Opinion

So far this off-season the Mets have been somewhat quiet only bringing in Boof Bonser, Ronny Paulino and D.J. Carrasco.  Bonser can be a solid spot-starter for the Mets while Paulino will be a nice addition to have behind the plate to backup Josh Thole.  Carrasco is who I feel to be the Mets' best pickup so far.  Carrasco will be a great addition to a bullpen that has lost the likes of Pedro Feliciano.

Realignment is a fascinating idea, but one that I believe will lose out to another adjustment: playoff expansion. 

Expansion will drive more revenue to the game and keep the fans enthralled for an extended period. 

Realignment is entertaining when you think about it. Then again, an extended playoff system seems more justifiable at this point. Extending the playoffs with a wild card team worked before, and it will work again. 

There are a few scenarios to this new situation.

It has been reported that Brandon Webb has reached a one-year agreement with the Texas Rangers.

The contract has a $3 million base salary, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

The Rangers were in the running for the great Cliff Lee, but he ultimately shunned them for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Rangers had a lot to offer Lee, who just missed out once again on a World Series ring.

The Rangers played fantastic throughout 2010 and should field the top team in the AL West in 2011.

There were conflicting reports this weekend that the New York Yankees were actually discussing whether or not they should bring in one-time Boston Red Sox villain and now free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez.

It was first reported on Thursday night, December 23, by YES Network’s Jack Curry that the Yankees were internally debating if they should sign Ramirez.

On Sunday, December 26, George A. King III of the New York Post reported that the Yankees do not have interest in Ramirez.

The Washington Nationals are running out of time to revamp their roster for the 2011 season and frankly, they are running out of impact players to sign.

After kicking off the baseball winter meetings by signing Jayson Werth to his historic contract, they have seen the impact of that signing mitigated by a string of failures.

Jonathan Papelbon is gearing up for his sixth season as closer for the Boston Red Sox. The upcoming year will be the third straight that Papelbon has pitched on a one-year contract. Next fall, Papelbon will become a free agent for the first time in his career, and will presumably seek a long-term deal with a per annum rate of at least $10 million.

On paper, Rafael Palmeiro is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, in the real world he is not. He is the poster boy for the steroid era, and he in turn sullied the game the same way others like Rose and the Black Sox did.

Despite vehemently denying the use of steroids, he failed a steroid test, was named by Jose Canseco as a user and he was also named in the Mitchell Report. The amount of evidence against him is staggering, and because of that evidence, Palmeiro must be kept out of the Hall of Fame.

The 2011 Toronto Blue Jays already have a different feel to them. 

The Jays will be in an unfamiliar position when the 2011 season begins: Playoff hopefuls. 

How many times has a Jays fan been able to say that since 1993? Not many. This year’s club is focused more on manufacturing runs instead of relying on the long ball.   

Does that work in the power-laden American League East? It worked for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

The 2010 Minnesota Twins, while having a great season with a 94-68 record, won their 6th American League Central Title since 2002.

The post-season struggles of the Twins have been well documented. The Twins will need to have another stellar season to stave off the reloaded Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers.

The Twins should have the following list of New Year's Resolutions in order to get back to the playoffs, and wreak some havoc should they make it there.

Tino Martinez was one of the greatest Yankee first basemen and should be in the Hall of Fame.  He had a career that spanned 16 seasons, including four World Series titles.  He is eligible for the Hall of Fame this season, and the voters should consider him.

Tino Martinez’s stats were not outstanding.  However, he did drive in over 1,000 runs over the course of his career, and was consistently one of the best overall first basemen in the game.