The offseason is supposed to be a perennial winter of discontent for baseball fans. It was, after all, Hall of Fame second baseman Rogers Hornsby who quipped just so when asked what he did once the season ended.

"I'll tell you what I do," Hornsby replied. "I stare out the window and wait for spring."

And yet, it's hard not to feel optimistic even now. Baseball reminds us -- day in and day out, year after year -- that anything is possible next year, and with so many stars available in free agency and trade, a team's fortunes next year can change rapidly in the intervening months.

It's with those good vibes in mind, that we partake in a baseball-slanted Thanksgiving tradition. Below we offer a collection of things for fans of every team to be thankful for -- yes, even the Pirates. So enjoy. Gorge on turkey and all the trimmings. And remember Opening Day is only about four months away.

Switch-hitting catchers with power are tough to come by, but the Tigers now have one. On Tuesday, Victor Martinez agreed to a $50 million deal with Detroit. FanHouse TV's Steve Phillips says the Tigers are on the attack so far this winter, and it could get them back in the playoffs.

The Tigers and prized free-agent catcher Victor Martinez have agreed to a four-year deal worth $50 million, according to multiple reports.

Venezuelan reporter Ignacio Serrano of El Nacional was first to break the news of the agreement, and he reported that Detroit outbid the Red Sox, White Sox and Orioles for Martinez's services.

Martinez spent the last season-and-a-half with Boston, and hit .313 with 28 homers and 120 RBI over that span, so this is a significant blow in what is a weak catching market beyond Martinez. The Red Sox must decide by the end of Tuesday whether to offer Martinez's backup, Jason Varitek, arbitration.

It's a major coup for the Tigers, on the other hand, who watched their catchers hit a collective .223 last season as they struggled to hang with the White Sox and Twins in the AL Central.

DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit Tigers have agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Joaquin Benoit on a three-year deal.

Detroit confirmed the move Friday. Benoit had a 1.34 ERA as a setup man for Tampa Bay last season, and opponents hit .147 against him. Detroit envisions him in that role.

Benoit missed 2009 following rotator cuff surgery.

The deal pays Benoit $16.5 million, a contract similar to what setup man Brandon Lyon signed when he left the Tigers for Houston last offseason.

The Detroit Tigers have been one of the most aggressive teams early in free agency and they don't seem to be slowing down.

They re-signed Brandon Inge and Jhonny Peralta before they could really hit the open market. On Wednesday, they landed Joaquin Benoit to bolster their bullpen and might be adding a big bat to their lineup as well. Sources have told Ed Price of FanHouse, Jon Heyman of SI.com and Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the team is seriously pursuing a deal with Adam Dunn.

There's no word from the team at this point about what Dunn's role might be with the team, but they certainly have both the openings in the lineup and on the payroll to make room for him. Magglio Ordonez is gone, taking his $18 million salary with him, which means that Dunn, who has balked at being a DH in the past, would have a spot in an outfield corner.

The Detroit Tigers have reached an agreement with free-agent reliever Joaquin Benoit, according to multiple reports.

FOXSports.com was first to report that a deal was near, while ESPN.com reported that Benoit's contract would cover the next three seasons and be worth $16.5 million.

Benoit, who missed all of 2009 recovering from shoulder surgery, became one of the best setup men in baseball last season for the Rays, posting a 1.34 ERA over 60 1/3 innings for the AL East champions after signing a minor-league deal last offseason to re-establish his value.

Texas Rangers closer Neftali Feliz was named the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year Monday, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced.

"I did my job as a closer," Feliz said through an interpreter Monday during a conference call with the media.

And then some.

Feliz, 22, led the AL in games finished during the regular season with 59 and racked up an impressive 40 saves for the pennant-winning Rangers.

Here's the breakdown on the trade that sends center fielder Cameron Maybin to the Padres and relievers Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica to the Marlins.

• In Maybin, 23, the Padres get a super-athletic player who has the most upside of any center fielder they employ save Donavan Tate, a fellow former top-10 draft pick who has yet to play a full season in Single-A. Yet the Marlins wouldn't have traded Maybin for Webb and Mujica if they believed he had a decent chance of becoming a star for them. He frustrated them with strikeout binges and dull defensive instincts. The Marlins do not have a stellar prospect to plug into center field.

Maybin doesn't need to become a star to represent an upgrade for the Padres. He is as fast or faster than Tony Gwynn Jr., a defensive stalwart who was San Diego's primary center fielder last year and now can slot as an extra outfielder. Scouts rate Gwynn far better at reading flyballs than Maybin; Maybin's hitting potential is far more exciting. The right-hander has a superb .393 on-base percentage and a .478 slugging percentage in 418 minor-league games. Across parts of four seasons with the Tigers and Marlins, Maybin was a below average hitter with a .313 OBP, a .380 slug rate and a 172 strikeouts in 610 plate appearances. He has 13 home runs and 19 stolen bases in 168 major league games. Maybin reputedly is a hard worker who caused the Marlins no problems. His salary will be near the major league minimum.

Jhonny Peralta has decided to extend his stay with the Detroit Tigers. The infielder agreed to a two-year contract with a club option for 2013, the team announced Monday.

News of the deal was first reported by ESPN.com, which pegged the value of the deal over the first two years at $11.25 million.

Detroit acquired Peralta just before the trade deadline in July, and he finished the season with a .249 average, 15 homers and 81 RBI. It declined a $7.5 million option on him for 2011, a move that was a mere formality it seems as the sides continued negotiations.

"Jhonny is a proven major league player both offensively and defensively," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "We feel that Jhonny's signing, along with the club's earlier signing of Brandon Inge, solidifies the left side of our infield for upcoming season."