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While we’re in the midst of a lag between baseball seasons, there’s been a considerable amount of action worth discussing. With a number of exciting names in the mix, this should come as no surprise.

What a team decides to do in between seasons can largely shape their success during the year to come. A perfect example of this would be the remarkable surge the Yankees made in 2009. A team that missed out on the playoffs the previous year was suddenly the best in all of the sport.

The team looked nothing like its former self after adding Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher to its batting lineup and CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett to its pitching rotation. This gave the Yanks a powerhouse roster that no team could compete with.

Which teams have made the biggest signings during the 2009 off season so far? Did your favorite team acquire any big names? Let’s take a look at some of the most notable action so far.

The Red Sox made a Yankee-like move this winter, signing perhaps the biggest pitching name in free agency. John Lackey is a big name pitcher with big game experience, having logged dozens of games for the Angels in the post season during his career.

While he experiences an occasional injury, all in all he’s one of the best there is. Few pitchers have been as consistent has Lackey during the course of the last five seasons.

One may be surprised by the fact that a competitive team like the Angels somehow let Lackey go. While this is obviously an unfortunate blow to the franchise, all is not lost. Having signed Hideki Matsui, the balance of power slightly shifts away from the Yankees and in favor of the Angels. The man who many credit with having won the World Series for New York will now be playing in Los Angeles.

Matsui’s role as a fielder will be just as valuable to an Angels team that could stand to benefit from some more stellar defense. This helps to dampen the blow that they’ll feel from the loss of their star pitcher.

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