AL East

The Blue Jays have added some more closer depth to their already growing bullpen, as the club announced Monday that they have come to an agreement with former Twins closer Jon Rauch on a one-year contract worth $3.5 million. The deal also includes a club option for 2012 that will see the hurler earn $3.75 million.

Having already signed relievers Carlos Villanueva and Octavio Dotel, the Jays added quite possibly the most imposing presence on a pitching mound since Randy Johnson.

Via Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports:

"Y! source: Andruw Jones nearing a one-year deal with Yankees. Not done yet, however."

Bill Madden of the New York Daily News is reporting that Rafael Soriano has a bad attitude and "was hated by almost everyone in Tampa Bay last year."  Madden says Soriano didn't like being brought into games in non-save situations or having to pitch more than one inning in a game.

I'll start today's post with a question.

As the football season begins to wind down, the 2011 MLB season is right around the corner with Spring Training beginning in mid-February.  

With many interesting signings during the offseason, some of the league's most dominant players have decided to switch cities and play for another organization, such as Rafael Soriano and Cliff Lee.  

As Spring Training is quickly approaching, take a look at 10 players who are the most likely to show up to camp out of shape.

* Stats compiled from ESPN

In 2010, the Red Sox missed out on the postseason in large part due to its woeful bullpen. The relievers in 2010 posted a miserable 4.24 earned run average, which was good for 23rd in the MLB. The 19-23 record they produced played a major role in the Red Sox's failure to reach the playoffs. 

However, this winter, Boston has made the necessary transactions in order for its bullpen to be among the best in the league. Sure, it would have been nice to have added Rafael Soriano to their staff, however, its free agent signings and re-signings have been sufficient. 

With most of the top free agents now signed and teams starting to take shape as we approach spring training, I thought I would share my pre-pre-season perspective on the relative strengths, (and weaknesses), of all 30 major league teams.

Via Brian Costello of the NY Post:

Via Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated:

"Yankees step up pursuit of Andruw Jones. Rays, several others in mix. [Johnny Damon] could be possibility or either team also."

Last year, Clay Buchholz was one of the bigger surprises in baseball. In his first full season on the MLB level, he finished with a 17-7 record, 2.33 ERA (second in the AL), and a 1.20 WHIP.

He finished sixth in Cy Young voting, and might have garnered more attention had he not missed nearly a month of the season from June to July.