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As baseball fans, we love getting worked up about the next big thing. And as someone who follows a Twitter account that alerts me when Bryce Harper is about to come to the plate, I am well aware that I am as guilty of this as anyone.

The problem with this line of thinking is that we sometimes take for granted the older guys because we've been watching them for so long. We really shouldn't. Exhibit A is Carlos Beltran, who put on a show against the Atlanta Braves on Friday and is playing about as well as he ever has at the age of 35.

The switch-hitter went 4-for-5 with two homers, a double, a triple, a walk and 4 RBIs, and even though Atlanta won 9-7 in 12 innings, Beltran was the story. He is now hitting .307/.410/.658 on the young season. No, he's not the basestealing threat he once was, and he's been relegated to right field, but the sweet swing is still there, and the Cardinals are reaping the benefits after signing him to a two-year, $26 million deal last winter that now seems like the steal of the century.

Beltran missed much of the 2009 and 2010 seasons with a variety of injuries while playing for the New York Mets. And even though he posted an .872 OPS with stellar defense and baserunning over the life of the seven-year, $119 million deal he signed with the club before the 2005 season, New York fans never warmed to him due to his aloof nature and the fact that he took a called third strike to end Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series. (I've never really understood this, by the way. It was a great pitch and he was fooled. Taking a harmless hack wouldn't have changed anything.)

But ever since the start of last season Beltran has been locked in. He hit .300 with 22 homers for the Mets and San Francisco Giants in 2011, and this year he has taken his game to a level unseen since 2006, when he tied the Mets' franchise record with 41 home runs and posted a .982 OPS. As ESPN Insider contributor Dave Cameron noted on Twitter earlier this evening, he's basically matching Matt Kemp in terms of performance with a fraction of the hype.

St. Louis fans have a reputation for embracing their players in a way that many other fan bases don't, and here's hoping they are fully appreciating the greatness of Beltran in a way that many New York fans never seemed to. Frankly, we all should be appreciating him more because he's one of the best players of this generation.

With two more stolen bases he will become just the eighth player in baseball history with more than 300 homers and 300 steals, and with another couple of seasons of All-Star level production -- which is not out the question considering his current level of play -- he should have a strong Hall of Fame case. However, we know he can't keep up his current production forever, so let's enjoy it while it's here instead of focusing too much on who might be coming next.

ST. LOUIS -- The Clydesdales weren't the only traditional attraction missing from the Cardinals' rain-delayed home opener Friday afternoon.

For the first time in 11 years, Albert Pujols didn't take his place on the first-base line when fans welcomed the team to their season debut in St. Louis. After backing into a starting role when Bobby Bonilla got injured in 2001, Pujols has started every home opener, playing third in 2001, left field in 2002 and 2003 and first base ever since.

The home opener in St. Louis is a sacred event, a religious rite. The gods of its pantheon, mononymously known as Stan, Red, Whitey, Lou, Gibby, Ozzie and Bruce, descend to the field in red blazers. The pregame ritual has an established form: The Clydesdales lead the procession (weather permitting), the gods stride in and the current players are introduced as they pay homage to the greats in a gesture of pope-like reverence today. (Example: Chris Carpenter doffed his cap as he shook Stan Musial's hand.)

Pujols long professed a love for those saints of Cardinals Nation, saying of Musial: "There is one man that gets that respect [of being called The Man], and that’s Stan Musial. He’s the Man. He’s the Man in St. Louis. " Even as an Angel, he has rejected the nickname "El Hombre," which the Angels tried using in a preseason ad campaign, saying "I feel the same way" about not wanting to equate himself with Musial.

Still, if Stan was the Man, Pujols was a close second. But when Pujols left to sign with the Angels last winter, his deal ensured that, even if he and his former team were to thaw their relationship, he won't be joining those Cardinals legends on opening day for a long time: In addition to a 10-year playing contract, the deal includes a 10-year, personal-services agreement following the playing contract's expiration or Pujols' retirement, whichever is later. If you thought that the ice took a long time to melt in the team's relationships with Keith Hernandez and Ozzie Smith, any possible return of Pujols will be at a glacial pace.

Not that it mattered to Cardinals fans today. After a moment of silence for former Cardinal Bob Forsch, who died Nov. 3., the faithful weren't about to mourn the loss of Pujols. After all, they were celebrating the club's 11th World Series title, so they had plenty to cheer about.

And after extending the contract of fan favorite Yadier Molina, re-signing Rafael Furcal and bringing in Carlos Beltran, the Cardinals lead the National League Central and are scoring runs like they did last year, when they led the league in runs and on-base percentage. To hear the crowd laud World Series hero David Freese as he unloaded from his parade truck, Cardinal fans already have a new object of their affection.

As much as Pujols meant in St. Louis, the name on the front of the jersey still matters more than the one on the back, as unknown reliever Victor Marte, who doesn't even have an MLB profile photo yet, would attest. Heck, Shannon Magrane, "American Idol" daughter of former Cardinal pitcher Joe Magrane (who started on Opening Day from 1988 to 1991) received a louder ovation than most players (including those earning their paychecks in Anaheim) hear on opening day.

The Cardinals, who lost 9-5 to the Chicago Cubs, could've used Pujols this afternoon. But today, Pujols seemed as distant as the memory of him hitting into three double plays on Opening Day last year. Like the Clydesdales, who remain part of the Cardinal opening-day celebration long after Augie Busch sold the team, the Cardinals are bigger than any one tradition. It takes more than rain and a departed icon to dampen a home opener in St. Louis.

There are few events in baseball more exciting than Opening Day. Or Opening Night. Er … let’s just go directly to some observations from the Cardinals’ 4-1 victory over the Marlins, ushering in Marlins Park in disappointing fashion for the home crowd onlookers.

• Kyle Lohse was brilliant, of course, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning and reminding everyone of Bob Feller's Opening Day no-hitter. Lohse said after the game that the no-hitter "probably did cross my mind after the fifth inning." He doesn’t throw hard, keeping hitters off-balance with a little slider and a changeup that he kept at the knees at night. Lohse had the best season of his career in 2011, although there was some luck built into it: He allowed a .269 average on balls in play, well below his career mark of .302. There’s nothing in the numbers that suggests he was doing something different -- his ground-ball rate matched his career and his line-drive rate was actually 1.1 percent higher than his career mark. Everyone expects some regression in 2012, but his first start was more 2011. No walks on the night and through six he threw a first-pitch strike to 13 of the 18 batters he faced. Hitters should know Lohse will come right after them when the bases are empty. He walked only 10 hitters last season in 469 plate appearances with nobody on; with runners, he walked 32 in 306 plate appearances.
• Josh Johnson allowed 10 hits for only the second time in his career. While a few of the hits were bleeders and bloopers, he did leave some pitches over the middle of the plate. We can’t read too much into the start other than that he threw 91 pitches, avoided the blister issue that popped up in spring training and has his first start under his belt. Undoubtedly, he was pumped up pitching the first game in the club’s new park in his first start since last May. There's no reason not to expect better results moving forward.
• There was miscommunication in the early innings between Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes as both pulled up on Carlos Beltran’s little trickler, allowing the ball to roll into left field. In the sixth inning with two runners on and Lohse up in a bunt situation, Johnson made sure to step off the mound and talk with Ramirez. That stuff will sort itself out, but the Marlins’ defense is an issue to keep an eye on. The Cardinals legged out two doubles to Logan Morrison in left field on balls that weren’t really even in the gaps. As Orel Hershiser said during the broadcast, "A lot of scouts are writing notes down about the arm of Logan Morrison." It doesn’t help that Morrison is still battling a sore knee that kept him out most of spring training, but he was a liability out there in 2011 even when healthy. According to the defensive runs saved metric, Morrison was 26 runs worse than the average left fielder -- the worst mark in the majors (only Raul Ibanez was in the same vicinity) and a whopping 46 runs worse than Brett Gardner’s majors-leading 23 DRS. There is a lot of ground to cover in deep left-center and center in the new park. In Emilio Bonifacio, the Marlins have an inexperienced center fielder (only 29 games started there in his career entering the season). Chris Coghlan, their other center fielder, rated minus-13 runs in 2011, the worst figure in the majors.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Lynne SladkyOpening night of the 2012 season found Kyle Lohse (26) looking a lot like his 2011 self.
• Giancarlo Stanton found out about those center-field dimensions, hitting two deep balls out there that were caught, a towering fly to the warning track in the fifth inning and a deep fly to right-center in the seventh that Jon Jay made a nice running catch on. It’s obviously too early to report on how the park will play, and it might play differently when the roof is open versus closed.
• Jason Motte threw some 99 mph smokebombs to finish it off. A bit of a step up from Ryan Franklin.
• For a while, Lohse had us thinking about the best Opening Day starts. Via Baseball-Reference.com, here are the best Game 1 starts since 1918:
  

  Walter Johnson, Senators, 1926: 111 (15 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K)
  Lon Warneke, Cubs, 1934: 96 (9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 13 K)
  Bob Veale, Pirates, 1965: 95 (10 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K)
  Mel Harder, Indians, 1935: 95 (14 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K)
  Johnny Vander Meer, Reds, 1943: 91 (11 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 3 K)

  
  Six pitchers scored a 90: Bob Feller twice (including his 1940 no-hitter in which he walked five and struck out eight), Tom Glavine, Bob Gibson, Clint Brown and Johnson again with a 13-inning effort in 1919. The best recent effort was Felix Hernandez striking out 12 in eight shutout innings in 2007. Camilo Pascual holds the Opening Day record with 15 strikeouts for the Twins in 1960. Randy Johnson twice fanned 14 for the Mariners.

Opening Night down. Opening Day up next. Good times have arrived.

Follow David Schoenfield on Twitter @dschoenfield.

Last year, You Can't Predict Baseball came up with bold predictions for the year. We had a lot of fun coming up with them, and then laughing at how hilariously wrong they were at the end of the year. This year, we're bringing these predictions to SweetSpot, along with explanations for some of them. Keep in mind, these predictions are supposed to be bold, but not insane -- even we know the Orioles aren't going to the playoffs in 2012.

Los Angeles Angels: Kendrys Morales stays healthy all year.

Houston Astros: Bud Norris is top five in K/9 in the NL. We figured something good had to happen to the Astros, right? Norris actually has a pretty nice career K/9.

Oakland Athletics: Yoenis Cespedes is their starting center fielder by Memorial Day.

Toronto Blue Jays: Brandon Morrow makes the jump to elite starting pitcher. He's struck out more than 10 batters per 9 innings two years running, though his ERAs have remained ugly. We think this is the year his results finally match the stuff, especially considering his declining walk rate.

Atlanta Braves: Julio Teheran has more wins than Tim Hudson.

Milwaukee Brewers: Rickie Weeks leads the team in home runs. He was fourth on the team last year, with 20. In front of him were Corey Hart with 26, Ryan Braun with 33, and Prince Fielder with 38. Fielder is gone, and for this prediction we'll assume Braun will miss a third of the year due to a suspension. It's not too bold to think Weeks could pass Hart in 2012.

St. Louis Cardinals: Carlos Beltran outproduces Albert Pujols from last year. Albert Pujols was great last year, but not quite best-player-of-his-generation Albert Pujols. If healthy, it's not absurd to think of Beltran outproducing Pujols' 5.1 WAR in 2011.

Chicago Cubs: Matt Garza isn't their best pitcher. It'll be Ryan Dempster, who had great peripherals but bad results last year.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Aaron Hill will be good again. He was great with them in limited time, and Arizona's park is quite hitter-friendly.

Los Angeles Dodgers: James Loney will be a top-three first baseman in the National League. Many thanks to Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness for somewhat alerting us to this one. We just decided to take it semi-absurdly far.

San Francisco Giants: Madison Bumgarner is their best pitcher. In terms of ERA, he already wasn't very far behind Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, and his K/BB ratio eclipsed theirs by quite a bit.

Cleveland Indians: They'll have the best pitching in the American League Central. We're banking on Ubaldo Jimenez, making a major comeback to something closer to what he was in 2010, and the rest of the staff displaying the good that they did in 2011. We're also counting on the Tigers' starters not being very impressive behind Justin Verlander, which is bold but not quite insane, and the pitching of the White Sox, Twins and Royals not being able to keep up with Cleveland's.

Seattle Mariners: Jesus Montero catches 100-plus games. The Mariners probably aren't going to compete, so why not try and play him where he'll accrue the most value?

Miami Marlins: Despite all their new acquisitions and the hype, they still finish fourth in the NL East. When you think about it, this one isn't so crazy. If Josh Johnson isn't healthy and maybe even if he is their pitching still trails that of Philadelphia, Washington, and Atlanta; even with Heath Bell, we don't think their bullpen is as good, either. Their offense might be better than some of those teams', but the Marlins were quite a bit below league average offensively last year and we're not sure how much Jose Reyes is going to make up for that.

New York Mets: Mike Pelfrey is the worst starter in the NL. Pelfrey's been pretty terrible two of the past three years, and now they're moving the fences in at Citi Field. He was far better in his huge home stadium, but we're guessing with the moved-in walls he'll be significantly worse at Citi. Here at YCPB, we actually don't think the Mets are going to be quite as dire as many are saying, even if they do come in last place in the NL East - but Pelfrey won't be a bright spot.

Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg has a 17-strikeout game.

Baltimore Orioles: Matt Wieters is the best catcher in the AL. A lot of people are so obsessed with Wieters not matching the hype that they didn't notice he became a plus offensive performer last year, to go along with very good defense. His taking the next step isn't that bold as predictions go, especially if Joe Mauer has to move off catcher.

San Diego Padres: Luke Gregerson is a top-three closer in the NL.

Philadelphia Phillies: Cole Hamels is their best starter. And this isn't meant to be a slight to Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee, but considering their ages and the fact that Hamels is pretty darn good himself, plus a possible boost from a contract year...

Pittsburgh Pirates: Charlie Morton is their All-Star.

Texas Rangers: Yu Darvish isn't their best starter -- but he's still good. And we think he'll be pretty good, we just think Derek Holland will become more consistently good, or Matt Harrison will put up numbers like his 2011.

Tampa Bay Rays: James Shields will have no complete games. Predicting someone to have no complete games might not seem bold, but it is when it's a guy who was known as "Complete Game James" last season. Shields did have 11 complete games in 2011, an almost unheard-of number these days, but he had no complete games in 2009 or 2010.

Boston Red Sox: No one hits 30 home runs. This might seem crazy when you consider their great offensive numbers last year, but only one player on their team hit 30 home runs and it was Jacoby Ellsbury with 32.

Cincinnati Reds: Brandon Phillips is the best second baseman in the NL.

Colorado Rockies: Jamie Moyer will have the best HR/9 on the staff.

Kansas City Royals: They reach .500. While their pitching won't be great, their offense will take a big step forward this year. Combined with the rest of their division being the Tigers and some dumpster fires, it's not that difficult to see it happening.

Detroit Tigers: They score fewer runs than they did in 2011. Yes, that’s even with Fielder. It's not improbable that Jhonny Peralta, Alex Avila and Delmon Young regress quite a bit from their numbers with Detroit last year, and that Prince Fielder's production "only" makes up for the offensive loss of Victor Martinez in 2012. They'll still have a very good offense, though.

Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer hits 15 home runs.

Chicago White Sox: Robin Ventura gets ejected more times than Ozzie Guillen. Look at the state of the White Sox. We'd get ejected too.

New York Yankees: Hiroki Kuroda leads the team in ERA.

You Can't Predict Baseball is an affiliate of the SweetSpot network.

You might have thought we were about to run out of reasons to weep for the Cardinals, World Series win or no. After all, Jeff Luhnow scrammed to Houston to reboot the Astros after their latest failure to launch, and Allen Craig's going to miss the month of April. And worst of all, Albert Pujols is now an Angeleno of Anaheim, while manager Tony La Russa has left the dugout and let the world knows he's ready to make a trip to Cooperstown in 2014.

But general manager John Mozeliak decided to sign Carlos Beltran, and the expectation is that he'll bat second in the Cards' 2012 lineup. As much as the faces and names may have changed, one of the reliably cool features of La Russa's lineup construction on so many contenders seems likely to continue on new skipper Mike Matheny's watch.

Historically, you know what some managers will do in the number two slot in a lineup: Deposit some bat-control bunting fiend to give himself something to do if the leadoff man gets aboard. A guy like Ted Sizemore could be held up as a paragon of second-slot virtue for hitting .255/.320/.321 as an everyday player during the '70s.

But from early on, La Russa didn't stick with that kind of convention, even when he had light-hitting middle infielders you might typecast for this kind of offensive role. Just look at the most frequently used hitters in the second slot from his best teams in terms of season records:

1983 White Sox: Carlton Fisk (.289/.355/.518). As a 35-year-old everyday catcher, Pudge was about as unconventional a selection to bat second as you could imagine, but this also marked the first time La Russa really went down this road on his lineup cards. Pudge tied a career high with 26 homers, a campaign that also kicked off his career's second wind, ultimately propelling him to the games-caught record (subsequently broken by Ivan Rodriguez in 2009).

1988-1990 Athletics: In '88, La Russa used Dave Henderson almost half the time in the second slot, and Hendu broke through to enjoy the best year of his career, hitting .304/.363/.525. In '89, the A's won their World Series with Henderson splitting time batting second with Carney Lansford; while Lansford had become a singles hitter at that point in his career, he narrowly lost the '89 batting title to Kirby Puckett. In '90, La Russa simply favored Lansford.

2004-2006 Cardinals: La Russa mixed and matched in all three years, but the three men he used the most frequently in the two-hole on the 2004-2005 teams were Larry Walker, Edgar Renteria and Jim Edmonds, or guys who could do real damage and were anything but slappy. On the still-stunning 2006 World Series winner, La Russa favored Chris Duncan and John Rodriguez more often than anyone, a pair of slow outfielders with power.

2011 Cardinals: The men La Russa used most often were Jon Jay, Colby Rasmus, Craig and David Freese, all of whom bring some thunder in their lumber.

If you remember Matheny's playing days, you'll remember that he caught for one of those teams -- the 2004 Cardinals -- so as much as you might be mad over how he hasn't managed in the majors, you might be willing to concede that beyond seeing good things done in the dugout when he was an active player, he might have picked up on the advantages of not getting too cute with in-game tactics.

Now obviously, having Carlos Beltran is automatically a good thing. Getting him for two years at $26 million is perhaps even better, because paying a little bit more per season for fewer years spares the Cardinals from paying for an age-37 season or later player, when he may not play a key role on a contender. But having Beltran batting second, with Rafael Furcal in front of him and Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday due up? That's just plain fun, the stuff of La Russian dreams and NL Central nightmares.

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

I know we said the final Baseball Today podcast of 2011 came on Tuesday, but when your producer wakes you up on a Friday morning and says we’ve got important news to discuss and the time to discuss it, you do it! So it was that Mark Simon and I recorded another final Baseball Today podcast for 2011, Friday’s edition!

1. Carlos Beltran is a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, and one of us thinks the defending champs are clearly the team to beat in 2012. Can one of us convince the other?

2. The Washington Nationals go all-in for Gio Gonzalez, but can this team really contend in the NL East this soon? Check out an on-the-fly NL Power Rankings and see!

3. How good is Sean Marshall? The Cincinnati Reds acquired the lefty from the Chicago Cubs, but is their search for a closer over? Should it be?

4. We talk uniforms, but in a really fun way, at least I think.

5. So that is all – officially, this time – for the Baseball Today podcast in 2011. We bid farewell for a few short weeks, likely returning with me and Keith Law on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Happy holidays to all!

There are still some good free agents out there, perhaps even a few bargains. What kind of team could you buy if you signed the best of these guys? Let's find out. Here's a 25-man roster of unsigned players, with estimated salaries and WAR (wins above replacement). Would it be a competitive team?

C: Chris Snyder
Snyder is coming off back surgery, but it's a thin lot of available catchers. He's been up and down in his career with his bat, but will draw some walks and has a little pop.

Projected salary: $2.5 million
Projected WAR: 1.0

C: Ramon Castro
The career backup never landed in the right place at the right time, but he can he hit left-handed pitching and provides a capable 200-plate appearance backup.

Projected salary: $1.2 million
Projected WAR: 0.6

1B: Prince Fielder
We're going to empty our pocketbooks and have the big guy anchor our lineup. We'll sign him to a seven-year, $165 million contract, but we'll backload the deal. That way, if we get fired, it screws the next GM.

Projected salary: $20 million
Projected WAR: 5.0

2B: Ryan Theriot
Honestly, he doesn't bring a whole lot to the table other than a proven ability not to be horrible. He'll hit an empty .270 or so and play capable defense.

Projected salary: $2 million
Projected WAR: 0.7

3B: Carlos Guillen
Third base is a bit of a problem so we'll have to gamble on Guillen. He's missed a lot of time the past three years, so we'll sign him to a low base salary with incentives if he remains healthy. Considering the production of third basemen in the majors in 2011, he could produce at a league-wide average for the position.

Projected salary: $1.5 million plus incentives
Projected WAR: 1.0

SS: Ronny Cedeno
No, a shortstop who hits .249/.297/.339 isn't ideal, but Troy Tulowitzki isn't available in this scenario. Still, Cedeno was a 1.5 WAR player in 2011 and there's no reason he can't duplicate that effort again.

Projected salary: $4 million
Projected WAR: 1.5

RF: Carlos Beltran
We need another big bat and Beltran is still out there. He's been compared to Michael Cuddyer, who signed a three-year, $31.5 million deal, so Beltran figures to go in a similar range. The good thing is he's better than Cuddyer. Even if he drops off a bit from his strong 2011, he'll be a productive player.

Projected salary: $12 million
Projected WAR: 3.5

LF: Luke Scott/Andruw Jones
We're going with a platoon here, hoping for Scott to bounce back but signing Jones to play against left-handers. Scott hit .264 and slugged .499 from 2007 to 2010, so we think he has something left in the tank. Jones had a .923 OPS against left-handers in 2011.

Scott's projected salary: $5 million
Scott's projected WAR: 1.9
Jones' projected salary: $3 million
Jones' projected WAR: 1.1

CF: Coco Crisp
We're going to want a good flychaser in center and Crisp is a solid defender who also led the AL with 49 stolen bases. His OBP fell to .314 in 2011, so we should be able to sign him for a decent salary.

Projected salary: $6.5 million
Projected WAR: 2.0

IF: Brooks Conrad
He's an insurance policy for Guillen as someone who could provide some pop off the bench and also play second base in a pinch.

Projected salary: $800,000
Projected WAR: 0.6

IF: Jack Wilson
Ugh. But considering Conrad isn't a glove guy (in fact, I'm not sure he even wears a glove in the field), we better sign Wilson as infield insurance. No, we don't like this move, especially considering Wilson's propensity to get injured while filing his fingernails.

Projected salary: $1.4 million
Projected WAR: 0.0

OF: Rick Ankiel
We wanted to sign Cody Ross here, but he's a little expensive for a fourth outfielder (although isn't that what he should be?). Ankiel can play center and provide a left-handed pinch-hitter off the bench.

Projected salary: $1.5 million
Projected WAR: 0.5

OK, now to the pitching staff, which will have to be the strength of our team.

SP: Roy Oswalt
For all the talk about his injury history, 2011 was his first season he didn't start 30 games since 2003. A bad back is always a concern but this was a guy who led the NL in WHIP in 2010. Jerry Crasnick recently reported that Oswalt wants to show he's healthy and is thus willing to take a one-year deal and aim for a bigger contract after 2012. Perfect.

Projected salary: $10 million
Projected WAR: 3.0

SP: Hiroki Kuroda
The Yankees reportedly offered Kuroda a one-year, $12 million deal. Sounds good to us.

Projected salary: $12 million
Projected WAR: 2.8

SP: Javier Vazquez
Yes, we are going to force Javy out of his rumored retirement. He had a 2.15 ERA in the second half last season, so he's far from finished.

Projected salary: $10 million
Projected WAR: 2.5

SP: Joe Saunders
The Diamondbacks declined to offer him a contract, making him a free agent. We're not in love with his soft-tossing style, but he's a solid innings eater for the back of the rotation.

Projected salary: $8 million
Projected WAR: 1.8

SP: Paul Maholm
He may be a little expensive for a No. 5 starter, but we like durability in our rotation. He was 6-14 with the Pirates in 2011, but that was a misleading record for a guy with a 3.66 ERA (4.36 career).

Projected salary: $6.25 million
Projected WAR: 1.5

Closer: Ryan Madson
Baseball's most underrated reliever the past few seasons, Madson finally got a chance to close regularly in Philadelphia and did an outstanding job. His changeup is one of the best pitches in the game and we feel we can bring him in for slightly under his rumored asking price.

Projected salary: $9 million
Projected WAR: 1.7

RP: Hong-Chih Kuo
Kuo was unhittable in 2010, holding opponents to a .139 average and one home run in 60 innings, but developed his usual elbow problems in 2011 and had minor surgery after the season. He's a risky signing but with the potential of a big payoff.

Projected salary: $2.5 million
Projected WAR: 1.0

RP: Chad Qualls
A fungible middle reliever, the right-hander got pounded in 2010 but bounced back ... albeit in San Diego, so he's not necessarily a sure thing. But he's a veteran with a rubber arm. He's not as good as Octavio Dotel, who signed for $3.5 million, so we'll sign him for under that.

Projected salary: $2.3 million
Projected WAR: 0.8

RP: Darren Oliver
Doesn't every team need a veteran left-hander? Oliver has now had an ERA under 3.00 four straight seasons.

Projected salary: $2.7 million
Projected WAR: 1.1

RP: Micah Owings
He can be a long man, spot starter or even pinch-hitter!

Projected salary: $1 million
Projected WAR: 0.4

RP: Clay Hensley
After a strong 2010, his control deserted him in 2011 and he walked 30 batters in 67.2 innings and served up nine big ones. But we'll take a flyer to see if he can rediscover his 2010 groove.

Projected salary: $1 million
Projected WAR: 0.5

RP: Jamey Wright
Yes, we could sign Francisco Cordero, but bringing in two closers isn't realistic. Wright is cheap, mediocre and the perfect 11th or 12th guy on a staff.

Projected salary: $900,000
Projected WAR: 0.5

Total payroll: $127.05 million
Projected WAR: 37.0

How good would this team be? A team of replacement-level players would be estimated to win about 48 games, so our team with +37 WAR would be estimated to win about 85 games. Obviously, there's a wide range in there; if everybody stayed healthy and we had some big years, maybe it could win 90. On the other hand, there are a lot of injury risks on this roster, so the downside could be pretty extreme. Plus, there's the simple fact that a $127 million payroll is high -- that's about what the White Sox's payroll was, which ranked fifth in the majors in 2011.

If only we had a few good rookies making the league minimum to supplement the free agents!

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.

Welcome to the National League West, baseball's most unpredictable division. I wouldn't be surprised if all five teams finished 81-81 in 2012.

Here are three fixes or action items for each club.

Arizona Diamondbacks

1. Rotation (Joe Saunders, eligible for arbitration)

Arizona's rotation posted a 3.84 ERA, only ninth in the NL, but a strong figure considering it had to pitch half its games in the desert. Most impressive, only the Phillies received more innings from their starters. If there's a red flag, it's that the rotation ranked 14th in the NL in strikeouts per nine innings. Saunders is in his final year before free agency, after posting a solid 3.69 ERA over 212 innings, and Arizona might not want to pay him the big increase he'll get from his 2011 salary of $5.5 million. The back of the rotation has an opening as well.

Likely solution: Look for the D-backs to re-sign Saunders to a two-year deal. He doesn't strike out many guys, but Arizona's outfield of Justin Upton, Chris Young and Gerardo Parra might cover the most ground in baseball. Rookies Jarrod Parker, Wade Miley and 2011 No. 1 pick Trevor Bauer should battle for the No. 5 spot out of spring training.

2. Find a leadoff hitter

Arizona's starting eight looks set, but nobody on the roster profiles as a quality leadoff hitter. Arizona leadoff hitters compiled a .314 OBP, with light-hitting Willie Bloomquist leading off most often, 75 times.

Likely solution: Kirk Gibson needs to think outside the box here, with a lefty/righty platoon perhaps necessary. How about Young leading off against lefties? He posted a .392 OBP against them in 2011, and Justin Upton and Paul Goldschmidt can provide power lower in the order. Parra might be the best option against right-handers.

3. Bullpen depth

The bullpen ERA improved from 5.74 in 2010 (worst in the NL) to 3.71 (10th). It helped that it didn't have to throw many innings, but there's no guarantee the rotation will carry such a heavy workload again. Plus, closer J.J. Putz has been injury-prone in his career and guys like Micah Owings and Bryan Shaw were surprising contributors.

Likely solution: Arizona won't spend big here, although a guy like Jonathan Broxton would have been a nice gamble. Look for them to troll for a veteran lefty or make a minor deal.

San Francisco Giants



1. Finder another bat -- one who can hit

The Giants' offensive woes were well-documented, of course -- last in the NL in runs scored, with the lowest on-base percentage. Some of that is the ballpark, some of it was injuries, but there's no denying it was a terrible offensive team.

Likely solution: No, Melky Cabrera is not the only answer. Or shouldn't be. While he had a career year with the Royals, his .339 OBP is hardly star level, and he hit 30 points above his career average. The other outfielders on the roster are Andres Torres and Nate Schierholtz. That's not a division-winning outfield. Brian Sabean: You need Carlos Beltran back. How many more years can you get out of that great young rotation before somebody gets hurt or leaves via free agency? You have to win now. Sign Beltran.

2. Shortstop (Brandon Crawford)

The ill-advised idea to sign Miguel Tejada last season predictably didn't work out. Crawford has the goods on defense, but his .204 batting average is an accurate indicator of his offensive abilities. Crawford remains the default option right now, and while the Giants got into a bizarre bidding war for Bloomquist, Giants fans would love to see a different free-agent shortstop in the Bay Area.

Likely solution: You never know, but there are no signs the Giants are pursuing Jose Reyes or Bay Area native Jimmy Rollins. The Giants signed Javier Lopez to a two-year, $8.5 million deal and picked up Jeremy Affeldt's $5 million option. Why not use some of that money for a shortstop? In the end, unless the Giants sneak in for a second-tier shorstop like Rafael Furcal, it looks like Crawford will be the guy.

3. No. 5 spot in the rotation

The two candidates on the roster right now are Barry Zito (5.87 ERA in 53 innings) and Eric Surkamp (5.74 ERA in six starts as a rookie). As good as Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner are, and as good as Ryan Vogelsong was in 2011, the rotation is one major injury and Vogelsong regression from looking a little shaky.

Likely solution: Surkamp had great numbers at Double-A -- 142.1 IP, 110 hits, 44 BB, 165 SO -- and the Giants skipped him past Triple-A in promoting him to the majors. He's a lefty who isn't overpowering with a fastball that averaged just 87.9 mph in his stint in the majors. Look for Zito to get the job out of spring training: "I'm not gonna hide from it: Barry Zito is our fifth starter next year," Bruce Bochy told KNBR radio station in November.

Los Angeles Dodgers



1. Find a new owner

While the Dodgers were allowed to sign Matt Kemp to a $160 extension, until Frank McCourt sells the club, the bankrupt Dodgers will be hamstrung on moves. McCourt has agreed to sell the team by April 30.

Likely solution: The bidding process starts next week and Mark Cuban says he'll participate. Dodgers fans should love that idea, but baseball previously balked when Cuban looking into buying the Cubs and Rangers. A team of investors fronted by ex-Dodgers Orel Hershiser and Steve Garvey is one possibility. Former agent Dennis Gilbert, who also pursued the Rangers, fronts another group of partners.

2. Infield

Here's how bad the Dodgers' offense was in 2011:

First base: 27th in majors in OPS
Second base: 28th in majors in OPS
Third base: 24th in majors in OPS
Shortstop: 19th in majors in OPS

Likely solution: The Dodgers have already signed Mark Ellis to play second base and Adam Kennedy to help at third, low-cost fixes but hardly great solutions. It looks like another year of James Loney at first base, but maybe it's time to punt on him and try prospect Jerry Sands. Loney has hit just 48 homers over the past four seasons and doesn't walk much. He's a .281 hitter without anything to go with it, and he's due a raise in arbitration over the $4.88 million he made in 2011. The lone bright spot is speed demon shortstop Dee Gordon, who looks to show his .304 rookie season wasn't a fluke. (Juan Uribe is also still around, at $16 million over the next two seasons. Yay.)

3. Rotation (Hiroki Kuroda, free agent)

GM Ned Colletti has indicated the club can't afford to re-sign Kuroda, unless he's willing to take a big cut. (Kuroda has said he'll either sign with the Dodgers or return to Japan). After Clayton Kershaw, Ted Lilly and Chad Billingsley, there are two spots to fill.

Likely solution: Cheaper free agent veterans like Aaron Harang or Chris Capuano are possibilities. Trading Andre Ethier for a starter is another option. Look for the No. 5 spot to be filled from within -- somebody like Nathan Eovaldi, Allen Webster or Chris Withrow.

Colorado Rockies



1. Third base (Ian Stewart)

Rockies third basemen hit a combined .222/.281/.348, among the worst production from the position in the majors, as Ty Wigginton earned the majority off the playing time after Stewart collapsed. Stewart hit .156 with zero home runs in 122 at-bats, although he found his stroke at Colorado Springs (of course, everyone finds their stroke at Colorado Springs). Here's the thing about Stewart: Even when he was good, he wasn't that good -- his park-adjusted OPS from 2008 to 2010 still places him as a below-average hitter.

Likely solution: It's possible Stewart gets non-tendered; there's also rumors off a Stewart-for-Blake DeWitt deal with the Cubs (your abscess for our canker sore). Top prospect Nolan Arenado, the Arizona Fall League MVP, hit .298 with 20 home runs at Class A Modesto, but he's just 21 in April and probably needs another season in the minors. The Rockies have also asked about Atlanta's Martin Prado, reportedly offering outfielder Seth Smith.

2. Starting pitcher (Jorge De La Rosa out for at least half the season)

As 2011 proved, it's still difficult to build a consistent rotation in Colorado. The Rockies' rotation compiled a 4.73 ERA, ranking 15th in the NL. Yes, Coors Field is a hitter's park, but it's no longer the Coors Field of old. It was a bad rotation. Right now, Jhoulys Chacin is the only starter who looks like a reliable option for 2012.

Likely solution: What the Rockies have done is collect young, power arms. They got Drew Pomeranz and Alex White for Ubaldo Jimenez; they just picked up Tyler Chatwood from the Angels for Chris Iannetta. Esmil Rogers is still around, and still very raw. A veteran starter acquired via trade is a possibility to line up behind Chacin and Jason Hammel; one guy the Rockies have pursued is Jeremy Guthrie, offering closer Huston Street.

3. Second base (Mark Ellis signed with the Dodgers)

Jonathan Herrera is still around, but the .300 average he posted in April looked more and more like a fluke as the season progressed. He finished at .242, and considering he has no power, isn't a viable short-term or long-term solution.

Likely solution: Look for the Rockies to make a trade pitch for Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson. There isn't much left on the free-agent market, although Kelly Johnson would make for an interesting risk in the thin air if he doesn't re-sign with the Blue Jays.

San Diego Padres



1. Bullpen/closer (Heath Bell, signed with Marlins; Chad Qualls, free agent)

Welcome to San Diego, Josh Byrnes. The new GM will have to figure out how to build a winning club on a payroll of $53-55 million. But you know what? The Padres aren’t that far behind the Diamondbacks. The Padres had a run differential of minus-18; the Diamondbacks had a run differential of plus-69. The Padres would have been expected to win 79 games based on their differential; the D-backs 88. With the departure of Bell and last season’s trade of Mike Adams, the Padres will be looking for bullpen depth.

Likely solution: Ernest Frieri and Luke Gregerson are the best internal candidates, but Frieri needs to improve his control and Gregerson is more of a righty specialist. Rookie Brad Brach, a one-time 42nd-round draft pick who signed for $1,000 has dominated in the minors but probably needs time in middle relief. The Padres won’t spend big on a free agent, so look for a trade.

2. Power (empty)

Ryan Ludwick led the team with 11 home runs. Nobody else reached double digits. And don’t blame the deep canyons of Petco Park -- the Padres hit 45 home runs on the road, fewest in the majors.

Likely solution: None. The Padres’ "big" moves have to been bolster the bench with Mark Kotsay and John Baker. Prospect Anthony Rizzo, who hit 26 home runs in 93 games at Triple-A Reno, will be given another shot at first base after hitting .141 with one home run in 128 at-bats with San Diego. Kyle Blanks is still around, but at 270 pounds, his lack of range in the outfield is a problem. Third-base prospects Jedd Gyorko and James Darnell are both close to big-league ready and provide some hope for punch down the road.

3. Starter (Aaron Harang, free agent)

Mat Latos, Cory Luebke and Tim Stauffer are a solid top three, with Luebke’s season in particular flying under the radar (154 strikeouts in 139.2 innings). The Padres got good work out of Dustin Moseley and Clayton Richard over 38 combined starts, but both guys delivered just 4.8 strikeouts per nine innings and are good bets to regress, even pitching in Petco.

Likely solution: The Padres have offered Harang arbitration, but he’ll probably get a two-year offer from another team. Otherwise, it’s hoping that Moseley and Richard hold their own and that prospects Casey Kelly and Robbie Erlin (acquired in the Adams trade) are ready by midseason.

The turmoil enveloping the Boston Red Sox continues. On Friday, Red Sox principle owner John Henry had some choice words regarding the signing of Carl Crawford last offseason. Henry, in no uncertain terms, indicated the signing was not something he liked, telling a Boston sports radio station:

"[Crawford was] definitely a baseball signing. In fact, anyone involved in the process, anybody involved in upper management with the Red Sox will tell you that I personally opposed that. They all know that."

While one can debate the merits of openly criticizing a player with whom you still have many years of necessary co-existence, there’s no question that the first year of the seven-year, $142 million contract was an epic failure. With the Red Sox and Crawford in the headlines and free agency not that far away, just how bad was Season No. 1 of Crawford’s contract? You can make a strong argument that it is the worst start to a deal of anywhere near this magnitude in free agency history.

In that last decade, there have been 18 free-agent contracts issued of at least $50 million in total value and $15 million in average annual value (please note: includes only free-agent contracts, not extensions). When you assess the net difference between the average annual value of the contract and what the player actually contributed in that first season, Crawford grades out as the worst -- and it’s not particularly close.

Here's a look at the worst returns in the first season of free-agent contracts with an average annual value of at least $15 million and total value of at leas $50 million, since 2001 (data from FanGraphs.com).


As one can see, Crawford’s return-on-investment is easily the worst in the past decade. Barry Zito’s seven-year, $126 million contract is often held up as the cautionary free agency tale, as Zito’s production never justified such a contract in the first place and he didn’t elevate his game upon signing with the Giants. He has not had a single season since joining the Giants where he justified his average annual value. Crawford’s return in the first year of his contract -- which is worth just over $2 million more per season than Zito's -- blows Zito’s out of the water.

Some of the other most-maligned contracts in MLB history appear on this list, including Jason Bay's deal with the Mets, Jayson Werth's from this past offseason with the Nationals and Carlos Lee's with the Astros. Carlos Beltran's first season with the Mets is often cited as one of the worst first-year performances after signing a free-agent deal in league history. Given that they are both athletic outfielders whose value, in part, is derived from their defense, Beltran seems like an apt direct comparison. But even Beltran's uninspiring start to his Mets career easily surpassed Crawford's first taste of the dirty water.

Carlos Beltran versus Carl Crawford, Year 1

Beltran: .266/.330/.414, 52 XBH, 2.7 WAR, +2 Defensive Runs Saved
Crawford: .255/.289/.405, 47 XBH, 0.2 WAR, -4 DRS

While Crawford was demonstrably worse in 2011 than Beltran was in 2005, Beltran posted a remarkable bounce-back season in 2006. In that season, he posted an MVP-caliber performance, complete with a 7.9 Wins Above Replacement mark that fully re-established his value as an impact player. Crawford certainly retains the skill set to put together a similar return to form, though we know that he’ll be attempting it without the complete support of Henry, the man who issued the contract that has started out as poorly as any big deal of the past decade. In fact, extending back even further and loosening the parameters a bit, there is only one contract since 1990 of at least $50 million total value (putting aside the AAV of $15 million requirement) to grade out worse in the first season: No, not Mike Hampton, not Kevin Brown ... but Adam Dunn deal with the White Sox, one which generated a stunning -$27.0 million return in 2011. Clearly, not good company for Crawford.

Justin Havens is a researcher for ESPN Stats & Information.

Ryan Braun still has a lot of baseball left to play -- at least four games in a worst-case scenario -- but his blazing start to the postseason (11-for-22, five doubles, two home runs, seven runs and eight RBIs) has us thinking of great October runs. Since the addition of the wild card in 1996, here are eight other great postseason runs.

8. Bernie Williams, 1996 Yankees (15 games, .345/.435/.707, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 14 R, 1.527 WPA*)

Williams carried the Yankees with five home runs through the first two rounds, and while he cooled off the in the World Series, his two-run homer in the eighth in Game 3 gave the Yankees a 4-1 lead, and he went 2-for-4 in the clinching Game 6, including an RBI single off Greg Maddux in the third inning.

* Win Probability Added, from Baseball-Reference.com. The change in win probability for the player's team given the score, situation and outcome of each plate appearance. A change of plus-1 indicates one win added.

7. Manny Ramirez, 2008 Dodgers (8 games, .520/.667/1.080, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R, 11 BB, 0.741 WPA)

Ramirez was unstoppable in the 2008 playoffs in going 13-for-25, but it wasn't enough as the Dodgers lost to Phillies in five games in the National League Championship Series.

6. Albert Pujols, 2004 Cardinals (15 games, .414/.493/.793, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 15 R, 1.302 WPA)

Pujols went 5-for-9 with four runs, a home run and three RBIs as the Cardinals beat the Astros in the final two games of the NLCS. And don't blame him for the World Series loss to Boston: He hit .333 (although he failed to drive in a run).

5. Troy Glaus, 2002 Angels (16 games, .344/.420/.770, 7 HR, 13 RBI, 14 R, 1.065 WPA)

He hit three home runs against the Yankees in the American League Division Series, hit .316 in the ALCS and won World Series MVP honors by hitting .385 with three home runs and eight RBIs. His two-run double in the eighth inning of Game 6 gave the Angels a 6-5 lead.

4. Alex Rodriguez, 2009 Yankees (15 games, .365/.500/.808, 5 2B, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 15 R, 1.696 WPA)

For one postseason, A-Rod put it all together. He drove in six runs in each round, drew 12 walks and delivered clutch hits, most notably his two-run homer off Joe Nathan in the bottom of the ninth that tied Game 2 of the division series (a game the Yankees won in the 12th) and his go-ahead double with two outs in the ninth off Brad Lidge in Game 4 of the World Series.

3. Carlos Beltran, 2004 Astros (12 games, .435/.536/1.022, 8 HR, 14 RBI, 21 R, 6 SB, 1.041 WPA)

Amazingly, Beltran holds the record for most runs scored in a single postseason, even though the Astros didn't reach the World Series. He hit four home runs in the division series and four more in the NLCS, made several outstanding catches in center field, drew nine walks ... and went 0-for-3 in a Game 7 loss to the Cardinals (Mets fans nod their heads).

2. Barry Bonds, 2002 Giants (17 games, .356/.581/.978, 8 HR 16 RBI, 18 R, 27 BB, 1.202 WPA)

Bonds had been a .196 hitter with just one home run in 27 previous postseason games entering 2002. He led the Giants to the seventh game of the World Series with a monster effort that included 13 intentional walks. I think his home run off Troy Percival in Game 2 just landed two weeks ago. He went 1-for-3 with a walk in Game 7 of the World Series, but the Giants lost 4-1.

1. David Ortiz, 2004 Red Sox (14 games, .400/.515/.764, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 13 R, 13 BB, 1.865 WPA)

First, he hit a series-winning home run in the bottom of the 10th inning in the ALDS against the Angels. He had a walk-off home run to win Game 4 of the ALCS. In Game 5, he hit a home run in the eighth inning as the Red Sox scored twice to tie it, then delivered the game-winning hit with two outs in the 12th. In Game 7, he hit a two-run bomb in the top of the first. And he hit .308 with four RBIs in a sweep of the Cardinals in the World Series. His 19 RBIs are tied with Sandy Alomar of the 1997 Indians and Scott Spiezio of the 2002 Angels for most in a single postseason.

There was nary a cat sound on Friday’s Baseball Today podcast with Mark Simon and myself, but there was some new, fun music introduced to the show. Here are some of the topics discussed:

1. Score Game 1 for the Rays against the Red Sox, but looking at the pitching matchups, what did you expect? We talk about the crazy bat play with Marco Scutaro as well (hint, it has happened before!).

2. Pablo Sandoval needed a triple to hit for the cycle, and he gets it! We’ll give you 500 guesses on the other player to achieve this feat this season.

3. The Yankees have a storied history but if you’re creating a Mount Rushmore for just their pitchers, who would make the cut?

4. Why do athletes and personnel say such silly things to the media? Carlos Beltran and Terry Collins are the latest perpetrators, following in the glory of recent Milwaukee Brewers.

5. And finally, emailer Wesley in Hawaii creates a cool drop for our ridiculous question of the day, which producer Jay Soderberg takes delight in repeating numerous times.

Plus: Excellent emails, Dave Magadan, the Angels gotta win, Cliff Lee’s feats and a ton more on a packed Friday edition of Baseball Today! Download and enjoy your weekend!

In the spirit of the season with Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s take a look at the all-time best players of Latin descent for each of the American League teams.

Baltimore Orioles: Mike Cuellar of Cuba. Cuellar only had an eight-year run in Baltimore, and arrived well after he’d turned 30, but the O’s saw a workhorse, and innings and wins are what they got. Cuellar became the first Latin pitcher to win the Cy Young Award when he split it with Denny McClain in 1969 -- his first year as an Oriole. He went on to notch 143 wins during his time in Baltimore, and also delivered WAR seasons worth 2.5 wins or more in five of his first six seasons.

Boston Red Sox: Pedro Martinez of the Dominican Republic. When you can count Manny Ramirez and Luis Tiant among the runners-up, you know you’ve got a full field, but three Cy Young awards and a career 2.52 ERA for the Red Sox over seven seasons during the age of injection-enabled offense puts Pedro on a plane all his own.

Chicago White Sox: Minnie Minoso of Cuba. In his various stints with the White Sox, the Cuban Comet managed to miss the team’s lone pennant in 1959, but the vast majority of his career value (42.7 WAR) came from his the nine seasons in his first two incarnations with the Sox (1951-57, 1960-61); there were three more yet to come. There’s room for an honorable mention for Venezuelan shortstop Luis Aparicio (31.5 WAR), but like Minoso, he spent chunks of his career in other unis.

Cleveland Indians: In another full field, you could pick Venezuela’s Omar Vizquel or Mexican-American Mike Garcia; Garcia was a rotation regular for the 1950's Tribe, and he’s a reasonable choice for the 32.4 WAR, 3.27 ERA and 142 wins he gave them. However, his value on the mound was essentially equal to Manny Ramirez’s 32.8 WAR he produced with his bat in almost eight seasons with the Indians. Surprising nobody, Manny’s WAR numbers go down when you count his defense, but that production at the plate puts the Dominican immigrant among the 10 most productive Indian bats of all time.

Detroit Tigers: It might be cause for surprise, but the Tigers are one of the very few teams from among the league’s original eight who have yet to boast a long-term Latin star. Venezuela’s Miguel Cabrera has only just become the franchise’s first Latin player to accumulate 20 career WAR with the Kitties, and he still hasn’t spent half of his career in Detroit. One man worthy of an honorable mention is Willie Hernandez, for his MVP- and Cy-winning 1984 season, but the Motor City was the Puerto Rican Hernandez’s third stop, and his career didn’t make it to the ’90s.

Kansas City Royals: It’s been so long since Carlos Beltran of Puerto Rico played for the Royals that you might forget he was almost every bit the MVP-caliber player there as he’d get more recognition for in Houston and New York. His 2003 season (7.3 WAR) rates among the 10 greatest seasons by a Royals position player, a list that has five different George Brett seasons and four other guys besides Beltran on it. Before the season, you might have wanted to lean towards Mexico’ Joakim Soria, but a bumpy 2011 was enough for me to play wait and see.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The Angels’ roster has been characterized by so much turnover historically that it’s been hard for anyone to settle in and pile up big career totals as a Halo, something that only recently changed with Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson. So while Vladimir Guerrero of the Dominican Republic has played less than half of his career in Anaheim, he’s pretty much by his lonesome for spending so much of his productive career there.

Minnesota Twins: One of the other reasons tabbing Vladi as an Angel was necessary is because Panama’s Rod Carew did most of his damage during his long career with the Twins. If you remember the fleet-footed old man for his 3,000th hit at the end of his career back in 1985, you might remember him as an Angel, but more than 2,000 of those hits came hitting in the frosty confines of Minnesota’s old Metropolitan Stadium, as unlikely a landing spot for a youngster from the Canal Zone as you might imagine.

New York Yankees: You might fidget over Lefty Gomez, who was Portuguese and Spanish on his father’s side and all-Californian enough to merit the nickname “Goofy,” and Dominican Alex Rodriguez and Puerto Rico’s Jorge Posada would be easy choices in other organizations. But with almost 56 WAR contributed to one pinstriped contender after another, the man who has delivered the most career value is Panama’s Mariano Rivera.

Oakland Athletics: It’s important not to forget that Reggie Jackson claims Hispanic heritage on his mother’s side, but the key player from the Big Green Machine of the ’70s who deserves a shoutout here is Cuba’s Bert Campaneris. With 649 career steals, Campy leads all Latin ballplayers while ranking 14th overall, and his 43.1 career WAR suggests how much value he added in the field as well as on the bases.

Seattle Mariners: Perhaps no player more perfectly captures Puerto Rico’s complicated relationship with the United States than Edgar Martinez, who was born in New York City but grew up on the island. Whatever label you care to apply, anyone can take pride in the definitive DH’s career after he hit .312/.418/.515 while producing 66.9 WAR at the plate.

Tampa Bay Rays: With an existence that doesn’t even stretch back two full decades yet, it might be premature to tab an all-time great Latin Ray, but Dominicans Carlos Pena and Julio Lugo lead the pack of notables, with Cuba’s Rolando Arrojo leading the pitchers.

Texas Rangers: Ivan Rodriguez’s career may well be winding down, and he might be a decade removed from his last full season in Arlington, but Pudge has been the pride of Puerto Rico as the greatest position player in Rangers history, topping all Texas players with 48.6 WAR. He’s long since punched his own ticket to Cooperstown.

Toronto Blue Jays: As one of the first franchises to truly invest in Dominican talent, it should come as no surprise that some of the best ballplayers in Blue Jays history came from the island: infielder Tony Fernandez, slugger George Bell and pitcher Juan Guzman. But the Jays also came away with a ton of talent from Puerto Rico, starting with Carlos Delgado and Roberto Alomar. If you go by WAR, it should be Delgado, but Alomar’s Gold Glove-studded career as a fielder is one of the great causes for debate over the strengths and limitations of both scouting and statistical analysis of defense. For the purposes of this sort of exercise, let’s give the new Hall of Famer his due and tab Alomar.

On Friday, we’ll turn to the National League and give the 16 greats of those franchises their props.

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

As in life, the tragedy of baseball is that it can all fall apart. Sometimes that happens with a single pitch, sometimes in the span of 25 games or with the loss of an invaluable player. It’s a cruel sport, one in which you can find yourself hoisting a golden trophy into October winds one moment only to be on the precipice of not qualifying for the same tournament less than a year later.

That’s where the San Francisco Giants found themselves going into Friday night. Desperately needing a win against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who led by six games in the division, Bruce Bochy’s club pulled out a 6-2 victory. Led by a brilliant Matt Cain supported by an offensive outbreak highlighted by homers off the bats of Cody Ross and Carlos Beltran, the Giants now trail by five games.

While the Bay can rejoice tonight, the morning sun still will greet the hometown nine with a hefty deficit. Baseball Prospectus has the Giants’ playoff odds at 16.6 percent, a cruel reminder that one victory does not make a season. So how did the defending world champs find themselves in this hole, going from the top of the baseball world to a must-sweep situation?

Well, for one, they have arguably the worst offense in baseball. (The Mariners might have some merit in claiming this infamous title over the men in black and orange.) The Giants have scored fewer runs than anyone else in the game. They have the second-lowest wOBA in the game and are only .003 points in front of the M’s. Their OBP also ranks second lowest. When they say it’s torture baseball, they aren’t kidding.

Sure, the Giants might be a little unlucky. Their .281 BABIP is the lowest in the game -- although their 18.8 strikeout percentage means not a lot of balls are being put in play anyway, and their .355 SLG means hardly any of those balls are leaving the yard, let alone dropping for extra bases. When the Giants do get on base, they’re not particularly dangerous, having stolen only 75 bases, the ninth-lowest total in the majors.

The struggles of Aubrey Huff, one of the key pieces of last year’s world champs, have been well documented, but it’s worth noting just how much he has regressed this year. His OBP has dropped a ridiculous 84 points. He is striking out much more frequently, 16.1 percent of the time compared to 13.6 percent last year, and he’s walking much less, only 7.8 percent of the time compared to last year’s 12.4 percent. That’s never a good combination. His power has almost completely disappeared, as his SLG has dropped to .375 from a .506 pace he set last season.

Beyond Huff, key acquisition Beltran has OPS’d at only a .664 clip since he was shipped to the Bay, quite a difference from the .904 mark he was putting up for the Mets. Although Beltran had a huge night at the plate Friday, the Giants acquired him to be the elite power hitter they have so desperately needed, and he has launched only two long balls thus far.

Through all this, the Giants’ pitching has stayed incredibly consistent, and per usual it is the only thing keeping them afloat. Cain has improved on his excellent numbers from last year, surrendering only 0.38 home runs per nine innings, an incredible feat. Tim Lincecum has been his usual self, even improving a bit (3.10 FIP compared to a 3.15 mark last year). With the inconsistencies of Jonathan Sanchez, the emergence of Ryan Vogelsong has been a revelation, although his 3.73 FIP shows he is due to come back to earth any time now.

So in the end, it’s the same old Giants: a punchless offense buoyed by an All-Star rotation. Last year’s feel-good team still has a lot of work to do if it plans on competing again in the Fall Classic. That’s not to say there isn’t any hope. It’s easy to forget that entering last September, the Giants trailed the San Diego Padres by four games; we all know how that story ended. Also in the G-Men’s favor is the fact that the D-backs have been baseball’s streakiest team this year. Before their recent nine-game win streak, they were owners of a seven-game losing streak. They’ve had five three-game losing streaks this season, a five-game losing streak and a six-game losing streak. If they fall into another funk, the Giants will be ready to take advantage of it.

The Giants did their job in this first game, pulling out a much-needed victory. But they know where they stand: five games out with 24 to go. Arizona will send its best to the mound in Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson over the next two days. It won’t be easy for San Francisco -- in fact it’s statistically improbable. So it’s going to be a long September at AT&T, with every pitch meaning more than the next.

But that’s Giants baseball, right? Beating the odds when it matters most. Some might even call it torture.

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Alex Convery writes for Fire Brand of the American League, the Red Sox affiliate of the SweetSpot network. You can follow him on Twitter.

Baseball lesson No. 3,247: The trade deadline rarely is the cure for a team’s ailments.

Oh, sure, sometimes you find the right Band-Aid.

And sometimes you trade for Carlos Beltran or Ubaldo Jimenez and the cut turns into a bleeding wound.

The Giants entered Wednesday six games behind the Diamondbacks. While the offense “burst” out with four runs and 12 hits to avoid being swept by the Cubs, Beltran went 0-for-3 with a walk, dropping his numbers with the Giants to .260 with one home run in 77 at-bats and an on-base percentage less than .300.

Meanwhile, Jimenez had one of his better starts since joining the Indians, allowing three runs in six innings. But in six starts with Cleveland, he has been homer-prone (six home runs, just four fewer than he allowed all of 2010) and has allowed 25 runs for a 5.56 ERA.

Both trades drew their share of criticism at the time: namely, that Zack Wheeler was too much of a price for the Giants to pay for a two-month rental, and that the Indians were unlikely to win the American League Central, even if Jimenez delivered down the stretch.

Truth is, the Giants’ woes began long before the Beltran trade. He’s not the only reason the team has hit .231 in August while averaging fewer than three runs per game. As the team saw its division lead slip away this month, GM Brian Sabean finally found a couple of fall guys Wednesday when veterans Miguel Tejada and Aaron Rowand were designated for assignment.

"We're at a spot in the season where we have to do some damage control with the roster. A couple things played into it. In both cases, there was diminished playing time, diminished roles,” Sabean said.

A couple things? Like the fact that Tejada and Rowand were predictably awful? What took so long for Sabean to realize damage control was needed?

Here’s what I wrote about Tejada on Opening Day, after he made a critical error: “He’s 36 now, his bat is slowing and many people don’t think he has the range to play shortstop anymore. The Giants took a chance, signing him to replace the departed Juan Uribe. Reports from spring training weren’t good. ... Is he too old? His legs might not have Chipper’s scars, but they’re still the legs of somebody who has played more than 2,000 major league games, clocking in 150-plus games year after year.”

On April 28, I wrote, “Considering Tejada isn’t hitting either, how long will the Giants stick with him?” On May 25, I wrote, “What can I say that everybody else hasn’t already said? With Pablo Sandoval back in maybe two weeks, I’m guessing Tejada’s Giants career will end in two weeks.”

It only took just more than three months from that point for Sabean to finally cut loose Tejada, despite a .239/.270/.326 (BA/OBP/SLG) batting line that essentially left him below replacement level.

Rowand was signed to a five-year, $60 million contract after a career-best 2007 season with the Phillies. The signing was roundly criticized at the time, and it got more disastrous with each season. In 2008, he posted a .749 OPS, below the league average hitter. In 2009, he posted a .738 OPS, barely acceptable for a starting outfielder. In 2010, he posted a .281 on-base percentage and .659 OPS, but the Giants won the World Series anyway. With Rowand making $13.6 million in 2011, the club brought him back, which is like your friends who keep acting surprised when their dog pees on the carpet. Rowand’s OBP this season: .274.

Yes, the Giants got ravaged by injuries. I don’t think Sabean and Bruce Bochy entered the season believing they’d give 351 plate appearances to Aaron Rowand. But here’s how you make sure that doesn’t happen: Don’t have Aaron Rowand on your roster.

As for Jimenez, I had hopes he’d pitch better. He had been the only starter in Rockies history to have consistent success in Coors Field but had struggled there in 2011 with a 5.55 ERA. Maybe a change of scenery would be a good thing. He’s had some positive results, like a 38/11 SO/BB ratio in 34 innings, and his season strikeout total of 156 in 157 innings is a good sign that his stuff is still fooling major league hitters, but the bottom line is he hasn’t kept enough runs off the scoreboard.

Hey, some of this is second guessing, I admit. It’s hard to fault either team for making the moves it did. The Indians were 1.5 games out of first place when they acquired Jimenez on July 30 for a package of prospects that included pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz, Cleveland’s No. 1 picks in 2009 and 2010. The Giants were actually four games up on the Diamondbacks when they acquired Beltran on July 28.

So it’s another lesson for all of us: The trade deadline is fun.

But its impact often irrelevant.

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