Kuzul

The winter meetings have seen a lot of action so far.

Carl Crawford signed with the Boston Red Sox yesterday for seven years and 142 million dollars. This was in the wake of the huge contract given to Jayson Werth a week earlier from the Washington Nationals.

After the top two hitters on the market have signed, the remaining players have a starting point in negotiations and there are still plenty of quality hitters remaining for teams looking to fill out their lineups.

Here are the top 20 hitters remaining.

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Brian Sabean has done it again.

This time he has gone out and filled the San Francisco Giants’ only real hole by signing shortstop Miguel Tejada to a one-year deal. 

Tejada, a former MVP, is now 36 and at the tail end of his career. 

So the question is, is Tejada the right man to help the Giants repeat? 

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Let’s get something clear right off the bat—I’m not advocating that the San Francisco Giants trade Matt Cain in the 2010-11 MLB offseason. I’m not even suggesting they should consider doing so.

The Kid has been the Giants’ most consistent pitcher for years, and he’s been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball for the same duration. Though Tim Lincecum is unquestionably the staff ace and justifiably dominates the limelight, his right-handed stablemate is only a nose behind him.

What Cainer lacks in pure filth when compared to the Freak, he compensates for almost completely with mental impregnability.

Despite the sizable public perception gap, the actual difference in team import between the two aces is much narrower. Should anyone still doubt this fact, he or she need only reference the Gents’ 2010 World Championship campaign.

The squad probably doesn’t even make the playoffs without its longest-tenured member thanks to Lincecum’s struggles in May (4.95 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) and August (7.82 ERA, 1.82 WHIP). While the Franchise was wallowing in the misery of decreased velocity and lost command, Cain was at his best—he posted a 1.81 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in May, then followed it up with a 3.00 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in August.

Remember, Los Gigantes needed a win in Game 162 to survive the regular season and San Diego Padres by a razor-thin, two-game edge in the National League West. So the margin for error was equally slim.

Oh, and speaking of the postseason, not even Tim Lincecum was better.

In fact, neither Christy Mathewson nor Carl Hubbell—nor any pitcher in the time-worn history of the Show—can look down upon Big Game Cain’s performance in October (OK, maybe Big Six can). That’s because the youngster from Alabama was virtually perfect—2-0, 21.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, seven BB, 13 K and only one extra-base hit (the miracle double to Ian Kinsler in Game 2 of the Fall Classic).

Nope, San Francisco has a handful of untouchables as far as trade chips go, and Matt Cain is most certainly one of those.

But therein lies the fun.

Just imagine what the franchise could demand in return for such a priceless commodity—this is a 26-year-old with successful postseason experience under his belt and off his back. Furthermore, he’s shown consistent improvement from each of his five full seasons to the next.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the hypothetical bounty Matt Cain could fetch.

And note, the acquisition of Miguel Tejada changes none of what follows.

At $6.5 million for one year, I’m intrigued by the Miggy signing. But he’d still take a reserve role to the guys on this list. On with it.

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MLB Free Agency 2011 continues with most of the big names still on the market.

Aside from making a big splash by landing Carl Crawford or Cliff Lee, most Major League clubs will be looking to bolster their depth by adding veteran hitting and pitching.

As usual, there are plenty reliable role players available.

There are also a few players who you might want your favorite teams to ignore for one reason or another.

Here’s a look at 10 clubhouse cancers who could stir up trouble with their new clubs.

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Free agency is a fickle beast in that money doesn’t always constitute the quality level of any given player. More often than not, teams fork over hefty coin simply based on a player’s prior experience and what the agent “sells” the buying team into thinking.

Take, for example, starting pitcher Cliff Lee. His track record over the past two years arguably suggests he is worth over $100 million—arguably! But what about all those players who are better buys than Lee. Isn’t that where the true value rests?

It may be a trite question to ask but I thought it a great topic to discuss, so let’s take a look at who I have come up with. I will take a look at pitchers as well as some position players to widen the gamut.

So sit back and enjoy and please be sure to leave your nominee below in the comment section.

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As the Giants remain in the hangover stages of a World Series championship campaign, the questions are beginning to swirl in the Bay Area over who will replace the World Series’ most valuable player, shortstop Edgar Renteria, in the upcoming 2011 season.

With Juan Uribe as a high candidate for moving teams, one thing is for certain. The Giants are going with the young guns: There is always room for improvement.

Will the Giants try to reel in Derek Jeter, or will they make a trade for another big name infielder?

Only time will tell.

Let’s look at some players around the league that the Giants have their eyes on.

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Cliff Lee is undoubtedly the biggest free agent name on the market this offseason, and with good reason. The 32-year old hits almost every key point on the checklist for a must-have pitcher: He’s a dominant, left-handed starting pitcher, who’s capable of striking guys out or getting players to ground out and is in the midst of his prime.

Reports are coming in that Lee has been offered a six-year, $140 million contract by the New York Yankees, who covet his services to an almost obsessive degree.

Lee’s a great pitcher, to be sure; but is he, or any pitcher for that matter, worth a contract of that magnitude? We’re taking a look at both sides of the argument, giving you five reasons why no one is worth that kind of money, and five reasons why Lee is the exception to the rule.

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The 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.

Such a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you agree?

The Major League Baseball title drought is over in The City, and the champagne showers that quenched the thirst have passed—but the euphoria is still thick. So thick, in fact, that the reality of the Commissioner’s Trophy hasn’t set in for many who joined the roller-coaster bandwagon in time to ride out a few of its many valleys.

As for yours truly, I strapped in sometime during the 1988 season.

In time for 1989…and 1992…and 1993…and 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003.

So the pea-soup fog around my neighborhood in Pacific Heights isn’t just the literal variety this winter. It’s still difficult for me to wrap my head around the concept of the Giants—our Giants—starting the 2011 season as the defending champs.

And I missed quite a bit of the tortuous fun that unfolded before my family arrived in the Bay Area, so there must be Orange and Black diehards even more blissfully at a loss than I.

One thing I do know, however, is that there is no rest for the weary.

Which means there can’t be any for the winners, either. So let’s take a look at how San Francisco can attack the market heading into the offseason.

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If you’re a baseball fan, you know your team could land key acquisitions and great role players.

Free agency is underway, and there are stars available like Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee and Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford. No one denies their talent and they would be a huge prize for any team.

But what about the busts?

Players who looked like they could be great additions have signed huge contracts and turned out to do absolutely nothing. One of the greatest examples of this came when Texas Rangers’ Tom Hicks, then-team owner, signed pitcher Chan Ho Park to a $65 million contract.

It may not be at that level, but the pattern of poor decisions has kept repeating itself.

Here’s a look at 10 free agents who could wind up being major busts this off-season:

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‘Tis the season for MLB trade rumors, and every team out there has needs to fill.

The idea, as always, is not so much to go out and get just any player, but to go out and get the right player. And as always, that’s easier said than done.

But we’re going to go ahead and speculate on the behalf of each general manager in baseball and try to pinpoint one specific player they should go after in a trade.

Naturally, some scenarios are more likely than others. As such, this list progresses from the most outlandish trades to the most likely ones.

Start the slideshow for some made baseball knowledge.

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