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Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that the Texas Rangers will sign free agent Lance Berkman to a one-year deal, which may include a vesting option. Berkman had been leaning toward retirement, but this deal signals an apparent change of heart.The Rangers have been in the market for a bat all offseason. The addition of Berkman should help fill that void and give manager Ron Washington plenty of options with his lineup.Berkman is coming off an injury-plagued season that saw him play in just 32 games for the Cardinals. His first DL stint was due to a calf injury in May. He returned in July, but went out again with a torn meniscus that required surgery. Berkman would undergo a second meniscus surgery after re-injuring himself in September. In 2011 he showed that he still had the potential to be an impact bat, hitting 31 home runs and driving in 94 runs while batting in the middle ...

Free-agent first baseman-outfielder Lance Berkman has agreed to a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers, according to Houston Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart via Twitter on Saturday: Lance Berkman tells MLB.com he's signed a one-year deal with a vesting option with Rangers. #Rangers #Astros— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) January 5, 2013  According to FOX Sports senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal, the deal will be somewhere in the $10 million to $11 million range: Sources: Berkman deal with #Rangers will be in $10M-$11M range for one year.— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 5, 2013  A six-time All-Star, Berkman has accomplished a ton since breaking through into the majors with the Houston Astros in 1999, including winning National League Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2011. The veteran will turn 37 on Feb. 10, but clearly the Rangers still believe Berkman can provide them with some experience and a big bat. Prior to becoming a free agent, Berkman played ...

Two years ago, the New York Yankees made a bold move at the trade deadline.They acquired long-time slugger Lance Berkman from the Houston Astros for unknown prospects and at the time, it seemed like a steal of a trade.In the 37 games that he played for with the Bombers, Berkman was hardly the slugging hitter that was advertised, as he hit .255 with one home run and nine RBI.However, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, the Yankees are interested in the free agent again.    The #Yankees are interested in Lance Berkman, but it's not clear whether he'd consider a return to NY given the Texas teams' involvement. — Ken Davidoff (@KenDavidoff) January 4, 2013   Berkman did hit well for the Yankees in the 2010 playoffs, as he hit .312 that October for the Bombers.After he left the Yankees to become a free agent, Berkman went back to ...

In her piece for ESPN.com's Sweet Spot blog, Christina Kahrl makes a compelling case for what the Boston Red Sox need to do this winter to remain contenders in 2013.In general, the theme of the piece focuses on how the team can be competitive next season while not breaking the bank on any one particular free agent. Instead, she outlines five strategic moves that can be made to bolster the team for relatively short money with flexibility in mind.The first move, and likely the biggest signing of the winter as suggested by Kahrl, would be for the Red Sox to sign veteran 1B/DH/OF Lance Berkman to a one-year deal to play first base.Initially, the collective groan of Red Sox Nation could be heard throughout the airwaves in Boston when the team was rumored to be "kicking the tires" on Berkman, as he told the Houston Chronicle.The last thing Red Sox ...

ESPN.com is reporting free agent Lance Berkman visited the Houston Astros and discussed possibly signing with his former team to finish his illustrious career. Although he is near the end, a reunion between the Puma and the Astros would be a fitting conclusion to his career and could also possibly benefit the team. Berkman is about to turn 37 and only played a total of 32 games in 2012. However, he was still effective when he played, posting a .826 OPS. A performance anywhere near that level in 2013 would be extremely valuable to the Astros. Berkman spent the first 1,592 games and 11-plus seasons of his MLB career with the Astros, hitting .296 with 326 home runs and 1,090 RBI, while making five All-Star teams. He is the franchise’s greatest all-time hitter of outside of Jeff Bagwell.  The Astros offense needs to fundamentally change because of their 2013 shift to the ...

With all of the trades of veteran players the Astros engaged in this season, it is a deal in 2010 that is about to pay off dividends.Lance Berkman was as good a Houston Astros player that put on the uniform in the past decade. Maybe he was not on the same level as Craig Biggio or Jeff Bagwell.But in his 12 years with Houston, starting with the 1999 NL Central Champs, he put up all-star numbers. He led the league in RBI in 2002 and finished in the top ten for the MVP vote five times.He called the Astrodome home and later helped lead the Astros to their only pennant, crushing a key grandslam in the 2005 Division Series against Atlanta.But when Berkman's skills were diminishing along with the Astros pennant hopes, Houston sent him packing to the defending World Champion Yankees in 2010. He would not win a World ...

The St. Louis Cardinals should still be viewed as serious contenders in the second half of the 2012 MLB season despite the loss of Chris Carpenter. While the loss of any team’s co-ace starting pitcher is a huge blow, the Cardinals have already shown this year that they have what it takes to weather the storm. In Carpenter’s absence, the team has put together an impressive first half. With as many as seven key players on the disabled list at once, the Cardinals pushed through a tough May and a tougher early June to find themselves only 2.5 games out of first place and six games over .500 at the All-Star break. Given the Cardinals’ tough schedule in June and the problems they faced, they could easily be much farther down in the standings. Following are four reasons the Cardinals will still be legitimate contenders without Carpenter.Begin Slideshow

The St. Louis Cardinals have certainly faced their share of adversity in 2012. As injury after injury has swept through the team, they have managed to stay competitive. Even through slumps, the Cardinals still remain less than three games out of the National League Central lead. While the Cardinals disabled list has thinned recently with the return of Skip Schumaker, Allen Craig, Jon Jay and Matt Carpenter, there are still a handful of impact players out of the lineup. The Cardinals are 7-3 since their return through Monday, July 2. Prior to that, the team was 7-11 in the month of June. All who remain are making progress, but some faster than others. Continue reading for updates on those who remain on the disabled list.Begin Slideshow

Whenever an athlete is playing on the last year of his or her contract, it is crucial to have a good season in order to parlay that success into a long-term deal.No matter a player's age, if he shows he can perform at a substantial level, he will greatly enhance his chances of a long-term deal.Every free-agent class has its top-tier players, but for every good player that maintains their previous levels of excellence, such as Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke, there are guys who do not perform as well when the money is on the line. There are a variety of reasons why these players fail. Whether it is age, luck or simply an inability to handle the big moments, their stats do not live up to their expectations heading into the season.Here are five guys who are having disastrous seasons in their contract year.Begin Slideshow

Every year, without skipping a beat, a fantasy baseball manager will find disappointment in his early first or second round pick. When drafting, consistency is the key but it is easy to be swayed by the flashy numbers. A bust is not a player you expect to succumb to regression due to age as he enters the uncomfortable "past his prime" stage of his career. Any decent fantasy baseball owner expects this when drafting. A bust, as I will predict, are players on the rise that have become so popular, that their expectations far exceed their potential outcome. Here are players from each division who are sure to upset the willing manager that drafts them.Begin Slideshow