Kuzul

As we get set for the start of baseball’s regular season, there are several intriguing free agents still on the market, whether they be old or looking for a better contract.

Even if a free agent isn’t signed by the start of the season, there are always peaks and valleys in the MLB season that could see teams come calling.

Here’s a look at some free agents available who would help teams.

Derrek Lee, 1B

Derrek Lee may be 37 years old, but he’s a proven veteran who hit .267 with 19 home runs last season. He still has some left in the tank, evidenced by his final 28 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates, in which he hit .337 with seven home runs, 18 RBI and 16 runs in just 101 at-bats.

Lee may not be the same player he once was, but it is surprising that he hasn’t received an offer after he attracted a good deal of attention last season at the trade deadline.

Johnny Damon, OF

Johnny Damon is 38 years old now, and he’s not much of an option as an outfielder, but he would still make a nice DH for an American League team.

In 150 games with the Tampa Bay Rays last season, Damon hit .261 with 73 RBI, 79 runs and 19 stolen bases. He’s not going to be the catalyst of a baseball team now, but he’s a proven winner and two-time All-Star.

Roy Oswalt, SP

Roy Oswalt is still a free agent primarily because he’s chosen to be. After not receiving the deal he was looking for from the St. Louis Cardinals or Texas Rangers, he announced this spring that he planned to sit out the first part of the season.

Oswalt’s production and ability, of course, is not the problem. In 23 starts last season for the Philadelphia Phillies, he posted a 3.69 ERA.

But back problems last summer threatened his career and he missed some games. While it’s surprising he didn’t sign with a team after last season, it’s not a shock he hasn’t received a big contract, either.

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There’s nothing like seeing your late-rounder blossom and become one of the stars of your fantasy baseball team.

There will always be waiver-wire wonders, but sometimes all you need is a good draft of sleepers to give you that edge over the competition.

Plus, there’s nothing like beating an unsuspecting foe with players he never even thought of before.

Chad Billingsley, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Yes, I know, I know, Chad Billingsley was supposed to live up to his potential a long time ago.

The truth is, Billingsley is a power arm and sometimes power arms need more time to develop. He had a rough season in 2011, in which he posted a 4.21 ERA, but the good news is he’s as undervalued as he’s ever been.

If you want to have the greatest WHIP in all the land, look elsewhere, but Billingsley has a career 3.68 ERA and he will get you plenty of strikeouts. I still think it’s only a matter of time before things click for the 2003 first-rounder.

Jason Motte, CL, St. Louis Cardinals

If only every team in baseball could convert a catcher they drafted in the 19th round into a closer.

That’s what the Cardinals did last season, and it actually worked pretty well. Jason Motte posted a 2.25 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 68 innings and he showed real promise in the Cardinals’ World Series run, giving up just three earned runs in 12 1/3 innings and converting all five of his save opportunities.

Plus, it’s always fun for a converted catcher to win the saves category for you in any given week.

John Mayberry, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

You obviously want to keep track of top prospect Dominic Brown this season, but John Mayberry will likely start the season for the Phillies and he actually had a pretty good season in 2011.

In just 249 at-bats, the 2005 first-rounder hit .273 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI and 37 runs. Project that over a full season, and he has the potential to hit 25 homers and drive in 90 runs.

Not bad for a guy far down draft boards.

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With the Oakland Athletics operating under a $55 million budget and losing two of their top starters, Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez, they’ve been adamant about moving to a new stadium, using the Cleveland Indians as a blueprint.

Until now, they haven’t been able to set things in motion because MLB hadn’t approved a move to San Jose, the Athletics’ desired destination.

Well, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Saturday, the Athletics will be granted permission by February to move.

The Athletics went 74-88 last season, ending up 22 games behind AL West champions the Texas Rangers.

In 1994, when the Indians moved to Progressive Field (then Jacobs Field), their fortunes turned quickly. Their first season, they were one game behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox before a strike wiped out the season. They then proceeded to go 100-44 in their second season, making it to the World Series. They went to the World Series again two seasons later.

Said Athletics general manager Billy Beane, via FoxSports.com:

“The most successful organization opening a stadium was still the Cleveland Indians.

“For me, they provide the model entry into a new facility—not just having a good stadium, but having a good young team that you can sustain over a long course of time. That’s what we’re using as a blueprint.”

That blueprint appears to include San Jose.

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When you are mired in a curse, who do you call?

Why not Theo Epstein, who led the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years, just two years after being appointed general manager?

Epstein, now 37 years old, is credited with reversing the “Curse of the Bambino” at Fenway Park, acquiring key acquisitions David Ortiz, Kevin Millar and Curt Schilling before the team’s improbable run to the championship in 2004. He made sure to add in another championship in 2007, as well.

Now the Chicago Cubs are hoping Epstein can reverse the “Curse of the Billy Goat,” brought on by ticket holder Billy Sianis, who was ejected along with his pet goat by the organization during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series.

The Cubs ain’t gonna win no more.

Cubs fans still get the chills when those infamous last words spring up year after year. When you haven’t won a World Series for 103 years, it’s the little things that count…like billy goat curses.

After Epstein resigned from the Red Sox Friday night, he now is the president of baseball operations for the Cubs.

Will he turn this seemingly hopeless franchise around? Let us examine.

The Cubs last made it to the playoffs in 2008, when they were swept in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers despite winning 97 games that season. Their record has steadily declined each season after that, winning just 71 games this season.

But there is some hope whenever Epstein is around.

The Cubs don’t have the payroll the Red Sox do, but remember Epstein signed Ortiz for cheap just before he blossomed. It’s not like he still can’t find deals.

He’s going to have to figure out what to do with Carlos Pena and Aramis Ramirez, who are free agents this offseason. Pena hit 28 home runs this season, but he also batted just .225 with 80 RBI. Ramirez is 33 years old and predictably came back to life this season in a contract year.

There’s also Alfonso Soriano’s massive contract. If Epstein can pull off a deal similar to the one that sent Manny Ramirez from Boston to Los Angeles, he would be looked at as some kind of deity by Cubs fans.

He also has to decide whether manager Mike Quade is fit for the job. Ryne Sandberg is waiting in the wings, after all.

In short, the Cubs still aren’t in a good place, nor do they have a roster fit for the playoffs, but they do have Epstein. And if there’s anyone who can turn around a struggling franchise, it’s Epstein.

Epstein’s first offseason with the Cubs will show us just what kind of impact he is ready to make.

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It all started in Game 6 of the NLCS last season, when San Francisco Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez plunked Philadelphia Phillies star Chase Utley, inciting a massive brawl on the field.

Ironically, Sanchez just happened to be making his first trip to the mound against the Phillies on Friday since hitting the disabled list in late June.

But the ensuing bench-clearing brawl between the Giants and Phillies this time around wasn’t between Sanchez and Utley.

It was between reliever Ramon Ramirez and Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino.

In the top of the sixth inning on Friday, with the Phillies comfortably leading, 8-2, Victorino came to the plate, already with a home run and a single to his name.

Whether Ramirez intentionally plunked him or not when he stepped into the batter’s box is debatable, but Victorino certainly thought it was pretty clear.

Said Victorino, via ESPN:

“Yeah, absolutely, I think he did. That’s why I took a step forward. I had no intentions of going out there and charging the mound. I just wanted to go out there and get an answer.”

So, just wanted an answer, that’s all, right?

Well, not exactly.

As Victorino approached Ramirez, catcher Eli Whiteside began hopping up and down between the two like he was preparing for a boxing match.

When the Phillies’ Placido Polanco came rushing onto the field out of nowhere, a brawl was about to take place.

Whiteside tackled Polanco to the ground, which caused a swarm of black, orange, red and blue to storm out onto the field, capped off by Victorino colliding with Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens.

The result was three ejections: Ramirez, Victorino and Whiteside.

On top of that, radio host Tony Bruno, a known die-hard Phillies fan, sent this tweet, since deleted, after the brawl:

“gutless #!@%*# Giants. Bochy is a coward for having his illegal alien pitcher hit a guy since mighty Frisco boys …”

Bruno did apologize for his comments…well, kind of:

“I did remove my post and apologize for my comments regarding illegal aliens. I was angry and on the air and I stand behind my comments that Bruce Bochy is a coward, as are all managers who order pitchers to throw at guys just because their pitchers can’t get a guy out. All of you people resorting to name calling are more classless and vile.”

Folks, a legitimate National League rivalry has been born.

The Giants unseated the favorite Phillies in the National League last season; now the Phillies are looking for payback.

Two games into the Giants’ homestand, the Phillies have made an indelible impression on the Giants already, winning both games and adding a brawl, to boot.

Funny thing is, the Los Angeles Dodgers seem but a distant memory for the Giants now.

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The 2011 MLB mock drafts are starting to come out in droves with the draft just a couple of days away, slated for June 6 through 8 in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Will top prospect UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole be selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the No. 1 overall pick?

Where will left-hander Danny Hultzen of top-ranked Virginia land?

Will Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon be the first position player selected in the draft?

The Kansas City Royals look to emerge from the bottom cellar and add to their promising prospect pool with the fifth overall selection in this year’s draft.

Will the world champion San Francisco Giants take a catcher in the wake of star Buster Posey’s injury in hopes of moving him to first base down the line?

So many questions and educated guesses floating around out there.

Read ahead for the latest buzz and predictions on the 2011 MLB Draft.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

2011 MLB Predictions Have Twins Once Again Crumbling Against Yankees in the Playoffs

In the 2011 MLB playoffs, I predict the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers will be playing each other for a chance for the American League championship.

The Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers will have the one and four seeds respectively in my eyes, which means the Yankees and Twins will once again face off with each other in the divisional series.

As much as I’d like to say the polarizing Yankees will be the ones to crumble, I just don’t see it happening.

Want proof that the Twins choke time and time again in the playoffs?

The Twins have been to the playoffs eight times since 1987.

They’ve won two American League pennants in those eight tries.

Even more alarming, since 2002, the Twins have been to the playoffs six times.

How many AL pennants? Zero.

Not only that, the Twins have superstar Justin Morneau dealing with concussion concerns this season and star catcher Joe Mauer has a testy knee.

This team has what it takes to win the AL Central, they do nearly every year in the last decade. It’s how they’ll get through the playoffs that concerns me every season, especially against the Yankees, who swept them in three games in 2010’s divisional series.

What has changed this season for the Twins?

Exactly, very little.

Actually, on paper, it’s gotten worse.

They took a significant hit to their bullpen in the offseason, losing Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch and Brian Fuentes.

If they couldn’t beat the Yankees with their former bullpen, how are they going to subdue the Yankees bats with suspect relievers?

This is shaping up to be another letdown in the postseason for the Minnesota Twins.

For a 2011 preview of the Twins, check out Jeffrey Brown’s piece.

2011 MLB Predictions Have Jeremy Hellickson as a Candidate for the AL ROY

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, at just 23 years old, showed flashes last year of why he could be the American League Rookie of the Year in 2011.

In 36 1/3 innings pitched, he compiled a 4-0 record, 3.47 ERA and 33 strikeouts (10 games, four starts).

With not enough innings pitched to qualify as a second-year pitcher, Hellickson stands a chance to win the AL ROY award right out the gate this season, slated as the Rays’ fifth starter.

As Yahoo! Contributor Ron White points out, “The future is now for Hellickson…With help from a strong Tampa Bay offense, there’s a real chance that Hellickson could win 15 or more games.”

The organization’s top prospect, Hellickson, aka “Hellboy,” mixes in a good fastball, deceptive changeup, ferocious curveball, and even a cutter, and was a big reason the Rays let Matt Garza go in the offseason.

Want to know why he’s referred to as Hellboy?

Watch him pitch this season and imagine yourself as the hitter that has to face him. You will think he’s straight from…well, you know.

As noted on Hellickson’s ESPN profile, “Hellboy” has drawn comparisons to David Cone by some scouts, and that’s high praise…Pundits are often guilty of overrating rookies, but Hellickson has a history of success, and there’s a very good chance he’ll hit the ground running this season.”

Hellickson will have some ups and downs as all rookies do, but as he has already shown, he can be a handful for hitters and will be a key part of a downsized Rays team that hopes to contend in the increasingly competitive AL East.

ESPN.com’s Jason Grey has the young hurler as his No.1 fantasy prospect for 2011.

The other contenders for the award are Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas and Toronto Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia in my mind.

Moustakas is a solid contender, but won’t start right away for the Royals.

Arencibia’s power puts him as another possible John Buck for the Blue Jays, but his batting average may fluctuate quite a bit in his first season behind the plate. He’s also not the best defensive catcher.

To see who Josh Schoch predicts as the winners of every major MLB award in 2011, go here.

2011 MLB Predictions Have Albert Pujols Once Again in Discussion as NL MVP

It’s not hard to make an argument for why St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols could be the 2011 National League MVP.

For one, he’s the best hitter in baseball.

On top of that, Pujols is in a contract year, and we all know how that can jump up players’ stats.

Pujols has won the NL MVP in three of the last six years and, as Yahoo! Contributor Bill Robbins notes, “The slugging Cardinals first basemen has already been labeled by some as one of the best hitters of all-time. It’s hard to argue that considering Albert has hit over 30 homers and 100 RBIs in each of his 10 MLB seasons, has been an All-Star nine times, and has already picked up three MVP awards.”

Although I do expect the Cincinnati Reds to beat out the Cardinals in the NL Central this season, something that certainly had a hand in Joey Votto winning the MVP award last season, keep in mind Pujols still won the MVP in 2008 when the Cardinals finished 11.5 games out of first place.

He’s one of the most respected players in the game, beyond being the best, and he’s already declared his contract situation with the Cardinals won’t affect his play.

And I believe him.

Pujols is more concerned with being one of the best hitters in baseball history to slow down in 2011.

His work ethic is ordinarily praised as possibly the best in Major League Baseball, and one only has to look at his physique and the way he studies pitchers to understand this assessment.

If he leads the Cardinals over the Reds this season, that only further demonstrates why he should win the award.

But he doesn’t need to.

He simply has to do what he has been doing all this time to force writers’ hands once again.

Votto had his moment in the sun, deservedly so, but it’s only a matter of time before people acknowledge Pujols for the hitter that he has become, a monster among those “other” sluggers in baseball.

For Joe Blair’s piece on the top five preseason favorites for the National League MVP, go here.

Texas Rangers Third Baseman Michael Young Not Any Happier Entering Season

The Texas Rangers’ biggest surprise this offseason wasn’t ace Cliff Lee departing for the Philadelphia Phillies.

At least that they could somewhat see coming.

However, star third baseman Michael Young’s request to be traded apparently came out of nowhere following the Rangers’ 2010 run to the World Series.

Calling the organization all kinds of names, including liars, Young’s role on the team was diminished to a degree this offseason when free agent Adrian Beltre was signed and the team asked Young to be a DH and super utility infielder.

And the situation doesn’t appear to be getting better.

Via ESPN:

“It’s definitely tough to get in a rhythm, without a doubt,” Young said. “If I was playing second every day, it’d be easier to get locked in. If I was playing third, it’d be easier to get locked in. It’s definitely tough to bounce around, but I’ve had to kind of get accustomed to it this spring.”

Rangers manager Ron Washington called Young a “pro, man.”

But if Young was really over his whole squabble with the organization, you would have thought he would have gotten used to this new role by now.

Young also reportedly doesn’t want to ask his other utility teammates advice on how to cope.

On the other hand, Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown points out that the Rangers aren’t strangers to controversy, evidenced by their run in 2010 in the midst of Washington testing positive for drugs, their owner going bankrupt and eventually selling the team, and their operations being subsidized by MLB.

“The Texas Rangers might appear to be waist deep in one conundrum or another, but they grin and shrug and hit a hanger off the wall and win a ballgame – at least they have for going on a year,” writes Brown.

They had plenty of distractions in 2010 and still were able to make it to the World Series.

But an argument can also be made that having a disgruntled player is a different story, a largely respected veteran at that.

It’s much different to have a bitter player fuming on the bench or putting a damper on an otherwise promising 2011 campaign.

We’ve all seen it before, a player fracturing a team’s chemistry, or the entire team not being fully on board.

I don’t see Young as a potential Manny Ramirez, but a lot of things have to go right in a season for a team to legitimately have a chance at a championship.

Young won’t be a deal-breaker, but if he remains on the team in this current state he probably won’t help a lot, either.