Opinion

When the Washington Nationals signed Jayson Werth to a $126 million contract this past offseason, they plugged a hole in their outfield and brought in one of the few true five-tool players in baseball.

And because their first-round pick was protected thanks to their dismal 2010 record, all they had to give up was their second-round pick in this June’s MLB Amateur Draft.

He is the Tigers' mystery man. His uniform ought to be covered with question marks, like The Riddler.

Another spring training is on the horizon. The thought of it alone should warm those cockles in your heart.

But it's becoming a ritual every February around Tigertown.

Every year around this time, we ask: Will Carlos Guillen be healthy? How much can he play? WHERE will he play?

After 16 seasons, 13 with the New York Yankees, Andy Pettitte has announced his retirement, ending any speculation he'll pitch in 2011.

Yes, he may still make a come back during the season, and certainly most Yankee fans hope he will, but for now, let's operate on the assumption that he's gone for good.

Jonathan Papelbon's recent "struggles" in Boston have been well documented. Between his increasing contact and walk rate, and his penchant to occasionally melt down in dramatic fashion, Papelbon looked (gasp) downright hittable at certain points during the 2010 season.

When Kansas City Royals General Manager Dayton Moore took over back in 2006, the organization was going in a downward spiral with nowhere to go but up.

In his first full season in KC, the team lost 100 games and once again finished in the cellar of the AL Central division.

Moore, the former Atlanta Braves scout, got to see firsthand why this team has been the laughingstock of major league baseball for over two decades.

Now that the Cliff and Andy questions have both been answered and put to rest, the biggest immediate concern across Yankee Universe going into spring training appears to be the two big question marks in the back end of our starting rotation.

How crucial is the back end of the rotation to a successful season for us?

Not as much as some might think. Certainly not as crucial as a kevlar bullpen, which we now have.

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.

Over the last two years, Adam Wainwright has established himself as one of the best starting pitchers in fantasy baseball.

In the 2010 season, the Reds surpassed everyone's expectations, winning 91 games in not only posting their first winning season since 2000, but also making it to the postseason for the first time since 1995.

For the first time in years, we are being sold something legitimate heading into a season. For years, it was merely a desperate hope and promise of something that seemed so vague and far away, but it's a new bill of goods now, where merely achieving respectability will no longer do the trick.  

Sandy Alderson was named the New York Mets' new general manager early in the offseason.  Alderson has a big challenge ahead of him, as the Mets have bad contracts at many positions, not to mention Omar Minaya's mess.

The Mets have recently been big spenders in the offseason, but due to financial constraints, they couldn't make any big signings this year.  Alderson watched top-notch free agents fly off the market while he was forced to go searching in the bargain bin.

His aggressiveness at the plate and free-swinging abilities have earned him the title "Bad Vlad."  Plain and simple, Vladimir Guerrero is an amazing baseball player.  When Guerrero played in Anaheim, he had an overwhelming fan base, and it is easy to see why.