Rafael Furcal

Rafael Furcal, who spent 14 seasons playing for four Major League Baseball teams, has decided to retire at the age of 37.   

The Kansas City Royals, who signed the former All-Star shortstop in the offseason, announced the decision Tuesday on Twitter:

While nothing has been said about Rafael Furcal returning to the St. Louis Cardinals, if the right deal doesn’t come along, it could be the smartest option.

The free agent market for this year is extremely slim—and there’s little doubt GM John Mozeliak would rather spend dollars (which they have) than prospects (which they cherish).

The Milwaukee Brewers farm system has been talked about all spring, but for all the wrong reasons.

After unloading a boatload of young talent to acquire two top-tier starters before Christmas, a common thought has been that the Brewers have the worst system in all of baseball. Yes, in order to acquire Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, the Brewers had to shell over their top prospects in Brett Lawrie, Jake Odorizzi and Alcides Escobar, among others.

This spring, were you one of the many who drafted a top flight pitcher like Adam Wainwright or Zack Greinke, only to have him hit the DL before the season even began? Like always, there are a bunch of high quality players who are out of commission at the moment, and because injuries always happen, most fantasy baseball owners at this point should be looking for injury updates and upgrades. Do you have an injured star on your roster? Want to find out the scoop on him?

With spring training now at its peak and Cactus League play in full gear, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in the national spotlight of the sports media in regards to a number of popular storylines.

Team ownership is obviously at the forefront, as Frank McCourt was anticipating a $200 million cash advance from Fox until the transaction was blocked by MLB commissioner Bud Selig late last week. It's unclear exactly where the overall finances of the club lie, but the fact that McCourt was involved in plotting such a deal doesn't sound encouraging.

Rafael Furcal opened the 2010 season on fire, hitting .333 with 51 R in 243 AB prior to the All-Star Break. 

Of course, as a consistent theme over the past few years, Furcal was limited to just 26 AB in May. Matters got even worse after the break, with just 140 AB including only seven in August. 

Injuries to his lower back and hamstring were the issues in 2010 and, considering his speed is one of his biggest assets, you have to be concerned.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Tom Gordon, 22-year-old Dee Gordon is currently on the fast track to play in the major leagues for one of baseball's highest profile teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gordon is currently ranked first on Baseball America as the Dodger's top prospect.

Widely considered as a tremendous hitter and fielder, Gordon may also be the best all-around athlete in the highly talented farm system.

It seems that almost every day a new list of strongest arms in the MLB is published. The problem with almost all of these lists is that they only include outfielders.

There is definitely some logic behind this, because in general outfielders do have stronger arms than infielders, and get to show them off more.

But, believe it or not there are infielders who have great arms too, and for once they are going to get the recognition they deserve.

With the latest installment of Hall of Fame inductees being honored Sunday, the concept of current players with the ability to make it to the Hall of Fame is once again on the minds of fans around the league.

The Dodgers have a talented outfield and some well-known names in the infield. There's a "sure thing," a "quite likely," and a "possibly," on the Dodgers roster when it comes to the Hall of Fame, and some big names that may not make it.

Here are three players I feel have a legitimate chance at finding their way to Cooperstown, and some honorable mentions that might just miss the mark.

It’s the perfect time for mid-season Major League Baseball awards.

So, who are my 2010 All-Star Break’s Most Valuable Players, Cy Young award winners, rookies of the year, comeback players of the year, managers of the year, biggest player surprises and disappointments, and biggest team surprises and disappointments?

Let’s begin with the National League MVP. We’ll end with the American League’s biggest team disappointment…

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