Opinion

The Mariners have a lot of talent in their farm system, much of which has been acquired by Jack Zduriencik, or had their development tweaked for the better by the present regime. Last week, I detailed 20 guys that didn't quite make the cut for the Mariners top 20 prospects, and in this installment, we look at prospects 20-16.

20. Anthony Varvaro, RHP, 25 years old

In a move that was anticipated for weeks, the New York Mets officially hired Sandy Alderson as their next General Manager on Friday. The Mets signed Alderson to a four-year deal with a club option for 2015.

Despite the Mets interviewing candidates like Rick Hahn, Allard Baird, and Josh Byrnes, Alderson was the Mets' guy from the beginning. Alderson is a Bud Selig guy and the Wilpons are Selig guys, so this was a match from the beginning.

That's right, I said it.  Javier Vazquez would be a great fit for the New York Mets.  Last year, Vazquez was less than stellar for the Yankees.  He just couldn't seem to get it going, but when he finally did, he did it in Citi Field.

During the Subway Series, Vazquez pitched one of the best games of his not-so-good season.  It seemed as if Vazquez benefited from the spacious dimensions of Citi Field.  He was throwing strikes and was keeping the ball in the park. 

Well, now it's a series. Returning home to Arlington served to be precisely the remedy to cure the Texas Rangers' woes on the road through the first two games of the World Series.

With a well-played 4-2 victory at home over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday night, Texas showed their mettle and fought their way back into the series, and now only trail two games to one.

In Game 1, the Rangers scored seven runs, but couldn't pitch, and in Game 2, C.J. Wilson pitched a fantastic game but the Rangers couldn't hit Matt Cain.

Colby Lewis was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Texas Rangers.

After the San Francisco Giants jumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead in the 2010 World Series, Lewis held the Giants to two runs in seven-plus innings of work as the Rangers drew within one game by defeating the Giants on Saturday, 4-2.

In doing so, Lewis became the winning pitcher in all three home playoff victories in the history of the Texas Rangers franchise.

Game three of the World Series is in the books and the Texas Rangers are finally on the board.

A Mitch Moreland three-run home run, a solo shot from ALCS MVP Josh Hamilton, and solid pitching from starter Colby Lewis helped the Rangers put a 4-2 win in the books in Arlington on Saturday night.

After two demoralizing losses in San Francisco, fans here in Texas wondered if the Rangers were capable of coming back and tying the series.

Yes, I know, the World Series isn't even half-way over, so the term "offseason" is a bit premature.

That said, a lot has happened in the Charm City since the season ended. Let's start at the top.

Buck Showalter and the Coaching Carousel

Ever since Sandy Alderson has said that he is looking for a fiery manager, Wally Backman's name has been mentioned everywhere in the Mets world.  Backman, a former player of the Mets, is in the running for the Mets new manager. 

The baseball world got their wish: the New York Yankees are not in the World Series and parity played its part.

The San Francisco Giants with their 11th ranked payroll ($96,277,833), play host to the 25th ranked Texas Rangers ($64,810,570). 

It is great to see new blood in the playoffs; however the ratings do not support that fact.  Game 1 pulled in a rating of 8.9 (approx 15 million viewers).   

The Chicago White Sox General Manager has some tough choices in the coming months.

The White Sox, who currently have a payroll of over $105 million, have nine free agents and four arbitration eligible players on whom decisions will have to be made. Some will return to the fold in 2011, while others will be wished the best and sent off to seek different Major League employment (or start exploring that life after baseball thing).

Life is full of tough choices; let's start making some.