When it comes time to renew a player's contract, make trades, or sign free agents, major league general managers can seem incredibly cut-throat and can be perceived as demonstrating little loyalty to their players.

But when major league general managers change jobs, they are often stricken with a dose of loyalty, and will often seek to acquire many of the prospects and youngsters they developed during their time with the previous team.

Let me begin by saying that I am a fan of Ben Zobrist. He is a switch-hitter who can play a multitude of positions and he has a great attitude. Overall, Zobrist is a solid baseball player and a great person. However, that does not mean the Rays should have given him a three-year contract extension worth up to $30 million.

The Mets need to make wholesale changes this winter and many new faces are expected in Queens for the 2011 season. Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel will likely not return and the coaching staff and several players will be finding new employment.

Top Five Stories From Yesterday

1. The defending champion Saints get a 37-yard game winning FG from Garrett Hartley to beat San Francisco by three as time expires, but lose star Reggie Bush to a broken leg on Monday Night Football.

2. The Yankees increase their lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East to 1.5 games on a night when New York honored its late owner George Steinbrenner.

When LHP Cole Hamels had his national coming-out party in the 2008 playoffs, I thought it would springboard him to a Cy Young-caliber year in 2009.

I predicted Hamels would win the National League Cy Young, and that prediction slapped me in the face like I would like to slap Braylon Edwards in the face for getting a DWI this morning.

To the fans of the Philadelphia Phillies, there is nothing more exhilarating than the last leg of any given season, especially when the playoffs are hanging in the balance

Oh wait, yes there is. How about dealing a crushing defeat to the team that is challenging you for first place, right?

The Phillies have masterfully put together one of the best Septembers in their recent history and have begun the process of claiming their place in yet another postseason by defeating the not so “Hot-lanta” Braves 3-1.

Just before packing it in at the end of the season, the final task for most players and coaches in Major League Baseball is to take a trip to the general manager's office—for, at the very least, the purpose of reviewing the performances of the previous year.

But rather than discussing the 2010 season, former batting coach Don Mattingly and GM Ned Colletti will be discussing the future.

Although you might not be able to hear it over the din of the early NFL season, Major League Baseball has opened the throttle for its stretch run.

Magic numbers are dwindling in the American League as the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins are days away from officially clinching the AL West and Central, respectively.

Over in the AL East, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are still tussling over the pennant, but the runner-up will be the proud owner of the Junior Circuit's Wild Card.

According to Abbott and Costello, "Who's on first, What's on second, and I Don't Know's on third."

However, for the 2011 New York Mets, the question will be the following: who (not what) is on second?

Let's be honest. Even before his recent injury, Met fans were not getting excited about the prospects of having Luis Hernandez man second base for us next year.

If you look right now at the Mets' 2011 roster, the starting nine appear all but certain, barring any major changes (which we no doubt may see).

Important Notes: The stats were last updated on September 20, 2010.  Sorry about that pitcher getting cut off.

Keep in mind, this will be in an order of the teams I think that made the cut.

Each week or two I will evaluate the top four things (two from the AL and two from the NL) coming into October ball.  This week I'll be talking about the top-four teams with the top 1-2-3 punch that will give them the best chance to win the World Series.