Orlando Cabrera

Three weeks ago, the San Francisco Giants sat multiple games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the NL West.

About two of every three games was a one-run contest, and they won a like ratio of those games. Taking about half of those remaining games was good enough to make a second-seed seem almost certain.

During the 2010 season, the Cleveland Indians defense was one of the worst in the major leagues.

A combination of injuries and poor play were the main reasons for the terrible infield defense. Add a poor defense to the fact that the majority of the Tribe rotation is made up of ground ball pitchers and you have a recipe for disaster.

Once the Indians' front office traded third baseman Jhonny Peralta, the position became a gaping hole that none of the Indian's options were able to fill successfully.

MLB Spring Training has only just started, but the MLB buzz is continuous. There is already buzz about mid-season trades to come. There's also already buzz about the free agents after this season.

Albert Pujols and C.C. Sabathia will probably continue to dominate the MLB buzz. There are some other buzz stories past Pujols and Sabathia, though.

Here are some of the latest buzz in the MLB world.

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The official web site of the Cleveland Indians has Orlando Cabrera listed as the starting second baseman for the club. This confirms what has been suspected since the signing was announced last week.

For the most part, reaction to the signing has been positive. All I'm hearing about is how great a player Cabrera is and how he's a big addition to the 2011 team. Did you know he's been to the playoffs six of the last seven years? I've heard about it ad infinitum.

There are still plenty of players left on the free agent market that could improve a major league club. What if it was decided there would be a new expansion team? The team would have to assemble itself by whoever is left, and this is what I believe this team would look like. A team filled with former all-stars, and overlooked players.

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Following the Cleveland Indians' offseason has been like watching paint dry. New Tribe GM Chris Antonetti has followed his predecessor, Mark Shapiro, in playing the waiting game when going after players through free agency. Finally it would seem as though Tribe fans have something to get excited about.

As we move closer to spring training and the start of the 2011 season, teams are still looking at free agents and how they might be able to help their team.

This past week, Vernon Wells was traded, Manny and Johnny Damon reunited in Tampa Bay, and it looks like Vlad is on his way to Baltimore. There are still some quality free agents looking for homes and some of these players could help the Astros this season.

The Minnesota Twins, long known for their patient approach to the offseason, have quietly rebuilt their middle infield, and added new, intriguing arms to a retooled bullpen. 

There are many questions still needed to be answered for the Twins this offseason. Here's a look at the moves made so far this winter by the Twins.

Who's Gone

JJ Hardy, SS: Traded to Baltimore Orioles

What does a team do with so many talented starting pitchers? Uber-rookie Mike Leake has already been relegated to bullpen duty.

The Reds just plain have too many talented starting pitchers. And now this?

Paul Janish trying to Wall Pipp the shortstop position?

When Orlando Cabrera (The O.C.) landed on the DL on August 3rd with a strained oblique, Janish took his spot in the lineup as the everyday shortstop.

The Cincinnati Reds were able to turn around their four-game series against the San Francisco Giants Wednesday night with a 6-3 win.

So, after losing twice to the Giants earlier in the week, what changed in this game that allowed the Reds to win?

For starters, the Reds did a much better job manufacturing runs. That’s the obvious difference shown by the final score. The six runs they scored were the most they've tallied in a game thus far in the series.

The Reds also did a better job of batting, and giving themselves an opportunity to score the runs they did.