Kuzul

Every year we wind up hearing about a group of MLB stars that are reaching for the stars, so to speak, when it comes to playing for either a new gig in another town or an extension in their current digs.

This year there are plenty of players out there who are swinging for new deals, and I thought I would highlight a few of them for you today.

Interestingly enough, it will be where these players land and for how much that will inevitably take over the headlines, but for now, it’s what they are doing to shop themselves in an otherwise volatile FA market.

Let’s begin.

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It has been a season to forget for many teams.

While many teams, whether it be from front office mismanagement, injuries, or simply bad player performances, have disappointed in 2010, among them the Red Sox, Mets, Cubs, and Dodgers. Fortunately for these teams, however, it could be worse.

They could be the Orioles, Royals, Mariners, Nationals, Pirates, or Diamondbacks.

These are the six teams at the bottom of their respective divisions (the Royals are actually tied with the Indians, but are included as the representative team based on a worse Pythagorean W-L). Which team deserves the dubious title of “worst”, however?

Defining the worst is a tough process, and multiple factors go into it. Of course, 2010 performance has to be weighed heavily into the mix, but all six of these teams performed badly. Luck must also be considered (example, if the team significantly underperformed their Pythagorean W-L, like the Cardinals have), as must the team’s expected performance going forward.

Without further adieu, and using Jeff Zimmerman’s preseason rankings as a farm system point of reference, here are the rankings of the six bottom feeders in MLB, in order from most to least hope in 2011.

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For baseball fans, the pinnacle of the six-month grind awaits on the horizon.

With only a few weeks left in the regular season, it’s hard not to let the mind drift to October baseball, playoff drama, and the crowning of a new World Series champion.

Currently, three divisions stand all but settled.

The Minnesota Twins have a six-game lead in the American League Central, the Cincinnati Reds have a seven-game lead in the National League Central, and the Texas Rangers sit eight games up in the A.L. West.

That leaves us with three divisions up for grabs.

The New York Yankees are a half-game back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the A.L. East after losing their fourth straight.

The Philadelphia Phillies hold a one-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the N.L. East.

And the San Diego Padres are a half-game up on the San Francisco Giants with the Colorado Rockies only two-and-a-half games back in the N.L. West.

If there’s a God, we will get to enjoy the best thing other than Game 7 of a World Series: a one-game playoff to decide the division. A 163^rd game, if you will. 

In anticipation of our wish, we are ranking the top “tiebreakers” of all time. 

There’s only been 13 of these gems ever.

Keep in mind, one-game playoffs are only used to decide divisions and wild cards today. But prior to 1969—the year the League Championship Series debuted—these tiebreakers also decided league pennants.

Here’s the best eight tiebreakers ever played.

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The playoff chase is in full gear and the divisions are hotter than ever. Teams like the Rangers, Rays, Giants, and Phillies are getting that much closer to wrapping up their respective divisions. But they can’t look forward to October baseball just yet: First, they need to get through the final stretch on their schedules.

Some of these teams have a harder path than others to a division title. Who has the toughest road down the stretch and who will be ho-humming it to October baseball?

Here are the remainng schedules, ranked from hardest to easiest, for the following 10 contenders.

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Boy, this season went by fast.

Seems like just yesterday that the Mariners were gearing up to take the league by storm with lights-out pitching and defense, and the Padres were preparing to field offers for Adrian Gonzalez. Those were the days.

Now, just three weeks away from game No. 162, much of the playoff picture looks clear. The Rays, Yankees, and Rangers all seem safe bets to play into October. The Twins’ lead, while far from secure, would likely withstand a White Sox winning streak, and barring collapse, the Reds should be able to maintain their edge over the scuffling Cardinals.

But there are still questions. The Giants and Padres are tied in the NL West with the Rockies just 1.5 games back. The Phillies have a game on the Braves in the NL East, and Atlanta, in turn, has a single-game lead over San Francisco and San Diego for the Wild Card—at most three of those teams can make the playoffs.

In this slideshow are this week’s top 10 series to watch, based on intrigue and potential magnitude of impact.

Here’s to another week of great baseball!

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While some division races are winding down, others are just starting to heat up.

The Rockies, dead in the water two weeks ago, have ripped off 10 wins in a row and are now in the mix for both the Wild Card and NL West title.

Carlos Gonzalez continues to remind voters why he should be in the MVP conversation.

Troy Tulowitzki has jut finished a incredibly hot stretch as well. How hot? Well how does eight home-runs and 17 RBI in nine games sound?

The tandem are the reason the Rox find themselves within striking distance.

The Giants have been able to capitalize on the Padres’ massive slump and have tied them for first in the NL West. How will the Padres and their dismal offense respond?

The Reds, losers of seven out of ten, are allowing the Cardinals a chance to get back in the NL Central race. Yet St. Louis hasn’t been able to capitalize a whole lot, going 3-4 in the past week.

The Phillies have taken first place away from the Braves in the NL East. But with six games remaining between the two teams, that race is far from over.

The AL is lacking excitement at this point. The Rangers are in a very comfortable position in the AL West.

The Yanks and Rays have the AL East and Wild Card well in hand. And the Twins have opened up a six-game cushion on the White Sox.

As the season hits the final weeks, all of the questions about who will make the playoffs lie in the NL.

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Over the course of what has been dubbed both “the Year of the Pitcher” and “the Year of the Rookie,” the baseball viewing world has ridden quite the figurative roller coaster.

At the beginning of the 2010 season, the world was abuzz with expectation and prediction regarding Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg, and he didn’t fail to impress, striking out 14 batters in six innings in his major league debut. Unfortunately, the excitement was short-lived, and we won’t be hearing from Strasburg until some time in 2012.

Never fear, though: there is a new phenom of the month, and his name is Aroldis Chapman. Like Strasburg, Chapman has the ability to kick the radar gun up over 100 mph. His 103 has been the talk of baseball.

But are we just setting ourselves up for another fall? Is Chapman simply destined to suffer the same fate as Strasburg?

Here’s ten reasons to think maybe he is.

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All the talk about 2010 being the “Year of the Pitcher” in Major League Baseball is true. 

It has been an excellent year for pitchers.

For whatever reason, there’s been more no-hitters and perfect games than usual, and that’s without counting Jim Joyce’s rob job of Armando Galarraga.

But this year doesn’t only belong to the hurlers, it belongs to the young guns.

At a time when some people argue the fading relevancy of baseball, there has been more great young talent in the game than we can remember.

The amount of quality ballplayers age 26 or younger currently in baseball is staggering.

No, when it comes to TV ratings and big advertising dollars, baseball does not reign supreme. Football is America’s game now, and that’s just the way it is.

But for baseball fans, that’s OK.

As they say, more for you and me.

As the season ticks along in its final month and pennant races take shape, let’s look at some of the most impressive rookies from this year in baseball.

One last note before the show, don’t feel discouraged if your favorite rookie didn’t make the list.

We are keeping it to 10 names for this space, but there certainly have been more than 10 impressive youngsters who merit consideration.

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Of all the major team sports, baseball is, uniquely, a game of great matchups and showdowns. Mostly, it’s a game of individual showdowns within the construct of team ball.

While postseason baseball already brings us to the edge of our seats, there are certain pitcher versus batter showdowns that take us out of our seats altogether.

Think about it:  When an Albert Pujols is in the batter’s box versus a Roy Halladay, he doesn’t have an offensive lineman blocking for him or a power forward setting a vicious screen so he can get a free look.  It’s top batter versus ace pitcher—one of the quintessential beautiful truths of our national pastime.

And then there is the allure of the great starting pitching matchup—a mano-a-mano  so compelling that fellow major leaguers would pay top money just to be in the stands. (Of course, they can afford it more than you or I, but you get the point).

We have team-versus-team rivalries, heightened by fan bases that just don’t like one another.  We may not see Yankees-Sox this October, but the Yankees and Rays are already building a great rivalry. 

What about players or managers facing their former teams?  Just last year, many fans were looking forward to seeing longtime Yankees icon Joe Torre managing against the dynasty he helped to create in the Bronx.  Oh yeah, it also would have been the first World Series battle between the Dodgers and Yankees since 1981.

If it weren’t for the Phillies successfully defending their NL title, we would have seen that.

With all this drama as our backdrop, let us preview the 5 Best Matchups We Could See in October.

Will Mr.Yankee, Derek Jeter, make our Top 5?   Stay tuned.

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Another wacky week of baseball. The ever-annoying Nyjer Morgan decided to slam into the Marlins catcher one too many times.

After being thrown at, Morgan decided to charge the mound and MLB‘s second brawl of the season occurred.

More violent than Reds vs. Cardinals, Morgan got in a few head shots before getting knocked down by the entire Marlins team.

Aroldis Chapman of the Reds made his major league debut this week. He arrived in a blaze of glory, hitting 103 on the radar gun multiple times.

He already owns the two fastest pitches in MLB since ’06. He has thrown three scoreless innings in a middle relief role. It will be interesting to watch how Chapman will be used down the stretch.

In other news, the Padres are in the midst of a predictable collapse, losers of 10 in a row.

The Yankees continue to stomp the AL while the Rays follow their lead. the Reds are still rolling as the Cardinals fade to black.

The Phillies are breathing down the Braves neck and the NL Wild Card is still up for grabs.

The ’10 baseball season has been fun, but the stretch run should provide even more excitement.

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