I found it interesting that two of the deals struck here during the winter meetings that have opened the door for the two best prospects in the game.

The O's sending Ramon Hernandez to the Reds served a couple of purposes. It created room for them to play Matt Wieters every day, without sinking the cost that is Hernandez on their bench. It also saved them some money, which is at least useful because they've made plays for both Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. Wieters is now on the clock for the O's - the team will probably get a veteran to be his caddy, so he has someone that is a mentor type and a little protection for the team in case he flops. But make no mistake, this trade makes it pretty clear that he'll be up with the big league squad in 2009, perhaps as the Opening Day starter.

Meanwhile, Tampa just traded Edwin Jackson to the Tigers. This trade creates the rotation spot that David Price probably would have taken anyhow in spring training competition. The Rays are saying all the right things about Price having to beat out Jason Hammel, Jeff Niemann and others, but barring a complete collapse in spring training or an injury, that spot belongs to Price.