While the Cardinals and Astros are staying eerily quiet (I can't imagine the Cards are done, but you never know), the Pirates are making noise today. Roberto Hernandez is their new closer for $2.75 million next year. He was solid, though somewhat prone to giving up very untimely runs, as the Mets set-up man last year. The ZiPS projection system does not treat him well. At all.
The Pirates have also apparently floated a three-year deal to Bill Mueller. Mueller isn't going to be the biggest waste of money in this year's market, but once again the Pirates are patching together a 70-win team with a bunch of marginal prospects and a few equally middling veterans.
In Chicago, Cubs fans are excited at the prospect of bringing in Miguel Tejada, but he's backed off a bit, at least publicly, in his trade demand. I wouldn't mind it one bit if Tejada stays in Baltimore (or goes to Boston, as has also been rumored). As the Cubs are currently constructed, they're a few games worse than the Crew in 2006--replacing Neifi Perez or Ronny Cedeno in the starting lineup with Miguel Tejada drastically changes that picture.