Opinion

The Colorado Rockies are looking for relief help in their overworked bullpen going forward in 2013 and have taken a low-risk chance on pitcher Mike McClendon that could pay dividends.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have made tremendous moves in the past 12 months and have changed the face of the franchise since the coming of the new Magic Johnson-led ownership.

Their new billion-dollar TV deal and matched spending habits have led many, including myself, to call them the “West Coast Yankees.” 

The temptation to take an unlikely premise for success and sarcastically run with it—"throw Chase Utley in the Wayback Machine and set it to 2006" or "throw Ryan Howard 1,000,000 left-handed sliders until he is immune from their hypnotic effects"—is great.

For that matter, there is also "petition Bud Selig to move the Phillies from the National League Eastern Division, where they are third-best, to a more hospitable division like the National League Central."

But we deal in reality here.

The sports world was tasked with trying to learn from another tragedy on Saturday when former Cincinnati Reds utility man Ryan Freel was found dead in his apartment. 

Jennifer Kay of the Associated Press (via Yahoo! Sports) reported, “Freel, who was 36, died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound.”

Rather than ruminate over a potential trade—where we don't know the identities of half of the players—that would send closer Joel Hanrahan to the Red Sox, Pirates fans should instead concentrate on what is known.

Home-run king Barry Bonds is statistically one of the most coveted hitters to ever walk into a batter's box, but it will be having given in to an era full of off-the-field temptations that will keep him out of the hallowed ground of Cooperstown.

The Kansas City Royals have made an unexpected commitment to win in 2013. And if they want to follow through on that commitment, they should take advantage of a weak market for reliever Rafael Soriano.

Everyone knows baseball games are won on the field, but winning games is made easier if a team has a good general manager. The offseason is a busy time for front offices, as they try to construct teams that will be competitive during the coming season.

This year there have been four GMs who have really made a statement about the direction they are taking their team and have delivered with big home runs.

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The Boston Red Sox made a move to shore up the back end of their bullpen by trading for two-time All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan.

Raul Ibanez is 40 years old, but apparently the Seattle Mariners still believe that the left-handed power-hitter can contribute.

Ibanez appeared in 130 games for the New York Yankees in 2012. He faced right-hand pitching almost exclusively in that time.