Some big names have come off the board. What about the Prince?

I have some real concerns about the Tigers 2012 edition without Victor Martinez in the lineup. I think his loss has very negative ramifications on the season for Miguel Cabrera. If VMart isn't in the middle of the lineup, then who is? I'm not totally sold on a full season of strength from Brennan Boesch. I'm not convinced Delmon Young can duplicate his last season in Minnesota. The Tigers lost out on Carlos Pena to Tampa Bay. I've watched way too much of Johnny Peralta. Enough to know I don't trust him with men on base in the middle of the batting order. I really believe Vladdy is their best option. But they need another bat. I already thought they would be challenged to score runs even with Martinez.

Kevin Slowey? Here we go again in Cleveland. Low end/low risk. I've watched Slowey get torched and I've watched some good outings. He's returning from injury. He joins Derek Lowe coming off the YIKES pile and into the Tribe's rotation. Man, I hope I'm wrong. That now makes 4 good arms the Indians have traded to Colorado. Pomeranz, Gardner, White and now Zach Putnam who I believe to be a very good 8th inning option. Like the others, he has the ability to induce ground balls. That plays well in Colorado.

Hmm. Still no compensation for Theo Epstein from Chicago to Boston. The teams have now asked MLB to solve the problem. I think it should be someone like Andrew Cashner. How can this been allowed to go on this long? Shouldn't the compensation have been worked out before the deal? How foolish of me.

I like the fact Carlos Pena signed with the Rays. It gives them a good defensive first baseman and a guy that will hit the long ball. They can probably live with the strikeouts and low average. I can't on my fantasy team. No Pena and no Mark Reynolds for me.

I look for the tandem of Joey Votto and Jay Bruce to have monster seasons in Cincy. I remain very high on Bruce.

I dropped Miguel Cabrera behind Votto, Adrian and Pujols in my personal rankings. I just can't take the chance that teams will walk him twice a game. How about you? Prior to VMart going down, I had Cabrera ahead of all the rest. I look for some scuffles for Pujols in his first year in Anaheim. After the adjustment, he'll be his great self.

Can't wait to see what Paul Goldschmidt can do over an entire season in Arizona. He and JUP form a very attractive fantasy duo in the desert. Especially in Chase Field. Oh, and by the way, they play at Coors as well. Very, very tempting.

Yu Darvish? I saw him in the World Classic a couple years ago. Big and lean with an outstanding arm. I'm not ready to declare him in the upper echelon of pitchers. I do think he is an attractive option, but I'll let someone else pay the price if he climbs in my AL only auction. I do like the chances for strikeouts and wins. I'm concerned about his ERA and WHIP.

I really believe Neftali Feliz is risky as a starter. He could be really fine in that role, but what happens the 3rd time through the lineup will be the difference maker. The heat can only get a pitcher so far in a game. Feliz has to refine the slider and the change up. They are critical to his success.

Is there a secret team waiting in the wings to sign Prince? How about the........Brewers. I'm still not going to count them totally out if the years or price drops. But I still like the Rangers, Mariners and yes, the Nationals.

The Dodgers ownership bidding war is going to be beyond belief. Can you imagine spending more than a billion dollars on a baseball team? Once the owner is known, the team will be respectable and start spending big, big money. Many of the $$$ will go to Clayton Kershaw. He and Mr. Kemp will be the building blocks for the future.

The more I think about Braves shortstop Tyler Pastornicky, the more I like him as a low round sleeper at a weak position. Take a look at him. You may like what you see. I see some real promise and opportunity.

I'll be watching Lorenzo Cain's bat in Spring Training. To date, I haven't been sold that he can get on base. However, I really do think the royals want Cain as their center fielder. I'm not buying yet.

I am buying the bat of Johnny Giavotella as the Royals second baseman. He may get most of the at-bats there. He can hit for average. Not much power, but a good option if you're stuck for that position in an auction.

Speaking of second basemen, I'm very bullish on Jason Kipnis this coming season. The Indians don't have much offense, but Kipnis is a "run through the wall" type guy with upside remaining.

Michael Pineda in New York. It works for me. More wins. Good on strikeouts, fair on ERA and WHIP. His second half swoon tells me he ran out of gas, just like Alexi Ogando. I'll have back up plans, but Pineda could be a great pickup because of his new team.

Montero in Seattle? Try to find someone in America more bullish on Montero than I've been for the past two years. My regular readers know that I've been waiting for him to get regular at-bats.......in New York. The new park hurts his emerging power, but it may help his average with the big gaps. The RBI take a dive as the Mariners should continue to be allergic to touching home plate.
But I'm sticking with him.

I really, really like Jose Campos. Especially now in New York. In three years I think he's Michael Pineda all over again. Pineda was 40 pounds lighter when I first saw him. That's Campos today. I also think Hector Noesi could start for Seattle. But he has to show me some better command and control before I buy in. I like his upside. I like his park. Let him show us first.

I remember last year at this time. We all thought the American League would go to Boston. And probably the World Series as well. We know what happened. It's too soon to declare the Yankees unbeatable. But man, in one night they fixed their mediocre pitching and became very, very strong. Kuroda and Pineda added to CC and Nova. Who gets the 5th starter's role? What happens to Phil Hughes? Oh, and A,J. Burnett? What a problem. From too little pitching to pitching depth. You'll never read the words "too much pitching" from me. Can't have too much. It's like ice cream. Never too much. Or Pistachios. Or potato chips.

Will I see you here in Arizona for Spring Training? Buy your tickets now. It's going to be a great spring here with new faces like Darvish and Pujols.

Ryan Braun had his hearing this week. Wonder what will happen?

How do you get from Heredia to Carmona? How much discipline does it take to believe you're someone else? It sounds like Fausto was in the witness protection program. Along with Leo Nunez. What a world. Now Fausto has to hope he can get from Carmona to Heredia. Or whatever his name is.

Only about a month to go until a return of........Culvers and In and Out Burger and Don & Charlie's. Oh, right, and baseball.

Follow me on twitter @BerniePleskoff and on MLB.com in Voices. Always welcome your comments and questions.

Later.