Rankings/List

Most Indians fans would rather not remember last season.

Our best player, Grady Sizemore, suffered another season-ending injury.

Our top prospect, Carlos Santana, had his season shortened by a Ryan Kalish slide.

Our best pitchers in seasons past, C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee, once again led their teams to the playoffs while the Indians skidded to another fourth-place finish.

All in all, 2010 was a year to forget.

As a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan at heart, let me be the first to assure you the team should not and almost certainly will not ultimately sign Adrian Beltre.

Though the slick-fielding third baseman is the best free agent left on the market by far, the fact that Beltre employs Scott Boras to do his negotiating means he will go for tippity-top dollar. It also means this is precisely the position Scotty wanted his client in i.e. the biggest and brightest name left in neon lights because it adds a heavy dose of leverage to the proceedings.

Let me start by saying that, while it's non-zero, the chances of Felix Hernandez being traded this winter are pretty small.

Felix has stated many times that he loves Seattle. He has a no-trade clause that we know includes the Yankees. We don't know the other teams, but the team that may be the most willing to give up a huge package is probably out of the running.

The Philadelphia Phillies have made a name for themselves in recent years, reaching the NLCS the past three seasons. However Ruben Amaro Jr. seems to always make mid-season trades to give them the extra boost they need to make a run.

Many critics say that the Phillies are only a good team in the present time and are not a team of the future. Fans often argue that the team has an excellent farm system and develops players to become great players in the majors. One such case of this is the development of Ryan Howard.

To wrap up my initial positional rankings, let’s take a look at my Top 30 outfielders for the upcoming season. 

Outfield is not quite as deep at the top of the rankings, but the positioned is littered with young players on the precipice breaking out. Players like Jason Heyward, Jay Bruce, Colby Rasmus and Mike Stanton could easily take the next step in 2011 and become some of the best options at the position. 

Where do they stand entering the year? Let’s take a look:

As 2010 winds to an end, we remember some of the greatest baseball moments of the past season. Whether it was the San Francisco Giants taking home the hardware, Roy Halladay's postseason no-hitter, the debut of "the phenom," Stephen Strasburg or any of the several no-hitters that made 2010 the year of the pitcher, we are thankful for a great year of baseball and await in anxious anticipation for the coming of the 2011 season.

The baseball offseason is characterized by the free agency movement, where players sign with teams for top dollar. It seems as if every year, another free agent breaks the record for biggest contract. When these major deals in particular don't work out, then they hurt the organization big time.

With about only three months before the first regular season game, the time for baseball writers/bloggers to make their predictions about the 2011 MLB season is beginning to draw near. There are a lot of questions that will be answered in the 2011 season, such as: have the Phillies created a dynasty, can the Yankees rebound after losing out on big players this winter, and can Joey Votto carry the Reds back into the playoffs?

When making predictions for an upcoming season there are three important factors that I weigh into my decision making.

Now that the Kansas City Royals have dealt away their former Cy Young Award-winning ace, Zack Greinke, they really only have a handful of talented players left, and certainly not enough to compete in the near future. 

They have officially entered the rebuilding phase yet again, and for Royals fans that's probably not too comforting, seeing as they have been chasing that elusive second World Series title since 1985.  In fact, they haven't had a winning season since 2003, when they went 83-79, and haven't even made the playoffs since winning their lone title in 1985.

With a large part of the 2011 offseason over, teams' rosters are becoming more and more clear.

Which starting rotations are the best in baseball for the 2011 season?

In this article, I will list the top 10 starting rotations in Major League Baseball.

Let me know if you agree/disagree with any of my picks in the comments section.

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