Following the Detroit Tigers’ acquisition of free agent first baseman Prince Fielder on Tuesday, Miguel Cabrera is expected to move to third base.

There was some initial talk that the club would use a rotation at the corner infield spots, as Fielder and Cabrera would each play first base on some days while Cabrera moved to third base on others. But Cabrera told the Venezuelan newspaper Lider en Deportes that he would move to third base to accommodate Fielder.

“I will come back to the third base, which is my natural position,” Cabrera said via a translated version of the story. “The arrival of Fielder will benefit us.”

Cabrera played third base with the Florida Marlins before being traded to Detroit and eventually shifting over to first. At 240 pounds he’ll likely need to get into better shape this offseason in order to gain more flexibility for the position, but his willingness to move has to be comforting for the Tigers. (Especially considering the small rift that occurred in Miami earlier this offseason where Hanley Ramirez gave the Marlins some gruff by stating he would not move to third base in order to make room for free agent acquisition Jose Reyes.)

Fielder batted .299 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI in his final season with the Milwaukee Brewers last year. Since 2007, he hasn’t hit less than 30 home runs in a season and outside of 2010 (83), he has never drove in less than 100 RBI.

He and Cabrera now make a dangerous duo in the middle of Detroit’s lineup. Cabrera drove in 105 RBI last season while belting 48 home runs and hitting .344. The addition of Fielder eases a lot of doubt created by the loss of Victor Martinez, who suffered a torn ACL during winter conditioning and could miss the entire 2012 season.

2011 Fantasy Baseball Preview | 2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Designing your draft strategy for catchers can sometimes be a nauseating task. Do you nab Joe Mauer in the second round and not worry about the position again until you add depth at the end of your draft, or do you fill other positions first and go for value late?

One strategy that you might want to consider is passing on the top 2-3 backstops (in our rankings that would constitute Mauer, Brian McCann and Victor Martinez) and waiting to select your catcher until at least Round 8. That way, when the pitchers start to fly off the board in Rounds 4 through 7, you’re not worried about investing a pick in McCann and Martinez when there will be plenty of value starting in Round 8.

But which players will be available then? Below is the tier we think you target starting in Round 8. If you think one of these catchers will fall to Round 9, 10 or 11, by all means: wait. But Rounds 8-11 is where you’ll find great value without having to shop for your starting backstop later in the draft when the pickings are slim and the value is scattered.

Buster Posey, Giants
After bursting onto the scene last year to help the Giants win their first World Series in over 55 years, Posey might not last until Round 8. But if he does and you feel good about your roster to that point, don’t waste any time announcing his name at your draft. He hit .305 with 18 dingers and 67 RBI while scoring 58 runs in just 443 plate appearances last season. He has the maturity of a 10-year veteran but is only a second-year pro. The Giants’ lineup is still weak as a whole, but Posey should hit around .300 again with 20-plus HRs, 80 RBI and 70 runs scored.

Carlos Santana, Indians
It’s hard not to fall in love with this kid’s potential. Santana is fully recovered from knee surgery and if he can stay healthy, there’s no doubt he could become an elite fantasy catcher. After batting .260/.401/.467 over his first 192 major league plate appearances last season, the sky’s the limit for the 24-year-old, who is also spending some time at first base in spring training (hey, a little versatility never hurt anyone). If his numbers in June last year are any indication (.345, 4 HRs, 10 runs, 15 RBIs), Santana is ready for a breakout campaign.

Geovanny Soto, Cubs
In just 322 at bats last season, Soto hit .280 with 17 home runs, 47 runs scored and 53 RBI. If he stays healthy, he could hit 20-25 home runs, score another 50 runs and drive in 65-70 RBI. The nice thing about Soto is that he’s a selective hitter, so he could hit around .280 again next season.

Mike Napoli, Rangers
Napoli led all catchers in home runs last year with 26, but it’s unclear at this point whether or not his trade to the Rangers will hurt his fantasy value. He’ll draw regular starts at catcher, first base and DH, but it remains to be seen how many at bats he’ll compile over the course of an entire year. Still, he should post great power numbers at the Ballpark in Arlington.

Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks
In just 85 games last year and 297 at bats, Montero hit nine home runs and drove in 43 RBI. He has two years of experience, good power and plays in a home run-friendly park, making him an attractive fantasy option in 2011. He could be poised for a breakout season.

Matt Wieters, Orioles
Wieters was a disappointment in 2010, batting just .249/.319/.377 with only 11 home runs in 446 at bats. But the 24-year-old was once regarded as the top catching prospect in baseball and has devoted himself this offseason to improving at the dish. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that Wieters can hit .280 this year with 20 home runs and drive in 72 RBI.

2011 Fantasy Baseball Catcher Rankings:

1. Joe Mauer, Twins
2. Brian McCann, Braves
3. Victor Martinez, Tigers
4. Buster Posey, Giants
5. Carlos Santana, Indians
6. Geovany Soto, Cubs
7. Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks
8. Mike Napoli, Rangers
9. Matt Wieters, Orioles
10. Kurt Suzuki, A’s
11. Jorge Posada, Yankees
12. Miguel Olivo, Mariners
13. J.P. Arencibia, Blue Jays
14. John Buck, Marlins
15. Yadier Molina, Cardinals
16. Carlos Ruiz, Phillies
17. Chris Iannetta, Rockies
18. Russell Martin, Yankees
19. Nick Hundley, Padres
20. Rod Barajas, Dodgers
21. Ryan Doumit, Pirates
22. John Jaso, Rays
23. A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox
24. Alex Avila, Tigers
25. Ramon Hernandez, Reds

It’s official: Victor Martinez is no longer a Boston Red Sox.

The Tigers signed Martinez to a four-year, $50 million contract that wasn’t confirmed until Wednesday. With the signing, Detroit adds a middle of the order bat to their lineup and a player that hit .302 in 538 plate appearances last year for the Red Sox. He also earned a trip to the All-Star Game for the fourth time in his career.

The Red Sox had hoped to re-sign Martinez but it was clear that they weren’t going to break the bank for him. They offered him a choice of three years and $36 million or four years and $42 million, but in the end Martinez opted to go where the money was greener. The downside for Boston is that it lost even more power in its ever fleeting lineup but the Sox pick up a high draft pick as part of their compensation for losing him via free agency.

The Orioles were also reportedly interested in V-Mart and offered him a four-year, $48 million contract, while the White Sox tried to lure him to Chicago with a three-year, $48 million deal.

But the Tigers won out in the end. They’ve been arguably the biggest players in this year’s offseason, committing $39.25 million to Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta and Joaquin Benoit.

The Giants haven’t been World Series Champions for 24 hours yet, but it’s never too early to take a look at which names will dominate the headlines this winter.

Here’s a very preliminary look at the top-5 free agents in baseball for 2011.

1. Carl Crawford, OF, Rays
Mark my words: The Yankees and Red Sox will be battling over this guy for the next couple of months. The Bombers could fall behind as they focus their attention on Cliff Lee, but you know their wallets are deep enough to best any offer that teams come to the table with for Crawford. There’s little to no chance he returns to Tampa next year and I fully expect him to man one of the outfields in either New York or Boston next season.

2. Cliff Lee, SP, Rangers
He probably cost himself a couple of million by throwing a 2-0 cutter in the zone to Edgar Renteria (who put it over the wall) in Game 5 of the World Series, but every team knows Lee is one of the best. And he’s certainly the best free agent pitcher on the market this offseason. Will he take the money and head up to the Big Apple or will he stay with the Rangers? Texas probably has a leg up, but it needs to put together a decent offer because in the end, money talks. The Yankees will do everything they can to get Lee in pinstripes next season.

3. Adrian Beltre, 3B, Red Sox
Beltre continues to be one of the best defensive third basemen in the league and he’s coming off a solid season in Boston. He has a player option for the 2011 season, but chances are he’ll move on and try to sign a multi-year deal elsewhere.

4. Jayson Werth, OF, Phillies
Personally, I think Werth is a tad overrated. I think he’s Aaron Rowand re-born and some team will foolishly overpay for his services. But he’s a middle-of-the-order power threat, so he’s worth the shot. The question is whether or not the Phillies pony up to retain him or if he heads off to greener pastures. Call it a hunch, but I think he stays in the NL.

5. Victor Martinez, C, Red Sox
The Tigers have already been linked to V-Mart, but the Red Sox could wind up re-signing him when it’s all said and done. At 32 his skills are declining but he’s a .300 lifetime hitter with a little pop, which is always big from the catcher’s position.

Other names to keep an eye on: Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Aubrey Huff, Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Derrek Lee, Adam Dunn.

In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

First up is the AL East.

1. New York Yankees (1)
If you think I would get cute in these rankings and suggest that some upstart team would derail the Yankees this season, then you sir, are sadly mistaken. I just don’t have the conjones to bet against them, especially after they added Curtis Granderson, Javier Vazquez and Nick Johnson to their already stacked roster. Sure they lost World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, the latter of which loved to work the count and provided the Yanks with some pop over the last couple of seasons. But thanks to Granderson, Johnson, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texeira, Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada, the lineup is still stacked from top to bottom. Vazquez, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mariano Rivera will once again highlight a strong pitching staff and assuming they don’t suffer any major injuries, there’s nothing to suggest that the Bombers won’t make another championship run. That said, let’s not be oblivious to the potential problems that could arise for the Yanks this season. Age is a factor, as is the fact that Granderson can’t hit lefties and will be under the spotlight as the club’s biggest offseason acquisition. Plus, for as good as Vazquez was over the past couple of years, he was a disaster the last time he wore pinstripes (Boston fans remember this well.) Should the Yankees win another World Series? Yeah – especially considering they have the best-purchased roster in baseball. But just like last year, they still have to prove it between the lines and they’re not immune to hurdles getting in their way.

2. Boston Red Sox (3)
Based on the moves they made this offseason, you either love the Red Sox’s chances this year or you’re willing to write them off like your favorite tax exemption. The club acquired ace John Lackey, outfielder Mike Cameron and infielders Marco Scutaro and Adrian Beltre last winter. Every player will be counted on to contribute this season, but they all come with question marks as well. When healthy, Lackey is virtually guaranteed to win 15-plus games and pitch over 200 innings. But he has to stay healthy. Cameron is a huge upgrade over Jason Bay in the outfield, but he won’t fill Bay’s shoes offensively. Scutaro is coming off a career year but the law of averages suggest that he’ll take a step back in 2010 and there’s no telling what Boston will get out of Beltre after he only appeared in 111 games last season due to an injury. Plus, will Big Papi carry over his production from June to September last year or will he struggle as he did at the start of 2009? That said, the BoSox are still stacked. Along with Lackey, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz give Boston the best pitching staff in the division and their bullpen is solid as well. Ortiz, Beltre, Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Victor Martinez comprise an offense that should help Boston win over 95 games this season and compete for a postseason berth. Their defense has also improved dramatically with the addition of Cameron and Ellsbury’s move from center to left. Do they have unanswered questions? Of course – all clubs do at this time of year. Will they overcome the Yankees? Maybe. Will they compete? Most definitely.

3. Tampa Bay Rays (7)
The Rays stumbled out of the gates last year, although they fought through injuries in order to finish with a respectable 84-78 record. But they didn’t make any moves this offseason, so it’s hard to figure out whether or not they’re going to compete for a postseason berth or finish with roughly the same record as they did in 2009. If BJ Upton stays healthy for an entire season and rebounds, then the Rays have more than enough offense in him, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena and Ben Zobrist to compete. And if a No. 1 emerges out of David Price, Matt Garza, Jeff Niemann or James Shields, then the Rays will compete. If, if, if, if. I want to believe that the Rays are the perfect team to unseat the Yankees and Red Sox (two teams that have had more than enough time at the top) in the division. But there’s no question that they’ll have to overachieve again like they did in 2008 in order to make the postseason. They have the talent, but they need an ace to emerge, Upton to be productive again and for Crawford (whose contract is up at the end of the year) to stay happy or else they’re destined for another third place finish.

4. Baltimore Orioles (22)
The O’s have several pieces that will get your heat pumping just like the time you stole that car and led the police on a two-hour joy ride down the interstate. Wait…what? Nick Markakis is already a fine ballplayer, Adam Jones showed his vast potential last year before getting hurt and Matt Wieters is already being described as the next Joe Mauer (only with more power). The club also improved in a couple of areas over the offseason, namely at third base with the acquisition of Miguel Tejada, at first base with Garrett Atkins and in their starting rotation with Kevin Millwood. But it’s hard to measure how good this club will be when they play in the AL East and their pitching still has the potential to be down right hideous again. It says a lot about a team’s starting staff when the team leader in ERA finished with a 5.04 mark (Jeremy Gutherie). Maybe Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta will surprise and overachieve this season, but chances are Baltimore will top out around 75-80 wins in 2010. They should be improved, but again, their division will keep them from competing for a postseason berth again this year.

5. Toronto Blue Jays (27)
Mom always said that if you don’t have anything nice to say then you shouldn’t say anything at all. But mom doesn’t have to complete this preview now does she? The Blue Jays traded away ace Roy Halladay in the offseason and while they may benefit from the deal down the road, they don’t have anyone to pick up the slack in 2010. They also lost one of their top offensive pieces from last year in Marco Scutaro and replaced him with Alex Gonzalez. That’s great news if you’re into defensive wizards that can’t hit over .250 on a consistent basis. The club does have a couple of nice/promising/okay/whatever pieces Vernon Wells, Ricky Romero, Brandon Marrow, Aaron Hill and Travis Snider, but the bottom line is that the Jays are in rebuilding mode and will wind up collecting dust all season in the basement of the AL East. They’re going to be horrible and there’s very little to like about their chances to succeed in 2010. Sorry, Mom.

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All 2010 Fantasy Articles | 2010 Position Rankings

If you’re like most guys, you hate shopping. You’ll wait until one of the sleeves is coming off your shirt before you even think about heading to the mall to buy new clothes. And even then, it takes your significant other to say, “Are you seriously going out in public like that?” before you actually turn the keys in the ignition and embark on one of the most annoying days of the year.

Once you’ve pinpointed where you want to shop, the clearance rack usually calls out to you like that 50-inch plasma at Best Buy. It draws you in and once you’ve selected six shirts for a grand total of $22.50, you’ve completed your clothes shopping for the year.

Drafting a catcher in fantasy baseball is sort of like when guys go shopping for clothes. Once you finally come to realization that you need them, shopping in the bargain bin (or the clearance rack, or whatever other analogy you prefer) isn’t a bad way to go.

Unless your opponents fall asleep on Joe Mauer and he drops in your draft, nabbing one of these seven catchers is a good way to fill category voids that were created in earlier rounds. By the end of the year, there probably won’t be a huge gap between one of these catchers and one of the top 3 (Mauer, Brian McCann and Victor Martinez) that your buddy just had to have. (He’s probably the same guy that likes dropping $100 on a new shirt and buys another once the color starts to fade.)

Matt Wieters, Orioles
There’s a good chance that you’ll miss out on Wieters because there will be someone in your league that has an infatuation with youngsters that have extreme upside and will take him a round or two early. That’s okay. But if he does happen to fall, grab him because 2010 might wind up being the 23-year-old’s breakout season. After hitting .259 in a little over a month before the All-Star break, Wieters finished his rookie season on a tear while hitting .288 with nine dingers and driving in 43 RBI in 96 games. In September, he hit .362 with three homers and drove in 14 RBI while hitting in the No. 3 spot of Baltimore’s improving lineup. Assuming his success at the end of the 2009 season carries over, Wieters is the one player in this group that is worth taking a round before you’re ready to select a catcher (assuming he’s still available, that is).

Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks
After taking over for the injured Chris Snyder in June, Montero had a breakout year in 2009. He hit .294 with 16 homers and drove in 59 RBI, all while finishing with an OPS of .832. Assuming last year wasn’t a fluke, Montero should top those numbers this season in a full-time role. Draft him with confidence in the later rounds.

Geovany Soto, Cubs
After he won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2008, Soto owners were burned last year when he suffered a bad sophomore slump (.218-11-47). But he dropped 40 pounds over the offseason by whipping himself into shape and is committed to rebounding in 2010. He should also be completely healthy after battling shoulder and oblique injuries last season, which no doubt affected his performance. Considering some people will take a pass on him based on his ’09 struggles, Soto could wind up being a late round steal.

Jorge Posada, Yankees
Owners will pass on Posada on draft day because of his age, which is fine. You’ll gladly take a starting catcher that should hit around .275 with 20-plus home runs, 80-plus RBI and score 60-plus runs. Granted, you’ll want to make sure you take a decent backup to pair with Posada (he won’t make it through a full season), but he’s still productive and he hits in a stacked lineup. You could do much worse on draft day.

Mike Napoli, Angels
Here’s the good: Napoli will probably hit upwards of .270 this season and smack around 20 home runs, which is solid for a catcher that you can selected in the late rounds. Here’s the bad: If he doesn’t improve his defense, he will lose playing time to Jeff Mathis, who played well in the ALCS last season. Napoli is still the starter, but it would be wise to nab another catcher to pair with him in case Mathis takes over the backstop duties at some point during the year.

Kurt Suzuki, A’s
In his second full season behind the dish in Oakland, Suzuki finished with career highs in home runs (15), RBI (88) and runs scored (74), all while hitting a respectable .274. If he finishes with similar numbers in 2010, you would have gotten quality output from your catcher position late in the draft. A bonus with Suzuki is that he could steal 10-plus bases this year given his speed.

Chris Iannetta, Rockies
The Dodgers’ Russell Martin and the Pirates’ Ryan Doumit could be mentioned here as well, but we’ll go with Iannetta based on Martin’s poor 2009 campaign and Doumit’s ceiling. While it’s true that Iannetta will have to beat out free agent addition Miguel Olivo this spring, he’s expected to emerge as the clear starter and improve on his .228 batting average and 16-home run season in ’09. Iannetta believes that a mechanical adjustment that he made last August will allow him to see the ball better in 2010 and if that’s the case, you can expect another 15-plus home run season and a higher batting average this year. If nothing else, Iannetta’s home run production should help an owner that failed to address that category in earlier rounds.

Below is our official ranking of catchers. You’ll see that there is plenty of depth after the top 3, including the players ranked after the ones we mentioned above.

1. Joe Mauer, MIN
2. Brian McCann, ATL
3. Victor Martinez, BOS
4. Matt Wieters, BAL
5. Miguel Montero, ARZ
6. Geovany Soto, CHC
7. Jorge Posada, NYY
8. Mike Napoli, LAA
9. Kurt Suzuki, OAK
10. Chris Iannetta, COL
11. Russell Martin, LAD
12. Ryan Doumit, PIT
13. Carlos Ruiz, PHI
14. Bengie Molina, SF
15. A.J. Pierzynski, CHW
16. Yadier Molina, STL
17. Ramon Hernandez, CIN
18. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, TEX
19. John Baker, FLA
20. Carlos Santana, CLE

Victor Martinez would prefer to stay with the Red Sox past 2010, but he isn’t open to negotiating a contract extension with the team during the season.

From the Boston Herald:

“As soon as the season starts, I don’t want to be talking about numbers or be talking about something that can distract me from the game and distract my teammates,” Martinez said. “That’s the last thing I want with this great team they’ve put together. Maybe, who knows, they come to me in spring training with something.

“Honestly, I’m all open now until the season starts. As soon as the season starts, I barely talk to my mom.”

While I fully endorse young men talking to their moms as much as possible, I love V-Mart’s attitude and take on this topic. Players should focus on their game during the season and not on their contract. I understand a player’s contract is highly important, but that doesn’t mean a player shouldn’t fulfill his promise for the final year of his current deal just because he hasn’t been offered an extension.

Too many players gripe about their contract during the season and become a distraction. Good to see Martinez won’t be one of them.

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