Kuzul

You may be ready for the offseason, but there will be several moves that will catch you and every other baseball fan by surprise between now and the next few months.

Not all free-agent signings will be as obvious as Zack Greinke, the top free-agent pitcher of last offseason, going to the team with the most money to spend, the Dodgers. And the trades that appear to make the most sense almost never happen. But that’s why we pay such close attention during the four months of the year (November through February) when Major League Baseball isn’t even being played.

It’s a safe assumption that at least two or three big moves will seemingly come out of nowhere this winter. So before things begin to heat up, I’m going to predict five potential moves that probably would have caught you by surprise had you not read it here first.  

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When it comes to the top MLB free agents on the market, the high asking prices will limit the number of teams with a realistic chance of signing them. But it doesn’t mean that they won’t have a good number of options to choose from.

The ultimate choice will often come down to the team offering the most money, although it’s not out of the question for a player to leave a few million dollars on the table to sign with a team that they feel more comfortable with for other reasons.

How much money a player is offered, however, certainly factors in heavily when finding the perfect match. So if team A meets the criteria in four of five categories that a particular player is looking for in a team and that fifth category is money, then we can conclude that the team is probably not a good match for the player.

In fact, even if no other team in the league can meet all five, or maybe not even three or four of the categories, that team that cannot come close to the asking price is still not going to be in the running. It weighs much heavier than the other factors involved.

With that said, here are the five categories, in order of importance, that will likely factor into a top free agent’s search for a team this offseason.

1. Money
2. Chance to win (players who have already won a World Series title or players 30 of age or younger could be more willing to sign with a rebuilding team with a bright future, such as Houston, as opposed to a team built to win now)
3. Familiarity with players, coaching staff, front office execs
4. Location (some players prefer to sign long-term deals with teams who play in or near their hometown)
5. Role on team (not as much of an issue with the top free agents but some may prefer to be the staff “ace” or the No. 3 hitter while that role might already be occupied on an interested team)

Using these five categories and my free-agent rankings at MLBDepthCharts, let’s examine which teams could be the perfect match for the top 10 free agents on the board.

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We can make all the predictions we want about the upcoming offseason. But the reality of the prediction business is that each time a move is made that comes out of left field, a lot of the thinking that went into the remaining predictions can go right out the window.

And trust me on this one. There will be signings and trades that no one predicted. Mystery teams are very real. Teams that no one have discussed as being a suitor for a particular free agent will sign that free agent. Players that haven’t been reported as being on the trade block will be traded. 

An unexpected trade will, in turn, force a team to go in a different direction to fill a void and target players not originally thought to be fits. A starting pitcher will sign with a team that already had five good starters, opening up another trade possibility for a team that might be seeking help on the free-agent market.

A team filling a need via trade could mean that there is one less bidder for a free agent, which could even limit the player’s asking price. As a result, a team that didn’t think they could afford that player could swoop in at the last minute and strike a deal. 

With that said, here are a few different timelines of predictions which take into account the changes in the market that will occur with each major free-agent signing or trade at a particular position. 

Right-Handed Power

The first two weeks of the free-agent signing period normally don’t include many big names changing teams, and this year will be no exception. There will be several free agents coming off the board, though, after re-signing with their current teams. 

The most notable moves having the biggest effect on the the market early on will be the Red Sox inking first baseman Mike Napoli to a two-year, $30 million deal and the Pirates bringing back outfielder Marlon Byrd on a two-year, $16 million deal. 

With Byrd and Napoli off the board early in free agency, teams desperate for a right-handed middle-of-the-order bat will zone in on Nelson Cruz. With the Diamondbacks, Phillies and Rangers very likely the top three suitors for the 33-year-old, and the Royals, Mets and Giants also possibilities, the ensuing bidding war will push the price tag to four years and $60 million.

The winner (or loser, depending on how you view Cruz (pictured) at $15 million per season for his ages 33-36 seasons a year after he was suspended 50 games for PED use) will be the Phillies, who are seeking a right-handed-hitting corner outfielder to balance out a lefty-heavy lineup. It’s a risky signing ,but the lineup is actually very good on paper. 

1 Ben Revere, CF
2 Jimmy Rollins, SS
3 Chase Utley, 2B
4 Ryan Howard, 1B
5 Nelson Cruz, RF
6 Domonic Brown, LF
7 Cody Asche, 3B
8 TBD, C

With Cruz’s big deal, Corey Hart will likely scrap any plans to re-sign with the Brewers at a discounted rate, as he’s expressed interest in doing. The Rangers, who could utilize him at first base and the designated hitter spot as he returns from multiple knee surgeries that forced him to miss all of 2013, could be an excellent fit. 

The Masahiro Tanaka Effect

As pointed out by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, the uncertainty surrounding Tanaka (pictured), specifically the potential changes that are being discussed to the posting system, could push back the process that will determine which team wins negotiating rights with the 25-year-old star out of Japan.

Hyun-Jun Ryu and Yu Darvish were each posted in December of the past two offseasons, respectively, and were signed to deals in January. With several teams expected to be in the mix for Tanaka, who several front office executives and agents told Passan they believe will cost more than Darvish—his combined posting fee and contract cost the Rangers over $110 million over six years—the market for the top starting pitchers could also move at a snail’s pace. 

If Ervin Santana and his agent, for example, aren’t getting the free-agent bids they are hoping for, they’ll simply wait until the Tanaka posting is complete in the hopes that the teams that lose out will re-focus their attention back to him.

Of course, teams that either aren’t interested in Tanaka or have the financial resources to acquire both of the top two starting pitchers could try to lock up Santana, Matt Garza or Ubaldo Jimenez early in the offseason.

Since it’s unlikely that any team will dish out the $200 million it would take to land both Tanaka and one of the top starters, expect that trio to sign in late December and possibly even January as they wait out Tanaka‘s posting process.

The Yankees, who need to bring in at least two starters, will look to sign a second-tier starter early on before making a strong push for Tanaka. If they convince Hiroki Kuroda that they’re going to spend freely and build a winner for 2014, I think he’ll stick around for one more season. Then they’ll spend freely to win the Tanaka bidding and head into 2014 with a rotation that has a chance to be pretty good.

1 CC Sabathia, LHP
2 Hiroki Kuroda, RHP
3 Masahiro Tanaka, RHP
4 Ivan Nova, RHP
5 Michael Pineda, RHP 

The Closer Carousel

For the most part, teams are not willing to invest big money into their closer. And after watching Koji Uehara, who made $4.25 million in 2013, and rookie Trevor Rosenthal, who made the minimum $490,000 salary, dominate throughout the playoffs, who could blame them? 

Even Edward Mujica, a journeyman middle reliever, was one of the best closers in baseball once finally given the chance when the Cardinals had limited options early in the season. How Mujica‘s season ended, however, is why giving almost any pitcher “closer money” is a big risk. 

The 29-year-old was hit hard in September and was relegated to mop-up duty in the playoffs. It’s not a surprise, given the history of relief pitchers. It’s hard to know what you’re going to get from year to year. The Cards just happened to catch lightning in a bottle with Mujica and ended up riding him all the way to the playoffs before turning to Rosenthal.

Mujica‘s value has dipped, but in reality, there could be more teams interested in bringing him on now at a much lower rate than had he finished the year strong. 

That’s because the closer’s market is full of pitchers who are deserving of closing jobs and the big contracts that come with that role. Here’s a list of those in that group, in order of how I ranked them at MLBDepthCharts:

Joe Nathan, RHP (pictured)
Grant Balfour, RHP
Joaquin Benoit, RHP
Jesse Crain, RHP
Brian Wilson, RHP
Edward Mujica, RHP
Fernando Rodney, RHP

Several others with closing experience, including Kevin Gregg, Ryan Madson, Chris Perez and Jose Veras, could be had at a discounted rate. 

Now let’s take a look at some teams who could be in need of a closer. The current projected closer is listed in parentheses:

Chicago Cubs (Pedro Strop)
Cleveland Indians (Cody Allen)
Detroit Tigers (Bruce Rondon)
Houston Astros (Josh Fields)
New York Mets (Bobby Parnell)
New York Yankees (David Robertson)
Oakland Athletics (Ryan Cook)
Tampa Bay Rays (Joel Peralta)

Nathan could start things off by signing a two-year, $26 million deal with the Tigers. Here’s how the rest of the dominoes will fall:

Fernando Rodney to the Yankees (1 yr, $10M), Closer
Jesse Crain to the Red Sox (3 yrs, $18M), Setup man
Grant Balfour to the A’s (2 yrs, $18M)
Joaquin Benoit to the Dodgers (3 yrs, $18M), Setup man
Edward Mujica to the Mets (2 yrs, $8M), Closer until Parnell returns from neck surgery
Brian Wilson to the Cubs (2 yrs, $20M)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Of the free agents who will be able to negotiate and sign with new teams beginning on Tuesday, November 5, several of them had an extended opportunity to increase (or decrease) their value in the postseason. 

While only a handful of innings pitched or a small sample size of at-bats normally wouldn’t move the needle very much on a veteran player’s perceived value, a player’s ability to produce in the playoffs certainly can. 

Here are 10 players whose asking price has likely risen or fallen since the end of the regular season.

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Here’s what’ll go down in Cleveland once the season ends. The Indians will exercise Ubaldo Jimenez‘s $8 million club option. Jimenez will then exercise his right to decline, however, as stipulated in his contract.

It states that Jimenez could void the 2014 option if he was traded during the span of the contract, which he originally signed prior to the 2009 season while with the Rockies. The clause kicked in once he was traded to Cleveland in July 2011.

While the Indians are still undecided on whether they’ll offer the 29-year-old a $14 million qualifying offer, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer—doing so would secure the team a draft choice if Jimenez departs, but they’d pay him $14 million on a one-year deal if he accepts—it’s a foregone conclusion that Jimenez will become a free agent and seek a long-term deal for big money.

Despite a mostly unimpressive showing with the Tribe—he had a 5.43 ERA over his first 51 starts with the team—Jimenez’ value has skyrocketed after an amazing career resurgence that began in late May.

Over the span of 23 starts, the right-hander posted a 2.41 ERA with 123 hits and 58 walks allowed to go along with 147 strikeouts in 138 innings pitched. He had trouble getting through six innings early in the run but appeared to be getting stronger as the season went along. 

While averaging close to seven innings per start, Jimenez pitched like an “ace” with a 1.72 ERA, 23 walks and 94 strikeouts in 78.1 innings pitched over his last 12 starts. With that kind of last impression, there’s no way he’s settling for a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tribe. 

He could easily match San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum’s new two-year contract worth a reported $35 million. But it’s also likely he can get that same amount per season ($17.5 million) over four or five years.

Here are three teams that would be great fits for Jimenez. 

Colorado Rockies

The free-agent market is not a place the Rockies expect to find front-line starting pitchers. And the Rockies are exactly the team that free-agent pitchers try to avoid. Coors Field and pitchers usually aren’t a good match.

It’s not that pitchers don’t occasionally have success there. But it’s too risky for either side to want to find out if it will work out or not. 

Jimenez might be the rare exception, though, because the Rockies know him so well and because he’s had success pitching at their hitter’s haven of a ballpark. 

Originally signed by the team as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2001, Jimenez debuted late in 2006 and finally made it to the majors for good in the second half of 2007. Slowly but surely, he was developing into one of the better pitchers in the league.

From 2009-10, he posted a 34-20 record with a 3.17 ERA in 66 starts. Overall, he’s posted a 3.67 ERA in 419.2 career innings at Coors Field. He clearly wasn’t effected by it’s hitter-friendly conditions. 

So would he return so soon after just resurrecting his career?

My guess is that his confidence level is sky-high, and he feels every bit as good as he did when he was at his peak with the Rockies. They might have to go five years to convince him, but I think he’d be excited about a return to an organization where he had so much success.

A Rockies’ rotation with Jimenez has a chance to be very good…

1 Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP
2 Jorge De La Rosa, LHP
3 Jhoulys Chacin, RHP
4 Tyler Chatwood, RHP
5 Drew Pomeranz, LHP

New York Yankees

If the Yankees are going to have a chance to compete next season, they must open up the pocketbook and spend big in free agency. For a team that brings in so much revenue and consistently has one of the top, if not the top, payrolls in the game, that shouldn’t be a problem.

But as of last winter, the Yankees were reportedly leaning toward trimming their payroll beneath $189 million, which is the threshold for a team to pay the luxury tax.

But the state of the current roster, which might have more obvious holes than any team in baseball, is the reason they’ll revert to the Yankees way of thinking. They’ll worry less about how much they’re spending and more about how they’re going to build a champion next season.

And while a big part of that plan would be to re-sign second baseman Robinson Cano, it’s the starting rotation that needs the most work. CC Sabathia no longer resembles a front-line starter, and there’s no guarantee he can bounce back.

The Yankees have a few options on the free-agent market, including Matt Garza and Ervin Santana, but it’s Jimenez who might be the best fit to a lead a rotation that would likely include fellow countrymen Ivan Nova (pictured) and Michael Pineda.

Known for his strong work ethic, Jimenez could be the perfect mentor for the young Dominican duo, as well as two of their best prospects, catcher Gary Sanchez and pitcher Rafael De Paula. Both are also from the Dominican Republic and could reach New York by year two of Jimenez’s contract.

Even the good version of Jimenez isn’t enough to turn this rotation around—they’ll need at least one more starter. Here’s what they’d look like with just Jimenez added to the mix… 

1 Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP
2 CC Sabathia, LHP
3 Ivan Nova, RHP
4 David Phelps, RHP
5 Michael Pineda, RHP

Pittsburgh Pirates

Whatever the Pirates and pitching coach Ray Searage did to help Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett resurrect their careers once they arrived in Pittsburgh, it’s probably a pretty good selling point for any free-agent pitcher. Especially one like Jimenez who went from great to really bad almost overnight and couldn’t return to form for nearly two years. 

With Burnett’s salary off the books, the Bucs could either try to re-sign him, look for a short-term stopgap, replace him internally or make the bold move to acquire a front-line starter this winter.

Since they haven’t shown much interest in trading their best prospects, expect a free-agent signing rather than a trade if they go that route. And since Matt Garza and Ervin Santana would likely be out of their price range, Jimenez could certainly be a target for Pittsburgh as long as his price tag is reasonable. 

Investing long-term in a pitcher who might need to be “fixed” again is risky. But that’s also the reason he’ll probably come at a cheaper price than Garza or Santana. And if Liriano (pictured) continues his dominance and Jimenez shows up as the same pitcher he was over the last four months of 2013, the Bucs will be in a strong position to return to the postseason as legitimate World Series contenders.

Here’s a look at what that rotation might look like…

1 Francisco Liriano, LHP
2 Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP
3 Gerrit Cole, RHP
4 Wandy Rodriguez, LHP
5 Charlie Morton, RHP/Jeff Locke, LHP/Jameson Taillon, RHP 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Free Agent Market could be open for business as early as next Monday, and while it had appeared to be shaping up late in the regular season, it turns out that it was far from settled. 

Pricey contract extensions for Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum, as well as rumored $100 million asking prices for Shin-Shoo Choo and Jacoby Ellsbury, indicate that teams may have to ante up big dollars for the best players on the market.  

In addition, several free agents-to-be boosted their stock with strong playoff performances. Others hurt their value by showing that they might not be very good when the games are most important. 

Here’s a look at how the 2013 postseason has changed the playoff picture.

Jacoby Ellsbury: $100 million man

Despite missing nearly three weeks in September with a foot injury, Ellsbury had already done enough to ensure he’d enter the offseason as the top center fielder on the free agent market.

But a $100 million deal, as was suggested by his agent Scott Boras in an interview with CBS Sports last month, seemed steep considering he hadn’t shown the power that made him a finalist for the AL MVP award in 2011. Considering that a similar player, Michael Bourn, got four years and $48 million the previous offseason, a reasonable projection for the 30-year-old Ellsbury would be somewhere around five years and $70 million. 

This is no longer the case, though. Ellsbury, who has been the catalyst for the Sox during their World Series run with a .902 OPS, 17 hits, 11 runs and six stolen bases in 12 games, is doing everything in his power to increase his value.

Pence’s $90 million deal helps, but it’s Ellsbury’s playoff performance that might actually push him into the $100 million territory. 

Carlos Beltran putting injury concerns to rest

Including the playoffs, Beltran has averaged 154 games per season since 2011, his ages 34-36 seasons. After leaving Game 1 of the World Series after robbing a homer with a rib injury, he was back in the lineup for Game 2. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI single to add on to one of the most impressive postseason resume’s of all-time. 

The knee troubles that caused him to miss most of the 2009-2010 seasons appear to be a thing of the past, and he’ll be paid accordingly. It’s his talent on the field that could net him as much as $20 million per season this offseason. It’s his ability to stay on the field—even this late in the season—that will give at least one team enough confidence to give him a three-year deal.

Clutch hitting will overshadow Mike Napoli’s hip condition

There’s no doubt that the degenerative hip condition that caused the Red Sox to pull a three-year, $39 million deal off the table last winter is going to be an issue for Napoli again. But the fact that he started 131 games at first base—his first year as a regular first baseman—and put up impressive numbers during the regular season (.842 OPS, 23 HR, 92 RBI) will make it much less of an issue. 

And if there was still any doubt, consider that the 31-year-old has had several big hits in the postseason, including a game-winning homer against Justin Verlander in the ALCS and a three-run double to open the scoring in the World Series, and he has not been hindered one bit by his hip condition.

The question is no longer whether he’ll get a multi-year deal or not. It’s whether he’ll get two or three years.

Add Brian Wilson to the list of top free agent closers

The former Giants closer didn’t even get a save opportunity during his two-month stint with the Dodgers. But by the playoffs, it was clear that Wilson had returned to form after missing all of 2012 and most of 2013 recovering from Tommy John surgery. 

After allowing just one earned run in 13.2 innings over 18 regular season appearances, the 31-year-old was even better in the postseason. As the primary setup man to closer Kenley Jansen, Wilson pitched six shutout innings with two walks, eight strikeouts, a win and two holds. 

Those might be the last “holds” he records for a couple of seasons. He should land a closer’s gig this winter.

“Left Fielder” Jhonny Peralta near the top of the shortstop and third base markets

Peralta returned from a 50-game P.E.D. suspension late in the season to find he had lost his starting shortstop job to defensive whiz Jose Iglesias. The Tigers needed his bat in the lineup, however, so they got creative. 

For the first time in his professional career, the 31-year-old played in the outfield. He also went 11-for-33 in the playoffs with three doubles and a homer. Does it mean he’ll be recruited as a starting outfielder this offseason? Probably not. But that’s only because several teams will be trying to sign him to be their shortstop or third baseman. 

It’s not exactly the deepest market for those positions, which is why Peralta’s suspension will have limited impact on his value. 

Juan Uribe will be a starting third baseman in 2014

The Dodgers gave Uribe a three-year, $21 million deal after a 2010 season in which he posted a .749 OPS with 24 homers for the Giants. But it’s extremely likely that he may have earned himself that third year or a few more million dollars after some clutch hitting in the playoffs. 

Uribe hit a game-winning homer in the deciding NLCS Game 6 win over the Phillies. He also hit a big three-run homer in Game 1 of the World Series. He didn’t do much else, but his impact was clear in front of a national audience. 

Fast-forward to 2013, and Uribe is coming off of a season in which he posted a .769 OPS with 12 homers and has been named a finalist for the Gold Glove award for third basemen. He came up big again in the playoffs, including another game-winning homer in the deciding game of a series. 

Regardless of how bad he was in 2011-2012 (.552 OPS), Uribe shouldn’t have a hard time finding a starting job in what is a very weak market for third basemen. 

Where have you gone, Edward Mujica? 

A 29-year-old All-Star closer who is coming off of a season in which he saved 37 games, posted a 2.78 ERA and walked only five batters in 64.2 innings should be extremely popular this winter, right? Not so much with Mujica. 

If his own team doesn’t have enough faith to use him in anything more than mop-up duty during the playoffs, why would teams interested in a closer look to Mujica ahead of Wilson, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, Joe Nathan or Fernando Rodney? 

It’s his own doing after a terrible September (7.1 IP, 9 ER, 18 H), but Mujica’s value has took a tremendous hit in a short amount of time, and the Cardinals aren’t helping by not letting him pitch this postseason.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Dodgers‘ magical season ended with an ugly 9-0 loss versus the Cardinals at the hands of rookie pitcher and NLCS MVP Michael Wacha, who tossed 13.2 scoreless innings while defeating ace Clayton Kershaw for the second time in the series. 

While there is plenty of disappointment that they fell short of their ultimate goal of winning a World Championship, the loss could result in an even more exciting offseason if it results in ownership pursuing one or two more star players. 

In reality, they’re still a very good team. They won 67 of their last 100 games, and none of their best players are eligible for free agency. Ownership has extremely deep pockets. The team had the best home attendance in baseball. And they have a lot of money coming off of the books after the season.

So, keep your heads up, Dodgers fans. The window of contention is still wide open for this group. 

If general manager Ned Colletti can avoid another Brandon League-like debacle—League was a bust after being re-signed to a three-year, $22.5 million deal at the beginning of last offseason—he has a chance to put together the finishing pieces to what could be the most talented roster in baseball… on paper. 

Here’s everything you’ll need to know before Colletti and the front office get started.

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Back in August, I wrote about how a healthy Matt Kemp would be the final piece to the Dodgers‘ World Series run. And when he finally returned in mid-September with 11 hits in his first 28 at-bats, including three doubles and a homer, that final piece to an already strong team appeared to have arrived. 

But it wasn’t meant to be. A recurring ankle injury forced the 29-year-old out of action for the remainder of the season and playoffs.

It hasn’t slowed the Dodgers, though, who knocked out the Braves in four NLDS games and will head to the NLCS as favorites over the Pirates or Cardinals.

Should we be surprised? I had them winning the division in my preseason NL West preview, and so did many others. But they looked like anything but contenders after a June 21 loss to the Padres, which dropped their record to 30-42.

They were in last place and 9.5 games back of the division-leading Diamondbacks. Nearly four months later, they’ve gone 65-29 and are eight wins away from a championship.

So, how did they go from cellar-dwellers with a manager and general manager on the hot seat to World Series favorites?

As easy as it is to point to rookie Yasiel Puig’s call-up, it’s been so much more than that. While Puig may have been the necessary spark, the Dodgers have gotten to this point with an all-around team effort.

Here’s a look at the five keys that have the Dodgers closing in on their first World Series title since 1988. 

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One of the biggest questions for the Atlanta Braves heading into the postseason was whether the lack of experience in their starting rotation and the absence of a true “ace” would come back to bite them.

Kris Medlen was 9-2 with a 2.08 ERA over his last 12 regular games—11 starts, one relief appearance—before getting lit up by the Dodgers (4 IP, 5 ER, 9 H) in the team’s loss in the NLDS opener on Thursday. 

With Games 3 and 4 of the series slated for Dodger Stadium next week, the pressure was on another regular-season star, Mike Minor, to help even up the series with a home victory on Friday night.

Mission accomplished.

In his postseason debut, the 25-year-old Minor outdueled Zack Greinke as the Braves beat the Dodgers 4-3. The left-hander, who left with one out and his team leading 2-1 in the seventh inning, allowed just one earned run on eight hits while walking one and striking out five. It was the 12th time on the season that he’s allowed one earned run or fewer, although he had only done it three times since the All-Star break before Friday.

After allowing an RBI double to Hanley Ramirez in the first inning, Minor held the Dodgers in check until his departure. While he didn’t have his best stuff—he had only one 1-2-3 inning and allowed more than seven hits for just the seventh time all season—he worked his way out of trouble on numerous occasions.

The leadoff runner reached base four of seven times against him. None came around to score. He induced double-play grounders after leadoff singles in the second and third innings and left runners in scoring position in the first and sixth innings. He also got some help from his bullpen when lefty Luis Avilan got Carl Crawford to hit into an inning-ending double play with runners at the corners and one out in the seventh. 

Not only did the Braves tie up the series at one game apiece, it was their first playoff win since 2010 and first such win at home since 2005, a season which capped off a run of 14 playoff appearances in 15 years.

Minor became the staff ace by default after Tim Hudson was lost for the season with a fractured ankle back in July. His overall regular season stats (13-9, 3.21 ERA, 204.2 IP, 177 H, 46 BB, 181 K, 72% quality start rate) show that he also pitched like a true No. 1 starter.

That’s quite a feat for a guy who had a 6.20 ERA after 15 starts last season. 

Last September, David Schoenfield of ESPN took a closer look at Minor’s turnaround, which began on July 5, 2012 and was aided by an improved precision of his change up. In his last fifteen starts of the season, he had a 2.12 ERA while holding opponents to a .557 OPS. He came into 2013 a much more confident pitcher, and his success of his 2012 second half has certainly carried over. 

In September, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was effusive in his praise of the young left-hander’s growth as a pitcher. 

Minor knew how much this win meant for his team:

After Minor added an impressive postseason victory to his resume, the Braves probably feel pretty good about their postseason chances if they can get past the Dodgers.

And it’s safe to say that they probably feel pretty good about giving Minor the ball on Opening Day 2014.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

How a player performs when the games matter most could have an affect on his overall value, which is of greater importance to those who are eligible for free agency at season’s end. 

While a majority of these players will not stand out in a good or bad way, there are a handful of them who will. As a result, the price tag could rise or fall, at least slightly. A pair of 2012 postseason stars, Marco Scutaro and Anibal Sanchez, each cashed in after boosting their value greatly with strong playoff performances. 

Here are six players off to either a great start or a very poor start, or in one case, already done for the season after a wild-card loss. 

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