MLB

Entering Monday, many pundits believed Phil Hughes had all but locked up the fifth starter's role in the Yankees rotation, but by 4 p.m., everything grew a bit hazy again.

Coming off a solid three inning, three strikeout, one run performance against the Phillies on Wednesday, Joba Chamberlain, Hughes' main competitor, again pitched well in an intrasquad game. He allowed two runs on six hits and struck out one over five innings, reportedly displaying a good changeup and improved velocity.

While questions regarding Tim Wakefield's age and Daisuke Matsuzaka's durability continue to swirl around the Boston Red Sox during the middle stages of spring training, new acquisition John Lackey has quietly gone about his business.

Putting up goose eggs.

Lackey arrived to much fanfare but has managed to slide into the background during a spring training where the hot topics have included a perceived lack of punch on the offensive side and the battle for the back end of the rotation.

Welcome to Tribe Talk, where Bleacher Report's Tribe fans weigh in on the ups and downs of the Indians each week throughout the season and here in our annual season preview.
 

If you are looking for a top heavy division in sports, this is it. The NL Central is the exact opposite of its counterpart in the American League. This year, you have got two great teams in the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, while you have four clubs that will be irrelevant by early May.

St. Louis Cardinals:

He is, without much argument, the most popular face in the state of Minnesota. He was born and raised in the same atmosphere where he recently broke out as a sporting icon and ripened as the greatest catcher in the majors.

Dating back to his childhood, Joe Mauer was covetous, immersing and engaging in a sport that he idolized, growing up as a Twins fan.

A baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint.

Seven months from now, the Boston Red Sox will realize the truth in that cliché as they watch the MLB postseason from home.

At times, the Sox will look unstoppable this season—just like they did last year. But in the end, Boston will not make the playoffs.

There’s no question that Joe Mauer’s contract extension is good for Major League Baseball.

Rumors had been swirling for months that Mauer, the unquestioned best catcher in the game, would command more money than the Minnesota Twins could afford, and would inevitably be playing his home games in Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium by 2011.

When the Cleveland Indians traded for Chris Perez last year, they envisioned him as the closer of the future. Well, for the next six to eight weeks, the Indians are going to get a glimpse of what their future at the closer position is going to look like.

With fantasy baseball drafts for the 2010 season in full swing, I indulged a particular question of mine and did a little research. What intrigued me is this question: What is the age of an average Major League Baseball player?

Eight years and $184 million can do a lot of things, but prying inexpensive, top-tier closing talent away from a small-market club is a gargantuan task, regardless of the resources available.

Yet if the Minnesota Twins have any designs on persuading the San Diego Padres to part with their All-Star closer, Heath Bell, they took the first and most important step on Sunday.

That is when they agreed to a mega-deal with catcher Joe Mauer, extending him through the 2018 season and solidifying their catcher situation for the majority of the new decade.