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Remember one week ago? I know many of you wanted to kill off the Yankees and Red Sox. Both teams were 0-3 and in such dire straits that Bill Simmons had a special podcast with his buddy JackO -- a Yankees fan -- to commiserate in their pain.

Well, it's not so easy to get rid of the wicked witches of the East. The Red Sox pummeled the Rays over the weekend, scoring 31 runs in a three-game sweep in games started by David Price, Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore.

The Yankees, meanwhile, took two of three from the Angels to climb above .500, although they did miss Jered Weaver and Dan Haren while getting shut down by C.J. Wilson. (Hey, we don't want Yankees fans to get too comfortable.)

OK, in all seriousness, it's a reminder of the hysteria that's easy to ensue when a team with high expectations doesn't go 7-3 out of the gate. A similar sense of panic exists in Philadelphia, where the Phillies are 4-5 and scoring barely three runs a game. It's early, folks.

Before the Yankees and Red Sox meet this weekend, the Yankees will have an excellent opportunity to pad their win total with a four-game series against the hapless Twins, looking like a good bet early on to challenge the Astros as baseball's worst team. Don't expect much run support for Carl Pavano, who faces Freddy Garcia on Monday night on ESPN and ESPN3 (7 ET): The Twins have scored three runs or fewer in seven of their nine games.

Outside of Derek Jeter (.366, four doubles, two home runs) and Nick Swisher, most of the Yankees hitters are off to lukewarm starts. Robinson Cano has one RBI, Alex Rodriguez is hitting .222 with one home run and Mark Teixeira (a career .235 hitter in April) is off to his usual slow start with a .222 average and zero home runs.

But with four games against the Twins, look for Cano and Teixeira to enter their showdown with Boston with at least one home run on their ledger.

Series of the week

Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals, Tuesday through Thursday

Johnny Cueto (1-0, 2.25) vs. Kyle Lohse (2-0, 1.35)
Mat Latos (0-1, 5.59) vs. Jaime Garcia (1-0, 4.22)
Bronson Arroyo (0-0, 2.63) vs. Adam Wainwright (0-2, 11.42)

In some regard, the Cardinals were baseball's most impressive team through the first 10 games of the schedule. They methodically took two of three from the Brewers, Reds and Cubs, as well as beating the Marlins on Opening Day. Their plus-23 run differential is the best in the majors, as is their 57 runs scored. So far, the Cardinals' bench is shaping up as a possible strength. Matt Carpenter stepped in for the injured Lance Berkman (who should return Tuesday) and has driven in 10 runs in just 22 at-bats. Tyler Greene and Daniel Descalso provide flexibility in the infield. And so far, Yadier Molina (.353/.421/.735, three home runs) is showing his offensive growth in 2011 was for real.

The Reds have scored just 31 runs in 10 games. Outside of Joey Votto and Zack Cozart, the offense hasn't done much. I was worried about Scott Rolen's ability to produce heading into the season and Dusty Baker's cleanup man is off to a .121 start (4-for-33, no home runs, one walk). Baker has also given rookie catcher Devin Mesoraco just 12 at-bats, and Drew Stubbs is still having big issues making contact. Yes, Brandon Phillips missed some games, but there appear to be some red flags about the Reds' offense. The Reds can hardly afford to let the Cardinals put six games between them this early in the season, but that's what they're facing if St. Louis sweeps the series.

Three pitching matchups to watch

1. Monday: Roy Halladay (2-0, 0.60) vs. Tim Lincecum (0-1, 12.91, Phillies at Giants (10:15 p.m. ET)

Halladay has been terrific while Lincecum has been terrible and is coming off the shortest outing of his career on Wednesday, when he couldn't escape the third inning in Colorado. Lincecum is 4-1 with a 2.61 ERA in nine career starts against the Phillies -- teams that had better offenses than this Phillies team, of course. Wednesday's Cliff Lee-Matt Cain matchup ain't exactly chopped liver, either. Yes, I just used that phrase.

2. Wednesday: David Price (1-1, 4.82) vs. Brandon Morrow (0-0, 2.57), Rays at Blue Jays (7:07 p.m. ET)

Tampa Bay's brutal April schedule continues with a Monday morning Patriots Day affair in Boston, three in Toronto and then a bit of a reprieve with three at home against the Twins. Price is coming off a poor stint against the Red Sox in which he had issues locating his fastball and threw 83 pitches in three innings. Morrow has gone seven innings in each of first two starts, a good early sign for somebody looking to prove he can pitch 200 innings for the first time.

3. Saturday: Neftali Feliz (1-0, 2.25) vs. Justin Verlander (0-1, 2.25), Rangers at Tigers (1:05 ET)

Yes, please. The Tigers will prove to be a sterner test for Feliz than the Twins and Mariners. Feliz used his changeup successfully in seven shutout innings against the Mariners in his first start, less so on Sunday against the Twins. He's still a work in progress as a starter, and while nobody doubts his fastball, we'll see if his secondary stuff can catch up. Many still consider moving him to the rotation a bit of a risk, considering his strikeout rate as a closer in 2011 didn't exactly reflect domination (54 strikeouts in 62.1 innings). So far he has seven K's in 12 innings.

Player on the hot seat: Aramis Ramirez, Brewers

After hitting .306/.361/.510 with 26 home runs for the Cubs, the Brewers signed Ramirez to help replace Prince Fielder. So far he's hitting .114 without a big one.

Player to watch: Chad Billingsley, Dodgers

Billingsley has made two strong starts -- one run with a 15-1 strikeout-walk ratio -- raising hopes that the Dodgers will have a strong No. 2 starter behind Clayton Kershaw. Billingsley suffered through the worst season of his career in 2011 as he walked 84 batters, but made some mechanical adjustments this spring. "Success breeds confidence," pitching coach Rick Honeycutt told ESPNLA's Tony Jackson. "They go hand in hand. Right now, you're seeing him totally in control. He isn't right on target with every ball he throws, but we're not seeing that wildness. I like to call them well-thrown balls, and we are seeing a lot of well-thrown balls coming out of his hand. Those are quality pitches. He just needs to do that consistently."

Heat map of the week

Courtesy of Mark Simon and Katie Sharp of ESPN Stats and Information, we have to do a Matt Kemp heat map. Baseball's hottest hitter is just the fourth player since 1920 hitting .450 with at least six home runs and 16 RBIs through his team's first 10 games. The typical major leaguer hits a home run on every nine to 10 of the fly balls he hits, but Kemp's first nine fly balls have resulted in six home runs. He's hit the ball to the opposite field six times, resulting in five hits and four home runs. And in at-bats ending in curveballs, he's 5-for-5 with three singles, a double and a home run.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

• ESPN Insider Dan Szymborski asks: Is there another Jose Bautista lingering near the bottom of the ESPN 500 list? Dan throws out some interesting names, including Travis Snider and Pedro Alvarez, although both of them were former first-round picks and one-time top prospects. Of course, what makes any Bautista comparison difficult is that he hasn't just had a couple of nice seasons out of nowhere; he's had two seasons that made him one of the best players in baseball. There may be a more systematic way of doing this: Check players who were (A) never top prospects; (B) had some time in the majors before blossoming into an MVP candidate. I have to think Bautista is fairly unique in this regard. Worth looking at during some down time.
• Tristan Cockcroft has a list of players he's not excited about. Tristan is writing for a fantasy baseball audience, but I like his support evidence. Names such as Adam Wainwright and Dee Gordon will provide some debate.
• Eric Karabell has updated his fantasy top 100. He's sticking with Ryan Braun at No. 1.
• One more link from our fantasy department: AJ Mass looks at the Rays and whether the hype surrounding Matt Moore is justified.
• Mets Today has a roundup of all the fallout from the court decision regarding the Mets.
• Dodger Thoughts author Jon Weisman has a piece on ESPNLosAngeles.com on the Clayton Kershaw-Tim Lincecum rivalry.
• How do the Brewers replace Prince Fielder? In Part 1 of a 2012 preview, Disciples of Uecker examines whether Aramis Ramirez will come close to Fielder's 2011 production.
• Harper Gordek is worried about a Nationals lineup that may open up with Rick Ankiel hitting fifth. Can the pitching staff prevent enough runs to make the Nationals contenders?
• Michael Baumann on Chase Utley, Freddy Galvis and panic (or lack of it) in Philly.
• Brenden Lowery breaks down Carlos Santana and his approach from both sides of the plate in 2011. With heat maps!
• Craig Brown examines the Royals trade in which they acquired catcher Humberto Quintero to fill in for the injured Salvador Perez and outfielder Jason Bourgeois. If the word "train wreck" is used as descriptive medicine, it may not be a cure.
• Here's what the Red Sox's 25-man roster may look like.
• One thing the Twins have: Guys who can play center field. With Denard Span, Ben Revere, Joe Benson and prospect Aaron Hicks, should the Twins consider dealing from their surplus?
• Chris Quick with an interesting study on Giants infielder Emmanuel Burriss: With his lack of power what are the odds he can be of some value at the plate?
• Will first base be a problem for the Cardinals?
• Ramon Santiago for Tigers MVP!
• Finally, a fun list of the top 10 final seasons, in honor of Will Clark's 2000.

Tuesday’s Baseball Today podcast with Mark Simon was a special one, as it figures to be our last weekly episode before we really get going. That’s right, we’re going daily next week! Anyway, we had a special guest and good fun with many topics.

1. Ben Jedlovec from "The Fielding Bible Volume III" (available from Amazon.com or www.actasports.com) joined us to talk defense, from runs saved to overrated/underrated (Derek Jeter, Matt Kemp) to the best defenders in baseball and a lot more.

2. I watch spring training games, Mark does not, but we’re both aware of who’s getting hurt. A few Mets are on our mind this day, as well as a Cardinals ace and a potential Angels slugger.

3. Is Chipper Jones really on the way out or did he just have a bad day when he told reporters he might not make it through the season?

4. We play the “star or Shlobotnick” game with pitchers, which isn’t so easy! What do you think of Mat Latos, Jeremy Hellickson and John Danks, among others?

5. If you ask a ridiculous question, you often get a ridiculous answer. So it was with our email segment today! Hey, it was fun!

So download and listen to Tuesday’s Baseball Today podcast, as Mark and I talk defense, McDonald’s and yes, a little birthdays as well. And look for the next show next Monday, as we really prepare for the season.

The Brewers already have all sorts of trouble to sort through. Prince Fielder left town to entertain offers involving oodles of cash, and Ryan Braun is looking at a 50-game suspension for allegedly possessing more testosterone than even Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World. Aramis Ramirez provides at least one new answer for their need for power. But there’s more work to be done if the Brewers are going to have any shot at defending their NL Central title.

To their credit, they’re being a bit creative. Having Alex Gonzalez at shortstop might compensate for A-Ram’s disappearing range on the left side of the infield. Having first base open creates the opportunity Mat Gamel spent the last four years at either Huntsville or Nashville waiting for.

But to stretch their limited dollars just a wee bit further, the Brewers expanded their personal pool of free agents by paying the posting fee to negotiate with outfielder Norichika Aoki of the Yakult Swallows. Aoki, now coming up on his 30th birthday, was gushingly compared to Ichiro Suzuki back in the day. He bats lefty, runs well, played center and seemed like a leadoff terror every team would be falling all over to get back in 2007.

But that was five years ago, when he was a career .330/.390/.425 hitter. From 2007-2010 Aoki would bounce around a .350 batting average, .430 OBP while slugging .500. In 2007 he scored 114 runs while drawing 80 walks; in 2008, he stole 31 bases in 40 attempts. (Praise be to the always indispensable Baseball-Reference.com for releasing their new tranche of Japanese leagues data today.)

Then came 2011, when Japan adopted a baseball more like the American ball, which radically changed the Japanese leagues. Per a thought-provoking post from earlier today from Tim Ednoff of Baseball American, both circuits saw their runs scored per game drop by more than a full run in 2011 -- the Central League’s ERA dropped from 4.13 to 3.06, and the Pacific League’s -- which uses the DH -- went from 3.94 to 2.94. Good-bye Randy Bass, and hello Deadball Era.

Where this matters is when it comes to interpreting the performance not just of the highest high-profile guys like Yu Darvish, but also a hitter like Aoki. Last year, the second coming of Ichiro saw his performance drop to .292/.358/.360 while stealing just eight bases in 11 attempts. He’s also years past his days as an everyday center fielder. I asked Dan Szymborski of ESPN Insider if he’d forecasted Aoki yet, and he had -- to to hit .289/.338/.393 in Milwaukee. (Note: Not a neutral park, as stated earlier.) Miller Park isn’t a launching pad, so that’ll do for a place-holding expectation for what Aoki might be able to do in Milwaukee. Good-bye Ichiro, hello Tony Plush.

Which is perhaps exactly why he’s the sort of guy the Brewers can afford. A posting fee of $2.5 million isn’t much to start out with, and Aoki’s 2011 plummet at the plate conveniently gives the Brewers a better sense of what he might do. And assuming that Braun is missing from left field for the first 50 games, there’s already a spot open in the Brewers’ lineup.

Aoki would presumably be a Ron Roenicke kind of player, presumably running and bunting on command, and complementing the other small-ball gambits that the Brewers’ skipper likes to employ now and again.

What about after those first 50 games, when Braun comes back in late May or early June? That’s certainly going to be interesting. If Gamel is holding down the job, the Brewers have a nice problem on their hands. But if Gamel isn’t earning his keep at the plate at that point, it’s worth remembering that Corey Hart has played 179 games in the minors at first base, and he rarely charms observers with his ungainly brand of right-field defense.

Whether or not the Brewers wind up actually signing Aoki is another thing altogether, so let’s not put too many horses before this particular cart. As the Oakland A’s found out in their negotiations with Rakuten Eagles ace Hisashi Iwakuma last year, there’s no guarantee that a player will take just any offer from the only team he’s allowed to negotiate with. And since the posting fee is refundable, if the Brewers decide that Aoki won’t sign for their best offer, they can always just wish him well and leave him on the other side of the Pacific.

Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

The Baseball Today podcast returned for Tuesday as a spirited Mark Simon and myself tackled many topics, not all of them the most pleasant. Then again, all is right with the world when your fave team signs Dontrelle Willis!

1. Ugh, Ryan Braun, are you kidding me? We both want to see how this ends up before reaching full judgment, but regardless, it’s a shame one of baseball’s top stars has seen his reputation sullied. We also discuss the MVP award subject.

2. Meanwhile, good news for the Brewers, as they sign Aramis Ramirez to handle third base. Then again, one of us doesn’t think that news is all that good. We also deal with some of the other signings and trades, including Trevor Cahill to Arizona.

3. In our Simon Says segment, Mark discusses his latest project, delving into the top defensive games of the season, and also waxes poetic about Burke Badenhop. Hey, relief pitchers should be inexpensive!

4. Our ridiculous email of the week dealt with the San Francisco Giants and their litany of first basemen, but we only received the email thanks to our trusty, um, intern.

5. Our special guest of the week was Sam Miller, from Baseball Prospectus and the Orange County Register, and the "Mark Simon of the West Coast" was a good sport about the serious topics (Angels and Albert Pujols) and the not-so-serious ones (whither Mark DeRosa!).

So download and listen to Tuesday’s Baseball Today podcast, because it’s the right thing to do! We’ll be back next Tuesday with Keith Law. Have a great week!

According to sources, Aramis Ramirez is headed to the Milwaukee Brewers. He definitely will help: In 2011, their third basemen (primarily Casey McGehee) hit .215/.274/.324, producing the second-lowest OPS in the majors.

Meanwhile, Ramirez was probably the second- or third-best-hitting third baseman in the majors in 2011. Only Pablo Sandoval had a higher OPS among third basemen with at least 400 plate appearances. Putting aside Ramirez's long-term value, let's assess where the Brewers stand.

Here's what we know:

1. Ramirez in at third base, McGehee out.
2. Alex Gonzalez in at shortstop, Yuniesky Betancourt out.
3. Prince Fielder likely out at first base, Mat Gamel likely in.
4. Ryan Braun likely out for 50 games at left field (no positive test has ever been overturned), replacement-level player to be named.

Baseball is about scoring runs and preventing runs. Let's put all this into the mixer and see what it might mean in terms of run differential for the Brewers.

Third base

It's difficult to put into words how awful McGehee was in 2011, and in retrospect, it's amazing that Ron Roenicke kept starting him until essentially the final week of the season and playoffs, when he finally inserted Jerry Hairston. Anyway, using figures from FanGraphs.com, Ramirez created about 99 park-adjusted runs in 626 plate appearances in 2011; McGehee created about 46 runs in 600 plate appearances (or 48 over 626 plate appearances). McGehee is no Gold Glover, but Ramirez plays third base about as well as a tree stump these days. Baseball Info Solutions had McGehee at minus-2 runs in defensive runs saved and Ramirez at minus-12.

Offensive difference: +51 runs
Defensive difference: -10 runs

Shortstop

Offensively, Betancourt and Gonzalez are pretty much mirror images of each other: low-OBP hackers with a little pop for shortstops. In nearly the same total of plate appearances, Betancourt created about 48 runs, Gonzalez about 50. The big difference comes on defense, where Betancourt (having a good season for him) scored at minus-6 but Gonzalez at plus-15.

Offensive difference: +2 runs
Defensive difference: +21 runs

First base

Fielder hit .299/.415/.566, creating about 128 runs over his 692 plate appearances. The Bill James projections listed at FanGraphs have Gamel hitting .282/.342/.476 and creating 70 runs over 483 plate appearances. If we prorate that to 692 PAs, we get 100 runs created for Gamel. Defensively, Fielder actually rated well in 2011 at minus-1. Gamel is not regarded as a good defender. Let's call that one a wash.

Offensive difference: -28 runs
Defensive difference: 0 runs

Left field

Braun created 129 runs in 150 games in 2011, so he'd lose a third of that production, or 43 runs over the 50 games he would miss. Let's say a replacement-level left fielder would create about 75 runs over a season, or 25 runs over 50 games. BIS had Braun at minus-3 runs on defense, so let's call that a wash for now as well.

Offensive difference: -18 runs
Defensive difference: 0 runs

Add it all up, and even with the loss of Fielder and the potential loss of Braun for 50 games, we get the Brewers at plus-18 runs better than last season.

Now, there are plenty of caveats here: Ramirez might not hit quite as well as in 2011; Gonzalez might not field quite as well as in 2011; Gamel might not meet his projections. Even if Gamel does that, he's unlikely to play every game like Fielder did, and the Brewers might not get adequate production from their backups. Still, even if you downgrade the run differential for all those reasons, these moves essentially leave the Brewers spinning their wheels.

Yes, losing Fielder hurts. And it's entirely possible Gamel will struggle and not hit. But replacing McGehee's bat and Betancourt's glove are such positives that the Brewers appear to be able to absorb the loss of the big guy.

For more on the Brewers, Ramirez and Braun, check out Brewers blog Disciples of Uecker.

DALLAS -- The hallways and lobby of the Hilton Anatole are filled with general managers, agents and media members. What will happen over the next three days? Nobody knows. But here's what I'd like to see happen ...

1. A good old-fashioned challenge trade.

You know, like the famous deal in December of 1990 when the Padres traded Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter to the Blue Jays for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez. Let's see some general manager step up and initiate a deal that isn't just predicated on how many years a player has remaining until he's a free agent. Yes, David Wright for Peter Bourjos and Hank Conger would come close to qualifying.

2. The Blue Jays make a big splash.

And by big splash, how about a certain power-hitting first baseman who gets on base? Blue Jays first basemen (primarily Adam Lind) hit 28 home runs in 2011, but combined for a terrible .309 on-base percentage, 27th in the majors. In the cut-throat world of the AL East, the Jays need to keep up with their rivals, and Prince Fielder would be the perfect fit. Imagine a 3-4-5 of Jose Bautista, Fielder and Brett Lawrie. Scary good ... scary good enough to have the fans packing Skydome like they did in the early '90s and turning the AL East's big three into a big four.

3. The Reds keep Joey Votto.

You don't trade one of the top six or seven position players in the game and get better. The Reds can improve their team without trading the big Canadian. Figure out a way to get Gio Gonzalez from the A's using Yonder Alonso and catching prospect Yasmani Grandal.

4. The Nationals sign a starting pitcher.

Washington is reportedly in on Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson. While Fielder would look good batting cleanup in Washington, the Nats' defense would be taking a major hit with Fielder at first base and Mike Morse in left field. Adding one of the left-handed starters would be more economical and provide a boost similar to Fielder's bat. A rotation of Stephen Strasburg, Wilson, Jordan Zimmermann, John Lannan and Chien-Ming Wang, with prospect Brad Peacock waiting his turn, looks like a rotation that could contend for a playoff spot.

5. A three-way trade.

A world with more three-way trades would be a good thing. Especially when Billy Beane is involved.

6. The Red Sox re-sign David Ortiz.

Nobody wants to spend big on a DH these days, so Ortiz's options are pretty limited, even though five AL teams had an OPS under .750 from their designated hitters: Tampa Bay (.744), Baltimore (.734), Angels (.702), Oakland (.696) and Seattle (.650). Ortiz has the 11th-highest slugging percentage in the majors over the past two seasons (higher than Fielder), so Big Papi can still rake. But can you see him in a uniform other than Boston's?

7. The Giants sign Carlos Beltran.

You never know how long Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner are going to last as elite pitchers. The Giants need to win now and they need another bat. Beltran remains their best option for right field.

8. The Mariners do something.

Seattle fans will support a winner, as they showed in 2001 and 2002 when they led the AL in attendance. In 2011, they were served a cleanup hitter with a .253 OBP and a third baseman who hit .188. Attendance plummeted to 1.9 million, the lowest in a full season in Seattle since 1992. Is Fielder really a possibility? Is Scott Boras trying to drum up interest and a big payday in a market that doesn't include the Yankees or Red Sox? The Mariners are a long way from being contenders, so signing Fielder would entail convincing him that the club could compete in a couple years. Would Fielder be willing to take that plunge? And no -- the Mariners are not going to trade Felix Hernandez.

9. The Brewers sign Aramis Ramirez.

If Prince doesn't go back to Milwaukee, they'll need a bat for the middle of the order. Considering the lack of production they got at third base from Casey McGehee, Ramirez seems like the right fit.

10. Albert Pujols signs with ...

Nobody. Hey, we need something to keep the rumor mill going after the meetings wind up.

Now in its last year of existence, baseball’s short stack will get rounded out to five teams when the Astros enter the American League in 2013. But in the meantime, it’s another four-way wrestling match. However, it’s also a starkly segregated division. On one side, you’ve got the defending pennant-winning Rangers (twice over) and their chief rivals, the Angels. On the other side, the Athletics have won 74-76 games in four of the last five years, while the Mariners have been stuck in the 60s for wins in three of the last four.

Texas Rangers

1. Rotation: Add a veteran? Or re-sign C.J. Wilson?

It isn’t that what the Rangers have right now isn’t good -- most teams would love to have a young quartet as talented as Neftali Feliz, Derek Holland, Alexi Ogando and Matt Harrison lined up with Colby Lewis. They could probably win the division with that. But is any one of them that stopper you expect to beat a playoff team with? Holland or Feliz might grow into it, or Ogando, but do the Rangers want to count on the Madduxes and the talent, or will they hedge their bets by bringing Wilson back or going after someone like Roy Oswalt?

Likely solution: If they don’t bring Wilson back or win the bidding on a high-profile vet with playoff experience like Oswalt, they’ll opt out and not buy a veteran guaranteed rotation slot just for the sake of it. It’ll be either a significant upgrade or some retread for organizational depth, with nothing in between.

2. First base -- Settle or shop?

Last season, it might have seemed like they did quite nicely without having an everyday answer, rotating Mitch Moreland, Mike Napoli and Michael Young through the slot. However, Young isn’t much of a first baseman, Moreland failed to develop at the plate and Napoli spends a good chunk of his time catching. Rangers first basemen rated a whopping 12th in the American League in OPS, beating out only the A’s grab bag of prospects and the Rays rentals. While they’re not likely to get in on Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols, is there anyone else worth chasing?

Likely solution: Unless the Rangers want to revisit last winter’s drama of shopping Michael Young, it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll end up spending serious money at first base. Seeing if Moreland develops at age 26 while they settle for good defenders in center wouldn’t be the end of the world, but this is the team that might get the biggest benefit from sneaking in on Carlos Pena.

3. Center field -- Settle or shop?

The Rangers will need to sort out whether or not they want to add someone new to the mix. Josh Hamilton made only a month’s worth of starts in the middle pasture, and the Rangers spent much of the season with Endy Chavez and Gary Gentry batting ninth and splitting time in center while Julio Borbon’s season was lost to injuries. Will they settle for Gentry and Borbon in 2012, and take their blend of defense and OBP? The market isn’t exactly rich in alternatives.

Likely solution: Here, they can let it ride or go cheap on another defensive specialist, say, Rick Ankiel, with the hope that he rebounds in the Ballpark’s friendly confines. There’s not a lot of point in overpaying the likes of Coco Crisp to be just slightly better.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The biggest issue was finding a solution to the Jeff Mathis fetish, but they’ve addressed that with their pickup of Chris Iannetta. Even if Iannetta’s .707 OPS outside of Coors Field might be a splash of cold water for folks expecting the second coming of Mike Piazza, he’s still a bigger slice of that pie at the plate than Mathis will ever be.

1. A premium bat.

You’d think that with Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Carlos Beltran on the market this would be easy, but the Angels are stacked with bodies (if not bats) at the corners. Figuring where to go for a premium hitter is the real trick, because the Angels have stuck themselves with so many ex-famous people, and that’s without getting into what they need to do with Mark Trumbo if Kendrys Morales’ comeback works out. The rumors of interest in the Mets’ David Wright to play third base makes some sense as a deal from depth, but acquiring Wright for Peter Bourjos -- which is really only a good idea if they know they can work out an extension with Wright -- wouldn’t erase their overlapping issues at first base, DH and the outfield corners. Aramis Ramirez is notionally the same sort of fix, except his play at third base leaves a lot to be desired; it wouldn’t be long before he wound up playing a lot of DH or first base.

Likely solution: It won’t be easy to work something out, but third base is a good place to go. But they can’t settle for getting one year of Wright before free agency for five of Bourjos and call it a day. Ideally, Jerry Dipoto needs to swap out one of the aging stiffs and bring in a real thumper, no easy feat. If he manages it, he might automatically win the label for Hot Stove MVP. If he also gets Morales back and bopping in 2012, the offense will be better still.

2. Starting pitcher (Joel Pineiro, free agent, plus Tyler Chatwood was dealt)

Even if Garrett Richards is almost ready and regardless of whether or not you want to believe Jerome Williams is an answer, they’re best left to fight it out for the last slot. Because of the mess on offense, one way to compensate would be to add a premium starter to help keep more games in reach. Unfortunately, the market isn’t stocked with quality options, but chasing after C.J. Wilson is an obvious avenue to pursue, giving the rotation a quality lefty to balance their reliance on Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana up front.

Likely solution: Signing Wilson would be the easy solution. They hold 2013 options on Haren and Santana, but beyond that, it’s Weaver and nobody in terms of commitments. Signing Wilson would address that while providing balance.

3. Making room for Mike Trout.

The ex-famous people problem is the real issue here. Torii Hunter will be turning 32 next summer; he isn’t going to get any better. Trumbo’s just the new Dave Kingman if he builds on his rookie season. Bobby Abreu’s power is a distant memory, and Vernon Wells’ dead-cat bounce in 2011 only went so high. These are the guys in Trout’s way to everyday play, not Bourjos.

Likely solution: It’s easy to say these things will sort themselves out, but by July, it’s doubtful that Trout will be any more ready than he already is. Eating the $63 million it’ll cost to employ Wells the next three years might be more affordable because Trout’s under contractual control for the next six years.

Oakland Athletics

1. Bodies to play in the outfield. (David DeJesus signed with the Cubs, and Coco Crisp and Josh Willingham are free agents.)

If you’re an outfielder, the A’s need you, because all three regulars are outbound. Ryan Sweeney might get to man one corner, and you might hope that Jermaine Mitchell mounts a bid on the job in center. But the A’s really need to sign an outfielder or two, ideally one who can play center. Re-signing Crisp as a placeholder seems to be getting a lot of consideration, which would be a return to the lamentable legacy of Willie Wilson serving time in this outfield in the ’90s, and cause for joy for nobody. After a .960 OPS between Double- and Triple-A, Mitchell’s interesting as an athletic, late-developing farmhand, but he’ll be 27 next year. There’s also Michael Taylor, once considered one of the top prospects in baseball, and currently more of a source of frustration after two mediocre seasons at Sacramento.

Likely solution: The only likelihood is that the fixes will be cheap. Whether it’s a matter of absorbing the tail end of other people’s bad-news deals if they’re footing the bill, renting hitters a year removed from free agency like DeJesus and Willingham, or sifting through the bargain bin, get ready for a new temp crew.

2. Power: 12th in the AL and 24th in MLB in Isolated Power (ISO)

Even if they wind up with outfielders like the ones we’ve noted, it isn’t like Crisp or Mitchell or Sweeney provide any power, which the A’s will sorely need with Willingham’s departure. Between Brandon Allen, Chris Carter, Daric Barton and Kila Ka’aihue, they might have in-house answers for first base and DH, but a multitude of options is not the same thing as having answers.

Likely solution: Ditching Hideki Matsui has helped open room for the crowd of first base/DH options, and a full season from Scott Sizemore at third base should help, but don’t be surprised if the A’s spring for one slugger to man first, DH or one of the outfield corners. It might help them remain 12th in the league.

3. San Jose or bust.

This is really the most important issue for the franchise this and every winter until it’s resolved, but team owner Lewis Wolff is slowly wading through lawsuits by proxy and MLB’s indecision over territorial rights to Santa Clara County to complete a ponderously slow attempt to move south within the East Bay region. The mayor of San Jose asked for this to be fixed two years ago; he was politely ignored. The city’s now trying to sell land to Wolff for the express purpose of building a ballpark, but it’s unclear if he’ll be allowed to move his team to the city out of an exaggerated consideration for the Giants’ claim. If the A’s were generous in ceding rights to San Jose when the Giants were moving into their new digs (away from San Jose), the Giants have been selfish in subsequently asserting their claims.

Likely solution: There isn’t one. The A’s and their fans as well as the cities of San Jose and Oakland remain hostage to the original sin of Bud Selig and company for sloppily and generously granting the Giants these rights in the first place. It’s up to the industry to fix that error, but so far there’s been an abdication of authority from MLB in the face of noisy assertiveness from the Giants. The Giants are well within their rights and understandably acting out of self-interest -- either to try and force the A’s out of the market, or extort an ill-gotten payday -- but this needs fixing. With the CBA and Astros’ sale done, this should be the top item of business for the commissioner. Let’s see if he treats it that way.

Seattle Mariners

1. A middle-of-the order thumper. (.115 ISO, 28th in MLB)

You can blame playing in Safeco, but that goes only so far, as the Mariners’ .658 OPS on the road was only slightly better than their awful .623 OPS in home games. Much of the problem is self-inflicted -- they’re the team that values punchless shortstop Brendan Ryan for his virtues afield more highly than any other, after all. While the holdovers in the outfield almost all endured horrific 2011 seasons, a group that includes Ichiro Suzuki, Franklin Gutierrez, Trayvon Robinson, Mike Carp and Michael Saunders is capable of doing better. Which really leaves third base, DH and possibly first as the places where GM Jack Zduriencik might add an impact bat. This has fed into a lot of speculation over Zduriencik’s former Milwaukee connection to Prince Fielder.

Likely solution: Landing Fielder would be a major coup, but it would be a fairly extreme act of faith by Fielder that Zduriencik’s going to get this thing turned around during the life of his contract, assuming Seattle even has the money for that kind of offer. It’s more likely that the Mariners will have to settle. A right-handed bat would be great for their lineup’s balance, but Safeco is death on right-hander power, suggesting that someone like Aramis Ramirez wouldn’t be a good fit. Guys like Casey Blake and Ryan Ludwick are familiar to manager Eric Wedge from their days in Cleveland; they’re also not really answers. Moving Carp to DH and looking at J.D. Drew or Jason Kubel would be a little more interesting.

2. A veteran starter. (Traded Erik Bedard and Doug Fister away.)

This is really about making sure they get innings until a few more of the kids are ready for call-ups. Ideally, any veteran would also be someone they could flip at the deadline. Top prospects like Danny Hultzen and James Paxton might earn September call-ups, but the Mariners need someone to take the ball in the meantime. Because they have a great venue for pitchers and a strong defense to offer as inducements beyond cash, they should be able to find someone interested.

Likely outcome: They’ll get the inning guys like Aaron Harang, Paul Maholm and Jon Garland should be calling the Mariners rather than the other way around; finding somebody will be more a matter of finding someone willing to sign for what they’re willing to offer. It would be interesting to see if the M’s could induce Hiroki Kuroda to sign on rather than return to Japan now that the Dodgers are out of the picture.

3. Third base: Open.

Prospects Alex Liddi, Francisco Martinez and Vinnie Catricala are all a bit rough at the hot corner, and the Mariners probably have zero interest in giving Figgins another crack at the job after witnessing his .595 OPS in two seasons in Seattle. Kyle Seager might get the lion’s share of playing time by default if the Mariners don’t add a vet for temp duty. It won’t cost them the pennant.

Likely solution: Third base is an area of need for a lot of teams, and if the Mariners are willing to eat most of the $18 million they still owe Figgins, they’d almost certainly find an interested party. They shouldn’t waste the roster spot indefinitely if they’re not going to play him. A veteran placeholder like Blake might fit here on a one-year deal, assuming Zduriencik doesn’t conjure up a better solution with some wheeling and dealing.

Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

The American League Central may have a reputation as baseball's skinflint division, but such is not the case: The White Sox, Twins and Tigers each had payrolls over $100 million in 2011 and ranked in the top 10 of highest-salaried ballclubs.

The problem was that two of those three teams didn't get much for their money. Considering the issues in Chicago and Minnesota, and the youth and unwillingness to spend big in Cleveland and Kansas City, Detroit will enter 2012 as the heavy favorite to win the division -- no matter what happens in the offseason. But even the Tigers are far from a sure thing and if the Indians can get good health from Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore in 2012, plus strong seasons from youngsters Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall, their offense could be dramatically improved.

But that's getting ahead of ourselves. Here's a quick look at some action plans and items of interest for the five teams.

Detroit Tigers

1. Third base (Brandon Inge)

With Inge plummeting to a .197 average, Detroit's third-base production was among the worst in the majors. The team has already been linked to free agent Aramis Ramirez and trade discussions with Angels on Maicer Izturis. Both would be big upgrades over Inge, who still has one year remaining on his contract. The dark horse possibility: With Carlos Guillen ($13 million) and Magglio Ordonez ($10 million) off the books, the Tigers pursue Jose Reyes to fill their leadoff void, moving Jhonny Peralta to third base.

Likely solution: As much I love the Reyes idea, Ramirez to Detroit seems like a logical fit. The negatives are Ramirez's lack of range and Detroit's need for a little more athleticism in the lineup.



2. Middle relief

By the postseason, Jim Leyland was down to two relievers he trusted: Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit. Al Alburquerque had a strong rookie season out of nowhere and Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth provide rare power lefty arms, but Albuquerque and Schlereth still have trouble throwing strikes. The Tigers could go after a low-cost veteran like LaTroy Hawkins, Mike Gonzalez or Darren Oliver, or maybe make a trade pitch for White Sox lefty Matt Thornton, although it seems unlikely Chicago would trade Thornton to a division rival.

Likely solution: A veteran righty-hander, with the Tigers counting on improvement from Coke and Schlereth.

3. A left-handed bat.

The Tigers missed Brennan Boesch's stick in the playoffs, as Victor Martinez and the hobbled Alex Avila were the only threats from the left side (granted, Don Kelly hit a big home run). Boesch's return will help, but Detroit could use a lefty bat to help balance out the lineup.

Likely solution: Andy Dirks may given another shot at that third/fourth outfielder job after hitting .251/.296/.406 as a rookie. But what about Rockies left fielder Seth Smith, who is on the trade block? His career .518 slugging percentage against righties has been bolstered a bit by Coors Field, but he's a solid hitter who could platoon with Ryan Raburn in left, or allow Raburn to play some at second base.

Cleveland Indians

1. Find a left fielder who can hit.

Michael Brantley is a decent asset -- but as a center fielder. The plan to use Brantley as an everyday left fielder was never a great one to begin with, as he's never going to pop many balls over the fence. Brantley, Austin Kearns, Shelley Duncan and Travis Buck all started at least 20 games in left; Jared Head started six games there. As a group, Cleveland's left fielders hit a miserable .233 with seven home runs; only Baltimore and Minnesota received a lower OPS from their left fielders.

Likely solution: Signing Grady Sizemore doesn't necessarily push Brantley back to a starting role in left field. He's best used as a fourth outfielder and Sizemore insurance. Michael Cuddyer may end up getting priced out of Cleveland's range, so how former Twins teammate Jason Kubel? He can play left and step in as designated hitter when Travis Hafner suffers his inevitable breakdown.

2. Find at least one more starter.

Right now, the Indians can only count on Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez for their rotation. Carlos Carrasco is out for the season following Tommy John surgery, Fausto Carmona was terrible and even Josh Tomlin is a question mark after the league caught up to him in the second half (5.26 ERA).

Likely solution: Jeanmar Gomez has been roughed up in two stints in the majors (146 hits in 116 innings), but his Triple-A numbers were solid, if unspectacular. He'll be given another chance in spring training to battle David Huff for a rotation spot.

3. If not Matt LaPorta, who plays first base?

The big prospect acquired in the CC Sabathia deal, LaPorta just hasn't hit as expected, posting a .299 on-base percentage in 2011. The Indians seem ready to punt on LaPorta, who turns 27 in January so isn't even that young. Carlos Santana ended up playing a lot of first base down the stretch, but let's hope he's kept behind the plate, where his hitting value would be maximized.

Likely solution: If free agent Carlos Pena lowers his price, he's a possibility, and the Indians reportedly talked with Houston about Brett Wallace. I'm not sure Wallace is much of an upgrade over LaPorta, but at least he's younger. Casey Kotchman could fit nicely here as lower-cost alternative after posting a .378 OBP with Tampa. And hey, he's only two years older than LaPorta.

Chicago White Sox

1. What do you do with Adam Dunn and Alex Rios?

Dunn hit .159 with a .569 OPS. Rios hit .227 with a .613 OPS. Dunn was the least-valuable position player in baseball, according to Baseball-Reference.com, while Rios was seventh-worst. They made $24 million in 2011 and will make a combined $26 million in 2012. Both are signed through 2014.

Likely solution: General manager Kenny Williams will be busy during the winter meetings, perhaps shopping around guys like Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Matt Thornton, looking for some sort of backup plan to these two pieces of junk. The 40-man roster currently includes Alejandro De Aza, who probably deserves a chance to play somewhere after a nice run (if over his head) last season. Let's put it this way: he can produce an OPS higher than .613.

2. Third base (Brent Morel)

After struggling all season, hitting .250 with just two home runs and seven walks in 328 at-bats through August, Morel suddenly changed his approach in September, got more patient and swung for the fences. He hit just .224 the final month, but with eight home runs and 15 walks. Was it a legitimate improvement, or merely feasting off September tired arms and rookie call-ups?

Likely solution: Morel's hot September earns him another shot.

3. The new manager

This isn't so much an action plan, as a big question mark. Robin Ventura has no previous managerial experience, but the good sign for the White Sox is that respected pitching coach Don Cooper is still around to handle the pitching staff.

Likely solution: If Dunn and Rios stink it up again, it won't matter how well Ventura transitions into the job -- he'll be doomed.

Kansas City Royals

1. Fix the rotation

The Royals had a 4.82 ERA from their starters; only Baltimore was worse in the American League.

Likely solution: The Royals already made a move here, trading Melky Cabrera to the Giants for Jonathan Sanchez. The club also re-signed Bruce Chen. With the signing of Jonathan Broxton, and the emergence of rookie relievers Greg Holland, Louis Coleman and Tim Collins in 2011, fellow 2011 rookie Aaron Crow will be given a shot at the rotation. I have my doubts it will work: Crow walked 31 in 62 innings out of the bullpen and left-handed hitters tagged him for a .311 average and .538 slugging percentage. There's a reason he struggled in the minors as a starter in 2010 (5.73 ERA). He has a great arm, but won't be able to rely on his fastball/slider combo as a starter.

2. Second base (Chris Getz)

Royals second basemen posted a .301 OBP and .636 OPS (26th in the majors) in 2011.

Likely solution: Rookie Johnny Giavotella played the final two months there and hit .247 with a .649 OPS. He'll head into spring training as the favorite to win the job. He hit .338/.390/.481 at Triple-A, so the batting potential is there: Bill James projects him to hit .295/.342/.419.

3. Center field (empty -- Cabrera traded)

The Royals were smart to deal Cabrera after his career season.

Likely solution: Lorenzo Cain, acquired from Milwaukee in the Zack Greinke trade, will finally get a chance to play after spending 2011 in Triple-A. Cain is old for a guy still considered a prospect -- he turns 26 in April -- so he should be a polished product by now. He showed some power for the first time in his career, hitting 16 home runs for Omaha while batting .312. He doesn't walk much, so won't be a star, but should come closing to matching Cabrera's 2011 production.

Minnesota Twins

1. The M & M boys

After 2011's train wreck -- the club's first 90-loss season since 2000 (and at 99 losses, the most the 1982 Twins lost 102) -- it seems pretty clear this team will be dead in the water again unless Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau get healthy and regain their All-Star status. But they also can't assume these guys are going to play 140-plus games.

Likely solution: Obviously, the Twins need a better backup plan for Mauer than giving .167-hitting Drew Butera 250 plate appearances. They already accomplished with the smart signing of Ryan Doumit to a one-year deal for $3 million. Doumit can catch or play right field, but his bat is good enough to warrant a regular place in the lineup even when he's not behind the plate. Of course, he's also been injury-prone throughout his career. Prospect Chris Parmalee, who impressed in a September call-up, gives the team a potentially decent backup option for Morneau as well.

2. Right field: Empty (Michael Cuddyer, free agent)

For all the attention Cuddyer is getting, let's remember that he's really just a complementary bat on a good team. Unfortunately, considering some of the other outfielders the Twins tried last season -- Rene Tosoni, Jason Repko, Trevor Plouffe -- you realize they had nobody in the upper levels of the system.

Likely solution: Doumit may factor into their plans here, but regardless, the Twins need another bat to play a corner or DH. Smith is a trade option and free agent Josh Willingham is another possibility.

3. Closer: Empty (Matt Capps and Joe Nathan, free agents)

Nathan signed with Texas while GM Terry Ryan recently told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that it's likely Capps could return.

Likely solution: Capps was terrible last year, allowing 10 home runs in 65.2 innings while striking out just 4.7 hitters per nine innings. Two years ago, he had a 5.80 ERA. I can't fathom why any team would want to make Capps its closer. Sadly, however, the rest of the Minnesota bullpen is nearly as uninspiring (as is the rotation, but I don't have room to get to them here), but Capps throws strikes and there's nothing the Twins love more than a pitcher who throws strikes (velocity are ability to miss bats don't seem to be a factor). There's no reason for this team to spend big money on one of the remaining free-agent closers, so it probably will be Capps or lefty Glen Perkins.

It was not a good season for third basemen. Only 11 managed to receive 500 plate appearances. Stars like Ryan Zimmerman, David Wright, Evan Longoria, Pablo Sandoval, Kevin Youkilis and Alex Rodriguez all missed significant time. Sixteen teams didn't even get a .700 OPS out of their third basemen which means more than half the league was getting below-average offensive production from a position that is supposed to provide offense.

All that makes Aramis Ramirez an attractive free-agent option, despite the clear risk he comes with: He's a poor defender, he'll turn 34 during the season and he's one year removed from a .241 season (granted, his only subpar season since 2003). Here are five teams Ramirez could end up with.

1. Los Angeles Angels: Despite getting just seven home runs from their third basemen (Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis), the Angels' production wasn't that bad: Their .733 OPS ranked 11th in the majors and their .354 OBP ranked third. They've talked about trying out Mark Trumbo at third, but he has never played a game there in the majors or minors. While new GM Jerry DiPoto said he wasn't too interested in Ramirez, Ramirez's agent told the Los Angeles Times the Angels are one of four or five teams that has "serious" interest in his client.

2. Detroit Tigers: With Brandon Inge plunging to a .197 batting average, Detroit third basemen hit a combined .222/.286/.331. Inge is under contract for one more year at $5.5 million, but considering he wasn't a good hitter to begin with, the chances of a rebound appear slim. The Tigers are in a pretty good position with $23 million of Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez coming off the books, although Justin Verlander's $7.25 million increase will eat up some of that. The biggest concern is that an infield featuring Ramirez, Jhonny Peralta and Miguel Cabrera would be a huge defensive liability.

3. Milwaukee Brewers: Only the Mariners had a lower OPS than the Brewers' .598 mark generated mostly by Casey McGehee. Do the Brewers give McGehee another chance? His defense isn't that good, so it's not like he deserves a spot in the lineup because of his glove. Ramirez makes sense from the perspective that he's also a viable option at first base to replace Fielder.

4. Miami Marlins: Marlins third basemen hit six home runs with a .315 OBP. Ouch. They apparently want to spend money. The days of Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs need to end. If they can't lure Jose Reyes to play shortstop (sliding Hanley Ramirez to third), Ramirez could be a nice fit, a power bat to slot alongside Mike Stanton.

5. Colorado Rockies: The Rockies have prospect Nolan Arenado, who hit .298 with 20 home runs as a 20-year-old in the California League. He could likely outproduce the miserable .222 average the Rockies received in 2011 from third base, but probably needs at least one more year in the minors. Ramirez could hold down third base for year and then slide over to first to replace the aging Todd Helton if necessary (Helton is signed through 2013, but his salary takes big drop to $5 million per year the next two seasons).

So your team is offering up a star? Sometimes the prospect you get in return turns to gold. And sometimes (more often?) deals like these 10 happen.

1. Fred McGriff for Melvin Nieves, Donnie Elliott and Vince Moore. (Braves/Padres, 1993.)

2. Rickey Henderson for Steve Karsay and Jose Herrera. (A's/Blue Jays, 1993.)

3. David Cone for Marty Janzen, Jason Jarvis and Mike Gordon. (Yankees/Blue Jays, 1995.)

4. Mark McGwire for T.J. Mathews, Eric Ludwick and Blake Stein. (Cardinals/A's, 1997.)

5. Curt Schilling for Vicente Padilla, Travis Lee, Omar Daal and Nelson Figueroa. (Diamondbacks/Phillies, 2001.)

6. Jason Schmidt for Ryan Vogelsong and Armando Rios. (Giants/Pirates, 2001.)

7. Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton for Bobby Hill, Jose Hernandez and Matt Brubeck. (Cubs/Pirates, 2003.)

8. Carlos Beltran for Mark Teahen, John Buck and Mike Wood. (Astros/Royals/A's, three-way trade, 2004.)

9. Jason Bay for Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss. (Pirates/Dodgers/Red Sox three-way trade, 2008.)

10. Matt Holliday for Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen and Shane Peterson. (Cardinals/A's, 2009.)

Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter @dschoenfield.

Where have the third basemen gone? It was only recently that third base was home to some of the best hitters of their generations; players like Mike Schmidt, Paul Molitor, George Brett and Wade Boggs. I was asked to fill out an American League and National League All-Star roster this week, and in each league I had to search high and low for the most deserving third baseman. I finally settled on Alex Rodriguez and Aramis Ramirez but didn't feel good about it. Are these All-Star teams or Least-Objectionable-Choice teams? I don't mean to knock A-Rod or Ramirez, both of whom are having good seasons -- but the void at the position in both leagues is glaring.

Across the diamond, first base forces you to make very difficult choices among some of baseball's true superstars. In the AL alone, Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Cabrera, Paul Konerko, Mark Teixeira and Adam Lind all have strong cases. Prince Fielder, Joey Votto, Gaby Sanchez, Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard are all deserving NL options. Shortstop has dazzling stars like Asdrubal Cabrera, Jose Reyes and Starlin Castro. Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia, Ben Zobrist, Rickie Weeks and Danny Espinosa are all standouts at second base.

Something has happened to third base. Yes, younger stars like Ryan Zimmerman and David Wright have been injured. Pablo Sandoval is still rebounding from a personally disappointing 2010. Mike Moustakas and Lonnie Chisenhall have only just arrived. How to best sum up the deterioration of the third base position? It's where Chone Figgins plays.

Take the American League for example. Here are the four most deserving A.L. All-Star third base candidates:

• Alex Rodriguez 72 G, 270 AB, 13 HR, 51 RBI, .304/.382/.515, .897 OPS, 3.9 WAR
• Kevin Youkilis 73 G, 257 AB, 11 HR, 55 RBI, .272/.394/.490, .884 OPS, 2.6 WAR
• Adrian Beltre 80 G, 313 AB, 14 HR, 56 RBI, .262/.307/.457, .822 OPS, 2.5 WAR
• Evan Longoria 52 G, 185 AB, 10 HR, 34 RBI, .249/.341/.481, .822 OPS, 2.3 WAR
• J.J. Hardy 49 G, 188 AB, 11 HR, 30 RBI, .303/.367/.548, .915 OPS, 1.8 WAR

Those players are all having good seasons, so this isn't about picking on them. However, the numbers don't even touch the production levels we're seeing from the first-base position. After these candidates, the production drops off dramatically, because following these four there isn't an American League third baseman with a Wins Above Replacement mark greater than 1.6. That's why you could make an argument that Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy should start at third base for the American League. No, I'm not seriously suggesting this as a solution -- I'm merely taking an A.L. shortstop, one who we've been overlooking all season and pointing out that his offensive numbers could put him at the top of the third-base list.

Hardy is giving Baltimore the type of production you'd expect from a corner infielder, mostly due to a sizzling June during which he's hitting .365 with nine homers and 18 RBIs with a 1.128 OPS. Take a look at J.J. Hardy's offensive numbers, compare them with those on the above list of third basemen, and you'll see that in terms of production per games played, Hardy is challenging the best the AL has to offer at a more traditional power position, despite missing 27 games in April and May with an oblique injury.

I used Hardy as an example because he's putting up numbers in limited action that are comparable to third basemen who have played full seasons so far. Another example, one with a bigger sample size, could be Detroit's Jhonny Peralta: 71 G, 258 AB, 12 HR, 46 RBI, .310/.358/.527, .885 OPS, and 2.9 WAR. As a shortstop, Peralta is certainly no Ozzie Smith with a Defensive Runs Saved mark of minus-7, but his offensive production at shortstop is as good or better than the leading third-base candidates.

National League third-base options leave you feeling even less enthusiastic. Ryan Roberts is the only one with a WAR above 2.0 but he's hitting only .254. Placido Polanco has just four home runs, while dark-horse candidate Chase Headley is hitting .303 but has only two homers and has already struck out 60 times. I finally settled on Aramis Ramirez who has 9 homers and 38 RBIs in 74 games while batting .291/.337/.453. That's a good season but hardly one that has you scrambling to fill out an All-Star ballot.

This year's All-Star Game will mark the 10-year anniversary of one of this era's landmark All-Star moments: the 2001 game at Seattle's Safeco Field where Alex Rodriguez, just before the game's first pitch, made Cal Ripken Jr. switch positions from third base to shortstop, where Ripken had played his first twelve All-Star games. The tribute was a last hurrah at shortstop for Ripken, who was playing the final season of his Hall of Fame career. It was also a glimpse into A-Rod's future in New York. Was there also something about that moment that conjured up a superstar void at the third-base position that hasn't yet been filled? Ten years later, perhaps ironically, it's A-Rod who may be the most deserving All-Star third-base choice but the list seems shorter than it should be.

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Follow Steve Berthiaume on Twitter @SBerthiaumeESPN

"Hurry up and wait" usually gets applied to a different high-expense enterprise, but you can understand how it could be applied to those wondering about the expenditures of the Cubs. For a third straight season, the Cubs will cost more than $130 million to employ, and the 2011 team is no more guaranteed to win anything this year than did the teams in 2009 or 2010, the seasons that followed their "streak" of two first-place finishes in the NL Central.

A critical problem in terms of payroll and performance is that the Cubs don’t have a ton of wiggle room in terms of who they employ. If timing is everything in playing the market, the Cubs’ timing was terrible, which may be the kindest thing you can say about some of their investments. That’s the legacy of the commitments made by general manager Jim Hendry during the team’s 2007-08 run and its immediate aftermath. Hendry was dealing with a caretaker owner and operating on short time and a win-now window. This is just the latest hangover season. The Cubs shelled out eight large per annum deals to Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Kosuke Fukudome in the lineup and to Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster in the rotation. What little maneuvering room Hendry has had on his payroll the last couple of years has involved trying to work around those initial, unmovable investments.

Not that Hendry hasn’t tried. Turning Milton Bradley into Carlos Silva, dispensing with Ted Lilly and Derrek Lee, renting Carlos Pena, and trading away farm-generated depth to get Matt Garza to replace Lilly all boils down to trying to work around and endure the unmovable expenses in the meantime: Sori and A-Ram, Fukudome and the Big Z. That quartet is costing the Cubs almost $67 million this year, but you’d be hard-pressed to rank any of them among the top performers at their positions. All four are imperfect players, useful in isolation if you don’t bring up their price tags, but their value has taken a turn for the worse while the Cubs remain mired around .500 or worse. Hendry’s wriggling has brought no joy to Wrigleyville.

Can much be done with this lot as far as moving them? Not at these prices. Say you want to be generous, and offer the Cubs wholesale mulligans for 2010 -- for Zambrano’s squabbles and needless role changes or for Ramirez’s slow start and injury-ruined campaign. Play make-believe, and pretend those two are who they were before 2010. That still doesn’t make any of them easily swappable commodities because they’re no closer to being the star players their salaries suggest. There is still the inverse relationship between Zambrano’s bulk and performance over the previous five or six years to explain away; he’s a mid-rotation talent making an ace’s wages.

Skip the make-believe and consider the outfield duo. Soriano has degenerated into a latter-day Dave Kingman clone, a fragile bop-or-drop slugger who has posted a below league average OBP (for non-pitchers) since 2008, and someone whose defensive limitations turn every fly ball into an adventure. Fukudome’s little better, saddled with an inaccurate arm and little power for a corner, so his contributions can be measured by his excellent OBP and little else. That’s useful, but is it $13.5 million worth of useful? Between no-trade protection in the last year of his deal and a contract larded with an especially generous helping of a Japanese import’s perks, he’s no more swappable than Soriano.

As a result, the Cubs’ roster is larded up with players they can’t coax anyone else to be interested in. It would be easy to get frustrated and say Hendry needs to trade these vets away, but that would produce little benefit beyond the pennies on every dollar the Cubs would get back -- nobody will be giving up major talent in terms of prospects to get the next four months of Fukudome, let alone the next four years of Soriano.

So how far can the Cubs be left alone as is? The easy answer is "until they’re out of it," and in the NL Central, that may not be until September. The agony of this particular Cubs season is that with two-fifths of the rotation down they can reasonably complain that they don’t know quite what they’re capable of doing within this division. The Cubs have gone 2-7 in the starts taken by Casey Coleman and James Russell during the absences of Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner, with only one quality start to show for those nine turns.

Asking what could be can obscure the main point, though: The Cubs are stuck. Stuck with a lineup without patience or power -- or, as Mike Quade mused last night after 13 singles, without speed -- and a shallow team besides. The only thing top-shelf about the Cubs du jour is the expense of employing them.

Whatever the Cubs are capable of doing in the Central won’t be up to them indefinitely -- the Cardinals and Reds are much better prepared to go off on tears and more closely resemble 90-win ballclubs than these Cubs are. For the Cubs to get into this thing, they not only have to hurry up and wait on their own limited possibilities, they need bad things to start happening to other teams. It beats disassembling the team out of mere disgust, but if they’re closer to mattering come July, disgust might inspire a long-awaited teardown.

Christina Kahrl covers baseball for ESPN.com. You can follow her on Twitter.

• Ubaldo Jimenez allowed just seven runs over his first 11 starts in 2010. His 2011 debut was a little ugly, with six runs in six innings, including home runs to Miguel Montero and Justin Upton. Most worrisome (yes, it's Opening Day, so all worry even if we know it's just one game), he had just one strikeout. Jimenez had one two-strikeout game last season, but lasted just two innings that game. His strikeout low when pitching at least five innings was three.
• You gotta love Arthur Rhodes, still going strong at 41. He just struck out Carl Crawford (third time Friday he's struck out), helping Texas hold its 5-4 lead through the top of the seventh. Now what I'd really like to see is Ron Washington use Neftali Feliz for a two-inning save. C'mon, Ron, you can do it.
• Kevin Youkilis has never exactly been built like Nomar Garciaparra, but he looks a tad bit, shall we say, heavy. Just wondering how that will affect his range at third base.
• Adrian Gonzalez: Meet your 2011 American League RBI leader.
• E-mail from my friend Philbrick (Red Sox fan): "The following is being said at the Cask 'N Flagon right now: Forget Triple-A, Jon Lester should be released or put out of his misery Barbaro-style. It's over. The Red Sox aren't even getting the wild card. Who's good in college? Because Boston is getting the No. 1 pick this year."
• The Pirates scored 587 runs last season, fewest in the NL. They were eighth in walks, but 14th in home runs and last in batting average. In theory, the lineup looks better than 16th ... but it's the same primary crew as last year, other than Lyle Overbay. One reason for their problem: their pitchers were horrible, hitting just .090 with six RBIs combined.
• Carlos Pena, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano: That would have been great in 2007 (105 combined home runs), but not sure how good they'll be in 2011.
• If you can't say anything nice ... Carlos Santana is good. Very good. Enjoy him, Indians fans, because it may be a rough season otherwise.
• Not to overreact to one game, but the middle of the White Sox order has a chance to mash a lot of home runs. The Cell may be the best home run park in the majors, so I expect Adam Dunn to top 40 again, after hitting 38 each of the past two seasons.

While we learned in grade school that fighting never solved anything, it is said that a good dugout donnybrook can actually be a positive for team morale. Sometimes we get past the ability to use words and our fists take over. The result can be the catalyst that sparks a team to the World Series.

The first week of spring training saw yet another dugout meltdown by a Cubs pitcher. This time the feud involved two players in their contract year -- Carlos Silva and Aramis Ramirez. In the first inning against the Brewers on Wednesday, Silva managed to serve up a pair of dingers as his fielders committed three errors. Following the inning, frustration reared its ugly head, comments were made and a fight started in the dugout.

Quoted in a recent Chicago Sun-Times article, Todd Hollandsworth, who played for eight teams in his 12-year career, had this to say about inter-team fighting …

“I can’t think of a team it didn’t happen to ... if it didn’t happen, that team probably didn’t care very much. If it didn’t happen, that, to me, was a show of no team. They show up, put in the time and just get out of there.

“Guys typically care. It’s virtually impossible to spend 16 hours a day, seven days a week for eight months without there being conflict. These things happen. It’s just that the media is not privy to most of it.’’

So, as a tribute to the Silva meltdown (and an effort at keeping hope alive for Cubs fans), here is a look back at a few of the more prominent dugout skirmishes resulting in a success for the team.

1977 - Reggie Jackson vs. Billy Martin

This wasn’t the first or last time Billy Martin engaged himself in a disagreement with one of his players. This is, however, the most famous, likely because it involved the team’s star player, Reggie Jackson. It didn’t help that the game was on national television against the rival Red Sox at Fenway. Apparently, Billy got the feeling that Jackson was dogging it a little in the outfield. Martin benched Jackson, who immediately took exception to it, and the fracas began. After standing nose-to-nose, no punches were thrown and it ended with Martin being held back by a few of the players.

Result: The Yankees won 100 games en route to a World Series Championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2.

2002 – Jeff Kent vs. Barry Bonds

This one had been brewing for some time. Apparently David Bell was in the process of being verbally assaulted by Kent regarding a play that took place the previous inning. Bonds stepped up in defense of Bell, inserting himself between the two, and the shoving began. Kent, who was quoted a year before as saying Bonds was a selfish player, said this skirmish was nothing, and it basically happened all the time between the two of them. Sounds like great clubhouse chemistry, huh?

Result: 95 wins and finished second in the NL West. They faced the Angels in the World Series and lost 4-3.

2007 – Michael Barrett vs. Carlos Zambrano

Similar to Mike Quade and his situation, this was Lou Piniella’s first year as manager for the Cubs. What better way to welcome a manager to an organization than with a fight in the dugout?

The Cubs were in the midst of a five-game slide in late May and the booing began at Wrigley early in the year. Zambrano was doing his typical implosion job on the mound, and runs were crossing the plate in abundance for Atlanta. After an inning featuring five runs on five hits and a play where the catcher, Barrett, was charged with a passed ball and a throwing error, the top blew off in the dugout. While Zambrano was able to land what looked like a few punches on Barrett, the real scrap supposedly happened in the club house.

Barrett suffered a cut lip and ended up in the hospital. The best part? It happened to be Zambrano’s 26th birthday.

Result: Michael Barrett was traded to the Padres about two weeks after the fight. The Cubs finished first in the NL Central with 85 wins. They quickly were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Yes, it is sad that this is considered a positive outcome, but when the team hasn’t won a World Series in more than 100 years, the postseason is a feat of its own.

Chet West writes for The View From the Bleachers blog, which is part of the SweetSpot network.