With most of the top free agents now signed and teams starting to take shape as we approach spring training, I thought I would share my pre-pre-season perspective on the relative strengths (and weaknesses) of all 30 major league teams. I have broken the article down into three installments, and will publish one of the segments each day this weekend.

Buster Olney from ESPN and Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated are two sports writers quickly losing ground of credibility with me lately.  I honestly would rather not read someone's jibber-jabber unless they had their little ducks in a row and their sources correctly cited. Instead all we get are the standard unnamed source bologna in place of real writing because they have nothing else to come up with.  We should be sick of it, and we don't deserve it. 

MLB Trade Rumors are still keeping the hot stove hot even as many teams have started to finalize their rosters and started to prepare for next month.

Yes, it's almost that time again. We're now officially less than a month from February 14, when pitchers and catchers will report to baseball outposts around Florida and Arizona. Of course, that doesn't mean business won't get done between now and then.

The Blue Jays have added some more closer depth to their already growing bullpen, as the club announced Monday that they have come to an agreement with former Twins closer Jon Rauch on a one-year contract worth $3.5 million. The deal also includes a club option for 2012 that will see the hurler earn $3.75 million.

Having already signed relievers Carlos Villanueva and Octavio Dotel, the Jays added quite possibly the most imposing presence on a pitching mound since Randy Johnson.

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

On long road trips, children love to ask that question, leaving frazzled parents who don't understand why their children have no sense of time or direction to say, "No!  Stop hitting your sister!  We still have a long way to go!"  

The battle for prospect supremacy is on.

And not just who's the top overall player. Or the top overall hitter. Or the top pitcher.

Rather, I think it would be more entertaining to try to rank the top hitter-pitcher duos in each organization, starting from the bottom and working our way up to the very, very best that the minor league system has to offer.

Taking into account, of course, level of play, ceiling/potential, injury history and any position (starter-reliever) issues.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have made a number of offseason moves, thereby adding depth in key spots. That's true, even though none of the newly acquired players figure to be stars, meaning that the Pirates aren't likely to be contenders anytime soon.

Here’s an early look at the 2011 Second Base rankings.


1. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees:  Last year I ranked Cano at No. 2. All he did was go out and hit .319 with 103 runs, 29 HRs and 109 RBI. He still doesn’t have the SBs that the other elite second basemen possess, but that can be made up elsewhere.

We all know that third base has quickly become one of the shallowest positions in baseball.  Outside of the top four options, there is a ton of risk involved. 

Yes, there are players with tremendous upside, but there are significant red flags hanging over them.  Let’s take a look at how I currently have the top 15 ranked (as well as top 12 for those in AL or NL-only formats, which can be found at the bottom of this post):

Albert Pujols has told the St. Louis Cardinals he wants a new contract by the beginning of spring training, or he will sever negotiations and become a free agent in the fall, sources told ESPN the Magazine's Buster Olney.

The Cardinals exercised Pujols' option for next season in October, which will pay him $16 million. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak refused to comment on the state of the negotiations Saturday.