AL East

Reports are saying that Victor Martinez, the free agent catcher from the Boston Red Sox, signed with the Detroit Tigers.

This could be detrimental to the Red Sox, who were hoping to re-sign the 31-year-old Venezuelan catcher.

Considering his great numbers and value to the team, how will this affect the Red Sox next season?

Begin Slideshow

It's funny how an athlete seems to do his job to the best of his ability when there are question marks surrounding his future payment. Although, you can't really blame them because we are all guilty of doing it.

If you were given four years of guaranteed money, would you find yourself working harder than you did the previous year to get that money, or just enough to not get fired?

I bet during that fourth year, right before your evaluation, your work would suddenly bumped up on your priority list.

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.

For the first time in his big league career, Derek Jeter is a free agent. For the time being, he has remained one.

The Yankees captain is looking negotiate a new deal with the only team he has ever known and played for.

This past week, the Yankees submitted their first offer for three years and $45 million, which would earn Jeter $15 million per season.

For a typical 36-year-old shortstop who has had some decline, that would be considered overpaying for the player. But Jeter is not the typical shortstop.

So many question marks remain for the Yankees this off-season.

Will Cliff Lee go for the money in the Bronx, or will he stay close to home and return to Texas? Will Derek Jeter be in a different uniform next season, and if so who is the starting shortstop for the Yankees? Is Andy Pettitte coming back for one last title run? Will Posada, Montero or Cervelli be the starting catcher? What is the bullpen going to look like?

Cliff Lee is a phenom on the mound.  With the ball in hand and the crowd going bananas, Lee oftentimes shines.  His prowess as a big-game pitcher is no longer questioned, despite another World Series loss for his team, this time the Texas Rangers.  

The one team that has long coveted this stud lefty is the money-powered New York Yankees.  Why not? Unlike most teams, they can afford Lee's services, and they're looking for another arm in their rotation right now—or at least they should be.  

It has been some time since the New York Yankees weren't involved with an offseason's top free agents. This year—to the chagrin of many baseball fans—is no different.  The most prized member of this year's free agent class, lefty Cliff Lee, tops just about every team's free agent priority list. For the Yankees, Lee could quite possibly be the piece that seemed to be missing down the stretch in their 2010 campaign. 

The New York Yankees are going to re-sign Derek Jeter, right? Right? Surely, they'll find some money in their infinite budget to bring back their captain, a guy who has led the team to five World Series Championships.

Though the Yankees will ultimately reach some sort of middle ground with Jeter, keeping him in pinstripes for the rest of his career, they aren't making things easy.

The Yankees' brass has called out Jeter on a couple occasions this offseason, saying his ego is getting in the way and that they won't overpay for a guy who isn't worth as much as he thinks he is.

It is not crazy to say that without injuries to almost every major player, Boston would have made the playoffs last season. The team was a lot stronger offensively than people predicted and if Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek and Mike Cameron had been healthy all year, they would have made a serious run at the Rays and Yankees in the AL East.

While 2009 ended with a World Series championship, 2010 ended in disappointment.

While the Texas Rangers celebrated in front of their home crowd and were heading to their first World Series championship in franchise history, the 2010 offseason was beginning for the New York Yankees.

The Yankees and their 200 million dollar payroll, began their offseason earlier than expected.  Now multiple uncertainties surround this team, with some of the greatest players in franchise history becoming free agents.