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MLB Free Agency: 10 Clubhouse Cancers Your Team Should Avoid

MLB Free Agency 2011 continues with most of the big names still on the market.

Aside from making a big splash by landing Carl Crawford or Cliff Lee, most Major League clubs will be looking to bolster their depth by adding veteran hitting and pitching.

As usual, there are plenty reliable role players available.

There are also a few players who you might want your favorite teams to ignore for one reason or another.

Here's a look at 10 clubhouse cancers who could stir up trouble with their new clubs.

MLB Rumors: The Top 50 Players Who Could Be On New Teams Next Year

MLB rumors are starting to heat up about some of the league's biggest stars.

And with the winter meetings just a week away, there is sure to be a lot of wheeling and dealing.

Between the 2011 free agency class, the one to follow a year later, and the changes to a few managers/front offices (Mets, Cubs, Toronto, Atlanta) the makeup of several teams is likely to change over the next few weeks.

Inside we'll take a look at the top 50 players who could be on their way to be in a new locker room next spring.

MLB Trade Rumors: Where Will the 10 Biggest Names On the Block End Up?

MLB trade rumors are picking up steam as the annual Winter Meetings are set to begin next week.

While free agent signings will most likely take precedent after salary arbitration is complete, teams that missed out on the offseason action will surely look to make a splash in the trade market.

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MLB Free Agency: Ranking the Budget of Each Team

Baseball is a unique sport for a lot of different reasons.

One of them is payroll. Unlike the NBA, NFL and NHL, there isn't a salary cap in MLB.

That's the main reason the Yankees and Red Sox are able to compete every year while the Pirates are close to 20 years of consecutive losing seasons.

Traditional big spenders like the Angels and the Tigers are going to have some money to blow. But there are some traditionally cheap teams looking to dish out some dough as well. Don't sleep on the Orioles, Nationals and A's to make a splash in free agency.

MLB Free Agency: Power Ranking The 50 Worst Contracts In MLB History

MLB free agency is here, and every season, teams shell out millions upon millions of dollars in an attempt to bolster their rosters for the upcoming season.

However, many times the players do not pan out, and from time to time, a signing goes so terribly wrong that years later, a simple mention of the players name will no doubt evoke groans from the team's fan base.

MLB Free Agency: Power Ranking All 30 Teams’ Odds at Getting Jayson Werth

Pretty much everyone knows about the two gems of this year's free agency period, Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford. Even though the pool is relatively weak this year, there are other big names out there. One of the most notable is that of Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth.

Werth had a career year this past season, hitting .296 with 27 home runs, 85 RBI, and a league high 46 doubles, en route to an eighth place finish in MVP voting. As such, there are many that could use his bat in the lineup.

Which teams have the best chance to land him, and who is the front runner?

MLB Free Agency: 10 Players Who Are Better Buys Than Cliff Lee

Free agency is a fickle beast in that money doesn’t always constitute the quality level of any given player. More often than not, teams fork over a hefty coin simply based on a player’s prior experience and what the agent “sells” the buying team into thinking.

Take for example starting pitcher Cliff Lee. His track record over the past two years arguably suggests he is worth over $100 million—arguably! But what about all those players who are better buys than Lee, isn’t that where the true value rests?

MLB Trades: Power Ranking the 50 Biggest Rip-Offs in League History

Trades are a funny thing.

They are a part of every sport, and the one common characteristic that can describe their nature is their inherent volatility. Trades can be a savior to a team, bringing them to the pinnacle of success, or they can be the perpetual oppressor, blamed by fans for years of struggle and hardship. Sometimes, the same trade can be viewed either way, depending on the point of view of the fan.

No sport has such a voluminous history of transactions as America's pastime, so it's no surprise that deciding which were the absolute worst was no small task.

Derek Jeter: Is New Contract Biggest No-Win Deal for Yankees in Sports History?

Derek Jeter continues to seek a massive contract from the New York Yankees, who are showing no signs of caving into the future Hall of Famer's demands.

According to multiple reports, Jeter is seeking a five or six-year deal worth over $20 million per season.

The Yankees have countered with a three-year contract worth a reported $45 million.

Let the bargaining begin.

It didn't take long for negotiations to go public, with the Yankees openly encouraging Jeter to test the open market.

It sounded like a dare, and it was.

Chicago Cubs Shopping for First Basemen, But Who's Actually Close to Signing?

It's no surprise that the Chicago Cubs are looking for an everyday starter at 1st base, especially after they lost Derrek Lee in a trade.

They also lost Micah Hoffpauir after he signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. Hoffpauir was the front runner for the starting job.

But also adding to this, the Cubs have not won a World Series in over 100 years, making them more desperate to acquire a dependable bat.

There are many candidates for the job, with a good free agent market at 1st base this offseason. But here are the closest possibilities.

Poll

Best of the American League
Tampa Bay
19%
Boston
19%
Chicago
7%
Minnesota
10%
Los Angeles
17%
Texas
27%
Total votes: 270

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