The Off-Season Officially Begins

The World Series is over. The San Francisco Giants sweep the Detroit Tigers in four games. The Tigers looked awfully familiar to a team they swept the series prior to getting swept. Now they know how it feels to be on the losing end of a sweep. Overall, the team with better pitching won. When Justin Verlander choked in game one of the World Series, you knew that things were going to go in the Giants' direction.

As for the Yankees, the off-season officially begins as twelve Yankees file for free agency. Among them were Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Russell Martin. Also, the short list for Gold Glove qualifiers was announced today. Russell Martin, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano are all finalists at their positions in the American League.

In other news, the Yankees have officially picked up the options on Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson and David Aardsma. Cano is a lock to remain a Yankee next season, as he is the best hitter in their lineup. Without him, there would be a huge hole that would not be filled by anyone currently on the roster. Curtis Granderson is another story. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in a deal to get either a starting pitcher or an outfielder. The center fielder hit 43 home runs in 2012, but struck out over 200 times in the regular and postseason and did not hit for average.