MLB Rumors

Now that the winner of the Cliff Lee sweepstakes has been decided, the attention can turn to the rest of the free agent market. Carl Pavano is now the best free agent starting pitcher on the open market, and with Lee making a surprise move in returning to Philadelphia, teams have been left scrambling.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

It's not the most original statement, but for baseball fans, especially those of middle-of-the-road teams, there are few times of the year that hold as much excitement as the months leading up to spring training.

Hope is alive (even for my Orioles) and everyone is on (somewhat) even footing. Teams like the Padres and Royals have the ability to become headline news-makers, even if it's just for a day, and teams like the Brewers and Blue Jays can give the Yankees and Red Sox a run for their money in terms of "offseason rankings."

The Milwaukee Brewers probably don't have enough room on their payroll to re-sign Prince Fielder after his contract expires after this season.

That's led to rumors about where the slugging first baseman could end up if the Brewers decide to trade him.

Whichever team tries to land him in a trade will be asked to give up a lot, but with Fielder's recent production, he's worth the price.

Here are the five teams most likely to have Fielder when the 2011 season begins.

The five teams in the National League East, the Phillies, Braves,  Marlins, Mets and Nationals, have all had busy off-seasons trying to improve their clubs. Some have been more successful than others. And some, like the Phillies and Mets, are moving very slowly through the free agent and trade possibilities.

Here is a countdown of the top 10 moves so far within the division and a breakdown of potential future moves for each team.

The New York Yankees fan base was in a state of bedlam yesterday afternoon, when there were reports on Twitter circulating and stating that Cliff Lee had rejected the Yankees offer. Immediately, the reaction was that Brian Cashman should throw more money in the deal. But later on, the rumors settled down as many did not know what to believe. Beat writers told fans to be careful what was out there and what they read. 

Wondering where ace Cliff Lee will be bring his talents in 2011?

Here is the latest news.

Last night while attending a Christmas party, I happen to be introduced to a man who went to college with Lee’s Arkansas neighbor and happens to be one of his closet friends.

In asking what he had heard, the response was that Lee had not made a decision as of Friday afternoon.

Now that the Winter Meetings are over and Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth have signed mammoth contracts, what's next? What other impact free-agents are still out there? 

It looks more likely this winter that there will be significant player movement via trade. In this economic climate it makes sense for smaller market teams to trade players who are looking at large salary increases in the near future in exchange for younger players that they can control for a significant amount of time.

With the MLB winter meetings well under way, many trades and signings have already happened. The Boston Red Sox have been particularly active, trading for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and signing outfielder Carl Crawford.

The biggest prize on the market remains Cliff Lee, but it seems like a two-team race between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees to get his services.

But, there are still plenty of free agents out there who could benefit from a change of scenery. Then, there are those who have already signed deals this offseason who shouldn't have.

With news that the Angels have signed free agent reliever Scott Downs, the Angels have been removed from the amazing Rafael Soriano race.

Now that the front-runners have ran off the track, which bullpen will the veteran closer join for the 2011 MLB season?

Here are 10 possible destinations for the rejuvenated Soriano.

There are MLB rumors swirling all around as the winter meetings draw to a close. Teams are taking stock of where they stand, what they need to do and what they actually can do in the months ahead.

While there are plenty of big name players still to be signed (there's this Lee guy many of you may have heard of), there was a flurry of activity during baseball's winter meetings. With the dust settled, who improved their chances in 2011?

We're bringing you the 10 winners and 10 losers from the 2010 winter meetings.