At the age of 32, Mark Buehrle is obviously only searching for a three-year contract, and this makes him a popular candidate on the free agent market. According to Sports Illustrated, 14 teams are after him, with the Rangers, Nationals, and the busy Marlins the most aggressive pursuers. This could give Buehrle a bloated contract, but he is a solid pitcher with a very low injury risk who should end up being a solid signing. Buehrle would like a no-trade clause and $14 million a year; about his market value.

A few teams are interested in the top free agent third baseman; Aramis Ramirez. Among these teams looking for a solid bat at a weak offensive position are the Brewers, Phillies, and Angels. It's looking like A-Ram wants three or four years on his deal, but I wouldn't go past three seasons with Ramirez.

There are obviously more teams interested in Prince Fielder, and it looks like the high-priced free agent will wait until the Cardinals and Albert Pujols come to an agreement before signing; thus getting more money in the process. Fielder is viewed as the better investment due to his age, and it looks like he wants to play for an east coast team who will be able to contend next season. Count the Nationals, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Brewers as a few likely destinations for the slugger.

Two rivals are fighting for solid, veteran reliever Octavio Dotel. The 38-year-old would like to re-sign with the Cardinals, and the defending champs have offered him a one-year deal.

Former Indians third baseman Casey Blake is looking to rejoin the team, and nine teams have contacted the 38-year-old who bought out his contract in order to become a free agent. Although he was injured for most of last season, his agent says that he will be completely healthy to start the 2012 season.

36-year-old RHP Hiroki Kuroda would like to sign for around $12-13 million, and he has offers from the Diamondbacks, a club in Japan, the Rockies, Red Sox, and Angels. The D'Backs are really going after the former Dodger, and he will certainly be signed very soon if he stops asking for an option for a second season.

Garnering tons of interest

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Indians, Mark Buehrle, Rangers, Angels, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols, Octavio Dotel, Brewers, Prince Fielder, Dodgers, Hiroki Kuroda, Casey Blake, Rockies, D'Backs

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11/24 MLB Rumors: Reliever Rumblings

November 24th 2011 09:48

The New York Times reports that Joe Torre could be interested in owning- mostly partially owning- the Los Angeles Dodgers. While this doesn't seem likely, there is a chance that Torre ends up teaming up with somebody like Rick Caruso to own the team.

The Minnesota Twins are interested in re-signing Matt Capps and implementing him as their closer after Joe Nathan signed with the Texas Rangers. Capps is a slightly below-average closer, but he's the best option they have and will likely be cheaper than making a move like trading for Francisco Cordero or Huston Street.

Speaking of which, there are six teams interested in acquiring the Rockies closer. Street, like Capps, is 28 years old, and he was also the 2005 Rookie of the Year. He's about a league-average closer, and the six teams interested (per Sports Illustrated) are the Red Sox, Jays, O's, Mets, Marlins and Reds. The Reds are also trading their closer, and Street would present a minor upgrade over Cordero. The Jays, O's, and Mets have a huge need at closer, but it is interesting to note that the Mets rejected a previous deal from the Rockies in a proposed Street-Pelfrey swap.

According to the New York Post, Mariano Rivera might retire after the 2012 season. Mo has one year left on his contract, and below are two quotes to mull over. The best closer in history is about to turn 42, and he has saved a record 603 games over his Major League career so far. I don't think he should hang up the spikes now, as he has still been pitching at a very high level. However, he knows his body more than we all do, and I'm sure that the future Hall of Famer will make the best decision for himself.

"I don't know what will happen,'' said Rivera. "I have one year left. I might call it over. I will know more in spring training.''

"Every time I talk it gets worse and worse,'' Rivera said when asked about his vocal chord problems that have arisen this offseason which may require surgery.

There are a lot of replacement-level to average starter middle-infielders who are making bank this offseason, and Jerry Hairston Jr. could be among those guys. Hairston is really just a utility backup guy. Hairston is an above-average defensive outfielder, and he plays at a high level at second. However, he is considered to be mediocre at the hot corner. But with his positional versatility, Hairston is an intriguing option and provides value to a ballclub. He was worth 1.2 WAR in 376 plate appearances, so he is an inexpensive option who would be a solid stop-gap option.

In fact, there are three teams interested in signing Hairston; the Dodgers, Brewers, and Giants all want to sign him. The Dodgers lost Jamey Carroll to the Twins in free agency, the Brewers have a hole at short, and the Giants are obviously in the market for a shortstop with their situation at the position. The 35 year old did get a one-year offer from the Brewers to re-sign with the team, but it seems like the Brew Crew want to get a marquee shortstop. They have also made it clear that signing Yuniesky Betancourt is also an option, although everybody will agree that it's not exactly a good option.

The Nationals are fighting with the Miami Marlins to sign solid veteran free agent starter Mark Buehrle. The Nats have made him their number one priority this offseason Buehrle has been worth over 3 WAR for the past three seasons, and he will definitely bolster this rotation and is worth about 10-12 million on the open market.

Count Sandy Alomar Jr. out of the race for the Boston Red Sox manager opening, as Bobby Valentine has been swooning the Sox brass recently. I expect the Sox to name Valentine their manager, but there are still a couple of candidates remaining.

Will he retire after 2012?

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Mariano Rivera, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles, Sandy Alomar Jr., Twins, Matt Capps, Jamey Carroll, Mark Buehrle, Rangers, Joe Nathan, Mets, Mike Pelfrey, Marlins, Nationals, Brewers, Yuniesky Betancourt, Jerry Hairston Jr, Reds, Francisco Cordero, San Francisco Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, Huston Street

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11/19 MLB Rumors: Brandon Phillips Extension Talks

November 19th 2011 14:38

The Colorado Rockies were discussing a trade that would send closer Huston Street to the New York Mets for starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey. The funny thing is that the Mets rejected the deal, because they didn't really like Street. It's funny, because Street is a much better player than Pelfrey. I mean, Pelfrey is a below-average starter who would be an awful fit in Coors Field. Bob Geren is the New York Mets bench coach, and part of the reason why this deal didn't go through is because Street and Geren hate eachother from their days in Oakland. I don't blame Street, because Geren is an incompetent manager and most players hate playing for him. Tell me why he was hired again? Oh yeah, that's right, Sandy Alderson likes bringing in former Oakland guys; look at their manager Terry Collins (at least he's okay).

Instead of worrying about what could have happened, let's talk about what might happen. That's what rumors are about, right? Brandon Phillips was easily the NL's best second baseman this season, and it is incumbent upon the Cincinnati Reds to extend him. He's got one more year left on his contract, thanks to a team option that was exercised on Halloween, but the Reds would obviously want their second best player to stay longer.

"We've made progress, but we're not close," GM Walt Jocketty said Thursday, MLB.com reports. "It will take a little bit of time. It's a complicated contract. It gets down to trying to determine the number of years and amount of dollars. We're still a ways apart on both."

Jose Molina knows quite a bit about the AL East, because he's only played in the AL East for the last four and a half seasons. Molina is a solid defensive player behind the plate, but he is poor with the stick. The Tampa Bay Rays are about to give him a one-year deal with a 2013 option stuck to it. The veteran catcher will surely put pen to paper soon, and Molina will be an average backup to John Jaso. And really, that's all Molina does; he backs up younger players behind the plate.

ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine has been in the running for the Boston Red Sox vacancy at manager, and he is seemingly always a candidate for every team. Right now Valentine is the frontrunner, but don't count out other established candidates such as Torey Lovullo, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Gene Lamont.

Set to make 12 million but more is coming with a possible extension

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Torey Lovullo, Jose Molina TOR, Red Sox, Rays, John Jaso, Sandy Alomar Jr., Gene Lamont, Athletics, Mets, Sandy Alderson, Terry Collins, Bob Geren, Mike Pelfrey, Reds, Brandon Phillips, Walt Jocketty, Rockies, Huston Street

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8/2011 MLB Power Rankings

August 26th 2011 11:24

1. Red Sox
2. Yankees
3. Phillies
4. Braves
5. Rangers
6. Diamondbacks
7. Brewers
8. Angels
9. Giants
10. Tigers
11. Rays
12. Cardinals
13. Reds
14. White Sox
15. Blue Jays
16. Indians
17. Rockies
18. Mets
19. Dodgers
20. Nationals
21. Padres
22. Marlins
23. Cubs
24. Athletics
25. Pirates
26. Royals
27. Twins
28. Mariners
29. Orioles
30. Astros

Offseason acquisition has Cubs highest WAR this year

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rankings, MLB Power Rankings, Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Orioles, Rays, Indians, Tigers, Twins, Royals, White Sox, Rangers, Angels, Mariners, Athletics, Astros, Phillies, Mets, Braves, Marlins, Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Padres, San Francisco Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, D'Backs

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8/2011 Center Fielder Rankings

August 6th 2011 14:07

One of the premier positions in baseball is center field. First off, it is the second most important position on the diamond- after shortstop- and many of the game's greats were center fielders. Below are my rankings of the center fielders in baseball today. (Minimum 750 plate appearances as a center fielder since 2009)

1. Rangers Josh Hamilton

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7/30 MLB Rumors: Ubaldo Jimenez

July 30th 2011 14:20

Ubaldo Jimenez is the best pitcher up for grabs right now, and I don't think much of an argument can be made for anybody else. He is going to be extremely difficult to get, and he probably won't be traded at all. In any case, add the Detroit Tigers to the list of teams in the hunt for Jimenez. The Reds, Indians, Yankees, and Red Sox are also interested.

Rockies

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, Tigers, Nationals, Jason Marquis, Reds, Ramon Hernandez, San Francisco Giants, Eli Whiteside, Rockies, Ubaldo Jimenez

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7/29 MLB Rumors: Heath Bell and Hunter Pence

July 29th 2011 12:37

Guys, I am finally back from a very lengthy vacation that did not produce a single blog post. A lot has transpired in my absence from this blog, and I am going to start things off with a rumor post that details potential trades in the MLB.

The Yankees are still searching for left-handed relief help with Rafael Soriano still on the DL, and Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte are out for the rest of the year. Boone Logan is their only lefty in the pen, and this is certainly a pressing need for the Bronx Bombers

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: MLB, MLB Rumors and News, Yankees, Boone Logan, Damaso Marte, Pedro Feliciano, Rafael Soriano, Red Sox, Carlos Quentin, Rangers, Neftali Feliz, Felix Hernandez, Athletics, Rich Harden, Astros, Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence HOU, Clint Barmes HOU, Phillies, Domonic Brown, Mets, Braves, Padres, Heath Bell, San Francisco Giants, Carlos Beltran, Hiroki Kuroda, Ubaldo Jimenez

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6/20 Daily Rundown: Edwin Rodriguez Resigns

June 20th 2011 06:32

1. Edwin Rodriguez steps down

Marlins fans were shocked when Edwin Rodriguez unexpectedly resigned yesterday (not re-signed). He was frustrated with their current ten game losing streak and 1-18 slump. Rodriguez is the first Puerto-Rican manager in history, and the Marlins had no intention of firing him. He was doing a good job this season, and won the respect of his players. I guess this slump was too much for him, and it's a shame that he quit

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5/2011 Starting Pitcher Rankings

May 22nd 2011 14:01

1. Tim Lincecum
2. Roy Halladay
3. Josh Johnson

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5/21 Baseball Stats Check

May 21st 2011 15:56

1. Jonny Gomes has the lowest BABIP at .185 as well as the 14th highest strikeout rate 31.2%. He is hitting .176.

2. A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .252, but he has the lowest strikeout rate in the league at 5.8

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