More signings than you can shake a stick at, and a Ryan Braun "scandal"

Despite the winter meetings being over, that certainly hasn't slowed down the pace of player signings and trades. One of the biggest, in my opinion, is that of A's pitcher Trevor Cahill being traded to the Diamondbacks. Cahill's signing is one of the biggest trades, in my opinion, because of how it shakes up the NL West division for next season. First off, the Diamondbacks already have a solid pitching rotation, what with top guys like Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson. To add Trevor Cahill to that staff would be pretty major. Also, as previously mentioned, it takes away more cuteness from the A's pitching staff. And that can't be good.

Speaking of the A's pitching staff, it seems almost guaranteed that Gio Gonzalez will not be with the A's next season. Where he will land, exactly, isn't clear yet, but insiders point to the Blue Jays as the most likely team. If that means more money for him, then that's great. He was really impressive this season. Need I mention, though, eliminating more of the cuteness factor of the A's pitching staff. As of right now, I might not even have a reason to watch the A's in 2012! (Not that I watched them much in 2011)

Next up would be the Rays locking in Matt Moore to an 8-year deal, with 5 of those being guaranteed money. I think it's a smart move for both Moore and the Rays, and despite having missed the ALDS game that Moore pitched this season, he has the potential to be top notch. If the highlights of said game are any indication, I missed one hell of a performance. Between Moore and Jeremy Hellickson, the Rays have some future aces on their pitching staff for sure. Is it a risk signing a relatively inexperienced rookie to an 8-year deal? Sure, but Moore seems to be worth it. 

And to mention a trade/signing that is not pitcher-related, Aramis Ramirez signed a 3-year contract with the Brewers this week. I'm happy for him that he will be on a much more competitive team next season. To be honest, I hadn't kept up with the speculation on Ramirez and who he would sign with, but I imagine the Brewers (and their fans) are pretty happy about it. 

As much as I don't want to go in depth about it, I suppose that mentioning the Ryan Braun "scandal" (if you will) seems necessary. Despite the story having been out for a few days now, all information about it seems to be cryptic, at best. At first, it was a performance-enhancing drug that Braun only tested positive for during the playoffs. Then, it was implied that it was simply a prohibited substance that Braun may have used because it helped speed up his recovery from his recent injuries. Well, which is it? Braun's agency quickly assured his innocence in a statement not long after the report first came out. But of course they did! What else were they going to say? However, it seems that no player has successfully appealed a positive result for any of these tests and he likely faces a 50 game suspension next year. Until Ryan Braun himself speaks though, I will reserve most of my judgment. But why did he only test positive during the playoffs and not the regular season? I'm curious to find that out.