It is that time of year once again.  If you are a rumor junky, the only time period that tops this is the trade deadline action.  I know I watch over all the transactions during the off-season. It certainly fuels my excitement for the upcoming season.  What would baseball be without all the speculation?

From a Fantasy Baseball perspective, I am closing watching a couple of situations.  In my original keeper league, I own Matt Holliday and Adrian Gonzalez.  Where they end up will determine who I keep.  I know that you might think that I should keep both players, but I already have Lincecum, Utley, Teixeira, and Kemp as probable keepers.  In addition I have Greinke as an additional option. So for me, finding out which team will pay for Holliday’s services will have a direct impact of my keeper selection.  Personally, I hope he stays in St. Louis, because an entire season of hitting in front of Pujols would be great.  As for Adrain Gonzalez, any trade from San Diego would be a welcome change.  Getting him out of spacious Petco and into a lineup with some solid hitter around him would boost his fantasy value.  I think if Boston finds a way to acquire him, then Gonzalez because a definite keeper heading into 2010.

Another player that is receiving a ton of coverage this off-season is Roy Halladay.  My interest is not focused on where he will go, but rather if the trade happens at all.  There is no question regarding the intention of the Blue Jays trading Roy Halladay, but what happens if it does not happen during this off-season?  If the asking price does not come down, there is a real possibility of this scenario. He has already expressed that he will not stay in Toronto after 2010.  Do you really want to use a 4th, or even possibly 3rd, round pick on a disgruntled player? I learned a hard lesson this past season about drafting pitchers really early.  Actually this is the third time that I was burned.  How does that saying go?  Fool me once, shame on…  well, you get the idea. So I will not be selecting a pitcher early enough in the draft to get Halladay.

Then there are the free agent moves that open up a roster spot for a top prospect.  Take the Bengie Molina situation.  It is obvious that Buster Posey is next in line to be the starting catcher for the Giants. Molina has been solid for them, but the length of a contract may be a stumbling block in any attempts to resign him.  If Molina signs somewhere else, watch the fantasy baseball community start touting Posey as the second coming of Matt Wieters.  Which may not be a good thing to some owners. Especially if they were one of the fools that drafted him in the middle rounds last year only to have him be a non factor until September.  What if the Mets sign Molina?  Obviously his draft value will drop for 2010.  For those owners in two catcher leagues, this is a major situation to watch.

Conor Jackson may also be an interesting case to watch this off-season.  After a lost season due to a serious illness, there have been rumors that the Diamondbacks may not offer arbitration to him.  Anyone who reads this site know that I have been a supporter of Jackson over the past two years.  The guy can hit, has solid plate discipline, and can hit the ball a country mile.  Not sure if a country mile is longer than a regular mile, but you get the point.  If Arizona does not bring him back, where does he end up?  Does that team view him as an everyday player, or a top notch bench player with high upside? Either way, this is one situation that I am closely watching.

These are a few of the hot stove items that I am watching.  What situations are you closely monitoring? Does your favorite team need any of the players mentioned above?