After a very quiet beginning to the Hot Stove season, the smoldering ashes have exploded into a conflagration of action over the last ten days. Several key free agents have signed with teams looking to restock talent, and there have been a couple of blockbuster trades that have changed the landscape of contenders.

The Atlanta Braves signed closer Billy Wagner, which set off a chain reaction of free agent signings that went from the deep South, to the Northeast, to the City of Brotherly Love, then clear across the United States to the Pacific Northwest. Tim McCullough picks apart the rubble to examine the fantasy impact of this chain reaction.

The market remains eerily quiet, but a rumble of interest emerged from the Boston Red Sox camp this week. Tim McCullough takes a look at why this winter's free agent class has been slow to develop and examines where the Red Sox may be focusing their efforts to catch up with the Yankees.

At some point during this off-season I fully expect that it will be difficult to keep up with all the trades and free agent signings. However, for the moment it’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and I’m bored to tears. In my world, that’s a perfect time to trot out one of my favorite topics to rant about, player agents. Though this is more of a baseball topic than a fantasy baseball topic per se, but it still makes for an interesting backdrop to the current Hot Stove season.

There was a sudden flurry of trade activity right after the World Series ended, with three major trades consummated seemingly within hours of the last out. Then, just as suddenly, an eerie calm ensued that almost completely hushed all news of deals. So, we are in the midst of a lull in the action that will likely last until some time after November 20^th, the date that teams can open negotiations with all free agents.

The 2009 Fantasy Baseball season ended more than a month ago. The 2009 World Series ended with the New York Yankees crowned as the champions for the 27^th time in the team’s history. So, for all intents and purposes, baseball is over for now. But it’s never too soon to start preparations for next year’s fantasy baseball season. Spring Training for the 2010 season opens in about 100 days. So, if you start now you just might be ready in time for your draft day here at The World Cup of Fantasy Sports next March 1^st – 30^th.