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Next up let's take a look at the offseason moves made by NL Central clubs so far.

Cubs

• Acquired/Re-signed: John Grabow, Ryne White, Scott Maine, Jeff Gray, Matthew Spencer, Ronny Morla, Mike Parisi, Carlos Silva
• Lost: Rich Harden, Aaron Heilman, Aaron Miles, Jake Fox, Milton Bradley

Reds

• Acquired/Re-signed: Justin Lehr, Wilkin Castillo, Laynce Nix, Ramon Hernandez 
• Lost: Danny Richar, Ramon Ramirez, Craig Tatum, Ben Jukich

Astros

• Acquired/Re-signed: Jason Bourgeois, Chris Shelton, Alex Romero, Drew Meyer, Oswaldo Navarro, Gary Majewski, Casey Daigle, Roy Corcoran, Matt Lindstrom, Pedro Feliz, Brandon Lyon, Jason Michaels, Gustavo Chacin, Edgar Ferreira, Geoff Blum
• Lost: Chris Coste, LaTroy Hawkins, Luis Bryan, Robert Bono, Jorge Jimenez, Geoff Geary

Brewers

• Acquired/Re-signed: Adam Stern, Carlos Gomez, Mark DiFelice, Craig Counsell, Trevor Hoffman, Claudio Vargas, George Kottaras, Chris Capuano, John Halama, Gregg Zaun, Trent Oeltjen, Luis Cruz, Chuck Lofgren, Randy Wolf, A.J. Murray, LaTroy Hawkins, Kameron Loe, Matt Treanor
• Lost: Jason Bourgeois, Corey Patterson, Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, J.J. Hardy, Mike Rivera

Pirates

• Acquired/Re-signed: Justin Thomas, Akinori Iwamura, Chris Jakubauskas, Wilfredo Ledezma, Vinnie Chulk, Bobby Crosby, John Raynor, Javier Lopez
• Lost: Luis Cruz, Chris Bootcheck, Jesse Chavez, Eric Hacker, Robinzon Diaz, Phil Dumatrait, Matt Capps

Cardinals

• Acquired/Re-signed: Jason LaRue, Ruben Gotay, Brad Penny, Ben Jukich
• Lost: Jarrett Hoffpauir, Brad Thompson, Joe Thurston, Mark DeRosa, Troy Glaus, Mike Parisi, Brian Barden

We are looking to design an MLB Trade Rumors iPhone application.  The main request for this app is that it uses push notifications to alert users of new posts involving specified teams and/or players.

If you or your company has experience in designing iPhone apps and you're interested in creating ours, please contact me at mlbtriphone@gmail.com.  Experience creating sports-related apps is a plus.

Also, iPhone users – if you have other ideas for an MLBTR app beyond the push notifications, please let us know in the comments of this post.

Today let's take a look at moves made so far this offseason by NL East teams.  Unsigned free agents are not yet considered losses for this post.  Also, Rule 5 losses might end up returning.

Braves

• Acquired/Re-signed: Tim Hudson, Juan Abreu, Mitch Jones, Scott Proctor, Melky Cabrera, Arodys Vizcaino, Michael Dunn, Brent Clevlen, Joe Thurston, Jesse Chavez, Takashi Saito, Billy Wagner, Troy Glaus
• Lost: Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, Boone Logan, Javier Vazquez, Buddy Carlyle, Edgar Osuna, Jorge Campillo

Marlins

• Acquired/Re-signed:  Hunter Jones, Jose Alvarez, Luis Bryan, Robert Bono, Jorge Jimenez, Clay Hensley, Brian Barden, Donnie Murphy
• Lost: Alejandro de Aza, Scott Proctor, Ross Gload, Jeremy Hermida, Nick Johnson, Matt Lindstrom, John Raynor

Mets

• Acquired/Re-signed: Chris Carter, Alex Cora, Elmer Dessens, Chris Coste, Mike Hessman, Henry Blanco, Clint Everts, Ryota Igarashi, Kelvim Escobar
• Lost: Wilson Valdez, J.J. Putz, Lance Broadway, Brian Schneider 

Phillies

• Acquired/Re-signed:  Andy Tracy, DeWayne Wise, Wilson Valdez, Paul Hoover, Brian Schneider, Juan Castro, Placido Polanco, David Herndon, Cody Ransom, Chris Duffy, Ross Gload, J.C. Ramirez, Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, Roy Halladay
• Lost: Jack Taschner, Eric Bruntlett, Cliff Lee, Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, Travis d'Arnaud, Pedro Feliz, Rodrigo Lopez, Carlos Monasterios

Nationals

• Acquired/Re-signed: Jamie Burke, Doug Slaten, Scott Olsen, Brian Bruney, Jerry Owens, Ryan Speier, Ivan Rodriguez, Logan Kensing, Joel Peralta, Pete Orr, Jason Marquis, Eddie Guardado, Josh Whitesell, Eric Bruntlett, Matt Capps
• Lost: Josh Bard, Jamie Hoffmann, Zech Zinicola

Free agent deals this offseason have totaled about $400MM so far, according to ESPN's free agent tracker.  The offseason is young – by our count, almost 200 notable free agents remain unsigned.  Before the signings pick up again, let's discuss the best and worst so far.

Worst Signings

• Placido Polanco, Phillies – three years, $18MM.  Where was the demand for a 34-year-old second baseman coming off a .727 OPS?  What other club would've offered even one or two years at $5MM per?
• Brandon Lyon, Astros – three years, $15MM.  Lyon's not a bad pitcher, but this commitment is excessive.  He's not a high strikeout guy, and his '09 control was a career-worst.
• Fernando Rodney, Angels – two years, $11MM.  What would Rodney have gotten without the 37 saves?  I have a reliever, 33 in March, who posted a 4.40 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 4.9 BB/9.  Can I find a one-year, $2MM offer?
• John Grabow, Cubs – two years, $7.5MM.  The Cubs are tight on payroll, but were quick to commit an above-market contract to a lefty reliever with a 5.0 BB/9 in '09.
• Jason Kendall, Royals, Ivan Rodriguez, Nationals – two years, $6MM.  Kendall is 35, Pudge is 38, and neither topped a .700 OPS in '09.  Gregg Zaun had already signed a reasonable one-year, $2.15MM deal.
• Alex Cora, Mets – one year, $2MM.  Why did his salary hold steady despite a lousy '09?  This contract isn't a franchise-killer, but comparable players could've been had at less than a million bucks.

Best Signings

• Mike Cameron, Red Sox – two years, $15.5MM.  Cameron is getting up there (37 in January), but he seems perenially undervalued as a solid defender with pop.
• Marco Scutaro, Red Sox – two years, $12.5MM.  I saw Scutaro getting three years and $18MM, so this strikes me as a reasonable deal for the best available free agent shortstop.
• Nick Johnson, Yankees – one year, $5.75MM.  Johnson's injury history is acknowledged by the one-year deal.  The Yanks were able to add the best on-base threat on the free agent market for less than $6MM.
• Gregg Zaun, Brewers - one year, $2.15MM.  Worse catchers received two years and $3MM salaries.
• Troy Glaus, Braves – one year, $2MM.  I don't agree with trading Javier Vazquez to free up cash for Glaus and others, but in a vacuum I like the signing.  The risk isn't much; maybe he can supply 25 homers and a solid OBP from first base.
• Matt Capps, Nationals – one year, $3.5MM, J.J. Putz, White Sox – one year, $3MM, Ryota Igarashi, Mets – two years, $3MM, Kelvim Escobar, Mets – one year, $1.125MM.  These are the types of relief deals I respect – one-year commitments, or tiny salaries in Igarashi's case.  Relievers are so volatile, any of these guys could easily outpitch Rodney, Grabow, and Lyon.

The MLBTR Forums are hopping, with over 1,800 users signed up and engaging in baseball discussions and debates.  We've got areas for trade rumors, free agent talk, the draft, fantasy baseball, general baseball, and each of the 30 teams.  Sign up today!

Last week we conducted a survey asking readers to suggest ways to improve MLB Trade Rumors.  After sifting through hundreds of interesting submissions, here are a few thoughts:

• MLBTR does not have links open in new windows automatically.  Currently I prefer to let the user decide – just right-click and open in a new tab or window if you please.
• Auto-linking full player names to a stat website like Baseball-Reference would be helpful.  We're working on it.
• A possible iPhone application – I've gathered ideas on what it would do, and will probably start having this built.
• RSS feeds by team – this wasn't possible when I looked into it a year or so ago, but I will see what can be done.
• Email and/or text message alerts – I like the idea, and will look into both.
• The commenting system – last week we switched over to TypePad Connect after noticing it allows threaded comments, editing, and deleting.  However, it loads more slowly and we lost the numbered pages.  If possible we may install something like Disqus.
• We now have comment moderators in place, so you should see some improvement.  Disqus allows readers to report and rate comments, which is appealing.
• I will try to get back on track with weekly live chats.
• All Twitter links will be identified, either by us saying "Ken Rosenthal tweeted" or adding a "via Twitter" at the end of the sentence.  I should also note that whenever possible, I go back and replace Twitter links with article links by the same journalist.
• Certain posts become frequently-updated behemoths and are difficult to read if you're coming to them for the first time.  We are still going to add updates at the top of posts because that is where you look first.  But once a signing or trade becomes official, we'll rewrite the post as seen here.

We are always trying to make MLB Trade Rumors better.  This year we had developments such as 24-hour Winter Meetings coverage, a Top Stories ticker, a mobile website, and forums.  What improvements would you like to see?  Click here to write in your ideas anonymously.

We're hearing a lot of talk about how next year's free agent class (the 2010-11 group) is much better than this year's class.  Is that true?  Taking our always-updated 2011 free agents list, let's look position-by-position.

• Two big names jump out at catcher: Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez.  As you know, the Twins are aiming to take Mauer off the market with an extension.
• First base is potentially deep – Derrek Lee, Carlos Pena, Adam Dunn, and Paul Konerko are eligible for free agency, and Lance Berkman could join them if his $15MM option is declined.  Albert Pujols makes an appearance, but his option will be exercised at the least.
• No one particularly interesting at second base.
• Derek Jeter is the name to watch among shortstops, but most expect he'll re-sign before reaching free agency. Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins are technically on the list, but both have very team-friendly club options.
• Aramis Ramirez could head the third base group if he declines a $14.6MM player option. Ramirez did take less to re-sign with the Cubs last time around though.
• The outfield corners are interesting, with Carl Crawford, Manny Ramirez, and Jayson Werth.
• Very little going on in center field.
• Heading up the starting pitchers: Josh Beckett, Cliff Lee, Ted Lilly, Javier Vazquez, and Brandon Webb.  This group definitely looks more promising than the current one.
• Always plenty of closers listed, with Mariano Rivera at the top of the class.  Huston Street will also be among those eligible.
• As always, the following year's free agent class looks strong until players start getting extensions.  Roy Halladay just left the 2011 list.  Still, next year's group does look better, led possibly by Mauer, Crawford, Aramis, and a quality crop of frontline starters.

Dozens of players were non-tendered today, and they've been added to our 2010 free agents list.  It's fitting that these players comprise the youngest free agents, since they were cut before tallying six years of service time.  It should be noted that a one-year deal for many of these players can become more, as quite a few would again be arbitration-eligible after the 2010 season.  Let's take a look at the most interesting non-tenders…

• Matt Capps, RP – The decision to let Capps go was a surprise move by the Pirates.  The 26-year-old did fine work closing for the Bucs in 2007 and '08.  His career BB/9 is just 1.7.  His elbow was bruised twice this year, but Capps was otherwise healthy as his hits and home runs allowed ballooned.
• Kelly Johnson, 2B – Dealing with a wrist injury, Johnson hit .224/.303/.389 and lost the starting second base job in Atlanta.  He's an interesting pickup given his offensive success in the two years prior.  Johnson turns 28 in February.
• D.J. Carrasco, SP/RP – It was surprising to see Carrasco's name pop up as a possible non-tender on Friday, but it became a reality today.  The righty, 33 in April, led MLB in relief innings and did solid work with a 3.76 ERA.  Carrasco hopes to start in 2010, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
• Chien-Ming Wang, SP – Wang, 30 in March, had strong years in '06 and '07 as the Yankees' mid-rotation groundball specialist.  He had shoulder surgery in July but hopes to be ready by May 1st.
• Jack Cust, DH/OF – Cust is the AL strikeout leader for three years running, but he's also hit at least 25 home runs and drawn at least 90 walks in each of those seasons.  He'd fit best in a DH role.
• Ryan Garko, 1B – Garko, 29 in January, has some decent years under his belt but struggled after being traded to the Giants this year.  He still handles lefties well.
• Adam Miller, SP – Miller was once the Indians' top prospect, but he's had tendon surgery performed many times on the middle finger of his pitching hand.
• John Buck, C – Buck doesn't seem much worse than the veteran catchers currently snagging two-year offers, and he's only 29.  He's shown flashes of power at times.
• Mike MacDougal, RP – MacDougal became a non-tender candidate when the Nationals acquired Brian Bruney last week.  He saved 20 games this year but walked more than he struck out.
• Jonny Gomes, OF – Gomes, 29, hit .267/.338/.541 in 314 plate appearances for the Reds this year, though he did get to face lefties 35% of the time.  He's had a hard time shaking the platoon bat label due to a .224/.311/.448 career line against righties.
• Garrett Atkins, 1B/3B – He has the name value, but his defense and ability to hit away from Coors are in question.  This year, he didn't hit at Coors either.
• Ryan Church, RF – With a career line of .272/.345/.441 and strong right field defense, Church would at the least make a solid fourth outfielder.
• Jose Arredondo, RP – Armed with a 94 mph fastball, Arredondo posted a 1.62 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9 as a rookie in '08.  He struggled this year and is now scheduled for Tommy John surgery.  He could be signed with an eye on 2011.

Tampa Bay has come to terms with Dioner Navarro on a one-year, $2.1MM agreement, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  The soon-to-be 26-year-old struggled in 2009, posting a career worst OPS of .583.

Despite his disappointing campaign, do you think Navarro should have pressed ahead and sought out more money in arbitration?