Ho-ly shit!

Donovan Milligan.

Five years.

$100 million.

$2.3 signing bonus.

Returns to the Cleveland/Montreal franchise.

Donovan Milligan Montreal Monarchs Age: 31 B/T: S/R Born: Osawatomie, KS Position(s): SS View Hardball Dynasty Profile

A Free Agency Look-See

Here's where we stand on my list of free agents to watch:

Donovan Milligan: Unsigned

Jamie Rollins: Unsigned

Ramon Martin: $5.3m over two years Santa Fe

Philip Jacobs: $32m x4 Minnesota

Dorian Piper: Unsigned

Willie Rodriguez: $24 x3 +$5m signing Buffalo

Louie Dali: $24m x4 Minnesota

Raymond North: 8.4 x2 Monterrey

Sammy Barnes: 10 x2 Little Rock

Ruben Otanez: 26.5 x3 Austin

McKay Hernandez: Unsigned

Willie Haynes: $5.2m x2 Memphis

Roscoe Street: Unsigned

More from the hot stove

New Britain is positioning itself to make a play for the division crown since relocating from Augusta. Player agent Dennis Bruske said there is all sorts of chatter around the free agent market that there will be a big push to bring a division title to Connecticut.

Agents for Willie Rodriguez, Louis Dali and Sammy Barnes have already received preliminary contacts. They are also on the prowl for a catcher, but have also said they would be willing to slot AA prospect Shane Clark in the starting spot if necessary.

The squad will also unveil its mascot at a Monday press conference in Downtown New Britain. The Onion Ball blog has a sneak peak at the Angry Bear.

More grist for the mill

Rumors are like my high school girlfriend. She's everywhere and on everybody...

Sources close to the WS Champion Portland franchise report that the Beaver Cleavers are looking to deal and wheel in the offseason. On the sorta kinda maybe list are AA MVP finalist Del Clifton and catchers Johnny Wilkerson (a former overall #2 pick) and Carlos Tavarez. On Portland's "Don't let the door hit you" list is Lewis Harang.

The same source reports that Portland almost had Washington DC's Johnny Costello, but trade talks broke down at the last minute over Costello's age. Costello wanted to take the trade, but Portland management was concerned about the reason -- apparently, he was a child when Lewis and Clark discovered the territory where the Beavers currently play.

The Rumor Mill Churns

What we're hearing from around the league:

• Memphis will say goodbye to Billy Anderson in the off-season. The Gold Glove first baseman tops almost every offensive team record list, but stands in the way of the team's decision to go young.

• The Memphis In The Meantime wants to take its payroll budget down to the $55-58m range in S.5.

• The Kansas City era ended when ronzabill moved Benny Pujols and Al Mendoza prior to the season. Don't be surprised if Ugueth Neruda is traded in the offseason. The Royals are looking to rebuild its organization and Neruda might be able to bring the prospects it will take.

• KC is also in the market for a leadoff hitter.

• Contract negotiations between the Philadelphia Flash and Louie Dali have collapsed. Dali wants No. 1 starter and No. 1 respect. Flash management did not appreciate the ultimatum as it weighs an Oprah-sized deal for Willie Rodriguez.

• Donovan Milligan's agent says that his client is demanding "one of those M&M's mixers. He saw it at the M&M's store in Times Square and he really wants one either at his house or in the locker room."

• League sources report that Philadelphia is interested in Augusta farmhand Ernest Jackson.

• D.C. is looking to move players like GM is trying to unload cars. The only difference is that the Nationals might have something worth buying. Gene Collins and Mitch Meyers are on the block in their respective walk years. Les Carroll and Lawrence Fuller are due for salary arbitration and join Manuel Valdes and Jaime Rose on the available list. Most surprisingly is Johnnie Costello who has been dangled in a couple of trade discussions, but a league source says that the conversation for Costello starts with two A-level prospects.

Makin' It Rain: A Free Agency Preview

If you are confused on the definition of making it rain, I highly encourage you to read this article from Deadspin. Hell, even if you do know what it means, go read it. It's pretty funny.

For those of us not in the playoffs, the past couple of weeks have been about strategy for season five. One piece of that puzzle is free agency and the crop this year will demand some big money. You might even say that some owners will make it rain.

Let's take a look at the free agent class of Season Five.

Donovan Milligan is the big name. He hit .290 with 49 homers and 148 RBI for Cleveland. The 30 year old shortstop is going to be Oprah Rich this year as he looks to increase his income from $10.5m.

Augusta's Jamie Rollins has dropped 15 overall ratings points on my board since he signed for $17m in season one. Offensively, he's still pretty offensive, but not nearly as dominant. His home runs have dropped off by more than 50 percent and his OPS is off by more than 300 points. He won't get the same money as before, but he has potential to be a strong, overpaid DH.

Ramon Martin is one of three 100+ RBI guys on the market. He jacked 44 home runs with a .289 BA last season in Santa Fe. At 34, he might not have the defensive skills you'd look for from a third baseman, but he would make a more than adequate corner outfielder, first baseman or DH. Of course, prepare to pay up, as he'll be looking to build on his $2.7m salary.

Philip Jacobs presents a challenge to Cleveland management. Milligan is sure to hit the market looking for that Oprah Money. Do they resign Jacobs? He's a 32-year-old third baseman who hit .307-28-101 last season. He'll certainly make more than his current $9.0m salary. The question is whether he'll settle for a hometown discount.

Dorian Piper could be the sleeper in all of this. The Monterrey first baseman hit .340 with a .925 OPS in 347 at-bats last season. He's 29 years old, has gold glove potential, but lacks that typical power one expects from a corner infielder. He made $6.8m last year.

Willie Rodriguez heads the class. He comes off a spectacular year -- 16-8, 2.88 ERA and 182 strikeouts. The question remains as to whether Philadelphia will let him go or lock him up long term. He's 32 years old and makes $13.5m.

Louie Dali will demand big money coming off a season where he won 17 games and ate 218 innings. The 30-year-old got $6m from Philadelphia last year.

Raymond North is also going to ask for some big money. Monterrey's 29-year-old starter was 11-8 with a 4.01 ERA. Get him some run support and he might be real deal.

35-year-old Sammy Barnes is looking at his last deal. The Cleveland hurler was 15-6 with a 3.30 in his contract year. He was still fairly dominant, holding opposing hitters to a .228 OAV and 1.25 WHIP. He's got a couple of quality years left, but might have to take a discount from his $8.3m salary.

Ruben Otanez hits the market after a strong year in Washington. The former Detroit hurler was 9-2 with a 2.72 ERA. At 33 years old, he'll look for a three- to four-year deal with similar money ($7.8m) to closeout a stellar career.

McKay Hernandez will hope you remember his reputation as a member of KC's dynasty. He went 2-2 with a 5.75 ERA in a year which he spent time at AAA. He'll be a gamble at age 33 and an asking price north of $4.5m per year.

Willie Haynes is 34 years old and is coming off one of his best major league seasons with Cleveland. The southpaw was 12-4 with a 3.75 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Haynes will look double or triple his money, coming off a contract that paid him $630K per.

Roscoe Street looks to build on a decent season in Santa Fe. Street was 7-7 with a 3.62 ERA. He's 27 years old and coming off a $2.7m contract. Someone is going to make some money.

World Series Preview: Positional Analysis

Don't let me fool you. I did this tonight not out of a sense of duty but as an effort to distract myself from Syracuse University nearly blowing their basketball game against the University of South Florida. And don't get me started on the Sugar Bowl...damn Saban.

Anyhow, the Onion Ball staff put their thinking caps on and came up with a position by position breakdown of the both World Series teams:

CATCHER
Portland's Guy Olson was one of three Portland players to hit .300+ with more than 35 homers. Rookie Grant Gilbert is an up and comer with offensive potential and excellent pitch calling numbers. Boston's Luke Cox hit .305 in the regular season but has lower defensive numbers than his counterparts. EDGE: Portland

FIRST BASE
Portland's Al Mendoza is an an all-world, Hall of Fame player to crushed opponent pitching in his first National League season. Guillermo Rivera hit 22 homers in 83 games for Boston, mustering a .944 OPS. EDGE: Portland. Rivera is competent. Mendoza is the gold standard.

SECOND BASE
In an interesting management maneuver, the Beavers debuted rookie Wendell Clement in the playoffs. And, since rebedwell has made every right decision this season, it turned out well. with Clement hitting .385-3-5 in 26 playoff at-bats. Boston's Howard Lee made the most of his rookie season, hitting .281-34-100 with a .910 OPS. He was equally as impressive in the field, committing just two errors. EDGE: Boston. Age and experience beats youth and ambition.

THIRD BASE
Portland's hottest hand is Philip Thompson, who has 22 hits, nine homers and 16 RBI in 51 playoff at-bats. Translation: 1.442 OPS. Nice! Equally as hot is Greg Lankford. The Sox's leading hitter on the year, Lankford batted .339 with a .968 OPS during the regular season. The trend continued in the post-season -- .392-4-13 with a 1.269. EDGE: Push.

SHORTSTOP
Neither team places offensive emphasis on their shortstops. Boston goes with Bud Rollison and a .294 batting average in 398 at-bats. Portland's Carl McMurray hit .236 in 318 at-bats. EDGE: Push. Rollison's offense is offset by his 22 errors. McMurray's offense is washed out by his two errors.

OUTFIELD
Boston's Hector Pettite hit .329 and reached base at a .399 clip. His outfield mates Tony Trevino and Howie Durham were .250 hitters with less than spectacular extra-base hit numbers. Portland's Darren Thomas had an all-star season -- 302-40-86 with 23 steals. His colleagues in the outfield -- Ken Webster and Josias Veras -- each hit 20+ homers. Webster struck out 140 times. EDGE: Portland, by a hair, because chicks dig the long ball.

DESIGNATED HITTER
EDGE: Boston, as you would expect. It's easier to have a good DH when you plan for it in your everyday lineup. When in use, Jamie Yamamoto will do it for Boston. My guess is that catchers Olson and Gilbert plus Al Mendoza will fill the role here.

STARTING THREE
Boston: Willie Trajano-Groucho Hunter-Raymond Stone
Portland: Octavio Martin-Julian Santana-Preston Mays.

I have a sneaking suspicion that rebedwell is going to drop Larry Dickens (0-0, 4.50 in postseason) for Preston Mays (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 19 Ks in postseason). EDGE: Call me crazy. If he does that, Portland has the best staff. If he keeps Dickens, call it a push.

BULLPEN
Portland's Felipe Balboa has converted all six of his post-season save opportunities, but has a 4.63 ERA in the process. Danny Duran leads the Boston 'pen with a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. EDGE: Push. Both relief staffs are sharp.

THE BLOG SAYS: It all hinges on the games in Boston. Portland has a pitcher's park and the higher-seeded Beavers will host the majority of contests this season. The Beaver Cleavers lost one game at home in the playoffs and during the LCS, Philadelphia could only muster six runs in three games at PGE Park. Boston scored over 100 more runs than the Beavers this season. And, they scored significantly more runs at Fenway than on the road this year. Both team were built very well and suited perfectly to their respective leagues. It will be a seven-game series and it will be Portland's to lose. EDGE: Portland in seven.

World Series Preview

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I had Philly playing Cleveland. What the hell do I know?

The Beavers and the Minutemen battle for the fourth Wailing Onion World Series Title. For the first time in the history of the world, neither Kansas City nor Cincinnati will be represented. Instead we have:

vs.


Meet the contenders

Boston Minutemen
RF Hector Pettitte
SS Bud Rolison
3B Greg Lankford
DH Jamie Yamamoto
C Luke Cox
2B Howard Lee
1B Guillermo Rivera
LF Tony Trevino
CF Howie Durham
*Expect Trevino to sit and Yamamoto to play LF or RF during games in Portland

Portland Beavers
CF Darren Thomas
1B Al Mendoza
3B Philip Thompson
C Grant Gilbert
LF Josias Veras
2B Wendell Clement
RF Ken Webster
SS Carl McMurray
*Guy Olson, Grant Gilbert and Al Mendoza will likely split time at DH when games are played in Boston

BALLPARK NOTES
Fenway Park 2, 4, 0, 1, 0
PGE Park -4, -3, -3, -4, -4
(1B, 2B, 3B, HR LF, HR RF)