AL Central

Dear Mr. Antonetti:

Congratulations on your promotion to be the next General Manager of the Cleveland Indians.

I grew up watching the Indians of the 1980s, as John Addams' drumbeats echoed through the cavernous and usually empty Municipal Stadium. But when you're a kid, the fascination of simply seeing a major league game was good enough for me, But as I grew up, I learned more and more about the game itself, which not only made me a more informed fan, but a more critical one as well.

Every winter, you see it.

A team makes a relatively inexpensive signing of an aging former superstar.  He may not be an everyday solution, but could put up some plate appearances at DH, get new life as a pinch hitter, or become a late-inning defensive replacement.

Jim Thome was that kind of a guy with the Twins last season.  Heck, the White Sox got 19 homers out of Andruw Jones in 2010.  Happens all the time.

When defining this offseason, I think we will define it as a player’s market. We have seen aces, pseudo aces, mediocre bullpen guys, and not quite superstars get paid like superstars.

It seems like everyone at every position has made out this offseason. Every position, that is, except DH.

With a renewed emphasis on speed and defense that has taken place over the past couple of seasons in baseball, DH’s are no longer getting the love they used to.

Jim Thome came to an agreement to return to the Minnesota Twins for another season, Friday. The slugger agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract which is double what he made in his first season with Minnesota.

The Kansas City Royals made some surprising news earlier today as they announced the signing of free agent and former Colorado Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis.

On one side, the move makes sense because KC needs immediate help in their starting rotation, after losing former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke via trade and not resigning veteran Brian Bannister for next season.

It’s easy to forget the immediate impact Carlos Santana had after being called up by the Cleveland Indians in mid-June. Before Santana’s season was cut short on August 2^nd by a knee injury, he managed to compile a .260 batting average with 23 R, 6 HR, 22 RBIs and 3 SB.

After much speculation on whether or not the Minnesota Twins would bring back designated hitter Jim Thome for a second season, it appears that a resolution has finally been reached.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney is reporting that the Twins and Thome have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $3 million.

before gaining entry to Baseball's Hall of Fame, a player must wait five years after his retirement to become eligible, then be name don 75 percent or more of the total ballots cast by members of the Base Ball Writers' Association of America. Former pitcher Bert Blyleven did not achieve entry until his fourteenth try, and he is not alone in the annals of Cooperstown when it comes to having a long time to wait.

It's almost that time of year again. In exactly one month, Cleveland Indians pitchers and catchers will report to Goodyear, Arizona to kick-off Spring Training and the 2011 Major League Baseball season. Yes, I know things can change from now until February 14, but lets just say, if the season started today, what starting pitchers would make up the Tribe's five-man rotation?

Its no secret that the Cleveland Indians have some work ahead of them in the rebuilding process. But with such a deep farm system and many former All-Stars being dealt, Tribe fans are anxious to see something come from the plethora of young talent the Indians are supposed to have.

The Minnesota Twins have become more of a large-market team with a new stadium and the ability to keep their talent around, while the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox have spent a lot of money in the offseason to make a once seemingly winnable AL Central a very formidable one.