It’s mid-November, and the baseball hot stove has rarely been this scorching so early. The recent trade of Gary Sheffield from the Yankees to the Tigers was an aggressive move by both GMs. Both teams did well in the deal with Detroit acquiring the big bat they have been looking for and New York landing young pitching prospects, namely the highly-touted Humberto Sanchez.

With a thin crop of free agents, most of which will command inflated contracts, many teams will be looking to make improvements by swinging a big deal. There is no shortage of speculation out there, so let’s look at a few of the bigger names that could be changing uniforms.

Likely the most talked about player in trade speculation will be Alex Rodriguez. Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman is saying all the right things about A-Rod. He claims that Rodriguez is not available and that they are not pursing trades for him. Cashman is smart and knows that openly bad mouthing A-Rod or saying that he is on the market will decrease his value. His plan is likely to see what he can accomplish via free agency, and then use Rodriguez to fill any remaining holes. The Yankees have already dealt Gary Sheffield to the Tigers and Jaret Wright to the Orioles, so it’s conceivable that Cashman may not be in a position to deal A-Rod. However, if they still need a starter, Rodriguez could be the bait to land someone like Ervin Santana, Freddy Garcia or Mark Buehrle.

Ervin Santana will likely be the odd-man out in Anaheim as their 2007 rotation is set to include Bartolo Colon, John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders. They also have expressed interest in adding Barry Zito. Santana is a good, young arm that could help the Angels get the hitter they desperately need. If a deal cannot be worked for A-Rod, the Angels will likely attempt to use Santana in a deal for Vernon Wells or Carl Crawford.

Super agent Scott Boras has got to have Atlanta concerned about re-signing Andruw Jones, whose contract expires at the end of next season. Boras recently said that he will be looking for a contract that will earn Jones $20 million per season. The Braves would likely not be able to pay that kind of money to Jones, making him a possible trade target. It’s not apparent that they are actively seeking a deal for him at this time, but I’m sure they’d listen if someone were to inquire about him, which several teams are likely to do. Second basemen Marcus Giles is currently being shopped by the Braves.

Teams looking to add a third baseman will look at Hank Blalock, Adrian Beltre and Scott Rolen. Blalock had a down year last season, and the Rangers are likely to see if they can acquire pitching by trading him. Seattle may unload Beltre and his big contract in order to add pitching and make room in their budget to sign Ichiro, who will be a free agent next offseason, to a long-term contract extension. Scott Rolen is likely to stay in St. Louis, but his disagreements with Tony La Russa during the World Series may cause the Cardinals to see if they can get a good starting pitcher or corner outfielder for him. The Cards may also look to deal Chris Duncan. Duncan had a great rookie season, but is a defensive liability in the outfield. With Pujols playing his natural position, Duncan may be moved simply because St. Louis doesn’t have a place to play him.

Fresh off the disappointment of the World Series, the Detroit Tigers have already added Gary Sheffield. They may not be done adding offense, and Jeremy Bonderman could be used in a package for Mark Teixeira to replace free-agent Sean Casey at first base. Texas isn’t likely to shop Tex, but Bonderman would be a huge addition to their pitching staff, which currently has only one established starter in Kevin Millwood. Tex will also be a free agent at the end of 2008, and the Rangers need to decide whether to deal him or try to hammer out an extension with agent Scott Boras.

The Phillies have made it clear that Pat Burrell is on the market. Philadelphia would love to get a solid pitcher in return for him, however, they would have to eat a portion of Burrell’s contract (two years, $27 million) and he has a no-trade clause. Another team looking to add a pitcher is the Cincinnati Reds, and Adam Dunn could be dealt. Dunn expressed his displeasure with management after they traded Austin Kearns, and he has also been vocal about wanting to play for his hometown Houston Astros. Dunn would fill a large hole in the Astros lineup, but with Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte headed for free agency and possibly retirement, trading a top pitching prospect like Jason Hirsh in a deal for Dunn may put too much of a strain on the rotation.

One of the most coveted players this offseason will be Dontrelle Willis, yet the Marlins continue to say he isn’t available. Florida, with a total payroll of $15 million last year, will have to pay Willis around $8 million in arbitration. This may be difficult to fit in their budget, so Willis could be moved. It would be a shame if they parted with him, as their 2007 rotation is looking strong headed by Willis and followed by Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco. Expect the Mets to try to empty their farm system in an attempt to convince Florida to part with him.

A surprise name might be Padres’ starter Jake Peavy. It’s not often a young, front-line pitcher like him becomes available, but as he gets closer to a big pay day, his history of arm problems may convince GM Kevin Towers to part with the All-Star pitcher.

Of course, there will be the annual trade talks regarding Baltimore’s Miguel Tejada and Boston’s Manny Ramirez. As in the past, both players aren’t likely to be going anywhere, but if one of the teams gets desperate, perhaps one of these unhappy marriages will end in divorce.

In case you missed it…

Reports indicate that the Boston Red Sox have won the posting for Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka for a fee of $42 million. This is a major blow to the Rangers, who reportedly made an offer around $30 million.

The Cubs re-signed third baseman Aramis Ramirez and Kerry Wood. Ramirez opted out of the final two years and $22.5 million with Chicago, and now is signed to a five-year, $75 million contract. Wood was signed to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million, with incentives that could bring it as high as $6 million. He will be pitching out of the bullpen.

Hanley Ramirez (NL) and Justin Verlander (AL) were named Rookie of the Year.

The Yankees traded Jaret Wright and $4 million to the Orioles for reliever Chris Britton.

The Oakland A’s have narrowed their managerial search to bench coach Bob Geren, Rockies’ bench coach Jamie Quirk, and former Rangers’ pitching coach Orel Hershiser. Trey Hillman, considered for the Rangers’ vacancy, has been eliminated.

The Washington Nationals are expected to name Mets’ third-base coach Manny Acta as manager. Acta, 37, would be the youngest manager in the major leagues.

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