Kuzul

As we near the end of 2010, we can look back on the 2010 baseball season as one of change. Wins are no longer the deciding factor in Cy Young races, the Yankees aren’t automatically World Series bound each year and even if a team doesn’t hit immensely well, if they have pitching and defense, they can win championships.

As for what 2011 will hold, some things seem obvious; the continuation of this new era after the end of the steroid era will continue, ERAs will remain relatively low and we will see maybe one 50 HR performance, or more likely none at all.

Some things are harder to determine though. For these, here are 50 bold predictions of what will happen in 2011 in baseball.

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This off-season has already seen the three biggest free agents switch teams for the lure of a nine-figure contract, and two of the biggest names in the game traded to title contenders.

As more and more free agents agree to terms, we begin to see a clearer picture of what to expect next season.

Pitchers and catchers will begin reporting in less than two months and opening day is just over three months away.

With next season rapidly approaching, let’s take a moment to stare into my crystal ball and examine 50 bold predictions for the upcoming year.

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We’ve been looking at free-agents and trade scenarios ad nauseam for a month now. Let’s see if we can focus our attention on something else. We can do it if we try. Take a deep breath.

Now answer this question. Besides trades and free-agency, where can you find other players to help your team win? If you answered the minor league system, you win! Something? No not really. I just wanted to keep you on the edge of your seat. If you didn’t answer the minor leagues, go learn to play cricket and don’t bother me.

Ah, here come the rookies. There could be can’t-miss top prospects that make the most of their opportunity in the majors (see Jason Heyward). But there also might be young players that jump out of virtually nowhere and make a splash. Let’s take a look at 50 of them and see just what kind of impact each may have this season.

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The New Year is quickly approaching and as baseball fans pour over the latest Hot Stove news, now is as good a time as any to look back at the 2010 season.

From a bevy of great pitching performances, to an unlikely home run king, to the Giants improbable World Series run, the 2010 season was a memorable one.

So here are the top 50 players from the 2010 season, from the subjective view of one sports writer. I welcome you to inform me where you disagree with my rankings, as this is certainly up for debate.

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This season the Washington Nationals shocked the baseball world by doling out an enormous seven-year, $126 million contract for Jayson Werth. The Nationals finished last in the division and, desperate to stay relevant, paid top-tier money to a second-tier star.

With Stephen Strasburg injured and Bryce Harper still years away from the show, GM Mike Rizzo was looking to maintain fan interest in the interim by signing this offseason’s No. 3 prize. But was it really worth it?

Often times bad teams are forced to pay premiums to acquire top-flight talent, which got me thinking. Which players have taken the biggest contracts with awful teams?

Read on as we examine Jayson Werth and 10 stars who took giant contracts with bad teams.

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Late Monday night, word came out that not only was there a mystery team in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, but that they had won his services.

The Phillies got back the piece they sorely missed last post-season, and in the process put another 500 pounds of pain on the Yankees off-season.

While they re-signed Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera as expected, the Yankees real top target all along was Cliff Lee. Now that they’ve missed out on him, and rival Boston added Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, the Bronx Bombers may be scrambling to get their rotation improved.

You’ve heard Zack Greinke’s name tossed out there, but its believed that he wouldn’t accept a trade to New York, or that new York doesn’t think Greinke can handle the pressure. Both theories produce the same result.

So, aside from Brian Cashman’s public statements of patience, what could be the next plan for the Yankees? Well, one name that surely will be kicked around is 2010 Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners.

However, here are 10 reasons they won’t be able to make that deal happen.

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Cliff Lee just shocked the baseball world by going back to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Texas Rangers and New York Yankees were widely thought to have been the front-runners for his services, but they’re now left in the dark after his signing.

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Ranking the top 100 baseball players of all-time is no easy task. It’s hard to juggle players from the dead-ball era, the middle 20th century and modern times.

Even more complicated is how to rank players at different positions. Where do you place the game’s dominant closers? How about starting pitchers? No matter how lights-out they may be, they still sat on the bench for most of their teams’ games.

Then, of course, comes the prickly situation of cheating, whether proven, admitted or alleged. Should ballplayers be penalized for the use of performance-enhancing drugs? Corked bats? How about the spitball?

It all adds up to a lively debate that we encourage you to join as Bleacher Report presents The Top 100 Baseball Players of All Time.

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Last years regular season began with high hopes and great expectations for the Seattle Mariners.  They had had a very busy offseason as they acquired such players as Cliff Lee, Milton Bradley, and Casey Kotchman.

Unfortunately, the team fell way short of expectations and ended up with the worst record in the American League.  They were dead last in hitting in the major leagues and hit the fewest home runs in all of baseball as well.

The season was chaotic and treacherous as their new players were busts (except for Lee) and the clubhouse morale was bad.  Don Wakamatsu got the guillotine and the Mariners finished at a god awful 61-101 mark.

Once again, the AL West looks weak and if Seattle makes the right moves they can maybe compete once again.  The right moves you may ask?  Are the ones I am about to suggest.

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Now that the Winter Meetings are over and Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth have signed mammoth contracts, what’s next? What other impact free-agents are still out there? 

It looks more likely this winter that there will be significant player movement via trade. In this economic climate it makes sense for smaller market teams to trade players who are looking at large salary increases in the near future in exchange for younger players that they can control for a significant amount of time.

Let’s take a look at 15 of the various rumors still circulating and see if they have any juice behind them.

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