Kuzul

Is it baseball season yet? I know I can’t wait for my favorite fantasy sport to start up again.

Catcher is a top-heavy position. Either you get a guy like Joe Mauer or Buster Posey or you play a patchwork of lower-level options.

But that is what is so great about fantasy baseball. In fantasy football, you set a lineup once a week, and if a star player gets hurt, your team is pretty much done (Aaron Rodgers’ concussion ruined three of my FF teams.).

But in fantasy baseball, there are games every single day, and you can micro-manage your team, making up for injuries and cold streaks.

So, if you end up with a catcher outside the top 10, it’s not a big deal. You can mix and match guys to try to squeeze as much production as possible from the position.

Of course, it’ll make things a little easier if you manage to grab one of these top 10 catchers in your draft.

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Rafael Soriano headlines the market of remaining free agents this MLB offseason.

The biggest hitters left on the market are all aging stars like Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez.

There are also plenty of pitchers on the market, including Jeff Francis and Brad Penny.

But the number of teams with enough money to sign some of these players is starting to drop off. If teams haven’t made moves by now, they might not make moves at all.

However, there are still a few teams, like the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets, with money to spend.

Here’s a list of 10 teams that could still make some noise this offseason.

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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.

Here’s a list of the 10 best free agent starting pitchers who have yet to be signed.

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When Cliff Lee signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for five years and $120 million earlier this offseason, he left a little bit of money and a couple years on the table.

The Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees both would have given Lee more money and seven years on a contract.

But Lee felt more comfortable in Philly, so he gave them a discount (though once you are over $100 million, what’s it matter if you make an extra $10 million?).

Lee certainly isn’t the first baseball player who has left money on the table during contract negotiations.

Here are the top 10 Major League Baseball players of all time who have signed for less than they were worth.

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Cliff Lee is a Philadelphia Phillie. Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez are Boston Red Sox. Russell Martin is a New York Yankee. Jayson Werth is a Washington National.

Yes, this offseason has been full of big-name players switching teams. But we’re not even close to being done yet.

The Los Angeles Angels missed out on Crawford and Lee, so they will almost certainly make some sort of big move before the 2011 season starts. In fact, they are interested in four of the five players on this list.

Meanwhile, the Yankees always have money to spend, and the Rangers are looking for Plan B after getting spurned by Lee.

Let’s take a look at five big-name players who could start the 2011 season in a different uniform.

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The Milwaukee Brewers probably don’t have enough room on their payroll to re-sign Prince Fielder after his contract expires after this season.

That’s led to rumors about where the slugging first baseman could end up if the Brewers decide to trade him.

Whichever team tries to land him in a trade will be asked to give up a lot, but with Fielder’s recent production, he’s worth the price.

Here are the five teams most likely to have Fielder when the 2011 season begins.

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With the MLB winter meetings well under way, many trades and signings have already happened. The Boston Red Sox have been particularly active, trading for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and signing outfielder Carl Crawford.

The biggest prize on the market remains Cliff Lee, but it seems like a two-team race between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees to get his services.

But, there are still plenty of free agents out there who could benefit from a change of scenery. Then, there are those who have already signed deals this offseason who shouldn’t have.

Here are 15 players who need to be moved before the start of the 2011 MLB season.

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The New York Yankees are going to re-sign Derek Jeter, right? Right? Surely, they’ll find some money in their infinite budget to bring back their captain, a guy who has led the team to five World Series Championships.

Though the Yankees will ultimately reach some sort of middle ground with Jeter, keeping him in pinstripes for the rest of his career, they aren’t making things easy.

The Yankees’ brass has called out Jeter on a couple occasions this offseason, saying his ego is getting in the way and that they won’t overpay for a guy who isn’t worth as much as he thinks he is.

So, if the Yankees do end up making Jeter so mad he won’t play for them, where will he go?

Here’s a look at the top five teams that would be ready to pounce if Jeter doesn’t sign an extension with New York.

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Surprise, surprise.  A 2010 playoff game ended up being all about pitching.

Game 2 of the National League Championship Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants ended up being a story of the two starting pitchers:  Roy Oswalt and Jonathan Sanchez.

Oswalt pitched an absolute gem, throwing eight innings of three-hit baseball, allowing only one run while striking out nine and walking three.

It was just what the Phillies needed to even up the series after the Giants did the unthinkable by beating Roy Halladay in Game 1.

Sanchez didn’t pitch poorly for the Giants, but he was still out-dueled by Oswalt.

In the first inning, Sanchez was wild.  He struck out the side, but only after three walks and an error, leading to an unearned run.

Sanchez then settled down and started mowing down Phillies batters, and his teammates eventually rewarded him when Cody Ross launched a home run off Oswalt in the fifth.

But the Phillies immediately retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth after a leadoff double and two sacrifice flies.

Philadelphia would hold on to the lead and extend it, eventually winning the game, 6-1.

So, what does this mean for each team?

San Francisco Giants

This certainly isn’t the end of the world for San Francisco.  They are still in very good shape.  At the start of the series, the Phillies had Hallday, Oswalt and Cole Hamels lined up to start the first three games. 

Staring down that murderer’s row of pitchers, the Giants teed off on Halladay in Game 1, earning the win and establishing confidence.

If they can hit Halladay, they can hit anyone.  Though they didn’t hit Oswalt last night, they should still be confident when they have to face him again.

Also, the Giants went into Philly and earned a split.  That’s about as good of an outcome as they could have hoped for.  Now the pressure is on the Phillies to win a game in San Francisco.

Philadelphia Phillies

That win was just what the doctor ordered for the Phillies.  Game 2 is too early for a must-win game in most playoff series, but it was just that for Philadelphia.

You can’t go down 2-0 heading to San Francisco and hope to win two ballgames against the Giants’ young arms.

Cole Hamels vs. Matt Cain in Game 3 on Tuesday afternoon will be the pivotal matchup in this year’s NLCS.

Whoever wins that game will be in the driver’s seat for the rest of the series.

While the matchup appears to be about pitching, it’s more about the offenses.

Can the Phillies build off their offensive success in Game 2, or will the Giants’ young arms return to form and shut them down.

Also, how will the lefty Hamels fare against the right-handed bats the Giants bring to the table.

Game 3 Prediction

Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants will take their first home game in this series, 3-2.  San Francisco’s offense will do just enough against Hamels to earn a victory, while Cain will hold Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and the Philadelphia offense to few enough runs to get the win.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The San Francisco Giants made short work of the Atlanta Braves in the National League Divisional Series.  Tim Lincecum and his teammates gave Braves manager Bobby Cox a rude farewell, winning the series three games to one.

Their reward?  They get to play the Philadelphia Phillies, who swept the Cincinnati Reds in their first round match-up.

But, that series won’t start for a couple days, so let’s take a look at five players who played key roles in the Giants’ first round victory.

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