December is usually prime time in baseball's hot-stove league, but with the market seemingly frozen, Tony Massarotti lists reasons why for the Boston Globe:
- The economy. With the possibility of dipping revenue over the next year (or years), teams are reluctant to jump into long-term, expensive player contracts.
- CC Sabathia. “Pitching still wins,” writes Massarotti, meaning that a big prize like left-hander Sabathia has huge sway over the free-agent market. Teams are waiting to see where he goes before pursuing the next-best thing.