MLB Rumors

The name Bartolo Colon and the New York Yankees should never be linked in a sentence again this offseason.
 
Yes, Colon won the 2005 American League Cy Young Award, but that is not what resonates in my memory.
 
Back in 2008, the Red Sox were the only team interested in signing the overweight pitcher, who stood at 5’11" and tipped the scale at 245 pounds. Making seven starts as a member of the Red Sox, the injury-prone Colon found himself back on the DL again.
 

As a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan at heart, let me be the first to assure you the team should not and almost certainly will not ultimately sign Adrian Beltre.

Though the slick-fielding third baseman is the best free agent left on the market by far, the fact that Beltre employs Scott Boras to do his negotiating means he will go for tippity-top dollar. It also means this is precisely the position Scotty wanted his client in i.e. the biggest and brightest name left in neon lights because it adds a heavy dose of leverage to the proceedings.

I have mentioned this a few times already, but he is worth the attention again.
 
Rafael Soriano is still a free agent, available and on the market. Whatever it is shocking considering he was the AL’s dominate closer in 2010 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
 
Even before Cliff Lee’s decision, Soriano as a player would have been more than enough for the New York Yankees to walk away with heads high.
 

The latest MLB rumors on Adrian Beltre, Rafael Soriano and Derrek Lee are here, and Bleacher Report has the inside track on where these players may be headed, for how many years and for how much. 

Beltre leads the class of remaining free agents, and although there are only a few teams reportedly in the sweepstakes, there may be a few dark-horse candidates that no one else is talking about.

Many of the big names in MLB free agency have already signed with teams, and as widely reported, the Yankees haven't had their usual success.

A few names still float out there.  Mostly aging or battered pieces, but there is still intrigue with some of them.

Should the Yankees give Manny Ramirez and Raphael Soriano a look?  Some evidence suggests that maybe it could work out, but a lot of it points in the other direction.

If it wasn’t already clear, the 2010-11 off-season has broadcast to the world the Chicago Cubs’ full-blown dormancy in the National League Central.  I’m not saying the Cubs won’t be heard from in 2011, but they’ll likely make fewer national television appearances than Barack Obama.  Don’t call them the Pirates yet, but also don’t call them the Reds, Brewers, Cardinals, or probably the Astros.  That’s right, the Cubs are officially stuck in .500-ville.  Picture the New York Knicks, except outdoors, and also without LeBron Ja

It has been an eventful 2010 off-season for Major League Baseball. Some of the league's biggest names have changed uniforms, most notably Cliff Lee (back to the Phillies), Carl Crawford (Red Sox), Adrian Gonzalez (Red Sox) and Jayson Werth (Nationals). 

Of the remaining free agents, Adrian Beltre and Derek Lee seem to be the best position players still without a contract. Rumors are swirling all over the board as to the possible value of Beltre's contract, and where Derek Lee will choose to play ball for the 2011 season. 

As the 2010 season approached, it was expected that the American League Central division race would come down to the final games. The division had been decided by a tie breaking 163rd game in 2008 and 2009, so there was no reason to believe that 2010 would be any different.

Cliff Lee signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, Brandon Webb went to the Texas Rangers, and the Milwaukee Brewers managed to acquire Zack Greinke from the Royals in a trade.

So, with most of the big name pitchers off the market, teams are looking to fill their rotation spots with middle-of-the-road guys.

The remaining class of free agent pitchers features some older veterans like Jeff Suppan, some high-risk, high-reward guys like Ben Sheets and some solid, but not spectacular, pitchers like Carl Pavano.

The Boston Red Sox have been linked with Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder for several seasons now, but with Boston's recent acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego, are they finished with their pursuit of Fielder?

Gonzalez is a first baseman too, and has a better glove than Fielder. With Kevin Youkilis likely to begin the 2011 season at third base, there is no room for Fielder at Fenway Park.