AL East

After their offseason fire sale, the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays lost a lot of key players from their multiple playoff teams. In order to recover, they will need new players to step up to a more prominent role.

These power rankings take into consideration how much the loss hurts the Rays and if they have a viable replacement. 

The key losses to the Rays roster are mostly in their bullpen. The reason being that they do not have many proven players to fill in. In other areas they have players that have at least a year or more experience in the majors. 

One of the aspects of Yankees fandom that I'd like to delve into more in 2011 is the media coverage of the team, particularly on the television end.

Don't worry, I'm not going to turn into a crusty old curmudgeon like Phil Mushnick, yelling at Al Leiter to stop leaving bags of poop on my front porch. At least not yet.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Kevin Youkilis’ current ADP on Mock Draft Central is 30.89, nearly 11 spots below where we believe he belongs.

New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman signed another ex-superstar to a minor-league deal, ex-Angels-White Sox-Red Sox pitcher Bartolo Colon.
 
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Colon will earn $900K in the majors and has the right to be released if he isn't on the team after Spring Training.
 
Is Cashman really this desperate?
 

Stu Sternberg developed a cult following. Certain people think his management team can do no wrong.

This is not to suggest Sternberg ordered his followers to write a fluff piece on the Rays. People don't hold him accountable for his blunders such as breaking up the team or calling out fans indirectly for not going to games.

Mike Napoli was a member of the Blue Jays just long enough for most of the team's writers and fans to get familiar with his capabilities and salary situation and come to a conclusion as to where he would fit in with the club. Napoli seemed to fit as the team's primary DH, which caused a chain effect with the rest of the position players.

This winter has exposed cracks in the New York Yankees’ organization.  What was once the proudest and most cohesive unit in baseball has reverted to the days of factions between the New York front office, headed by GM Brian Cashman, and the Tampa brain trust, led by the Brothers Steinbrenner.

A few weeks ago, it became publicly known that the Toronto Blue Jays and home run king Jose Bautista were almost $3 million apart in contract negotiations.

The Jays were reportedly offering the slugger $7.6 million to stay north of the border for another year, where Bautista was seeking a $10.5 million contract.

The massive gap between the two side's arbitration figures didn't bode well for their hopes of reaching a one-year agreement.

The Toronto Blue Jays were finally able to find a taker for Vernon Wells’ hefty contract, dealing him to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last Friday in exchange for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera. (Click here for fantasy perspective on Vernon Wells in Anaheim.)

Recent comments from New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman have fans screaming for his head. In just three short days, Cashman has become public enemy No. 1 in New York after his comments on two New York radio shows. 

Most feel that being the general manager of the biggest wallet in baseball is one of the easiest jobs you could get.