Preview/Prediction

Traded as part of the deal that sent Dan Uggla to Atlanta, Omar Infante is a player who brings some intrigue to fantasy owners for 2011.

For owners in most formats, he will have eligibility at 2B, 3B and OF (in formats that require less than 20 games, he will also have SS eligibility), which instantly adds to his appeal. 

However, does he bring enough to the table offensively to make him a worthwhile choice?

Let’s take a look at his 2010 offensive production for the Atlanta Braves:

It was a magical season for Tim Hudson, who had pitched just 42.1 innings in 2009 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2008.  His numbers were fine in that span (3.61 ERA, 1.46 WHIP), but no one knew exactly what to expect in his first full year back.  Hudson performed better than anyone could’ve expected, posting the following line:

17 Wins
228.2 Innings
2.83 ERA
1.15 WHIP
139 Strikeouts (5.47 K/9)
74 Walks (2.91 BB/9)
.250 BABIP

Collectively, the AL East was as busy a division as there was in baseball this offseason.

After focusing on pitching and defense the Winter before and then failing to make the playoffs in 2010, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein took a different approach this offseason.

At the Winter Meetings, Epstein seized an opportunity to add a pair of marquee hitters in Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. The moves have the Red Sox poised to return to the playoffs in 2011.

Led by manager Bruce Bochy, the Giants will enter the 2011 season as the defending World Series champions for the first time since their days in New York, and they hope to find a way to repeat.

With an exception of the acquisition of shortstop Miguel Tejada and the departures of shortstop Edgar Renteria and second baseman Juan Uribe, the 2011 Giants will have a very similar feel to the squad that won it all in 2010.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be publishing a series of articles on the Red Sox farm system, profiling a dozen or so top-tier prospects that have high potentials and will likely help the club as the next wave of homegrown talent. You can read part one on Ryan Kalish here.

With the 2011 MLB season just around the corner, fans around the nation are making their predictions.

While everyone is busy predicting their favorites, I'll get to work on predicting my least favorites—the teams that are going to come in last place of each division in the American League.

AL EAST

This one is tricky.  

With the Boston Red Sox's flurry of transactions, they certainly won't be in last. 

While it's still cold out, and the ground is covered in snow wherever you are, a sure sign of better weather ahead is the start of Spring Training.  Pitchers and catchers for each team are set to report to camp on Monday, and the storylines will emerge soon after.

We all know the argument between Albert Pujols and Hanley Ramirez, battling it out for the No. 1 and 2 spots in fantasy drafts around the world this year.  Can you really lose with either of those guys, though? 

But every fantasy baseball draft is also surrounded by some hype about who is going to be the new kid on the block. You never want to be behind the curve, but you also never want to overpay for a player when there’s value left on the table. 

When the Red Sox traded one of their all-time best players, Nomar Garciaparra, they entered a state of turmoil with regard to the shortstop position.

The Red Sox acquired Orlando Cabrera in 2004, followed quickly by Edgar Renteria and Julio Lugo. A combination of Lugo, Jed Lowrie, Alex Cora, Nick Green and Alex Gonzalez were used between 2007 and 2009.

Finally, the Red Sox signed Marco Scutaro, who started for the Red Sox in 2010. All in all, nine Red Sox started at least 50 games for the Red Sox since 2004.

As we continue previewing each Major League Baseball team and division, it's time to take a look at the AL West.

The league's smallest division with only four teams had been dominated for the most part by the Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels since their 2002 championship season. Last season, the Texas Rangers won the division and made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. It was a surprising run for them, as they made their first ever World Series appearance.