third. But he's not a good first option.
7. 11/16/04: Expos add Christian Guzman to play short at a price tag of $16.8 million over 4 years. Guzman was a big favorite in Minnesota, but never lived up to the promise of injury shortened third-season. He looks like he'll be a steady .275/145 game player who never quite seems to be doing enough. Signing him to a four-year deal may take advantage of him if he catches lightning in a bottle again, but he has a chance to be an albatross as well.
8. 11/17/04: Tigers sign free agent reliever Troy Percival for $12 million, 2 years, after picking up Ugueth Urbina option. There are questions about Percevil's elbow, durability, and lately, ability. He's no longer capable of overpowering everyone, which may be to his advantage (having to pitch smarter with variety). But having two expensive guys in the bullpen with elbow issues makes me fearful.
9. 11/24/04: Twins put Mike Redmond on the roster to back up Joe Mauer for $1.8 million over two years. While this is a minor signing, it's a bad direction for the Twins. Henry Blanco helped Carlos Silva and Johan Santana achieve seasons this year. While noone in the division has made a move that would unnerve the top dogs, Terry Ryan should act a little more nervous.
10. 11/19/04: Devil Rays announce that the Geoff Blum era is over, exiling him along with Jeremi Gonzalez and Damian Rolls. Last December, I criticized the Rays for trading Brandon Backe to the Astros for Blum. Rolls was poorly utilized in Tampa.
11. 11/19/04: A's pick up several logs for the fire — Hiram Bocachica, Jack Cust, and Billy Sylvester among the names. Jimmy Serrano could be a worthwhile snag, but Cust, once the next big thing, has mentally left baseball long ago.