Kuzul

MLB trade rumors never go away, even when things on the baseball front quiet down around the holidays, as is usually the case.

We’ve seen some pretty big free agent signings this offseason, chief among them being Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee. There have also been some big trades, such as the Adrian Gonzalez and Zack Greinke deals.

But spring training is still many moons away and there is still plenty of time for GMs around baseball to work out some last-minute deals.

With that in mind, here are 15 players who could be dealt before spring training starts.

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The free agent cycle for baseball seems to be wrapping up. The final major names are beginning to get contracts, and most teams have stopped shopping around and are just trying to get things sorted out for next season.

While some teams made moves to make a playoff push next year, other teams have gotten rid of their stars and are relying on rebuilding this year. Nonetheless, there are a few teams that are continuing to make moves, even as spring training approaches. Which teams are set, and which continue to make moves?

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The AL West was one of the worst divisions in baseball in 2010.

Entering the season, projections were all over. Each team was picked to both win the division or finish in the cellar, depending on which prediction you read.

The shape of each club is a bit easier to tell going into 2011, but there are still several questions for each club and the players signed to them.

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Money makes the world go ’round, even (and especially) in Major League Baseball.

If nothing else, money makes baseball’s off-season much more interesting, with teams handing out absurdly large contracts left and right, to the likes of Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth and Cliff Lee.

The teams that contend year after year–the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies, among others—are among the biggest spenders, while those that always struggle or only occasionally have good seasons—the Pittsburgh Pirates, the San Diego Padres and the Oakland A’s, to name a few, spend only a fraction of what the former teams do on their payrolls.

Of course, more money doesn’t necessarily result in more wins; just ask the New York Mets, the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

With that in mind, the following list is a ranking of all 30 MLB teams based on how much money each spent per win earned in 2010. Admittedly, there is much more to evaluating the success or failure of a franchise than just dividing its opening day payroll by the number of victories it earns, both in the regular season and the post-season.

That being said, there is still quite an interesting mix across the spectrum, with a remarkably large percentage of 2010’s biggest winners coming from baseball’s batch of frequently frugal spenders.

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It’s been an eerily quiet offseason for most clubs.

While teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers have all been among the most active thus far, most have remained rather inactive in the early part of the free agent season.

With so many long-term contracts in the past that have proven to be a burden to clubs down the road, general managers aren’t spending lavishly like in previous times.

It’s a bad time to be a remaining free agent, because the amount of money left to spend is shrinking by the day. 

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As 2010 winds to an end, we remember some of the greatest baseball moments of the past season. Whether it was the San Francisco Giants taking home the hardware, Roy Halladay’s postseason no-hitter, the debut of “the phenom” Stephen Strasburg or any of the several no-hitters that made 2010 the Year of the Pitcher, we are thankful for a great year of baseball and wait in anxious anticipation for the coming of the 2011 season.

The past season wasn’t all roses, however. There were some weeds in the garden as well. Mishaps that a lot of players would love to forget and turn a new leaf moving forward.

So with the new year right around the corner, what better time than now to catch up with some of the most familiar names in baseball and the resolutions that they’re making to create one of the greatest baseball years ever in 2011.

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With about only three months before the first regular season game, the time for baseball writers/bloggers to make their predictions about the 2011 MLB season is beginning to draw near. There are a lot of questions that will be answered in the 2011 season, such as: have the Phillies created a dynasty, can the Yankees rebound after losing out on big players this winter, and can Joey Votto carry the Reds back into the playoffs?

When making predictions for an upcoming season there are three important factors that I weigh into my decision making.

First, the stats; sabermetrics is an unbelievable tool and, with the right analysis, can really give you some unprecedented insight.

Second, the gut; sometimes you have to look past stats and trends and go with the gut feeling. Numbers are very helpful, but they can only take us so far – don’t underestimate your gut feelings.

Third, and finally, luck; anything can happen – from a sore elbow finally requiring surgery to a player hurting his leg trying to tie a shoelace…some things cannot be foreseen. 

Without further ado here is a look at, what I believe, will be the 50 best players fore the entirety of the 2011 season along with a speculation as what some of their year end stats may look like…

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Baseball is one of the most unpredictable sports in the world.   

Before the season starts, predictions are made of who will do this and who will do that.  But, the truth is, that there are so many different things that can and will happen.  Every season, the unexpected happens.

Whether it be in the form of a young player having a monster year.  A mediocre player who suddenly becomes a star.  A veteran having one last kick at the can, or a perennial all-star having an off year.

Either way, these things are hard to predict.  But, I have created a list of players  of whom I believe will fall under one of the four categories mentioned above during the 2011 MLB Regular Season.

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The 2010 MLB offseason has provided lots of excitement, surprises and shock. The money that’s been thrown around is upsetting to G.M.’s across the sport.

Cliff Lee to the Phillies, Jason Werth to the Nationals, Carl Crawford to the Red Sox and plenty of other players have switched teams.

The roller coaster ride isn’t over yet. Pitchers and catchers don’t report for another two months, which means the hot stove is still burning red hot.

Your club (yes, even the Phillies) still have holes that need to be filled on their roster.

Here are the needs for every team.

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The 2011 MLB season is just over three months away and already the free agent movement has caused a stir in the league power polls.

While the rest of the free agent situation gets sorted out and teams continue to strengthen, or weaken, we know that baseball is almost upon us.

With that in mind, every season has its surprises, for good and for bad.

The 2011 season will be no different in Major League Baseball, but it is always fun to take a look at what the season may have in store us.

So, let us take a look around the league and make 25 bold predictions for baseball in 2011.

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