Every year the Hot Stove brings trades and expensive Free Agent signings. The winter of 2006 was no different. Alfonso Soriano was this year's big money winner. Taking home a contract worth $136 million over 8 years. There is no doubt he will finish in the Top 10 in both home runs and steals. And the Diamondbacks got back a name to fill some seats, when Randy Johnson was traded for a few prospects. But how much gas is left in his tank? These names are of the superstar variety and will have a positive affect on any team. Though some players take on new fantasy value when changing uniforms. Like these five players who will have to adjust to new surroundings this summer. Here's a look into what could potentially be positive statistics for managers of the fantasy world.

Orioles, 1B, 3B, OF
2006 Stats: .267 AVG, 21 HR, 66 RBI, .813 OPS, 454 AB
Comments: While Huff split time between Tampa Bay and Houston last season, his fantasy value remained practically unchanged. He hit for a higher average with Tampa Bay, though he hit more homeruns with Houston. Both ball parks have short porches in right, but not as reachable as Camden Yards, where Huff now calls home. He signed with Baltimore in the off season as they definitely needed a run producer in the middle of their lineup. It is yet to be determined if he will hit clean up behind Miguel Tejada. The Orioles may decide to give Nick Markakis the nod as Miggy's protection and have Huff follow him. Markakis is coming off a very successful second half after tearing it up in the minors the last two seasons. Regardless if Huff hits 4th or 5th, he is likely to put up respectable numbers on any fantasy roster. He is slotted in as the designated hitter but still holds first base, third base and outfield eligibility in most fantasy leagues. Since he spent nearly his entire career in the American League East, facing some of the league's best pitching shoudn't be seen as a drawback. Huff is capable of belting 30 HR and 90 RBI while hitting .280 for his new club. Definitely sleeper worthy after all the big names are off the board.

Pirates, 1B
2006 Stats: .285 AVG, 32 HR, 90 RBI, .915 OPS, 492 AB
Comments: Acquiring Laroche from the Atlanta Braves for closer Mike Gonzalez and prospects may prove to be the best move the Pirates have made since they landed Jason Bay in the Brian Giles trade of 2003. They sorely needed a left handed bat and protection for Jason Bay. Bay has averaged 97.5 walks the last two seasons. Expect that to change with Laroche hitting behind him. He silenced his critics who claim he is not patient enough at the plate (55 BB, 128 SO last season), by breaking out in 2006. Hitting mostly 7th for the Braves last season, his stock is likely to rise a bit by hitting cleanup for the Pirates in '07. Most people wouldn't see this new job as glamorous, but Laroche should embrace his first opportunity of being an every day player and team leader. He is still in the same division and killed fastballs at a clip of .318 last season. He has the National League's Batting Champion in Freddy Sanchez setting the table. If Sanchez can get on base and in the pitcher's head, this team can put up a lot more runs than last season when they were second to last in runs scored. Though Laroche has struggled against left handed pitching (.241 AVG, 7 HR in 2006), I would expect him to improve as the season progresses. Rank him appropriately with Aubrey Huff somewhere around the 15th round.

Astros, OF
2006 Stats: .300 AVG, 37 HR, 116 RBI, 17 SB, .895 OPS, 624 AB
Comments: Other than Soriano, Carlos Lee was this year's most versatile and overpaid free agent. But he did find a suitable home to showcase his talents. Playing his home games at the Band Box the Astros call home, he has an excellent shot at reaching the 40 homerun plateau for the first time in his eight year career. The porch in left field stands only 315 feet from homeplate. That is a lot of would-be pop outs, that are now going the distance. And Lee goes for speed too. He has been successful 75% of the time he attempts to steal a base in his career and should be good for about 20 SB. There are only a handful of players that own Lee's kind of fantasy value. He will have plenty of RBI opportunities hitting behind Lance Berkman. The only question in this lineup is who will protect Lee. One candidate that comes to mind is Morgan Ensberg. Coming off a sub-par year, he needs to regain the form he held in 2005 when he hit 36 HR with a .283 AVG, to help further Lee's value. Never underestimate a player's protection. Every player sees his share of two out RBI opportunities and his success in those situations can bring in an extra 10-20 runs scored for the players on base. And I expect Lee to be on base a lot.

Red Sox, SP
2006 Stats: 17-5, 2.60 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 200K, 5.88 K/BB, 186.1 IP
Comments: Now this was an interesting transaction. There's absolutely no way to determine Matsuzaka's value at this point. Well, I guess you can say somewhere around $100 million, or at least that's what the Red Sox paid for him. Granted, he is only 26 years old and has some sort of pitch that is similar to a screwball. But how does his 2006 statistics translate? A lot of scouts say that Japanese baseball is somewhere between AAA and MLB. So I would view D-Mat like a finely groomed prospect. Though he does have that world experience in the World Baseball Classic last spring. Where he was not only lights out, but also the MVP of the World Champion Japanese team. I picture his first go around the league to be very successful. Most of these guys haven't faced him, and that usually benefits the pitcher. Especially with an experienced and intelligent catcher like Jason Varitek. Notice how Boston fell off after he got hurt last season? I would argue he is more important to that staff than any of the guys who actually pitch. He knows the American League hitters and how to get them out. All D-Mat has to do is put the ball where Tek asks him to and he will win 15-17 games in his rookie season. Since he will be making 15 starts at Fenway, his ERA should hover somewhere between 3.50-4.00. And I anticipate a WHIP around 1.25 and about 160 K.

Tigers, OF
2006 Stats: .298 AVG, 6 HR, 25 RBI, .805 OPS, 151 AB
Comments: Sheffield was traded to Detroit in the offseason for prospects. This bodes well for the middle of the Tigers lineup. They finally have some protection for Magglio Ordonez and a run producer that has a bit of patience. The is no question the Tigers have talented hitters, but having a professional hitter like Sheffield in clubhouse, should benefit the maturation of some of these young hacks. His wrist appears to be 100%, but we have yet to see him swing a bat. Can he still generate enough bat speed to be considered the fastest bat in the biz? Sheffield, a career .297 hitter, should smash a lot of doubles in Comerica Park. The power allies are 370 and 365 feet from home plate. That is where Sheffield earns his money. I'm not saying he doesn't have the strength to hit some bombs, but Comerica is a tad bit bigger than Yankee Stadium. And when you consider his lion-sized heart into the equation, you know he will perform. He definitely feels he is worth the money he is being paid, and wants to prove to the Yankees that they made a mistake by trading him. Much like a contract year, players with his demeanor, can have a revenge year. He is a good bet to finish with about 30 HR and 100 RBI.