I'm looking forward to the MLB Playoffs, but I still have some thoughts on my mind about the regular season.

The Yankees have some serious pitching issues entering the playoffs. If C.C. can win the opener it will take tons of pressure off the rest of the staff. But their lack of starting pitching depth really showed coming down the stretch.

Consider that the Reds are in the playoffs and Aaron Harang isn't part of the big 3 in the starting rotation. How quickly things can change with pitchers.

Look for talks to heat up about the Rays moving to Orlando.

Buster Posey was a sleepwalker during the Arizona Fall League and then had a monster season.

The Angels have fired Eddie Bane, their Director of Scouting. That's significant because the Angels have made very, very few changes in scouting in the past several years. The Angels are tasting the reality of a huge decline in organizational depth. It's ironic that they let Bane go because they had a very good draft this past June.

Ken Macha has received a well deserved pink slip from the Brewers. Not that they had any pitching, but if you look up "underachieving" in the dictionary, Macha's picture will be part of the definition. However, Omar Manaya, Jerry Manuel and the entire Seattle Mariners front office and team will share the page.

Big league hitters make adjustments to pitchers. Consider Mat Latos as exhibit #1 this season. HIs late season struggles may have come from fatigue, but give the NL hitters credit for adjusting. He's got a great arm and he should be able to make his own adjustments for next season.

Don't get the Lazy Boy recliner ready yet for David Ortiz. He quietly had a nice season for a club that really needed his bat. He's not the same as he was, but he didn't have much protection in the Red Sox lineup.

Adam Dunn to the Cubs? They need more than his bat, but that would be a huge start. 38 homers in Wrigley would come in very handy.

No, we haven't seen everything Cargo has to offer. And consider that the DBacks and A's put him in trade packages. That happens when premium pitching is involved. In both cases, Gonzalez was the centerpiece of the deal. He's got tremendous hand-eye coordination and excellent plate mechanics.

Imagine what Cliff Lee can ask of the Yankees if he chooses to leave Texas!

Pablo Sandoval woke up a bit late in the season, but he has to push himself away from the table in the off season. I attribute much of his decline to his lack of flexibility. Even as a big body last season, Sandoval had lower body flexibility. I think he lost much of that and it hurt his overall game.

Josh Hamilton remains a long-term contract risk because of his consistent health issues. But when he's healthy...well, we saw what his MVP type campaign looks like when he's close to 100|PERCENT|. He's just a very fragile player prone to injury. When healthy, Hamilton, Vlad and Cruz make quite a trio at the plate. Throw in Michael Young and they can be lethal when they are all in the lineup together.

The jury remains out on Justin Smoak as a power source. I have always had my doubts, but it becomes much more difficult for him in Seattle. Why the Rangers didn't take the deal with the Yankees is tough to figure. But Smoak is now a Mariner and he felt the big league pressure. Next season is huge for him.

Give the Phillies credit. They realized they needed one more starting pitcher and went out and got Roy Oswalt. Interesting that Oswalt fit their needs and Cliff Lee didn't. There's more to the Lee to Seattle story than meets the eye. Lee would have been a very tough sign. Oswalt probably not. Oswalt made a huge difference for the Phillies.

Lance Berkman? He joins my "Whatever Happend To?" list. To be fair, he was hurt this year. But it seems he's fallen off the cliff. What's his future? Nice piece for the Yankees to keep, but I would guess Berkman still wants to play everyday. Not as a DH.

Manny Acta was pleased with the Indians progress this season. Really? I guess beating out the Royals for last place does show some improvement. Where's the lumber? Yes, I've always liked Shin-Soo Choo. But for me it's Choo and then Who?

I've always been concerned that Matt LaPorta is not a power hitter. I'll give it one more season before I say I told you so. But only one more.

Dustin Ackley will be the Arizona Fall League starting this month. I'd like to see if he's made any adjustments.

Don't sleep on Max Scherzer next season. He's got an outstanding arm and his command is improving. I've always liked him as a closer, but he had a fine season as a starter. Dan Schlereth has a good arm as well. That was a good deal for the Tigers when they got those two young pitchers in the off-season.

Mark Reynolds may be finished in Arizona. The strikeouts continued this season and he may be the poster boy for change. However, it's tough to give up consistent 30+ homers. But the DBacks can't keep doing the same things over and over. Add Justin Upton to the underachieving list. But Upton stays. And Brandon Webb? Remember him? Who knows.

Hats off to Aubrey Huff and (I have to swallow hard when I write this) Pat Burrell. They both contributed some much needed power and offense to the Giants. For me, the MVP on that club is Brian Wilson. What a job he did closing out games.

Derrek Lee escaped Chicago and he gets to play in the post-season for the Braves. But he's been a terrible post-season player in his limited time with the Cubs.

Interesting questions to be answered before next season: Where does Manny end up? Anywhere? How about Paul Konerko?
Does Bengie Molina get a job as a starting catcher? Remember-just a few short seasons ago, he was a cleanup hitter in San Francisco.
Will San Diego be able to keep Adrian Gonzalez? Not making the playoffs may remove that cloud from their skyline. What happens to VMart?

Enjoy the playoffs. I'll be heading to the Fall League games in the middle of the month. I'll keep you posted on what I see. Good and bad. It's just a preview for the season ahead, but it's the place high level players finish off their preparation for big league clubs.