After the 2008 season, there were plenty of high profile baseball free agents that teams could not wait to sign. While economic worries caused teams to move cautiously, there soon were enough blockbuster trades to keep every baseball free agent tracker busy. Though no records were set for individual contracts, the baseball free agent list below shows that 2009 was still very kind to the big names.

Mark Teixeira. The Los Angeles Angels lost a great one when they let Mark Teixeira, their wonderful first baseman, get away. Of course, they may not have had the money to match the ever-powerful New York Yankees massive payroll. The Yanks sign Teixera to an 8-year $180 million contract. The long-hitting Teixeira was the top free agent this year with over 200 homer runs in his first five seasons in the pros.

CC Sabathia. The New York Yankees nabbed the other top 2008 baseball free agent, CC Sabathia. Sabathia, a vaunted left-handed pitcher, commanded a $161 million deal over seven years from the Yankees. The native Californian has composed a career ERA of just 3.68 and was coming off a great season with the Milwaukee Brewers, going 11-2 and with a .165 ERA.

Manny Ramirez. In the most drawn out and anticlimactic free agent signing in recent memory, Manny Ramirez ultimately stayed with his current team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a back and forth battle between the Dodgers and his agent Scott Boras that lasted from the end of the 2008 season until one month before camp opened, the two sides ultimately settled for the same money that was initially offered. The left field slugger was sought after for his hitting skills and finally signed a $45 million 2-year deal.

A.J. Burnett. The New York Yankees landed their second major pitcher in a bid to return to championship form when they signed starting pitcher A.J. Burnett. The Yanks signed three out of four of the biggest contracts from the 2008 baseball free agent list. Burnett, a veteran pitcher who most recently was with the Toronto Blue Jays, was coming off a 18-10 campaign in 2008 with a 4.07 ERA, his worst in the past five years. That did not deter the Yankees, who signed him to a $82.5 million contract over the next 5 years.

Derek Lowe. In another tale of a Los Angeles star heading east, Derek Lowe moved from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Atlanta Braves. Lowe, a starting pitcher in his 12th season, has a career ERA of 3.74 and was coming off his most productive season in 5 years, winning 14 of 25 games with a 3.24 ERA. The Braves locked up 35-year-old Lowe for four years with a $60 million contract.

Looking ahead, the 2009 baseball free agent list looks intriguing as well. Big hitters Matt Holiday, Jason Bay and Vladimir Guerrero lead the list of batters while Josh Beckett, Kevin Millwood and Vincente Padilla will be the top pitching prospects.

We keep it real here at Electro-Mech, because we’re more than just an electronic scoreboards continue to light up, we’ll be there.