Opinion

I love the Chicago Cubs. I have always loved the Chicago Cubs. Every summer, I take my sons to a game at Wrigley where they make fun of me for loving the Chicago Cubs.

And every summer the Cubs break my heart—year after year after year.

When I watch some other team lift the World Series Trophy, I promise to cheer for another team. Any other team. Except, the White Sox.

I hide my Cubs gear, and I put away all my memorabilia.

Then, in the winter, it starts.

Anyone who has been watching MLB trade rumors in the past month knows about the Michael Young situation.

After the signing of Adrian Beltre and being moved to primarily a DH role, Young has since requested a trade. Now, half the teams in the league have been linked to Young.

Hidden beneath all the trade possibilities is the question of whether or not the Rangers should actually let him go. After all, Young is a big part of their deep lineup, and he's been with the team forever.

It is no secret that the New York Yankees will be shopping for starting pitching.

How desperately has yet to be seen, as spring training just started and all eyes will be on the mound. It is comforting that the Bronx Bombers have the trade-bait to lure teams.

Trades with teams who don’t look to be in contention pre-All-Star break are especially likely, as it then makes perfect sense to begin looking towards next season and to trade a top pitcher who still has market-value.

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.

One of the more publicized offseason baseball stories of the year has been the ongoing negotiations (or lack thereof) between arguably the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Spring Training in Tampa, Florida will be very interesting to follow this year.

The New York Yankees are coming in after a disappointing ending to 2010 and a somewhat odd offseason.

Veterans and youngsters will all have opportunities to impress the Yankees staff and earn roster spots for the upcoming 2011 season. Up and down the roster, there are holes that can need filling, jobs that can be won.

With the Chicago Cubs just days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Mesa, Arizona, the dreadful realization of seeking a replacement for the legendary and passionate radio broadcaster Ron Santo begins to sink in.

Ron Santo tragically passed away on December 3, 2010 due to complications from bladder cancer and diabetes

After the Houston Astros traded Roy Oswalt last summer, there has been a glaring need for a true ace, someone who can anchor the top of the rotation and set an example for the rest of the pitchers. Brett Myers pitched well down the stretch for them last year but does not have the talent to be that true ace the Astros need.

Albert Pujols plays his home games in the shadow of the gateway to the American West, but with only a few days left before the deadline, Pujols imposed upon negotiations for a contract extension. He and the St. Louis Cardinals are as far apart as the East is from the West. That gulf likely will leave Pujols without a contract for 2012 entering the season, and could well make him a free agent next winter.

The minute the final out was made in Game 5 of the ALDS at the Trop, Rays fans knew they had a long offseason ahead of them.

Some, like me, held out hope that they would be able to retain Carl Crawford or somebody, but that never happened; they even got rid of great players that they didn't have to.