Rejoice! Baseball’s annual winter meetings, which concluded yesterday, may have revolved around the lurid and unseemly spectacle of the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox vying for Johan Santana, the best pitcher in the sport, but this already tiresome drama was little more than a distraction from a real shift in power that took place this week. The rich, despite their best efforts, did not get richer this week in Nashville, Tenn., while the wretched of the earth prospered. Four teams, none of them great powers, all won big in Nashville, while the world champion Boston Red Sox and New York’s two comically self-regarding clubs did nothing at all. These are bright, cheery days for baseball.

The week’s biggest winner were the Washington Nationals who, for the price of an obscure A-ball pitcher, added a 23-year-old potential batting champion to their roster. The newest National, outfielder Elijah Dukes, was available for good reason. He’s physically attacked managers, teammates, and umpires, and he’s notoriously threatened to kill his own wife and children this year. He’s legitimately vile and dangerous, and I wouldn’t have him in my house.