Kuzul

Some might say it’s baseball blasphemy for a die-hard San Francisco Giants fanatic to give opinions about our hated enemies to the south, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In fact, I know quite a few who will say that.

But bear with me for a second.

The blood rivalry—that is unfortunately a literal term when it comes to this particular pairing—between the Gents and Bums is an example of major-league contempt in its purest form.

Granted, the saying goes familiarity breeds contempt, but you could argue the converse is just as true.

That is, contempt breeds familiarity.

Add the fact that the unbalanced schedule in Major League Baseball tosses these two in a cage 18 or 19 times a year, and I’d wager that both fan bases have a pretty good handle on the other side.

The trick, of course, is removing the obvious bias from the assessment.

That’s difficult, but not impossible.

Especially in the case of the topic at hand—the whispers from baseball’s offseason that los Doyers are considering several of their young studs as bargaining chips to bring in fresh, equally talented faces.

Rumor has it that LA is floating such names as James Loney, Matt Kemp and Jonathan Broxton on the open-market waters to see what the franchise might get in return.

It’s also true (as you can see in the links) that Ned Colletti and company have said they will NOT move those same names at any point during the winter.

What’s the bottom line?

Well, you don’t hear anything about Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley on the trade winds these days.

By comparison, I’d say that means the Bums are at least considering the use of Loney, Kemp and/or Broxton as bait.

Consideration is fine; pulling the actual trigger on a deal would be monumentally stupid.

(So let’s hope it happens…)

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The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2011 inducted two very different, yet (in my mind) two very deserving players. Roberto Alomar was perhaps the premier all-around player of our time, and Bert Blyleven was a strikeout machine who could at least keep his team in games, even if they didn’t get the win.

While the Class of 2012 will likely be empty, there are many active players who seem like sure things when their time comes. Albert Pujols, Roy Halladay, and Joe Mauer are examples of players who will probably have no trouble.

There are a few borderline cases as well, such as Andy Pettitte or Jim Thome (though 10 years ago, he’d have been in on the first ballot)

The following are 25 great players who are either great now or on the tail end of their careers. Unfortunately for them though, they will not be a part of the Hall of Fame for various reasons unless the Hall goes crazy like they did in the late 1960s/early 1970s (the inductions of Rube Marquard, Jesse Haines and Paul Waner really hurt the Hall).

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It’s hard to tell from that picture, but that is Manny Ramirez inside the Green Monster in the middle of a game.

In baseball there are plenty of guys who have a love and passion for the game that is admirable.

However, there are also plenty of people who seem more interested in themselves than the game, or their team for that matter.

This is a list dedicated to the latter.

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The Steroid Era has been one of the most exciting movements in all of sports.  It provided baseball fans like me growing up as a kid in the 1990’s with life-changing home runs to watch.

These unbelievable seasons of home runs, delivered by a lot of our favorite players, seems surreal in 2011. It’s almost like it never happened.

When I was a youngster, I didn’t understand the magnitude of what McGwire and Sosa, and Canseco did. Now in 2011, people are shocked by a 50-homer season.  

Looking back, my top ten memories of notorious athletes as a baseball fan are as follows…

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We are officially well into the winter doldrums. The luster of the World Series has long since faded, and the free agent market’s most prized possessions have all signed with new teams. But while the media will marvel in the news surrounding the likes of Washington’s big spending, reeling in Jayson Werth, or the Phillies under-market signing of Cliff Lee. However, many free agents are still looking for new homes.

Who’s to blame?

Today’s free agent market is summarized by the old euphemism, “Dream big, or go home.” Players who had great seasons wait the market out until the last possible moment, sometimes landing that big deal from a desperate team, a la Rafael Soriano signing with the New York Yankees, but more often than not, those players are forced to take deals they aren’t so happy with.

Is it a result of greed? Is there simply no market for a player, or are they valuing themselves much more greatly than what the rest of the league considers a fair price? The following free agents remain without homes, but we wonder why. Though there has been considerable interest in their services, they’ve yet to latch on with a new team. Have the following players actually priced themselves out of the market?

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Since signing Cliff Lee to a surprising five-year contract, the Philadelphia Phillies have been eerily quiet in the market this offseason.

The team certainly isn’t going to make any splashes quite as large as it did with the Lee signing, but by no means does that mean that the franchise isn’t going to build depth for another possible World Series run.

With GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. expressing an extreme desire to keep promising outfield prospect Domonic Brown in Triple-A to begin the 2011 regular season, incumbent Ben Francisco is expected to see a major increase in playing time given the departure of Jayson Werth to the Washington Nationals.

Although the team doesn’t have much too much left to spend, they have the best starting rotation in baseball with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt in the fold. And with a still potent offense that is highlighted by slugger Ryan Howard and extraordinary second baseman Chase Utley, this Phillies team could be one of the better squads in recent history.

Let’s take a look at some possible names that the Phillies could still be targeting as Spring Training rapidly approaches.

John Maine, Starting Pitcher

Maine was non-tendered by the New York Mets after spending the majority of the 2010 season on the shelf following shoulder surgery.

Slated for a major role in the Mets rotation, Maine was a major disappointment and has never been quite as effective as he was during a magical 2007 season when he won 15 games.

Maine is primarily a fastball pitcher and perhaps repeated shoulder troubles have sapped the life on his fastball, because he’s not fooling anyone. For the Phillies, he would serve as depth for the rotation should the team be able to work out a deal for SP Joe Blanton to pitch elsewhere. 

If signed, he’s nowhere near a sure bet to make the final roster. He could pitch in relief, but that’s a long shot to happen.

Chad Durbin, Relief Pitcher

Durbin and the team have reportedly exchanged terms on a potential contract agreement, but it seems that the two sides are still a bit apart in negotiations for a new deal.

The journeyman reliever has spent the last three seasons in Philadelphia, and this last season was his best since 2008.

Although the Phils have a rather crowded bullpen, if Durbin reaches an agreement with the team he should carve out a role without any trouble at all.

His demands aren’t thought to be incredibly lucrative, but the Phillies may nonetheless be hesitant to shell out the type of dough that he’s in search for. 

Scott Podsednik, Outfielder

After finishing up the regular season with the Dodgers, Podsednik declined his player option with the team but has yet to find a job this offseason.

Despite being 34 years old, Podsednik managed to swipe 35 bags last season, the majority of which were accumulated before mid-August. Batting .297, it’s clear that he still has the tools to serve as an asset to a team looking for a leadoff hitter.

However, Pods doesn’t exactly offer up much in terms of anything outside of speed and average, and with most teams preferring increased offense in the outfield, he may be relegated to a backup role. 

If the team feels uncomfortable with Francisco, Pods could be a great left-handed option to platoon with and potentially even take over the full-time role before Brown is ready.

Justin Duchscherer, Starting Pitcher

After it’s been reported that both the Yankees and Red Sox have had interest in the former ace of the Oakland A’s, the interest in Duchscherer has been rather sparse of late.

Because he’s been rather injury prone over the last few seasons, it’s understandable that most teams would be hesitant to roll the dice. However, Duch is a very effective starter when healthy, and just one look at his impressive 2008 season will tell anyone exactly that.

He shouldn’t command much more than a $1 million base salary with built-in incentives in the contract, and the Phillies could have a potential steal and one of the best number five starters in the entire National League.

Jerry Hairston, Jr., Infielder/Outfielder

With his brother Scott recently signing a minor league accord with the New York Mets, Jerry is hoping to find a new home sooner rather than later.

After spending last season in San Diego and hitting .244 with 10 HR in just over 400 AB, Hairston should at least be able to find a spot at the end of the Phils’ bench if they can’t secure a more attractive option.

Hairston could serve as a nifty insurance policy to Chase Utley in the infield, as well as Placido Polanco at 3B given his history of health issues throughout the years. Hairston’s versatility would serve the team in a multitude of ways.

Manny Ramirez, Outfielder

Although this possibility is obviously a little far fetched, Ramirez would really be a great addition for the Phillies.

Rather than rolling out a platoon of Ben Francisco and another player (TBD), Ramirez could serve as the everyday right fielder in a Citizens Bank ballpark that would serve to inflate his stats coming off of a down season.

Although they may be the worst defensive outfield in quite some time with the aging Ibanez in left field, the offensive production would be enough to disregard the ineptitude on defense.

If the price drops enough where Philadelphia can make a serious offer, Ramirez would be hard pressed to say no as this would be his best chance to securing another World Series ring before retirement. 

Michael Young, 3B/DH

With the signing of Adrian Beltre, it’s clear that the Texas Rangers don’t view the overpaid Young as part of the long-term future.

Despite the team indicating that he’ll serve as the full time designated hitter, it’s no secret that the franchise would love to move his massive contract in the right deal.

In a rare situation where the trade could serve to benefit both sides, the Phillies could send Raul Ibanez to Texas as he has just a single year remaining on his deal, and take on Young and the remaining tenure of his deal.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the football season begins to wind down, the 2011 MLB season is right around the corner with Spring Training beginning in mid-February.  

With many interesting signings during the offseason, some of the league’s most dominant players have decided to switch cities and play for another organization, such as Rafael Soriano and Cliff Lee.  

As Spring Training is quickly approaching, take a look at 10 players who are the most likely to show up to camp out of shape.

* Stats compiled from ESPN

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With only a month or so until pitchers and catchers report to training camp, the final free agents are beginning to find homes at last. Jim Thome signed a deal with the Minnesota Twins, and Rafael Soriano has become the most expensive setup man of all time, hopefully.

I don’t see why anyone would pay $11 million for a setup man, but nonetheless, his contract has been signed, and it’s time to look at the future.

Joey Votto and the Reds have been back and forth about a possible contract negotiation. Has that happened now? Is anyone in the market for Bruce Chen?

For that matter, why is Carl Pavano still not signed?

Here are the latest MLB rumors and buzz.

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Spring training is getting closer. Top players have switched teams and fans patiently wait for America’s favorite past time to get started. 

There’s a lot of buzz going on right now as some recent deals have occurred. Clubs are signing key players and some are losing them.

Let’s take a look in to how these deals affect certain teams. As well as the latest rumors in the Major League Baseball world.

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At any given time, there are arguably 30-35 active players in the Major Leagues who are deserving of a spot in Cooperstown once they call it a career. Whom among those on an active roster for 2011 are most likely to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame sometime in the future?

The following is a position-by-position list of players who, in my opinion, can start thinking about their acceptance speeches right now.

Disclaimer – In writing this list, no special consideration was given to the “Steroid Era,” and no players were excluded from the list because of suspicion or admission of steroid use.

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