Baseball

A lot of the talk around the Phillies right now is regarding who will replace Pedro Feliz as third baseman, after the team declined their $5.5 million option to bring him back next season.

The team will test the free-agent market but don’t be surprised if there is no new third baseman after all.

Feliz may just be the best option.

Names like Adrian Beltre, Chone Figgins, Mark DeRosa, Joe Crede, Troy Glaus, Melvin Mora, Placido Polanco, and even Miguel Tejada have arisen to compete with Feliz, but there are flaws just about everywhere you look in that bunch.

The. Final. Piece. Of. The. Puzzle.

Simon says Championship.

It's hard to even feign emotion one way or the other about this signing. It's a minor-league deal, and he did man each of the four infield positions for the Yankees in 2008, so there is certainly an element of roster flexibility that he would fill in Mark Teahen's absence. He is pretty much a replacement player with a little postseason experience who isn't going to cost the Royals much of anything.

Dan Uggla has no qualms about changing teams.

Changing positions, however, is a whole different ballgame.

Uggla, 29, is due a substantial raise via arbitration, and finds himself on the trading block as a result.

For those distracted by football and basketball, Major League Baseball is in the process of recognizing its outstanding players from the 2009 season. The biggies are still in the pipe, but those generally go to the right individual. At the very least, the final voting shows an appropriate depth of consideration and analysis even if the you don't agree with it.

Ultimately, a good faith effort is all anyone can reasonably demand during an entirely subjective exercise.

Do you think Jeff Suppan wakes up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night thinking "I am why the Brewers cannot win..."?  I doubt it.  If he does lose sleep at night though, he shouldn't.  It's not his fault... it's GM Doug Melvin's.  Melvin is the man who gave the then 31 year old Suppan a 4 year $42 million dollar deal, and it will be a crushing blow to the Brewers this season as they will be forced to pay Suppan almost $13 million for sub par pitching.  His stats for last season?

Rumors have surfaced in recent days that Milwaukee Brewers' GM Doug Melvin has talked with Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski over the possibility of acquiring starting pitcher Edwin Jackson. Jackson is being shopped in a cost-cutting move by the Tigers.

Jackson is coming off the best statistical season of his career, and he is under team control for two more years. He made $2.2 million in 2009.

It was a tale of two seasons for the young righty. He was named to his first All-Star team in July with a 7-4 record and a 2.52 ERA.

While the big fish in the pool all seem like good fits for the Phillies vacant third base hole, the answer may be someone who could be had in a trade or become available via free agency in a couple of days.

And with all the Phillies faithful calling for the team to sign Adrian Beltre , Mark DeRosa or Chone Figgins to man the hot corner for the Phils in 2010 and beyond, I’m thinking they should go a different route.

Baseball can be a great game, a dream come true, if you will.

However, baseball can also be a fickle game.

That sentiment rings especially true for Edgardo Alfonzo.

NPB Tracker just posted a report from the The Chugoku Shimbun that Justin Huber is close to signing a contract with the Hiroshima Carp.

Left Field is arguably the Mets biggest need this off season.  They have many holes to fill, but left field stands out the most.  The Mets lacked power last year and that is something that they are looking for in their new left fielder.

The Mets are interested in not only one left fielder.  The Mets are looking at multiple left fielders such as, Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, Carl Crawford, and Mike Cameron.  All of those players can greatly contribute to the team.