Not quite ready for spring

Prince has signed, but there are plenty of offseason storylines remaining

Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images

Roy Oswalt doesn't have a team yet this offseason, with spring training approaching.

OPINION

By Tony DeMarco

NBCSports.com contributor

updated 9:58 p.m. ET Jan. 26, 2012

Tony DeMarco

Now that Prince Fielder has signed MLB's latest mega-deal, you might think all the huge offseason news already has occurred. But that's not the case. There remain several potential big headlines before training camps open in three weeks:

• Forget about Miguel Cabrera and Fielder hitting 3-4 in the Tigers' order. There's no bigger lineup than the list of bidders for the Dodgers ? including Mark Cuban, Magic Johnson, Joe Torre, Steve Garvey, Dennis Gilbert, Peter O'Malley, Stan Kroenke and Stan Kasten, not to mention a handful of under-the-radar billionaires.

And that likely means Frank McCourt is going to get at least $1.5 billion for the team he ran into the ground ? which doesn't seem right, but it will be the biggest-ever price tag for an MLB franchise.

Even at that number, the Dodgers could turn out to be a bargain, with an expected mega-dollars television rights deal along the lines of the one Angels owner Arte Moreno recently landed.

McCourt has until April 1 to pick a successor ? subject to the ultimate approval of MLB, with mediation possible in case of a dispute ? but it could come sooner. But certainly by the first week of the regular season, we're going to know who will head what should be one of the great sports-franchise turnarounds. In the very near future, MLB should have its West Coast version of the Yankees or Red Sox.

• There still is quality free-agent pitching to be had, led by Edwin Jackson. The Red Sox ? among others ? have serious interest, and no projected top contender needs him more. Behind Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, there are only question marks led by Daniel Bard (starter or reliever?) and Alfredo Aceves. So an innings eater is needed, and that makes Jackson the better candidate than Oswalt, who's battled back issues in recent years.

That could leave Oswalt to chose between the Rangers, Cardinals, Reds, or even the Tigers. The problem is that neither of Oswalt's top two choices ? Texas and St. Louis ? has a big need for another starter.

The Rangers can line up six quality starters without Oswalt: Yu Darvish, Neftali Feliz, Derek Holland, Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison and Alexi Ogando. And the defending world champions will get Adam Wainwright back to top the 2012 rotation that includes Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook, with top prospect Shelby Miller in the wings.

• The paperwork has been completed, Yoenis Cespedes has established legal residency in the Dominican Republic, so the official bidding can begin for the right-handed-hitting Cuban outfielder.

Cespedes is listed at 26, and at a solid 5-10 and around 190 pounds, with power and capable of playing center field, reminds you of former Dodgers outfielder Raul Mondesi.

The list of reported suitors reportedly includes the White Sox, Orioles, Marlins, Indians, and Cubs. There could be immediate opportunities in left field with the White Sox and Orioles, and the Indians need a right-handed-hitting complement to their three projected left-handed hitting outfield starters.

The Marlins have the geographic edge, but not an apparent immediate opening unless they turn Emilio Bonafacio into a super-utility player rather than a regular center fielder ? not a bad idea, come to think of it.

But the Cubs are the most-intriguing possibility, especially since they haven't made a major financial move in a restructuring that so far, has resulted in this plus-minus roster churning:

Gone: Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Pena, Sean Marshall, Andrew Cashner, Tyler Colvin, D.J. LeMahieu.

Arrived: Anthony Rizzo, Paul Maholm, Chris Volstad, David DeJesus, Ian Stewart, Travis Wood.

They've cleared a lot of money, gotten younger and more left-handed, and built a little pitching depth, and Cespedes would give them another potential middle-of-the-order type they desperately need.

Here's one projected Cubs lineup as the roster stands now: SS Starlin Castro, 2B Darwin Barney, CF Marlon Byrd, LF Alfonso Soriano, 1B Rizzo/Bryan LaHair, C Geovany Soto, 3B Ian Stewart, RF David DeJesus. Obviously, there's a huge void in the middle.

• Josh Hamilton can become a free agent after the 2012 season, and says contract-extension talks need to wrap up before the start of spring training, adding a little urgency to the situation.

There's no better fit for him than where he's at, and given his addiction history, comfort level has to be a major factor in his decision-making. But just as with Fielder and Albert Pujols, there are obvious misgivings about a very-long-term deal for Hamilton, who will turn 31 in May.

Since playing 156 games in 2008, Hamilton's season totals have been 89, 133 and 121. Those last three numbers will be discounted some if Hamilton can log 150-plus games in 2012. But another injury-interrupted season will only add to durability questions.

But if Hamilton puts up another MVP-type season similar to Fielder's 2011, then you know somebody ? and all it takes is one ? will go way past the range of conventional wisdom in terms of contract length and money. And that's not likely to be the Rangers ? even though they can afford Hamilton as their new television deal kicks in.

The situation dictates a short-term/big money extension ? three or four years in the $25-million per season range.

• Johnny Damon is running out of American League teams. In a 17-year career in which he has totaled 2,723 hits, Damon has played for a half-dozen of them ? the Royals, A's, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers and Rays.

If he'll take a dramatically reduced salary, there's a chance he could return to the Yankees to platoon at DH with Andruw Jones. The A's are another reunion possibility, but it's likely Damon will add AL team No. 7 to his resume.

Seattle desperately needs offense of any kind, has money to spend, and currently has right-handed-hitting Trayvon Robinson penciled in as the regular left-fielder. And Minnesota's projected starting outfield is Ben Revere, Denard Span and Josh Willingham, so there certainly are at-bats to be had there.

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More newsDilip Vishwanat / Getty Images

Not quite ready for spring

??DeMarco: Just because Prince? Fielder finally signed, that doesn't mean the offseason is out of storylines. Here's what has to be sorted out before spring training starts in three weeks.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46156759/ns/sports-baseball/

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