Starters:

Sterling Hitchcock's performance in World Series' games 1 and 5 improved his free agent prospects after a mediocre stint with the Yankees that could have otherwise depreciated his value. He was a quality lefty before Tommy John surgery landed him on the DL and finally should be back at full strength in 2002. Milwaukee is expected to go after him aggressively. After the opening of Miller Park, they can afford to add a needed lefty to their rotation. The Brewers also just signed former San Diego pitching coach Dave Stewart to fill the same role for their club, which should appeal to former Padre Hitchcock.

Chan Ho Park had an unimpressive second half that might cost him several million dollars. He wants a lengthy contract in addition to big money. Park should want to stay in LA where he can take advantage of the great pitching park, and other clubs logically should realize that his numbers might not be as pretty in another home stadium. However, he is a known commodity with Scott Boras for an agent. If LA decides not to pony up at least $60 million for 5 years, he will go elsewhere. Baltimore might be looking for an ace, and they could be a good fit for Park after their recent stadium renovation. Texas is certainly in the market for more pitching although the nature of their ballpark would not make Chan Ho a wise choice.

Jason Schmidt is possibly the best pitcher on the 2001 free agent market. He has upside comparable to that of Park and should sign at a discounted price due to his recent injury history. There are very few clubs that don't need someone like him. It is quite foreseeable that San Francisco will re-sign Schmidt, especially if they have cash on hand because they didn't re-sign Barry Bonds. Another strong possibility is Colorado. The Rockies want an additional starting pitcher and power pitchers like Schmidt can succeed in Coors.

Aaron Sele won't be back in Seattle next year. They have too much talent coming up through their system to pay him what he will be looking to receive, and letting free agents go the last few years obviously hasn't burned them. Sele has played for both the Red Sox and the Rangers before but would probably opt for Texas over the uncertainty in Boston. He will avoid Baltimore offers as he was extremely unhappy with the way the Orioles retracted a 4-year offer in 1999.

The Yankees and the White Sox are both in the market for a veteran starting pitcher. Schmidt and Sele are good candidates to be pursued by one or both.

Relievers:

Jason Isringhausen should be allowed to leave Oakland. The A's have several replacements available in their system that would allow them to spend their money elsewhere. He performed well in 2001, earning 34 saves with over three strikeouts for every walk in 71 IP, so there should be significant interest in acquiring his skills. St. Louis is a strong candidate as they seem to want something more than Dave Veres and Mike Timlin have to offer. However, if the A's fail to sign Jason Giambi and/or Johnny Damon they might feel the need to re-sign Isringhausen as a show of good faith to the Oakland fans.

Jeff Shaw's $7.05 million option was declined by the Dodgers, making him a free agent this year. It is highly unlikely that he will sign with them for a lesser amount. Shaw lives in Ohio, so there has been some discussion of Detroit as a team with whom he would be happy to sign. However, I don't think that the Tigers are in the market for a closer. They traded away Todd Jones in July after turning over closing duties to hard-throwing 25 year-old Matt Anderson in June. Anderson excelled in the role, earning 22 saves in 24 opportunities, giving them no reason to go on the market for a replacement this off-season. I think Pittsburgh is the team that might be most likely to land Shaw. The Pirates are without a capable closer and management will be inclined to look for someone with experience, as they have few options within their own system. Shaw will be looking for closer money wherever he goes, so it is doubtful that he would wind up in a set up role.

Baltimore is a team which I believe is going to spend significant money somewhere this off-season; I'm just not sure where. Although they have been toying with 25 year-old Willis Roberts in the closer role, historically the Orioles love the "proven veteran" type. It is very possible that they would pursue one or both of these pitchers.

The Twins also are looking for a new closer, but with the contraction issue and a small payroll to maintain, I wouldn't look for them to go after either of these players.

John Smoltz will re-sign with the Braves. He is a tradition in Atlanta, and GM John Schuerholz let him know before the end of the season that they would like him back. Smoltz is happy with the Braves, so I doubt he would want to look elsewhere for a few extra dollars. The only outside factor that might enter into the equation would be if Smoltz has an overwhelming desire to try to start again.

That's all for today. I will cover offensive free agents tomorrow. After that, I will go over some of the less prominent free agents provided news remains slow around the holiday.