Travis Lee signed a one-year, $3 million dollar deal with the Phillies a week ago today. This is probably a good price for Lee. He hasn't come close to reaching the level of production that the Diamondbacks expected when they signed him to a major league deal in 1997, but he has become the Phillies' starting first baseman and still has some growth potential.

I believe Lee becomes a free agent after the 2003 season, so Philadelphia should look to trade him sometime in the next year and a half. Jimmy Rollins and Marlon Anderson will have had time to mature defensively by that time, so Pat Burrell should be able to move to first base. Lee likely doesn't fit in their long-term plans, therefore the club should look to pick up what they can for him in trade, as some team's first baseman always goes down mid-season.

Trot Nixon and the Red Sox also worked out a one-year deal last Friday worth $2.7 million. Despite the fact that he shouldn't be a free agent until after 2004, Boston may well regret not locking Nixon into a long-term deal this off-season. All his numbers indicate he's going to significantly improve upon last year's break-out season, especially as Johnny Damon, Nomar Garciaparra, and Manny Ramirez will now surround him in the lineup for a full season. If Joe Kerrigan sticks as manager, Nixon should see a boost in his steals along with his power numbers. He has the potential to have 30 SB and 40 HR with 120 Runs, and with numbers like those, Nixon could become very expensive very quickly.

Derrek Lee was among five Marlins' players that signed one-year contracts avoiding arbitration last Friday. Lee will receive $2.7 million this season and should be a free agent after 2003. Florida should decide soon whether or not they want to keep him in their long-term plans with a move to the outfield or let him go in favor of Adrian Gonzalez, the first overall pick in 2000. Either way, they should probably sign him to a long-term deal as he could start asking for double this price with a small uptick in his power numbers. Provided the multi-year contract contains a reasonable salary, he becomes even better trade bait if the club decides to move him.

On Tuesday, Brian Daubach signed a one-year, $2.325M contract. This is probably an acceptable salary, as they seem to want to give him more at bats this season, though he has had some problems against lefties, hitting only .214 against them in his career and a mere .169 last season. Daubach still has a few years left before free agency, but there's no real reason for Boston to sign him to a multi-year deal, as he really shouldn't be in their long-term plans.

The Cincinnati Reds signed Aaron Boone to a one-year, $2.1M deal last Friday. This price was likely slightly discounted because of his injury problems last season. If he can just have a little better luck this year, he should be able to stay healthy, as most of his troubles last year came from broken bones. He's not a great player, but as his father is the manager, I'd expect him to stick around for a few seasons since he won't be eligible for free agency before 2004.

Alex Gonzalez signed a one-year, $1.7M deal a week ago today. Gonzalez should have likely joined Deivi Cruz and Pokey Reese among the non-tendered shortstops, as they're struggling to find jobs while he's not a notably better player and probably could have been re-signed at a cheaper price. However, I can understand if the Marlins wanted to hold onto his rights for a few more seasons as he should currently be under their control until after 2004.

Cincinnati also completed a one-year deal with Juan Encarnacion last Friday worth $1.55 million. Trading Dmitri Young to acquire another outfielder didn't make a lot of sense at the time. The Reds would have been much better off shelling out the five or six million for Young and his position flexibility than wasting this much on an outfielder for which they will soon have no room. He shouldn't be a free agent for another two or three years, so the club should definitely look into turning him around for pitching depth.

Chris Singleton signed a one-year, $1.4M deal one week ago today. Given that they weren't able to trade him and he'll likely be the White Sox starting center fielder again this season, this is probably a reasonable price for Singleton. However, they certainly need to continue to pursue possible trade options, as there is no reason for him to stay with the club all the way through his arbitration years.

Last Friday, Chad Fox signed a one-year, $1.2M deal to avoid arbitration. While he is probably the Brewers best reliever, he needs to prove that he can stay healthy before they sign him to a long-term deal. If he pitches well this year, Milwaukee can lock him up with a multi-year contract before he can become a free agent after 2003.

Montreal signed Michael Barrett to a one-year, $1.15M contract last Friday. This is probably a good salary for now, though he needs to rebound from the downturn he took after being jerked around in 2000 between catcher and third base. The Expos don't have a lot to spend, so if he doesn't improve they might need to use their resources on someone else despite his previous potential.

The last player on today's list, Robert Fick, signed a one-year contract worth $1.15 million last Wednesday. Fick really needs to stay healthy in order to earn this salary, but given his offensive upside, the Tigers secured him at a good price. If he does stay off the DL this season, the Tigers might consider signing him to a multi-year contract before he hits free agency after the 2004 season.