Offseason rumors tend to look like a stock car race.
There are early front-runners, of course. And those teams linked to players in the early stages of the offseason do, quite frequently, end up acquiring said player.
But like any great stock car race, there’s jostling for position. Teams one-up each other, whether in the trade or free-agent markets. Trailing teams often make a last-minute effort and land a player, which nets baseball its share of offseason surprises.
So here are some of this offseason’s biggest names and possible suitors that may shock the collective baseball world. Some are based on speculation, while others have been linked to a specific player. But in all cases, such an acquisition would make sense based on the team’s needs.