Some of the moves Major League Baseball teams made at their winter meetings this week in San Diego have seemed a little strange, at least to me.

One of the strangest occurred on Tuesday when the Chicago Cubs signed left-handed pitcher John Lester, a three-time All Star who won two world championships with the Boston Red Sox and finished last season with the Oakland Athletics, to a six-year $155 million dollar contract with a club option for a seventh year. The contract was the largest in Cubs franchise history.

I just think that to give that much money for that many years to a pitcher is a little risky.  They are a lot more subject to injury than a position player. Pitchers are always possibly just one pitch away from an injury and Tommy John surgery. I wish Lester nothing but the best, but the signing is defiantly a risky one.

Lester, who is 31, is now the second highest paid pitcher in the major leagues. The top paid pitcher currently is Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who began his $250 million seven-year deal this year.

While the Atlanta Braves have been a little quiet at the winter meetings, they have been rumored to reach a deal for a new second baseman. It is free agent Alberto Callaspo, formerly of the Oakland Athletics and the contract will be for one year.

The Braves have an opening at second base after their trade of last year’s starter Tommy LaStella to the Cubs for right-handed reliever Luis Vizcaino Callaspo will reportedly compete for the Braves starting job with Phil Gosselin and top prospect Jose Peraza.

I heard a lot about Perza as he advanced through the Braves minor league system and I know he is very talented, but he was not expected to make the major league roster until the beginning of the 2016 season. If he surprises and plays up to his potential this season he could really make the Braves batting order a lot stronger.

The strength of the Braves pitching rotation during the coming will depend greatly on how soon Chris Medlen and Brandon Beachy are able to come back from their second Tommy John surgery. They are solid at the top of the rotation with ace right-hander Julio Teheran.