Rankings/List

Winning the World Series requires the perfect balance between pitching and hitting.

When the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008, they did so on the strength of their bullpen, anchored by Brad Lidge, and an offense that went unrivaled in the National League.

When they returned to the World Series in 2009, the balance wasn't perfect. Lidge crumbled, and the bullpen followed suit. The powerful offense wasn't able to keep up with the bullpen's woes.

With Andy Pettitte continuing to lean toward retirement and the Yankees' stubborn refusal to give Joba Chamberlain a true shot at a rotation spot—despite his career 12-7 record and 4.18 ERA as a starter—New York must consider adding a free agent to replace Sergio Mitre as the No. 5 starter this season.

Mitre was 0-2 with a 5.93 ERA in three starts last season and holds a career 13-25 record and 5.48 mark in 64 career starts, so keeping him in the rotation for any extended period of time would be disastrous.

Midway through Hot Stove season, there’s been a lot of activity, but a lot has been left unsettled.

There are still many teams looking to fill needs, and there are still many players looking to fill their pockets.

Here’s a list of 10 teams who will be the most active between now and spring training.

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Rafael Soriano headlines the market of remaining free agents this MLB offseason.

The biggest hitters left on the market are all aging stars like Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez.

There are also plenty of pitchers on the market, including Jeff Francis and Brad Penny.

But the number of teams with enough money to sign some of these players is starting to drop off. If teams haven't made moves by now, they might not make moves at all.

However, there are still a few teams, like the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets, with money to spend.

Every year in baseball, sluggers and pitchers alike play to the best of their abilities and shine as the league's biggest stars, while other players perform in their shadows only to eventually become stars themselves.

Both the National League and the American League are filled with talented young players who are yet to have their breakout seasons, making it difficult to predict who the breakout stars of 2011 will be.

Here are my top 20—enjoy:

The Mannywood era of Dodger baseball came to a close in 2010. Now that the slugger has moved on from the City of Angels, the hunt is on to replace him.

Dipping below 700 total runs scored in 2010 for the first time since 2005, the Dodgers need to improve their offense if they plan on climbing to the top of the National League West once again. Even with Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, they were a team that was 27th in baseball in home runs at 120 and 24th in RBI at 621.

When you think about the most important positions on a baseball field, what comes to mind? The starting pitcher is the one who gets his name in the paper before the game. The catcher calls the shots, a corner infielder anchors the lineup and the closer pumps his fist when the game is won.

Outfielders don't get much glory. Patrolling the big green is a thankless effort.

In an attempt to help shine some light on these deserving players, I humbly present my power rankings of the 30 Major League Baseball teams' outfields.

During the Steinbrenner era, the Yankees were not a team known for their patient attitude regarding their prospects.  They viewed these players as trading chips that could be used to acquire one of the games many stars; players that were already experiencing success at the major league level and were considered amongst the elite.  Yankees minor league players learned not to wait for the call to the majors, but rather for the call informing them that they had been traded.  After all, their chances of making the roster on one of the other MLB teams was much higher than the

Even with the exodus of such players as C.C. Sabathia, Curtis Granderson, and Zack Greinke the past few seasons, the AL Central certainly has no shortage of talent. Some of those star players simply don't get the attention they would playing in either of the Eastern divisions.

This division has sorely lacked parity the past few seasons, with a sizable gap existing between the top three teams and the bottom two, and this list reflects that. Whereas the Tigers, Twins, and White Sox combine for 20 representatives on the list, the Indians and Royals combine for just 5.

First off, I don't think it takes expert analysis to realize the Mariners probably won't be competing in 2011.

However, baseball is a funny game. The same Mariners that lost more games than anyone expected in 2010 could make a quick turnaround as soon as 2012—possibly sooner.