LoneStarBall is the premier fan site for Texas Rangers fans and is a clearinghouse for everything you'd ever need or want to know (and some things you might not!) about the club. Adam Morris is the brains behind the operation and was kind enough to sit with me (via email) for a chat about the Rangers, free agency, and the Yu Darvish hysteria:

Justin Bopp: Considering the Rangers' pursuit of Yu Darvish, the loss of C.J. Wilson, and the numerous rumors around Fielder and Garza, what do you think of the Rangers' off-season so far? What still needs to get done? Was there really much needed change in the first place?

Adam Morris: The Rangers offseason thusfar has been about what I expected. I thought they'd stay out of the mix for the big first basemen, let C.J. walk, and focus on landing Yu Darvish. With Neftali Feliz moving into a starting role, the Rangers already had a full rotation before winning the bidding on Darvish, so it will be interesting to see how they let that play out.

The one surprise is the decision to go out and get Joe Nathan, since you'd figure Mike Adams or Alexi Ogando (if he's the odd man out in the rotation) would be able to be a top-notch closer, but Ron Washington clearly prefers the security blanket of having a "proven" closer. I think the Rangers need to sign Darvish and find a lefty for the bullpen, but other than that, they are in pretty good shape at this point.

JB: You have your finger on the pulse of RangersFan, right? What's the mood following the World Series loss? Time to blow it up or time to buckle down and take another swing at it?

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It was a lost season on the south side of Chicago in 2011, as the team seemed to struggle on nearly every front. We sat down with Jim Margalus of South Side Sox to ask him about the changes in management, the farm system, and what he'd like to see out of the front office this off-season.

ON UNDERPERFORMING VETERANS:

MLBDD: It seems that the team had an unusually large amount of bad contracts in the lineup for most of the season, most notably Adam Dunn and Alex Rios. Do you think some of these players will rebound in 2012, or do you think this may be the performance level we will see from them going forward?

JM: I think it's closer to the latter. They'll probably improve a little, if only because Dunn shouldn't face lefties anymore, and Alex Rios has a toe problem that might hurt him. But Dunn looked like he was dealing with walleye vision, and Rios is so mechanically unsound in all facets that it seems like they have to overcome physical problems on top of any mental woes.

My Thoughts: I don't know what they should do about them, but hopefully they will get improved production from both of them. I honestly have no idea what they will do if Dunn and Rios don't improve, but I imagine it will involve a lot more time on the bench.

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The Rangers showed that 2010 was no fluke, as they made a return trip to the World Series in 2011. However, the team has some key questions to address during this offseason, and Lone Star Ball's Adam J. Morris was kind enough to sit down and answer some of our questions about the team.

ON FREE AGENT C.J. WILSON:

MLBDD: One of the top free agent pitchers this offseason is the Rangers' own C.J. Wilson. Do you think he will be back in Texas for 2012, and how large do you think the contract will be, regardless of where he signs?

AJM: My guess is that C.J. is not back in 2012. The C.J. Wilson situation is fascinating…he was the best pitcher on the team in 2011, was one of the best pitchers on the team in 2010, and yet many fans act like he’s part of the problem with the Rangers. He’s a very polarizing player with the fans, and has been dating back to when he was a reliever. A lot of fans love him, but there’s a not insubstantial number of Ranger fans who view him as a "douche" and a choker, and claim to be happy he won’t be back with the team next year.

The front office appears prepared to let him walk. Their top offseason priority is Japanese starter Yu Darvish, and the indications seem to be that they’ll let C.J. explore the market, and talk to him about coming back only if they aren’t able to land Darvish. In addition, Nolan Ryan has talked about being averse to five year deals for pitchers, and was supposedly reluctant to even go to five years on Cliff Lee last offseason. With the conventional wisdom being that C.J. will get at least a five year deal, the Rangers appear okay with the idea that they’ll make a token offer, and that he’ll sign with another team this offseason.

Predicting a contract for C.J. is difficult…he’s only been a major league starter for two years, which means that he has much less of a track record than other pitchers do, but the flip side of that coin is that he has less mileage on his arm than most pitchers his age. I always end up being surprised at how much more top free agents get than I expect them to, so I’ll predict he’s going to get an amount well more than I think is reasonable – say, 6 years, $105 million.

My Thoughts: I can't say I was all that aware of the hatred amongst some of the fans, but for some reason I'm also not super surprised. I actually like C.J. Wilson, and like how engaged he tends to be on Twitter, but I can see how some may not enjoy it that much. As for the contract offer Adam predicted, that would be a crazy offer, and the first thought in my mind was that it is way too high. However, based on what we've already seen, and just how light the high-level starting pitching market is, we could see him get around that much money.

Read about Adam's thoughts about the Rangers' ability to convert relievers to starters, the deep farm system, and what moves he'd like to see the team make after the jump...

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The Tigers were expected to be competitive this past season, but they were a slight surprise to make it past the first round and defeat the Yankees. Kurt Mensching of the SBNation Detroit Tigers' blog, Bless You Boys, was nice enough to sit down for our 5 Questions series. We talked about the candidacy of Justin Verlander for MVP, the Curtis Granderson trade revisited, and the minors, among other topics.

ON THE DOUG FISTER TRADE:

MLBDD: It looked like a minor move at the time, but the trade to acquire Doug Fister was one of the key acquisitions made during the season. How do you feel about the trade and its cost in players, and do you think Fister will be able to repeat his performance level in 2012?

KM: I loved the trade right from the start. I kind of felt like the Mariners got fleeced, to be honest.

Starting with what Detroit gave up: Charlie Furbush and Casper Wells were the main components. They weren't exactly top 100 prospects or perennial all stars. Furbush is not likely to have a long MLB career, and he's not really a starter in the long run. Before the season, no one saw him as a good answer for Detroit's rotation, and nothing he did during the season really changed that opinion. Casper Wells, he's a fine player but he's far from an elite player. He plays solid defense. He hits the ball OK. Going into the season we thought he was basically a fourth outfielder, and he played better than that.

I think it's rather safe to say we shouldn't expect Doug Fister to perform at the same level he did. However, looking at his stats, looking at his stuff, it's hard to picture this guy being any worse than a No. 3 starter. He seems very smart with his pitching and looks like there's no reason to believe he'll suddenly fall apart. Plus he's cost controlled for four years to come. What's not to love?

My Thoughts: When this trade was announced, I honestly thought that the Mariners had done pretty well, and didn't really understand why the Tigers had gone out and acquired Fister. Clearly, he showed me (and quite a few other people) and pitched excellently down the stretch. It remains to be seen whether or not he can repeat that performance, but the team clearly trusts him near the top of that rotation.

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The Brewers made moves last offseason to try and push all-in for a run to the World Series, acquiring Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum toward that end. Unfortunately, the team was eliminated short of that goal, losing in the NLCS to the eventual champs, the St. Louis Cardinals. Brew Crew Ball's Kyle Lobner was nice enough to sit down for our 5 Questions Series, and he talked about what he'd like to see the team do for 2012, award candidates, and the minor leagues, among other topics.

ON THE IMPENDING FREE AGENCY OF PRINCE FIELDER:

MLBDD: The big question for 2012 seems to be whether the team can bring back free agent 1B Prince Fielder. Do you think he will be back in Milwaukee, and how big do you think his contract will be, regardless of where he signs?

KL: I think there's still a small chance Fielder returns, but it's very small. Maybe less than 10%. There's two related problems here: First, Fielder is probably worth more to someone else than he is to the Brewers. There's likely at least one team out there with a glaring enough hole at first base to justify giving Fielder a 6-7 year deal, and that's simply not something the Brewers should be trying to compete with.

Secondly, though, even if Fielder doesn't draw a massive, over-the-top offer, signing him to a fair-market deal at this point would require some significant short-term payroll shifting. The Brewers probably have $10-15 million available as things stand right now and still need a first baseman, shortstop, some bullpen help and bench. If they give Fielder (or Jose Reyes) all of that money, then they'll have to dump payroll elsewhere simply to put 25 guys on the roster on Opening Day.

My Thoughts: It is sounding more and more likely that Fielder will not be back in Milwaukee for 2012, but it remains to be seen where he will end up instead. The team could very easily give Mat Gamel a shot at 1B if they aren't able to bring him back, but it seems more likely that they would try to find a reasonably priced 1B who will give them some of the production. Kyle is right that the team really needs a solid replacement at shortstop, but I'm not sure that Jose Reyes is that player for them either. They might be better served trying to find someone to hit near the bottom of the order, and spend that money elsewhere.

Read about Kyle's thoughts on the minors, the Braun candidacy, and potential moves for 2012 after the jump...

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The Yankees came into the season expected to win the Wild Card in the AL, but not their division by anyone. They surprised a bit by winning the AL East, but were unable to advance past the Division Series. As a part of our ongoing 5 Questions Series, we sat down with Pinstripe Alley's Travis Goldman to discuss the state of the team, the minor leagues, and the Curtis Granderson trade. 

ON POTENTIAL OFFSEASON MOVES:

TG: It seems from all of GM Brian Cashman's talk that he feels the organization has a much better handle on NPB (Japanese Pro Ball) due to more and better scouting. That leads me to believe they'll make a serious run at Japanese phenom Yu Darvish. By most accounts, he'll be an excellent ML pitcher with the chance to be an ace. For as good as Daisuke Matsuzaka was in NPB, Darvish has been significantly better. His posting fee would be high, but it wouldn't count against the luxury tax and wouldn't require forfeiting a draft pick.

If that doesn't happen, I see them going after a lefty like C.J. Wilson or Mark Buehrle. Southpaws tend to fare better in Yankee Stadium.

Right now, it looks like there's only one opening in the 2012 rotation, after CC Sabathia (thank goodness), Ivan Nova, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes. Because of that, they may only go after one starter, especially considering the strength of the farm system. There are also slim chances that Burnett is traded and Hughes is demoted to the bullpen. In that unlikely case, they'll be very active this winter.

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It was a bit of an up and down season for Giants' fans coming off the high of winning the 2010 World Series. The season didn't quite go as planned, and we sat down with Baseball Nation writer and manager of McCovey Chronicles Grant Brisbee for 5 Questions about the Giants, and some of the main events of their season.

ON BUSTER POSEY:

MLBDD: Probably the biggest loss of the season for the Giants was the season-ending injury to 2010 Rookie of the Year Buster Posey. Do you feel this had a greater impact on the lineup or on the pitching staff? Also, do you think he'll be ready and back to his prior level of performance at the start of 2012?

GB: Considering the pitching staff was just as effective, or close to it, as they were in 2010, it was clearly a bigger blow to the lineup. Even by backup-catcher standards, Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart were simply awful. From August 1 until the end of the season, Whiteside had a .382 OPS, which almost made Stewart's .193/.264/.337 line during that time seem like Posey was back. The early reports of his rehab have been positive, as he's caught some bullpen sessions, and he's running the bases now. I don't think it's a guarantee that he'll be the same player, but the reports have been encouraging -- with each one, it seems like there's less of a chance that he'll have the same problems as Kendrys Morales.

My Thoughts: Grant is right that the pitching staff didn't really miss a beat. The lineup clearly struggled though, and having Whiteside and Stewart were basically making the lineup only 7 batters long in some games. I hope that Posey will be able to return to form, as he clearly showed the potential to be one of the top 5 catchers in the game. Hopefully he won't follow in the same path as Morales. 

Read more about Grant's thoughts about Brandon Belt, the emergence of Ryan Vogelsong, and what the team should do with Barry Zito after the jump...

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As I am out enjoying the first birthday of my thirties, here's links to previously published 5 Question Series writeups:

AL West

5 Questions with Seattle Mariners' Expert Jeff Sullivan

5 Questions with Oakland Athletics' Expert Nico Pemantle

5 Questions with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Expert Rev Halofan

AL Central

5 Questions with Cleveland Indians' Expert Ryan Richards

5 Questions with Kansas City Royals' Expert Will McDonald

AL East

5 Questions with Tampa Bay Rays Experts Jason Collette and Steve Slowinski

5 Questions with Baltimore Orioles' Expert Stacey Long

5 Questions with Toronto Blue Jays' Expert Tom Dakers

NL West

5 Questions with Arizona Diamondbacks' Expert Jim McLennan

NL Central

5 Questions with Pittsburgh Pirates' Expert Charlie Wilmoth

5 Questions with Houston Astros' Expert Tim De Block

NL East

5 Questions with Washington Nationals' Expert Patrick Reddington

5 Questions with New York Mets' Expert Eric Simon