Rankings/List

The numerous ways that the Philadelphia Phillies are affected by the signing of free agent left hander, Cliff Lee, are well documented.

In fact, so much has been made about Lee and the rest of the Phillies' rotation has basically overshadowed what the signing means for the rest of the league, and in comparison, the division, outside the fact that many experts believe the Phillies are the favorites to win it. We must also examine, however, the decisions that teams will have to face to react to this signing.

San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey looks supernally natural at home plate.

The 2010 National League Rookie of the Year hit .305 with 18 home runs in the 2010 regular season, then helped lead the team to their first World Series title since 1954. Posey coolly strokes the ball with power to the opposite field and seems never to miss when an opposing pitcher makes a mistake.

Felix Hernandez will make two more big-league starts for the Seattle Mariners before turning 25 years old on April 8. For a guy who still has not reached that age, Hernandez has posted phenomenal numbers already in his career. He won his first American League Cy Young Award in 2010, hurling 249.2 innings and posting a stellar 2.27 ERA.

The Texas Rangers made headlines recently with the signing of Adrian Beltre. The next question they have to answer is concerning their former third baseman, Michael Young.

Young is not new to big league position changes, however. He's had time at all infield positions besides first base, although it's been some time since he's had to consider a switch. In 2008 he spent time at SS, and back in 2003 Michael Young was primarily a second baseman.

The Hall of Fame selection process has, and likely always will be, the center of much controversy.  The debate rages on year after year about who should and who should not be a Hall of Famer and why.

Take Kirby Puckett as an example.  Puckett was a very productive player whose career was cut short after he lost vision in one eye due to glaucoma.   While his career batting average is an impressive .318, Puckett did not play long enough to accumulate what one might consider Hall of Fame numbers.

With shocking free agent signings, blockbuster deals, and no shortage of clear-cut winners and losers, the 2010 off-season certainly hasn't lacked intrigue.

With most of the big-name free agents off the board and the trade market slowing down, now is a good time to take a look at the best moves of the off season up to this point.

In evaluating these moves, I gave as much consideration to the impact of the move on the team's chances as I did that player's cost in either dollars or players.

There is nothing more intimidating for a hitter than being started down by a power pitcher who can blow a fastball right by them. Fans also get excited as these pitchers light up the radar gun and rack up the strikeouts.

The rankings on this list will be determined a combination of the pitchers' talents, stats, and their ability to bring the heat.

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Cincinnati Reds fans are anxious for the start of the 2011 season. Unfortunately, many of us have been engaged in the NFL and haven't followed the Reds very closely. There have been a few off-season player transactions to catch up on.

The Reds didn't make any huge deals like this one or this one but they did do something.

Here are the moves they did make.

As spring training draws closer and baseball aficionados dream of pitchers and catchers reporting, one begins to salivate as he or she await another season of 162 games.

During this long stretch into the spring, fans begin to dissect their rosters, and debate potential trades, signings, and call-ups. Due to the fact that it is impossible to compare pitchers to outfielders to infielders, the players will be listed in no order and by team.

Washington Nationals

There were a number of big-time moves made this offseason that will affect the baseball landscape going forward. The Boston Red Sox were very aggressive through free agency in their pursuit to try and get back to the playoffs to win another World Series.

While the Red Sox were aggressive, there were teams that were exactly the opposite, such as the Minnesota Twins, who pretty much stood pat with their roster besides losing a few players here and there.