Offseason agenda: Improving the offense is the clear priority for an 86-win club that didn’t have anyone with a .300 average, 30 homers or 100 runs. How and where the Angels upgrade isn’t obvious because the entire lineup remains under club control, but they must do more than hope for first baseman Kendrys Morales to return healthy and for left fielder Vernon Wells to bounce back. The Angels are unlikely to pursue Pujols or fellow free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder in part because they have Mark Trumbo and Morales to play first. Trumbo finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting because of his 29 homers, but he posted a meager .291 on-base percentage. Morales suffered a broken leg 18 months ago, and his return remains uncertain. Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/feed/2011-10/hot-stove-league/story/hot-stove-report-los-angeles-angels#ixzz1eAJiyA00
A source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Ryan Madson will lose Type A status under the new collective bargaining agreement. All remaining Type A relievers, including Madson, Francisco Rodriguez, and Heath Bell, are not subject to draft-pick compensation this offseason. Teams that sign them and certain other Type A free agents will not forfeit their picks, but teams that lose those players will still receive compensation. Rosenthal also notes that the Phillies will still forfeit their first-round pick for signing Jonathon Papelbon, despite the new requirements under of the current set of rule changes. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/345621/baseball-headlines?r=1
The Cleveland Indians and outfielder Grady Sizemore are on the verge of agreeing on a one-year deal, sources told ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The Indians declined a $9 million option and allowed Sizemore to become a free agent less than three weeks ago. Sizemore, 29, has generated interest from at least eight teams and appeared ready to let the market play out over the coming weeks. But the Indians moved to the front of the line Friday. "The Indians came at us with an aggressive offer,'' agent Joe Urbon told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. "Grady has always maintained that he would be interested in returning to Cleveland.'' http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7252922/cleveland-indians-grady-sizemore-verge-deal
With the Winter Hot Stove starting to fire up, and rumors swirling about different players, and the interest from the New York Yankees – Yoennis Céspedes looms in the Dominican Republic as an MLB Free Agent. Defecting from Cuba this summer, Céspedes comes as an attractive option for all three spots in the outfiled as a 5-tool player. Here is some good info about the player, and his accomplishments. The question is – if the Yankees were to sign him, where would he fit? Swisher would be the likely candidate to be the odd man out in the OF. If that is the case, NYY would look to trade Swisher, as the just picked up his option for the 2012 season. http://nyyuniverse.com/news-rumors/yankees-looking-to-sign-yoennis-cespedes
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