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Now that the MLB teams and players have had a few weeks to feel out the free-agent market, expect the action to heat up this week.

The San Francisco Giants made the offseason’s biggest pitcher signing so far on Monday when they inked Tim Hudson to a two-year deal worth $23 million, per Alex Pavlovic of the Bay Area News Group. In essence, Hudson did more than just secure himself a deal, as he set a benchmark for other potential pitcher deals this winter.

There are plenty of big-name targets available like Matt Garza, Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez; however, there are some lesser-known pitchers who could have major roles with their new respective teams in 2014. Not only that, but it could come at a fraction of the price of the other marquee arms on the market.

Let’s take a look at five of the top pitchers on the market this year who may be overlooked but are capable of making big impacts next season.

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MLB free agency is a couple of weeks old, but we’re still waiting for the big fish to be reeled in by new suitors.

The offseason action so far has featured a few low-profile signings, but the dominoes have yet to fall when it comes to the top players available. For now, the hot stove is heating up heading into the winter meetings on Dec. 9-12 as teams communicate and get a feel for the market.

Let’s take a look at 15 of the top targets available, with a focus on their best-case and worst-case scenarios.

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General managers from around Major League Baseball wrapped up their initial meetings of the offseason on Wednesday and there weren’t any major moves to report. But expect the wheeling and dealing to pick up as we head closer to the Winter Meetings, which will take place Dec. 9-12.

Free agency is a hot topic on the minds of baseball fans, but there are plenty of marquee players who are reportedly on the trading block as well. Dealing for players with Cy Youngs and Gold Gloves on their resumes will require big hauls from their respective new teams, but the possibilities are out there.

Let’s take a look at some teams who are good fits to do high-profile business as the hot stove heats up.

Stats via Baseball-Reference.com and contract info via spotrac.com, unless otherwise noted.

Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers

The Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers have emerged as front-runners to acquire southpaw David Price, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. The 28-year-old lefty has been one of baseball’s best since 2010, a span which included a Cy Young-winning campaign in 2012.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports speculated that the Rays will move Price this winter, saying that the southpaw is “at peak value now.” Price has a career record of 71-39 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 8.1 K/9 rate, and he isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season. The low-budget Rays are in no position to sign him to an extension, and Price even told reporters after the season that he expects to be dealt, per ESPN.com.

Given Tampa Bay’s fruitful return from last year’s James Shields/Wade Davis deal with Kansas City—namely 2013 AL Rookie of the Year Wil Myers and pitching prospect Jake Odorizzi—most expect the Rays to explore the same avenue with Price.

Veteran MLB reporter Peter Gammons recently spoke to a general manager who said the Dodgers have the prospects to acquire Price:

They have the minor league talent to get Price. If they would trade Corey Seager and Julio Urias (the 17-year old lefthanded pitcher) and a couple out of Zach Lee, Joc Pederson or Chris Withrow, it would get it done.

Of the aforementioned prospects, Withrow would likely be the only one ready to contribute on Opening Day. The 24-year-old righty posted a 2.60 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 rate in 34.2 innings of work in 2013.

Seager was the organization’s 2012 first-rounder and showed power (.269/.351/.473, 16 homers, 72 RBI) across both levels of Single-A ball this year at shortstop. Outfielder Joc Pederson (.278/.381/.497, 22 HR, 58 RBI) and right-hander Zach Lee (10-10, 3.22 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 8.3 K/9) each spent the 2013 season in Double-A but could evolve into MLB players for Tampa Bay quickly.

Ideally, the Dodgers would be able to ship out Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford instead of a top prospect, but the Rays can’t afford take on an aging outfielder at about $20 million a year. A talent like Price doesn’t come available often, though, and the Dodgers should be willing to make a big commitment.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, some teams want to know if Price is willing to agree to a long-term contract before acquiring him:

Given their recent spending habits, the Dodgers are in a position to offer Price a lengthy extension before he hits the open market in 2015. Owner Stan Kastens told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that the team is more focused on developing its own talent but added that he wouldn’t rule out a big trade or signing.

If they were to acquire Price, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Dodgers offer him a deal close to the six-year, $147 million contract they used to lure Zack Greinke to Chavez Ravine last year.

The Dodgers were also expected to be major players in the unprecedented bidding war for Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka, but with the MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball’s posting fee system in limbo, it’s uncertain if Tanaka will even be on the market this winter.

For now, the Dodgers should focus all of their resources on Price. Unlike Tanaka, he’s a proven commodity and would give Los Angeles a super rotation with fellow Cy Young-winners Clayton Kershaw and Greinke, along with Hyun-Jin Ryu.

With a deal like this, Los Angeles would likely become instant World Series favorites, while Tampa Bay would add more young quality players with the chance of making a big impact in the near future.

Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers

One-for-one deals are rare in today’s MLB, but the Orioles and Rangers each have a trading piece that the other team could use.

On Wednesday, Rosenthal tweeted that catcher Matt Wieters was available, as both he and first baseman Chris Davis are due for new contracts in 2015:

So what could the Orioles get in return for their 27-year-old catcher with power and two Gold Gloves under his belt? A new starting second baseman—possibly Jurickson Profar.

At long last, Brian Roberts’ injury-riddled four-year, $40 million deal with the Orioles has expired, and they now need someone to pair with shortstop J.J. Hardy up the middle.

The Rangers have three MLB-caliber middle infielders right now in Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus and Profar, while last year’s starting catcher A.J. Pierzynski is a free agent. Texas has already re-signed backup Geovany Soto to a one-year deal, but he’s not a solid everyday option at this point.

Wieters’ average has dipped in each of the past three years (.262, .249, .235) along with his OPS (.778, .764, .704), but he’s stayed steady in power department, averaging 22 HR and 77 RBI from 2011-13.

The Orioles could take Profar and call it a deal. Then, they could focus on the free-agent catcher market with Brian McCann, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Dioner Navarro available.

Profar had a rough rookie season in 2013 (.234/.308/.336 in 85 games) after entering the year as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball, according to Baseball America and MLB.com. He’s only 20, however, and would be under club control for a few years, while Kinsler is 31 and has four years and $57 million remaining on his deal.

Profar makes more sense for the Orioles over the long term, while Wieters would give the Rangers one of the game’s most well-rounded catchers. With Texas’ minor-league system also featuring a couple of budding stars in the middle infield, it’s just a matter of time before someone gets moved.

Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds

It’s entirely possible that we see two Cy Young-winners dealt this offseason.

Joining Price on the trading block will be recently-crowned AL Cy Young-winner Max Scherzer, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

The Tigers have hundreds of millions of dollars locked up in their veteran core of Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez over the next few years, while two-time reigning MVP Miguel Cabrera has just two seasons left on his deal.

Scherzer is a client of super-agent Scott Boras and is set to hit the open market after the 2014 season, meaning the Tigers might not be able to afford to keep him around.

Detroit has a void at second base with Omar Infante testing free agency, and Brandon Phillips could fit right in with its veteran-laden clubhouse. Cincinnati could also include right-hander Homer Bailey in its package, with the teams exchanging some minor-league players in a full-on blockbuster.

It’s a stretch that the Reds would give up so much for what could be an expensive one-year rental for Scherzer, but they could use it as leverage in their negotiations to bring back Shin-Soo Choo, proving that the team wants win now. Keeping Choo in the lineup with Joey Votto would certainly bump up the payroll in 2014, but Scherzer’s impact could be worth the the money.

As for replacing Phillips, rookie Billy Hamilton could move back to the infield, where he played most of his minor-league career and start at second base.

The writing is on the wall for Phillips, who is a “goner,” according to Rosenthal, after a public rift emerged between he and the Reds front office during the season. He is 32 years old and owed $50 million over the next four seasons, coming off a 2013 campaign when he batted .261/.310/.396 with 18 HR and 103 RBI. He’s won a Gold Glove in four out of the past six seasons, but he would still be an expensive gamble going forward.

Bailey, 27, is also a free agent following the 2014 season but figures to be a much more affordable option for Detroit than Scherzer. For the time being, Bailey would be an effective innings eater and No. 3 starter behind Verlander and Sanchez after going 24-22 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over the past two seasons combined.

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MLB free agency is about a week old now and there still hasn’t been much action. But expect that to heat up with 13 players declining their respective qualifying offers on Tuesday, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, cementing the dynamics of the offseason market.

Big free agent names like Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury and Japanese righty Masahiro Tanaka will likely garner the most media attention this winter, but keep your ear to the ground for low-profile signings that could have big impacts in 2014.

When the Red Sox signed Jonny Gomes to a two-year deal last November, it hardly made blip on the MLB free agency radar. Eleven months later, it proved to be one of the best signings by Boston general manager Ben Cherington, as Gomes played a major role in reshaping the culture of the clubhouse and delivered in the clutch, helping the Sox win their third World Series title in 10 seasons.

Before the flurry of MLB free agency takes hold, let’s take a look at some of the hidden gems on the market this winter.

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In years past we’ve seen plenty of pitchers sign big-time free-agent deals only to fizzle with their new teams. Names like Barry Zito and Mike Hampton come to mind when thinking of starters who didn’t live up their albatross contracts, and teams will be trying to avoid similar situations this offseason.

At 12:01 a.m ET on Tuesday, free agents will officially be able to sign with new teams, per MLB.com, setting the stage for the baseball hot stove that’s sure to heat up heading into the winter meetings on Dec. 9-12.

There is a notable crop of veteran starters on the market this winter, but teams have to be weary when handing out the big dollars for starters who could be on the downturn. Let’s take a look at some of the free-agent starting pitchers teams must avoid signing before a big contract evolves into a big problem.

Masahiro Tanaka

The 25-year-old Japanese righty might not technically be an MLB free agent yet, but he’s expected to be posted for bid by his club the Ratuken Eagles this offseason. Masahiro Tanaka‘s record of 30 consecutive unbeaten starts was snapped in Game 6 of the Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants on Saturday, forcing Game 7 in the Japanese equivalent of the World Series.

Still, it does little to blemish the stellar regular season Tanaka had, as he went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 212 innings this year. Given his age and accomplishments so far, it’s widely believed that Ratuken will receive a bid higher than the $51.7 million the Texas Rangers posted for the rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish in 2011. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports even speculated the posting bid could be between $75 and $100 million, with an ensuing contract pushing the total upwards of $125 million.

There’s no doubting Tanaka‘s dominance this year, but comparable situations have happened in recent years with mixed results. When thinking of high-priced, marquee pitchers leaving Japan for MLB, Yu Darvish and Daisuke Matsuzaka serve as examples with different outcomes.

While Darvish has established himself as one of baseball’s elite pitchers during his two seasons in Texas, Matsuzaka has flamed out after two solid years with the Boston Red Sox in 2007-08.

So where does that leave Tanaka? No one will know until next spring, and that doesn’t seem like a smart $125 million bet.

Sure, he reportedly owns one of the best split-finger fastballs on Earth right now, but it seems like too big of a gamble for an unproven asset, no matter how talented he is. Teams would be better served to get consistent veterans like Bartolo Colon or Hiroki Kuroda for the short term while exploring other less risky avenues for the long term.

Ubaldo Jimenez

Ubaldo Jimenez picked a good time to recapture his form as an elite pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, as he dominated after the All-Star break just in time to boost his stock for free agency. The righty, who turns 30 in January, posted a 6-5 record, 1.82 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 100 strikeouts in 84 innings across 13 second-half starts.

As a result, Jimenez posted season-long numbers that included a 13-9 record and a 3.30 ERA. During his second-half run, Jimenez conjured up flashbacks of his dominant self during his days in Colorado, like when he went 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA in 2010.

But Jimenez has been plagued by inconsistency in the three seasons since, and perhaps it has something to do with the drop of velocity on his fastball. According to FanGraphs.com, Jimenez’s fastball averaged at about 96 miles per hour during his career year in 2010, but it dipped below 92 in 2013.

He’s not getting any younger and won’t be adding any more speed onto that fastball any time soon. It was encouraging to see Jimenez put together a nice stretch run this past season, but he hasn’t shown the ability to be consistent since losing his best stuff.

His marks of a 9-17 record with a 5.40 ERA in 2012, and even his subpar start to 2013, should be kept in mind at the negotiating table this winter. Jimenez will likely earn a nice payday to be a team’s No. 2 or 3 starter, but his inconsistency and troubles adjusting to life without his blazing fastball make him trouble down the line.

Ervin Santana

Much like Jimenez, Santana had a well-timed season for success in 2013. Santana turns 31 next month and has been hit-or-miss throughout his entire career.

But this past season he went 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings pitched, serving as a key member of the Kansas City Royals pitching staff that ranked first in the American League with a 3.45 team ERA.

If Santana’s track record is any indicator, however, he isn’t a smart bet to duplicate his success in 2014. Only once in his nine-year career has he been able to string together two straight seasons with sub-4.00 ERAs—in 2010 (3.92) and 2011 (3.38). In that same span, he’s posted three seasons with ERAs over 5.00.

Santana certainly has value in today’s game as an innings-eater, having topped the 210-inning mark in three out of the past four seasons, but his up-and-down career trend makes him one to stay away from in 2014. He’s still at the point of his career to command a healthy multiyear deal, but I suspect it will become a headache by the end of the agreement.

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Going into the final two games of the St. Louis Cardinals–Los Angeles Dodgers matchup in the National League Championship Series, all the talk has centered on starting pitching.

You know all about the Clayton Kershaw-Michael Wacha showdown for Friday night’s Game 6. There’s a possibility that Adam Wainwright could face Hyun-Jin Ryu in Game 7 with a trip to the World Series on the line.

Not that Wainwright thinks there will be a Game 7, according to ESPN.com’s Arash Markazi:

But don’t forget about the bullpens as the series wraps up in St. Louis with the Cardinals leading the series 3-2, one victory away from their second World Series trip in three years.

Chances are, relief pitching will play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the NL pennant. Runs will be at a premium with such stellar solid pitching on the mound, so let’s take a look at the bullpens on each side.

St. Louis Cardinals

Former closer Edward Mujica has had an unspectacular fall from grace since September, but the team has benefited from the rise of rookie Trevor Rosenthal. Mujica had 35 saves in 37 opportunities with a 1.73 ERA through August, setting himself up nicely for a free-agent deal this offseason. But he regressed in September, posting an 11.05 ERA in 10 appearances, blowing two saves and losing his role as closer.

Since then, Rosenthal has been a revelation. But it’s not like success in the playoffs is anything new for the 23-year-old, who helped the Cardinals during their NLCS run last year. The fireball-throwing right-hander is yet to allow a run in 14.2 career postseason innings, including six scoreless frames so far this year.

He’s already notched two saves this series, including in Game 4 when he struck out Juan Uribe to close out the 4-2 Cardinals victory:

Entering play Friday, the Cardinals have a 1.93 bullpen ERA so far in the postseason, better than the 2.86 ERA mark that the Dodgers have posted thus far. It’s not just Rosenthal who’s been producing for the Cardinals all year. Setup men like rookie southpaw Kevin Siegrist (0.45 ERA), veteran lefty Randy Choate (2.29 ERA) and rookie righty Seth Maness (2.32 ERA) each posted great numbers in the regular season.

Not to mention, the bullpen likes to stretch together:

So far, the Cardinals bullpen has given up three runs in 15 innings of work in the NLCS. It played key roles in the victories of Game 1 and Game 2, but it gave up two costly runs in the 6-4 Dodgers win in Game 5. Otherwise, this bunch has been hard to hit.

Los Angeles Dodgers

These Dodgers are all about star power and they have a bunch of it in Brian Wilson. With his outrageous beard and long black locks flowing from underneath his cap, Wilson has provided an instant boost to the Los Angeles bullpen since joining the club in August.

He might not have the blazing fastball that he once possessed, but Wilson has been effective as ever this postseason in a setup role, allowing just four hits in six scoreless games. His most recent appearance came in Game 5, when he completed a 1-2-3 eighth inning:

But all roads lead to closer Kenley Jansen in the Dodgers bullpen. Despite racking up 53 saves with a 2.10 ERA the past two regular seasons, Jansen has looked shaky so far in the NLCS. He gave up two runs in the 6-4 Dodgers win Game 5, and he was also responsible for surrendering Carlos Beltran’s game-winning walk-off single in the 13th inning of the Cardinals’ 3-2 win in Game 1:

Aside from Wilson, other top setup man would be lefty J.P. Howell (2.03 ERA), as the Dodgers left fellow southpaws Chris Capuano and Paco Rodriguez off the NLCS roster. Other than Jansen’s miscues, this group has given up just two runs in 13.1 innings of work.

The Advantage

Even though the Cardinals are relying on six rookie pitchers in the bullpen right now, the group has handled the bright lights of the postseason well. When you factor in the postseason performances of each team’s young closer, it appears Rosenthal has the edge over Jansen as well.

As the stakes get higher in the postseason, the Cardinals looked poised to handle the pressure with a deeper bullpen and top, proven season-long options from both the left and right sides of the mound. It’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that we see four complete games in the final two contests of this series, but don’t count on it.

Expect some late-inning drama and count on the Cardinals bullpen to shut the door on the Dodgers if it has the opportunity.

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Not even Major League Baseball is safe from the perils of a power failure during a big game.

In the bottom of the second inning of Tuesday’s scoreless American League Championship Series Game 3 between the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, the lights at Comerica Park shut off and delayed the start of the bottom half of the inning. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times was in the press box and sent out this tweet at about 4:42 p.m. ET:

The Red Sox’s official Twitter account also sent out a picture of the situation, showing dusk descending upon Detroit’s gray skies:

At long last, 17 minutes after the lights went out, play resumed as Red Sox pitcher John Lackey returned to the mound to face Jhonny Peralta:

Pitchers are creatures of habit, and an extended layoff like this one can alter the course of a game. Luckily, the outage came early enough in the game that Lackey and his counterpart, Justin Verlander, still had plenty left in the tank.

Had it come later in the evening, managers Jim Leyland and John Farrell could have been forced to warm up their bullpens earlier than they would have liked.   

In the innings immediately after the outage, it didn’t appear to affect Lackey, though, according to the Red Sox:

Once the lights turned back on and play resumed, MLive.com’s Chris Iott shared an update from MLB:

This is hardly the first time the lights have gone out in an American sporting event on a big stage. MLB’s official Twitter account had a good sense of humor about the situation in Detroit, alluding to the infamous power outage during Super Bowl XLVII in February:

As the San Francisco 49ers tried to come back from a second-half deficit against the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome, about half the lights at the stadium went out and delayed play for 34 minutes.

The 49ers were also involved in another power outage gaffe in 2011 during a Monday Night Football contest when a transformer blew up next to Candlestick Park and delayed their contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers two different times.

After those power outages in the NFL made headlines, MLB has now joined the unique club.

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The Colorado Rockies have agreed to a three-year extension with manager Walt Weiss, as first reported by the Denver Post‘s Troy E. Renck:

Dating back to last week, Renck reported that a deal between the club and Weiss was near. What makes Weiss’ deal interesting is the three-year commitment, based on 2013 results and previous comments by Colorado’s front office.

In his first season after making the jump from high school baseball coach to Rockies manager, Weiss guided Colorado to a 74-88 finish in 2013. It was a 10-game improvement from the team’s record in 2012, but the Rockies still landed in last place in the National League West and out of contention by the stretch run of the season.

That hasn’t deterred Weiss from setting lofty goals, according to the team’s official Twitter account:

Weiss joined Colorado on a one-year accord last November, but Rockies owner Dick Monfort told Renck last week that he wanted to offer Weiss more security than other team employees. Renck reported that general manager Dan O’Dowd and assistant general manager Bill Geivett are each working without contracts.

“Other than our players, we have one guy under contract, and that’s Walt,” Monfort told Renck. “The other 210 people that work for the Rockies don’t.”

The Rockies offering Weiss a three-year extension speaks volumes about their confidence in him as a manager.

Colorado has bona fide stars to build around like Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, as well as young rising players like catcher Wilin Rosario.

In addition, the Rockies’ team ERA dropped from 5.22 in 2012 to 4.44 in 2013 under Weiss’ watch, with 16-game winner Jorge De Rosa leading the way, perhaps pointing to more improvement on the horizon.

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Even if the Seattle Mariners want Kendrys Morales to come back next season, it doesn’t sound like he’s going to stick around. CBS Sports‘ Jon Heyman reported on Tuesday that the slugger would likely turn down the one-year, $13.8 million qualifying offer that the Mariners are prepared to make, in order to seek a lengthier deal as a free agent.

The report comes a week after Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told 710 ESPN radio in Seattle that the team would definitely be offering Morales a one-year qualifying offer, per Greg Johns of MLB.com:

This move appears to be a head-scratcher on the parts of both the Mariners and Morales.   

First of all, it seems hard to justify paying the 30-year-old Morales $13.8 million based off his career thus far. Everything changed for Morales on this grand slam, walk-off celebration in 2010, when he jumped on home plate and broke his leg:

In the season-plus before that injury, Morales possessed one of the most potent bats in baseball, batting .302, smashing 45 home runs and driving in 147 in 203 games. But in the two seasons since he returned from his injury, he’s averaged 22 homers and 76 RBI with a .275 average. Those are good numbers, but not nearly good enough to warrant a $14 million payday.

It’s interesting to hear Morales would turn down so much money when he figures to make less as a free agent, but Seattle has lost at least 90 games in three of the last four seasons, so perhaps he’s looking for a change of scenery.

Some pundits like ESPN’s Buster Olney think Morales would be wise to accept the team’s one-year offer:

Teams are about to enter the second offseason since the qualifying offer was introduced into the MLB collective bargaining agreement, and it can be thought of as MLB’s answer to the NFL’s franchise tag. MLB Trade Rumors has a breakdown of the specifics of the offer, which is based on the average salary of the 125 highest-paid players in baseball.

By making Morales an offer, the Mariners would either sign Morales or receive a first-round compensatory draft pick in 2014 if they lost him to another team. Morales’ new team would then have to give up their first round pick in 2014, changing the dynamics of Morales’ free agency and making him less attractive on the open market.

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