With season over, hot stove heats up

With last night's World Series victory by the San Francisco Giants, the baseball season sadly came to a close last night. However, with every ending there is a new beginning, that new beginning being baseball's offseason.

With the offseason comes free-agency, where players who have expired contracts can sign with any team who offers them the contract they desire. The Hot Stove season, the offseason's unofficial nickname, has already been heated up with some minor moves such as Sandy Alderson being hired as the new General Manager of the New York Mets, Joe Girardi's new contract with the New York Yankees, and Omar Vizquel re-signing a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. These moves are clearly just the cracks in the dam that is preparing the flood that is free agency.

While those are just some of the earlier moves, more moves have happened today:

- Ron Roenicke was named manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.

- RHP Chad Gaudin and LHP Royce Ring were out-righted off the 40-man roster by the Yankees.

- C Gregg Zaun, RHP Trevor Hoffman and RHP Doug Davis had their options declined by the Brewers.

- SS Alex Gonzalez and 3B Omar Infante had their options claimed by the Atlanta Braves.

- The San Diego Padres exercised Adrian Gonzalez's option.

- The Boston Red Sox hired Curt Young, formally of the A's, as their new pitching coach.

- J.P. Riccardi was hired by the Mets as a special assistant to Alderson.