Brett Carroll: Signed minor league contract with Royals

Brett Carroll signed a minor league contract with the Royals. He's a very good fielding corner outfielder. His bat is not good enough to play an offensive role on the Royals, but if the Royals can get hitting from other places in the lineup, they can save runs with improved defense.

The Royals need a different kind of left fielder with the roster they have.

Left Fielders (Top Options)
Carl Crawford

Left Fielders (Secondary Options)
Marcus Thames

Offseason: New York Mets

2008 Record: 89-73
2009 Record: 70-92
2010 Record: 79-83

Offense/Defense Lineup

C - Josh Thole
1B - Daniel Murphy
2B - Justin Turner
3B - David Wright
SS - Discussed Below
LF - Lucas Duda
CF - Carlos Beltran
RF - Discussed Below

Shortstops (Top Options)
Jerry Hairston Jr.
Cesar Izturis
Derek Jeter
Felipe Lopez
Jhonny Peralta
Jose Reyes
Drew Sutton
Miguel Tejada

Shortstops (Second Options)
Orlando Cabrera
Juan Castro
Craig Counsell
Julio Lugo
Aaron Miles
Edgar Renteria

Right Fielders (Top Options)
Jerry Hairston Jr.
Brad Hawpe
Aubrey Huff
Jayson Werth

Right Fielders (Second Options)
Garret Anderson
Rocco Baldelli
Willie Bloomquist
Brandon Boggs
Jim Edmonds
Jesus Feliciano
Jeff Francoeur
Jody Gerut
Gabe Gross
Willie Harris
Jeremy Hermida
Reed Johnson
Gabe Kapler
Austin Kearns
Mark Kotsay
Ryan Langerhans
Brandon Moss
Mike Ryan
Bobby Scales
Brad Snyder
Adam Stern
Cory Sullivan
Willy Taveras
Marcus Thames
Randy Winn
Dewayne Wise

Starting Rotation

1 - Dillon Gee
2 - R.A. Dickey
3 - Mike Pelfrey
4 - Pat Misch
5 - Jon Niese

Bullpen

CL - Francisco Rodriguez
SU - Sean Green
SU - John Maine
1 - Tobi Stoner
2 - Manny Acosta
3 - Bobby Parnell

The Mets picked up the option on Jose Reyes, which improves their team and fills one of their holes.

C - Josh Thole
1B - Daniel Murphy
2B - Justin Turner
3B - David Wright
SS - Jose Reyes
LF - Lucas Duda
CF - Carlos Beltran
RF - Angel Pagan

Joaquin Arias: Claimed off Waivers by Royals

Joaquin Arias was claimed by the Kansas City Royals. He doesn't have any attributes that would make him an everyday player. His hitting is weak and his fielding is a little below average. The starting infield is already set so he'll be a bench player at best. The Royals still need a left fielder.

Left Fielders (Top Options)
Carl Crawford

Left Fielders (Secondary Options)
Marcus Thames

Jose Lopez: Mariners decline option

Jose Lopez, coming off a down year, had his option declined by the Mariners. His one great attribute is he makes consistent contact with the ball. Any other offensive production has decline over the past few years and I see that trend continuing, however he still has use to advance runners on the base because he will put the ball in play. The Mariners now need a third baseman that can do the same thing as Lopez or they can bring him back on their own terms.

Third Basemen (Top Options)
Jerry Hairston Jr.
Jose Lopez
Miguel Tejada

Third Basemen (Secondary Options)
Aaron Miles

Micah Hoffpauir: To Nippon Ham Fighters

I felt the Cubs could have Micah Hoffpauir play first base and hit near the bottom of the lineup. The Cubs do have Jeff Baker on their roster who can fit a similar role, however he has not had over 300 at bats, both major and minor leagues combined, in any season since 2006, so durability is a little of a question.

Offense/Defense Lineup

C - Welington Castillo
1B - Jeff Baker
2B - Darwin Barney
3B - Aramis Ramirez
SS - Starlin Castro
LF - Sam Fuld
CF - Marlon Byrd
RF - Kosuke Fukudome

Offseason: Milwaukee Brewers

2008 Record: 90-72
2009 Record: 80-82
2010 Record: 77-85

Offense/Defense Lineup

C - Lorenzo Cain
1B - Prince Fielder
2B - Joe Inglett
3B - Casey McGehee
SS - Luis Cruz
LF - Ryan Braun
CF - Chris Dickerson
RF - Corey Hart

Starting Rotation

1 - Discussed Below
2 - Mark Rogers
3 - Marco Estrada
4 - Yovani Gallardo
5 - Randy Wolf

Top Starters (Top Options)
Jon Garland
Cliff Lee
Carl Pavano

Top Starters (Secondary Options)
Erik Bedard
Justin Duchscherer
Vicente Padilla
Brad Penny
Andy Pettitte
Brandon Webb

Bullpen

CL - Brandon Kintzler
SU - Jeremy Jeffress
SU - Mike McClendon
1 - Kameron Loe
2 - John Axford
3 - Todd Coffey

The Brewers signed Brian Barden to a minor league deal and if they expect to compete next year, that's where he should stay all year. Maybe he can be an infrequently used bench player, but he shouldn't be a starting player. His skills have yet to translate in the major leagues.

Offseason: Houston Astros

2008 Record: 86-75
2009 Record: 74-88
2010 Record: 76-86

Offense/Defense Lineup

C - Humberto Quintero
1B - Discussed Below
2B - Matt Downs
3B - Chris Johnson
SS - Jeff Keppinger
LF - Brian Bogusevic
CF - Jason Bourgeois
RF - Hunter Pence

First Basemen (Top Options)
Adam Dunn
Paul Konerko

First Basemen (Secondary Options)
Mike Hessman
Jim Thome

Starting Rotation

1 - J.A. Happ
2 - Nelson Figueroa
3 - Wandy Rodriguez
4 - Brett Myers
5 - Felipe Paulino

Bullpen

CL - Fernando Abad
SU - Wilton Lopez
SU - Samuel Gervacio
1 - Bud Norris
2 - Brandon Lyon
3 - Mark Melancon

Brian Esposito, Anderson Hernandez, Casey Fien, and Ross Wolf were all signed to minor league contracts. Esposito, Hernandez, and Wolf should all remain in the minor leagues as they don't have the appropriate major league talent to be on the roster. Casey Fien has the ability to be a very good reliever if given a solid opportunity. Fien adds depth to the Astros bullpen.