Happy New Year and welcome to 2013! While the calendar has switched to January, we're still in the midst of taking a look back at the big offseason moves of 2012.

The year is almost over, which means that the 2013 baseball season is drawing near. While things have been more quiet than normal here at FB365, the gears are still grinding. Here is part one of my takes on this offseason's biggest moves and how they might impact your fantasy team.

Ryan Dempster signs with the Red Sox

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Francisco Liriano has reportedly agreed to a two-year contract worth $12.75 million with the Pirates according to Jon Heyman. In less publicized news, a trio of once exciting pitchers agreed to minor-league contracts. Jeremy Bonderman signed a deal with the Mariners, Scott Kazmir signed with the Indians, and Rich Harden inked a deal with the Twins. None of the three pitchers pitched in the majors last year.

One player was welcomed to Chicago this week when the Cubs signed Edwin Jackson to a four year contract worth $52 million. Another player, A.J. Pierzynski, bid the Windy City adieu leaving the White Sox as a free agent and signing a one year contract with the Rangers. Jackson goes from being an overlooked member of a loaded Nationals rotation in 2012 to being relied on to pitch near the top of the Cubs rotation this year. Pierzynski is coming off a career year and is tasked with helping the Rangers offense cope with the loss of free agents Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli.

American League West division rivals, the Angels and Mariners, agreed to a trade that should help both teams. The Angels sent Kendrys Morales to the offense starved Mariners for Jason Vargas, who will help round out the Angels' rotation. The Angels signing of Josh Hamilton created a logjam in their lineup, and while Mark Trumbo and Peter Bourjos were the names bandied about the rumor mill, it was Morales who ended up dealt. The Mariners had a variety of options at their disposal to fill the rotation, and multiple prospect arms nearly ready for the show, making Vargas expendable. At first blush, it is a deal that makes sense for both teams, but what does it mean for the players involved?

On Monday the Houston Astros signed Carlos Pena to a one-year contract, and he'll likely serve as the club's primary designated hitter while also seeing time at first base this year. Pena struggled last year, hitting under .200, and striking out at his highest rate since 2005. A low batting average and strikeouts have always been part of the package that comes with owning Pena. Unfortunately, they didn't come with his usual thump. He hit only 19 home runs, his lowest total since 2006, a season in which he spent most of the year in the minors. It's possible last year is a sign that Pena has reached the end of the line of being fantasy relevant, but I don't believe so.

The baseball hot stove is heating up, and it's not simply the result of free agent signings. This week we saw two blue chip prospects dealt. The Royals sent Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery and Patrick Leonard to the Rays for James Shields and Wade Davis on Sunday. On Tuesday, the Indians were busy orchestrating a three team trade that saw them first send Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Donald to the Reds for Didi Gregorius and Drew Stubbs. They then turned around and sent Gregorius packing along with Tony Sipp and Lars Anderson to the Diamondbacks for Trevor Bauer, Bryan Shaw, and Matt Albers. For the purpose of this article, I'll be discussing the impact of the trade only on Myers and Bauer.

The winter meetings are certainly here and a few of the free agents have already found new homes. The Red Sox made one of the bigger winter meeting moves thus far, signing C/1B Mike Napoli to a three-year deal. How does going from Texas to Boston affect Napoli's fantasy value?

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