The Curious Decline of the Red Sox: A Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Thanks to Comcast SportsNet New England, New York Yankees fans have been given what appears to be the first glimpse of what the 2012 Boston Red Sox starting rotation will look like. Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and Clay Buccholz will comprise the top three starters.

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Starters Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright hold the keys for defending champion Cardinals (Yahoo! Sports)

St. Louis can survive the departures of Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols if the top of its rotation stays healthy in 2012.

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Pirates and Yankees still working on A.J. Burnett deal ()

Momentum for a deal between the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees that would send A.J. Burnett to western Pennsylvania "stayed strong" Monday night, according to the New York Post. "The teams remained apart both on dollars and the type of prospects that would be included," the paper reports. The Post notes that the Yanks are also talking to two other teams about Burnett as well, but clearly see the Pirates as the best match for the righty. The Pirates are up for paying $10 million of the $33 million owed to Burnett over the next two seasons, the paper notes, and will send the Yanks two prospects. The players being offered aren't very exciting to the Yankees at this point, the paper notes, but the team would be more open to such players if the Pirates were willing to shell out more than $13 million of Burnett's salary. With six other starters on the roster, the Yanks would like to unload Burnett before the season gets underway. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook .

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New York Yankees Rotation May Be Too Crowded for A.J. Burnett (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

With the New York Yankees having re-signed Freddy Garcia last month and recently acquired starters Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda via trade and free agency, respectively, a rotation recently barren of depth is now as crowded as a Manhattan-bound MTA train during rush hour.

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Freddy Garcia signs one-year deal with Yankees (Yahoo! Sports)

Pitcher Freddy Garcia agreed to a one-year deal to return to the New York Yankees, according to ESPN.com. Garcia's arrival could give the team five expected starters entering spring training: CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, A.J. Burnett, Garcia and Phil Hughes.

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Hey, stranger! Rangers, Cards meet in World Series (AP)

Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton in a matchup of MVP sluggers. Nelson Cruz and David Freese becoming bigger names with each home run swing. Pitching staffs full of shaky starters and shutdown relievers. Plus a Rally Squirrel and the Claw. The Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, with a lot of symmetry, are all set to get acquainted in the World Series.

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Sabathia-Verlander matchup set for Monday (Yahoo! Sports)

Sabathia is scheduled to start Monday for the New York Yankees against Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander in Game 3 of their American League playoff in Detroit. The two stars were the starters in the series opener Friday night at Yankee Stadium, but the game was suspended...

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Yankees go with three-man rotation (Yahoo! Sports)

The New York Yankees, who alternately have had too many starters and not enough effective starters this season, will go with a three-man rotation in the ALDS. The Yankees will start CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia in the first three games against the Detroit Tigers, with...

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Tigers put five starting pitchers on roster (Yahoo! Sports)

The Detroit Tigers apparently feel there's safety in numbers when going up against a lineup as powerful as the New York Yankees. Detroit put all five starters on its playoff roster for the ALDS against the Yankees, which begins Friday night in New York.

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