Although we can’t analyze it in the boxscore or see a top-10 webgem highlight reel or even eat a hot dog at our favorite ballpark, there is still a lot of baseball going on. It’s just that once the World Series wraps up, the stuff that is happening goes on behind closed doors and away from the public’s attention. With the beginning of free agency looming on the horizon, teams are making plans for their 2007 rosters, with many makeovers destined to go down. This edition of Inside the Numbers will take a look around the league and examine some big recent headlines.

On Friday, Francisco Liriano decided to undergo Tommy John surgery on his left elbow after a Dr. Lewis Yocum examination. The southpaw phenom will likely miss the entire 2007 season now. Liriano was my pick for Rookie of the Year last season. (Disregard my selection of Jeremy Hermida for the NL’s top rookie – I was just kidding) I traded him in a nine-player deal on August 6th. I pondered over the deal for almost a week before finally pulling the trigger on the trade. My main indecision stemmed from me wanting to keep Liriano as one of my holdovers for next season. After a ton of deliberation, the trade went down, and Liriano’s season quickly followed.

He started the next day against Detroit, gave up four runs and felt some elbow pain. The Twins shut him down for the next five weeks before the 23-year-old returned against the Athletics on Sept. 13, lasted two innings and was then shut down for good. Last week, he decided to go under the knife so it could be 8 months before we see him pitching again. Tough break for the phenom – he looked like the second coming of Johan Santana early on, starting out 10-1 with a 1.83 ERA in the first half of the season.

This is a vicious blow to the Twins pitching staff. Brad Radke recently announced his retirement, so Santana and Carlos Silva are their only two established starters. Scott Baker and Boof Bonser will likely start the season in the rotation too.

Sammy Sosa said on Saturday that he is hopeful of a return to the big leagues next season after taking a year off. "I feel good physically, and after a year of resting we are optimistic about making a decision soon about returning to baseball," the three-time 60 home run hitter said. He said he would like to get to 600 home runs and needs a dozen to hit that mark. A DH role would be ideal for the 37-year-old.

Mike Mussina is reportedly close to agreeing to a two-year deal in the neighborhood of $20-$24 million with the Yankees. He’ll be the No. 3 starter in pinstripes next season. … The Dodgers rejected Eric Gagne’s $12 million option for 2007, so the former Cy Young winner will become a free agent. L.A. is expected to make him another offer, but this new deal will be filled with incentive bonuses.

Francisco Rodriguez and Trevor Hoffman were named Rolaids Relief Man of each league last week. Hoffman went 46-for-51 in save opportunities and a stellar 2.14 ERA, while KRod led the majors with 47 saves and a microscopic 1.98 ERA. He also struck out 98 in 73 innings.

Jonathan Papelbon’s sore shoulder is reportedly feeling much better and he’s expected to be fully ready for spring training. After he racked up 35 saves with a 0.92 ERA, the Red Sox plan on converting back to the starting rotation for 2007. It will be interesting to see who the Red Sox use as their closer in his stead. Keith Foulke could reclaim the role – he finished the season with 11 consecutive scoreless innings.

Astros teammates Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte each filed for free agency Monday, still undecided on their plans next season. The Rocket had planned to retire after the 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons, so it’s anybody’s guess as to what he’ll do next season. He’ll turn 45 on Aug. 4, but posted a stellar 2.30 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 113 1/3 innings. Pettitte was plagued by a strained flexor muscle in his left elbow much of last season. He finished 14-13 with a 4.20 ERA. The Yankees are expected to make a run at each of the veterans.

Pedro Martinez (rotator cuff) said he doesn’t plan on picking up a baseball until March. Don’t expect him to throw a pitch before the All-Star game, but he could return just in time for the stretch run with the Mets. Teammate Guillermo Mota was slapped with a 50-game suspension for violating the joint drug prevention and treatment program for steroid use. Those things really worked well for him too.

Check the numbers – he went 1-3 with a 6.21 ERA in 34 appearances with the Indians before he was cut. It was at about this time, the reliever took his enhancing drugs. The Mets gave him a chance in the final couple months and Mota responded by going 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA in 18 innings. His velocity was noticeably up and even his control was better too. It’s just a good thing Mota didn’t play a pivotal part out of the bullpen and the Mets had gone on to win it all. That violation would be somewhat of a scandal.

The Daisuke Matsuzaka bidding war has officially begun, and it could take as much as $60 million to land the Japanese star. Super agent Scott Boris will take offers until 5 p.m. Wednesday. There’s about a half dozen teams in the running, with of course the Yankees a big favorite. GM Brian Cashman is expected to make his final offer at about 4:55 p.m.

Baseball fans are notorious number crunchers. They’re stat geeks and can read a story out of a baseball player’s career numbers. A number caught my eye last week and it’s one that is about to brake anytime soon. Former Negro Leagues star, Silas Simmons, passed away at age 111 in St. Petersburg, Florida last week. The left-hander played from 1912-1929 as an outfielder and a pitcher. Clemens and Julio Franco might still be playing when they turn 111.