Baseball

The 2010 season abruptly ended for the San Diego Padres, who were hungry for a postseason berth. The Pads fell one game short of forcing a tie in the NL West, and needed to sweep the Giants or have the Braves be swept instead. Sadly, the Padres finished second in the West, and could not qualify for the wild card position. 

As the last dying embers of the Hot Stove flame begin to blacken and fade, let's take one more look at who is still out there.

At this time of the year, free agents can often be had at a discount, hungry as players are to find a team and get down to the work of getting ready for the season to come. There are still a few potential impact players floating around, as well as many more who could prove to be valuable additions in the right place.

The Detroit Tigers begin the 2011 season with the goal to win a championship. However, if they want to be able to claim their first World Series title since 1984, they have some work to do.

A very forgettable Yankees offseason is capped by a late signing of veteran starter Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal. The 37-year-old right-hander has enjoyed a great deal of success throughout his career, including a Cy Young in 2005.

Colon did not pitch last season and has not made it through an entire season since his Cy Young in 2005.

Along with Colon, the Yankees have also recently signed pitcher Mark Prior, who has not pitched in the big leagues since 2006.

The 2011 Hot Stove Season has included numerous high profile free agent signings, including blockbuster deals signed by Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford, and the multi-player trade that brought Adrian Gonzales to the Red Sox. Of the many deals this off-season, the free agent signing of Adam Dunn by the White Sox may bring the most value to fantasy owners. 

We here at Baseball Professor think about our readers first and ourselves second—albeit a close second. That’s why we decided to reach out to other bloggers (who follow their respective teams more closely than we do) to give you a deeper look into the important issues every fantasy owner has to come to grips with this season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were a team desperately in search of a left-handed reliever that can get outs late in a game.

They may have found that guy in ex-Pirate Joe Beimel.

The Pirates announced today that they have agreed to terms with Beimel on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Beimel turned down a few major league offers, including a two-year deal from an unnamed team, citing a desire to return to Pittsburgh, where he began his career.

Most Americans (at least before the current depression) retired in their late 60s or early 70s, or not at all. Baseball players, even those with the most longevity, retire while they are still young.

Mickey Mantle retired in 1968 at the tender age of 36. Like old generals, old players never die, but unlike old generals, Mickey Mantle never fades away.

Entering the 2011 season, the Mets are a team of low expectations and "what ifs." The fans don't think their team is going very far this season, but don't tell Jose Reyes that. Reyes says he has thoughts of MVP in his mind with spring training just 18 days away.

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.