Kuzul

Bryce Harper seems like a dream player out of a video game.  His numbers are unbelievable and he doesn’t look to be stopping anytime soon.  After being drafted number one by the Nationals in 2010, Harper has a lot of expectations to live up to as he begins his path to the big leagues.  Harper hopes to make the Nationals roster and make his major league debut as soon as he can, and here’s ten reasons why he will in 2011. 

Begin Slideshow

The Washington Nationals do not only face challenges from other teams in the MLB, but apparently they are facing challenges from other players as well. 

Washington showed great interest in many free agents this offseason.  Names such as Cliff Lee, Jorge De La Rosa, Zack Grienke and Derek Lee were all on the list of targets for the Nationals.  Each player however turned down general manager Mike Rizzo when talks arose. 

Rizzo explains the challenges in the same respect as the old which comes first analogy.

“It shows the difficulty of trying to build something,” Rizzo said. “The only thing that convinces players to come is winning. It’s the chicken and the egg. Which comes first? Do you win and then the players come, or do the players come and then you win?”

So which really does come first? 

This week, Derek Lee agreed to sign with the Baltimore Orioles and turned down the Nationals. The Nationals had a slightly better record than Baltimore last year, which leaves Rizzo puzzled.  The Nationals showed a clear interest in landing the powerful first baseman, but were again unsuccessful. 

While the Nat’s have landed free agents Jayson Werth, Adam Laroche, and Rick Ankiel, they are hardly what was expected in Washington. 

The Nationals are clearly building up a team of the future with prospects such as Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper signing long term contracts to begin their career in Washington.  However Rizzo had a goal this offseason to land big names which could help the team make a push for the playoffs this season. 

Washington has one big target left on the radar.  Reports show that the team is still very interested in Carl Pavano to add more depth to their pitching rotation.  However, another report yesterday conflicted this belief, and Washington looks to be missing out on another top free agent. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Baltimore Orioles have had some big name moves in the past few weeks. 

While many considered the Washington Nationals to have the biggest offseason in the majors this year, the Orioles have made many ambitious moves that may be even bigger than the Nationals.

It was announced this week that free agent Derek Lee will sign with Baltimore.  Pitcher Kevin Gregg also signed with Baltimore this offseason.  The Orioles also acquired shortstop J.J. Hardy in a trade with the Minnesota Twins and third basemen Mark Reynolds in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Baltimore is looking to totally recreate their team after a horrible season again in 2010. 

Finishing with a record of 66-96, it was obvious that changes had to be made.  Buck Showalter greatly improved the team in the second half of the season last year and the team is looking to become a contender in the next year or two in a very talented American League East. 

Washington, on the other hand, made some big moves as well this offseason. 

The Nats signed free agents Rick Ankiel as an outfielder and Matt Stairs as a power source off the bench.  Their biggest move however, came with the signing of free agent Jayson Werth.  The huge contract Werth received was just the first of huge deals this year. 

Washington also has 2010’s No. 1 overall draft pick in Bryce Harper, who could make his major league debut as early as the second half of this year depending on his play in the minors. 

Washington is also looking to create a contending team after finishing 69-93 last year.  While the team may not make a run at the NL East this year with Stephen Strasburg expected to miss the entire season, they could make a push for the wild card or be in contention next season when Strasburg, Harper and Werth are all playing full-time. 

While Washington made a lot of noise with the signing of Jayson Werth, Baltimore has acquired more talent so far this offseason. 

Kevin Gregg gives them depth in their bullpen and Hardy is a solid defensive shortstop who can provide some decent offensive numbers as well.  Lee and Reynolds give them a huge power source in the core of their lineup.  The Orioles also are looking to add another starting pitcher such as Joe Blanton and a left handed reliever such as Will Ohman. 

If the Orioles are successful in acquiring two pitchers, they will surprise many people in 2011. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth out of the picture now, the free agency period has settled into the backdrop.  However, many players are still out on the market looking for contracts. 

Even with the big names signing big contracts, there is still plenty of talent available.  Here are the top 20 free agents that are still available. 

Begin Slideshow

The Philadelphia Phillies have made a name for themselves in recent years, reaching the NLCS the past three seasons. However Ruben Amaro Jr. seems to always make mid-season trades to give them the extra boost they need to make a run.

Many critics say that the Phillies are only a good team in the present time and are not a team of the future. Fans often argue that the team has an excellent farm system and develops players to become great players in the majors. One such case of this is the development of Ryan Howard.

Here are the top 10 players in the Phillies farm system right now.  

Begin Slideshow

Zack Greinke was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers around 9:30 Sunday morning.  Does this announcement make him an automatic favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award?  After all, he did win the award in the American League in 2009.  Here are 10 pitchers who will compete with Greinke for the award in 2011.  

Begin Slideshow

Early Tuesday morning, Cliff Lee made a surprising announcement that he would be returning to Philadelphia with the signing of a five year, $120 million contract proposed by the team Monday night. This announcement left the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers still looking to add a starting pitcher to their rotation.

Lets start with the Yankees.  Throughout the Winter Meetings and the offseason as a whole, the Yankees have shown little to no interest in acquiring right-hander Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals, as they already have three right-handed starting pitchers in the rotation.  It is also highly unlikely that Tampa Bay will be willing to deal Matt Garza to New York because of being in the same division.  So what is left for them?  Carl Pavano is a right-hander who also would not be a strong fit in the rotation, same thing with Brandon Webb.  Jeff Francis could likely end up as the next target on the Yankees radar if no other intriguing deals arise in the near future. 

Jeff Francis however, is definitely not who the Yankees were targeting as the season came to an end.  Francis has a career record of 55-50 in six seasons in the big leagues.  In that time, he has only recorded 603 strikeouts, with a 4.22 earned run average, and only two complete games in that span.  Should the team look to invest in younger talent, they could also look towards Andrew Miller. 

Miller was a pitching phenom while at the University of North Carolina and was a highly-touted prospect coming into the majors. He has had a few disappointing seasons, with a career record of 15-26 with an ERA of 5.84.  This would be a risk, but still a small possibility for New York.

Now for Texas.  The Rangers have C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Scott Feldman, and Tommy Hunter returning in 2011.  They are in the same situation as the Yankees as well.  With three right handers in the rotation already, the team is looking for a left hander to replace Lee.  Sources have said that the team does not have much chance to land Greinke, but there is a possibility of them working out a deal to acquire Matt Garza from the Rays.  Should this not work out they could possibly look into Pavano and Webb and go with a rotation featuring four right handed pitchers.  Another possibility is prospect Derek Holland.  Holland started ten games for the Rangers this season posting a 3-4 record with a 4.08 ERA. 

New York will be hurt the most with this announcement as C.C. Sabathia is their only proven pitcher and lone left hander in the rotation at this point.  However he is coming off of knee surgery and will be tested in the beginning of the year to see if this surgery has altered any mechanics in his delivery.  A.J. Burnett posted a 5.26 ERA in 2010 and Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova are both only 24 years of age heading into the season.  The Yankees could be scrambling to find another left handed pitcher to fill the void left with Lee’s announcement. 

Both teams are now left with three right handed pitchers in the rotation and now must look to plan B to complete their starting rotation.  Watch for some deals to be made in the next few weeks as both teams will be trying to complete a deal sooner rather than later. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Since Jayson Werth’s surprise signing with the Washington Nationals on Sunday, Philadelphia has been left with a giant void to fill in the outfield. 

Many rumors have been thrown around as to how the Phillies are looking to replace Werth.  Some rumors include signing San Francisco’s Aaron Rowand and moving top prospect Dominic Brown into the starting position.  However, with Jayson Werth out, the Phillies have a lot of freed-up money.  Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford is the top outfielder available since Werth signed on Sunday. The Phillies seem to be passing him by with very little interest.

Why?

Werth brought speed, great defensive ability and a powerful bat to the club.  Crawford possesses these same abilities, and to a point may be able to surpass Werth’s talent.  Over the past five seasons Crawford has 71 home runs, 372 RBI, 240 stolen bases and hit .301. 

In the same time frame Werth has 102 home runs, 343 RBI, 71 stolen bases and hit .268.  While Werth has more power than Crawford, Crawford has more RBI, stolen bases and has a higher batting average than Werth. 

The Phillies already have power in their lineup in the form of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and the occasional power streak of Raul Ibanez.  Their only true base-stealing threats left after the departure of Werth are Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino.  Should the Phillies pursue Aaron Rowand, the only speed in the outfield would be Victorino in center field. 

Rowand has clearly lost some speed over the years and Ibanez is relatively slow thanks to age.  Crawford can help stabilize the outfield and also add a very strong arm. 

Crawford could be a strong fit in Philadelphia if they are willing to pay the money now.  Philadelphia has always been a team that focuses on the present more so than the future and the addition of Crawford could help them make another run for the World Series in 2011. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Sunday former Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth signed a seven year, $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals.  Monday, Werth is already receiving criticism for not only signing with a rival team, but also for going to a non-contendor. 

$126 million isn’t too shabby for a player who is already 32 years old.  Werth faced a long struggle last year hitting with runners in scoring position.  However he brings speed, a strong arm, great glove, and a hot bat to a team who has finished last in the National League East the past 6 of the last 7 seasons (including when the club was still in Montreal). 

Washington is going through an obvious rebuilding process within the organization.  With the top draft pick in the MLB draft the past two seasons, the club has been able to pick up two outstanding young phenoms in Steven Strasburg and Bryce Harper.  The team also has decided to part ways with catcher Will Nieves with the signing of Jesus Flores. 

Strasburg is expected to miss this season as he is recovering from Tommy John surgery, but should be back alongside of Bryce Harper in 2012.  The team should also receive a high draft pick again this year and should be able to add even more young talent to the club. 

With Adam Dunn also leaving the team, watch for Werth to be put in the 3 or 4 spot in the lineup, a position where he will be able to utilize his speed, power, and run producing abilities.  Even if Werth hits 50 homeruns, drives in 150 runs, and steals 40 bases, don’t expect Washington to make a run at the Division title just yet.  Bryce Harper should make his major league debut about halfway through this season if everything goes as planned which will add another power source and player who can drive in runs.  Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond also should compliment Werth and Harper by driving in runs as well. 

Offense is not the only key to the Nationals success.  If Strasburg returns in 2012 and continues to dominate hitters as he did in his rookie season, he should become the number one man in the rotation and has the potential to win 20 games a year.  Livan Hernandez led the team with 211.2 innings pitched this season, finishing with a record of 10-12.  Hernandez’s record does not reflect the quality of his pitching.  His posted a 3.66 ERA with 114 strikeouts.  Lack of offense plagued the 35 year old pitcher.  John Lannan also had a productive season and should be able to have even more success this season if the offense picks up.  The team also had 14 different pitchers start a game this season.  If the team has a core of starting pitchers, and a core offense, they should be able to make some noise in the division and could make a run in the division in the next few years.

So Phillies fans, don’t throw Werth totally under the bus.  While he is not with a contender now, the Nationals could be a contender in the next few years. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Major League Baseball begins handing out its postseason awards today with the Cy Young winners being announced on November 16.

Roy Halladay is the favorite to win the award, but could face some competition from Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals and Josh Johnson of the Marlins.

Halladay was the most consistent pitcher in the National League this season, averaging 7.6 innings per start with a WHIP of just 1.04. 

However, Halladay did trail Johnson and Wainwright in ERA.

Halladay also had less strikeouts per nine innings pitched than Wainwright and Johnson, but was dominant in walks per nine innings.

Other interesting aspects to Halladay’s case include his perfect game.  Halladay tossed the only perfect game in the National League this season.  Ironically, the opposing pitcher that game was Josh Johnson. 

Halladay also threw the second no-hitter in postseason history in game one of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds.

Halladay’s 21 wins, 250.2 innings pitched, nine complete games and four shutouts all also led the league.  He was also the only candidate from a playoff team. 

Halladay’s statistics put him in the front-running to win the award, but fans have seen some crazy things happen in years past, such as C.C. Sabathia earning the award over Johan Santana in ’05. 

All other things aside, expect Halladay to win the Cy Young the beginning of next week. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com