And everyone seems to want starting pitching. And a healthy power-hitting catcher. A shortstop who has some speed would be nice. What about a .300-hitting first-baseman? Or a switch-hitting third-baseman?

It's not easy being general manager. You have to figure out who to use, when to use him, and how much you will have to give up for him. But it's a job that I, and any other baseball fan would give an arm--or at least a sore arm--to do.

All baseball fans imagine what trades they would make to improve their teams. And when the trades are actually made, they provide plenty of interesting questions for the fans.

From a fan's perspective, trades are the only good things that happen in the off-season. All other baseball news over the winter involves injuries, arrests or salary disputes. During the off-season, trades are the only things that keep a fan thinking about what's important--next year and opening day.

Can we afford to give up the veteran? Where will he hit in the lineup? Will he break the rotation, or will we use him in the bullpen? Will that rookie be as good as he's supposed to be?

It's what baseball, and being a baseball fan, is all about.