MLB Rumors

Not every offseason signing is going to be perfect. Even with all the scouting tools out there, it's still difficult to properly evaluate a player and predict his performance going forward. Sabermetricians like Bill James get paid good money to predict what the players are going to accomplish, but the reality is that it's pretty much a crapshoot.

The latest name spinning on the pinstripe rumor mill is five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones.
 
Don’t get excited just yet Yankee fans, as Jones is far cry from the star he once was as an Atlanta Brave.
 
Currently, Jones is a 33-year-old, washed-up center-fielder who sat atop the most elite of hitters list from 1997-2007.
 

Before the 2010 season began, the Minnesota Twins took a conservative approach when signing Jim Thome to a one year $1.5 million contract. After all, it would be hard to conceive a scenario where a team would pay anywhere near the $13 million that Thome was paid in 2009.

Thome would outperform his contract by leaps and bounds in 2010 as the slugger batted .283, slugged .627 and hit 25 home runs while driving in 59 runs.

Manny Ramirez is without a doubt one of the most powerful and productive hitters to ever play the game of baseball.  Manny has a career average of .313 and has hit 555 home runs in his colorful career.  Manny is a 12-time All-Star and has won the Hank Aaron award twice.  He has won two World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox (2004,2007) and was the World Series MVP in 2004.  

It appears that all the speculation that swirled around free agent Carl Pavano leaving the Minnesota Twins for another team will be coming to an end very soon.

FOXSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Twins are nearing a deal that will keep Pavano in a Twins uniform through the 2012 season.

New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman claimed 25-year-old Brian Schlitter, a relief pitcher, off waivers this week from the Chicago Cubs.
 
Schlitter made seven appearances out of the bullpen in 2010 for the Cubs. Over his eight innings of work, Schlitter posted a terrible 12.37 ERA, giving up 18 hits, 11 earned runs, allowed two home runs and walked five of the 48 batters he faced.
 

While Adrian Beltre is the last big name free agent off the market, that doesn’t mean all the talent is gone. There are still a good number of players on the market that could help a team this season. As it stands now, teams are scrambling to try and address their needs before the available talent pool has dried up.

Some teams will get healthier than others, other teams will suddenly have more to spend, and it could lead to some players in some interesting places. Here is a look at some of the latest rumors involving potential baseball free agent signings. 

The Chicago White Sox, at this point, is like the friend begging for a slice of a pizza he did not pay for. Basically, they are out of money or over budget or in need of a bailout or some kind of term involving spending too much or not having enough money.

Then again, everyone thought that was the case before the Sox signed middle reliever Jesse Crain to a three-year, $13 million deal.

With spring training quickly approaching, several questions continue to linger in terms of how the Los Angeles Dodgers' 25-man roster will shape up once the players arrive at Camelback Ranch to prepare themselves for the long journey ahead.

Although general manager Ned Colletti has been very active this winter with numerous new additions to the club, there are still players on the free agent market available who may have the skills or abilities to complete a roster with a few holes.

While most of the winter's biggest prizes have been snatched up (Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford to name a couple) and delivered as early Christmas presents to franchises, there still remains a solid group of free agents who can impact the upcoming season for many prospective teams. In the spirit of the New Year, let's countdown from the Type Bs to Type As remaining on the Free Agent landscape and where they will land in 2011:

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