Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

The smell of spring is in the air and the sounds of baseball are coming back.  Spring training is almost over and the regular season starts on April fourth.  The stadiums are going to be filled, and soon predictions for the World Series will be made.  Baseball fans are ready to root for their favorite teams.

The Saint Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins will open off the 2012 season at Florida’s newly build stadium.  They open on Wednesday night and six teams will open on the following day.

Baseball teams are ready to kick off their seasons with new members.  Over the off-season many changes were made.  A few of the changes are the Royals trading Golson to the White Sox in exchange for money.  They also traded pitcher Kevin Chapman and a minor league player to Houston for Humberto Quintero, and Jason Bourgeois.

The Cincinnati Reds acquired Mat Latos in a five player deal with San Diego in which they gave up three prospects and Edinson Volquez exchange for the right-hander.  The Yankees traded number one prospect catcher Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners for young pitcher Mickael Pietrus.  The Cardinals lost Albert Pujols due to free agency.  He went to the Los Angeles Angels. And the Milwaukee Brewers Prince Fielder signed with Detroit Tigers.

Red Sox players Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield both retired after last season.  Chipper Jones announced that he will retire after this season. There are also rumors that Mariano Rivera will retire after this season.

Andy Pettitte singed a minor league contract with the Yankees earlier this spring.  Manny Ramirez singed a minor league contract with Oakland Athletics after missing nearly the entire 2011 season.  He must first serve a 50 game suspension after testing positive for using performance enhancing drugs during the 2011 season.

Other teams not mentioned have also made changes to their rosters.  Over the course of the next few months we’ll see if these changes pay off for the teams.  April is right around the corner, so get ready for the baseball season to begin.