Adam LaRoche

I have a feeling that no matter what Adam LaRoche does as a Washington National—assuming the obvious happens and he signs with the team—there is going to be a fairly loud minority saying, “Yeah, but he’s no Adam Dunn.”

And they’ll be right, of course. Their same first name aside, they are two very different players. And yes, one of them will help his new team more than the other. And that player is Adam LaRoche.

Surprise!

It is becoming painfully obvious that the Washington Nationals are doing everything they can to sign a competent major league first baseman this off season and the two players remaining—Adam LaRoche and Derrek Lee—are doing everything they can to avoid signing here.

I mean, the math isn’t that difficult. The Orioles and Nationals need a first baseman and the only two left are Lee and LaRoche.

The Baltimore Orioles need a first baseman.

As former Orioles first baseman Kevin Millar might say: "It's time for the O's to pony up and get it done."

That's the feeling every Oriole fan is experiencing at this moment in time in regards to the first base situation, which has been dragging on for most of the offseason.

The 2011 season can break one of two ways for the Washington Nationals. They can either take that final step towards a .500 season and use it as a conduit to future playoff contention or they can simply suck for a sixth consecutive year.

And which possibility becomes reality is dependent on who trots out to first base next Opening Day.

The MLB Hot Stove is in full swing, and a number of significant moves have already been made at the Winter Meetings. That said, there will still be plenty more action before the winter is over, as a number of teams still have glaring needs on their roster.

Looking to the National League, the Nationals already made a splash signing Jayson Werth, but who will be the next NL team to pull the trigger on a big signing?

The Baltimore Orioles have sent relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio to the Arizona Diamondbacks for their slugging, strikeout-prone third baseman Mark Reynolds.

Even though it happened only a couple hours ago, every Orioles fan knows that by now.

Reynolds is a legitimate, right-handed power bat, having hit 32 homers last season, and 44 in 2009.

Welcome to the Arizona Diamondbacks garage sale.

Everything must go.

Seriously, everything.

Currently last place in the National League West and over twenty games under .500, the Diamondbacks need to start rebuilding.

This team just isn't going to win. Ever.

With the July 31 trade deadline looming, these five players are the most likely to be sent off.

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As I mentioned in my first article introducing the Bleacher Report Professional League, I will be writing updates on the league regularly about transactions, the draft, and results throughout the season. Tomorrow night is the draft, and I will be recapping the results afterwards, here is a link to the league: