Lance Berkman

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that the Texas Rangers will sign free agent Lance Berkman to a one-year deal, which may include a vesting option. Berkman had been leaning toward retirement, but this deal signals an apparent change of heart.

Free-agent first baseman-outfielder Lance Berkman has agreed to a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers, according to Houston Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart via Twitter on Saturday:

Two years ago, the New York Yankees made a bold move at the trade deadline.

They acquired long-time slugger Lance Berkman from the Houston Astros for unknown prospects and at the time, it seemed like a steal of a trade.

Whenever an athlete is playing on the last year of his or her contract, it is crucial to have a good season in order to parlay that success into a long-term deal.

No matter a player's age, if he shows he can perform at a substantial level, he will greatly enhance his chances of a long-term deal.

Every free-agent class has its top-tier players, but for every good player that maintains their previous levels of excellence, such as Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke, there are guys who do not perform as well when the money is on the line. 

Question:  What lately has been lacing Lance Berkman’s milk bone bat?  Answer:  Leather baseballs bouncing off the wood and flying out of MLB venues.

The fantasy baseball season is starting to filter out the big fish from the small ponds, the rooks from the bishops and the Cardinals hitters from the haters.

OK, we're not saying we would trade the artist formerly known as Fat Elvis straight up for Super Joe, but here are 10 compelling reasons why Lance Berkman is more valuable than the reigning NL MVP.

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Week 3

April 4th - April 10th 

Over the course of baseball history, we have been witness to some amazing feats. Whether it was watching Rickey Henderson steal bases like his life depended on it or remembering where we were and what we thought when Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's home run record—young or old, big or small, we've all seen great things in the sport of baseball.

That said, watching some of the guys on this list run the bases isn't one of them.

While players like Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, and Josh Hamilton are accustomed to winning MVP awards, but it doesn't mean they are the most important players for their team to win.

We all know about team's most valuable players, but who really is the most important player for each team to have a successful season?

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During the first decade of this millenium, Lance Berkman was a staple in any conversation about the best hitters in baseball.

Through almost 12 seasons in Houston he had become the face of the franchise, along with Roy Oswalt, and was a former member of the Killer Bs, taking Derek Bell’s place in 2000 alongside Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.

In his first three full seasons, Berkman was 6th in Rookie of the Year voting and was a two-time All-Star: