AL East

Nick Markakis was supposed to be the one middle of the order option that fantasy owners could depend on from the Baltimore Orioles.  Unfortunately, all that we got was a major disappointment. 

Is it something that we should have seen coming?  That’s debatable.

Now, the $64,000 question is if we can expect a rebound in 2011.  Before we can answer that question, we first need to look at what he did in 2010:

Well, it is finally official.

Cliff Lee is signed sealed and delivered to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Including all option years, Lee was offered a total of $148 million by the New York Yankees and $161 million by the Texas Rangers. Surprisingly, the Rangers offered MORE total dollars than the almighty Yankees.

Around 12:30 this morning, my phone buzzed with an e-mail alert, one I was not ready for and expecting.

According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, Cliff Lee has just agreed to sign a five-year deal for about $115 million with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The deal, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, has a vesting option for a sixth year in Philadelphia.

As The New York Times‘ Ben Shpigel wrote two days ago, a 26-year-old pitcher by the name of Greg Maddux received a lucrative contract offer from the New York Yankees in 1992. The deal spanned five years and was worth $34 million, which was tremendous amount of money then.

According to ESPN's Karl Ravech and confirmed by other sports news outlets on Twitter, it appears the Texas Rangers are aggressively going after former Boston Red Sox third baseman, Adrian Beltre.

I'm sure Cliff Lee had a nice little weekend in Arkansas, doing whatever it is that people in Arkansas do.

Couples boar hunting with Kristen? Smoking a pipe on a porch? Waiting out a tornado in the cellar?

My understanding of landlocked American states is extremely limited.

And while I may be ignorant in the ways of the "The Natural State" (thanks Wikipedia!), I do know that Arkansas' best pitcher didn't announce this weekend where he'll be playing baseball for the next seven years.

For all the hype Robinson Cano had in 2010, when you compare his numbers from the past two years the only major change was in his RBI.  As fantasy owners enter 2011 drooling over the numbers Cano posted just a year ago, they quickly forget that in 2009 he hit .320 with 25 HR, 83 RBI and 103 R.  Clearly, that’s not a statement that is meant to temper expectations in the least.  The fact of the matter is, with back-to-back exceptional seasons Cano has now captured the crown as the best fantasy second baseman in baseba

The Boston Red Sox effectively dominated the Winter Meetings, landing both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. 

Their lineup is loaded, and have a deep rotation looking to have a bounce-back year in 2011.  The Yankees, meanwhile have stood steadfast, and have yet to make a significant move besides re-signing Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

With the AL East's balance of power currently shifted in Boston's favor, the Yankees will no doubt strike back, resuming baseball's Cold War.  Here are 10 possible moves the Yankees can make to turn back the tide:

When you are a Yankees fan, there are only two possible outcomes: The Yanks win the World Series and reaffirm your belief that you indeed root for the best team under God's blue sky, or the Yankees fail in their quest and you somehow begin to question the very existence of the Big Man himself.*

Quite a few reports are saying that Cliff Lee has looked over the New York Yankees' seven-year, $161 million offer and the several offers made by the Texas Rangers.

One offer made by Texas is generally a six-year deal with an option, which could easily be construed as a seven-year deal.

It may be for a little less money than the Yankees offer, but the comfort level Lee has with the Rangers must weigh pretty heavily in the small-town Lee's psyche.