AL Central

When Chicago White Sox GM Kenny Williams needs some talent, he's proved that he'd rather harvest players from other clubs than go the home grown route.

Williams' strategy over the years has been to use Chicago's farm system to pick up more experienced commodities.

Look at how the current roster is constructed.  Mark Buehrle is the only starting pitcher that came through the White Sox system.  Of the everyday starters last season, just Gordon Beckham was drafted by the team and was developed in the minors.

The Detroit Tigers continued their aggressive offseason approach today by adding Victor Martinez to their roster for a reported $50 million over four years. 

Martinez is obviously a huge upgrade for the Tigers over Gerald Laird and Alex Avila, although Avila will have a chance to approach 300 at-bats again in 2011 with Martinez sure to see some time at DH.  The real question is whether the move to Detroit upgrades Martinez’s fantasy value in 2011.

The Detroit Tigers are about to sign free agent Victor Martinez to a four-year deal worth $50 million. Martinez is listed as a catcher, but will primarily earn his keep via the designated hitter position.

The Detroit Tigers have signed free agent catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez to a four-year, $50 million deal.

Martinez spent last season as a Boston Red Sox and had a productive year swinging the bat. He hit .302 with 20 home runs and finished with 79 RBI in 127 games.

Detroit had high expectations heading into the season, but they didn't pan out, as the Tigers finished third in the AL Central with an 81-81 mark.

The best hitting catcher on the free-agent market, Victor Martinez, was a good fit with the Boston Red Sox, a team with which he spent the past year and a half. Theo Epstein, their general manager, said he was one of their main priorities this offseason.

Free agent catcher Victor Martinez has become another name on the dotted line for the quickly revamping Detroit Tigers. According to reports, the Tigers have signed the switch-hitting Martinez for a four-year deal worth $50 million.

Last season for the Boston Red Sox, Martinez hit .303 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI, the only catcher to hit .300 or more with 20 home runs last season.

It's that time of year when the Major League Baseball top prospect lists start pouring in.  Normally, it's just a part of the normal hot stove season for each major league team. 

You know the drill: sign some free agents, make some trades and reevaluate your minor league system.  For the Indians, that drill should be a much simpler proposition thanks to Paul Dolan's recent revelation to Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer:

Miracles happen, especially in sports. 

After a decade of futility the Tampa Bay Rays stunned the baseball world by winning the AL pennant in 2008, the organization’s first ever winning season.

The following year the Mariners, a preseason footnote in the AL West, won 85 games under GM Jack Zduriencik’s inaugural season. 

There were many surprising performances in 2010, but were any more shocking then Bruce Chen’s?  He’s been around the majors since 1998 and has very rarely proven to be close to a usable option for fantasy owners.  Last season was a different story, however, as he posted the following line:

12 Wins
140.1 Innings
4.17 ERA
1.38 WHIP
98 Strikeouts (6.3 K/9)
57 Walks (3.7 BB/9)
.256 BABIP

As the Twins head into the winter there are some questions that need to be answered.

Among them, who will be the starting outfield for the second season in Target Field?

Will Michael Cuddyer return to right field, pushing Jason Kubel to a backup role?

Perhaps Joe Mauer will move to left field in order to save the wear tear of catching an entire season, and Delmon Young would move to right.