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Not every offseason signing is going to be perfect. Even with all the scouting tools out there, it’s still difficult to properly evaluate a player and predict his performance going forward. Sabermetricians like Bill James get paid good money to predict what the players are going to accomplish, but the reality is that it’s pretty much a crapshoot.

Most of the major free agents have signed on with new teams already and that means this is a good opportunity to evaluate those moves. We can’t predict exactly what these 10 players will do, but we can say with somewhat more certainty that their new teams will regret signing them.

Here’s a look at those 10 players, and remember: general managers are human beings too.

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Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were voted into the Hall of Fame today, while Jeff Bagwell fell just short with only 41.7 percent of the vote.

Players rarely make it into the Hall of Fame their first time on the ballot, some needing up to all 15 years of eligibility to get in (like Jim Rice). But that doesn’t mean they are any less deserving of the honor.

A total of 19 players made their first appearances on the Hall of Fame ballot this year, including such former stars as Raul Mondesi, Bret Boone, and B.J. Surhoff. But only four of them got enough votes (at least five percent) to be back on the ballot next year.

Here’s a look at those players. 

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Blockbuster trades, like the one that sent slugger Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox, get all of the attention from fans and analysts. But they are no more or less important than any other trade a general manager might make this offseason.

These under-the-radar trades are a valuable way to fill up a final roster spot, or to acquire some depth for the big league team or to bring in prospects as part of a rebuilding effort. No team can be built entirely from major trades and big free agent signings, and these deals show that winning in baseball is harder than it looks.

This offseason has been one of the busiest in recent memory, and dozens of players are now with new teams. Here is a look at the 15 most important minor trades made so far.

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Millions of dollars have been dished out in new contracts this offseason, but Manny Ramirez still hasn’t seen a single cent. The 38-year-old slugger remains a free agent and his list of suitors is dwindling.

This is not the same Manny that once terrorized pitchers. After all, he only hit nine home runs last season after playing in only 90 games. His power numbers and average are down, and he’s even more of a defensive liability now than he was just a few years ago.

Still, this is Manny Ramirez we’re talking about—one of the best right-handed hitters in the history of the game. His OPS hasn’t fallen below .870 since he broke through with the Cleveland Indians, and his on-base percentage has stayed above .400 each of the last three seasons.

There are any number of teams that would have been happy to welcome Manny to their club, but the price tag has remained high. If Scott Boras’ demands come down, here are 10 teams that may come calling for the slugger’s services.

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Zack Greinke is finally on the move. The Kansas City Royals ace was traded today to the Milwaukee Brewers for a collection of top prospects, including shortstop Alcides Escobar, center fielder Lorenzo Cain and pitchers Jeffrey Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi. The Brewers will also receive shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and $2 million in cash.

After two months of debate and speculation, Royals GM Dayton Moore pulled the trigger and sent Greinke to as far away from the AL Central as possible. It’s the second major trade for the Brewers this offseason, who acquired Toronto Blue Jays ace Shawn Marcum for top prospect Brett Lawrie.

But does the combination of Greinke and Marcum suddenly give the Brewers one of the best rotations in the National League? Let’s take a look at where they rank among the top five rotations in the league.

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The Red Sox have reportedly agreed to terms with free agent righty reliever Dan Wheeler on a one-year deal with an option for 2012.

The move appears to be the final one in Theo Epstein’s reconstruction of the Boston bullpen that finished 12th in the AL with a 4.24 ERA. They also blew 22 saves, the second-highest number in the league.

But even with so many new faces in new places, the bullpen will still likely only carry seven arms. Who will those seven players be?

Here’s a look at the favorites to make the bullpen and a preview of the pitchers battling for the final spot.

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Most of the big free agents have already agreed to deals. But even with Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth off the market, there are still plenty of good players available for teams still looking to finish their offseason shopping.

Here’s a look at the top 10 remaining free agents and where they might end up.

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With Cliff Lee expected to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies today, the dominoes will be in motion for the next big move. The only remaining starting pitcher worth committing significant dollars to is Carl Pavano, and even that statement merits some debate.

That means that teams still looking for starting pitching will turn to the trade market to solve their offseason needs. Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke is the best pitcher supposedly available and is getting a tremendous amount of attention. But so far teams have balked at the Royals’ asking price.

That might leave Rays righty Matt Garza as the most attractive option available.

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com recently raised the possibility that many teams would prefer Garza over Greinke because Garza would be under team control for an additional year and would come at a cheaper price. Does this mean that Garza is suddenly the best option for teams desperate for pitching?

Let’s take a look.

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Despite a flurry of movement at baseball’s winter meetings, free agent pitcher Cliff Lee remains unsigned.

But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been fielding offers.

According to reports, both the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are bidding aggressively for the ace and an agreement may soon be reached. However, with some of the contracts that are being handed out (Jayson Werth – seven years/$126 million, Carl Crawford – $142 million), the price for the 31-year-old left-hander has become astronomical.

Lee and his agents have all the leverage right now in negotiations and any number of teams may be interested in his services. Here’s a look at the teams believed to be in the hunt for Lee, and which one may have the advantage in eventually striking a deal.

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Carl Crawford agreed to a seven-year, $142 million deal with the Boston Red Sox late last night. The signing gives Boston the premier offensive player on the free agent market and is a major blow to the rival New York Yankees, who were also anticipated to pursue Crawford.

The former Rays outfielder is one of baseball’s best young talents. In 2010, he hit a career-high 19 home runs to go along with a .307 batting average and 110 runs scored. He also stole 47 bases and won a Gold Glove.

He’s only 28-years-old despite having played nine professional seasons, and the Red Sox will have him manning the outfield in Fenway Park through his prime.

Boston has now acquired the best hitter available on the trade market, Adrian Gonzalez, and the best free agent hitter, Crawford, in a remarkable start to the offseason. But all accolades aside, what does this most recent move mean for the rest of Boston’s offseason and the remainder of the free agency period?

1. The Yankees now have no choice but to sign Cliff Lee, regardless of what he demands. They will have to overpay to do it, but they can’t risk ignoring the moves the Red Sox have made or they may be in danger of missing the playoffs next season. That’s actually good news for the Red Sox, who can look forward to the day in a few years when the Yankees are paying over a combined $60 million to Lee, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, who will all be pitching in their mid-to-late 30’s.
2. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who were generally regarded as the favorites to sign Crawford, must now turn to the next best free agent hitter, Adrian Beltre. That’s bad news for the Red Sox because the Angels‘ first round draft pick (No. 14 overall) is protected, meaning Boston will only get the Angels second-round pick and a supplemental pick as compensation for losing the Type-A free agent.
3. Crawford’s signing increases the odds that the Red Sox will pursue another Type-A free agent, specifically reliever Scott Downs. There was little chance GM Theo Epstein would surrender a first-round draft pick for a reliever, but with Crawford in the fold a Downs signing would only cost a second-round draft pick.
4. Crawford’s signing also increases the odds that OF Jacoby Ellsbury is put back on the trade market. Terry Francona would be happy to keep Ellsbury, but it may not be necessary with Crawford, Mike Cameron, J.D. Drew and Ryan Kalish all expected to receive major playing time next season.
5. This move rules out any chance of the Red Sox going after Carlos Beltran or Magglio Ordonez, with much more pressing team needs than adding a sixth outfielder.
6. Crawford is the fifth lefty expected to be a regular in the Boston lineup, joining Adrian Gonzalez, Ellsbury, Drew and David Ortiz. That’s not a huge problem because all of those players, with the exceptions of Drew and Ortiz, can still hit left-handed pitching. But Epstein will definitely look to add another right-handed bat to make the team as balanced as possible. Maybe Russell Martin?
7. The Red Sox still have $10-15 million left to spend (assuming that they don’t sign an extension with Gonzalez until the beginning of the season). That’s enough to add a couple of bullpen arms and fill out the bench. But if Boston wants to go after Downs and a player like Rafael Soriano or Brian Fuentes, then they will need to clear some salary. One option is to trade Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is due $10 million in each of the next two seasons. There is a large enough trade market out there to move him, and the Red Sox could fill his spot in the rotation with one of Tim Wakefield, Felix Doubront, Michael Bowden, Junichi Tazawa or a free agent signing.

Finally, here’s a quick look at the major changes the Red Sox have made so far this offseason.

Lost

3B Adrian Beltre, C Victor Martinez, three top prospects (Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Reymond Fuentes), first-round draft pick (No. 24)

Gained

1B Adrian Gonzalez, OF Carl Crawford, first-round draft pick (No. 19), two supplemental first-round draft picks, anticipated second-round draft pick for Beltre (top 50)

Not a bad trade-off, with a few more moves still expected. Stay tuned.

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