Yankees get : John Danks, Gavin Floyd, cash ($4 Million)

White Sox get : Dellin Betances, Austin Romine, Mason Williams, 1 PTBNL

or

White Sox get : Dellin Betances, Austin Romine, 2 PTBNL(Maybe David Phelps and Heathcott)

I think this is a good trade. It might be weighed a little heavy on the White Sox side because Kenny Williams isn't going to be reasonable on this market, because as seen in rumors, he is asking a king's ransom for these guys. The PTBNL is just a prospect, any level really, just a deal sweetener, could be give or take. The Yankees have Romine as expendable due to the large number of high potential catchers they have right now, and Betances might be expendable considering the number of rumors where his name is mentioned.

The Yankees get two very dependable starters, Danks more than Floyd. Danks costs very low while Floyd is controlled for 4 more years. With these two guys, the Yankees have two more holes fixed in their rotation which will probably feature, with this trade:

1 - C.C. Sabathia

2 - Ivan Nova

3 - John Danks

4 - Gavin Floyd

5 - A.J. Burnett

The White Sox get 3 very good prospects with this trade and can maybe move Flowers to DH or get him ready to move over to first when Konerko retires. Williams might be ready to be in the majors in 3 years. Betances would be able to step right into the rotation and fill a spot, giving the White Sox a dependable, young starter. Romine might be able to be used to swing another deal or just fill in for catcher when AJ can't play anymore or he will be changed to a different position.

Tell me what you think and give my blog a visit if you have a chance to see what a baseball fan on the younger side thinks. http://tatbbaseball.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading!

Hey SSS. I know some of the people around here remember me for pointless posting when I was a weebit younger and always getting into arguements with U-God and Larry. I remember Winningugly and Hoodlight always being the good guys. I have been reading around and finally decided to start posting again. Well to get to the point, I have started working for the Chicago White Sox, and thought you guys might like to ask me questions about the way things work here and maybe I might see some of you all around at the park. Any of the editors can feel free to delete this if it doesn't fit for a fanpost. Please excuse me if this is not appropriate for SSS or a useless post.

So shoot, ask me any questions about working for the ChiSox or what sections you guys sit in, maybe I will see y'all around. (I think I may have met someone that fits my idea of who Winningugly may be that was sitting up in the 500's.)

Guys, just wanted to say that I created my own baseball blogging website. I was looking for your guys opinion and if you guys could join, that wuld be great. Please go visit it, http://www.baseballsox.webs.com

Please make an account. Just check it out, I got a few posts up now and I'm working on some right now. If you join, please start posting and make it better. Thanks! Also if you lied the website please tell me. If I can improve it also please tell me. Thanks again!

In my fantasy baseball league, one of my friends offered me this trade on ESPN fanatsy baseball. I was hping you guys could help me out...

2B Robinosn Cano for 2B-SS Mike Aviles

Mike Aviles is on my bench so far this year. I know the season hasn't stretd, but do you think I should accept this trade? Or do you think I should try and get someone else or make a counter-proposal?

Could the White Sox use Eric Gagne as a bullpen piece. he got released jst a few hours ago by the Brewers from his minor league contract. In the middle of spring training, he might sign cheap thinking he might be not on a team going into the year. If the Sox offer him a contract, I see a 1 year minor-league deal. What do you guys think about the Sox trying to sign Eric Gagne?

The Royals had one of the best bullpens leading into the offseason last year. They were also a little short on hitting. The players they needed to supplement their offense cost them some of their best bullpen pitchers in Ramon Rameriz and Leo Nunez. They signed some bullpen talent in the offseason in Oscar Villareal, Horacio Rameriz, and Jaun Cruz. This didn't totally make up for the trades, but it helped.

Eric Gagne just got released from his minor league contract by the Brewers a few hours ago, and if the Royals could get him signed to a cheap minor league deal, it might provide some upside. Having an old closer to teach the young players in the bullpen will be alone worth whatever his contract will be, an pitching help is an upside.

I think that the Royals bullpen needs just a little more, maybe signing Eric gagne might be all they need, maybe not. Tell me what you think the Royals should do.

I thought of this for a poll because I was reading that all these teams have certain players set up to put up monster numbers. Tell me if you think this could be better or any suggestions for my next South Side Sox poll.

I put alot of players on, might be hard to sort through all of them. I might of left out a few players, or just forgot about them. Remember that there might be some players traded into the American league this year too that are good.

The A.L. Central is the toughest division in baseball other than the A.L. East. The Royals and Indians are revamped for the season with free agent signing, trades, and minor league talent. The Tigers are starting to dismantle their team, with the hopes to rebuild(pshh what a joke, the Tigers). The twins are probably the biggest competition in the division with a new mindset of the owner, other than just trying to make a buck. I have my outlook based on posts I read and what I've read on the internet and in magazines.

Twins Outlook

Pitching: The Twins have a OK pitching staff with the exceptions of Philip Humber and Francisco Liriano. In the bullpen, the only real force there is Joe Nathan, and he is starting a slow decline. The starting staff is full of number 3 and 4 starters in the other spots other than Liriano and Humber. The starting staff will have a lot of weight on there shoulders knowing that they will have to pitch deep into the game because of the weakness of their bullpen. In the bullpen, Joe Nathan will have to close the 8 and 9 innings in most games. Other than him, the only formidable pitchers in the bullpen will be Jesse Crain, and Pat Neshek if his arm is better. Out of a 10, I would give the pitching staff a 8.

Hitting: The Twins have a all around hitting staff. Their power is below average, but the average aspect of the team is a little better than most teams. Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer will have to lead the team in hitting most of the time. Denard Span will probably leadoff most of the time. Delmon Young has to get better. I just found out that Crede just signed a contract with the Twins. He probably won't be a starter because of his bad back. Out of a 10, I would give the Twins a 5 out of 10 on hitting.

Indians Outlook

Pitching: The Indians pitching staff is going to be pretty good, it will be led by Cliff Lee. The starting rotation was pretty awful and when they traded Sabathia during last season, the rotation ace spot was completely took over by Cliff Lee. During the offseason, the Indians biggest name signing was Kerry Wood. He didn't get too big of a contract, but it was a big blow in confidence to the division rivals. Now the Indians have a reliable pitcher to close out the 9th inning when needed. The rotation is going to be Cliff Lee, Jake Westbrook, Faust Carmona, Anthony Reyes, and Carl Pavano. It is going to be a stron rotation coming into this year. The bullpen is not as big a mess as it was during last season. Rafael Perez and Rafael Bentacourt are going to be the Short Releif and Setup guys in the pen. Kerry Wood is going to close. Masa Kobayashi is going to be a middle releif pitcher and the long releif will probably be Scott Lewis. The extra option in the bullpen will be Jensin Lewis. Out of a scale of 1-10, I would give the Indians pitching staff a 8.5.

Hitting: The Indians have always had a trademark for their hitting. The hitting last season however, was pretty bad other than Grady Sizemore. Victor Martinez can't catch that much anymore because his knees are getting bad and Kelly Shopach took most of the at bats at catcher last year. He will probably catch most of this season too. Victor Martinez can be backup when needed at the catchers position. Victor martinez or Travis Hafner might start at 1st base. Garko is pretty good, but the Indians need to have both of the bats in the order. Casey blake might not see that much of the playing field this year. And at DH, Hafner and Martinez might start at either 1st or DH. At second you have Josh Barfield or Asdrubal Cabrera. At shortstop the Indians have Johhny Peralta. At third, Mark Derosa will be starting. And in the outfield, the Indians have Grady Sizemore in center, Ben Francisco at right, and hopefully someone better than David Delluci in left. Out of a scale of 1-10, the Indians have a 7.

Royals Outlook

Pitching: The Royals havn't had a good pitching staff for a while. 2 years ago, Gil Meche was supposed to be a super starter after getting signed to a 5 year $60 million dollar contract. He finally started showing how he was worth $10M a year.The bullpen got weakened when they traded away Ramon Ramirez and Leo Nunez. The Royals tried to make up for the trades by signing Kyle Farnsworth. The starting pitching is starting to work. Out of a scale of 1-10, I give the Royals a 6.

Hitting: To put it this way, the hitting on the royals is "improving". Coco Crisp and Mike Jacobs are going to drastically improve the Royals run production. Mike Aviles might of not been a fluke, but his minor league numbers say somthing else. Alex Gordon might decline this year, but he might hit better too. Out of a scale of 1-10, I give the royals a 6 out of 10.

Tigers Outlook

Pitching: The Tigers had the best pitching staff in the majors last season, but it just didn't work well together and the Tigers missed the playoffs even with a stacked pitching staff. With Justin Verlander leading the staff as the ace, the Tigers pitching staff is full of hopes. Armando Gallaraga led the staff in wins, Jeremy Bonderman is a good pitcher. The tigers are hoping that Edwin jackson will be strong next season. The last spot in the rotation goes to Dontrelle Willis. His arm is dead, butb the tigers won't give up on him. The bullpen has a hole in the closer part because of Todd Jones retirement. If Zumaya or Rodney can show that they have the stuff, they might take the closer spot. Right now though, the Tigers have Brandon Lyons as their closer. The rest of the bullpen is a toss up between Bobby Seay and Freddy Dolsi. Out of a scale of 1-10, I give the Tigers a 8 on pitching.

Hitting: This year, Miguel Cabrera and Magglio ordonez will have a lot on their shoulders. Granderson it set to leadoff. This year, Guillen is moving to the outfield, that might affect his numbers, but the Tigers are getting desperate. Inge has third base all to himself. Polanco can hold the place of second base by defense alone, any offense is a plus. Adam Everett will only be given the job of having to field shortstop well enough to keep his job. Gerald Laird has starting catcher locked up. Gary Sheffeild will have a good season saying he is less than 5 homers away from 500. Out of a scale of 1-10, I would give the tigers a 7 on hitting.

This season, the division is going to be heavily contested. The Twins right now are the front runners to take the division. Here is how I think that the division will come out to be.

Twins

Indians

White Sox

Royals

Tigers

Please comment if you think anything could be better or I left out. Thanks!

Ok, thanks guys for liking these, I am going to make more of them. Todays poll, will be about the White Sox organization goal this year.

Do you think that the Sox are going to totally rebuild this year, or do you think they will go for the playoffs and buy players. Anything is possible this season, the Sox have a team thats above normal in the A.L Central this season, so todays poll.

I plan on having a couple fan post and maybe two every week during the season. This will be my first poll. I think you guys will like these. Thanks!

I noticed that a lot of people are saying that Jerry Owens will get most of the at bats this year from center field and will probably be starting. I really don't think so. Please take this poll, and if you like it, please say and I will make more later.

The A.L. Central is going to be one of the toughest division this year. Indians and Royals are revamped for this season, the Tigers are starting to dismantle some of their team, and the Twins might make a race for the pennant this season.

White Sox outlook

The Sox got rid of some of their talent, and they got a few prospects in return. They are going to have a whole in center field, because of the Swisher trade way back. It looks like DeWayne Wise is going to be starting unless Brian Anderson has a very good spring or the Sox have a late offseason signing. In right field, we have Jermaine Dye starting. In left field, we have Carlos Quentin starting. At shortstop, Alexei Rameriz is starting. At First base, Paul Konerko is going to be starting. At third base, it will be either Dayan Viciedo or Josh Fields. I think I read that Dayan can play second base also. If he can, it will be Dayan Viciedo at second and Josh Fields at third. And at catcher, it will be A.J. Pierzynski. The major league starters are pretty good, but third base, second base, and Center field are going to be a little shaky. And Jim Thome will be the starting DH.

If Chris Getz is ready to be starter by opening day, it will be Josh Fields and Dayan Viciedo platooning at third and Getz starting at second. If the sox could get a center fielder by the seasons beginning, Wise could be the backup outfielder. but the only centerfielder thats good on the free agent market is Jim Edmonds, an ex-cubbie. 

Now to pitching, the rotation is weaker now because of the trade that sent Vasquez to the Braves. The starting rotation consists of Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, maybe Johhny Nunez or Jose Contreras if he's healthy, and Clayton Richard. This isn't the best rotation, but it will be able to pitch all year. 

Now onto the bullpen. Boone Logan wasn't much of a loss considering he had a 5+ E.R.A. here is how I think the bullpen will look like.

Closer: Bobby Jenks

Set-up: Matt Thornton or Octavio Dotel

Long Releif: Lance Broadway, Ryan Braun, and Jeff Marquez

Short Releif: Mike McDougal, Ehrin Wassermann, John Link, Scott Linebrink, and Adam Russell

This isn't the best bullpen, but it will be able to close ball games. The Sox will need to get maybe one or two bullpen pieces by the trade deadline. This will help the team's bullpen be more than average.

There is no doubt that the Sox are trying to prematurly rebuild. Under Kenny Williams, the Sox will rebuild and buy at the same time, which is not a good strategy. Either rebuild or try to make that last run for the pennant. The Sox need to make their desicion at least by the All-Star break to succeed in later seasons to come. I personally think the Sox should rebuild now, and succeed in 2 years. They don't have enough talent that they can trade a few of their veterans to rebuild. it is rebuild or go bust for the playoffs.

I think that the Sox should trade away maybe 2-3 of their veterans, like Mark Buehrle, and get a couple 4-5 prospects in return. unfortunetly, this would considerably weaken their offense and pitching. If they choose to buy, they need a third basemen and centerfielder. This was my outlook for the Sox this season. Tell me what you think of this outlook and tell me how it could be better or what i forgot to put in the lineup.

The Nationals have already made a big move this offseason. Trading for Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen. They had to give up Emiliano Bonficano for them. This greatly improved outfield production and the starting pitching staff. The Nationals have 5 really big priorities this offseason.

1.) Starting Rotation. The rotation just got energized with the addition of Scott Olsen. He will eat up innings, topping 200 for the first time this year. He will also take up the ace spot considering the state of the rotation right now. A big possibilty right now is that A.J. Burnett might sign with the Nationals. His agent said that he was leaning towards the Nationals or Yankees. If the Nationals sign Burnett also, the rotation would look like this..

1. A.J. Burnett

2. Scott Olsen

3. Tim Redding

4. John Lannan

5. Collin Balester or Shawn Hill

The rotation would have one ace right away and Scott Olsen is an ace in training, maybe 2 years until he is at ace status. Tim Redding was the ace most of this year and he is still a really good pitcher. Collin Balester and Shawn Hill are both young and they could be good next year depending on how much they train during the offseason. 

2.) Finding a power hitter. The Nationals had no power this year. The team leader in homeruns had 14. That amount was by the rookie Lastings Milledge and Ryan Zimmerman. Reports show that Adam Dunn is wanting to sign with the Nationals because of his friendship with GM Jim Bowden. Dunn would provide the power that the Nationals need. But, the negatives of signing him is that he will be very exspensive and he won't provide any average or fielding Even though the Reds have free agent compensation clause, the Nationals won't have to give up their 1st round pick because the first 15 picks are protected. Ryan Zimmerman will ebound and Willingham has some power, so the Nationals power is going to be greatly improved next year.

3.) Relief Pitching. The bullpen took a big hit when Chad Cordero got injured, Jon Rauch was traded to the Diamondbacks, and when they traded Luis Ayayla to the Mets. The Nationals bullpen is a bunch of unproven talent and 2 veterans. Te only reliable arm is Joel Hanrahan. he is good, but you don't want an ERA of 3.95 closing out ball games. The Nationals could sign Jason Isringhausen. He is a good reliever, many teams might not touch him because he talks to himself too much. Arthur Rhodes is a veteran lefty reliever that will be able to stop all lefty hittter that he comes up against. The Nationals are committed to i,proving the bullpen so these signings might not be out of line.

4.) Infield Hitting. The infield was horrible at hitting this year. The whole infield production was from Crisitian Guzman. Second base is going to be open next year, and Ronnie Belliard can't be the starting second baseman again. Willie Harris had a good season. But, the Nationals need a second baseman for the long run. Emiliano Bonificio was the next second baseman, but he was traded to the Marlins. The Nationals can sign someone like Mark Gruizilanek. he is a verteran that will provide a temporary second baseman for 2-3 years until a second baseman is ready.

5.) Stop-Gate Catcher. The Nationals don't have a very good catcher right now. Paul Lo Duca was a disaster. Jesus Flores needs 1-3 more years in the minors until he is ready for the majors. I would suggest someone like Jason Varitek or Chad Moeller. They would be able to start for 2 years and with Chad Moeller, they could platoon Jesus Flores and Moeller.

These are the top 5 priorities for this offseason. If the Nationals sign Dunn and Burnett they would have some pretty formidable veterans. If they could get Varitek too, they might be able to compete in the division next year. What do you think the top 5 priorities are for this offseason?

The Cubs have a strong organization right now. The major league roster is full of all-stars, the farm system is bursting with talent, the coaches are some of the best in the game, and they have the money to shop around in the free agent market. They made the playoffs in one of the toughest divisions last year. During the year, they traded for Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin during July. They showed that they were happy with the team they had when the only tradethey made was the one where they traded for Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin. They didn't make any other big moves after that. Already, they are not tenduring a contract to the longest tendured Cub on the team, the closer Kerry Wood. They then showed that they were serious and not trying to make a lower contract by trading for Kevin Gregg.

The Cubs don't need much more on the team except for the bullpen and some left handed outfield power. Now that Kerry Wood is gone and Kevin Gregg is going to fill in on the closer spot, all the Cubs need is some set-up pitchers and maybe some depth for the long run. I would sign 3 pieces for the bullpen. The first one would be Jason Isringhausen. I know that he is a Cardinal and that he blows up a lot, but he is a bigger improvment over Bob Howry. Second, I would sign Arthur Rhodes to take up a lefty spot in the bullpen. He dominated in Florida and Seattle. Neal Cotts can't be the only lefty specialist on the team. Also I would sign Luis Ayala. He is a veteran releiver that will be in the bullpen when the Cubs really need him. The Cubs also could trade for the extra depth in the bullpen.

Second, the Cubs need left-handed power out of the outfield. I would sign Bobby Abrue. He is a veteran bat with a knowledge of the game.  He also makes the pitcher work. he might not have the power the Cubs want, but he is surely better han Kosuke Fukudome. If the Cubs don't want Abrue, they could trade for another player like Adam Dunn. The Cubs have the money to and Dunn likes the NL Central. If the Cubs signed Dunn the outfield could be Soriano, Edmonds, Dunn. An all power outfield.

As I mentioned, the Cubs have one of the most talented farm systems in the MLB. They could get B.J. Ryan from the Blue Jays. They said that they are open to trade talks about any player. I think that the Cubs have enough prospects that they could trade away a couple without really hurting the farm system.B.J. Ryan would provide a unhittable lefty with the ability to close when he is needed to. The Blue Jays might not part with the centerpiece of their bullpen so another bullpen piece could be Chris Ray from the Orioles. The Orioles might not part with him because they're building there bullpen right now too. It would probably take 3-5 prospects to trade for Chris Ray. He has a hard to hit delivery, but he tore his rotator cuff two years ago. The Cubs still have a strong bullpen so if they don't trade for a bullpen piece, they will be able to compete with their bullpen.

The Cubs will have a team ready to compete next year. They just need to tweek their roster a bit more and then they will be able to go deep into July. What do you think the Cubs should do?

The Astros had an interesting season this year. During the offseason last year they traded away Brad Lidge, the closer to the Phillies. Then they traded for Jose Valverde, the closer on the Diamondbacks. They acquired Oscar Villarreal from the Braves. They pretty much built the team up with many trades and free agent signings without depleting the farm system totally. Then during the season, they traded for LaTroy Hawkins and Randy Wolf during the season when they were 14 games out. I thought with those trades it would put them at the top of the division but it didn't. Ed Wade is faced with a very hard offseason. he has to improve the team while not totally destroying the farm system. The Astros are buyers right now and i have a plan to get them to the playoffs.

Part 1 Free Agents

The Astros have some holes to fill on the roster. They need some more speed from the bench. They need some more power off the bench. And they need to improve the releif corp that they currently have. Here are some of the players that the Astros should sign.

Richie Sexson .221 12HR 36RBI 1SB

Scott Podsednik .253 1HR 15RBI 12SB

Alan Embree 2-5 4.96ERA 70G

Guillermo Mota 5-6 4.11ERA 58G

Kerry Wood 5-4 3.26ERA 65G 34Saves

Chad Cordero 0-0 2.08ERA 6G

I know you probably read this thinking I'm crazy saying that the Astros should sign some of these free agents. But, all of these players will have some effect on the Astros next season. The players all have a role on the team.

Richie Sexson has a power bat that could be useful off the bench when he doesn't talk to himself. He has a bat that can hit maybe 10 homers off the bench. He might sign a small contract becaus emany teams showed small interest in him once he was released by the Yankees. I suggest a 1 year 3 Million dollar contract.

Scott Podsednik has a lot of speed. He might be a high risk investment because the strength of his game depends on the health legs. He might be able to play centerfield coming off the bench in lmited situations.

Alan Embree and Guillermo Mota are veteran releivers. They both had ok seasons and considering their ages, they might want to finish their careers out of the bullpen not warming the bench. Alan Embree is a solid lefty and Guillermo Mota dominates hitters and many occasions. I could see maybe a 2 year contract for both of them valued around 8 million dollars.

Chad Cordero has been plagued by many injuries. He got released mid-season when he hurt his arm again. As you can see with my stats I have, he started off very well and then just got injured. He will be very cheap, maybe at the league minimum or maybe an 850k contract saying that no teams touched him when he became a free agent. He will be one of those players that is there just incase of an injury.

Kerry Wood is a dominate releiver. I don't think that the Astros should stress his arm so they should just keep him in the bullpen as a set-up man for Jose Valverde. He might be inclined to sign with the Astros because Texas is his home state. If he signs with the Astros, it will probably be a 3 year 26 million dollar contract or around that area.

There are probably some players that I did not mention. Please leave them as comments. With these players signed off the free agent market, the bullpen will have lots of depth to start a base around and will have a good bench when it comes in need.

Part 2 The Trades

The Astros have a very strong offense. I don't see them needing to trade for a bat or a glove because the free agent market is littered with hitters and speed. The only trades needed to be made are ones to the Starting rotation and bullpen. if the astros sign every player I mentioned in the bullpen, they will only need a 1-3 players that they need to trade for during the offseason. Here are some of the trades that should happen.

Paul Maholm-2 Prospects

J.J. Putz-2-4 Prospects

Paul Maholm will provide a starting pitcher to put into the 4 spot in the rotation and putz will put the bullpen over the edge. The Astros won't really need that many players traded for. Please leave a comment on other trades that you think should happen.

Part 3 Staying in the Race

There is no doubt that the NL Central will be one of the toughest, if not toughest division in baseball. There is always a chance that a player could get injured during the season. If someone on the starting roster does, the Astro's farm has enough depth to take care of the team to the playoffs. There might be one player here, one player there that the team needs. I just think worst case scenario, if the Astros follow a plan based like this, they might need 1-3 players by the trading deadline.

The Pirates need to desperatly improve their farm system and major league team. They have been rebuilding since 1992. The Pirates could rebuild in 2 years at the least. The farm system doesn't reak, but it could get better. The Pirates have 1-4 players they can get rid of easily.

The Farm System got renenergized when the Yankees traded Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, Ross Ohlendorf, and OF Jose Tabata for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. They also got even more of a boost when on the trading deadline, acquired Andy LaRoche and  Bryan Morris from the Los Angeles Dodgers and  acquiring Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss from the Boston Red Sox. All the Pirates had to give up in that trade was Jason Bay. I know you will say that Jason Bay is amazing, true, but he was going to need a truckload of money to keep him in Pittsburgh. The Major League roster benifeted from Brandon Moss, but he got injured, and Andy LaRoche is going to be really good next year.

The Pirates could get rid of Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, Matt Capps, Paul Maholm, and John Grabow. The Pirates could get a dozen or more prospects for these guys. The bullpen would suck really bad next year, and the middle infield would be a huge mess. But, consider that the Pirates haven't had a winning record in the past decade, it's more of a can't get any worse situation. Here is my projection for each player, when they will be traded(general, like the month), how many prospects they will be traded for, and what team they will be traded to.

Jack Wilson- Tigers, 3 prospects, offseason

Freddy Sanchez- Dodgers, 2 Prospects, May or Offseason

Adam LaRoche- Red Sox, 3 Prospects, July

Matt Capps- Mets, 4 Prospects, Offseason

Paul Maholm, John Grabow- Royals or Cardinals, 5 Prospects, Offseason or July

That's a total of 17 prospects. But, these projections might be a little off, so I'm guessing around 12 Prospects. This would greatly increase there farm presence and maybe 1-3 players might be major league ready for next year right away. The only trade that I don't see happening is the Andruw McCutchen to the Royals for DeJesus and Juke Hochevar. This would just hurt the farm system, and the Pirates have no use for DeJesus.

The Pirates have to rebuild no matter how much you want them not to. There is no way they can win their division with the starters that they have now. Maybe 2-4 years before they can seriously compete in their division. What do you think the Pirates need to do? Please leave as a comment.

The Pirates have many big value players that many teams would want to get their hands on. For Example, Matt Capps. Matt Capps had 21 saves, and 3.02 era. he could either be an ok closer or avery good set-up man. He would fit in many teams 7 and 8 inning needs group. He could also be some teams' 9th inning option. The Mets for example, have a ok bullpen. Their bullpen would be full of vets and good young players with the acquistion of Matt Capps. These are some of the players that would be good trade bait and how many prospects the Pirates could probably get for them.

Matt Capps-3 prospects

Paul Mahlom- 3 prospects

Freddy Sanchez- 3 prospects

Adam LaRoche- 4-5 prospects depending on the team

John Grabow- 3 prospects

With the trades of 5 players the Pirates could get 16 prospects. This would renergize the Pirates farm system and they the Pirates would have enough players to not sukc too bad so they are an easy win.

The Sox have to make a big splash this offseason. The Twins are finally going to trade and sign some already there talent. The Indians are improving. The Royals are going to spend 40 million inthe free agent market again. The Tigers are going down the hole so that is a sigh of releif right now. The Sox need to sign 2 starters, 2 releivers, a third basemen, a shortstop, and some speed from the bench. The could get all this in trades, but it would be too expensive for all those players.

I say sign the two starting pitchers. Derek Lowe would be a good acquisition. The other starter to sign would be Ryan dempster. I know everybody is going to say Dempster the Cubbie. Well I saw that Dempster wanted to stay in Chicago. The Cubs also might not tender Ryan Demster a contract. Ryan Dempster would be a good spark to the White Sox rotation. If Javier Vasquez doesn't go out of town, the rotation will be Makr Buerhle, Ryan Dempster, Gavin Floyd, Derek Lowe, and John Danks. That would be a very good rotation. The two people we should sign/trade for our bullpen are Arthur Rhodes and Jaun Cruz. I know you are saying another lefty in Arthur Rhodes. Well Boone Logan and Matt Thornton are pretty dominant lefties. But imagine another tough lefty in the bullpen just stopping hitter after hitter.

The Sox could probably trade for the third basemen help or sign some third basemen to a one or two year deal. I also saw that the Sox are trying to trade for Garret Atkins. If they trade for Atkins, the Sox would have a third basemen for today and the future. But if the trade of Garret Atkins doesn't work out the Sox could sign Casey Blake. Blake might get renenergized being in the AL Central again. he might also hit better against the Indians who traded him away to the Dodgers. The Sox should also try to sign a shortstop, or move Alexia Ramirez from second to shortstop and sign a second basemen. The shortstop they could sign should be either Rafeal Furcal or Edgar Renteria who just filed for free agency. The secondbasemen they could sign could be ither Orlando Hudson or Mark Grudzielanek. They both would be good, but Orlando Hudson would be better for the long run than Mark Grudzielanek. If they just move Alexia Ramirez, Chris Getz might be ready for the major leagues.

Last of all the Sox need some speed from the bench. I know Brian Anderson is pretty fast, but a franchise that is starved for speed they need another speedster starting or from the bench. If the Sox sign Orlando Hudson, they might not need more speed but if they don't, they should sign someone like David Eckstein or Jerry hairston Jr. Their might be a possibility that the Sox could resign Scott Podsednik just to be one of their pinch runners. That would be pretty good, even though that Podsednik's speed has been declining over the last couple of years and his game depends on the health of his legs. The Sox have a big offseason ahead of them. Let's just home that GM Ken Williams has a good plan and that the Sox can contend next year and the years to come.

I was just on www.mlb.com and I saw that K-Rod filed for free agency. He is going to get a huge paycheck this offseason. The only teams that can suit his money wants are the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, maybe the Angels, Giants, Cubs, and for a long shot he Astros.  I see a 4 year 80 milion dollar contract at the very least. he also will want all 4 years garanteed and maybe a player option. this is a very good topic to debate over whether he is worth the huge paycheck or he isn't.

Francisco Rodriguez had a monster season. 62-69 in save opportunities, a 2.24 era and a record of 2-3. I think that he is worth the 80 million over 4 years. I think that K-Rod will want maybe a 6 or 7 year contract. Also more than 20 million a year. The Yankees will easyily pay a 6 year 150 million dollar contract. If you want to know thats 25 million a year. Next year though, he will have 10 less saves,( I know jeeze, I'm being sarcastic.) maybe .5 more on his era. K-Rod will get a huge paycheck wherever he goes. if he does resign with the Angels, he willhave to get a lot of money and 5 years at laeats 5 years garanteed contract. Please leave comments on what you think K-Rod's future is.

At a record of 34-1 30KOs, how much longer will Kelly Pavlik hold his title. Being the son of a proffesional boxer, I get the inside of most fights, their strategies, and how they could smash the other guy's face with a left hook. I was told that he wasn't in good enough shape, needed to get less cocky, and needed to hit the heavy bag a little more. I personally think that kelly Pavlik's career is going to be done in 10-15 fights. I think his title will be held for 2 more fights at the most. what do you think?

This year, we had a whole division full of tough teams and division rivals. Thi syear though, Detroit faded at the beginning of the season by starting 0-7. Cleveland traded away C.C. Sabathia early in the season, so the whole Cleveland staff was a number one starter(Cliff Lee) and then a few number 4 starters. The Twins stayed strong all year after trading away Johan Santana for almost a dozen prospects.

I only see the division getting tougher next year. Cleveland will have to aim for the division championship. Kansas City will go and waste 40 million on some bad verteran, Detroit will deplete their farm system for one or two good players. I just hope the Twins don't have a change of Owner and suddenly go crazy and finally spend 50 million on free agents like every team does every offseason. The White Sox will have a tough division on their hands. I think the White Sox need to get rid of Orlando Cabrera for shure. But also sign one or two bullpen pitchers and one starter. The White Sox's key next year will not be hitting, the key will be pitching.

I know someone will say "not hitting?" I mean that the white Sox have a power house hitting already. They need to improve their pitching.

This year was a very interesting year. We traded for a future hall of famer(Ken Griffey jr.). We pulled out a division championship. I was reading some other peoples own fanposts, and they said that we should get rid of Ken Griffey, DeWayne Wise, and Carrasco. First of all, Wise was their when our outfield needed help. He also hit a monster homer against the Rays in the ALDS. Now, Get rid of Ken Griffey? Why would we do this when he can hit, field, and play all the outfield posititions and first base. The Sox just need a little more bullpen help. Horacio Ramirez was a horrible acquisiton. We should sign at least one of the free agent relief pitchers on the market. I like Scott Eyre, LaTroy Hawkins, and Kyle Farnsworth. All these people had ok seasons. A closer the Sox could sign would be, Brian Fuentes or Jason Insringhausen. Insringhausen might be kind of cheap because he had a down season. The Sox could also trade for Kevin Gregg. Other people are saying we should sign or trade for one more outfielder. I don't think we need to, but the Marlins are going to have Jeremy Hermidia on the bench because of Cameron Maybin coming in to play center and Cody Ross going to play Right Field. We might be able to get Kevin Gregg and Jeremy Hermidia for cheap. Many people say we should hand over the starting job of third base right over to Josh Fields. I disagree. He is inexpierianced. Joe Crede is always getting injured, so i think we should sign Casey Blake. He might hit better against the Indians that traded him away. Also he is a good hitter in the playoffs. Also release Juan Uribe, Orlando Cabrera and sign Mark Gruzielanek. Ok, this is my opening day 25 man roster.

Starting Rotation

Mark Buehrle

John Danks

Derek Lowe

Gavin Floyd

Jose Contreras

Bullpen

Bobby Jenks

Scott Linebrink

Kevin Gregg

Octavio Dotel

Boone Logan

D.J. Carrasco

Clayton Richard

Fielders

A.J. Pierzynski

Toby Hall

Paul Konerko

Jim Thome

Alexia Rameriz

Mark Guzielanek

Casey Blake

Joe Crede

Jermaine Dye

Nick Swisher

Carlos Quentin

DeWayne Wise

Ken Griffey Jr.

The Padres are in the weakest division in baseball. Face it that the division winner had 84 wins. In every other division, they would be 3rd, 4th, and 5th place. The Padres just need to sign up a starter and maybe one or two hitters. If they could sign Derek Lowe that would be great. C.C. Sabathia is a long shot, but it is possible... In another blog, they said the Padres should bring back Greg Maddux. I don't think that is possible because they traded him to cross division rival the Dodgers. They need to greatly improve their hitting. Maybe they can resign Mike Cameron. What do you think the Padres should do to become the strongest team in a weak division?

Next season is going to be an exciting one. The toughest divisions will get even tougher. The weaker divisions will get even weaker. This offseason will also decide how the rosters are dished out next season. Here are my Projections for next years Divisions.

AL East

Tampa Bay Rays 99 wins 63 losses

New York Yankees 96 wins 66 losses

Boston Red Sox 90 wins 72 losses

Toronto Blue Jays 81 wins 81 losses

Baltimore Orioles 71 wins 91 losses

AL Central

Chicago White Sox 95 wins 67 losses

Minnesota Twins 86 wins 76 losses

Cleveland Indians 83 wins 79 losses

Kansas City Royals 71 wins 91 losses

Detroit Tigers 71 wins 91 losses

Al West

Los Angeles Angels 100 wins 62 losses

Oakland Athletics 81 wins 81 losses

Texas Rangers 75 wins 87 losses

Seattle Mariners 62 wins 100 losses

NL East

Philidalphia Phillies 102 wins 60 losses

New York Mets 99 wins 63 losses

Florida Marlins 88 wins 74 losses

Atlanta Braves 78 wins 84 losses

Washington Nationals 64 wins 98 losses

NL Central

Chicago Cubs 100 wins 62 losses

St. Louis Cardinals 89 wins 73 losses

Milwaakee Brewers 81 wins 81 losses

Houston Astros 81 wins 81 losses

Cincinatti Reds 71 wins 91 losses

Pitsburgh Pirates 69 wins 93 losses

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks 81 wins 81 losses

Los Angeles Dodgers 76 wins 86 losses

San Fransisco Giants 70 wins 92 losses

Colorado Rockies 64 wins 98 losses

San Diego Padres 62 wins 100 losses

ALCS Tampa over Boston

NLCS Philidalphia over Chicago

WS Tampa over Philidalphia

These predictions maybe a little off. This is going to be a tight year. The strongest divsion is the AL East. The weakest is the NL West.

What do you think the future of Nick Johnson is. I personally think the future of Nick Johnson lays in his hands. The Nationals want him ready for 2009. I just see him playing for 30 games hitting a 3 homer and batting .250. I think he is going to have a long career of being the bench bopper/Journey man. I think he will spend 1 or 2 more seasons in DC. I think he might go on the waiver wire. What do you think?

This year a lot of players under performed. Who do you think is the LVP Least Valueable Player this Year. This year many players under performed. I thought Aaron Rowand was a LVP but, he led the Giants in Home Runs. Also things to consider when voting.... Team Overall, Injury, lineup protection, playing time

Andruw Jones- 16.5 Million for 3 homers, 14 rbis, and .189 average

Richie Sexson- Under Permorming

Erik Bedard- 220 K's last year

The Yankees had a disapointing year this year. Admit it, you thought they were going to win the division, expecially after trading for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady. This offseason they need to trade for some pitching and a little hitting. They also would need to sign some big name free agents.

Sign some pitching, like A.J. Burnett. It is a long shot the Angels will not excercise the option they have on Lackey. If they don't, the Yankees should pounce on on Lackey and sign him to a 3 year deal. Also, they should sign Sabathia. This would make an unstopable pitching rotation of Sabathia, Wang, Lackey, Burnett, Mussina. If they cannot sign Lackey, they should trade for Peavy. Peavy might waive his no-trade clause, but if he does, he would easily have a 20 win season. The extra hitting they need could be found in Blalock, and Rich Aurila. The Yankees then would have the team to go for a long run in the A.L. East against the Rays, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.

The White Sox are currently one of the top teams in baseball. They have a good team, GM, and good coaches. Some people suggest that the Sox sign one more outfielder. I disagree. The Sox already have a crowded outfield and bringing more players to this outfield, I just don't see this happening. The Sox have to either have start the rebuilding process like the Indians and Royals or build their farm system and major league roster at the same time.

1. Rebuild

If the Sox decide to start rebuilding, they will have to trade away Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, and Mark Buehrle. This will add some 13 prospects and maybe 2 or 3 draft picks extra. They also could pump a little more money into the draft and spend a lot more on scouting in Central America. Many teams are starting to pump money into scouting in Central America. They also could sign some quality talent out of high school and put them in their low farm system teams and have them develop from 17 or 18. if they do start to rebuild, they would have to fire GM Kenny Williams because he likes to trade for the best players, depleting the farm system again and again. It wouldn't be possible, but if they could sign up GM Billy Beane, he would build their team in 2 years for the long run. One other good GM would be Andy McPhail. He started the rebuilding of the Orioles and built up the Cubs, and he built the Twins for two world championshps. The Sox would be ready for the long run in 2 to 3 years after rebuilding for 2 seasons.

2. Rebuild and Buy at the Same Time

This is kinda like what the Sox are doing now, but they would trade for prospects at the same time. They could trade away Jim Thome or Mark Buehrle for prospects. If they planned on trading Buerhle during the Offseason or Season, they should sign either Derek Lowe or Jamie Moyer. They should also sign a third baseman. I would recomend that they sign Casey Blake. He provided run production and timley hitting for a playoff team, the Dodgers. He also could hit hard against the Indians who traded him away. The Sox are still the best team in their division. They just have to tweek their roster just a bit more.