Note to readers: In order for yours truly to have some semblance of a life, the Roundups will be offered throughout the day.  Site owner Joe Hamrahi posts breaking news (often before anybody else) and I'll offer analysis, opinions, links to reactions and also the usual number-crunching and links to other columnists and bloggers that shape the news on the world wide web. 

Don't forget about our Mr. Baseball project; please suggest your candidate right here.

- Wonder who had the best eye at the plate in 2007?  Who swung at the most pitches? Here is BDD's first offering by the Diva

- MLB Trade Rumors just reported that Geoff Jenkins had signed a two-year deal with the Phillies worth 13 M$ with an option for 2010.

- Boston starter Curt Schilling's take on the Mitchell Report.  Even some hometown events are wondering whether he should be present or not.

- Report on the Fastball, Slider, Changeup and Curveball by John Walsh over at the excellent Hardball Times.

- LH reliever Ron Mahay, 36, has signed a two-year contract worth 8 M$ dollars.  Quote from the Rosenthal report:

"The deal, which is pending a physical, will give the Royals three left-handed relievers — Mahay, John Bale and Jimmy Gobble. The depth should prove an asset in the A. Central, which is loaded with left-handed sluggers such as the Twins' Justin Morneau, the White Sox's Jim Thome and the Indians' Travis Hafner."

I hardly see the point for the Royals of investing that much money into a THIRD left-handed pitcher that has troubles against right-handed batters.  I love the way GM Dayton Moore has given back hope to the fan base and made some small moves that could prove important in the future, do they really consider themselves contenders in the AL Central?  Why invest that money into Mahay?

They still have holes in their rotation, their young players will probably need 2008 to get into a groove with all the up-and-downs that comes with it...

As long as when the June Amateur Draft comes they don't back off from a high-ceiling player because of signability concern, I love their optimism, but he said it best when it comes to the AL in 2008.

- Baseball Prospectus has an awesome interview on its home page (on-site media player for easy listening) with Don Hooton and Jim Bouton about the Mitchell Report.

- 2007 was the Rockies' fifth winning season (.552 winning%) of their existence (since 1993) and their first since 2000.  For the last 7 years, they have been drafting well and put in place an impressive development system that has brought them Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki, Chris Iannetta, Jeff Francis, Ian Stewart, Joe Koshansky, Aaron Cook, Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales.

MiLB.com offers a great rundown of the past season in their farm system with numbers and analysis.

- Catcher Michael Barrett finally got a deal done with the SD Padres. 

I don't think it's a bad move for the Padres, especially with the contract worth 3.5 M$ for one year.  The risks are almost non-existent: he gives the team a .739 OPS (average over last three years) compared to the .664 OPS by Josh Bard, he could bring in an arm or minor league player at the July trade deadline if the Padres are not heading to the post-season and/or give the team an additional draft pick if he signs somewhere else for the 2009 season.

Barrett's stock is at an all-time low after some strange events last season (even umpires got in on him), so he has all the reasons in the world to arrive in Spring Training ready to produce offensively and defensively.

- Everything you need to know about the new franchise of the independent Can-Am League in Ottawa.

- After Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts admitted to the use of PEDs, should the Cubs stop bargaining to get him in a trade?  Greg Couch thinks so.

- To brighten up your day a little, I offer you Thursday's Miss Sunshine.

Debate of the day:  How would you feel if your favorite team was actively involved in discussions to obtain a player that was cited in the Mitchell Report?

Please use the Comments section to debate that question or any other baseball topic you feel is interesting.

You can contact me at drouleau@baseballdigestdaily.com