Kuzul

Matt Cain, starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, will be cashing in loads of money if he hits free agency. Cain has spent his whole big league career in San Francisco and the Giants cannot let Cain hit the open market after the 2012 season. The righty could be an ace for most teams, and don't let his wins and losses fool you. After the Giants' atrocious offense in 2011, the last thing they need to do is lose pitching. If the Giants cannot sign Cain before Opening Day, they will have plenty of competition is signing the big righty. If the Giants want to be contenders for years to come, they have to sign him as soon as possible. Begin Slideshow

What do 40 Gulf Stream jets, a lifetime supply of Donald Trump's hair products and the Los Angeles Dodgers have in common?They all cost $2 billion.  On Tuesday, a group called Guggenheim Baseball Management LLC ponied up just over two billion greenbacks to lay claim to the Dodger franchise after a nasty divorce between the previous owners, Frank and Jamie McCourt, forced the team onto the market. The $2.15 billion purchase, led by Laker legend Magic Johnson and über film producer Peter Gruber, not only set the record for the most expensive acquisition of a sports franchise, it obliterated it. Previously, the record amount paid for a sports team was the 2005 procurement of Manchester United for $1.47 billion. Add a half billion dollars more to that figure, and you come up with what a top-three market baseball team goes for these days. For a perspective on the astronomical nature of the Dodgers deal, ...

Kansas City Royals' left fielder Alex Gordon became a very rich man on Friday.Gordon and the Royals agreed on a four-year extension through 2015 that will pay him $37.5 million. The deal includes a 2016 option worth $12.5 million.The annual value of the deal will increase each season. In 2012 he will earn $6 million, and then he will earn $9 million, $10 million and $12.5 million in each of the next three seasons, respectively.This deal comes on the heels of Gordon's best season of his five-year career with the Royals.Once considered a sure-fire prospect, Gordon's stock dropped dramatically after playing in just 123 games combined between 2009 and 2010.He silenced all doubters last season, though. He put together a line of .303/.376/.502 with 23 home runs and 87 RBI.Gordon really filled up the stat sheet in 2011, scoring 101 runs, tallying 185 hits, roping 45 doubles, hitting four triples ...

As teams begin preparing for the regular season, rosters get filled out. Who stays on the roster or gets dropped is a key issue around this time of the year.For the Atlanta Braves, they have one situation that will be decided soon. Does Randall Delgado or Julio Teheran get the fifth starter's spot?As of yet, neither one has established themselves as the frontrunner for this job. Through this spring, Delgado has a horrible 7.89 ERA with a WHIP of 1.85. He has won only one game and lost four, which is expected with those numbers.His competition, Julio Teheran, has done worse. His ERA through spring training is at 9.00. His WHIP is at 1.92 and he has an 0-1 win-loss record. However, he has played less than Delgado.He has pitched 13.0 innings, while Randall has pitched 21.2 innings. Teheran has had fewer opportunities due to soreness to improve his numbers.Right ...

In a perverse way, I'm glad the Yankees have starting pitcher Michael Pineda earmarked for the 15-day disabled list (shoulder tendinitis) before Opening Day. To clarify, I would never cheer for any player to get injured; that's not my style. But from a fantasy perspective, this situation should be a fascinating case study of Jittery Fantasy Guy/Gal vs. Rational-Thinking Fantasy Guy/Gal, as both types prepare for their drafts sometime between today and the Wednesday "opener" of Cardinals-Marlins (Miami's official christening of its new stadium). If you have already drafted Pineda, part of the blockbuster offseason trade involving the Mariners (Jesus Montero) and Yankees, there's no reason to do anything rash in the coming days. Simply wait a week or two to assess what might happen with Pineda (9 wins, 3.74 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 173 strikeouts last year with Seattle) getting some rest before making a rehab start or two. Besides, ...

Prince who?Just kidding. Prince Fielder will be missed by the Milwaukee Brewers no matter which way you slice it; from his elite offensive production to his clubhouse charisma and leadership qualities, Prince is an irreplaceable talent. But if you're a Brewers fan, the loss is starting to look less and less painful the further we get into spring.Ryan Braun is finally starting to find his rhythm, Corey Hart will possibly be able to make it back on the opening day roster, Rickie Weeks is returning to full health, and the Brewers are getting offensive production out of every position.There are a couple of position battles are that are shaping up to be dead heats, namely for the starting center fielder, backup outfielder and backup infielder. But as interesting as they are, I'm not here to talk about position battles.I'm here to talk about Mat Gamel.The polarizing, long-time prospect is putting together the best ...

While the A’s and Mariners got things going last week in Japan, for most fans, next Thursday and Friday will mark Opening Day. This weekend is also mega-fantasy baseball draft time, with thousands hunched over laptops and around tables trying to slide the next great move onto their teams. The end of 2011 was certainly the time when technology and analytics arrived in baseball. From tablets players were using to a new level of Moneyball, along with all the trimmings of social media, baseball 3.0 is probably here for good. So with all that in mind, here are some choices for engaging in baseball in the stands, on the beach, or on the laptop. MLB.com At Bat (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad: Free, with subscription, Android: Free/$14.99)MLB.com At Bat is the king of all fan engagement tools. It is also probably the most expensive, but you get everything for live audio ...

Fantasy production from the catcher's spot has become less and less prominent in recent seasons.This season is no different, as ESPN hasn't predicted any players to reach the 500-point mark in head-to-head leagues.Now that fantasy baseball players have discovered that Victor Martinez will miss the entire 2012 season, a murky pool of players remains.1. Carlos Santana, Cleveland IndiansSantana is the new cream of the crop with V-Mart gone for the year. He's also first-base eligible, which is a huge plus, making him worthy of fifth- or sixth-round pick.You're guaranteed almost a point a game from him as he possesses impeccable plate discipline and knowledge of the strike zone.He's got great power (27 homers in 2011), and that will only get better with age. His main downside is that he'll cost you in the average category in a rotisserie league, but for those of you in head-to-head, he has to be the No. ...

Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees is one of baseball's best players, but he doesn't get the respect he deserves. Cano is one of several infielders who you should consider with your first-round pick in your fantasy baseball draft.Let's look at a complete first-round mock draft to use as a guide for your draft. 1) Albert Pujols, 1B, Los Angeles AngelsPujols is still the best player in the game, and even though his 2011 season was one of the weakest of his career, it was still fantastic by normal standards.In the American League, Pujols will dominate in a talented Angels lineup against some very weak AL West teams.There's no reason to pass on Pujols with the top overall pick. 2) Miguel Cabrera, 1B/3B, Detroit TigersCabrera is pretty close to Pujols in fantasy value because he's an absolute beast at the plate. He will hit over 30 home runs, drive in over 120 ...

The Detroit Tigers went into this spring with the intention of filling their missing rotation spot with one of a handful of young, internal candidates.However, none of the internal candidates separated themselves from the rest, and in fact four of these candidates flamed out and are no longer in the running.The two remaining candidates, Duane Below and Drew Smyly, also have knocks against them.Below has struggled with his control, and in his most recent appearance was wilder than a coed on spring break.Smyly has looked solid and, most importantly, has thrown a lot of strikes (65 of his 88 pitches). But he only has four appearances, which is only one more than some of the other candidates who have been out of the running for weeks.So, with less than a week left before the team heads north, the Tigers are in a precarious position.On the one hand, they probably need ...