Arizona Diamondbacks Synopsis: Fresh off of a last place finish, the free-swinging snakes have more problems than one offseason will be able to fix. New GM Kevin Towers has the know-how and experience, however, to turn this team around fairly quickly. Potential Free Agents: Brandon Webb ($8.5M club option with a $2M buyout), Adam LaRoche ($7.5M mutual option with a $1.5M buyout), Aaron Heilman, Rodrigo Lopez. Strengths: The D-Backs are loaded with young positional talent with the likes of Justin Upton, Miguel Montero, Chris Young, Stephen Drew and even Kelly Johnson can be included in this group after the monster year that he had at the plate. This is a nucleus that a lot of major league teams are envious of. Drew, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated players in all of baseball. There is a ton of value in a guy who plays excellent defense at a position that demands it and he is probably the best hitting shortstop in the game not named Hanley Ramirez or Troy Tulowitzki. There are a select few bright spots on a pitching staff that otherwise needs a complete renovation. Daniel Hudson, who was obtained in the Edwin Jackson trade with the Chicago White Sox, is turning out to be quite a haul in return for the inconsistent Jackson. He finished the 2010 season putting up some impressive numbers for the snakes, including 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 1.8 walks per nine innings, a 0.841 WHIP and a stingy 5.8 hits per nine innings. While Arizona will be hard-pressed to expect a 1.69 ERA, the figure he posted this season for them as a 23 year old, going forward, they are viewing him as a possible front-of-the-rotation starter. While Joe Saunders might not be the kind of return that Diamondback fans were hoping for when Dan Haren was offloaded at the trade deadline, he has shown early in his career that he has the ability to be a dependable, innings-eating third or fourth starter. Saunders has made at least 31 starts each of the past three seasons, which is the kind of dependability a team lacking pitching needs. Ian Kennedy has also been quite solid this season, likely surpassing expectations the front office had for him in his first season in the desert. Sore Spots: Outside of Hudson, Saunders and Kennedy, the prevention of runs has been the downfall for the 2010 team. If they are going to have any hope of competing in 2011, what they will need to focus on acquiring in the offseason is pitching, pitching and maybe even more pitching. This is a disappointing turn of events for a team that not too long ago had one of the best one-two punches in all of baseball in Dan Haren and Brandon Webb. But Arizona?s bullpen is the real culprit here. Compared to the rest of the National League, Arizona relievers had a combined ERA almost an entire run higher than the second worst team, the Chicago Cubs, in 2010. Normally, young relievers are homegrown and can be tough to obtain via trade due to the high arbitration salaries they are awarded (i.e. Bobby Jenks, Jonathan Papelbon, Heath Bell, etc.), rendering them cost-prohibitive. With that in mind and the reality that the Diamondbacks will not likely be spending big on established relievers in free agency, there doesn?t seem to be a light at the end of the bullpen tunnel. While the offense may be considered high-octane with respect to the power it generates, those powerful sticks seem to have a lot of holes in them. I?m surprised a lineup this prone to the strikeout hasn?t generated a cool nickname like the ?Whiff Brigade,? ?Flailing Fer?de?lance? or something similarly clever from the local media. The Diamondbacks set the record for most strikeouts by a team in a season, surpassing the previous record with a whopping 11 games remaining. I would be remiss if I didn?t mention the chief offender in this category, Mark Reynolds, and his mind-boggling season. The man who has flailed his way to 638 strikeouts over the past three seasons compiled 32 home runs to go with a batting average of .198 in 2010, becoming the first player in Major League history to amass 30 plus home runs with a batting average below the Mendoza line. That is not a club any player wants to be the founding member of. Colorado Rockies Synopsis: If only the Rockies could play the first half of the season like it was the second, the National League West would be in the palm of their mile-high hands. With what has proven to be a collection of some of the best young talent in the National League, Colorado is looking to build upon a disappointing finish to 2010. Potential Free Agents: Jeff Francis ($7M club option), Jorge De La Rosa, Octavio Dotel ($4.5M club option), Miguel Olivo ($2.5M club option with a $0.5M buyout), Jason Giambi, Melvin Mora, Joe Beimel Strengths: There is no doubt that the strongest parts of this ballclub are the two elite young superstars that the Rockies have under contract through 2014 in Troy Tulowitzki and Ubaldo Jimenez. One is the best two-way shortstop in the game today and the other is a bona fide, fireballing ace. Both accomplished some amazing feats in 2010, with Jimenez having dominated the National League early on while ripping off a string of 11 starts to begin the season in which he compiled a 0.79 ERA, and Tulowitzki doing his best Babe Ruth impression by pounding 14 home runs in a 15 game stretch. The youth of Colorado doesn?t stop with those two, as an even younger player arguably had the best season of any Rockie. Carlos Gonzalez had a breakout campaign in what amounts to his first year as an everyday player. An impressive blend of power and speed, Gonzalez has quickly established himself as one of the premier sluggers in the National League. Colorado brass can rest assured that, barring injury, whichever outfield position Gonzalez is manning (in 2010, he started 34 games in right, 55 in center and 51 in left) will not be a position they need to worry about filling for at least the next four years. The Colorado Rockies seem to have a slew of young players on the verge of a breakout in 2011. Starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin appears to have made the jump successfully from AAA and earned himself a spot in the 2011 rotation. Dexter Fowler has the tools to be a very good leadoff hitter and centerfielder, but needs to be a little more consistent. Ian Stewart has the potential to be a power threat in the lineup at the hot corner, but he is still only 25 and has not yet grasped the full time job. Sore Spots: The areas on this Rockies team that could use some improvement generally lie in the middle and back end of the rotation, the corner infield spots as well as a couple tweaks to the bullpen. Since De La Rosa and Francis will most likely not return in 2011, the Rockies will be looking to the free agent market for at least one starter to plug into the rotation. Outside of Jimenez and Chacin, the rest of the Colorado rotation was very hittable, having posted a 4.95 ERA in 2010. So, while Aaron Cook and Jason Hammel appear to be locks to remain in the rotation (especially due to Cook being set to earn a $9.25 million base salary), it would be in the best interest of the Rockies to explore an upgrade at one of the starters? spots. Third and first base are definitely positions that will need to be addressed in the offseason, whether it be via free agency or resigning the likes of Mora and/or Giambi. Mora wound up commandeering most of the starts at third down the stretch, but the Rockies could stand to upgrade the production at this spot on the diamond. He finished the year with a respectable .779 OPS, but he will be 39 years old by spring training and is by no means a long term solution, so it remains to be seen if Colorado will be interested in re-signing him. As for first base, the Rockies have quite the conundrum on their hands, as Todd Helton has undoubtedly reached the twilight of his career. His trademark plate discipline and patience has not wavered, however his strikeout rate has increased dramatically and his power has virtually disappeared (his slugging percentage in 2010 was exactly .200 points lower than he had put up in his previous 13 seasons). Los Angeles Dodgers Synopsis: With ?Mannywood? no longer dominating the headlines in Los Angeles as well as a below .500 record and a fourth place finish, the Dodgers have the semblance of a team in somewhat of a state of chaos. What was once a core of young players envied by general managers around the game, now seems to have more question marks than answers heading into the offseason. Potential Free Agents: Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda, Vicente Padilla, Scott Podsednik ($2M club option with a $0.1M buyout), Rod Barajas, Brad Ausmus ($1M club option with a $0.15M buyout), Reed Johnson, Jeff Weaver Strengths: You don?t have to look any further than the top of the starting rotation to determine where the Dodgers? strength lies. Clayton Kershaw is as exciting a young pitcher as there is in the big leagues and he has yet to turn 23 years old. He is already a true ace and looks to be improving. The major criticism pundits had regarding his game prior to 2010 was that he walked far too many batters , inhibiting his ability to pitch deep into games. In 2010, he cut his walk rate by 25%, compared to 2009, enabling him to pitch into the seventh inning on average. Chad Billingsley had a bounce back year in 2010, posting a 3.57 ERA as well as cutting his walk rate by 18% compared to 2009. The front of the rotation seems to be set for the foreseeable future. Despite missing a significant portion of the year due to injury, Rafael Furcal posted very respectable numbers out of the leadoff spot when he was in the lineup. At his best, Furcal can be one of the better two way threats at the shortstop position in the National League. Even at age 33, his arm is still one of the more impressive things to watch on a baseball field as he routinely fires the ball across the diamond to nail unsuspecting runners. Form year to year, though, his offense can vary greatly, but his ceiling is so high that he continues to remain among the better shortstops in the league. The young Dodger outfield has potential to spare and, needless to say, neither Andre Ethier nor Matt Kemp lived up to the hype in 2010. Going forward, as these two go, so goes the Dodger offense. There has been trade talk involving Kemp, but at this point the Dodgers appear content not to deal him while his value is at an all-time low and let him work out of his offensive and defensive slump that seemed to last all season long. Ethier, on the other hand, came out of the gates blistering hot this season, compiling an OPS of 1.102 through June 3, but only .764 the remainder of the season. With his salary jumping up to $9.25 million in 2011, Los Angeles will be counting on him to be the power bat they will need in the middle of the lineup post-Manny Ramirez. Sore Spots: All it takes is one glance at the list of free agents above to see that it contains 60% of the starting rotation that the Dodgers ended the season with. It seems like the Dodgers are on a perpetual search for starting pitching, whether it be via trade or free agency. It will be no different this offseason. In the 37 starts that were made by pitchers other than Kershaw, Billingsley or any of the impending free agents, Dodgers starters compiled a hideous 6.18 ERA. Either the Dodgers must re-sign some of their starters or reinforcements better be on the way via the minor leagues, trades or free agency. The next group of players and their respective production all have a similar theme, and that is a perception that they are nowhere near the point of fulfilling the promise that they once had. Russell Martin, who was widely considered the best young catcher in the National League early in his career, has basically become a singles hitter with no power as his 2010 OPS dipped to a career low .679. The same could be said for James Loney, as he finished the season with a slugging percentage below .400 for the second consecutive year. Jonathan Broxton is another interesting case, as roughly four months ago, he was considered a lock to be included in the ?Strengths? section of this piece. However, from June 27th on, he posted an ugly 7.58 ERA, losing the closer role along the way. Broxton has an entire offseason to regain his dominant stuff, but Dodger fans have to be worried that their prized reliever is not what he once was. San Diego Padres Synopsis: After an unexpected year in which they spent 148 days in first place only to be eliminated on the last day of the season, the Padres might be the most intriguing team to follow with respect to offseason moves. They hold two of the most valuable trade pieces in Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez, but must balance the obvious notion that they are contenders in the National League West. Potential Free Agents: Miguel Tejada, Chris Young, Jon Garland ($6.75M mutual option), Kevin Correia, Jerry Hairston, Jr., David Eckstein, Yorvit Torrealba ($3.5M mutual option with a $0.5M buyout), Matt Stairs Strengths: I would be remiss if I didn?t start this section off with a glowing review of the San Diego bullpen. Padres relievers combined to produce an ERA of 2.81, the lowest mark that any team has posted over a full season in the past five years. Even if they were to trade Heath Bell, this unit would still easily be among the league?s best. I think this stat says it best: out of the eight relievers that compiled at least 25 appearances, nary a one had an ERA over 3.62 (and six of eight had an ERA of 2.90 or better). Simply fantastic. The starting rotation was no slouch, either, as San Diego enjoyed some very good seasons from a few unexpected sources. The star of the bunch was the young, fireballing right-hander Mat Latos, who, in his first 26 starts, compiled a 2.21 ERA until he tired down the stretch. However, he is certainly the heir apparent in San Diego ace-hood, a title that has been unclaimed since Jake Peavy left town. Speaking of the Peavy trade, the Padres realized some early returns from one of the players obtained in the swap, Clayton Richard. In his first full season as a starter at the major league level, he produced over 200 innings of 3.75 ERA ball. On the offensive side of the ball, San Diego?s fortunes lay in the hands of hometown boy Adrian Gonzalez. The steady power production that Gonzalez has sustained during his time in San Diego is even more impressive than what meets the eye given Petco Park?s spacious and pitcher-friendly confines. Those of you who follow the Major League rumor mill know that many teams have been licking their chops at the thought of inserting the Padres? first baseman into the heart of their lineup, but one has to assume that, as long as they are competing, San Diego will be content hanging on to him. What choice do they have? There really isn?t one other significant offensive threat on that team. His five year run in San Diego has resulted in a .514 slugging percentage, a .374 on base percentage and an average of 32 home runs per season while missing a grand total of 11 games during that span. Sore Spots: Every position player not named Adrian Gonzalez combined to produce a paltry .675 OPS, and the in-season acquisitions of Tejada and Ryan Ludwick didn?t do too much to improve that number. While Ludwick is under team control for 2011 and is sure to have a spot in the Padres? outfield, the rest of the offense is by no means set in stone and will need a significant injection of the ability to get on base as well as some much-needed thump in the lineup to protect the great Gonzalez. So, first base, right field and third base, as Chase Headley has steadily improved and will definitely be manning the hot corner in 2011, are the only positions that have ?No Vacancy? labels. The rest of the lineup is susceptible to change as first year GM Jed Hoyer will be hitting the phones hard to upgrade the offense by any means necessary, within reason. He will be limited by a miniscule payroll, by Major League Baseball standards, as team CEO Jeff Moorad has stated that this figure will increase from just under $38 million (second lowest in MLB) to the $40-50 million range. It will take some deft maneuvering to upgrade the offense significantly enough given the cost of top-tier free agents, so Hoyer should be very active in the trade market. San Francisco Giants Synopsis: The reigning National League West Champions made several key in-season acquisitions in 2010 that rendered the offense just barely passable in being able to support their stellar pitching staff. Having snatched the division on the last day of the season, San Francisco lived up to their rallying cry, ?Giants Baseball: Torture.? Potential Free Agents: Pat Burrell, Jose Guillen, Juan Uribe, Aubrey Huff, Edgar Renteria ($10.5M club option with a $0.5M buyout), Guillermo Mota Strengths: The strongest parts of this ballclub are undoubtedly the four quality young starters, all of whom are age 27 or younger and under team control for at least two more years. This is a luxury that all teams wish they had, as there will be no need to tinker with a rotation that is set for 2011. San Francisco starters have dominated for a second consecutive season, posting a collective 3.54 ERA (third in MLB), a shade under eight strikeouts per nine innings (best in MLB) and a 1.25 WHIP (tied for third in MLB). There is no reason to believe that they cannot continue to build upon their success continue to mow down opponents in 2011. Another spot on the Giants? roster that has other teams jealous is the youngster that resides behind home plate day in and day out. Buster Posey has been everything and more than San Francisco could have expected, having provided solid defense, handled a frontline pitching staff, thrown out would-be base-stealers and, oh yeah, settled comfortably into the cleanup spot in the lineup of a playoff team. In fact, I wouldn?t be surprised if Posey garnered a smattering of MVP votes in addition to the plethora of Rookie of the Year votes he will receive. In a year that has seen the National League chock full of future superstars, Buster Posey might have the brightest future of all. Another bright spot the Giants can point to as both a beacon of success for 2010 and cause for optimism in 2011 is a bullpen that will return mostly in tact. Brian Wilson was arguably the best closer in the game this season, having posted career bests in ERA (1.81), strikeouts per nine innings (11.21), innings pitched (74 2/3) and appearances (70). The bridge to get to Wilson has been similarly impressive with quality arms such as Sergio Romo, Ramon Ramirez, Jeremy Affeldt, Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez, Dan Runzler and Chris Ray all under team control for next season. This unit combined to form the second best relief corps in all of baseball, posting a 2.99 ERA during the 2010 season. Sore Spots: The Giants will have a few tough decisions to make with respect to players who were key contributors in 2010, but will be free agents in the offseason. Three players in particular, if they were to leave and not be re-signed, would deal a significant blow to the 2011 lineup in Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell and Juan Uribe. Burrell thrived in his resurgence, coming to the team he rooted for as a child, and the Giants? faithful are hoping the success he had in orange and black will compel him to re-sign with the team. The need for an impact bat behind Buster Posey is glaring in what is otherwise a somewhat unimposing lineup. San Francisco was also fortunate with an offseason signing that wasn?t particularly exciting at the time, but turned out to be one of the best pickups in all of baseball in Huff. As the Giants were the first team he has ever experienced a postseason run with, all indications point to the front office making every attempt to lure him back to AT&T Park as a fixture at first base for at least the next couple years. Uribe, the ultimate all-or-nothing hitter, had an outstanding season full of memorable home runs as the Giants? resident every day infield utility man. While he did settle in as the team?s starting shortstop towards the end of the season, his versatility is an incredibly valuable asset to have. The point in mentioning all three of these players in the ?Sore Spots? section lies in the gaping holes that would remain if the Giants were to fail to re-sign them. One would be hard-pressed to find a player who did less to live up to his potential in 2010 than the Kung Fu Panda himself, Pablo Sandoval. The lovable Sandoval suffered through a campaign in which he managed to post an OPS .211 points lower than he did in 2009. He started the season as the face of the franchise and, little by little, regressed to the point of being a part time player. He is an easy player to root for, as his infectious personality is a ball of positivity that all Giants players gravitate to. San Francisco management must focus on getting Sandoval right in the offseason, whether it be via working out, playing winter league ball or some combination of meditation/yoga/spiritual healing. He is vital to the future of the Giants, as the San Francisco organization is lacking in positional talent. Wherever it may be in the lineup or on the field, San Francisco must add some power to the lineup and it figures to come by way of free agency. Since AT&T Park is not the most desirable landing spot for left-handed power hitters, right-handed hitters are the most logical free agents to target. There is one such major free agent that will command a high dollar contract, but is the exact kind of player the Giants need to make the leap from good team to great. If ownership is willing to spend to make this team a contender for years to come, they should be pursuing Jason Werth to roam the cavernous right field at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. It is a great fit, but there will be some tough competition for the slugger in the free agent market. Brian Sabean?s recent track record with high dollar free agents isn?t a good one, but Werth may be just what the doctor ordered.