FanHouse Al Central

From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.

Just because something is corny, doesn't mean it can't be done. Saying what you are thankful for on Thanksgiving is an American tradition. Sure, it may be a bit played out -- and some would even say lame -- to write a column about things we're thankful for in a given sport. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna spit in the face of all the great Americans before me who began the tradition and kept it alive for all these years. So, let's do it, baseball-style.

Andruw Jones can start a day early on his Thanksgiving celebration, because word Wednesday afternoon is that the veteran outfielder has signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. There's no word on financial terms yet, but it appears the Sox are hellbent on shoring up their bench as they've now signed Jones and Omar Vizquel in the very young free agency season.

Jones resurrected his career in Texas a bit in 2009, hitting 17 homers and putting up a .782 OPS in 82 games despite his .214 batting average. That's not a great line, but it's a huge improvement over his .158/.256/.249 disaster with the Dodgers in 2008. He didn't play the field much for Texas in 2009, but he didn't really embarrass himself in his few showings out there, so he's probably a capable fourth outfielder, even if he's not the Gold Glove center fielder he once was.

There are a lot of questions concerning what the Detroit Tigers are going to do this winter. Some are speculating that there will be a firesale as the team tries to shed payroll going into the 2010 season, while others are saying that any such talk is ridiculous.

Still, that hasn't stopped rumors from spreading around the league that players like Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson are being shopped, and now there's a much bigger name floating around. According to a report by The Detroit News' Lynn Henning, even Miguel Cabrera -- he of the rogue first-place AL MVP vote -- is on the trading block.

As FanHouse went over in our Footprints in the Snow on the Chicago White Sox earlier on Friday, the Sox aren't expected to be big buyers this offseason after making big moves to land Jake Peavy and Alex Rios last summer. Still, that doesn't mean they won't be making smaller moves to tweak their roster in the coming weeks.

Moves like trying to sign Omar Vizquel to a one-year deal to be a backup infielder as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal is reporting.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The 2009 season was not one with which the Chicago White Sox were pleased. They followed their 2008 division title with a third-place finish in the AL Central and a record of 79-83. When you consider that the team's general manager Kenny Williams is never shy on making big moves when the team does well, there's no telling what he's going to do after a disappointing season.

So it's pretty safe to assume that the White Sox team that takes the field in 2010 will look a lot different than the one Sox fans saw in 2009, and we're not just talking about Jake Peavy and Alex Rios. What changes will be made on the South Side? Nobody can be sure, but FanHouse has an idea of what Chicago's "other" team might do.

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Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

It's a winter of transition for the defending AL Central champion Minnesota Twins. The Twinkies are going back to their roots in every way. No longer will they be playing indoor baseball at the Metrodome as the team will open the new outdoor Target Field in 2010. The team also just unveiled their new old uniforms on Monday as well, as they revert back to their classic look from the early '60s.

Still, the field on which they play and the uniforms they wear won't be the only thing different about them. This winter they'll also be trying to make the moves necessary to ensure that they get back to the playoffs again in 2010. What moves they'll make remain to be seen, but given the club's history, it's somewhat safe to assume they'll be the right ones.

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Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The Detroit Tigers are in a unique position this offseason. They missed the playoffs in 2009 after blowing their division lead during the final weeks, and then losing a one-game playoff against the Twins in Minneapolis, but they remain one of the most talented teams in the AL Central. The question is how much of that talent will be back in 2010?

Dave Dombrowski and the Tigers are usually one of the more aggressive teams during the offseason in both the free agent market and with trades, and have no problem paying top dollar for players. Still, there's a lot of speculation that things will change this winter as the economy in Detroit is still causing problems. Some are saying that the Tigers are going to be selling off a lot of that talent this winter. So odds are that, either way, the team Tigers fans see on Opening Day in April could look a lot different than the one they saw in the Metrodome last October.

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Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

Over the last few years there has been a familiar refrain coming out of the City of Fountains: this is the year that the Kansas City Royals will finally be competitive. Yet it just hasn't happened. In fact, since the team won it's lone World Series back in 1985, they've finished over .500 only six times, and only once since the strike season of 1994.

So if general manager Dayton Moore is going to put together a winning ballclub, it's obvious he has quite a bit of work to do. Still, there is talent on this Royals roster, so Moore might not have to make as many moves this winter as you would think.

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Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The baseball season ended in a way that Cleveland Indians fans had been dreaming it would for a few years. There starting in a World Series game were CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. The only problem was neither was wearing a Cleveland Indians uniform.

Needless to say the 2009 season was not kind to the Indians.

Last winter they hit the free-agent market to bring in guys like Mark DeRosa, Carl Pavano and Kerry Wood. By the time the season had ended, only Wood remained on the team, and he wasn't used very often since Cleveland didn't have much use for a closer.

Now they enter the winter with a brand new manager and some talented players, but if you're hoping for some kind of turnaround in Cleveland next season, then you should probably see a doctor because your dementia has taken a severe turn for the worse.

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The Minnesota Twins didn't wait very long after being knocked out of the 2009 playoffs to begin working on their 2010 team. They made a trade that not only alleviated the surplus of outfielders on their roster but also may have filled the shortstop position for years to come when they sent Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers for J.J. Hardy.

While that trade could turn out to be a key move for the Twins and their future, it's not the only task the team has on its plate as they prepare for life in a new stadium next season. At the top of the list of things general manager Bill Smith should be working on right now is signing catcher Joe Mauer to a contract extension, and depending on who you ask, Smith may have already started doing just that.