Kuzul

Seven seasons ago, the Cubs traded Hee-Seop Choi and Mike Nannini for Derek Lee to fill the glaring hole left at first base since the departure of fan favorite Mark Grace in 2000.

The two players that Lee was acquired for hardly made a splash in the Major Leagues, while Lee has been a two-time All Star, a two-time Gold Glove winner, and placed third in MVP voting in those seven seasons. Needless to say, the Cubs were the big winners in the trade.

This past August however, the Cubs themselves traded Lee for a few minor leaguers (Jeffrey Lorick, Robinson Lopez, and Tyrelle Harris), though Lee (34) is past his prime this time around.

Now the Cubs find themselves in a similar position to how they were in post Mark Grace.

There simply is no long term option at first base for the Cubs, outside of trading for someone who could fill the hole at the position. Sure, Cubs fans may get excited about the prospect of signing Adam Dunn, but he will be 31 years old. Dunn is expected to receive a three year deal for about $11 million per year, so he’s hardly a bargain.

In essence, the Cubs would be signing the slugger (in theory) as a stop gap option until a long-term option comes out of the farm system, or through a trade.

Given the current state the franchise is in, it’s safe to say the Cubs won’t make a championship push in the next three years, and while Dunn is a good (not great) player, 31-year-old, poor fielding, poor contact first basemen are certainly not the players you want to build your team around. Dunn is simply a good role player, a stop-gap.

The Cubs could also sign one of the lesser free agents such as Lance Berkman, Austin Kearns, Nick Johnson, or even Victor Martinez, but the previous concerns remain.

Looking internally, perennial disappointment Micah Hoffpauir has proved he cannot produce at the Major League level. Hoffpauir has poor batting skills, despite his good raw power. That power has yet to translate to anything outside of torching Triple-A competition. Hoffpauir hasn’t shown the organization that he is anything more than a good starter on a Triple-A level team.

A year removed from his second Tommy John surgery, Xavier Nady proved to the Cubs that he can be a viable backup option coming off the bench. However, when given additional playing time after the departure of Lee, Nady struggled in the final two months. Nady is reluctant to walk (5.7 percent walk rate), and strikes out often (26.8 percent). On top of that, he is a sub-par fielder. 

Like Dunn, Nady is 31, and as his career is marred by injuries, he is unlikely to improve his skills greatly enough to produce as an even average Major League first baseman.

What other possible options could there be?

Former Cleveland Indain First Round pick Brad Snyder could step in and be part of the rebuilding process as he has torched Triple-A, but he’s not exactly a prospect anymore at age 28, and appeared over-matched during a small stint in the Majors, striking out 44 percent of the time, making contact 62 percent of the time (88 percent league average), and produced 18.5 percent swinging strikes (8.5 percent league average). 

Let’s be serious, those numbers are for an incredibly small sample size (28 plate appearances), but the numbers are jaw dropping.

Aside from that, there’s outfield prospect Brandon Guyer, who will probably make his debut in 2011 or 2012, but in a perfect world, could use a bit more minor league seasoning.

Trading for a big-name first baseman such as Prince Fielder or Adrian Gonzalez would include trading a combination of top prospects, most likely including pitchers Chris Archer, Trey McNutt, Chris Carpenter, Guyer, and (definitely) shortstop Starlin Castro. That said, I legitimately doubt that a trade will occur.

Another possible outcome, but one that looks more unlikely with each passing week, is to move Aramis Ramirez across the diamond from third base to first, as he is growing older and less capable of handling the hot corner.

Overall, the Cubs’ options seem to be incredibly limited, and it seems that a free agent signing such as Adam Dunn is inevitable. 

This article was featured on TheUnfortunateCubsFan.com

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It makes me a little uneasy to not be penciling in Derrek Lee at first base for the Cubs next season.

Since I was 14 years old, I’ve only known him manning first. Lee was ever the defensive specialist, and I grew jaded in simply expecting him to make every play, every single difficult pick.

Lee got it all done with ease, and I would mention his Gold Gloves if I felt the award had any merit (which it doesn’t). Yet his defensive prowess is actually very deserved.

That’s not all with the big man. To top things off, he had two MVP-quality offensive seasons, with multiple above-average years interspersed.

Outside of missing the majority of 2006 due to injury, and a lackluster final season with his team, he was a symbol of of how baseball should be played. He was the headliner on this team, through and through.

With his departure, the next North Side first baseman will have some large cleats to fill. Owner Tom Ricketts has implied that this team won’t be spending much cash this off-season, but there are a multitude of cheap first basemen the team could take a flier on.

It goes worth noting that Adrian Gonzalez will be a free agent next off-season. This fact, paired with the multiple other expensive contracts coming off their books makes the Cubs the early front-runners to sign San Diego’s super-star first baseman. This all makes a one-year deal on someone much more prevalent.

So let’s see which Free Agents would fit the Chicago Cubs in this mind-set and pocketbook…

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To the best of my ability, I will lay out what I believe will idealize the Braves 2011 lineup.

I think there are a few things to be changed from the roster of the previous year, so here is what I believe will give the Braves a good postseason run.

And hopefully they’ll trample those Giants along the way.

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The moment after Brian Wilson threw the final pitch of the 2010 World Series, 142 Major League Baseball players officially became free agents.

The first champagne cork hadn’t been popped in the San Francisco Giants locker room and approximately 19 percent of opening day rosters didn’t have a contractual agreement for the 2011 season.

Welcome to the MLB Hot Stove season.

We would wait for the Giants to fly back home to San Francisco and hold their championship parade, but we simply don’t have time to do that.

Clubs have five days to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents before the bidding is opened up to the rest of the league.

What does that mean precisely?

When Monday morning arrives next week, Cliff Lee can officially bolt Texas if he chooses to do so.

To prepare for the free agent bonanza that will be upon us shortly, Bleacher Report will take a look at many of the names that could be on the move.

Today, we look at 20 of the “top” hitters on the free agent market.

There’s one distinction in play: This is a list of names, not a ranking, which is why they will not be numbered from 1-20.

Yes, rankings are fun. Debating who’s the “best” at anything provides a great conversation point.

But presenting this discussion in that form would simply be an insult to your intelligence. Why?

Well, let’s say that the free agent market this year is rather feeble, at best.

There’s a handful of intriguing names, and then it drops off rather quickly. Getting to 20 quality names on this year’s list wasn’t the easiest thing to do, and therefore I think you’ll be able to discern rather quickly who is potentially an impact bat and who isn’t.

With that in mind, here’s 20 hitters who are (or could be) free agents this winter.

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In maybe the saddest day since the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals, first basemen Adam Dunn has filed for free agency.

The franchise’s (only counting the years in D.C.) best-ever hitter wanted to stay with the team.  The powers that be with the Nationals, however, didn’t want to spend the money to keep him.

For a moment let me address ownership.

You are the No. 4 team here in D.C.  The Redskins rank way above all else, then come the Capitals (for now), the lowly Wizards and then you.  The last part might be generous, the D.C. United might draw more attention (I doubt it though).

If you want to move up that latter, and with the Wizards’ struggles it is possible, but you’re going to have to win first.  Stephen Strasburg is out until the very earliest next September so, there go the ticket sales there. 

Bryce Harper is at least two-to-three years away from being able to come up to the MLB level and make a difference.

So what else have you got for the public?

Exactly. If you want to compete with the Phillies and the Mets, you’re going to have to spend money.  You’re in a large market that will sell-out your stadium if you are winning. 

The Capitals are a perfect example of that.  I used to go to Caps games, buy a cheap ticket and walk up to the glass.  Now I’m lucky to even get a ticket, and they’ve added seats this year.

So, Nationals, I’m pleading with you, please rethink letting Dunn walk and sign him, and while you’re at it, kick the tires on Cliff Lee and any other free agent that can help you now and in the future.  Take a page out of the Yankees‘ play book.  There is a reason why they have 27 championships.

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The 2010 World Series is not over yet, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to talk about players who could be changing teams this offseason.

Notable playoff players such as Texas Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee, Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth and Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford all could start with different teams next April on opening day 2011.

Free agency and trades make the hot stove season very exciting, and this winter is sure to see major players switch cities.

Next, we will look at 10 significant players who are free agents or may likely be traded this winter.

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This year’s free-agent class is fairly weak overall. This is true of the available outfielders as well. There is a lot of good talent at the top of the class, but from there, it declines fairly quickly.

With many teams looking to fill a hole in their outfield, you can expect a few bidding wars to occur over some of these players.

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In Major League Baseball there is an unwritten rule that you don’t upstage the World Series by announcing trades or free agent signings (a rule ignored by Alex Rodriguez and his agent Scott Boras in 2007).

However, this afternoon I received a quirky email from the Washington Nationals.

It was in regards to their Halloween Pumpkin carving contest. 

The team has already selected three finalists and are asking fans to vote.  The motivation for voting (because honestly you need one when comes to selecting the best carved pumpkin) is a game-worn Adam Dunn Jersey.

To be honest it would be in bad taste to offer a prize from a fan favorite player that you have no intentions of re-signing (but at the same time this is the same franchise that sold millions of Stephen Strasburg jerseys last season and are now switching to new style of jerseys so everyone can repurchase one).

So this prize gives me hope that the Nats will open up their wallets and re-sign the slugger, who, if the price is right, wants to stay aboard this sinking ship of a team (note, I wouldn’t have typed that last line had Strasburg not gotten hurt).

So this may be an unintentional sign from the franchise that they are going to put forth an effort to keep Adam Dunn a National, or they’re just cleaning house on all things Dunn to make room for the bargain basement player they sign to replace him.

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What do the years 2001, 2003 and 2010 all have in common? They all involve deep playoff runs and subsequent disappointing playoff exits for the New York Yankees.

Following the 2001 and 2003 seasons, the Yankees acquired a dynamic hitter and veteran pitcher in each offseason, Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina after ’01 and Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Brown following ’03, and now it is very possible 2010 will also share that distinct similarity.

Don’t get me wrong, every postseason that doesn’t end with a World Series title is a disappointment to the Yankees and Yankees fans, but the 2001 World Series was a huge letdown and the 2003 loss was the official end to that Yankee dynasty.

2010 wasn’t a World Series loss, but an ALCS exit where the Yankees were truly over-matched and could not perform in the clutch was still hard to watch.

So who might the Yankees be targeting this offseason? Well, the popular pick is Cliff Lee and I think (hope) that he will be in pinstripes next season, after what he has done to the Yankees in the past, just signing him and keeping him away from other teams would be a bonus.

By the time it is all said and done he very well could be the highest paid pitcher in baseball history, because a bidding war is certainly going to take place between Texas and New York, along with whoever else is interested in him.

As for the bat, that remains to be seen, but some two of the most talked about hitters out there on the market are Adrian Beltre and Adam Dunn.

Beltre is coming off of a fantastic year in Boston hitting .321 with 28 home runs and 102 RBI, along with 49 doubles to lead the league. He also has a two Gold Gloves at third base.

Dunn is a much more one-dimensional player being a typical middle-of-the-order power bat, having not hit fewer than 38 home runs since 2003. His defense is nothing to brag about, but he can play first base and the corner outfield spots.

Both players would make the Yankees lineup even more stacked than it already is, but there would be one problem with signing either one of these All-Star caliber players. The DH spot would be jammed.

Beltre could play third base and A-Rod could move to the DH, but with an aging catcher, I have a feeling Jorge Posada is going to be the everyday DH next year, which brings me to my next point.

The Yankees don’t really need to sign either of these expensive free agents, because they have the young phenom catcher Jesus Montero waiting for his opportunity and next year the starting catching job could be his.

This is a player the Yankees have been high since they signed him as a 17-year-old. Now at age 20, he has shown at every level of the minors that he has a major league ready bat, having hit 21 home runs and knocked in 75 RBI this year at triple-A Scranton, while hitting .289. His defense was a concern but it is reportedly improved this year.

I have no doubt that by the end of next year, that Montero is the Yankees starting catcher and is an impact bat in the lineup, maybe not to the degree of Dunn or Beltre yet, but he certainly looks like he has the potential to hit 30 home runs in a season. And obviously, he is a much cheaper option than most free agents out there.

So maybe the Yankees just sign Cliff Lee and a few lesser free agents, possibly Johnny Damon, and go with Montero as their new starting catcher. Either way, if history repeats itself, the Yankees are going to have some new faces around in 2011.

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Sometimes when making an effort to rebuild a team, many general managers make the mistake of choosing the best player available on the market rather than addressing one particular area where the squad is weak.

Instead of paying millions for a superstar, then trying to find out how or where a certain player will mesh with the team, the good general managers will first break down the specific needs of the club and make a checklist, then when considering any new additions, they check to make sure that each prospective player meet the required criteria.

Such should be the case with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason.

Many people, including Los Angeles General Manager Ned Colletti, continue to refer to the Dodgers’ “core” talent of players. There’s no question that a core of talent does indeed exist, but there are a few tweaks that are required and several areas that need to be addressed before the Dodgers can once again become contenders.

Seemingly, money will be the biggest question mark for Los Angeles when assembling a roster and preparing for next season. However, several experts, including Tony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles, believe that owner Frank McCourt will do all that he can to push the team payroll up to the $100 million range.

After all, the Dodger fan faithful is the driving force of the franchise, and if the fans aren’t happy, then the seats aren’t filled at Dodger Stadium, and the team doesn’t generate dollars. Without question, after everything the McCourts have put the organization through, Frank should be on the ground kneeling to his own employees and the fans in an effort to assure them that he will do his best to put the Dodgers back on the right track.

This includes spending money on several high-quality big market players, and not your everyday 10-year veteran who is lurking in the bargain basement. Whether it be through free agency or trades, there isn’t any reason that Los Angeles shouldn’t at least improve from the 2010 season if careful moves are made.

Yet before even targeting a specific player, Colletti should make a list of specific needs, prioritize them, then decide which available players on the market fulfill the requirements he chose to list.

The following slides show five specific areas that Colletti should consider when putting together the Los Angeles Dodgers roster this winter.  

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