Let the madness begin!  Major league baseball free agency officially begins Friday, Nov. 14.  However, for team looking for starting pitching - and really, who isn't? - the dominoes may begin to fall once the Jake Peavy trade goes down.

It's looking more and more likely that the Braves, and not the Cubs, will end up with Peavy. That should open the door for Cubs GM Jim Hendry to make an aggressive bid to re-sign his own free-agent, Ryan Dempster.

Following that, look for the Cubs to turn their sights to Kerry Wood. Once Dempster & Wood's situations are resolved, one way or the other, that will leave a left-handed hitting position player on the to-do list for Hendry.

The name Jeremy Hermida has been floating around the rumor mill lately, but will the Marlins trade the young outfielder now that they have moved Willingham? I don't think so.

Bobby Abreu and Raul Ibanez are also out there, though I'm not getting a warm & fuzzy from Hendry regarding either of those two players for some reason.

Perhaps the answer to the Cubs need for a left-handed bat is as simple as giving Mike Fontenot the starting job at second base, as some of you have suggested.

I'd still like to see the Cubs change the mix, get some leadership from a proven veteran who has had success in the postseason. But that's easier said than done.

One such pitcher could be Derek Lowe, who probably will go for a similar deal as Ryan Dempster. But Hendry really likes Dempster, so he is far more likely at this point. Though Lowe is older, he keeps himself in great shape, hasn't had injury problems, and has had some success in the postseason. He is said to want to return to Boston. His agent is Scott Boras.

The two biggest prizes available on the free agent market for pitching is CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. Sabathia will likely command a contract in the neighborhood of 6-years, $150m, particularly if he is willing to consider the Yankees.

Burnett is looking for a deal in the range of about $18m per year over 5 years or so.  Lowe should be available for three or four years, at approximately $15m per.

But that first foot has to drop before the ball will start rolling. That first foot may well be the Peavy trade. According to MLBTradeRumors.com, the latest offering from Atlanta is said to include Yunel Escobar, Gorkys Hernandez, Charlie Morton or Jo-Jo Reyes, and Blaine Boyer or one of two minor league southpaws.

Look for Atlanta and San Diego to close the deal over the weekend, if not sooner. Then, the fun really starts, come to think of it.

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