Aaron Boone, I-Rod, Pedro, More.

Aaron Boone will undergo open-heart surgery.

My heart goes out to him. I hope he makes it through everything and plays again. The one-time All Star is best known for his 2003 ALCS series winning home run off of Tim Wakefield. This will end Boone's season. At age 36, it is not very likely that he will find a starting job after recovery. I think retirement is unlikely, as Boone seems to have the desire to continue to play into his 40s, even if it means taking a minor league job. My prediction for him when he recoveres from surgery is that he finds a job as a backup somewhere.

The Astros signed Ivan Rodriguez.

I like this move for the Astros. I-Rod has always been a good player, and adds valuable experience to any roster. When the Yankees acquired him from the Tigers for Kyle Farnsworth-less last year straight up, I honestly thought that the Tigers got fleeced. This is good for the Astros because they have not had a solid offensive catcher in a while. How Brad Ausmus stayed with them for so long is still a mystery.

The Royals sign Sidney Ponson.

And the world still goes round. This move will ammount to nothing, as Ponson won't be able to find the stuff that earned him a 22.5 million dollar contract at the end of the 2003 season. Additionally, he is on a team that is in baseball purgatory, and will not finish out of the basement until 2012 at the earliest. Ponson found favor after pitching well for the Netherlands in their miracle win against the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic

Pedro still unsigned, Astros have no interest.

Not really surprising, as the Astros have 6 starters already. It is a shame that Pedro can't find work, as there are plenty of teams that could use a starter of his caliber. I think he would be a good fit for the Texas Rangers, as they don't exactly have any stellar starting pitchers. A better fit would be the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have the same problem, and are in the allegedly easier NL. Pedro is undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer. First-ballot is questionable currently.

Josh Bard was released.

And its 2006 all over again. Some of you may remember the RedSox trading Edgar Rentaria and cash to the Braves for Andy Marte, flipping Marte and Kelly Shoppach to the Indians for Bard and Coco Crisp, and then flipping Bard to the Padres for Mirabelli. Bard once again fails to learn to catch the knuckleball of Tim Wakefield, and can't be an adequate backup for All-Star Jason Varitek. I use the term All-Star loosely, as his stats didn't show an All-Star quality. Bard will probably find work backing up someone elsewhere.