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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- To suggest that LHP Danny Duffy has been the only thing positive about Kansas City Royals pitching in the past month is nearly correct.As the Royals visit the Tampa Bay Rays to open a four-game series, they do so in the midst of a four-game skid that began after Duffys last start, which came after another four-game losing streak.In Kansas Citys last 25 games, the Royals are 5-0 when Duffy starts and 2-18 when he doesnt.He simplified his mechanics, so hes able to repeat them consistently, Royals manager Ned Yost explained Sunday. Hes throwing strikes with all three of his pitches, managing his pitch count very, very effectively. And hes really just turned the corner.And a 27-year-old who has only once had a winning record in five previous seasons -- and that was going 2-0 in five starts in 2013 -- is now 6-1, and again the Royals best chance to pull out of a slide that has seen them drop eight of nine games.The Rays, somehow, are on the opposite tear. After a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees, theyve matched a season high with four straight wins. Theyve done it with the opposite of the Royals problem: reliable, consistent quality starts from their pitching staff.Sundays starter, LHP Blake Snell, gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings for the win but fell two outs shy of the minimum for a quality start, thus ending a streak of 10 straight quality starts by Rays pitchers.Were starting to see a trend: When you pitch well and play good defense, you give yourself a chance to win consecutive ballgames, said Rays manager Kevin Cash, not far removed from a stretch where the Rays won three of 27 games.The Rays are scheduled to start RHP Chris Archer, who has a major-league-high 14 losses, against the Royals, but theres the possibility he could be dealt in a blockbuster move before Mondays 4 p.m. trading deadline. Archer has been mentioned as a possibility for the Los Angeles Dodgers, though the price would be expensive to pry an All-Star leader from Tampa Bay.The Rays could be very busy -- fellow starters Matt Moore and Jake Odorizzi have both been mentioned as trade targets, as has versatile infielder Steve Pearce, who is a free agent this winter.The three-game sweep this weekend was enough to make the Yankees sellers, trading away prized reliver Andrew Miller, but will it be enough to keep the Rays from moving major pieces of their franchise?As it stands, the Rays being active at the trade deadline would be one thing to help change the momentum of two teams -- the Rays, getting back to their winning ways but far out of contention, and the Royals, hoping to get another win from Duffy, their proven streak-buster. Nike Tanjun Shoes On Sale . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Cheap Nike Tanjun Shoes . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. http://www.niketanjuncheap.com/ . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Cheap Nike Tanjun Wholesale .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Nike Tanjun For Sale . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. With free agency underway, the offseason is about to pick up steam. What are the big questions facing all 30 teams? Weve already covered the AL East, NL East and AL Central and now were moving on to the America League West.Who will end up at first base?2016 record: 95-67Prince Fielders career is over, ruined by two neck surgeries in his last three years. Mitch Moreland, who earned a Gold Glove last week, hit 22 homers and drove in 60 runs last season. But the Texas Rangers will probably let him explore free agency, which means the team that finished with the best record in the American League has no idea who will play first base next season.While the Rangers are a big-market team that started last season with a top-10 pay roll, they operate on a budget and general manager Jon Daniels has said its not going to increase much over last years budget. So its unlikely theyre going to sign a player such as Edwin Encarnarcion, who hit .263 with 42 homers and 127 RBIs with an OPS of .886 last season.Theyre much more likely to fill the job from within.In a perfect situation, Joey Gallo would earn the job with a strong spring training. Gallo, a power-hitting third baseman, has been among the Rangers best prospects for several seasons, but he has struggled in limited opportunities with the Rangers. Hes a good enough fielder to easily make the transition to first base, but in 133 big-league at-bats he has struck out 73 times, while hitting just .173. If he can hit .230, the Rangers would probably be willing to give him 500 at-bats and hit him seventh or eighth in the batting order.If not, they could go with a platoon of Jurickson Profar against right-handers and Ryan Rua against left-handers. Neither one of those players will give the Rangers the power theyd ideally want from first base. But they dont cost much and, maybe, they could combine for some decent offensive numbers with 600 at-bats between them.A wild-card option could be signing free agent Josh Hamilton, who was released during the season. Hes a good enough athlete to play first base, though he has never done it. Playing first might help him stay healthy. His knees are probably too balky to play in the outfield anymore. Hamilton can no longer produce MVP numbers, but he might be good enough in a platoon situation to be a one-year stop-gap while the Rangers wait for Ronald Guzman to arrive from the Triple-A. -- Jean-Jacques TaylorHow does the team with the longest playoff absence end that drought?2016 record: 86-76?It has now been 15 seasons without a trip to the postseason after the Mariners fell three wins short of a wild card in 2016. Theres no hedging here: The Mariners had the oldest average position player age in the AL in 2016 and given that Nelson Cruz is entering his age-36 season and Robinson Cano his age-34 season, Seattles window is narrow, especially since its unlikely those two combine for 82 home runs again.That pair helped the Mariners finish third in the AL in runs, the first time they ranked higher than 11th since 2007. Still, there are positions that could use an upgrade or improvement. Shortstop Ketel Marte was a disappointment in his first full season with a .287 OBP and mediocre defense as the Mariners ranked 28th in shortstop wOBA. Does GM Jerry Dipoto still believe in Marte? The Mariners also ranked 24th in OBP at first base. Adam Lind is a free agent, opening the door for Dan Vogelbach, acquired from the Cubs for Mike Montgomery. Vogelbach hit .292/.417/.505 at Triple-A, but is a poor defender and cant run. Finally, the outfield defense ranked 27th in the majors with minus-27 Defensive Runs Saved. Nori Aoki was released (the Astros claimed him), so theyll need a corner outfield replacement.On the pitching side, Edwin Diaz solved the closer problem that infected the team earlier in the season, but the decline of Felix Hernandez means the team now lacks an ace. Once again, theyll be counting on James Paxton and Taijuan Walker, but those two could also become trade bait. -- David SchoenfieldHow to fix the outfield?2016 record: 84-78Yes, theyll need a bounce-back campaign from Dallas Keuchel and a healthy Lance McCullers, but the Astros did rank fourth in the AL in runs allowed, so run prevention is in reasonably good shape with everyone back. The outfield, however, ranked 28th in the majors in wOBA as Colby Rasmus, Carlos Gomez, Jake Marisnick and Preston Tucker all cratered at the plate.The Astros already claimed Nori Aoki off waivers from Seattle and hell get the shot in left field, at lleast as a platoon guy, but hes 35 and the Mariners decided he wasnt worth his $6 million salary.dddddddddddd. Yulieski Gurriel is now blocked at third base by Alex Bregman, so hes a candidate for left field as well. Marisnick ended up as the primary center fielder after Gomez was released, and though hes a plus defender he hit just .209/.257/.331. If you go with him and Aoki in the outfield, youre not getting much power at two positions.What the Astros really need is a left-handed bat with some power (especially since Luis Valbuena is a free agent). The only good fit in free agency is Dexter Fowler, who isnt a big power bat but is a switch-hitter who can play center field.Oh, the only catchers on the 40-man roster are Max Stassi and Evan Gattis with Jason Castro a free agent. But I guess thats a second big question. -- David SchoenfieldHow will they spend $40-plus million in new cash?2016 record: 74-88?The bad news: The Angels lost 88 games, their most since 1999. The good news: Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson and their combined $40 million in salary are off the payroll. Wilson didnt pitch in 2016 while Weaver went 12-12 with a 5.06 ERA. The rotation, decimated by other injuries besides Wilson, ranked 11th in the AL in ERA.So they need pitching help. But they were just 10th in runs, so they need hitting help as well. Theyve already traded for Cameron Maybin to play left field and picked up Yunel Escobars $7 million team option, so that leaves catcher and second base as positions to upgrade, but heres guessing the Angels pour their resources into pitching.Rich Hill is an obvious candidate, but hes the obvious candidate for every team looking for rotation help. So they may be playing in the take a chance, hope for the best market that includes Andrew Cashner, Derek Holland and Jason Hammel. The bullpen was middle of the pack and could use a lockdown closer, so while spending huge money on Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen doesnt make the most sense, maybe they go for a shorter-term guy like Mark Melancon or Brad Ziegler. -- David SchoenfieldWill the As achieve any clarity in their stadium situation?2016 record: 69-93Yes, this question. Again. Still. But thats because its the question that matters most to the future of the franchise, and its ultimately more interesting than wondering whether or not the As will keep the players association and MLBs other owners off their backs for their dwindling payroll. Theres growing resentment within the industry over the As collecting more than $34 million per year in revenue-sharing despite playing in the big-market Bay Area. Will that revenue stream survive into baseballs new collective bargaining agreement when the old one expires on Dec. 1? And even if the As continue to collect that kind of cash from the other owners, can they even coax useful free agents to come play in the industry-worst facility that O.co Coliseum has degenerated into? Or will they just settle for overpaying the next Billy Butler to try to keep the union and the other owners happy?See, thats depressing. And the only answer to those questions that might please everyone (but the Giants) is for the As to achieve a stadium solution. This winter could provide what should be the triggering event to finally get something done -- the Raiders sewing up their future departure to Las Vegas, a decision on which should come in January. That news could finally set in motion plans to pick between the proposed sites within Oakland and line up the financing to build a baseball-only stadium while theres time to work with As-friendly mayor Libby Schaaf during the next two years shes sure to be in office. The timing is going to be tight for the Wolff and Fisher families that control the franchises future, because losing revenue-sharing money might trigger an ownership shakeup or an outright sale.If you feel cheated by this angle, the most interesting on-field questions for the As involve whether or not they can get Sonny Gray back to what he used to be after an awful 2015 -- although cynics would note thatd just revive his trade value and get him shipped out. And what they do with Marcus Semien? With a wave of infield prospects fronted by Franklin Barreto on the way up, will they move Semien off short? But even those questions wont be answered in spring training, hampering opportunities for the As to swing deals in December. -- Christina Kahrl ' ' '