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How Each Top 15 MLB Free Agent Will Be Replaced by Former Team

Attempting to replace top MLB free agents like Zack Greinke and David Price is not an enviable task. For teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, doing just that is on the docket this winter.

What follows are predictions for how the Dodgers, Blue Jays and others will account for the potential loss of impact free agents like Greinke and Price. The list includes the top 15 free agents on this offseason’s market, as ranked on the Bleacher Report big board.

Some teams will use the departure of a star free agent as a chance to promote from within. Others squads will be forced to dip into the trade and free-agent fronts to make up for those losses. And some teams, like the Dodgers, might not have any choice but to take out their checkbooks and spend.

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Predicting Final Vote Totals for Every Major 2015 MLB Award

While Bryce Harper is a stone-cold lock to run away with the National League MVP honors, it’s not easy to forecast the outcomes for many of the 2015 MLB award races.

After sifting through the stats from the season that was and examining the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballots from recent campaigns, what follows are predictions for final vote totals for the three finalists in each race.

Before getting started with the predictions, the voting process needs to be broken down. For each award, 30 voters cast ballots. As will be laid out in the slides that follow, first-place, second-place and third-place votes (and so on) are attached to different point values for different awards.

With those rules in place, let’s predict which stars will win in landslides, like Harper, and which big names will be involved in fierce races.

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Veteran MLB Free Agents Who Still Have Plenty Left in the Tank

Sifting through the 2015-2016 MLB free-agent market, there’s just no one quite like Bartolo Colon.

Simply put, the right-hander is an ageless wonder.

Even with his 43rd birthday looming in May, Colon is still a viable free-agent option for a club that is aiming to round out its rotation. And, Colon isn’t the only big league vet who proved in 2015 that his tank isn’t empty just yet.

On the list that follows, there’s also room for a couple of position players who are primed for rebounds in 2016 and a couple of relievers who put together stunning comebacks during the season that was.

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The Hottest Questions of the 2015-2016 MLB Offseason, Week 1

It’s only Week 1 of the 2015-2016 MLB offseason, but the trade market is already buzzing.

Per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, the Los Angeles Angels have landed Andrelton Simmons from the Atlanta Braves, and there’s plenty of speculation swirling around other prominent players.

When it comes to tackling the biggest questions of the week, trade rumors involving All-Stars like Aroldis Chapman and Brett Gardner dominate the conversation. However, there’s also room on the list for a look at which former big league outfielder could be set to replace Don Mattingly for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

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Which 2015-16 MLB Free Agents Will Be This Year’s Surprise Steals?

For guys like Doug Fister and Mike Napoli, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle in this offseason’s MLB free-agent market, which is flat-out stacked.

From Zack Greinke to Yoenis Cespedes, the class is historically impressive, as one agent explained to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

“This [is] the deepest [free-agent] market in memory, especially in terms of pitching and power.”

With the marketplace awash with talent, it’s not out of the question to think that supply could end up exceeding demand. If that happens, lower-profile players like Fister and Napoli could end up being surprise steals for their next employers.

Starting pitchers and power hitters dominate the list that follows, but there’s also room for one table-setter who is aiming to rebound from an injury-riddled 2015.

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Predicting Impact MLB Free Agents Who’ll Sign Quickly This Offseason

It’s awfully difficult to predict what will happen on the MLB free-agent market, but guys like Darren O’Day and Scott Kazmir should be some of the first impact players off the shelf.

The big leaguers who populate the list that follows fall into two general groups. The first are players like O’Day who are clearly at the top of the class at a given position (the relief market) that is looking especially weak. With a lack of quality free-agent relievers up for grabs, the clubs in need of bullpen help simply can’t afford to wait around.

The second group consists of players like Kazmir who were traded before the deadline and who were not eligible to receive a qualifying offer. With no draft-pick compensation attached, Kazmir should draw far more interest than some of the other comparable lower-tier starters who are stuck with qualifying offers.

One of Kazmir’s former teammates, who is also free from the qualifying-offer burden, also cracked this list.

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Projecting 1 Impact Free-Agent Move Every MLB Team Will Make This Winter

From David Price to Zack Greinke, the MLB free-agent market is flooded with starting pitchers.

After looking back at the season that was and surveying the upcoming free-agent class, here are projections for where all those impact players will end up signing.

From aces like Price and Greinke to lower-tier guys like Scott Kazmir and Marco Estrada, the list that follows is dominated by starting pitchers. However, there’s still room for a slew of power bullpen arms and big-time bats. One masher who makes the list is Yoenis Cespedes, who could end up inking a deal with a dark-horse club.

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Selecting MLB’s Final 2015 Postseason All-Star Team

From World Series MVP Salvador Perez to nasty closer Wade Davis, MLB‘s final 2015 postseason All-Star team is stacked with members of the Kansas City Royals.

It’s easy enough to understand why so many Royals would make the grade. The idea here is to highlight the top individual performers from the postseasonand the newly minted kings of baseball are loaded with players who fit that description.

The selection process was all about digging through the playoff stats to find the best of the best. While all the numbers counted, the heaviest emphasis was placed on stats compiled during the championship series and the World Series. For that reason, more than a couple of New York Mets ended up making the cut.

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Royals vs. Mets Game 5: Live World Series Score and Highlights

FINAL SCORE: Royals win 7-2 over the Mets

The Mets were three outs away from sending the World Series back to Kansas City. Instead, the Royals orchestrated their eighth comeback of the postseason, scoring two runs in the ninth and five in the 12th to claim the club’s first Fall Classic since 1985.

The go-ahead hit came off the bat of Christian Colon who was hitting for the first time in the postseason. Salvador Perez was named the World Series MVP. The backstop led off the five-run 12th with a single before getting pinch run for and hit .364 in the series.

 

If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com


Unsung Heroes Who Are Coming Up Big in the 2015 World Series

From Chris Young to Mike Moustakas, plenty of unsung heroes have pushed the Kansas City Royals to the brink of winning the 2015 World Series.

With the Royals holding a 3-1 advantage over the New York Mets, this list of understated but indispensable contributors is dominated by Kansas City players.

However, there is room for one Mets veteran who made a habit of delivering in big moments during the regular season and who has been doing the exact same thing on baseball’s biggest stage.

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