Boras is not to blame, A-Rod is  —  There have been several thousand posts here in the last week and half them are from people who want the head of Scott Boras on a stake.  Columnists from across the country and ripping him as well.  —  It's misguided anger.  —  There are dozens of agents available to a baseball player.

Breaking down all MLB team needs  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  The Hot Stove is upon us once again.  —  With the Boston Red Sox newly crowned, it's time for the focus to shift to next season.  That, of course, means that all clubs will be working to address their needs in the coming weeks.

Marlins expected to shop Cabrera  —  Baseball's hot-stove season gets under way today with one scenario already sizzling - Alex Rodriguez replacing Miguel Cabrera at third base for the Marlins.  —  Sound crazy?  Perhaps.  But at least one half of the equation is real.

Probabilistic Model of Range, 2007, Teams  —  Baseball Info Solutions sent me their final stats for 2007 over the weekend.  That means it's time to start presenting the 2007 Probabilistic Model or Range.  If you're new to this, you can find explanations in this archive.

The Bill James Handbook 2008 - Part One  —  A United States Postal Service Priority Mail envelope was sitting on my desk at home when I returned from a two-day trip to Arizona last Friday.  I opened it up and was pleasantly surprised to find The Bill James Handbook 2008 inside.

Q&A with Andy MacPhail  —  O's president of baseball operations answers Sun reporter Jeff Zrebiec's questions ahead of the general managers meetings  —  Hired in June to head the Orioles' front office, president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail faces a daunting task this offseason …

Hey Pedro, give Mets blessing to get Schilling  —  Pedro Martinez, if you're reading this, please don't throw a fit just yet.  Give me a chance to explain.  —  I know Curt Schilling is far from your best friend - surely you're not having sleepovers, as Alex Rodriguez would say - but let's put aside your personal issues for a second.

'We need to evolve'  —  Even if he was not the Cardinals' first choice as general manager, John Mozeliak resounded as an extremely popular one when announced Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium.  —  The fit was a comfortable one.  Club chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. introduced Mozeliak …

Cordero testing the market  —  Brewer among handful of free-agent closers available  —  Doug Melvin doesn't expect a lot of serious trade talk to take place at the annual meeting of major league baseball general managers this week in Orlando, Fla.  —  "There are so many free agents out there," said the Milwaukee Brewers' GM.

Pirates to hire Russell as manager  —  John Russell, let go by the Pittsburgh Pirates as their third base coach only two seasons ago, will succeed Jim Tracy as the team's manager, a source with knowledge of the hiring told the Associated Press last night.  —  Russell, who lost his previous job …

Gaps prompt GMs to shop  —  Their offseason work is filling in the blanks  —  Theo Epstein is bound to receive inquiries on Coco Crisp at this week's general managers' meetings in Orlando.  The Red Sox are sitting pretty with Jacoby Ellsbury ready to take over, and Crisp is seen as major trade bait …

Padres must get better to get back  —  Towers takes short list to GMs meeting, will seek center fielder via trade route  —  Padres General Manager Kevin Towers will try to trade for a center fielder this month.  If he doesn't find the right deal, he'll look harder at free agents such as Andruw Jones and Mike Cameron, among others.

Twins can't bear to look at what Silva market will bear  —  Twins righthander Carlos Silva was 13-14 with a 4.19 ERA last season.  That's good enough for him to be a sought-after free-agent pitcher during this offseason.  —  The team wants him back, but he will be one of the most sought-after free-agent pitchers this offseason.

New father-in-law fond of Francoeur  —  As he prepared to give away his daughter Saturday night to Braves outfielder Jeff Francoeur, Malcolm McCoy was the picture of poise.  —  People have been asking him all week if he was nervous, but McCoy said he's been feeling quite the opposite.