When the 2005 baseball season kicked off on April 3 with the Red Sox and Yankees in a rematch of last year’s epic ALCS, there were many big names in new places.

Sammy Sosa, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and Carlos Beltran are just a few of the superstars who were traded or signed by new teams.

“One of the greatest trades was Sammy Sosa to the Orioles because anytime a team can get a player with a 500-plus homeruns they will be better off,” Corey Phelan said.

Chicago Cubs will suffer from the loss of Sosa, but they still have shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, third basemen Aramis Ramirez, and right-handed pitcher Carlos Zambrano to help them.

Then, there is Randy Johnson, who many say is the best pitcher in the major leagues. He was sent to the New York Yankees from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Although it may seem preposterous for the $200 million dollar Yankees to add yet another future Hall-of-Famer, he might have made up the difference in last year’s extraordinary collapse.

“Randy Johnson going to the Yankees can not be overestimated because a great pitcher can make a team,” baseball coach Stuart Wilson said.

Trying to keep up with the free-wheeling Bronx Bombers in the back pages of New York’s tabloids are the Mets who splashed in the free agency market, signing the best pitcher Pedro Martinez and best hitter Carlos Beltran available. Those two along with other moves by new General Manager Omar Minaya might finally knock the Braves off their decade-long pedestal.

“The three or four key moves that the Mets have made will make a distinct difference on the team,” Brian Fraticelli said.

The Atlanta Braves, despite losing pitchers Jaret Wright and Russ Ortiz in free agency, traded for native son Tim Hudson. Many upcoming youngsters on the Braves along with 46-year-old first baseman Julio Franco should keep them competitive. The reloaded Florida Marlins also should be better with the addition of Carlos Delgado and several players back from injuries.

Finally, there are the Montreal Expos who are changing their name because they are moving to Washington D.C. to become the Nationals.

There were many challenging seasons for the Expos because they had to split their home schedule between Puerto Rico and Montreal, taking a heavy toll traveling on the club.

Now the Nationals will have one home in Washington D.C., and manager Frank Robinson believes that they will be on a level playing field with the rest of the National League.

Many wonder if the team will actually perform better after moving or if it will not make a difference.

“No matter where we play, we need to be in one place. We will not be living in a suitcase all year long. Playing in the [United] States is a different story for us,” second baseman Jose Vidro, said about his Nationals/Expos teammates.

“The fan base in Montreal was terrible, anytime you can get to an American city you will get a better fan base and that will lead to them motivationally improving,” Phelan said.

Others disagree, “I think it is a lousy move to go to Washington D.C. because it is a bad baseball town. They should have moved to Arlington, Virginia,” Wilson said.

However, some things never change.

The heated Red Sox-Yankees rivalry still continues with a fracas involving Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield and an unruly Red Sox fan. Also the only team that did not make a significant move in the National League East was the Philadelphia Phillies’.

Instead of Eric Milton and Kevin Millwood, Jon Lieber and minor league star Gavin Floyd now anchor the rotation but they still have no clear ace. Ryan Howard, another hot prospect, expected to make an impact on the team this year was instead sent down to the minors again. Second-year infielder Chase Utley, also expected to have a leading role, was instead benched for Placido Polanco.

Of course since Ed Wade usually does not make trades during the season, the Phillies’ top-5 payroll is not expected to end the 12-year playoff drought.