Forget crying: there are no bailouts in baseball either.  The free-agent silly season of throwing Monopoly money at available players is in full force.  

It was launched last week as the two New York teams committed a hefty $280.5 million to three arms (and one belly); the Phillies gave $30 million to a 36-year-old outfielder who has never made an All-Star team; Cleveland bet $20.5 million on Kerry Wood's health; and Kansas City gave $9.5 million to Kyle Farnsworth, a set-up man with a 4.47 career ERA.

And it shows no sign of slowing.  Currently, the A’s, Dodgers and Braves are rumored to be after Rafael Furcal, a lifetime .286 hitting-shortstop who played in just 36 games last year.  The Yankees, seemingly not content with their new, initialed-pitchers, are ready to offer Manny Ramirez a three-year deal, worth anywhere from $22 million to $25 million per year.  Some recession.

And the ember that is keeping this stove burning, Mark Teixeira, could be inking a staggering 10-year deal with the Red Sox, or he may still yet end-up with either the Orioles, Angels, Nationals, or, yes, even the Yankees.  

Signing free agents is often a crapshoot (just ask those teams who found themselves on the wrong end of our Top 10 Worst Free Agent Signings), particularly when a player's best year coincides with the ideal time for it – when his salary can skyrocket on the open market.   There are rarely bargains available, and no sure things, though some of the players signed to the biggest deals have made it seem that way.  We put together a list of the 10 Best Free Agent Signings, along with a few honorable mentions below.

Honorable Mention:  Cecil Fielder, Detroit, 1/15/90, two years, $3 million – a free agent upon returning to the U.S. from a season in Japan, Fielder hit 51 home runs for the Tigers in his first year, back when that was a rare accomplishment ... Keith Foulke, Boston, 12/13/03, three years, $24 million – the unsung hero of the Red Sox's curse-shattering 2004 championship.  Without Foulke's heroics in the ALCS in Game 4 (2 2/3 innings of shutout relief) and Game 5 (an inning and a third, stranding three runners), Curt Schilling's bloody sock would never have taken the mound for Game 6(saved by Foulke, of course) ... Goose Gossage, New York Yankees, 11/22/77, six years, $2.8 million – The Yankees already had a closer, reigning Cy Young winner Sparky Lyle, but George Steinbrenner wanted the best pitcher available, and the fireballing Gossage gave him 150 saves and 41 wins in six seasons, with ERAs that ranged from 2.62 down to 0.77.

To qualify, the free agency had to be the player's choice; the greatest signing of all might have been Boston's one year, $1.25 million deal for David Ortiz in 2003, but that followed his release by Minnesota, a different matter altogether.