AL East

Via Joel Sherman of the New York Post:

The Yankees catching job is going to be one of the biggest focuses after the starting rotation this spring.

So it comes as no surprise that both Russell Martin and Jesus Montero have reported to spring training nearly a week early.

With spring training just days away now, it's getting awfully tough to generate interesting topics surrounding the Blue Jays. Luckily, an interesting player has reportedly become available in the last day or so that should interest the Blue Jays. It's not Michael Young either, although the where, if and how of him coming to the Jays will be kicked around some more below.

Ever wonder how you could spend close to a quarter billion dollars on a baseball team (assuming of course that you are not the New York Yankees)?

Try filling your roster with these players and you would have an excellent start.

Here's a quick run down of the highest paid player at each position entering the 2011 season.

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No one expected the Tampa Bay Rays to resign Carl Crawford or Carlos Pena.

But when the Rays said goodbye to Rafael Soriano, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler and Joaquin Benoit, that just felt like overkill to a team that put a nice effort to knock off the Yankees and Red Sox and take the toughest division in the game two out of three times.

Unless the Blue Jays sign Jose Bautista to an extension or trade for Michael Young there doesn't figure to be much Blue Jay related issues to discuss this week. There is also still the possibility the Jays could add another free agent on a minor league deal before spring training opens next week. Guys like Willy Aybar, Russell Branyan and Hank Blalock are still out there looking for work.

As being reported on Hardballtalk.com, J.D Drew's hamstring (the one that nagged him all last season) is nagging him once again.

Drew is 35 and is entering the final year of his six-year $72 million contract, and it might just be time for him to call it quits after this season.

Drew has had a somewhat injury plagued career.  Since making his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998, he's finished eight of his 12 Major League seasons on the the disabled list (DL).

I attended my first game at the "new" Yankee Stadium last summer, folks; it's hard to believe the "old" one has been leveled and the reality of the whole thing is still sinking in.

During my current series, I will be examining the relative strengths and weaknesses of the teams in the American League East, on a position-by-position basis.

The players at each position will be ranked in relation to their peers within the division, with each team being assigned points based on where their player ranks in comparison to the other players. 

Today, the series continues with a look at the second basemen.

Late in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLV, the camera flashed New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez sitting with his girlfriend Cameron Diaz.
 
Diaz was feeding A-Rod popcorn at the moment, and Fox’s Joe Buck was elated to have caught the slugger being feed like a baby. It was typical A-rod awkward.